8 Days...The Big Finale

Bet you thought I'd forgotten to post this, hadn't you?

Nope...not a chance.

Actually I spent some time today thinking about some of the things that make me happy.
Here are just a few of them....by no means is this all-inclusive.

"Here we go again" by Okay Go (aka the treadmill dance) this never fails to put a smile on my face.


Crows (see yesterday's blog)


Alaska has fascinated me for ever since I was 9 or 10 (yes Jason, a book is to blame) and I am excited to be taking a vacation there next year as a graduation present to myself.


Sirius. One wonderful thing about moving to Utah is that my favorite star is visible nearly all year here....in Washington it is visible late winter/early spring only and the sky was usually too cloudy to see it well at all. A few tidbits...Sirius was found to be a double star but some people believe that it may actually be 3 stars. As the brightest "star" in our skies Sirius has the sad placing to be part of the constellation Canis Major leading it to have the lousy nickname "Dog Star". It is also responsible for the phrase "the dog days of summer". In certain conditions you can see that baby in the daytime...now I love the night sky, but Sirius is my favorite. Another one of those weird "don't know why I love it but I do" things.


Cherry and Coke flavored Slurpees (yes you must mix the flavors). Yum!


Family....my sisters especially.


When I was little I saw the Disney cartoon "Cinderella"and fell in love with her blue ballgown. At night I would recite "starlight, starbright" and fervently wish that the dress would be under my bed the next morning. It never was. A few years ago I was at a yard sale with my grandmother and there, in a bin, was a little girl's Cinderella costume. I didn't even have the dime that the dress cost but oh how I wanted it but grandma noticed how much I kept looking at it and then wordlessly added it to her pile. It may have taken years, it certainly wasn't under my bed and it will certainly never fit me but I finally got my dress. I still have it today, currently hanging on my closet door. It still makes me happy every time I see it.


The fact that my favorite band when I was a teenager is still going strong, and still as hot as ever. Seriously, how many people can claim that about bands they loved in the 80's?


Gray, foggy days...torrential downpours...watching lightning flashes in a storm...endless mountain peaks fading into the distance covered with fragrant pines...bird calls...the feel of wool, soft and scratchy at the same time...the color of amber...sunlight sparkling on water...books that you can fall into time and again...the way a certain smell can trigger memories of times long gone...the smell of freshly cut grass...poetry and alliteration...blue jeans and tennis shoes...the joy of getting a fun catalog in the mail, like Sundance or Coldwater Creek...watching the snow drift down when you are safe and snug at home...the art of Maurice Sendak...fairy tales...fall leaves crunching underfoot...pumpkins (both as decoration and to eat)...

This is just a few of the things that make me happy.

8 Days....Day 8 has been rescheduled to respond to teachinfourth's blog "the crow"

Today I find myself at the end of my 8 days....and I am sad to see it go. I've really started noticing more and more things that delight me and I quickly found myself "out of time" so to speak, to list them all. Today was going to be a grand list of many things that make me happy.

That has been moved to a special Day 8 round-up post that will be listed tomorrow.

Why? Because of a blog by Teachinfourth that posted last night. In it he talks about one of my favorite creatures on the planet....one that definately was on my list of happy things....the crow.



I have loved crows for as long as I can remember. Sure they do not have the sleekness of the hawk, the beauty of bluejays and cardinals, nor the song of the sparrow...but something has always attracted me to them. Anyone who has ever seen a murder of crows soaring overhead has witnessed to their grace and majesty. Fallen feathers have shown a prism effect in their wings that I loved...a sort of hidden beauty in the depths.

Perhaps its because I was not attractive myself growing up...I was clumsy and awkward and felt out of place most of the time and was teased and ridiculed by my peers. Who know really; crows just always seemed to mean something...more. As I grew older and began to show interest in my heritage I found I am part Native American. Hmmmm...maybe some older, earthier part of myself had found its totem. I hid that secret thought deep inside for years thinking I was just being weird (as usual). Seriously, why in the world would someone want the crow as a totem anyway?

About 3 years ago I came across a reference in a book I was reading. It mentioned an old legend but didn't go into details...a passing mention more than anything in the narrative. It made me curious so I started looking into it. The story I found was amazing. I found myself thinking on it from time to time and it made my appreciation for the crow just that much more meaningful. Of course it is just a tale, but what a tale it was.

Why do I tell you this? Well, Teachinfourth's blog got me thinking (once again) of the mythology of how the crow came to be such a dark figure....a story I am sure many people have never heard, but always thrills me whenever I hear it. I am sharing that story today. Many different tribes have a variation of this story, passed down through storytellers throughout the generations...stories that are still told (and performed in dances) today. It is the story of the Rainbow Crow and this is my narrative.



Crow, you see, wasn't always such a dark and dismal figure. She was once celebrated among the People for her feathers of every color and her singing voice that was far sweeter than any songbird. She brought joy and lightness into the hearts of all that saw her soar and heard her soft song. Crow saw how her pressence eased the hearts of the People and strove to be near them. It was said that the Great Creator himself would turn his face to the world in order to hear her song clearer and to catch a glimpse of her beauty and the days were good.

One day the weather changed. Snow and ice began to fall from the sky, stirred by the winds. The snows piled deeper and deeper and the animals soon migrated away. The People were cold and starving, unable to leave their homes for fear they would not find them again in the drifting snows.

Crow heard the People's lament and knew she was not bound to the earth, blocked by mounds of snow. She decided she would fly until she found the Spirit of the Winds and ask him to stop stirring the snow and to blow warm winds to the lands again.

She set upon her journey and flew for days, sometimes just one wingbeat behind him, but not quite catching up, for the Spirit of the Winds was ever moving and never to be found in the same place for more than a few minutes. One morning luck was upon her for she found him swirling in an eddy in the corner of a valley and plead her case with him. The Spirit of the Winds was sorry but replied he could only work with what the Great Creator gave him. It was his job to blow the winds, regardless of what the winds brought. He suggested she speak to the Great Creator himself as it was he who had created the snows in the first place.

Tired from her journey, Crow nevertheless launched herself into the skies on her long journey to see the Great Creator. After endless days with no rest Crow reached the Great Creator and humbly gave her request. The Great Creator was touched by Crow's concern for the People but could not stop the snows. It was his way that what he thought of came into being and, once created, could not be unmade. Crow pleaded with the Great Creator, vowing to do anything he asked of her if he would only spare her People.

The Great Creator thought and then handed Crow a sacred stick. He told her the magic would not last, but if she was brave enough he would allow her to fly to the sun to bring fire back to the People. Crow thanked the Creator, took the stick and flew to the sun. Upon lighting the stick she turned on her journey homewards. In fear for her People, Crow flew as fast as she could...so fast that the smoke from the burning stick began to dull her wings and burn at the back of her throat.

Crow returned and presented the stick to the People who rejoiced at the warmth she brought. She tried to join in but was startled at the loud caw that issued from her throat. What had happened to her beautiful song, she wondered. She then looked down and saw how the soot and smoke had burnt her feathers and how they were black and singed. In shame she hid from the People and cried tears over her loss. She did not regret what she had done, but worried over the price she had paid. How would she be able to lift the people without her song and glorious plummage?

Crow then heard a voice calling her from the distance. It was the Great Creator himself, come to see Crow. Crow hid herself in a thicket, not wanting to be seen in such a condition, but the Creator found her and called her from her hiding place. He admonished Crow for hiding away from the world when the world was rejoicing in the warmth she had brought.

The Creator stretched forth a hand and began wiping away the soot and the blackened feathers took on new life. When he was finished he stepped back and gave Crow a hard look. Her sacrifice, he said, would not be in vain. While it was true that he could not restore her voice or her glorious coat of feathers to their original form, he could bestow upon her a gift. Look down, he said gently as the sun's rays pierced the clouds and settled around her. Crow did as he asked and was astounded to see that in her black wings all the colors of the rainbow sparkled in their depths.

This, said the Creator, is my gift to you. It will stand as a reminder to the People of what you sacrificed in order to save them. And the People came and sang her praises and from that time on, Crow has been loved by the People. Her song became myth and her beauty forgotten. The People loved Crow more than ever and still rejoice in the gift that she gave to them.

For those who look closely, the crow still does hold all of the colors of the rainbow in her wings...

8 Days....Day 7

Okay, we all know what a major movie buff I am. I am sure that at some point in this blog I have mentioned how excited I am for this year's summer lineup...after all it includes the origins of Wolverine (though I am more of a Cyclops fan personally). I am all but bouncing up and down in my seat for the Star Trek prequel (17 days left!)and lets not forget the new Terminator movie starring England's bad boy, Christian Bale. I am not as excited for the new Harry Potter...sure I'll go see it but the pushbacks in release date have left me wondering if it will really be worth all of the hype.

But how about next year's slate?

I am squealing over the news that a remake of Clash of the Titans will be in theaters next summer....not only that but Liam Neeson has just signed on as Zeus and he will be joined by the amazing Ralph Fiennes who will be playing Hades. The screenplay is by the ever excellent Lawrence Kasdan so I have high hopes for an amazing experience.

Movie geek? Me?

You betcha.

8 Days....Day 6

A lot of things made me happy today.

First, I was so refreshed from my weekend of "relaxation" that I got a lot done at work.

Second, the weather was so nice again that we were able to open the windows and the bay door of the warehouse so the office was filled with the scent of the crab apple blossoms outside the building behind ours.

Third, I came home and saw that Annie had asked a neighbor's son to come mow our lawn. The air coming in my room at this moment is amazing. Seriously, the smell of freshly cut lawn is so mmmmmmmmmmmm good.

Fourth, chicken salad sandwich for dinner and strawberries for dessert. Yum!

I guess more than anything yesterday and today's happiness was all about scents...so here are a few of my favorite scents:

Tabu powder (grandma used to wear it and it reminds me of her), freshly baked bread (especially when you know a hot slice of bread with butter will be coming your way), woodsmoke in the fall, freshly mown grass, that mix of oil and gas that comes from leaning over a hot engine, the earthy green scent of pines, freshly sawn logs, the smell of ink from a new magazine, the smell (and feel) of wool, the last breath of dying leaves in the fall, newly turned dirt in the garden, tomato plants when you brush up against them and sandalwood.

I could go on and on but that, for the most part, are the scents that I love the most.

8 Days....Day 5

What made me happy on Sunday was how beautiful the weather was. I sat in my room in my comfy chair, laptop at the ready (trying vainly to do homework) but just kept drifting off into daydreams. The air coming in through my window (which, conveniently, my chair sits right next to) was sweet and warm and the sky was so blue and the birds were singing that it made anything else hard to focus on. I kept breathing in that delicious air and looking forward to the joy of being able to keep my window open at night again.

The cats enjoyed it too....they kept running from open window to open window sniffing madly and going completely bezerk everytime a bird happened to fly past their perch.

Very relaxing....very soothing....very much needed.

It didn't hurt that I made a delicious quiche for dinner either......

8 Days....Day 4

This made me smile...although, as a cat lover, it shouldn't have.

How to wash a toilet

This was simply too much of a time saver not to share it with you.

1. Put both lids of the toilet up and add 1/8 cup of pet shampoo to the water in the bowl.

2. Pick up the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.

3. In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close the lid. You may need to stand on the lid.

4. The cat will self agitate and make ample suds. Never mind the noises that come from the toilet, the cat is actually enjoying this.

5. Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a 'power-wash and rinse'.

6. Have someone open the front door of your home. Be sure that there are no people between the bathroom and the front door.

7. Stand behind the toilet as far as you can and quickly lift the lid.

8. The cat will rocket out of the toilet, streak through the bathroom, and run outside where he will dry himself off.

9. Both the commode and the cat will be sparkling clean.

8 Days....Day 3

What made me happy today was a 3-day weekend. With the hours I worked this last week I only had to use 3 hours of vacation time to make 40 hours.....so cool. The guys didn't call me once and I spent the day between watching movies, reading, cleaning up a bit around the house and making pot roast for dinner. After how many hours I worked the week before it was wonderful to have a day with no plans whatsoever in order to totally relax.

Today I still have movies playing but I am heating up soup made from last night's broth, baked potatoes and roast. Mmmmmmmmm. I am also catching up on the homework I fell behind on while modifying those European switches last week.

What's playing right now? A marvelous movie that I adore called "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind". Strange little film, but I love Jim Carrey's dramatic roles. His comedy leaves me cold because he tends to go way overboard but he's a wonderful dramatic actor. Loved him in "The Truman Show" and "The Magestic". "Number 23" was good too....

8 Days....Day 2

Waking up in a winter wonderland.



Yesterday it snowed off and on....enough to stick to the car and create a white-out that you couldn't see more than 100 feet through...yet wasn't sticking to the roads. By the time I went to bed at 10 the snow had stopped though it was still clinging to the lawn.

This morning I woke up and the world was covered in white with a brilliant blue sky above. The neighbor's tree was covered in thick snow and bent to the ground....on our side of the fence! I grabbed my camera and ran out to snap some pictures. I didn't think to take standard shots...mostly I was focused on macro this morning but it was so beautiful (and amazingly warm out...it must've been in the low 40's at least). Sadly, an hour later and everything is melting fast. What was once 6" on my car this morning is pouring off the rooftops and the roads are wet and bare. I actually rolled my window down on the drive in because the air was warm and smelled amazing.

Wish I could be out playing in it this morning, rather than at work. It definately won't last...temperatures for this weekend are to be in the 60's and its going to be uber sunny.

Winter's one last laugh as if to say "Spring break? Don't think so!"