Busy Busy Busy

Shanon and Michael are here! Hurray! They drove in from Phoenix last Tuesday and we've been on the run since.

Johnny Depp is here. He and his crew of pirates are filming Pirates of the Carribean III in the harbor below my house. The Black Pearl is anchored in front of The Portofino Hotel. The bars and restaurants are full of movie people and look-a-likes. Shanon and I were quite excited about the idea of seeing Johnny again. She was in one of his movies, "Don Juan De Marco", but I'm certain he wouldn't remember her among the hundreds of women in the cast. She kiddingly suggested we give him a pair of her undies to sign....her prego ones. LOL

Now that I have my computer up and running again (it's been down for a week) I have much work to do. I'll be back with a story you're gonna love.

P.S. I'll wash the skunk spray off too.

On our late night stroll last night we ran into to three skunks! Not three skunks together, but three different skunks, in three different locations.

I was in my driveway, at midnight, with a gallon of tomato juice and some mint shampoo. Poor Maggie Mae. She didn't know what hit her.

In animal medicine, skunks represent reputation.

Read on...

Skunk medicine! Go ahead and laugh. this furry little animal has a reputation that contains a great deal of power. Due to its distinctive behavior, humans give this tiny, smelly creature a wide berth. The key word here is respect.

Unlike other predatory animals, Skunk does not threaten your life but threatens your senses. You know this to be true if you have ever been in the vicinity of its spray. In observing the habit patterns of Skunk, it is easy to notice the playfulness and nonchanlance of its natural behavior. The "I-dare-you" attitude of this four-legged creature commands you, as the observer, to respect its space by mere reputation alone.

Skunk is teaching you that by walking your talk and by respecting yourself, you will create a position of strength and honored reputation. The carriage of your body relates to others what you believe about yourself. There is no need to bully, aggravatae, torment, or overpower other beings when your sense of "self" is intact.

As with Skunk, the resonant field of energy around your body is relayed through the senses. Self-esteem permeaates the body's energy, and is instantly recognized on an extrasensory level by others.

Learn to assert, without ego, what you are. Respect follows. Your self-respectful attitude will repel those who are not of like mind, and yet will attract those who choose the same pathway. As the odor of Skunk attracts others of its kind, it repels those who will not respect its space.

Skunk medicine people have the ability to attract others, and they are very charismatic. At the same time, the other side of their natural power is to repel those who seek to take energy from them without recycling the gifts they have taken.

Skunk medicine people also know how to use the energy flows that will attract a lover. Some people call this sexual magic, as it is akin to the musk scent that animals excrete to attract a mate. It can be dangerous to leak sexual energy if you are not looking for a mate. It puts you into a games condition that may feed your ego but not how others feel about you. If you are attracting others who have an interest in you, you are in a sense saying, "I'm available." This can cause hard feelings when the truth comes out. It also leaks energy that you could have used in a more constructive way.

In Skunk medicine, it is good to learn how to handle energy flows. Modern psychologists call this body language. In tribal teachings, this is your personal medicine which you are showing to others. Use your medicine well, and know that you are known by your reputation. How you use your energy will attract either honor or disgrace. You may want to examine what energy you are putting out that creates your present situation.

If you have chosen this symbol, you are being asked to notice the kinds of people who are attracted to you. If they emulate favorable characteristics within yourself. Walk tall and be proud of the accomplishments you have made. Bear in mind that what you believe about yourself is your ultimate protection. Project self-respect!

Anybody want a dog?

Really. I'm serious. I can't do it. I know my limitations and this is it. A 75 pound, 12 month old Rottweiler is more than I can do. She's beautiful, sweet, smart and is great with kids and other dogs. If I had a yard....well...that's not true. Dogs have to be exercised twice a day with or without a yard and my work schedule and social schedule, not to mention my travel schedule is making this relationship less than managable. Anyone? I'll throw in the $165 crate?

Margie is celebrating her birthday!

Margies party was attended by some pretty amazing people. Accountants, psychologists, artists, writers, dancers, bodyworkers, healers and psychics, therapists and a few I didn't get a chance to meet. I met a woman who is a pioneer in infant massage who created a protocol for treating drug exposed infants. As it turns out, she lives on the Esplanade during the summer and in Tuscon in the winter. The Esplanade is the street that runs along the ocean in Redondo Beach. I've been walking back and forth, past her house for years. She'll be in town for another few weeks and we're going to get together for some specific exchange work. I can't wait. I also met a woman who does Cranio-Sacral therapy, which is one of my next trainings. Now all I need is someone who can teach B.E.S.T.

Margie, you're friends are amazing and the party was great. Happy Birthday!


http://www.drrandbodymindtherapy.com/ This is Margies website.

A dinner party for the "Foodies"

I had a small dinner party last night, six of us total. I used my outdoor kitchen set-up for the first time. It worked like a charm, once it was stocked. However, stocking it with ice, liquor, dishes, glasses, soft drinks, the blender, food and and set up the rotisserie takes quite a bit of time and energy. I'll know to make fewer trips from kitchen to deck next time and I've made a note to get bigger trays.

I planned the meal more for convenience of preparation, than for most flavorful, even though all but one of the guests are "Foodies". These are people who have dined in a few of the most lendendary establishments in Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Las Vegas, Miami.... They've even taken cooking classes in Europe. I've been the happy taste tester for some pretty amazing dishes over the years, when hanging out in their kitchens. Still, even knowing that these people have tasted the food at The Commanders Palace in New Orleans and at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, I managed not to collapse under the pressure of any overreaching expectations. I decided to keep it simple, friendly and most of all, easy.


The plan was to serve Margaritas and iced cold Corona's to drink and Mexican food to eat. I didn't want to be cooking over the barbecue to I decided to marinade a chicken overnight and put it on the rottisserie. I'm loving that feature on the new barbecue. I've even cooked a prime rib roast on that thing and it was done to perfection.

I decided to make appetizers that required the most work but were cooked and built ahead of time. For the organic, health conscious guests I made a 'veggie bouquet' with dips. I saw it on Rachel Ray's cooking show. I filled a vase with baby carrots, celery, green beans, broccoli, European cucumbers, steamed asparagus, radishes, grape tomatoes and green onions. It looked sensational. The sauces were easy-speazy, too.

For the not so health conscious was the 9 layer dip. Oh my! Listen to this. I made refried beans like Grandma used to make. Oh yeah. The real deal. Jalapenos, salt and pepper, onion and fried in bacon fat. That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is how you do the real deal Mexican refried beans. That is layer one. Then, I fried up some chorizo. Uh-huh. Mexican sausage. The heart attack kind. That's layer two. Layer three is homemade quacamole. It's known around town that I do make the best, (she said, modestly). Most people use sour cream for layer four and I do too, but first I stir in a few tablespoons of Lipton's onion soup mix. The fifth layer is my homemade salsa with jalapenos, red onions, Roma tomotoes, cilantro (lots), lemon juice, salt and pepper and a dash of .... my Daddy's secret. Layer number six is shredded Monterrey Jack and sharp cheddar cheeses. Layer Seven is chopped green onions, eight is chopped cilantro and nine is sliced black olives. Serve it up with restaurant style tortilla chips and all is well with the world.

We sat around the fire pit and discussed current affairs, such as they are and brought each other up to date on the comings and goings of our children and now, grandchildren. Tick tock. The conversations were puncuated with the occasional exclamations, "That smells wonderful!" and "What did you put on that chicken?" and "Is the wood in the smoker box mesquite?" Yes it does, yummy stuff, and no, it's apple wood.

I tossed a green salad and carved the chicken at 7:30. I served it all up with some hot tortillas (not homemade : ( and more salsa, sour cream and refried beans. There were some happy mouths around the table even if it wasn't gourmet. We call is Soul Food for Mexicans.

The ocean breeze can get chilly, even in August, so we moved indoors for dessert and coffee. Flan is the dessert that puts all other desserts to shame, if, and only if, it's made with cream cheese.

Oh no....

I have to go. It's 3:30 and I have a party to go to.... Happy birthday Margie. On my way.

My Beach Town...

I've lived in the South Bay my whole life, with one very short exception. After my ex-husband and I split up, one year after our wedding, I moved to Lake Tahoe. I lived there with our baby girl for about nine months. Since then, I've been a Beach City Chick.

When I say "The South Bay" I mean the south end of the much larger Santa Monica Bay. The southern tip of the bay is the mountainous Palos Verdes Penninsula and below that is Torrance Beach, then Redondo Beach. I've lived here since 1988. Before that I lived in Torrance, Hermosa Beach and a short stint in Lomita.

Like most places, this area has changed an awful lot over the years. Lately there has been a sprouting of million dollar condos replacing the more historic craftsman summer homes built in the twenties and thirties. We also have a spattering of new restaurants in town. Because I used to be in the restaurant business I still have a longing in my heart to open one of my own. It's sad to say this, but my beautiful beach city doesn't have a decent barbecue place. We have 'Chicago For Ribs' but it doesn't measure up to the real barbecue places around the country. If I had the energy I'd take over the now vacant spot on Pacific Coast Hwy where Blockbuster used to be. But the restaurant business is tough. It may have the highest failure rate of any new business. If you make it past the first year you may have a chance but it's also a full time business. Early mornings and late evenings are the norm. Forget holidays with the family or long vacations too. We'll see. I haven't ruled it out.

I have my favorite local restuarants and most of them are within walking distance, which means they are within 2.5 miles from my home. There's Joe's, the quintessential beach city breakfast joint. They are celebrating their 35th anniversary this year. The "John Wayne" is the breakfast specialty here. Take a corn tortilla, pile on some home fries, add two fried eggs, smother it in Spanish Sauce, top it off with cheese and garnish with sausage patties and serve with toast, homemade biscuits or tortillas. They sell tens of thousands of them a year. John Wayne's picture is displayed above the counter, the place of honor in a joint like this. You can get a great meal for less than ten bucks and be in and out in thirty minutes. Some of the waitresses and busboys have been there for as long as I can remember. I can't see eating breakfast anywhere else. It's on Pacific Coast Hwy, right up the hill from King Harbor. On weekdays you'll sit at tables with cops, firefighters, lifeguards, fishermen, surfers, and in the early morning hours it will be full of local building contractors. On weekends ....well, I try not to go on weekends because I don't stand in line and wait for a spot. I just don't.

Around the corner from my place, right on Torrance Blvd, west of Prospect, is El Gringo's. Oh my! I used to spend a lot of time in Baja because my family had a house, on the beach, down there. We ate fish tacos right from the sidewalk vendors and I'm telling you, there is nothing as good as that. El Gringo's fish tacos are a very close second to Mexico's street vendors. They also serve a chicken soup that will cure you of any and all ills. You can get an ice cold beer and watch football too.

I sometimes walk down to the pier, to the landmark restaurant, Tony's. Tony's On The Pier, to be exact. First time I was served an alcoholic drink was at Tony's. I was 17. They had no idea. I always looked and dressed much older, of course. When you order a Mai Tai at Tony's you get to keep the sovenier glass and last year, their 50th in business, the glass had Tony's logo in gold. They serve a Smoked Salmon Chowder that is a meal on it's own, but I never let that stop me from ordering any of their fish entrees. It's one mile west of my place but the walk home is all uphill. It's slow going after a meal at Tony's.

Kincaid's is across from Tony's. I like to sit out on the patio there and listen the free concert on the pier on Saturday afternoons. You can get some very yummy appetizers out there and a decent cocktail. The prices are a bit steep but it is a beautiful place.

The other food on the pier is the El Torito and the new Tony's in between the Hot Dog On A Stick stand and lots of fast food pizza, Chinese food and funnel cake shops. I avoid them because, well, the fat content alone will kill you.

Then we have the Harbor Drive strip. The Crown Plaza, The Charthouse, The Cheescake Factory, Ruby's, all of which fill certain needs. Karen and I do The Charthouse when we are in the mood for caviar and martini's. Well, she drinks the martini's .... I prefer less alcohol. But the salad bar is the best. We were there Wednesday night and our dinner tab for two was $32.oo. Not bad. The bar tab was on Karen. The Cheesecake Factory is reserved for celebrations, birthday's mostly. Ruby's is a hub for the classic car shows on Friday nights and sometimes on weekends. I've seen the parking lot full of shiney old cars and the men who love them. Ruby's is a classic style malt shop with Red vinyl booths and counter stools with chrome trim and the classic burger, fries and shake combo. My favorite is the turkey sandwich with cranberry sauce. The best part of this particular Ruby's is that it's located right on the Seaside Lagoon. That's a plus.

On the other end of town, the south end, and only when I'm ready to indulge in a cheeseburger, I go to Hennessey's Bar and Grill. I can sit outside, in the shade, with Maggie Mae and enjoy lunch and the slow meandering of tourists, locals and strays. The ocean breeze is lovely there and I don't think there's a better burger around, not since Fat Face Fenner's left us.

For vegetarian moods, there's The Green Temple on Catalina and Avenue I, and for pasta there's Buona Sera across the street. Bristol Farms, Trader Joes and Whole Foods are where I go for picnic fare. Pack a bag and walk down to the sand to watch the volleyball players. Last week we had the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Competition. I brought my beach chair, an umbrella and a Ceasar Salad from Bristol Farms. I should have brought binoculars. All the beach cities from Malibu to Long Beach were represented. Ya gotta love lifeguards.

An email....Thank you Princess Doris

Ho 'oponopono - Miracle Healing From Hawaii

HO'OPONOPONO by Joe Vitale

"Two years ago, I heard about a therapist in Hawaii who cured a complete ward of criminally insane patients--without ever seeing any of them. The psychologist would study an inmate's chart and then look within himself to see how he created that person's illness. As he improved himself, the patient improved.

"When I first heard this story, I thought it was an urban legend. How could anyone heal anyone else by healing himself? How could even the best self-improvement master cure the criminally insane? It didn't make any sense. It wasn't logical, so I dismissed the story. "However, I heard it again a year later. I heard that the therapist had used a Hawaiian healing process called ho 'oponopono. I had never heard of it, yet I couldn't let it leave my mind. If the story was at all true, I had to know more.

I had always understood "total responsibility" to mean that I am responsible for what I think and do. Beyond that, it's out of my hands. I think that most people think of total responsibility that way. We're responsible for what we do, not what anyone else does--but that's wrong.

The Hawaiian therapist who healed those mentally ill people would teach me an advanced new perspective about total responsibility. His name is Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len. We probably spent an hour talking on our first phone call. I asked him to tell me the complete story of his work as a therapist.

He explained that he worked at Hawaii State Hospital for four years. That ward where they kept the criminally insane was dangerous. Psychologists quit on a monthly basis. The staff called in sick a lot or simply quit. People would walk through that ward with their backs against the wall, afraid of being attacked by patients. It was not a pleasant place to live, work, or visit.

"Dr. Len told me that he never saw patients. He agreed to have an office and to review their files. While he looked at those files, he would work on himself. As he worked on himself, patients began to heal. " 'After a few months, patients that had to be shackled were being allowed to walk freely,' he told me. 'Others who had to be heavily medicated were getting off their medications. And those who had no chance of ever being released were being freed.' I was in awe.
'Not only that,' he went on, 'but the staff began to enjoy coming to work. Absenteeism and turnover disappeared. We ended up with more staff than we needed because patients were being released, and all the staff was showing up to work. Today, that ward is closed.'

"This is where I had to ask the million dollar question: 'What were you doing within yourself that caused those people to change?' "'I was simply healing the part of me that created them,' he said. I didn't understand. Dr. Len explained that total responsibility for your life means that everything in your life- simply because it is in your life--is your responsibility. In a literal sense the entire world is your creation.

"Whew. This is tough to swallow. Being responsible for what I say or do is one thing. Being responsible for what everyone in my life says or does is quite another. Yet, the truth is this: if you take complete responsibility for your life, then everything you see, hear, taste, touch, or in any way experience is your responsibility because it is in your life. This means that terrorist activity, the president, the economy or anything you experience and don't like--is up for you to heal. They don't exist, in a manner of speaking, except as projections from inside you. The problem isn't with them, it's with you, and to change them, you have to change you.

"I know this is tough to grasp, let alone accept or actually live. Blame is far easier than total responsibility, but as I spoke with Dr. Len, I began to realize that healing for him and in ho 'oponopono means loving yourself. "If you want to improve your life, you have to heal your life. If you want to cure anyone, even a mentally ill criminal you do it by healing you.

"I asked Dr. Len how he went about healing himself. What was he doing, exactly, when he looked at those patients' files? "'I just kept saying, 'I'm sorry' and 'I love you' over and over again,' he explained.

"That's it? "That's it. "

Turns out that loving yourself is the greatest way to improve yourself, and as you improve yourself, you improve your world.

"Let me give you a quick example of how this works: one day, someone sent me an email that upset me. In the past I would have handled it by working on my emotional hot buttons or by trying to reason with the person who sent the nasty message. "This time, I decided to try Dr. Len's method. I kept silently saying, 'I'm sorry' and 'I love you,' I didn't say it to anyone in particular. I was simply evoking the spirit of love to heal within me what was creating the outer circumstance.

"Within an hour I got an e-mail from the same person. He apologized for his previous message. Keep in mind that I didn't take any outward action to get that apology. I didn't even write him back. Yet, by saying 'I love you,' I somehow healed within me what was creating him.

"I later attended a ho 'oponopono workshop run by Dr. Len. He's now 70 years old, considered a grandfatherly shaman, and is somewhat reclusive. He praised my book, The Attractor Factor. He told me that as I improve myself, my book's vibration will raise, and everyone will feel it when they read it. In short, as I improve, my readers will improve. "'What about the books that are already sold and out there?' I asked. "'They aren't out there,' he explained, once again blowing my mind with his mystic wisdom. 'They are still in you.'

In short, there is no out there. It would take a whole book to explain this advanced technique with the depth it deserves. "Suffice It to say that whenever you want to improve anything in your life, there's only one place to look: inside you. When you look, do it with love."

I stood in line today...

....at the paint store, behind a man whose shirt said, "If you're not having fun.....it's your own fault."

I was writing a story while waiting for my Direct TV Pay Per View to come on. I'm going to see "Eight Below" again. Yes. I saw it in the theater but I was a bit late getting there. I went to post my story and my blog disappeared. I may be at the end of my run here. We shall see.

http://www.cafepress.com/turn_left?source=Google&kw=Christian_Left

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." - Theodore Roosevelt

I remember....

.....being thirteen, in Mr. Clayton's eighth grade class. I remember it well. My braces came off that year. My bra size had enlarged considerably. I started wearing mascara. I went steady with Mike Whitley, a blond and blue-eyed cutie pie. It lasted two weeks. LOL

I remember my P.E. teacher was a tiny woman who loved my shoes. I started wearing little heels that year, even to P.E. She announced it, out loud, in front of the whole class. It was her lesson on 'dressing like a lady', our 'woman' talk about growing up. I certainly did look grown up. My poor father turned grey that year.

Everything was so important back then. When our class graduated from the eighth grade I threw a party...a big party ...only a handful of kids showed up at the school dance inside the cafeteria, much to the disappointment of many PTA mothers who, I'm sure, worked very hard on putting it together. Yes, we stole the dance. Our backyard was full of kids, dancing, eating, sneaking out to the back garden to be away from the chaparone's eyes. Back then your friends were more important than family, it seemed. Certainly, they were way cooler.

As I sit here, forty-two years later, I can still feel the fabric of the dress I wore that night. I can't tell you were I put my keys five minutes ago....but that yellow dress I sewed in Home Economics is as clear to me as if were hanging in my closet this moment. The ring Mike gave me could still be on my finger, wrapped in pink yarn. >smiles<

That was the year I first went to The Hollywood Bowl. Yes, I was innocent in the school year of 64/65. We all were. Thousands of girls were screaming and pulling out their hair. The boys were just as out of control. You couldn't hear the music but it didn't matter. You could see them. They were there, live and in person, The Beatles, young and innocent themselves. It was a good year.

Cameron is turning 13!

He answered the phone last week in a voice I did not recognize. It was deep and full and just a little bit crackly. "Hello?"
"Who is this?" I asked
"Hi Grandma!" The man said.
Grandma? Who is this man calling me Grandma?
"Cameron?"
"Yeah."

Oh my God! It happened. It happened overnight. One day he's playing with Lego's and the next he's wearing cologne and checking out the girls.

I'm taking him and one of his friends to Six Flags Magic Mountain next week for his thirteenth birthday. I suspect I'll need to bring a good book. *Deep sigh*

I'm going to The Hollywood Bowl tonight.

Herbie Hancock, Christian McBride Band & Joshua Redman

Something magical about listening to sweet, soulful jazz under the full moon at the Hollywood Bowl.

Speech of Ehud Olmert, Prime Minister of the State of Israel published in Maariv on Monday, July 31, 2006.

Ladies and gentlemen, leaders of the world, I, the Prime Minister ofIsrael, am speaking to you from Jerusalem in the face of the terrible pictures from Kfar Kana. Any human heart, wherever it is, must sicken and recoil at the sight of such pictures. There are no words of comfort that can mitigate the enormity of this tragedy. Still, I am looking you straight in the eye and telling you that the State of Israel will continue its military campaign in Lebanon.The Israel Defense Forces will continue to attack targets from which missiles and Katyusha rockets are fired at hospitals, old age homes and kindergartens in Israel. I have instructed the security forces and the IDF to continue to hunt for the Katyusha stockpiles and launch sites from which these savages are bombarding the State of Israel. We will not hesitate, we will not apologize and we will not back off. If they continue to launch missiles into Israel from Kfar Kana, we will continue to bomb Kfar Kana. Today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. Here, there and everywhere. The children of Kfar Kana could now be sleeping peacefully in their homes, unmolested, had the agents of the devil not taken over their land and turned the lives of our children into hell. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time you understood: the Jewish state will no longer be trampled upon. We will no longer allow anyone to exploit population centers in order to bomb our citizens. No one will be able to hide anymore behind women and children in order to kill our women and children. This anarchy is over. You can condemn us, you can boycott us, you can stop visiting us and, if necessary,we will stop visiting you. Today I am serving as the voice of six million bombarded Israeli citizens who serve as the voice of six million murdered Jews who were melted down to dust and ashes by savages in Europe. In both cases, those responsible for these evil acts were, and are, barbarians devoid of all humanity, who set themselves one simple goal: to wipe the Jewish people off the face of the earth, as Adolph Hitler said, or to wipe the State of Israel off the map, as Mahmoud Ahmedinjad proclaims. And you - just as you did not take those words seriously then, you are ignoring them again now. And that, ladies and gentlemen, leaders of the world, will not happen again. Never again will we wait for bombs that never came to hit the gas chambers. Never again will we wait for salvation that never arrives. Now we have our own air force. The Jewish people are now capable of standing up to those who seek their destruction - those people will no longer be able to hide behind women and children. They will no longer be able to evade their responsibility. Every place from which a Katyusha is fired into the State of Israel will be a legitimate target for us to attack. This must be stated clearly and publicly, once and for all. You are welcome to judge us, to ostracize us, to boycott us and to vilify us. But to kill us? Absolutely not.

Four months ago I was elected by hundreds of thousands of citizens to the office of Prime Minister of the government of Israel, on the basis of my plan for unilaterally withdrawing from 90 percent of the areas of Judea and Samaria, the birth place and cradle of the Jewish people; to end most of the occupation and to enable the Palestinian people to turn over a new leaf and to calm things down until conditions are ripe for attaining a permanent settlement between us. The Prime Minister who preceded me, Ariel Sharon, made a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip back to the international border, and gave the Palestinians there a chance to build a new reality forthemselves. The Prime Minister who preceded him, Ehud Barak, ended the lengthy Israeli presence in Lebanon and pulled the IDF back to the international border, leaving the land of the cedars to flourish, develop and establish its democracy and its economy.What did the State of Israel get in exchange for all of this? Did we win even one minute of quiet? Was our hand, outstretched in peace, met with a handshake of encouragement? Ehud Barak's peace initiative at Camp David let loose on us a wave of suicide bombers who smashed and blew to pieces over 1,000 citizens, men, women and children. I don't remember you being so enraged then. Maybe that happened because we did not allow TV close-ups of the dismembered body parts of the Israeli youngsters at theDolphinarium? Or of the shattered lives of the people butchered while celebrating the Passover seder at the Park Hotel in Netanya? What can you do - that's the way we are. We don't wave body parts at the camera. We grieve quietly. We do not dance on the roofs at the sight of the bodies of our enemy's children - we express genuine sorrow and regret. That is the monstrous behavior of our enemies. Now they have risen up against us. Tomorrow they will rise up against you. You are already familiar with the murderous taste of this terror. And you will taste more. And Ariel Sharon's withdrawal from Gaza -- what did it get us? A barrage of Kassem missiles fired at peaceful settlements and the kidnapping of soldiers. Then too, I don't recall you reacting with such alarm. And for six years, the withdrawal from Lebanon has drawn the vituperation and crimes of a dangerous, extremist Iranian agent, who took over an entire country in the name of religious fanaticism, and is trying to take Israel hostage on his way to Jerusalem - and from there to Paris and London. An enormous terrorist infrastructure has been established by Iran on our border, threatening our citizens, growing stronger before our very eyes, awaiting the moment when the land of the Ayatollahs becomes a nuclear power in order to bring us to our knees. And make no mistake - we won't go down alone. You, the leaders of the free and enlightened world, will go down along with us. So today, here and now, I am putting an end to this parade of hypocrisy. I don't recall such a wave of reaction in the face of the 100 citizens killed every single day in Iraq. Sunnis kill Shiites who kill Sunnis, and all of them kill Americans - and the world remains silent. And I am hard pressed to recall a similar reaction when the Russians destroyed entire villages and burned down large cities in order to repress the revolt in Chechnya. And when NATO bombed Kosovo for almost three months and crushed the civilian population - then you also kept silent. What is it about us, the Jews, the minority, the persecuted, that arouses this cosmic sense of justice in you? What do we have that all the others don't? In a loud clear voice, looking you straight in the eye, I stand before you openly and I will not apologize. I will not capitulate. I will not whine. This is a battle for our freedom. For our humanity. For the right to lead normal lives within our recognized, legitimate borders. It is also your battle. I pray and I believe that now you will understand that. Because if you don't, you may regret it later, when it's too late.

THE MEANING OF MIRACLES

Principles of Miracles

1. There is no order of difficulty in miracles. One is not "harder" or "bigger" than another. They are all the same. All expressions of love are maximal.

2. Miracles as such do not matter. The only thing that matters is their Source, Which is far beyond evaluation.

3. Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love. The real miracle is the love that inspires them. In this sense everything that comes from love is a miracle.

4. All miracles mean life, and God is the giver of life. His Voice will direct you very specifically. You will be told all you need to know.

5. Miracles are habits, and should be involuntary. They should not be under conscious control. Consciously selected miracles can be misguided.

6. Miracles are natural. When they do not occur something has gone wrong.

7. Miracles are everyone's right, but purification is necessary first.

8. Miracles are healing because they supply a lack; they are performed by those who temporarily have more for those who temporarily have less.

9. Miracles are a kind of exchange. Like all expressions of love, which are always miraculous in the true sense, the exchange reverses the physical laws. They bring more love both to the giver and the receiver.

10. The use of miracles as spectacles to induce belief is a misunderstanding of their purpose.

11. Prayer is the medium of miracles. It is a means of communication of the created with the Creator. Through prayer love is received, and through miracles love is expressed.

12. Miracles are thoughts. Thoughts can represent the lower or bodily level of experience, or the higher or spiritual level of experience. One makes the physical, and the other creates the spiritual.

13. Miracles are both beginnings and endings, and so they alter the temporal order. They are always affirmations of rebirth, which seem to go back but really go forward. They undo the past in the present, and thus release the future.

14. Miracles bear witness to truth. They are convincing because they arise from conviction. Without conviction they deteriorate into magic, which is mindless and therefore destructive; or rather, the uncreative use of mind.

15. Each day should be devoted to miracles. The purpose of time is to enable you to learn how to use time constructively. It is thus a teaching device and a means to an end. Time will cease when it is no longer useful in facilitating learning.

About that...

The role of teaching and learning is actually reversed in the thinking of the world. the reversal is characteristic. It seems as if the teacher and the learner are separated, the teacher giving something to the learner rather than to himself. Further, the act of teaching is regarded as a special activity, in which one engages only a relatively small proportion of one's time. The course, on the other hand, emphasizes that to teach is to learn, so that teacher and learner are the same. It also emphasizes that teaching is a constant process; it goes on every moment of the day, and continues into sleeping thoughts as well.

To teach is to demonstrate. There are only two thought systems, and you demonstrate that you believe one or the other is true all the time. From your demonstration others learn, and so do you. the question is not whether you will teach, for in that there is no choice. the purpose of the course might be said to provide you with a means of choosing what you want to teach on the basis of what you want ot learn. You cannot give to someone else, but only to yourself, and this you learn through teaching. Teaching is but a call to witnesses to attest to what you believe. It is a method of conversion. this is not done by words alone. Any situation must be to you a chance to teach others what you are, and what they are to you. No more than that, but also never less.

Introduction, A Course In Miracles.

A Course In Miracles

Lesson 160

I am at home. Fear is the stranger here.

1. Fear is a stranger to the ways of love. Identify with fear, and you will be a stranger to yourself. And thus you are unknown to you. What is your Self remains an alien to the part of you which thinks that it is real, but different from yourself. Who could be sane in such a circumstance? Who but a madman could believe he is what he is not, and judge against himself?

2. There is a stranger in our midst, who comes from an idea so foreign to the truth he speaks a different language, looks upon a world truth does not know, and understands what truth regards as senseless. Stranger yet, he does not recognize to whom he comes, and yet maintains his home belongs to him, while he is alien now who is at home. And yet, how easy it would be to say,"This is my home. Here I belong, and will not leave because a madman says I must."

3. What reason is there for not saying this? What could the reason be except that you had asked this stranger in to take your place, and let you be a stranger to yourself? No one would let himself be dispossessed so needlessly, unless he thought there were another home more suited to his tastes.

4. Who is the stranger? Is it fear or you who are unsuited to the home which God provided for His Son? Is fear His Own, created in His Likeness? Is it fear that love completes, and is completed by? There is no home can shelter love and fear. They cannot coexist. If you are real, then fear must be illusion. And if fear is real, then you do not exist at all.

5. How simply, then the question is resolved. Who fears has but denied himself and said, "I am the stranger here. And so I leave my home to one more like me than myself, and give him all I thought belonged to me." Now is he exiled of necessity, not knowing who he is, uncertain of all things but this; that he is not himself, and that his home has been denied to him.

6. What does he search for now? What can he find? A stranger to himself can find no home wherever he may look, for he has made return impossible. His way is lost, except a miracle will search him out and show him that he is no stranger now. The miracle will come. For in his home his Self remains. It asked no stranger in, and took no alien thought to be Itself. And It will call Its Own unto Itself in recognition of what is Its Own.

7. Who is the stranger? Is he not the one your Self calls not? You are unable now to recognize this stranger in your midst, for you have given him your rightful place. Yet is your Self as certain of Its Own as God is of His Son. He cannot be confussed about creation. He is sure of what belongs to Him. No stranger can be interposed between His knowledge and His Son's reality. He does not know of strangers. He is certain of His Son.

8. God's certainty suffices. Who He knows to be His Son belongs where He has set His Son forever. He has answered you who ask, "Who is the stranger?" Hear His Voice assure you, quietly and sure, that you are not a stranger to your Father, nor is your Creator stranger made to you. Whom God has joined remain forever one, at home in Him, no stranger to Himself.

9. Today we offer thanks that Christ has come to search the world for what belongs to Him. His vision sees no strangers, but beholds His Own and joyously unites with them. They see Him as a stranger, for they do not recognize themselves. Yet as they give Him welcome, they remember. And He leads them gently home again, where they belong.

10. Not one does Christ forget. Not one He fails to give you to remember, that your home may be complete and perfect as it was established. He has not forgotten you. But you will not remember Him until you look on all as He does. Who denies his brother is denying Him, and thus refusing to accept the gift of sight by which his Self is clearly recognized, his home remembered and salvation come.

Oh How Funny! This is my horoscope for today...

Pisces (February 18 - March 19)
A new talent, perhaps for psychic readings or spiritual healing, could come to the surface today, dear Pisces. You may find it difficult to believe that you can do what you appear to be doing, but the encouragement of friends could spur you on to try to do more with it. This could well alter the way you earn your income. Consider all contingencies carefully before opting for any one course of action. You won't want to plunge wildly on ahead.

Thanks. I don't mind if I do.

From Bonster...thank you for the laugh.

Stuttering cat

A teacher is explaining biology to her 4th grade students.
"Human Beings are the only animals that stutter", she says.

A little girl raises her hand. "I had a kitty-cat
who stuttered", she volunteered.

The teacher, knowing how precious some of these
stories could become, asked the girl to describe the incident.

"Well", she began, "I was in the back yard
with my kitty and the Rottweiler who lives next door
got a running start and before we knew it,
he jumped over the fence into our yard!

"That must've been scary", said the teacher.

"It sure was", said the little girl.

"My kitty went 'Fffff, Fffff, Fffff'...
and before he could say "fuck,"
the Rottweiler ate him!"

**Sorry about the language

A Family Reading

A petite, young mother of two called for an appointment. She asked if I could do a reading for her family. Not her husband and children family rather her mother, grandmother and aunties family. It was to be in her mother's home, in the hills, just the other side of Malibu.

There was an eagerness, an urging to hurry up, as I turned the corner and saw the most beautiful home I've seen in a very long time. It sat up on a hill overlooking miles of countryside. As often happens, I began getting information before I made it to the front door. As soon as introductions were made we settled down in a cool, dark room, just off the foyer. They had set up a video camera and microphones to show the rest of the family, who weren't brave enough to join us. It's smart for people to do that. How else would you remember all that information?

The first spirit to appear was a young, twenty-something male, with dark hair. He was lean and dark and handsome and energetic. He was the one pushing me to hurry....he couldn't wait to speak to his family. He wanted me to tell them that he still loves the water, swimming, surfing. When I shared that, they all looked at one another and smiled. The grandmother said, "That's my son. He loved the water so much." He was doing flips and jumping around with such exuberance and again....they looked at each other and nodded..."That's him." He shared his love for them and assured them that he was well and happy.

The next entity arrived and looked old and tired, the opposite of the first one. He was barrel chested, grey and slow moving. He was well dressed and looked like a successful businessman. He was handsome, even in his later years and had confidence and power even though he was sad. He wanted to communicate to me but I kept feeling a sharp pain in my chest...I rubbed it...then realized how he died. "His heart." I said.
"Yes, my husband died of heart disease." He had much to say to his wife. Some regrets, some apologies and much love. She understood and had a few questions for him. He made it clear to his daughters and grandaughter that he was still the head of the family. That made them laugh because it was something he never ceased to remind them.

Then came another entity. This one was strange. He was curled up, naked, on the floor. His eyes were squeezed shut and his fists were clenched. He was so skinny, just skin and bones. I described what I was seeing and again, they knew who he was, Grandmother's other son. He was another brother of the two aunties. Again, I felt pain in my upper right abdomen. Cancer. He died of liver cancer. He was so afraid that he was literally frozen with his own fear. His mother told me that he was very afraid to die. It broke her heart to see him so afraid.

The information I got was that he had been dead for almost a year but that he didn't realize it. He was stuck in his fear. Still curled up, as he was on his deathbed, waiting for the end...still waiting, still so afraid of the transition that he couldn't open his eyes.

I wasn't sure what to do with this. It saddened all the women that he was in that state. I have a guide who always joins me in my sessions. He is a Saint. I asked if he could help this young man. He went to him and slowly unclenched his fingers and opened up his hands. He pulled his arms out to his sides and his legs down straight. His eyes were still closed tightly but after a minute or so he realized he wasn't curled up.... One eye opened, peeking, then the other. He looked up and saw his brother and father standing there. It took him a few minutes to realize where he was, but once he did, the three men celebrated with hugs. The two brothers began to wrestle. As I described this celebration to the women their tears flowed, tears of relief. The brothers were very close while growing up and died only a year or two apart. They had so much to tell the women they had left behind. What to do about some legal things that were still pending and why things turned out the way they did, all of their questions were answered.

By the end of the session, each of the women got a personal message they could take with them that would assist them in their healing. The session lasted about two hours. It was good.

Oh dear...I may have spoken too soon.

I'm slipping....my grip is weakening....I must hold on tight.... I am a dog person, not a dog lover.
Right? Didn't I just write that? (see below)
Oh the slippery slopes of absolutes.
I was in my office, working, hot and sweaty, thinking to myself, "Self, I need a fan in here." Funny.... I had a fan in here just the other day. But, now it's in the bedroom....for the DOG!
AAAARG! I'm becoming a dog lover. NO!
Please don't let it happen....somebody save me from myself! LOL
These four-legged furries have way with those beautiful brown eyes.

*Deep sigh* No worries. I recovered. She's a dog. I'm a person. She's a follower...I'm the pack leader.

I've been watching "The Dog Whisperer" and I love Cesar Milan. He reminds me of a lover I had a few years back. Only shorter.

Dog Lovers vs. Dog People

Maggie Mae has made it through her 30 day trial period without any major problems. She pee'd on the living room carpet two or three times and pooped there once. That's when I thought she'd be heading back to Phoenix. But, I followed the advice of several dog owners at the local dog park (one mile from home) and since then we've managed to get a rhythm to our days. Up at 7:30 for a three mile walk. A No sniffing and no wandering walk....we are walking, period. She is not fed until she earns it by walking by my side all the way down the beach, from Torrance Pier to the end of the Esplanade and back. We come home, where she gets 1 cup of dry food and some of Richards "Country Pet" all natural food from Australia. She has a crate she sleeps in and a patio where I built a 4' by 6' planter for sod, where she can do her thing. It's good. The evenings, if she's been good, she gets to go to the dog park and run and play with 4 or 5 o of her closest friends. I throw a ball or a frisbe and in an hour we head home for dinner. It's working.

I've always been a dog person. I love dogs. I love well behaved dogs. I love dogs who are clean, don't jump up on me, sit when they are told and don't drool all over my face. I love dogs who don't shed terribly much and whose breath doesn't smell like rotting rodents. I don't care for yapping dogs or dogs who try to eat off my dinner plate....yes...you-know- who has a dog like that. I believe in keeping dogs fed, watered, exercised, sheltered and loved on. They should have regular visits to a vet and they must be 'fixed'. I am a dog person.

I am not, however, a dog lover. I don't want my dog to sleep in my bed, on my couch, or in the doorway where I will be going in and out of. I will not dress my dog in shoes, shirts or rhinestone collars. The extent of her wardrobe includes a leather collar, a prong collar, a black leash and the hot pink one she came with. If I call her, she better come and I mean now or she goes into her corner. If I say "stay" she will stay until I say "go". I believe this is best for her own safety and for my sanity. When I say, "heal" she is by my side no matter what else is going on. I don't cook her meals and I don't buy her bags of toys. When I have company, she is not the entertainment. When I go on errands, she stays at home. She's a dog, not a child. Dog lovers don't seem to get that.

I know dog lovers live for their dogs, talk for their dogs and they think their dogs are smarter, faster, stronger or more special than anyone else's dog. They will dress them in Nike's and Tiffany's and feed them only homecooked meals. They let them get away with behavior that they would never tolerate from a child. They will repeatedly call their dogs name, over and over and over, basically begging them to come. Puleeze.

There's only one pack leader in my house and I'm it.

Got this email today...Thank you Beverly

These bumper stickers were compiled by Jerry Paull, a former Methodist minister in Lakeside, Ohio who writes: "The following actual bumperstickers are now on cars. I didn't write any of them. I'm only the messenger. If they make you laugh, good. If they make you cry, good."

BLIND FAITH IN BAD LEADERSHIP IS NOT PATRIOTISM

IF YOU'RE NOT OUTRAGED, YOU'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION

IF YOU SUPPORTED BUSH, A YELLOW RIBBON WON'T MAKE UP FOR IT

POVERTY, HEALTHCARE & HOMELESSNESS ARE MORAL ISSUES

OF COURSE IT HURTS. YOU'RE GETTING SCREWED BY AN ELEPHANT

BUSH LIED, AND YOU KNOW IT

RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM: A THREAT ABROAD, A THREAT AT HOME

GOD BLESS EVERYONE (No exceptions)

BUSH SPENT YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY ON HIS WAR

PROAMERICA, ANTI BUSH

WHO WOULD JESUS BOMB?

IF YOU SUPPORT BUSH'S WAR, WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE? SHUT UP AND SHIP OUT

FEEL SAFER NOW?

MY VALUES? FREE SPEECH. EQUALITY. LIBERTY. EDUCATION. TOLERANCE

IS IT 2008 YET?

DISSENT IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF PATRIOTISM Thomas Jefferson

DON'T BLAME ME. I VOTED AGAINST BUSH -- TWICE

ANNOY A CONSERVATIVE; THINK FOR YOURSELF

VISUALIZE IMPEACHMENT

HEY BUSH! WHERE'S BIN LADEN?

CORPORATE MEDIA = MASS MIND CONTROL

STOP MAD COWBOY DISEASE

GEORGE W. BUSH: MAKING TERRORISTS FASTER THAN HE CAN KILL THEM

KEEP YOUR THEOCRACY OFF MY DEMOCRACY

CORPORATE MEDIA: WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION

DON'T CONFUSE DYING FOR OIL WITH FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM

STEM CELL RESEARCH IS PRO LIFE

HATE, GREED, IGNORANCE: WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION

HONOR OUR TROOPS - DEMAND THE TRUTH

REBUILD IRAQ? WHY NOT SPEND 87 BILLION ON AMERICA?

FACT: BUSH OIL 1999 - $19 BARREL 2006 - $70 BARREL

THE LAST TIME RELIGION CONTROLLED POLITICS, PEOPLE GOT BURNED AT THE STAKE

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS - IMPEACH BUSH

HOW ON EARTH CAN 59,411,287 PEOPLE BE SO DUMB?

My Baby's Baby!

Come on December....come on December....

My daughter is having a daughter in December! Yesterday she had an ultrasound and she's all curled up and perfectly healthy, with all her fingers, toes and necessary attachments. I'm so excited! We don't have a name for her yet as Mom and Dad are still deciding. I guess I'll just call her peanut for now.

Other news from Phoenix. Danny's parents gave the kids a wedding gift option. They could either have Danny's beloved '67 Mustang painted and upholstered in the fashion of a show car, OR build a deck off the upstairs master bedroom, with French Doors and maybe stairs down to the backyard and hot tub. Danny, of course, wanted his Mustang finished. Shanon wanted the new deck. So, they made a deal. Danny believed the baby was a boy,
Shanon believed it was a girl. The deal was, if it's a boy, Danny gets the Mustang cherried out, if a girl, Shanon gets her French Doors and deck. >BIG SMILES!<
I'm not sure when construction begins but I'm quite certain it will be finished before Christmas.

I'm so tickled! I can't stop smiling and so I won't.

This is Petey's automatic signature....I like it.

Meddle not in the affairs of dragons... for thou art crunchy and go well with ketchup.