Breathtaking Images of Unicorns

  This is a neat quote from my favorite actor on Criminal Minds. 

Unicorns are fun. According to Wikipedia (which means it must be true), unicorns were believed by ancient Greeks to be a symbol of purity and grace, and its horn was said to have the power to render poisoned water potable and to heal sickness.   How cool is that?

Makes me sad that they missed the ark.

Picture of white unicorn by chrissi-dinos.deviantart.com

Bless Your Pet! (or, That Hamster Might be Packin')

I knew there was a reason to be nice to animals!  Mindy used to have a hamster that looked just like this little guy.  Her's was named Gus Gus and as far I know, he never packed a gun.  Still, you can't be too careful.  So, it might be in all our best interests to recognize today as the Feast of St. Francis.

October 4 has been designated as the Feast of St. Francis, patron saint of animals and the environment.  St. Frances wrote an ode to God’s living things. “All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures".  Accordingly, on October 4, some churches offer services for people to bring their animals to be blessed.  When I worked for an Episcopal Church we had a Blessing of the Animals in a garden area outside the church.  Mindy and I attended with Honey, Mindy's pet guinea pig.  It was neat.

Honey is in guinea pig heaven now, but we have other pets.  I'd say we have pets in abundance.

 

 Hunter

Steve picked Hunter out of a litter at the Jessamine County Humane Society as a Christmas gift for the children when they were younger.  (BTW - I never knew there was a time when kittens were in short supply, but apparently in December they are. In fact, Hunter and his siblings were the only baby cats to be had.)

We received a phone call a month or so later from the Humane Society warning us that Hunter's mom had died as well as (I think) some or all of the other kittens from some feline disease. They wanted to warn us that Hunter might be a short-timer.  This upset us all, but especially Steve, who had paid a large vet bill to have the cat neutered and declawed the day before.  "Couldn't they have called last week?" he grumbled.

But, Hunter is a survivor (read....too mean to die)  and is now a sleek aging feline who runs the house.  This in spite of the fact that two years ago I adopted Bella from the Woodford Humane Society.  She is an older dog who came with a little baggage.  Make that a cargo. 

When I got her she was terrified of pretty much everything.  Also, she turned out to be incontinent.  But she loved us.  Well, she loved me, in that possessive-crazy-stalker way that dogs tend to fixate on one person.  And I loved her back. So we cope with tranquilizers during storms and fireworks.  And diapers.  If you need someone to turn a baby diaper into a dog diaper, I'm your woman.

 Diaper Doggie

Bella sleeps in a crate at night and Hunter inherited Andy's room after Andy moved to college.  The only animal that sleeps in our bedroom is a King snake named Martin Luther that Steve rescued from the wild many years ago.  Steve claims Martin might be the largest King snake in Kentucky.  I don't know about that, but he is one long snake and  eats frozen mice that Steve brings to him holding them upright by their stiff little tails like micesicles.

Martin Luther King Snake

We have a tankful of fish

  and a yardful of turtles.  

We won't be attending a service with any of these sweet creatures.  But I did find a Do It Yourself Animal Blessing online.  This is it, in case anyone wishes to make use of it.  And you might.  Now that I think about it, Hunter does try to trip me up on the stairs alot.

Blessed are you, Lord God,
maker of all living creatures.
On the fifth and sixth days of creation,
you called forth fish in the sea,
birds in the air and animals on the land.
You inspired St. Francis to call all animals
his brothers and sisters.
We ask you to bless this animal.
By the power of your love,
enable it to live according to your plan.
May we always praise you
for all your beauty in creation.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.

Bless Your Pet! (or, That Hamster Might be Packin')

I knew there was a reason to be nice to animals!  Mindy used to have a hamster that looked just like this little guy.  Her's was named Gus Gus and as far I know, he never packed a gun.  Still, you can't be too careful.  So, it might be in all our best interests to recognize today as the Feast of St. Francis.

October 4 has been designated as the Feast of St. Francis, patron saint of animals and the environment.  St. Frances wrote an ode to God’s living things. “All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures".  Accordingly, on October 4, some churches offer services for people to bring their animals to be blessed.  When I worked for an Episcopal Church we had a Blessing of the Animals in a garden area outside the church.  Mindy and I attended with Honey, Mindy's pet guinea pig.  It was neat.

Honey is in guinea pig heaven now, but we have other pets.  I'd say we have pets in abundance.

 

 Hunter

Steve picked Hunter out of a litter at the Jessamine County Humane Society as a Christmas gift for the children when they were younger.  (BTW - I never knew there was a time when kittens were in short supply, but apparently in December they are. In fact, Hunter and his siblings were the only baby cats to be had.)

We received a phone call a month or so later from the Humane Society warning us that Hunter's mom had died as well as (I think) some or all of the other kittens from some feline disease. They wanted to warn us that Hunter might be a short-timer.  This upset us all, but especially Steve, who had paid a large vet bill to have the cat neutered and declawed the day before.  "Couldn't they have called last week?" he grumbled.

But, Hunter is a survivor (read....too mean to die)  and is now a sleek aging feline who runs the house.  This in spite of the fact that two years ago I adopted Bella from the Woodford Humane Society.  She is an older dog who came with a little baggage.  Make that a cargo. 

When I got her she was terrified of pretty much everything.  Also, she turned out to be incontinent.  But she loved us.  Well, she loved me, in that possessive-crazy-stalker way that dogs tend to fixate on one person.  And I loved her back. So we cope with tranquilizers during storms and fireworks.  And diapers.  If you need someone to turn a baby diaper into a dog diaper, I'm your woman.

 Diaper Doggie

Bella sleeps in a crate at night and Hunter inherited Andy's room after Andy moved to college.  The only animal that sleeps in our bedroom is a King snake named Martin Luther that Steve rescued from the wild many years ago.  Steve claims Martin might be the largest King snake in Kentucky.  I don't know about that, but he is one long snake and  eats frozen mice that Steve brings to him holding them upright by their stiff little tails like micesicles.

Martin Luther King Snake

We have a tankful of fish

  and a yardful of turtles.  

We won't be attending a service with any of these sweet creatures.  But I did find a Do It Yourself Animal Blessing online.  This is it, in case anyone wishes to make use of it.  And you might.  Now that I think about it, Hunter does try to trip me up on the stairs alot.

Blessed are you, Lord God,
maker of all living creatures.
On the fifth and sixth days of creation,
you called forth fish in the sea,
birds in the air and animals on the land.
You inspired St. Francis to call all animals
his brothers and sisters.
We ask you to bless this animal.
By the power of your love,
enable it to live according to your plan.
May we always praise you
for all your beauty in creation.
Blessed are you, Lord our God, in all your creatures! Amen.

PRICKLES

This little story is not original with me.  It was sent out to the staff by the principal at one of my schools.  But I really like it.  It contains an element of wisdom and kindness.  Also, look at that little face.  I mean really.  How cute is that?   And so I share - The Fable of the Porcupine It was the coldest winter ever.  Many animals died because of the cold. The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm.  This way, they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.  After a while, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen.  So they had to make a choice:  either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together.  They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the heat that came from the others.  This way they were able to survive. The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities. The moral of the story is: Just learn to live with the Pricks in your life! The Bible puts it another way.  Colossians 3:13 tells us in good old King James English to "Forbear one another and forgive one another."   I remember a Bible study many years ago when we were told that this verse means to "put up with each other" in love.  That is sometimes easier said than done.   Still, it beats the alternative.  I am very thankful for my family and friends who love me, prickles and all!     _______________________________________________________________________

What Grace Looks Like

 

 

I love Anne Lamott. Her faith is strong and her writing is on target and honest.  And hilarious.  Downright funny.  I follow her on Facebook and when she posts, I almost always find something that strikes a chord with me.  Like today....

Home, in bed, smothered in dogs like biscuit gravy; they are exhausted after giving me the ritual cleansing and have gone back to sleep, so I have this early morning all to myself. The sun has streaked highlights into my flowering pear tree like Vidal Sassoon, and I am wearing my Ethel Mertz jammies and eating peanut butter toast. This is what grace looks like: amazed gratitude and relief at your ...plain old gorgeous life.

i was up at 3:30 Tuesday, headed to Tennessee for two talks--one on Writing, one on faith--and then to Chicago for a talk on the Search for Meaning. They are all, at core, the same--the decision on how we choose to live this one short, precious life. The decision to stop hitting the snooze button. The willingness not to be good at things right away, to be clueless but committed; to make more messes and mistakes in the interest of living with spaciousness and a sense of presence; to find out who we truly are, who we were born to be, and to learn to love that screwed up, disappointing, heartbreakingly dear self of ours.

 

What grace looks like.  Gratitude for our plain old gorgeous lives.  Thank you, Anne.

 

DREAM

The second grader handed me her two allotted books to check out today at school.  I don't remember exactly what they were, but cute furry faces looked at me from the covers of both books.

"You must really like animals!" I said to her.  Oh, yes, she said, and went on to tell me that all of her friends teased her because she talked about animals so much.

Me.  "Maybe you will be a vet someday."

Her.  "I want to be wild animal vet!"

Me.  "Maybe I'll see you on TV!"

Her.  "If I don't get eaten!"

With that, she turned away, happy with her books and her dreams of being a wild animal vet. 

It has been a few years since I was a second grader, but I was still inspired.  The great theologian sums it up pretty well.

So, whatever our ages, I believe God gives us permission to dream.  In fact, I bet He smiles when we do.

Artwork is by my son, Andy.

BIG, BAD, GOTH GIRL

I probably jinxed myself. 

"Snot! Snot! It's everywhere!"  I bemoaned this to Steve last week after a day of watching small children run through a box of tissues like squirrels at a bird feeder.



I'm working in an elementary school for the first time in forever and absolutely LOVE it.  However, let's face it, children are sticky little beings.   Adorable, but sticky.

So, I'm sick.  I found someone to serve communion for me and stayed home from church today.  Fortunately the service is on the radio.  Unfortunately, I slept through it. 

Steve brought home KFC for us.  I took some meds and decided I'd feel better if I moved around.  So I tackled the top chore on my to-do list and gave Bella a bath.  I dried her with the hairdryer and put a new girly skull bib on her.

Few things in life can compare with a sweet-smelling, loving, clean dog.  At least for those of us without grandchildren. 

I think I'll take my big, bad goth girl and sit on the porch awhile and read in the fresh air.  I feel better already!

“The only creatures that are

evolved enough to convey

pure love are dogs and infants.”  

Johnny Depp

Cross-Ways

When Steve and I traveled to Washington D.C. over Spring Break last April, we were away from home during Holy Week.  We tossed around the idea of attending the National Cathedral on Good Friday.  We did visit the Cathedral, but not to attend a service.  We have both been there a few times and love the beauty and sacredness of the cathedral.  (Where else can you have lunch next to a tomb, gaze at a moon rock

 and see a gargoyle in the likeness of Darth Vadar?) 

 

When we are home, we attend Maundy Thursday service and sometimes Good Friday services as well, so it seemed odd to not be attending church services and worshipping during that time. 

So, I decided to look for crosses as we when about our sightseeing.  I thought it would be a way to remember the crucifixion as well as a way to consciously seek the Lord in the commonplace. 

Well, let me just say...If you are looking for the Lord in the commonplace, you will find Him, AND, you will begin to see crosses everywhere.  I enjoyed snapping pictures of "crosses" the rest of the trip and continued when I came home. 

These are a few of my "commonplace" crosses.  Some of the pictures I embellished with my Picassa program, adding colors and effects. 

In Baltimore.  Window on side of building.  You can see me taking the picture.

 

In a Barnes & Nobles

 

 

 At Baltimore Aquarium.   An ambulence outside the window

 

 Part of a wall in a restaurant

 

Another wall

 

Lights in the ceiling

 



 

 

Grate under my feet on a hike with Steve at Pine Mt. State Park.

 

Outside Andy's dorm at EKU

 

 

At Blue Herron B & B

 

 

At Spindletop Hall

 

 

Inside an antique store looking out in Brown Co. Indiana

 

 

I think my little experiment was good for me.  I still look for crosses sometimes, and when one comes into view, I snap a picture.  It's a visual reminder to me of the ever present spirit of God.

 



Invisible Obama

As most people know by now, President Obama attended the National Republic Convention last week as an invisible guest of Clint Eastwood.  Since then, apparently, Invisible Obama has been quite busy and has been (un)sighted in many places.  

He even has his own Facebook page which I discovered and which kept me entertained far too long last night. 

These are a few of my favorite pictures from that page.

Having a nightcap with Invisible Obama.

 Invisible Obama addresses a joint session of the U.S. Invisible Congress.

Invisible Obama sharing pizza with Americas future.

 Invisible Obama drinking coffee with me on my deck.

Invisible Michelle - she has style!

  

Not a lot of people know that Invisible Obama is an accomplished equestrian.

Invisible Obama bungee jumps from a high bridge.

 

Invisible Obama will walk your invisible dog.

And my personal favorite....

Invisible Obama er-enacts the Abbey Road cover.

Wonder if Invisible Romney will attend the DNC this week?  It wouldn't surprise me.   I kind of hope he does...Obama shouldn't have all the fun.

In fact, maybe we should all inject our unseen selves into interesting places this week.  Close our eyes and imagine we are there.

Here's Invisible Me doing a perfect warrior pose on a Maui Beach at sunrise.