Ruminations from the Temple

I suggest reading THIS . Then, add her blog to your blogroll. Next, follow her advice. I certainly have. I challenge my readers to abstain from social media (facebook/twitter/______) for one week. Take back your life. Quit feeding the monster.

Fingers intertwine, hearts and feet set on the path. Unconditional. This morning I awoke thinking of haiku. Strange. When I was a school kid I hated the idea of writing poetry, especially haiku. Teachers seemed to be so taken with the simple poetry puzzles. Suddenly, these little poems seem a fitting way to capture my observations. Maybe I will write more. Here's some information I found online about them: So what should haiku accomplish? What should it provide the reader? According to the classic haiku poets of Japan, haiku should present the reader with an observation of a natural, commonplace event, in the simplest words, without verbal trickery. The effect of haiku is one of "sparseness". It's a momentary snatch from time's flow, crystallized and distilled. Nothing more.  Of all the forms of poetry, haiku perhaps is the most demanding of the reader. It demands the reader's participation because haiku merely suggests something in the h...

Now that school has ceased for the summer, what's a student to do when the pressure is off? Well, wherever it is, it needs to involve a camera, for sure! Yesterday we made our way down to the incredible Portland Saturday Market. What an awesome thing this is. We found some irresistible treasures that had to come home with us...and I want to share them and the artisans that create them. Don't you need some of these things? (I have included the websites/business information, just in case you do.) Below you can see an example of the wonderfully whimsical artwork of Karla Dornacher. It reminds me of Mary Engelbreit but lighter and more inspirational. She had a terrific piece of artwork that featured Psalm 1 and the Tree of Life that I was immediately drawn to. However, this one seemed to fit my needs better... I came home with a really sweet banner set of her encouragements - forgive freely, give thanks, dream big, trust G-d, and shine brightly . They are bright and h...

ingredients: sand salt sunshine mix in: cameras family senses now include: beauty solitude birds when absorbed, add: sunglasses endless waves pocket treasures enjoy: a place to walk a place to breathe a place to observe a place to be serves 8

Molly is sitting shiva for Picnik... Yes, the long-hated day that our beloved photo site Picnik will be closing it's doors. What's a blogger to do?? No more touch-ups. No more automatic fixes. No more bumpin' up the color, adjusting exposure or adding a border. It was gonna be such a grief-stricken outcry of anguish from heartbroken bloggers and photo aficionados. 'Til now. Take a minute and check out PicMonkey . It is free for now, but for access to this type of site, I would pay. Don't tell Google, but it is suspiciously similar to Picnik. Squeee! before adjustments in PicMonkey   after adjustments in PicMonkey

A letterboxing friend gave me this plaque a few years ago. Interestingly, it was quite a while before I started writing on a regular basis. At first sight, I thought the sentiment was nice, but didn't give it much thought, really. However, it seems most appropriate now, as I most definitely consider myself a wordie . Hard as it is to believe, writing has become a refuge, an escape, even a guilty pleasure.  My former English teacher would be thrilled, as she tried and tried to get me to write more than just the bare minimum to get by. word-ie , noun ; 1) one who enjoys words of all sorts, especially unusual, rare or vintage words, and is intrigued at their spelling and how they interact with other words; 2) one who gains pleasure from writing and speaking beyond what is considered average or normal usage of their native language; 3) one who is adept at playing with words in unusual ways, such as reversing their order or pronunciation, including other languages and pseudo-language...

photo credit: Batya Katz A Shabbat photo challenge.  How perfect.

OK, so I love quotes.  I'm drawn like a magnet to those little quote collection books and websites that allow you to find just the right quote with a search word.  Yesterday, while perusing a wonderful little hospital gift store, I found a awesome new addition to my quote library - squeeeee! Ross and Kathryn Petras, brother and sister, are great curators of quotes; this offering has 618 rules to live by...618?  That makes me excited!  They have also written "Age Doesn't Matter Unless You're a Cheese" and a calendar, "The 365 Stupidest Things Ever Said" that may have to be sought out by yours truly. Padawan and I stood in the gift store for quite a while laughing at quotes as we paged through this little book.  The quote on the cover is one of my all-time favorites, and completely describes my life! Everyone at a party is uncomfortable.   Knowing that makes me more comfortable. ~Gary Shandling Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclus...

This morning I just needed to have a shot of springtime,  so I asked my facebook buddies to send me flowers...virtual flowers!  I got quite a bouquet! I got flowers from all over the country... Springtime flowers...so beautiful! Summertime colors from far away places  just make me smile with anticipation!  So delicate and sweet...from of the garden of a dear friend. Thanks, everyone, for the flowers today! “A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart  and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.”

It is no secret that I have been going through a rather difficult season in my life.  It happens to the best of us, eh?  I can't help but to notice that my appreciation for the sweeter things in life goes up substantially with the contrast of more trying times. Just for fun, and a lift, here's some of the things that make me smile.  Perhaps they make you smile, too... puppy breath how my cat makes himself into a fur ball with his front paws tucked up under his chest modern piano instrumental of the old hymns old photos of my parents good night hugs from my youngest son laughing with beloved friends until my stomach hurts heartfelt worship a long, hot shower good hair days feeling strong hearing my Mom's voice in my head the feel of speed upon entering the freeway that first sip of hot coffee in the morning snuggling in for another hour of sleep in the morning singing with good friends sweet memories my Jedi boots gett...

"Friendship is the allay of our sorrows, the ease of our passions, the discharge of our oppressions, the sanctuary to our calamities, the counselor of our doubts, the clarity of our minds..."  ~Jeremy Taylor

We are a nation of consumers. We are always looking for the latest and greatest, new and improved products. There are some that like the old ways - have you heard their motto? "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" I really don't live by this motto, and don't begrudge those that do. But, personally, I like the newer stuff, the hi-tech improvements that make our lives easier and, let's face it, more fun. As I am older now, I have settled into some products that are just favorites of mine...I'm sure you have, as well. And who doesn't enjoy hearing of the products your girlfriends have found that they think are way cool? Well, this girlfriend is sharing... My favorite hi-tech thingy: OK, I have two! I recently just acquired a HP Netbook with Windows 7 (Starter). This little wonder is absolutely the best! I really like the wide keyboard and it just too handy to take with me to class or on a road trip. When I'm home, I have it sitting on my cra...