Oprah's Blog

Do you really think Oprah writes her own blog? I guess it's possible but somehow I see someone doing it for her. Not that it matters. She's so nonchalant about being with Tina and Cher and the high-rolling digs in Vegas -- just trying to be real. Maybe that's why we love her. She's real.

Cougars for Cook

I am totally intrigued with the Cougars for Cook phenom. Intrigued and maybe a little embarrassed because I have become almost obsessed with his path to instant stardom. I thought at first that I would record his TV appearances, after all, he's from Tulsa, sort of, then immediately after he was on Ellen, I noticed that every single day, several times a day, on all kinds of shows, there he was. I gave that up idea. I don't know what it is about the young man that has captured so many "older women." Like he said, it's amazing what a haircut and forgetting to shave can do. Quite amusing, actually. I don't know that it's the haircut; don't know that it's the scruff. I love his gravelly voice. I'd download his version of Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby" in a minute. One article I read compared the two Davids like this "do you want a sexy man or a Webkinz come to life?" I thought that was pretty funny. Everyone needs a heart throb. This week it's David Cook.

A Better Mousetrap

I think Ralph Waldo Emerson is the one who said "Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door" and judging from the offerings at the local hardware store, quite a few people are testing his theory. I was shocked to see so many different kinds of mousetraps on the shelf -- everything from electronic traps (actually shocks them to death) to glue traps; packages of gooey paste for bait, live traps, easy-to-load traps and the all-time favorite regular little wooden mousetrap. This doesn't even include the ultrasonic sound traps that just drive them away.

Pests. Rodents. I was looking for a product to deter the rabbits from eating my plants. Last year my Diamond Frost was the star of the season and I couldn't figure out why it was down to the nubs until last night when I saw a baby rabbit feasting. I'm not interested in killing them, just want them to look elsewhere for food. This product is supposed to deter them with odor. Hope it doesn't waft up to the deck.

New Look, New Lease

I need to get outta this rut so I thought I'd brighten up my blog page. A small start. For whatever reason, I'm just not inspired lately. I look at my magazines and see great ideas but I can't find the where-with-all to jump in and try anything. Today it's raining so I won't be able to use working outside as an escape -- maybe I'll make myself do something creative, anything, to jumpstart this head (or is it heart) of mine.

On the flip side though, because I'm not working inside doing anything, my outside world is looking great. I'm getting rid of a ton of monkey grass that has taken over the azalea bed. I advertised it on craigslist as "FREE--you dig it, you keep it" and I got 9 responses. Two people came over yesterday and dug for about an hour each and there's still plenty left. Come to think of it, that's pretty creative thinking:)

I'm wrestling with adjusting to the way age (and probably menopause) is affecting my body. It's downright depressing. I look in the mirror and I don't even recognize my body sometimes. It's a constant head dialogue of should I eat this, give up this, try this, why don't I exercise more, I should lift weights, stand up straight, try pilates, throw out clothes that don't fit, be comfortable, forget it, no more wine, to hell with it, and so forth. It gets really old. But this morning as I sit with the doors open, listening to birds sing about the rain, I love life--including my ample body.

My expectations for myself have always a little out of whack. Maybe it's time to work on releasing some of that.

Live every day

The recent death of a contemporary, a counterpart, a woman I've admired, is one of those events that has startled me into awareness of everything I have. How much there is to be grateful for -- like every minute of every day. It makes me want to savor the sacred in the ordinary. To let loose that poet that lives deep inside me.

When I hear people say to live every day so that if it's over tomorrow, you'll be content, it's easy to feel like they mean to leave nothing undone, that it's necessary to experience it all. For me, living every day and feeling good about it is more and more about being still and being aware; about seeing and not getting caught up in the daily frenzy of doing. I want to experience life but I also need to reflect on it.

For the past three or four months, I've been acutely aware of not having creative juices flowing through me. I've had no creative energy. I know it's not gone for good; I know I haven't lost it or somehow run out of it. It's just a hiatus. But I wonder why. For some reason, I've not been meant to create right now. For some reason, my spirit has been required to be still.

Tomorrow, for me, a new sun will rise. Maybe a surge of energy will come. For Sharon, her spirit will be freed and she will fly away.