To Doreen With Love

What a surprise it was for me to go outside this morning, to feed the birds and find my friend and neighbor, Doreen, at the end of my driveway.  She was putting a thankyou card in my mailbox.  Seeing her brightened my day and when I had the opportunity to take the time out to open the card, to my surprise, it turned out to be a piece of beautiful artwork.  The front of the card was a painting of me wearing a dress in mixed with collage items.  Doreen is very special and very talented.

Our friendship started around eighteen years ago when I was pregnant with my son, Michele.  Doreen was a La Leche Leader.  I met Doreen during meetings while I was pregnant to learn about breastfeeding.  After giving birth, and sore nipples, post partum depression, being alone and overwhelmed while recovering from a c-section, it was Doreen who came over with meals and encouragement.  And for that I will always be grateful and a wonderful friendship was born.

Doreen is a RN who is the mother of three fantastically handsome young men.  I mean the kind of good looking where you have to stare.  Her husband, Zeke, is wonderfully handsome as well.  Doreen works as a preschool teacher.  She is always planning art classes and she loves her job.  It's a gift that these children are blessed to be with her.  Doreen is also and incredible artist and photographer.  She has won prizes several times in both catagories. 

As if Doreen's life is not busy enough, she has also become somewhat of a "KITTY MAMA" - by this I mean that she actually discovered a situation in our neighborhood where a cat hoarder had passed away and left a slew of kitties not only homeless but some were sick with disease and injured.  Doreen took it upon herself during the spring, summer and fall of '09 to capture and get kittys spayed and neutered.  Some of the cats were brought back to their home, but that was only if they were older, healed and fixed.  Doreen paid for all this out of her own pocket.  She said the vet gave her a discount, it wasn't however, much of a discount.  Doreen has found litters of newborn kitties that she had brought home, litter after litter, left for dead, diseased, eye infections and scabbed.  She had all the animals checked by the vet, she nursed and raised all the kitties till they were able to be adopted and she managed to find homes.  (Ours being one of them).  I believe she trapped nearly 30 adult cats to be neutered.

Doreen also has a knack for caring for and raising wild or injured birds that fall out of nests.  Last spring she found a pair of small baby birds who were probably blown out of their nests, she hand fed these babies around the clock every twenty minutes till they grew and they actually did end up flying out of the coop!

Even though Doreen had a couple of cats, she ended up becoming adopted by one of the kitties, named "Lovey".  Lovey was a mommy cat whom Doreen cared for while she nursed her kitties. Lovey was then neutered and the kittens were given healthcare and love till they were old enough to be adopted out.  When Doreen took Lovey back to her home after she was on the mend, it did not take long for Lovey to find her way back to Doreen's house.

Doreen also rescued two beautiful dogs from the animal shelter.  Whom adore and admire her.

Doreen is an Artist, Healer and she's a totally fantastic woman.  She is like salve on the soul when she's in my pressense.  An inspiration.

Thank you Doreen for making me feel so special with the beautiful artwork you made for me.

Love,

Marguerita

Definition of a YaYa

Definition of YAYA: A YaYa is a two sylable word to define a soul-sister. A YaYa is someone who accepts you for the good and the bad with understanding and non judgement. A YaYa is there when no one else is. A YaYa celebrates life with you and encourages you to keep going - A YaYa always has your back and is always looking out for your best interests. A YaYa is a family member God put on your path. YaYas are moral compasses to each other.  YaYa's don't need to talk to or see each other regularly to keep the relationship going - periods of time without comunication can take place and YaYas pick up where they left off - as if they transcend space and time.  The truth is YaYas are always thinking of each other even when they are caught up in their own day to day lives. YaYas see the real you and love you anyway. They don't go after each other's men, they don't disclose confidential secrets with others and help each other out of self destructive behaviors. YaYas stand by you in even if you are of a different race, religion and have different tastes. YaYas are in general spicy. I believe YaYas incarnate many lives together. A soulmate. More like Soul Twins.  Separated before life.  The other half of each other.  The finisher of each others sentences.  Someone who helps you not take yourself so seriously. And can make you laugh till you cry. It is possible to have more than one YaYa. I imagine that is rare.  For me, it's truly a blessing to have one.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=36258759

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=36258759

Violet's Hands

These hands belong to a woman named Violet. Violet is a friend of my sister Sharon. Violet is ninety-nine something years young. She told me she was a secretary, worked for Oyster Creek Energy plant as an office supervisor, she's travelled the world and went on many cruises. Although I doubt she was on the Titantic. (She never implied this). This picture was taken at Sharon's house when Violet told me all these things. She loves all kinds of food especially sweet and spicy which could also be used to describe her. Kind of an example of "you are what you eat". I took a ton of pictures, and a few weeks later I met Sharon,Violet and Mary, (Violet's daughter) at a restaurant for lunch. Sharon had taken Violet that morning to get Violet's hearing aid. I did not know it until we were at the restaurant that Violet was both blind and deaf. She can hear some with a hearing aid. She is however as smart as a tack. I was dumbfounded when I discovered this and was amazed when she asked me, "What did you do with all those pictures you took of me and my hands". Amazing. Violet uses a walker to get around to balance herself. I'm sure I'd need one too if I was both sight and hearing impaired. She often falls I am told but she will get up and dust herself off. She loves eating and music and travelling. She is of the dainty sort that you don't see much anymore. It's nostalgic being near her. She is very classy and matches her pocketbook to her outfit, to her broach, to her shoes. She's always coordinated. Her hands are soft and delicate. And when you hold them her skin feels warm and paper thin, yet you can feel the strength of who she is. A woman who's lived near a century, loved, married, gave birth, survived both World wars, the Great Depression and the loss of loved ones who were called home to be with God. Violet, I am posting one of the photos of your hands because I think you rock!

Tooo Freak'n Cold

 It's the middle of January and I'm still and ORANGE SODA ADDICT!!!  Tonight I took my kids to Walmart so that one could spend their gift card and a couple other places as well as a trip to Borders and all I could think of is getting home to get to my end of the day orange soda.  This is rediculous.  I need to quit the white flour, process foods as well as all the sugar.  What's the matter with me.  I woke up this morning from such a headache that felt like I was suffering from brain freeze - the kind you get when you suck in a mouthful of cold wawa slurpee, then go into a shock - while the pain permeates and takes over.  At least with slurpee brainfreeze, it goes away, - the pain of a migraine however just stays and moves around.  I know its the junk food.

Last day of Recharging

I've had a monstrous headache which I've posted since the first.  Today is officially, (I believe two whole days) clean from orange soda.  My headache is not as bad.  So we'll see how I do today.  Tomorow I start back to my regular work week.  I hope I will be able to stay away from both junk food and orange soda.

Soda Withdrawal

I still have this tremendous headache. I have not had any soda, diet coke or orange soda since early yesterday morning. I am giving up soda because it's become an addiction and habit that I do not need. And I feel the effects when I'm not drinking it. Also, because the soda takes up sooooo much room in my recycle bin, I am embarrassed at how much I am filling up the world's trash pile with my empty soda cans. How refreshing cold water, straight from the tap would be just about now.

Monday Blues

It's Monday, and I'm still functioning with this headache. I ran out of orange soda. So do I start today to cleanse myself of the orange soda addition or do I allow my son to drive me to the store to buy some. (He is dying for an excuse to drive). It's freezing out and I am actually still in my pajamas. Last couple of weeks I had to run around like a maniac. (Like most people) - because of the holidays and I worked extra days around the holidays, now I am frozen with inertia. I cannot seem to move. Since Saturday evening when I walked in the door with dinner in a bag (Chinese food) I have not been able to move.

On the light side however, I am reading a book called "Tales of a Female Nomad" written by Rita Golden Gelman. My book club will be meeting next week. I cannot wait this is a good book and I am blessed to be frozen in my warm house snuggled up with a good book.

I still need to send my neices their Christmas gifts and I have to visit my neighbors. My 12 days of Christmas are starting run out. I'm such a lazy ass!!

Crash and Burn Sunday

It's sooooooooo cold outside, I thank God I have a warm house and a warm bed to snuggle in all day today. Off and on I could not get out of the bed I just want to crawl under the covers. My biggest decision today was what to make for dinner and when my husband and daughter on their own started picking on leftovers, I felt I was off the hook. So I did not even cook dinner or set the table or anything. A very lazy day. I just wish I could get rid of this headache. It's 9:50 p.m. and I am still recharging my batteries.

Orange Soda Hangover

Today is the second day of the New Year and the only thing I've changed for the positive about myself is that I did not drink too much orange soda today. Actually, I'm still hungover from the orange soda and junk food I've eaten these past few days. Add that to the "Blue Moon" (two full moons in one lunar cycle) - and my period is messed up - so I am pms'ing as well as cranky and skanky as can be. Hopefully tomorow, I will wake up with a better outlook. I am still behind in my Christmas wrapping, and gift mailing as well as the gifts I have wrapped and still need to drop off at my neighbor's house. I am truly Pagen, and normally celebrate the Winter's Solstice for the whole 12 days of Christmas, however, for some reason, this year I am really dragging. I hope nobody actually takes time to read this rubbish. If you do, I hope you the best and Happy New Year!!!

New Year New Beginnings

Today being the first of the year, with the encouragement of my yaya (my dearest friend) I am finally - at her suggestion going to start to "Blog". I write, read a lot and have a lot of interests, however, I cannot imagine having anything worthwhile to share. Perhaps, I tell myself that if I want to work on some serious New Years Resolutions, then when and where would be a better place to start than to start a blog on New Year's day and at the same time put out there all the things I'd like to improve on myself. So far my resolutions are as follows: Eat Healthier, meaning cutting back on the fake food that has been lacing my diet for the past several years. Foods that contain colors, additives and the such that cause me not only weight gain but immense headaches. As I write this now, I am actually drunk off of orange soda, that I know for a fact that as soon as I run out, if I don't get more, I will go through a physical withdrawal. If I sound like a drug addict. I am. Only my drug at the moment is not the illegal kind that you have to drive thru scary neighborhoods to buy. The drugs I'm addicted to come in pretty packages and boxes at the local supermarket. Another resolution is to work more dillegently on my paintings and photographs, I have been doing too much half baked lately. And I also have on my resolution for this year the same things that most start out the new year with such as exersicing more and in general being a better me. One issue I do have at hand along with the food issue that will probably give me a hard time is some childhood issues that won't leave me alone. I have some issues that seem to crop up like a ghost that wants attention. This is really the hurdle I will have to jump through.