Enjoying a Cool Summer

This has indeed been a cool summer. With an average daytime temperature of 75 degrees, it's exactly the perfect summer for me. I know many people prefer much warmer weather, but personally, I love this cooler weather. I love the low humidity and the cool nights. I especially love not having to use the air conditioner, not once, this season! And that's a HUGE savings in electricity.

Of course, I could do without the wind. It's hard to take a good photo or attempt to do anything involving paper outdoors. Because of the strong wind, we've had to keep our patio umbrellas down more than up this summer. I don't want to replace the umbrellas every summer.

Today we took the kids to Memorial Park. Mackenzee enjoyed the slide and loved climbing all over the other park structures designed for kids only. Hunter enjoyed watching his sister, but of course, he loves everything she does. The noiser, the better. Got to enjoy that while we can, because knowing kids, it won't last.

Yeah, it's been a cool summer so far, but August could still blast us with the heat and humidity more common this this time of year. Me, I'm enjoying the cool summer because I can function better when sweat isn't pouring into my face. But that's just me.

Serenity Arrives

I've been busy the past couple months since my last blog entry. I finally got our birdhouse website up and running, although any web designer worth his salts knows that a website is never really done. It's an evolving, changing, moving, living force that grows and takes on its own personality.

I must admit, I wasn't sure I could get into this "web design" thing. In fact, I was convinced I'd simply NEVER get it. When my brother first handed me an HTML book, I sat down and opened the first page and began to read. The more I read, the more confused I became. I finally put the book down, completely frustrated and depressed. I thought to myself, "If this is the stuff I need to learn to be a web designer, I may as well sign up to become a rocket scientist. It was THAT intimidating.

Well, somewhere along the line my German stubborn-ness kicked in and I became even more determined to not only learn this stuff, but conquer it and make my own mark, albeit a small one on the world wide web. It was that determination and drive that pushed me past my "normal" limits, into the vast world HTML.

Michelle guided me through it, then gently pushed me off the cliff. It was up to me to either land on the ground in a heap or try out my web wings and fly. I chose to fly....a nice metaphor for the Serenity Birdhouses.

Admittedly, I have much to learn and it's a process, much like the website, but at least I have a better concept of how everything ties together (and it does), than I did when I started. It may take me a while to get there, but get there I will...much like the tortoise, slowly, surely, and one web page at a time.

An Artist's Perspective

While attending college, one of my favorite instructors told me I had a "passion" for art. She had also said she had seen many students come and go throughout her career and felt that I was one of those students who really connected with their work. I was flattered, but more so, surprised because I simply couldn't imagine an artist not being connected to their work.

I tend to see artistic beauty ordinary things in ways that only an artist can and luckily, a pretty fertile imagination. The other day while Jim and I had lunch at Olga's, I noticed something that surely escaped nearby patrons as they munched on their curly fries. While looking out the four-paned window, I noticed a tree just outside the building. Most people would only see a window, or maybe not even notice it at all. What I saw was a framed piece of art: the four window panes framed the tree just beyond it, creating a still life. I've seen similar such photographs in table-top black and white art books.

It's highly rewarding and at the same time frustrating to be an artist. The constant inspiration can be exhausting. I've recently rediscovered my love of painting, only this time using acrylic instead of oil paint. It's relaxing and easy to lose track of time when I paint. It’s the same thing with writing...once I get inside the head of one of my characters, it’s hard to return to myself. But whether I'm writing the great American Novel, painting a daisy, or cutting glass for a mosaic project, I thrive on creativity. Whenever I connect with my creative self, I simply breathe easier.

Become aware of your world and you'll see not only the beauty surrounding you, you'll also find what's not obvious at first, such as the tree framed by the window that I saw at Olga's. Watch how the setting summer sun creates long, hard shadows and builds intensity just before dusk.

As a child, when asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" my answer was simple: an artist. And judging by my interests and passions, I'd say I fulfilled my dream.

Family & Fun Photos to Share

I hope you enjoy this slide show!

I Need a 48 Hour Day

I've read that if you feel as though you never have enough hours in a day is a symptom of stress. Beyond the fact that I am stressed out because every waking minute is occupied with thoughts of finding work, I feel I simply don't have enough hours in a day to accomplish everything I've decided I need to accomplish.

Since I admittedly have never been a morning person, by the time I actually become efficient with my day, it's after 11:00 a.m. Since being unemployed, I've developed a routine of sleeping in, watching "The Doctors" at 10:00, channel surfing between it and Martha Stewart (who seems to indeed have at least a 48 hour day because of everything she seems to accomplish).

I love my morning routine, in fact, have labeled it my "happy hour" from the days I worked, and on my vacation or sick days would indulge in watching Martha Stewart, who is either my nemesis or idol depending on the mood I'm in.

Maybe it would benefit me to join the ranks of the "rise and shine" early people who have been linked to becoming wealthy along with already being wise, but I just can't bring myself to becoming a morning person. I feel it's wrong to fight your body's natural rhythm of waking and sleeping. I have always functioned better in the later afternoon and evening. It's when I'm the most focused and creative.

I've never been wealthy, but would welcome the opportunity to find out what it feels like, just once, sometime before I die. Plus, I have had enough life experience to know I'm not unwise, and also know I have not yet reached my full potential or fulfilled my life purpose.

Chances are pretty good that I will never be a morning person, nor will I enjoy getting up four hours earlier than I am accustomed to arising, but I also I realize that it may become necessary if I were to land a job. I also firmly believe that if one enjoys what they're doing and have a real purpose in life, incidentals like getting up early become insignificant compared to the stress created by not having an income.

Knowing that I'm not a morning person, I usually become productive in the later afternoon. I also acknowledge that even if I got up at the crack of dawn, I'd probably still go to sleep at the end of the day feeling as though I'd left many things unaccomplished. Therefore I've decided in order to get it all done, I need a 48 hour work day!

Realistically, it's simply not possible for me to acquire more hours in a day unless I sacrificed sleep, something I physically and mentally cannot do. Therefore it becomes necessary to stay focused without getting burned out, accomplish as much as I humanly can and try not to stress out about it at the end of the day.

Memories of March

The month of March holds special memories for me. It was the month I got my driver's license. It was (and is) the last month of the first quarter of the year. It is also the month when I feel that inner tingle which signifies an anticipation, hope for the emergence of spring.

I have always felt that once I make it through January, February and March, I deserve to look forward to April & May, hence warmer weather and welcoming of spring. Although, living in Michigan, making it through March doesn't necessarily mean we're through with snow, as to which we rugged Michiganders can attest. It just means that the bulk of winter's windy wiles are behind us and we can soon embrace better weather.

For me March also punctuates life and death. It was the month my firstborn, Andrew, was born; and the month both my father and father-in-law died. This March 3rd will be the 20th anniversary of my father's death and on March 13th, the 7th anniversary of my father-in-law's death.

Nothing ever prepares you for the loss of a parent. Even when death is imminent, acceptance has been met, and the arrangements have been made, the actual loss and its effect on your soul can't be described, only felt by those of us who are left behind.

Watching my father's chest rattle as he took his last breath on that cold, windy March evening was the most profound experience of my life. Both my sister and I held our collective breaths as he took his last one. I knew the exact moment he passed from this life to the eternal mysterious one as I touched his cold hand and watched his skin turn almost translucent.

But the single most powerful memory happened moments before he took his last breath...it was when I saw him smile. It was then that I knew he was going to a better place, a place where he would no longer suffer and finally be at peace.

Twenty years later and I still miss my dad. I miss his wacky humor, his funny smile, his lame jokes and his creative mind. When I hold my beautiful granddaughter close, I wonder if my dad watches us; or if he laughs at the way my grandson giggles at his older sister when she tickles him.

Somehow I sense his spirit and feel his presence guiding me through the hardest times. It's at those times I dream of him and he comforts me, always. It's at those times when I realize he'll always be a part of me the same as I will be a part of my children and grandchildren.

After all is said and done, the most valuable legacy we leave behind, is love.

Why Supply & Demand Determines Value

What is the best determination of value? Many years ago as a real estate agent, I was taught that a home's value is determined by the price someone is willing to pay for it. In today's dismal real estate market, that's bad news for sellers and great news for buyers.

But, does that mean that suddenly your home (car, boat, rv, jewelry, etc.) has lost its original value? It all depends on how you personally define value. In fact, the less someone is willing to pay for something, the more valuable it becomes to us, and the more sense it makes to keep it.

If I'm confusing the issue, let's look at it this way. Unemployment has grown to a frightening level. People who have devoted years to their jobs are losing them left and right. And the common question they ask themselves is, "What do I do now?" Years ago if you lost your job, you'd just send out some resumes, get interviewed and get another job. That's no longer the case.

Back to supply and demand. Too many people out of work and not enough jobs available for everybody. Employers know this. It gives them license to implement elaborate screening techniques to "weed out" the undesirables; those less qualified to meet their unrealistic job requirements that a few years ago would not have been an issue.

Unemployment does not discriminate to just those without formal education. It's rapidly becoming an epidemic. It seems that every day I hear of yet someone else I know losing their job. And the sad part is it may not change anytime soon.

My question is this: does an unemployed person lose their original value? Does unemployment automatically erase the skills and experience a person has worked so hard to achieve? It would seem so, because what potential employers are willing to pay is directly affected by supply and demand of people applying for those positions.

The most obvious solution to this dilemma is to lower the unemployment rate by creating jobs and shifting the balance of supply and demand in favor of the workforce. Offer training and use the transferable skills people have and apply them to the newly created jobs. Get people back to work and stop outsourcing their jobs.

My thoughts on economic stimulus or tax refund checks: No matter how great a discount we are offered, or how low the interest rate is, these tactics simply won't entice us to buy (thus, boost the economy) unless we have a weekly check to pay for them.

Moving Forward With Change

Life is all about change. Change is not only necessary, it is inevitable. It's been said that the only thing that never changes, is change itself. The more we fight change, the tougher its impact on us. Therefore, it's to our advantage to adapt to, if not embrace, change.

Every minute of every day brings about subtle changes in our world. While each day is a duplicate of the previous day, at the same time it is a brand new day, the ultimate paradox, isn't it? The sun rises over the horizon, scattering the twilight as the last vestiges of nighttime vanish and a new day begins. We don't question it; we expect it.

As humans we rely on the cues of nature to prompt us forward in our lives. And at times it's though we are moving at warp speed into an unknown, uncharted territory of tomorrow's mysteries, while we ponder yesterday's regrets.

But all we truly have is today, right now, this minute. Tomorrow is promised to no one, so it's important to live each day as if it's our last and let the regrets go. Stop telling yourself that "someday (this) and someday (that)." Instead, look ahead, not behind you. Move forward and ride the coattails of change; and learn to embrace it. You never know just where it may lead.