Noury's Creative World…

How do I know clams are happy?  I don’t know, but they look like they are always smiling.  Now let me start with the posting.

I was one happy being this morning when I set out for my walk.  Miss Raylene had a commitment.  So there I go taking my time, admiring nature and its gifts.  On the way back to my house, I saw this little pretty creature on a tall pine tree.  Guessing my shot, because I only had my sunglasses on, I was nicely surprised when I got home and reviewed my pictures.  Nice, very nice.  I think this beautiful Robin (I think it is) was just there posing for me and my ccc.  One of the snowbirds coming back North.  Hi Lindsay.  Maybe the muses will ignore my having fired them and will contemplate returning to their job.  Everything was nice and dandy, until I decided it was about time to start my…

dreaded taxes.  This year, for the first time in over 30 years, I will have to pay “them” instead of “them” sending me a nice surprise.  I kind of had an idea.  The deduction for federal taxes from my income was slimy low, but I thought, well, probably it won’t be that much at the end of the year when I will have to send my contribution.  Surprise of surprises!  It is double the amount I was budgeting for.

I remember Ron used to change his personality when he used to work on our taxes.  He wouldn’t shave for a few days, had the dining room table full of papers, on the floor, more papers, lots of sharpened pencils, and a tiny calculator.  I bought him a larger one, but he felt pleasure using the tiny one.  Maybe he thought the numbers in a smaller scale were not that threatening.  Where’s my small calculator, again?  I need that thing right now.  Then after Ron used to finish the taxes, he said he needed to give them time to cool off.  I never understood that one.  Numbers don’t change by themselves.  Well, I need to put my numbers in the freezer.  I need those numbers to shrink immensely.  It’s funny how now I get a lot of the things Ron used to do or say.  Hi Ron.  Divine intervention, please.  These numbers are humongous.

Not only are the taxes giving me palpitations, so are the allergies.  Drip, drip and sneeze, sneeze, itch, itch.  It’s all part of being human.

I will pay Uncle Sam.  I like the highways in good condition, and we need to pay those what you can call them, you know, those …. in Congress, and then I love my country.  Need to give my fair share.

So it was today, a tax preparing day…March 22, 2011, compounded with the allergies.

Your Happy Contessa

“Three things you can be sure of:  paying taxes, having problems and dying.”  It is a good life.

This is not one of my pretty pictures.  Some of those later.  During my walk with Miss Raylene this morning, we came up to this sight.  A Queen Anne chair.  The sign said “Free.”  I must admit, it needs some caring, nails, cleaning and some glue.  After some time invested in the improvement of this piece, it should go back to be as nice and appealing as it was when the owners originally bought it.

But here in our beloved land of plenty, we are somehow what I call, the disposable society.  If we the “elderly” don’t watch it, our “ready to dispose of everything” family will make us a soon to be disposed of item.  Just like that chair.  Nursing homes anyone?  I am not passing judgement here.  I rather be in a nursing home, hopefully it will have lovely paintings, and a staff that is mostly in a good mood, than put my family through stress.  Just make sure there is cable tv, for my Spanish soaps.  Cannot live without those.

Going back to the chair, I think, again, that the discards we see often on the road are a reflection of our restlessness with the need to have more, newer, and always be on the go society.  People don’t like to stay at home and enjoy their kingdom.  That’s why shopping malls are so attractive.  They drain your brain and your wallet.  But, different strokes for different folks.  I know some of you, or one of you must be thinking why I didn’t take the chair and worked on it.  Well, hoarding is not one of my hobbies.  Remember my garage?

A description of Utopia or Nirvana for me is a place that human relationships and stimulating conversations are the centerpiece of life, rather than this need that we all have to acquire the latest whatever it is.  Bigger is better, and being broke beats a good savings account.  I am sounding a bit not on the sunny side up today, but remember, my reflections are my reflections.  Life is about joy, sadness, pondering, being compassionate, being assertive and most of all expressing our observations, without any fear of retaliation.

Let’s go back to pretty things.  This is a section of Miss Raylene and the very temperamental artist, Mr. Richard’s backyard.  It is like a little park.  There is a laughing Buddha in there always smiling at you.  Do you know why the Buddha is always laughing?  Because he thinks is funny that we believe that life should be without any problems.  That’s very laughable to him.  I think he has a very good point.

These two tulips in all their splendor were waving at us this morning.  The color just takes your breath away.

So it was today, Monday, March 21st, the second day of Spring, 2011.

Your Happy Contessa

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”  Albert Einstein

 

Finally, it has arrived!  I have been waiting with such an excited anticipation.  The calendar says “First Day of Spring.”  Cannot believe it,  I am able to see another first day of Spring.

What does it mean?  It is just as any other Sunday?  No way!  This is a special Sunday.  While preparing to make coffee, I opened my curtains and saw a cardinal!!!!!  Tried to get my cheap chic camera with its weak powerful lense, but by the time I made it back to the sliding door, the beautiful red spot had moved.  Ron told me once that the red cardinal is the male and the brown is the female.  Nature has arranged this so the mami can blend with nature without attracting attention, so she can take care of her children without them being hurt.  The perfection of nature.

 

Then I saw a tiny bluebird!  It was really tiny, with fresh feathers.  How could I tell it had fresh feathers?  It was a baby bird.

The trees still look the same, well, not all of them.  I have been sharing sights of my neighborhood with you, so the pear, cherry and others are in full swing, but the ones on my backyard still look dormant.  Some of them are waking up, but they are taking their time.  No hurry.  Before we know it, it will be Fall again.  What a spoiler thought.

All and all I feel energized.  I am looking around for things to do during spring cleaning, starting with the “black hole” (my garage).  But today, I am just pretending it is still Winter and taking it very easy.  I have such a big bag of excuses and they are classified.  Divided and sub-divided.  Neat.

What are you up to for this fabulous grand time of the year.  New thoughts, new clothes, new projects and maybe new attitude.  Need a lot of adjustment on mine.  Anyone up to buying a house in a quite nice town.  Buy my house, save a desperate soul.  Need to move closer to the Equator.   Need a new latitude address.

So it was today, Sunday, March 20th, first day of Spring…

Your Happy Contessa

P.S.  Both illustrations of birds are courtesy of my “Complete Field Guide to American Wildlife.”

P.S. #2 -I feel great!  Duke is going to the Sweet Sixteen!

Without friends what kind of world would we live in?  No birthday parties, no shoulder to cry on, not having a good laugh just from looking at each other and understanding the joke without saying one word…and so on.

When God decided on the hierarchy of the human chain, friends was #1, numero uno, the top banana.  I cannot imagine my world without my friends.  Of course, there are degrees of friendship.  That’s why they invented the totem pole.  Closest friend, close friends, friends, acquaintances, then your family.  But on the family heritage thing, we didn’t have a say on who we were going to inherit as a brother, sister, mama and papa.  The dice were rolled somewhere and somehow, and then puff!  here I am and there they are.  But friends, you get to choose.

Some of my “amigas” on this high school photo were questionable friends.  We were civil to each other so we knew what was going on with former boyfriends.  You know how it is sometimes.  Kisses kisses, hugging hugging and then, give me the scoop.  What’s up with my former imbecile boyfriend?  You both are doing just marvelous?  How nice! (the idiot).  Those kind of friendships are necessary and Machiavellian.  End justifies the means.  The need to know.

Then…you have the sort of friends by default.  You live together with 50+ women because that’s the only way your parents are going to allow you to continue your education, living with the nuns and all these women.  Lots of fun, like the night a thief was trying to make the rounds and we saw the nuns without their head coverage, and we didn’t know who was the scariest, the thief or the nuns.  Have mercy on my soul.

And then of course, you have the silent and always there friends…my books.  I don’t know what I would have done without them when going through the many changes I have been facing for the past three years.  Well, to be factual, since early 1970’s.  My self-improvement books are my wisdom provider when my human friends are not available or I just do not want to bother them with my sorrows.  My books are it.

I thought this was a pretty, innocent picture to end my homage to friends, friendship and what they all mean in our lives.

I feel tremendously blessed to have the friends I have, all and each one of them and because of them, I am a much better and special person.

Thank you for being my friend!

So it was today…See you next Monday.  Go Duke!

Your Happy Contessa

“The comfort of having a friend may be taken away, but not that of having had one.” Seneca, Roman philosopher

Dear Muses, I hope this finds you well and very happy wherever you are…because “YOU’RE FIRED!!

Now that that’s off my chest, I need to go and get my big old woman’s panties and deal with it.  The inspiration well is totally dried.  I had to resort to my pretend-to-be pears, shown on the picture above, to get something to write about.  Some are real, can you tell which ones?

According to my best buddy, Webster, real means not artificial, fraudulent, illusory or apparent.  Ummmm….if I look around long enough in this house, there is a lot of fraudulent business.  Pears, apples, flowers, wrinkles, hair color, need not to continue, otherwise I will be totally describing myself.

I remember one day, a very chummy girlfriend of mine, Lucy, was visiting me and while I was getting ready to go out, she said to me when I returned to the living room,  ” you really fooled me, I thought these flowers were real,” there is that word again, real.  The reason she thought they were real is because they were in a beautiful glass vase with water.  Yes, water.  I always try to camouflage unreal things to make them look real.  One of my decorating secrets.  She said “I went to smell them, and then I realized they were silk flowers.  Is there anything real in this house.”  Excuse me!  I am real!  I laughed my heart out, and told her that the flowers in her room were real.  By the way, Lucy, come back again for another real visit.  I had a great time.  Remember the country-french restaurant.  Can’t wait to go back there.

Then I proceeded to tell her that the apples, oranges and those flowers were making an attempt to eventually become real in their next life.

We had a good laugh at my “pretend to be” stuff.  No rotting involved.  All they need is a bit of dusting once in a while.  Here’s some more “unreal” things…

Can you tell which one is real?  Another painting by that very temperamental artist.

 There is a limit to unreal things.  Cannot eat them.  At least it is not good for me.  So you will find some real things in my house.  Remember, an apple a day, keeps……away.

I will depart today with some sights on today’s walk with Miss Raylene…

The one on the left we think is related to the magnolia tree family, and the one on the right is that pretty dandelion in its different stages.

Reality of life tells me my doses of inspiration for today is maxed out.

So it was today…

Your Happy Contessa

“You don’t have to look far to see a miracle”

P.S.  In spite of the absence of the muses, today I celebrate my 101st posting.  A toast to that milestone.  Thanks to all of you for continuing to read on!

Written Wednesday, March 16th…  But published on March 17th…Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!  The green background is to get green happy.

Last Saturday we had our local public library’s book sale.  I was the coordinator of the special books section, because that’s my specialty. 

Now that you have an idea of my section, the first photograph is the books I purchased because they, oh, look so appealing.  One thing must be made clear.  I do not like to cook!  Why…because my mother never allowed any one of us to come into “her” kitchen.  Someone had to be blamed, and why not my matronly figure.  She does like to cook…oh my…and she cooks sooo good!  But every action has a reaction.  The cleaning is a disaster area for the ones that had to do it.  Us, the five daughters.  Maybe that’s why I don’t like to cook.  It is too much drama, that if the food takes so long, that if it is going to taste good, that if “they” are going to like it, etc., etc.

Ron used to love my cooking.  Honestly, he used to rave about my cooking.  Probably he has a very special spot in the angels’ kingdom.  Hi Ron.

I purchased those books because the illustrations take me on a journey that I know is never going to materialize for me.  The actual happening of cooking those dishes in my kitchen.  Besides, the books look great as decorative pieces.

See what I mean?  Anything to have a good-looking kitchen.  The painting on the right was done by a very temperamental artist.  His paintings are available only once a year, and then you have to make a very difficult journey through the mountains to his shack to get these primitive paintings.  But I really like them, so I don’t mind making this exhausting trip.  His name is “Richard.”  He doesn’t like to talk too much, so you really have to be fast when dealing with him and be forever grateful that he does you the favor to sell you his paintings.  OMG!

I am really bad.  My first fiction short story doesn’t sound that bad.  I mean the artist’s story.  He is really my brother-in-law.  Very nice person.  I just got carried away.

I will close today with a sight from this morning’s shopping trip around my neighborhood.

Cherry trees were a gift of friendship of the Japanese people to the people of the United States of America in 1912.  It is a long story, but this will suffice for now.

So it was today…

Your Happy Contessa

 

Tuesday, March 15th…

I was watching the news about the disaster in Japan just like everybody else in the world.  One thing that stroke me was the calm attitude of the Japanese people even though they are facing at this time something of apocalyptic proportions.

No screaming, no looting, no trying to get the journalist attention, just keeping in line or continuing to search probably someone very dear to them.

In a shelter, they were even recycling the empty bottles of water, papers, and I was more taken by the calm, peace and serenity that emanated from this segment of the news.

These images are teaching me the incredible ways of being graceful and resilient even when facing adversity.  I don’t think in my lifetime I will face the kind of adversity they are facing right now. 

What I have learned from them is to keep calm and focused at the task at hand, and that there are more important things than the material belongings that we surround ourselves with.  Intangible qualities are the ones that will carry us on when adversity strikes us, being it minuscule or of majestic proportions as the one the people of Japan are facing today.

May their spirit of resilience and grace continue to help them to carry on.

Your Happy Contessa

“Arrange whatever pieces come your way.”  Virginia Woolf

Monday, March 14th…

I was reading the newspaper this morning with much interest, this was after the delivery person got a call from Main Office, as my newspaper was existing in a black hole, so they called and told this person that the little old lady wanted her paper. 

Interrupting my morning routine is not, I repeat, it is not a good thing.  It gets me out of whack and confused and I don’t know what to do with that stretch of time.  No tv that early in the morning.  The depression mode is not allowed in this house until after 2 pm.  Then anything goes.

Going back to the newspaper, there was an article about the mysteries of black holes.  I am always referring to black holes when something disappears and I don’t have the foggiest idea of where it is.  Definition of black holes is somewhat as follows; they are the most powerful force in the universe.  Not my ignorant universe, but yours and mine.  Nothing can escape it because I guess any attempt to do so will result in the pulverization of whatever it is that tries to leave such a place.

The picture above is my personal black hole.  Even when I go there, I find myself wanting to do two things, either I do not want to go in there in the first place, so I just open the door, throw whatever I have in my hand and shut that door as soon as I can.  Now, on the other hand, if I decide to brave myself and visit that luring place, I can stay there for a long time just looking around and deciding what I should do with all that “stuff,” and then I leave empty-handed deciding that whenever it gets warmer, I should come back and start getting rid of stuff.  If it is summer time, then the opposite rules.

How do we know we don’t live in a black hole?  No one has really been close to one, or inside one, or even seen one, according to this article.  It is so powerful that it bends time and space.  Now we are talking!  Time and space.  May I have a little black hole to apply it to my wrinkles, neck and laughter lines.  I might get sucked into it as a whole, and then, puff!  no me anymore.  Cannot have it all.

I have a fascination about anything that we have not seen or don’t understand.  I try to figure out things sometimes, but most of the time I keep all conclusions to self, because “they” may decide to commit me to the loony house, or decide to start giving me little happy pills.

What do you think about black holes?  In the Hispanic culture that I was raised, there is a lot of pondering and questioning everything, because we like to talk a lot.  We also like to know what’s going on with other cultures, and love to give opinions.  That’s why I love to know what’s going on and if I don’t know, I like to figure things out.  That’s the reason why I am writing today about those mysterious spaces called black holes.  This is an incredible universe,  the one we live in.  We waste so much time with pettiness and trivialities.  If we knew the magnitude of our universe, I am sure we somehow would become a happier individual.

I am glad for my good life, and glad I live in this moment surrounded by all of you, my friends and acquaintances.

Two of the sights of this morning’s walk in Miss Raylene’s neighborhood.  Enjoy them! 

So it was today…

Your Happy Contessa

“When a man’s willing and eager, God joins in.”  Aeschylus – One of the first of the three ancient Greek tragedians.  Considered the father of tragedy.

 

Sunday, March 13th…

Not having changed my clocks last night, this morning around 6:55 am I looked at my electric red burning lighted clock (which by the way, why the color red, to horrify us more yet) and thought, according to the gadget maniac society I live in, right now it’s not 6:55 am, it’s 7:55 am.  Wow, I have overslept.  Yeah, right.   Went about my routine, you know, when you have had too many happy birthdays, routines in the morning are very important.

I pondered more deeply on the manipulation of time.  Just like that!  Clocks are even changing themselves, without our assistance.  Cel phones, dvrs, etc.  So do you think that all that power given to ourselves by ourselves, could be beneficial for our human system that does not know what the heck is going on.  At what time did I have breakfast?  Was it 8 or 9 am?  At what time am I going to have my middle morning snack, so I don’t feel like a shark desperate for food at what time again?

This business of fooling ourselves with everything, ie., pills to tell our brain that we are full, pills to tell our brain that we are not depressed, (remember, I am not against taking these if you really need them), creams to pretend we don’t have lines on our faces (hello!), and so many other things.  Sometimes some of these manipulations can be justified (creams 🙂 ) but this thing about the time, I don’t know.  Where am I going with this, I don’t know.  I guess this is one of my rebellious-kind-of day.

Thanks God the sun doesn’t really care what time we think it should be, there will be a sunrise when it feels like it, and there will be a sunset when it feels like it also.  At least someone is not in the business of denial.  A lot of denial for this, a lot of denial for that.    There is some kind of control under the heavens!

I wonder what’s the next big thing we are going to try to manipulate to try to fool ourselves in a big way.

Muses, where are thou?

Your Happy Contessa

 P.S.  I just looked at the clock.  12:25 pm, but foolish of me to think it is time to have lunch.  Hold your horses, dear stomach.  No food for a while yet.

P.S. #2 – Duke just won the ACC Championship.  If you don’t care, it’s ok, but I am elated.  Go Duke!!!!

Every action has a reaction.  Sometimes I think we are abusing the privilege of being inhabitants of this beautiful place, our home, Planet Earth.  But sometimes I think nature ages just like all of us and during the process it makes some adjustments that have nothing to do with our abuse.

I am not going to say much, because there is not much to be said if you have been watching the news.  Not even fiction can come close to what has happened to our brothers and sisters of New Zealand and Japan.  Still is happening.

I hope they can find the strength, physically and emotionally to go through what they are going through, because nothing makes any sense.

Until next Monday…

Your Happy Contessa