The Owl, Sara Von Norden

This is a beautiful story so of course it has a happy ending. My husband is a carpenter and he works for a local casino downtown, they have been remodeling and it takes lots of maintenance to keep this building put up in the early 1800's up and running with the latest in casino and restaurant equipment but anyway he called me early one morning and said the was a huge owl outside and she couldn't seem to fly although he could see nothing that would indicate what the problem was. I told him I thought it was best if he could call the wildlife authorities and keep her quiet until they arrive so he did. It turned out the owl had a severe gastrointestinal infection and she was kept and treated at a local wildlife recovery site. When she had fully recovered the head of the recovery site called Jack and asked if he would like to release her since he had initially rescued her and of course he did. The picture above is Jack, my husband releasing Sara Von Norden (we named her of course) close to the site where he found her. The lady at the wildlife infirmary said she was the largest Great Horned Owl she'd ever seen in this area, normally they max out around 3 pounds, our Sara weighed almost 4 pounds. It is truly a beautiful thing when the wild meets urban America and comes out of it better and free, it's also a beautiful thing to know that man and wildlife can co exist on this planet in harmony........

I want to thank the Reno Gazette for sending us a copy of the photo they took than ran with their article.

It's Only Fair........

Yesterday I posted a beautiful painting of spring so I thought it was only fair to post the beauty of winter also, I love the way each season has it's own unique beauty and I enjoy and appreciate them all........

Thinking Spring........

I know it's way too early in the year to be thinking about spring but I did today, it could have been because we had a beautiful sunshiny day today, one that would have been perfect for spring but it's only January and we haven't had nearly enough snow and rain. But I decided although it may be too early for spring it's never a wrong time to enjoy some beautiful art work so I found this painting in photobucket and it didn't give the artist name but I think the painting is gorgeous so I thought I'd share it with you........

Jauary 12th, 2009

Well, I haven't been back to post daily but I'm working on improving and I put up a new header today and I think it's beautiful. And I went to a graphic's sight and just keyed in beautiful to see what would come up and I got the picture above , which is very beautiful and it's titled almost heaven........and if you lived there it very well could be, I would love to live in a home like that anyway........The blog's will improve but for today it keep's me ligit and I hope something beautiful is present in your life today........

2009, It's Gonna Be Good........

Happy New Year everyone and it is going to be a happy year for us anyway, don't ask me how I know because I can't really explain it to you but when I awoke this morning (1/1/09) the first thing I noticed was that it was as if a weight had been lifted from my chest. It was a feeling of lightness, of realizing the worst was over and it could only get better and would, it felt great! I realize this country is still in a major financial mess with no cure or end in site as of yet and I know it will probably get worse before it gets better. As for me the recent years have been the worse of times, not all bad at all and even very, very good in some instances but worse in the over all big picture. I find myself almost breaking into spring fever early in anticipation of the future in spite of the current circumstance's and that's a beautiful thing!

There's something to be said for being at the bottom of the food chain, as everyone is falling to where you are and have been for awhile, you've already established yourself there, got your bearings, adjusted and are working on rising to the place you want to be. I say it in that manner because I have no visions of grandeur or immense wealth, I have no desire to acquire either I just want comfortable, a measure of security and peace of mind. So while a large part of the country, hell, for that matter the world is free falling downward, I have already landed hard on my ass, gotten up, dusted myself off, cried myself dry and proceeded to start climbing back to where I came from and this is a very friendly atmosphere for doing just that. I have a wonderful partner who comes from similar circumstance to journey with and we have friends and family who we love dearly and who loves us in return, we have decent health, intelligence, do not fear but thrive on hard work and we are good, highly ethical individuals with a lot of integrity. Can't nothing or no one hold a team like that down for long any way and we've been down long enough.

We are rising, the San Francisco 49er's are rising, Notre Dame is rising and it's only the second day into the new year! My husband, Jack is an Ox and it's the year of the Ox and if anyone deserves an awesome year of goodness coming their way it's him, I'm a Horse and last year was a bad one for me but I survived, in fact even improved on many fronts so I'm excited and eager to see what 2009 will bring our way. And I still can't get over the wonderful feeling I felt this morning and I can't explain where it came from or why it came I am only glad that it did, I don't question it because the intensity in which it was felt left no reason to only to enjoy it and that's just what I intend to do.

No one ever reads this blog but maybe if I make a better effort to publish something new on it everyday one day soon someone will take notice, if not that's OK to because the nature of this blog at least makes me take a few minutes out of everyday to think about something beautiful in my life, something I want to share and that in itself is a very beautiful thing, don't think? You'll be hearing more from me........

A String of Pearls....

Well I'm back and I've had so many memories running through my head since I began trying to figure out which was the most memorable Christmas ever and so far I haven't been able to pinpoint one but I do have special memories from so many over the years. I, like my loving friend and sister of the heart, Tina, have a large Italian/Irish family, I should say "I had" because sadly most all of them have passed on now so the memories are even more important than ever and more precious to me. My dad's side was the Italian, of course, being Italian it was his opinion that since my mom had married him that she was from that day forward Italian by proxy! I wonder if he had it put into their wedding vows!!! My mom's side needless to say was Irish, the wee bit of Russian I have comes from my dad's moms side of the family and that's most of what I know about it because we're not suppose to talk about it???
One of the very first Christmas's I remember was at my Noni's, our family was always dirt poor but it never stopped us from having a good time or celebrating a holiday. My Noni always did the holidays up right, this is the Irish one although we called her by the Italian word meaning grandma. She was one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen, they said she was what is called, black Irish, she had beautiful perfect jet black hair, ivory white clear skin, a body to die for right up until the day she died and she had the most loving eyes, dark and they always seemed to be laughing! My Noni and I had a special relationship and I treasured every moment I shared with her, she's one of those characters everyone wants to know but that's another blog.....
Anyway, back to this Christmas, I don't remember exactly what year it was but I must have been around 5 or 6, I was very young at the time and as I said our family was very poor. The big thing then for women was to own a "String of Pearls" which was also the name of one of my dad's favorite dance tunes by Glenn Miller, he taught me to dance to it and it was like floating, boy I loved it, that was dancing, I wonder why it's never made a big come back? Well, the whole family had gathered at Noni's and we were all eating, drinking and being merry. Those were the best gathering, sometimes they'd last for days and we would sing and dance, fight and argue too but mostly just had fun.
In the middle of the festivities my godfather came in and everyone gathered around him because he was just someone you loved to love. He was a big man in every sense of the word and one of the kindest you'd ever know. He was a farmer and had bought some land out in the country and planted cherry trees and he was starting to reap some of the fruits of his labors and I remember he presented my Noni with a small gift box insisting she open it right then and there. I'll never forget the look on her face, I knew what it was just by the look on her face, you see no one in my family would ever expect to own a "real" string of pearls and let me tell you did she ever wear them well, they looked as though they were created to go around her neck. I'm not sure whether they complimented her or she complimented them more, they were a perfect match!
Those pearls have made an appearance at special occasions and every Christmas since, in my Noni's later years she had them restrung and gave them to my favorite aunt Irene, my mom's identical twin sister with strict instructions that they were to be handed down to me. Unfortunately my aunt didn't survive my Noni and it was my Noni who took them from my aunts neck and place them around mine. I remember when I took them off the first time I noticed I couple of my aunts curly red hairs were tangled in the clasp and I didn't remove them for the longest time. I still wear the pearls and always at Christmas in honor of all my loved ones those pearls have been touched by including my god father. They are also with me at other special occasions, I wore them at my wedding this year and I wear them anytime I have a need to feel close to my Noni. I hope that one day, Tasha my step daughter will wear them and I hope when she puts them around her neck she feels all the love that's held within that beautiful "String of Pearls"

If you look closely in the picture of Tasha & I above you'll see I'm wearing the pearls, this picture was taken on my wedding day in Virginia City, NV on August 8th, 2008

Democracy & Capitalism At It’s Finest!

A photo provided by the Florence and Laurence Family Foundation shows a sample of a card that was handed out to employees of the Waukegan, Ill.-based Peer Bearing Co., from the Spungen family with thank-you bonus checks after the family sold the company. The bonuses totaled $6.6 million to be shared by just 230 employees. Amounts varied and were based on years of service. Seen in the photo at lower right are Florence and Laurence Spungen in the front row and Danny, Carol, Debbi and Glenn Spungen in the back row.(AP Photo/Florence and Laurence Family Foundation)
..
I hope all the greedy self serving company owner's read this story, it proves that a business can make a great profit and still treat their employee's fairly and with a little dignity and respect as well as sharing a little of the wealth those employees helped make! This family should serve as an Icon, someone business owner's and bosses should aspire to.
There should be a lot more of things like this happening in this country and should have been all along, it's nothing more than fair, honest with a pinch of integrity and ethics thrown in. This family shows that a business can be run right and EVERYONE INVOLVED can and should reap part of the rewards. They are to be recognized and commended for setting the standard of business practices a little higher than most do today!
Most of them here take the money and run and out of their selfishness, greediness and blindness due to the fact they see only their own bottom line they have tried to make a killing for themselves not even satisfied with their vast fortunes amassed already seek more and have lost most everything and make no mistake that is exactly why this country is in the financial state we currently find ourselves in now. And do you hear them crying and begging for help, someone to unburden them of reaping what they have sowed!
That's the reason regulations and government needs to oversee these kinds of things. Most cannot be trusted not to be blinded by their own greed and the financial crisis proves that sadly. Isn't it funny how they couldn't find in in their selfish little hard hearts to grant fair wages and benefits to the employee's that helped them amass their fortunes but when they lose them out of their own bad decisions based on their own greediness they are the first in line asking for hand outs in hope's of no repercussions or pay backs or reprisals for their deeds of greed!
I sincerely hope the Obama administration can curb some of the bad business practice's this countries people of free Enterprise have adopted in the last few years and bring back some pride, ethic's and moral integrity back into American businesses and American business people. Bringing back those things alone will go along way in setting this nation back on it's appointed course. I've always believed you can run a profitable business and still be fair to them employee's that work for you while enjoying the fruits of your labors as well as theirs and this family is just one example of proof that it can and does happen just not as often as it should.
This country has received a serious wake up call and it seems as though we answered the call but we can't let down or ease back now this is just the beginning of a rebuilding. Everyone needs to remain with their eyes focused on the light at the end of the tunnel, it is within our vision and our reach but everyone must do their part if we are to succeed and reach the light. It's an attainable goal I hope we all maintain in common for the common good. And make no mistake if this country let's the working man fall then it too shall fall, because this country was build by and is maintained by the working class within lest we not forget that too soon again.
My Christmas wish for this year is that every man, woman and child and all creatures great and small have love, family and friends to share the season with and I hope it leaves all with treasured memories that no amount of money could ever buy. Make it a point to let everyone you care about how you feel, after all 'tis the season....Happy Holidays BB