I got out of the house for a bit today

and went to the library to find some more books on Buddhism and Ram Dass... the Ram Dass books were checked out but there were lots of books on Buddhism. I found one good one,"Buddhism for Beginners", by Thubten Chodron...it is perfect because I am a beginner or at least interested in looking it over. I have read about 25 pages so far and if you are wondering what Buddhism is about this book tells you in plain English... no esoteric woo woo stuff in there. It straightened me out on this whole attachment and suffering thing. I am starting to get it.

Another book I want to recommend is "The Fall of Freddie the Leaf", by Leo Buscaglia. It deals with death and is appropriate for kids, I bought it back when James was small and it helped me explain the loss of his grandpa. I think it is a good book for any age actually.

Austin is weak again and I am making him comfortable. We created a kitty hospice for him...since he did not come with an expiration date I don't know how much time we have left together so I will stay in the present moment with him...we have also reminisced about some of the funnier moments we spent together.

I'm sitting in Starbucks

using my laptop... my son would be so proud! It is sooo peaceful here and the patrons are clean and quiet! I bought my Starbucks coffee card and signed up to use the in store wifi. I brought some job applications with me... one of them Barnes and Noble Bookstore... I know we are in a recession and jobs are hard to find, but if I don't take a chance I definitely will not get out of my present job, and frankly that environment has become too toxic for me to be in. The two pictures above are typical customers I have to wait on daily! I don't want to whine about the place I work... believe me, I have already done enough of that! Now it's time to take action.. I read somewhere, that if I don't like the the script, I need to change the play! ( I think it was a quote from Leo Buscaglia...if you never heard of him, check out the website www.buscaglia.com/) He is quite inspirational! I decided, I'm headed for Broadway baby!

I better get going with the apps, I could blah, blah all day.

Hope you survived Christmas and got everything you wanted!

Did you laugh outloud today... no? What are you waiting for???

xoxo Inge

It feels like Spring around here

and I am enjoying it! Fall is definitely my favorite time of year...my favorite author Leo Buscaglia...I have all his books www.buscaglia.com/about.htm is a big fan of fall too... namely the falling leaves part... he has written a book ""The Fall of Freddie the Leaf"... a children's book to cope with the death of a loved one...oops I'm rattling on... there is something wonderful walking through freshly fallen leaves... I can't explain it very well at the moment...just go out and try it!

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is so close! John and I do not celebrate it anymore since we usually work that day so other's can spend time fighting ... I mean enjoying their family's company. We like the food alright but I would rather see James and Anna without the pressure of a holiday.

I bet Vermont is gorgeous this time of year... I lived in Asheville, N.C. in the late 70s and loved the fall trees... they don't call it the Smokey Mountains for nothing! If you have never been back east during the fall, I highly recommend the trip! Speaking about Vermont, there is a watercolor artist who has a shop www.amberalexander.etsy.com who paint nature and animals that are whimsical and fun!

Her work is lovely... my furbabies give her a 4 paws up!
She says she generally paint with watercolors, but you'll find the occasional acrylic painting here as well. She lives in Vermont with her husband and two crazy poodles., and is always interested in hearing from people, so drop her a line... or tell her if there's something you'd like to see in her shop!

Well, gotta run for now... don't forget to walk around in some leaves today... and don't forget to laugh out loud!
Inge