Emu

Emus live in most habitats across Australia. They are not the most beautiful bird in the world. Related to the ostrich. They are flightless birds and can run 30 mph. The male is an interesting creature. He becomes broody after his mate starts laying, and begins to incubate the eggs before the laying period is complete. From this time on, he does not eat, drink or defecate, and stands only to turn the eggs, which he does about 10 times a day. Over eight weeks of incubation, he will lose a third of his weight and will survive only on stored body-fat and on any morning dew that he can reach from the nest. Wish I had his endurance! Gives a whole new meaning to weight loss. By now I am sure you are thinking this is the only "e" word I could come up with but actually one of my favorite homemade soaps has emu oil. We bought a small bottle at a craft show so that LaVern could make soap with it. I think alot of people are raising them commercially now. They are raised for their meat, leather and oil. Another favorite "e" word........elope. Which is what we are going to do this weekend. The definition of elope from Merriam Webster's Collegiate dictionary is: to slip away; escape. Hope you do the same!

Daydreaming

Sometimes rather than empty my mind of all thoughts, I like to daydream. I especially like to daydream while riding in the car on a long trip or while listening to music. I think daydreaming is important when you live in a society like ours that stresses that you always have to be realistic. I mean, get real! Dreams help me know who I am because anything is possible in a dream. Just imagine yourself in a different place. What do you see? Feel? Smell? Recently I daydreamed about a small log cabin, somewhere remote, where LaVern and I could live out our dream to be self sufficient. Living "green" and giving back to the earth. Imagine. Dream.

Clowning Around, Depends

People have become so serious---about making money, being in shape, what they are eating, raising the perfect children. None of that is very funny. When I think about all the things I have tried to do to be perfect--well, let me say, "now that's funny". I try to look for humor in everyday life. People want to be around you, and you want to be around yourself when you're humorous. It's contagious. I could share with you several funny life experiences, most of them have happened in the last few years. And most of them ended up with my being thankful for Depends. What's the funniest thing you've ever done? My answer, now that is a Depends!

Catalogs

Yes, another "c" word. I think there are lots of things beginning with the letter "c" that would be great to talk about. Carolyn, for instance! But today I want to talk about catalogs. We get tons of them. I recently cleaned out a big old wainscoting cupboard that was full of magazines and catalogs. I have the bad habit of keeping catalogs just for the ideas in them. Furniture that LaVern could make! I like flipping through catalogs. It relaxes me because it is mindless. Catalogs are mostly pictures so how much thought do you need, right? Usually I throw the catalog away after looking at it. I never buy a thing. It is like when you were a kid and the Sears or Montgomery Ward Christmas catalog came in the mail. I'm guessing my siblings and I probably fought over them many a time. The "wish" book as it was known. So I guess the catalogs I get today are the adult version of the Christmas ones. Catalogs are always around. Just one of those whimsical activities I enjoy simply because it doesn't take brain power.