Seasons...
Well, I’m looking forward for spring, but when I woke up this morning and opened the door to go feed the cats and give Son #2’s dog food, whose name is “Bounce a Little,” but it takes quite a lot to feed him. I have to watch, or the cats wouldn’t get a bite!
I enjoy fall and winter when Santa comes, but spring is my favorite.

The Last Word: I enjoy them all! – O.T.

The View From Here

It feels like spring...
I can’t imagine how spring could be any lovelier than the sunny days lately. It is in the air and things are already blooming. Spring is a chance to feel beautiful. It is a good time to surround yourself with beauty.
When I surround myself with pretty things, I feel more beautiful myself. Adding just one thing I love, like a bouquet of fresh flowers can really give me an inner beauty boost.
During this time of spring renewal I am vowing to be kinder to myself. When I look in the mirror I am going to take a few moments to admire the woman staring back at me. She has outer and inner strengths. I will not concentrate on lines in my face or age spots. I will see myself as a delightful being who is going to spread some happy smiles to somebody during the day.
I believe that when we compliment ourselves everybody else sees it as well. It is part of self-confidence, not conceit. The people around me influence me, and time I spend with friends who feel good about themselves helps me feel better about who I am as well.
While I am spreading some spring joy, I plan to compliment others, because when I see the joy words bring to someone else, it helps my own self-esteem. Everybody can use a lift.
This morning I joined a friend eagle watching over the lake. There was a gorgeous pair of eagles soaring for about half an hour. Add to this the beauty of the hawks, ducks, and common loons, and you have a bit of magic anybody can celebrate. It is all about just getting off the behind and doing something. My motto for spring: be more grateful for what I have.
Sometimes we are so focused on our own imperfections that everything else is a blur. But your “flaws” only seem huge to you. Instead, look at the big picture. Notice your smile, your sparkle, your style and the depth of feeling in your eyes.
This is what others see in you. How much you care shows, how much you love shows. If you are full of hate, that shows as well.
I will remember that I am worthy of every good thing in life, and I will listen to my inner voice. It always knows what is best for me.
Remembering that my heart is a big one and every kindness counts, I will hold a special place in other hearts more than I realize. My own heart is so big that it spills out and touches the cold places in other hearts.
Every day I will say something nice to myself, and surround myself with good news. If I hear too much bad news I will get on my computer and head for HappyNews.com.
I will walk. This is the easiest, most effective mood brightener of all. Just walking for 15 to 30 minutes a day at a moderate pace has been shown to work as well as taking antidepressants in some cases. It can’t hurt to try.
I will dance. Simply moving the body to a musical beat like the Samba or any music boosts feel-good endorphins in the brain. It reduces stress and increases energy. I can lower blood pressure and improve breathing. Just moving around in the living room to any song will work as long as the heart is pumping and I am having fun.
I have my own power to create happiness and rediscover joy. Spring will just give me a boost. I will create a haven for myself in a comfy chair and relax listening to soft music. I will close my eyes and begin to breathe in deeply, letting go of tension with each exhalation. I will picture myself happy and serene. I will embrace stillness. If bad thoughts try to slip back into my conscious thoughts I will imagine them floating away like clouds on a windy day. I will breathe deeply and then when I am ready, I will slowly open my eyes, and welcome not only springtime, but the day I have been given.

Getting technical support
Most likely, everyone knows the pain of embarrassment. It seems unusual to be made uneasy by someone I cannot see; she or he can’t see me. But we hear each other - on the phone. A business call is often unsettling for me.
Recently, my laptop was doing more than its usual quirks as sending a typed page into cyberspace, jumping on the page without command, changing fonts with no action from me and so on.
I called my provider’s tech line. After pushing 6 or 7 buttons on the phone of recorded information, along came Melissa. Her voice had confidence. Maybe I had a tech who wasn’t given a six-week course in computers or a book to teach oneself English. She understood my pain. I could not find my usual home page. Thus, I had no e-mails, could send no e-mails and could not create columns needed for my work.
Melissa gave me directions making me realize I did not know left from right, but I could find simple figures as a house, a star, and something resembling a wrench.
Melissa wanted me to turn off my modem. I did. Then she asked about the static on my phone line which might lead to my computer problems. Thus I was to check three phone hookups, disconnect them, and use my cell phone.
Our house has build-ons: two steps down from the kitchen is my office shared with a washer and dryer. Two steps down from this room is a bedroom. I say I am going downstairs when really we have a one-story house. For some reason I told Melissa this as I went from level to level and back to disconnect phones which needed filters to eliminate the static and maybe help my typing endeavors.
Then I had to find the cell phone to let Melissa call me on it to discuss my dilemma, multiplying as she spoke. Something is wrong with the order of my retelling this experience because Melissa could hear me yell at my hubby about the cell phone. He said he heard it ring in the night, sounding as though it was in a purse. This pleased me that the man knew about purses. (We have one cell phone only.)
I had to empty three bags to find the cell phone, then tell Melissa I was hanging up. She could call. When she did, I laughed about all the exercise she had provided me because I needed it to help my ailing back. That meant I had to tell Melissa about my early morning fall in the dark. I had to get up in the dark and make my way to another room. Doing so, I fell backward, landing across my husband’s thin legs, which did not cause a stir from him. I pulled myself up as quickly as possible to prevent his ever using his legs again, and went my way, crawling over him as I returned to reach my spot in the bed, the other side.
Melissa thought this amusing. She put my home page permanently in place and gave me some useful advice. I asked where she was calling from which was Shreveport, La., and I complemented her on her expertise that usually doesn’t occur on calls for help. I thanked her and hung up. I did all she said to get better use from my devices.
We still have static on our phone lines. We are almost accustomed to it. I do hope if I call, someone else comes on the line to help me. I can’t “face” Melissa again.