Noury's Creative World…

This morning I went for my solo walk, because my walking partner is out-of-town.  This bird was making the rounds for  breakfast.  After my necessary walk, full of warmth, sun, and lots of birds singing their tunes, I came home and turned on the tele to catch up with the news of the tornado in Joplin, Missouri.  One hundred and sixteen people have ceased to exist.  That’s the latest count.

While the information was being presented, one of the survivors, was giving a description of the experience he and his family went through.  He was being very descriptive.  I felt, listening to him, that I was going through the experience myself.  Then, the interviewer asked him how he felt now that he had lost everything.  He answered:  “I have my family with me, everything else can be replaced.”

I turned off the tele and started pondering on that phrase.  “Everything else can be replaced.”  I need to make sure that the memories I store in my heart and soul are always reflecting the goodness of us all, because I never know when everything I will have left will be my memories.  I need to choose the goodness of any bad situation I am confronted with.  Need also to be compassionate enough to forgive anyone that I may interpret is being hurtful to me.  I need to put myself in their situation or pretend to analyze the why of their behavior.  All and each one of us have been exposed to trauma, drama and lots of crapola in life.  What’s going to be?  I will make sure from now on that I will only choose the goodness over anything else.  It leaves a sweet taste in your mouth also.  Even the darkness of night has its own beauty.  It also makes us appreciate the brightness of a sunny day.  How’s all of this tied to the title of the post?  Because anything can be replaced, except for the memories and the love of those around you.  Sometimes my thinking is a bit complicated, but I hope you get my train of thought.

Changing for a moment the topic, here’s Mr. Cardinal, having a close encounter this morning.   This is the closest I have ever been to one of these colorful and beautiful creatures.  He was there on that wooden post for a while.  He was taking care of his bathroom duties.  Maybe a bit constipated, because he really took his time.  What?  You don’t think they get under the weather also?  It depends on what he had for dinner.  Always take things a step further.  Nature is just another image of our own self.  Lighten up!  Life is short…use your imagination.

You may be thinking, how can this woman be writing about such a tragedy and then out of nowhere jumps into something so totally unrelated.  Because that’s life.  Totally unrelated.

Going back to the victims of the tornado in Joplin, I am praying that our Creator may bless all of the victims and their families with patience, peace and the motivation to carry on.  As one of the victims expressed it very eloquently…”Everything else can be replaced.”

Remember the Red Cross.  They are the first ones to arrive.

So it was today…23rd May, 2011…a day to mentally support victims of any disaster…it could be anyone of us any given day.

Your Happy Contessa

“I expect to pass through this world but once.  Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow-creature, let me do it now.”  Anonymous

This past Saturday morning, a relative of mine invited me to go to an art exposition in Raleigh, North Carolina.  There we went, enjoying the beautiful sunny day, lots of clouds for my collection, but nice non-threatening clouds, light blue skies, and a mini convertible to add to all and make it a perfect ride.  Took some pictures, you know I never leave behind my cheap chic camera (ccc).

This is a small sampling of some of the roads.  North Carolina does a beautiful job planting wild flowers along some of its highways.  It makes your journey more enjoyable.  There was a field of poppies but I was too late getting my ccc.

So…finally we made it into Raleigh.  Old Southern with its own charm city.  It has some of the old buildings with their distinguished architecture.  Lots of new architecture styled buildings also.  The old making space for the new.  Is that good or….Same thing with our population.  We the senior chicks and the other old gender still rule.  I think so!  Let’s go back to the field trip.  So…we go around…and around…and more around.  No parking space to be found.  It was warm, sun shining full blast, and my dose of warmth for the full year was being delivered right there and then.  Looking for a parking space.  So…my brother-in-law says “well, we’ll go around a few more times, and if there’s not a space, we just go back home.”  I said, “fine with me.”  So the merry went around a few more times, and of course, no space available.  Plenty of Vitamin D.  The happy vitamin, thanks God!

Life is full of surprises…we headed back east and I continued snapping pictures.  Here is one with a tower to continue to try to make contact with ET, and also to continue to zap all of us with its microwaves.  Believe it or not, the zapping is eternal.  And no ET response yet.  So I analyzed the situation.  First, we were headed west to witness some art and maybe get some inspiration.  I am thinking about pursuing some painting.  Have to dig into anything I can get my hands into.  But…the witnessing of others’ art did not materialize.  The goodness of this situation is that I have learned to accept whatever situation is delivered to me unexpectedly, with a new perspective.  It was not meant to be.  It was meant for me to get some sunshine on my ever pale arms, and sweat like a horse because the seats are leather and my shirt was not 100% cotton.  Cotton, my friends, is your friend when going on an expedition controlled by the sunny sun.

And this is Richard, the temperamental artist, waving goodbye after delivering me back to my yellow and navy blue cutest home.  He said he was inspired to go home and paint, maybe because we were talking about the beauty and glory of nature, and I was very glad to come back home and have a salad attack.  I didn’t realize how hungry I was.  So…everybody was happy.  Raylene, his lovely wife and my walking partner is somewhere in the North East attending some graduations.  I truly appreciate them both for their total support during my journey of being left behind.  Hi Ron.

Life is a beautiful thing…we need to be flexible…accepting of what it is…and mostly resist arguing with reality.  The result of that is what creates stress.  Cannot argue with reality.

So it was 21 May 2011…a day of going and returning from an unexpected trip to nowhere.  Or…it was a trip to enjoy the sun, wind, clouds and just being exposed to our magnificent Mother Nature, and its Creator.

Your Happy Contessa

“Every man must find his own philosophy…his attitude toward life.”  Lin Yutang, Chinese writer and inventor.  14 March 1879-18 April, 1955.

This morning while drying my breakfast dishes, I looked outside to my beautiful landscape, and there she was, a beautiful Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio Glaucas) Butterfly.  Immediately I searched for my camera and took a few pictures.  Had to go out to capture this image.

Then, as you know by now how my neurons work, I thought about the phrase “butterfly effect.”  I had an idea of the concept, but I did some research and this is my very simplistic conclusion.  It means that the presence or absence of a butterfly flapping its wings could lead to the creation or absence of a hurricane.  There it is.  Of course, you know I always take things a step further.  That’s what gets me into trouble sometimes.

So that means that if I sneeze or clap my hands I have the power to (oops, just sneezed) create a destructive force that is going to affect humankind as a whole.  Need to think further about this.  In part, I do believe that everything that we do has consequences.  I can see how the innocent and beautiful flapping of a gorgeous butterfly can have residual effect somewhere in the ether of things.  Even my thinking has consequences.  Am I going to decide if today is going to be a good day, or a mediocre kind of day.  I have the power to choose.  So all in all, yes, the theory of the butterfly effect has some validity points with me.  I am all for embracing and accepting things that from a surface point of view seem to be very logical.  This one is.  One of the muses, the philosophical one must be in the neighborhood.

This is a view from inside the screen.  Totally a different effect.  Either way it is so stunningly beautiful.  Color, designs and balance of all of these elements make you ponder about the Creator of such a breathtaking image.  Oh yes, God wasn’t throwing dice when He created the Universe, according to Einstein.

In the Dominican Republic, where I was born and raised, it is believed that if a butterfly comes into your house, you are to expect visitors.  Maybe my house will sell this weekend.  I forgot, it depends the color of the butterfly.  Dark brown is not good news.  But as I have grown older, for me a butterfly is a sign of a beautiful sight, in spite of the color.  I make and determine my own beliefs.

So it was today…19th May, 2011…a day full of beautiful butterflies flapping and taking me on a journey of pondering.

Make this an unforgettable weekend.  I’ll be in touch on Monday.  Thanks for reading.

Your Happy Contessa

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.”  Albert Einstein, German theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity.  14 March 1879-18 April 1955.

This morning I went to purchase some lottery tickets.  Have to keep the hope alive to have condos in every city I love.  Paris, Sarasota, Washington, D.C., La Romana, Puerto Plata, and any other place that will suit my pleasure.  Without those tickets, only hope is to keep living my very happy, peaceful, and contented life in North Carolina.  Not that bad.  But…it could be better.

Now…I go inside and ask the lady for the tickets.  She mumbled something and I just ignored it thinking she was just talking with her other self.  Then again a noise came out of her mouth and then I said “Pardon me?”  She then said very slowly and looking at me like if I was from another planet.  This is what she said:  “And…how old are you?”  I looked at her, took my sunglasses off and with my fingers showed her the big bags under my eyes and said to her “You are kidding, aren’t you?”  She said no, and repeated the question, “how old are you”  I started laughing out of control.  I said, “I am 62!!!”  She then said: “you don’t look like it.”  I almost went around the counter and started hugging her.  But I restrained myself and continued laughing.  I am still laughing.  What a sweet young lady.  Maybe she has not been exposed to too many older women in her life.  But for whatever reason she had, she made my day.  And it works for me.

As you can tell, either this young woman needs glasses or she is a very compassionate woman.  Probably she is supposed to ask age when anyone is buying a tickets, but come on, I surely don’t look like a young chick.  Neither I want to go back to that stage in my life.  I don’t think I would survive a second going back.  Too much drama, stress and besides, I would have to go through menopause again.  Yikes!  Just the thought of that brought a chill down my back.  Let’s leave it at 62.  I am chillin, wrinkles, bags and absence of intelligence sometimes, but I manage.

So it was today…18 May, 2011…a day of finding out how old I really am.  Thank you young lady from the lottery ticket counter.  Oh yes, went to my dental spa, and had my therapy session.  Thank you Dr. Zombek and lovely staff.

Your Happy Contessa

“Life is half spent before we know what it is.”  George Herbert, Welsh-born-English poet, orator and Anglican priest.  3 April 1593-1 March 1633.

 

Yesterday I celebrated my 150th post!!.  Also, I am celebrating another milestone in viewership total.  It could be the same person reading the posts twice or three times, but little bits do add up.  The blog has been translated to French, Chinese or Japanese and Spanish.  Even though my readers like to keep a very low profile when it comes to opining, I know you are there reading very quietly.  Thank you very much for that.  I would like to publicly express my appreciation for all of you and may the posting, and reading continue until that time, don’t know when, that the circle completes. 

Even though the muses decided to definitely stay somewhere in the South or the Caribbean,  I feel motivated and inspired to write something five days a week.   Sometimes it is easier than others, but I know someone is going to be reading. 

The whole thing about this blog started because of my daughter.  She started a blog, a very good one may I add,  and one day, out of boredom and restlessness, because the house had not sold,  my plans were up in limbo land, and Milagros already had introduced me to Facebook, I felt I needed to see how far I could take the technological challenge I imposed on myself.  And ta ta, here we are today.  Then the issue of my cheap, chic camera (ccc)waltzed into my life, and now I have learned so much on how to take better pictures or edit the ones I have taken, that when you add all the ingredients together, I have become a better and more knowledgeable person because I chose to challenge myself and thanks to the motivation of my daughter.  Merci beaucoup, mon cherie.

Let me share the experience of my first posting.  I wrote the whole posting on the title section because I didn’t know what I was doing.  Then on the second one, I started to look at the screen and started clicking and tabbing on things, then added my first picture the day after Thanksgiving with a picture of some biscuits, and as they say…the rest is history.

Thank y’all, as they say on this neck of the woods, and may we continue the virtual relationship for many more postings into infinity and beyond.  I must acknowledge my appreciation to WordPress for allowing me to become a better writer and for having given me this tremendous opportunity to communicate with all of you.

So it was today…17 May, 2011…a day of looking back at the birth of this blog.

Your Happy Contessa

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow.”  St. Isidore de Seville, born in Cartagena, Spain, Christian philosopher.  560-4 April, 636.

I hope that by now you get it that I am fascinated with our space program.  Before I forget, let me express my appreciation to NASA TV.  I took these photographs this morning while watching on my computer the countdown for the lift-off of Endeavour.

I always in my life have been a very curious person.  I am interested in anything and everything.  I find it at this stage in my life, I am even more curious than ever.  And most of the things I witness leave an unforgettable impression in my collection of memories.

Endeavour was constructed as a replacement for the Challenger.  First flew May 1992.  Today’s launch was its final.  It was named after the British HMS Endeavour, the ship which took Captain Cook on his first voyage of discovery, 1768-1771.   Construction costs were $2.2 billion.  After this mission, STS-134, Endeavour will be decommissioned.  It will be on display at the California Science Center in Los Angeles.

It was so mesmerizing watching the lift off step by step.  You cannot help it but be in total awe.  It reminded me so much of the movie “Contact.”  It made ponder on a lot of questions I sometimes contemplate about the space out there.  How magnificent our beloved Planet Earth must look from where the crew is.  It makes me realize how significant and insignificant at the same time we all are.

And there it happily went to Infinity and Beyond…Endeavour has travelled 103,149,636 miles for 25 missions.  I would like to wish its crew a happy return back home.

Hope you have enjoyed this as much as I did this morning.  If you would like to see a replay of its launch Monday morning, go to NASA TV, and be in total awe.

So it was today…16th May, 2011…a day to continue in our quest to conquer our outer spaces.

Your Happy Contessa

“Ah, but in such matters, it is only the first step that is difficult.”  Madame Du Deffand, French hostess and patron of the arts.  1697-1780.

I was just thinking…have I already done a posting with this subject matter?  I don’t know.  If you are like me…I have already forgotten and there will be a few surprises on this one.  Every day brings a new set of surprises…or not.

My Sunday mornings are very special.  I feel more relaxed that on other mornings, maybe because in my mindset there is this feeling of just chillin on Sundays.  But…routines are very good for me because they mean that my world is still in sync with my mental universe.  Peace, quiet, reading the same recycled stories I heard about on the news last night, going through the ads, even though my pocketbook is zipped for eternity.  No new spending for a while.  Just bought (at one of the shopping channels)  a 40″ tv, wi-fi, with all the bells and whistles, even though I am letting go of cable tv.  It was priced just right.  My rationalization is that with a newer tv set, I will be able to maybe capture the networks and a few other channels, and that will suffice for me.  I can access the internet on this new tv, so I will have to learn a lot of new things,  and that’s a good thing because I need more mental stimulation, other than doing this blog, and cleaning toilets.   No more too much tv for me!  It is brain zapping… sometimes after watching la tele for a while I feel like a zombie, and of course, go directly to the kitchen because “I feel a bit hungry.”  Just plain disgusting!!!!  In conclusion, watching la tele is dangerous for your psych, the middle part of your body, and a money pit.  Look at me, Miss smart, tight-with-my-money kind of gal.  Do I need a 40″ tv?  Hell, no!  But is sounded so fabulous with all the things I can do.  We’ll continue with this saga in another posting.

Call this a big going off the subject matter.  In between reading the recycled news and my favorite, the cartoons, I do laundry, prepare my breakfast, my coffee (the best part of the day), and other minutiae pertaining to other stuff.  Then…after devouring my plain tasting plantains, but good for the smooth sailing flow of things in my organs,  I proceed to very obediently take my vitamins.  I tell myself they keep me from getting sick.  Who knows!

Bear in mind that I am not endorsing any products at all.  No money exchanging hands.  At least not mine, except for the super scupper tv.  

I hope you have found this new angle of my routines somewhat entertaining…I have enjoyed writing about it…and let me add…if my routines are kind of interrupted for whatever reasons, part of my petit universe is out of sync for a nano second.

So it was today, 15th May…a day in my life…with some pondering on to routine or not to routine.

Your Happy Contessa

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life–it goes on.”  Robert Frost, an American poet.  26 March 1874-29 January 1963.

  This weekend I am off to Selma, North Carolina to go antiquing.  I love to be surrounded by old furniture, books, linens, paintings, magazines (of course), in general,  old pieces that remind me sometimes of my childhood.  It may be the odor of old wood, old books or just seeing and touching, and sometimes buying plain old stuff.  Old toys are among my favorites also.  I am still in the pursue of a little red piano that may look like the one I used to have and played with so many times.

Ron and I were visiting an Antique Mall in Alexandria, Virginia in January, 1984.  After going around pretty fast, because I couldn’t at the beginning understand why we would be in a place that would sell used and old stuff.  In the Dominican Republic when I was growing up, old stuff was equivalent to trash.  So I was questioning Ron’s wisdom in visiting a place like this.  But I came across this chair.  It did not look like this when I saw it.  The fabric was old pale yellow and stained, torn, and the chair itself was wobbly.  I walked away from it, but I kept on coming back.  There was something about this chair that would not let me go away.  When Ron caught up with me, I showed the chair to him.  He said “but honey, this chair is in terrible shape, it will have to be glued, re-upholstered and…I don’t know.”  I told him that the chair was only $58 and we could have it fixed for a few more dollars and I liked it very much.  Grudgingly he agreed and that was our first antique purchase together.  My pick.

Well…by the time we chose the fabric and were told how much it would be the cost of making it what it is today…$350.  We gulped because we were just starting our marriage and money was extremely tight.  Remember my painting?  That was a few months after the chair.  I am always getting in a tight spot.  But I manage.

I am glad we had the chair done, because it is a sturdy, attractive and it blends easily with any other piece of decor we have had over the years.  25 years.  I learned so much with Ron about estate sales, auctions, garage sales (many, many stories to be told about this), and even picking up pieces from OPG.  Other people’s garbage.  You would not believe what people discard in this the land of plenty.  I don’t do it anymore because without my aggressive and assertive partner is not fun anymore. 

On this note, please go in an adventurous garage sailing this weekend or any other weekend.  It is a lot of fun, you meet so many people and learn so much.  And there’s always a treasure to be found.

So it was today…12th May 2011…another day of pondering and looking forward to maybe finding a treasure at the antique mall or any garage sale.

Make it a happy and safe weekend.  See you next Monday.

Your Happy Contessa

“It is better to ask some questions than to know all the answers.”  James Thurber, American author and cartoonist.  8th December, 1894-2nd November, 1961

This one is from my Memories Trunk…

The picture above was of a friend of mine and myself making an attempt to pretend to play tennis.  To my friend my apologies for cutting you off the picture, but I didn’t have your consent to use your image.  Copyrights issues.  To continue…Why were we making an attempt to pretend to play tennis?  In the 70’s, as it is today, we women would do anything to try to get a qualified candidate to notice us.  St. Croix, U.S.Virgin Islands is a very small island.  Everybody knew everybody and we knew that the “qualified” guys we wanted to meet would be members of the Tennis Club.  Doctors, lawyers…yes, I know…la creme of qualified snakes to make your life a bit more miserable than the regular “qualified” Joe- the-woman-wrecker.  But we wanted to give ourselves an opportunity to meet educated, good mannered, financially established kind of guys.  And that was the place alright.

 We became members, bought the cute outfits you see there, spent a small fortune getting the equipment and there we went.  To get money, you have to spend money.  Logic.

We sat at the open space clubhouse and of course, there they came.  We were totally surrounded by “the candidates.”  Finally we settled on two guys, two doctors, and full of panic, because the truth was going to be exposed that we didn’t know how to play tennis (I must admit, I had played a bit before, so I had an idea how to hit the ball).  But the goddesses of good fortune were with us that day.  The two doctors were not good at tennis at all.  Probably they had the same plan we did.  Made for each other.  My friend and I laughed all the way back home, because in many instances instead of us hitting the ball, the balls were hitting us.  We were making the rules as we went and all in all, it was just a sad situation.  The four of us didn’t know what to do to save face, so we left them with “we’ll see you again, sometime.”

What a fiasco.  Needless to say, our membership became an issue we would not discuss and the tennis outfits and equipment were tucked in the darkest corner of our closets.

The things I used to do in conjunction with my best partner in crime to try to meet interesting guys.  At least I can have a great laugh right now.  Later in life, I took tennis again, but this time was for the pleasure of playing the game and burning calories.  I still would love to play tennis…anyone?  Not looking at all for any kind of guy here.  Hope that is totally understood.

So it was today…11th May, 2011…a day to reminisce about tennis and catching “qualified” bachelors.

Your Happy Contessa

 “The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.”  William James, American psychologist and philosopher.  January 11, 1842-August 26, 1910.  Ralph Waldo Emerson was his Godfather.

 

This past Sunday, on Mother’s Day, one of the cutest angels in my neighborhood knocked on my door and brought me a very sweet, reddish looking and cooling to my taste buds strawberry frappe.  I am salivating right now thinking about having the little bit leftover.

After saying “Happy Mother’s Day” to me she gave me a container with the good-looking soon to be devoured frappe.  Then we visited for a while, because I enjoy talking with the younger generations and I think they enjoy talking with me.  Now, let’s get to the part that pertains to this posting.

We were talking about cable tv, DVD players, etc.  I mentioned to her that I am considering giving up cable service for tele and that I enjoy movies, even though some of them are VHS, but that’s ok because I have a DVD/VHS player.  Then she told me the story that one day she was shopping with her grandma and her grandma asked her if she knew where the VHS videos were.  Then she responded…”grandma, didn’t you get the memo?”  I started laughing, and laughing until I had tears running down my face.  That’s one of the best lines I have heard in a long, long time.  Oops, I thought, I think I didn’t get the memo either.

I have made a resolution that I need to keep up with younger things and their vocabulary, because I do not want to be left out of the soup.  Younger thinking, younger looking I am hoping.  Still looking to get the memo that describes how to make wrinkles and lines disappear.  Do anyone of you have a copy?  Please pass it along.

I am on a quest to get the memo every time one is sent out.  Please let me know as soon as there is one floating around.

So…it was today…10th May, 2011…a day in search for the misplaced memo…and in a search also for a new lingo.

Your Happy Contessa

“Grown-ups never understood anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them.”  Antoine De Saint-Exupery, French writer and aviator, best remembered for his novella The Little Prince.  29 June 1900-31 July 1944.