City of Roses

2011-12-16T11:00:00.000-08:00

Definitely looking forward to the day when I can mind my blog and my blog minds me back! For a girl with no strings, I sure have a lot of loose ends!!

Diary of a Sane Caregiver - December 14, 2011

2011-12-14T18:41:00.000-08:00

Hi Susan, Jack was mellow and seemed to be just fine hanging out with us all. We had story time w/Jack in his room and he enjoyed the books and company. Jack does great listening and helping with small chores ~ today helped wash his dishes and the counters. So sweet! Had lots of H2O, some pasta and sweet potato fries for dinner. Also, very "talkative" today - fun to hear. :) Oh,, and leftovers hiding in the oven. Granola hiding below silverware. See you tomorrow at 9:30 ~ Beth

Diary of a Sane Caregiver - December 13, 2011

2011-12-14T18:34:00.001-08:00

Susan, Jack was in a great mood today, very sweet with the guys. He read some books with us and hung out in his room - also played with Balloon and Weston. He had bean/rice burrito for lunch, ate his choco bread and oatmeal for breakfast. No naps. Helped make his bed. Thanks! Beth

forgive, fortake, forgive

2011-12-13T20:09:00.001-08:00

If you choose to develop a practice of forgiveness, it can become completely unconscious or automatic for you. This is an element so needed in our world today. Like a precious element in nature, it is rare, but not uncommon! And the good news is that it is not a limited commodity; more of it can be created at the whim of a hat!

What will your life be like when you begin (or continue) the practice of forgiveness? The safest analogy is that it will be like being in love. There is great comfort and peace in being "in forgiveness mind."

When you can walk the steps of your life in the practice of forgiveness, toward yourself, toward God perhaps, toward your country, toward your neighbor, toward your enemy, toward your family, toward your friends, toward your community, toward the outside world, toward others, toward All, toward one individual whose despicable or dastardly nature hurt you, well, you will see....

When you practice forgiveness, others notice it, maybe unconsciously, but they know it.

Should you start close to home or far away? It's up to you.

FORGIVENESS EXERCISE #1:

First, imagine that it is You that you are imagining. You are both the one imagining you, and the one being imagined.

Comment: This is the essence of this practice. Can you see how it is possible to do this? Can you imagine anyone else doing it? How about your enemy? How about God? How about nobody at all? I can imagine nobody doing it!

You and I do not know a single newborn baby or ancient elder who is not fully experiencing the same forces of consciousness on earth as you are, i.e. they are changing. Things are accelerating. There is a shift of consciousness going on. Everyone can feel it.

FORGIVENESS EXERCISE #2:

Next, shift your perception so that this person you have imagined to be You is actually the other person, the one you wish to forgive.

FORGIVENESS EXERCISE #3:

Next, forgive that person. If this is too hard, start over at Exercise #1 and work on forgiveness of You. Once you have that part mastered, you can work on Exercise #2 again. It may take a while to master that, but I know you can do it. Then, go on to Exercise #3.

Feeding

2011-12-08T17:00:00.001-08:00

Last week of December

2011-12-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

I went to Subway Restaurant for lunch today. The sign said "Bowl of Soup, $2" and Soup of the Day today was "Chipotle Corn Chowder." Yum Yum Yum! I was waiting for the counter person to finish with the order in front of me and fantasizing how great that soup was going to taste. I would slurp my bowl of soup, eat 6" of my footlong with my soup and take 6" home for later. Yum! I had never heard of Chipotle Corn Chowder. What a stroke of luck, I thought, to be there randomly on a Wednesday.

I got shot down without him missing a beat. "I want a bowl of Chipotle corn chowder," I said. "We're out," he said.

It was still the lunch hour!

"We sold out before lunch."

I fumed. I explained how delicious it sounded to me. "Come back next week, we have it every Wednesday."

"I won't be in this neighborhood next Wednesday." I realized. "Nor the next." Glum settled onto my countenance. And I repeated how good it sounded. I asked if there might be a spoonful that I could at least taste the delicious-sounding concoction!

"Nope."

He was very kind, as he made my 12" sub to order, to go.

"Well, Sweetheart, since I won't be seeing you again before the holidays, you have a nice Christmas."

I fumed. "I might be here before Christmas, you know. I just can't make it on a Wednesday before Christmas. Maybe I'll make it at home..."

We parted on good terms, especially me, since I had lunch. Just not what I wanted.

Elections in the City of Roses

2008-06-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow marks the end of the 50+ states' primary season.

It's just not knowable how things will look in November. My prediction is that they will look nothing like what would match present expectations :)

It's only a prediction, not a comment!

Happy Thanksgiving; give a dog a bone (but not a turkey bone)

2006-11-22T15:52:00.000-08:00

Someone shook my hand yesterday. Simple gesture, but it hurt like hell, because the day before I got GNAWED on the same hand by a stupid dog that doesn't like me, ya it's the stupid neighbors again. GRRRRRR The dog was on a leash, that makes it even worse, I checked with animal control.

This stupid dog is "unpredictable," says his owner, a guy who doesn't have any self discipline and doesn't know the first thing about treating himself well, so where is he going to learn how to treat an animal? He lives in a house that's a revolving door of tenants, Please socialize your animals and your children, if not for your sake, then for their sake. All it takes is a loving heart. And if you don't have a loving heart toward others, then please don't let your dog loose like nobody's hand matters except your own.

I'm just a casualty of the day. Not the most serious one, but it's a matter of perspective. I never thought a handshake could be so painful.

October surprise

2006-10-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

Talk is cheap. There's nothing quite so wonderful as being in the company of people you like, talking about things, whether personal or of general interest, that make people feel engaged in each other and in the world or with other people. Being isolated is a terrible experience after a while, it truly robs from the soul and engenders distorted feelings of sociopathic or narcissitic nature, for example, or just loneliness.

Seeing homeless people on our streets used to be a shock; remember in the early 80s when homelessness was a relatively shocking phenomenon? But some of the same people are still out there, and for others (including younger generations) it is a lifestyle that is one of the "norms" in the millennial paradigm.

When I am confronted in my car or bike with a homeless person holding a begging sign, or approached on a downtown street by a healthy or unhealthy person soliciting money for (a) a cheeseburger or (b) $25 for a room for the night, my automatic response is not to reward the behavior.

But I don't want to be unable to generate a human connection, so there's the rub.

If the only people you encounter are strangers on the street, you are not alone.

If you stay in your home you don't even encounter strangers.

And if you stay on the internet, your encounters, being generated in your own mind, are devoid of any flesh or blood other than your own. Even though they are real. Yes, the sweat, blood, tears of another exist in you, as Jesus could tell you if you could hear Him speak. But that's really not necessary.

If you want to meet You out there in the community, the best strategy is face to face. Not that I have anything against the internet. It's the one communication system that is shared by nearly everyone who has ever lived, isn't that fascinating?

Hope to see you in the City of Roses.

blogging in P-town

2006-09-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

8 AM, Saturday, September 16, 2006.

Night after night the drunks across the street are out on the porch, all night long, talking endlessly in loud voices about the things that matter to 22 year olds - "he never calls, i know he loves me, i don't get what i want, me, me me me meeeeee i'm screw screw screw screw screwed yada ya da da.." it's 7 AM and they're still out there. i went over at 5 AM and the fruity chick with nonstop beer looked at me like i was mad. well i was mad.

i started out politely, sorta, marching across the street and getting in the drunk woman's face, "look" i said, "give me your phone number so i don't have to get out of bed and get dressed to come over here just to tell you to go inside and get off the front porch and shut the fuck up." She looked at me with a hurt look, "Darling," she says, "why don't you come over when it's daytime and talk to me gently about this." "No" i say, "give me your phone number so I don't have to come over here just to tell you to shut the fuck up. All night, every night, it's the middle of the night, summer is over, go inside, get off the porch, you're loud, you're waking the neighbors, your actions are affecting a lot of people!"

The guy with her starts .. "it's 558-..." and she stops him. "No, darling, let's talk about this sometime, just come over during the day.." I get directly in her face, "if you don't give me your phone number, i'll call the police. Night after night all night long you're out here talking in a loud voice, people can't sleep - at this point the bad-tempered dog shows at the door - and your dog is a problem, give me your phone number, so I don't have to call the police."

I've complained about this situation to friends for a long time; they tell me to call the police; I explain that isn't the proper etiquette where I live in SE Portland, but at this point I'm realizing I have no choice. I'll give her one more chance to understand my message, but obviously I'm committing myself to a position and i'll have to carry through. I know how this stuff turns out when you don't carry through on your promise.

"I am telling you, if you don't give me a phone number so i can call over here in the middle of the night next time this happens, I have no choice but to call the cops." The male is telling her to give me the number, but she can't think of one quick enough. "It's 232.. no wait, here just wait, let me write down the number for you...it's 503 -- "(long pause) And tell me, I think rhetorically, why do Portland people always pause so long after the area code, I mean it's not like anybody has to write it down or isn't going to remember it -- everyone knows the damn area code unless you start out DIFFERENT like "971" poor thing -- she stops again. DAMNIT she's not going to give me the number.

"OK" i say as i turn around, step down the porch stairs and cross back to my house. I'm calling the police.

Which I did. The nice man at 9-1-1 said I have to call the non emergency number 823-3333, press 1, and you'll get right to us. So I did. That was great; usually if you call the non emergency you have to give a recorded report' apparently you get better service at 5 AM...thanks Portland.

So then I went back to bed and noticed it when the cops pulled up. Seems like a bunch of people came out to talk to the cops, I'm thinking great, the cops see, it's 5 AM, it's still dark, all these drunk 20 year somethings are outside trying to say they weren't doing anything wrong, and hopefully having the cops show up will be a bit of a deterrent??

So I tried to sleep, but the adrenalin made me get up and make coffee. So the paper came at 6:22, and damn if the drunk neighbors aren't out on the porch again talking. It's cold outside, this isn't 90 degrees like we had last week. CRAP. Don't they know they can't be outside keeping neighbors up till 7 AM? I'm going to have to work on this issue till something good happens. Hopefully the whole mess will clear up if I keep working on it.

Have a good day Portland!

A rose is a rose is a rose...

2005-11-29T10:53:00.000-08:00

rose city!

2005-11-29T10:49:00.000-08:00

mmmmmmmmmm.....perfection!

cityofroses

2005-11-29T10:47:00.000-08:00

cityofroses.com

2005-06-07T20:01:00.000-07:00