Caleigh O'Shea's Blog, page 4

The Present is a Gift

It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that. ~J.K. Rowling,British author and philanthropist (from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, 1997)

As

The days

Get shorter

And the cold winds

Blow in from the north,

I remember with joy

Days not so long ago when

Sunshine, flowers, and butterflies

Danced across my yard with abandon

Reminding me to enjoy the present.

Note: Poetry form is Etheree.

 

The Meaning of Thanksgiving

Incredible
To think there will be a to-morrow morning,
And you will not be there…
~Joseph Auslander, American poet, anthologist, and novelist

I Monkey here.

You haven’t heard from me since my Walktober post, so I thought I’d remedy that while Mama is otherwise occupied.

Bet you’ve missed me, right?

I Monkey have missed my Mama.

She packed up my things (food, treats, toys, blanket), and I got all excited, thinking we were heading out on an adventure.

She let me hop in the car all by myself, and we were off — traveling to points unknown and eager to sniff new smells.

Wait, what? Mama, where’s your suitcase? You can’t go on an adventure without a change of clothes. Or a toothbrush. Or face cream.

Humph, it turns out that we weren’t going on an adventure at all.

Mama pulled into the parking lot of the boarding place I’d stayed before, grabbed my stuff and me, and escorted me inside.

There, she chatted a few minutes with two girls who worked there before handing them my stuff. And me on my leash.

Mama! You’re not staying, too? What’s going on here?

But Mama gave me a quick kiss, turned around, and walked right out the door! Huh.

Needless to say, I missed Mama something fierce. Missed our routine. Our walks. My backyard.

Even that screechy flute-thing.

For days upon days (I guess — little monkeys like me really can’t tell time), I waited. And watched. And hoped.

Could Mama have forgotten me? Was she having an adventure without me? Was she making good on her threat to re-home me? And where was that Feast she’d been talking about?

Well, one evening, just as I was about to lose all hope of seeing Mama again, the girls strapped on my leash, packed up my things, and led me to the waiting area … and there was my Mama!

Best of all, she wasn’t alone. My brofur the Domer was with her!

I got all wiggly and excited, running from one of my people to the other and trying to remember not to pee on the boarding place’s floor in my excitement.

Then we all hopped in the car and headed home.

Now THIS must be what Thanksgiving is all about, don’t you think??

Thankful Thursday (8)

Earth produces no viler creature than an ingrate. ~Publius Syrus, Latin writer of maxims (first century BCE)

Time to find something to be grateful for again! Did you know expressing gratitude can improve sleep and immunity? Did you know it can decrease anxiety, chronic pain, and disease? Aren’t these good enough reasons to start looking for things to appreciate?

Click to view slideshow.

Red, orange, yellow

Farewell to glorious Fall

Trees are now just sticks

Note: Happy Thanksgiving to all my blogging buddies! I’m taking a bit of time off to feast and rest, and thus I’m closing comments on this one. Enjoy the last of our Fall color (seven slides in all).

Bye, Bye, Kitty

It is in the nature of cats to do a certain amount of unescorted roaming. ~Adlai Stevenson, former Governor of Illinois, and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations

This was my neighbor’s cat (was being the operative word).

I didn’t know its name. Never petted it. Never fed it or played with it.

Truth be told, I’m not a “cat person,” and Monkey hates cats, so neither of us had much use for it.

Still, it was a pretty cat … if you like cats, I mean. And I’m sure its owners enjoyed having it around.

But that, it seems to me, wasn’t enough.

They might have enjoyed having Kitty around, but they failed to take proper care of him.

Or her.

Kitty, you see, was a “free spirit.” It wandered the neighborhood doing cat-things. Chasing birds. Tormenting bunnies. Sneaking around people’s shrubbery. Taunting dogs properly fenced in their own yards.

And one day, Kitty disappeared.

The neighbors hollered out their front door for days. They got in their car and drove around … slowly. They asked every one of us if we’d seen Kitty.

Nobody had.

Kitty was gone.

Did a hawk swoop down and grab him? Did he find another home with fancier food and treats? Did he simply get bored and feel the need to see the world on his terms?

Who knows.

I feel sorry for anybody who loses a beloved pet. I do. Yet I find it hard to wrap my head around anybody truly loving a pet and neglecting proper care of that pet.

Yes, I know, cats come and go at will. But they still need to have food and water, still need vet care, still need to be spayed or neutered, still need a sunny spot where they can snooze and feel safe.

And it makes me sad that Kitty no longer has any of that stuff (assuming he/she had it previously, that is).

Note: Kitty disappeared long before Halloween, so don’t fret over a wicked person grabbing him/her and conducting Satanic rites because he’s a black cat. And, while black cats have a world of superstitions surrounding them, my late grandma used to claim that having a black cat around was good luck.

Live and Learn

Then call on me on the day of distress; I will rescue you, and you shall honor me. ~ Psalm 50:15, New American Bible

Have you ever been afraid?

I’m not talking about everyday fears, like seeing a snake in your yard or going to the dentist.

I’m talking about terror. The kind that makes your heart feel like it’s going to jump right out of your chest. The kind that stops your breathing. The kind that haunts your dreams afterward.

That happened to me recently, and I assure you, it wasn’t fun. Even now — more than a week later — I shake when I think about it.

It began with Walktober.

I’d been pondering where to take my annual group walk and finally decided on hiking at a nearby lake. The Internet told me there were nine miles of trails and, while I’d never been there and didn’t know what to expect, I walk every day.

How hard could it be?

Arming myself with sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, and bug spray, I took off.

When I pulled into one of several parking lots, I looked around for other visitors.

Not a soul.

Then I checked for directional signage to the trails.

Nothing.

Then I spied a path that seemed to lead in the right direction toward the lake, and I entered it. At first, it struck me as rather narrow, gravel and dirt covered, and a slow but steep downward trajectory…

That quickly became a Drop. Straight. Down.

I found myself running. Like a demon was on my shoulder. Unable to stop, unable to grab something — anything — to break my descent. Gravity was taking over, and I was panicking.

At the bottom was an asphalt road. I dared not fall. Twist an ankle, break bones, get run over by some idiot in a maintenance vehicle.

So I leaned back and SCREAMED aloud a prayer for help.

After what felt like forever, I reached the end of the path — still upright and in one piece.

My prayer had been answered!

Yes, I was winded and shaking like an autumn leaf. I struggled to catch my breath. My heart was pounding.

But I was alive!

Then I saw the right path — graveled, but wider — circling the lake, and I started walking. Slowly.

This was the right path — hilly and gravelly, but walkable. That thing I took first was a disaster waiting to happen!

About halfway around, I came upon two women chatting on a bench. We exchanged pleasantries, and one said, “You know there’s no cell signal around the lake, right?”

Well, no, I didn’t know that. If I had, I’d have never embarked on this little venture in the first place.

I’m not a “nature girl.” I grew up in a city — a small, rural one — and hiking by myself in the woods isn’t something I do.

Nor should I have done it this time, despite the pretty pictures I got.

But, should I be foolish enough to try again, here are some things I’m filing in my Live-and-Learn folder:

1) For hikes, wear sneakers with treads, not fashionable flat soles (yeah, I was worried about gooey mud).

2) Remember that critters occupy woods. Snakes, deer, rodents, and so on. I’ve heard they probably won’t bother you if you don’t bother them.

3) Don’t be in such a hurry to get started that you don’t fully examine the surroundings. Somebody should’ve placed a “Danger” sign blocking that treacherous footpath.

4) Be sure at least somebody knows where you are. Taking off solo isn’t good planning, just in case you run into trouble.

Walktober 2024

Multitudes of people are beauty-blind to the outdoor pictures. I doubt if one in a hundred begins to take in the beauty visible on even a short walk in city or country. ~Delia Lyman Porter, American writer and social reformer

Happy Walktober! It’s time for our group walk known as Walktober and hosted this year by Dawn.

Walktober coaxes us out of our chairs, off our sofas, and away from our troubles for a walk (bike ride, road trip, etc.) outdoors to take in Nature’s autumnal glory and share it with the world.

Let’s get to it!

After several false starts, I decided to hike some of the nine miles of nature trails surrounding Lake Charleston, a 440-acre reservoir several miles away from me, in hopes I might find some Fall color.

And I did!

I saw lots of tall trees:

And prairie grasses:

And some unexpected little flowers:

An evergreen, stubbornly hanging onto its green color:

Maple leaves:

Oak leaves:

And, of course, the lake:

Along with some kind of water birds:

And a hawk circling above:

And look! I think this one’s a pelican:

Well, I hope you enjoyed our walk. We had a lovely day for it — brisk, but sunny. If you haven’t done Walktober before, why not plan on joining us next year?

I’ll leave (do you see what I did there?!?) you with one more photo of the lake:

 

Walktober with Monkey ’24

And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ~Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American writer, poet, and philosopher

I Monkey here.

It’s time for Walktober, something I look forward to as soon as it’s announced! And when Penny’s mom Dawn announced it, I was ready.

Mama picked that dumb quote up top, thinking we’d have a windy day, but she was wrong. It was beautiful — sunny and around 60 degrees — just perfect for a jaunt through my park.

St. Dallas never Walktobered here, so I thought it would be ideal to share it with you. Let’s GO!!!

Here am I, nose to the ground, trying to get Mama to hurry:

See my new harness? Mama got it for me, thinking my old one was causing bald spots and “the itchies.” I don’t know if this one’s helping, but I like it!

Mama figured you’d all like to see some trees. Why? Who knows. They’re not exactly wearing colorful dresses yet:

But you’re tired of trees, right? And this walk is all about ME, so let’s get cracking!

Here I am, checking out this artsy circle. No clue what it’s supposed to represent, but there were some interesting smells nearby:

Mama, what’s wrong with these children? They don’t seem to want to touch me … or even to move! And they’re fenced in, too:

Here’s something interesting — one of those little free libraries. The sign said to take a book and leave a book. Wonder what treasures lurk within:

Oh, look, it’s a new bird neighborhood! Seems there are several vacancies here — bet they’ll be rented by Spring:

It was perfect weather, and there were LOTS of dogs out walking their humans. Here’s a Boston Terrier named Mickey, who thinks we’re big friends (sometimes I’m not so sure because we ruckus when we get together):

Mama wanted me to pose in this gazebo-thing, but I didn’t think so. C’mon, Mama, you know The Rule: one pose, one treat. You’re the one who forgot my cookies. Yeah:

Here’s an easy one. Who’s cuter, me or Dino:

This is the water part of my park. They won’t let dogs swim here, but Mama says I’d probably sink anyway, what with my double coat:

Mama loves ornamental grasses. Maybe she’ll plant some one of these days:

Here are some red trees. The weather guys say the yellow ones turn color first and the red ones later. Maybe that’s why they’re special:

I didn’t particularly want to walk on this little bridge, but Mama insisted (that was before I knew she’d left my cookies at home!):

And I Monkey will leave you to ponder this quote attributed to American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson — “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” Oh, look, it says so right here:

That’s all, folks. Hope you enjoyed my third Walktober. I probably should remind slowpoke Mama to get her own Walktober done, huh?I’m already contemplating next year. I’ll be four-going-on-five then, and I see big things in my future. Now, it’s time for my snooze.

Love, Monkey

Walktober with Monkey

And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ~Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese-American writer, poet, and philosopher

I Monkey here.

It’s time for Walktober, something I look forward to as soon as it’s announced! And when Penny’s mom Dawn announced it, I was ready.

Mama picked that dumb quote up top, thinking we’d have a windy day, but she was wrong. It was beautiful — sunny and around 60 degrees — just perfect for a jaunt through my park.

St. Dallas never Walktobered here, so I thought it would be ideal to share it with you. Let’s GO!!!

Here am I, nose to the ground, trying to get Mama to hurry:

See my new harness? Mama got it for me, thinking my old one was causing bald spots and “the itchies.” I don’t know if this one’s helping, but I like it!

Mama figured you’d all like to see some trees. Why? Who knows. They’re not exactly wearing colorful dresses yet:

But you’re tired of trees, right? And this walk is all about ME, so let’s get cracking!

Here I am, checking out this artsy circle. No clue what it’s supposed to represent, but there were some interesting smells nearby:

Mama, what’s wrong with these children? They don’t seem to want to touch me … or even to move! And they’re fenced in, too:

Here’s something interesting — one of those little free libraries. The sign said to take a book and leave a book. Wonder what treasures lurk within:

Oh, look, it’s a new bird neighborhood! Seems there are several vacancies here — bet they’ll be rented by Spring:

It was perfect weather, and there were LOTS of dogs out walking their humans. Here’s a Boston Terrier named Mickey, who thinks we’re big friends (sometimes I’m not so sure because we ruckus when we get together):

Mama wanted me to pose in this gazebo-thing, but I didn’t think so. C’mon, Mama, you know The Rule: one pose, one treat. You’re the one who forgot my cookies. Yeah:

Here’s an easy one. Who’s cuter, me or Dino:

This is the water part of my park. They won’t let dogs swim here, but Mama says I’d probably sink anyway, what with my double coat:

Mama loves ornamental grasses. Maybe she’ll plant some one of these days:

Here are some red trees. The weather guys say the yellow ones turn color first and the red ones later. Maybe that’s why they’re special:

I didn’t particularly want to walk on this little bridge, but Mama insisted (that was before I knew she’d left my cookies at home!):

And I Monkey will leave you to ponder this quote attributed to American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson — “Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” Oh, look, it says so right here:

That’s all, folks. Hope you enjoyed my third Walktober. I probably should remind slowpoke Mama to get her own Walktober done, huh?I’m already contemplating next year. I’ll be four-going-on-five then, and I see big things in my future. Now, it’s time for my snooze.

Love, Monkey

Thankful Thursday (7)

Wouldn’t it be an exhilarating tonic for the soul to take a moment to appreciate the simple, good things in life which are so bountiful…? ~Author unknown, c.1949

Cranberries are here!

Delicious and good for you.

Savor autumn’s joy.

Note: This is yet another post celebrating things we ought to be grateful for. Did you know cranberries are loaded with antioxidants and show benefits for heart, digestion, oral health, urinary tract, skin, and other parts of the human body?

Working Toward Perfection

You can always tell when two people are best friends because they are having more fun than it makes sense for them to be having. ~Author unknown

Symphonic Band is back after an almost three-month break, and I’ve got to say, it feels wonderful!

It’s a new school year, so I find it interesting to observe the changes in our Band makeup. Some of the college students are there because they can’t fit any other music class into their schedule; others are music majors having to learn more than just one instrument.

And then there are the community members, who might work or be retired, yet have enough time on their hands — and love in their hearts — to want to continue making music as long as possible.

Our director is on staff at the university, and I think he, too, gets a kick out of seeing all our happy faces every week.

Being in Band makes it impossible to be unhappy. Besides the good feeling that comes from practicing hard to perfect a piece, there’s the joviality that happens continually. Somebody or other is always making jokes, and as time has gone on, we’ve gotten to know and appreciate each other’s strengths and abilities.

As musicians. And as people.

It takes a special hand to lead such a diverse group, reining us in when we get too silly (without becoming a drill sergeant). Teaching to what can be a wide range of ability. Selecting pieces the majority will like … and the audience will appreciate.

Recently, I was chatting with a neighbor — someone who was in junior high school band with me, back in the day — and when he found out I was still doing Band, he was floored.

He said he has no clue what became of his horn, but he remembers the bigger kids in band telling him to “fake” his part and leave the playing to them.

Seriously? Are kids still that mean??

Such “helpful advice” would never cross our Band lips today! We know every player is important, every part needs to be covered. And eventually, even the “weakest links” will improve … providing they practice, of course.

As one former director used to say, “We soar together, or we crash and burn together.”