Lake Erie!!!!

marko and dusty running on the beach



















We spent the day at my friend Arlene's house yesterday.
She lives on Lake Erie.
such a beautiful day and a beautiful friend.
hope you enjoy the pictures and the quote below!!
love,
Michele





It is better to see God in everything than to try and figure it out.

-Neem Karoli Baba

Water

so many things we take for granted.
I think water is one of them.
I drew the above picture at the dog days of summer while we were waiting for our dinner to come.
I read somewhere about blessing the water.....I think it was in "The Hidden Messages in Water."
How the water is changed by our positive thoughts and words.
I try to remember to do that.
have a great day.
Namaste,
Michele



"To understand water is to understand the cosmos, the marvels of nature, and life itself. "
Masaru Emoto in "The Hidden Messages in Water"

Being here now

Mira's headshot for the Modern Millie musical which opens next week!



One of Ron Roth's favorite quotes that comes to mind is, "Would I rather be happy or would I rather be right?" We all can fight our way through life, but does it really make us happy? I can tell you first hand that by taking time out of our busy schedules and just BEING PRESENT will bring renewed health to the body and soul.
-Pau Funnfsinn

how we respond

Air Marko



"This reminds me of a wonderful proverb: It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

We all have to face challenges in our lives at one point or another. It's how we respond to these challenges and make the choices that lead to happiness that really matters--how we choose to see the light beyond the darkness."
-Paul Funfsinn

A Divine Invitation

I took this picture in Ohio City.
There is a park there with all this beautiful artwork on tiles by kids.
hope you like the poem below!!
Michele




A Divine Invitation

You have been invited to meet
The Friend

No one can resist a Divine Invitation.
That narrows down all our choices
To just two:

We can come to God
Dressed for Dancing,

Or

Be carried on a stretcher
To God's Ward.

-Hafiz, translation by Daniel Ladinsky

Dark Star Orchestra

Hello!!
Below is the setlist for Dark Star Orchestra at Kent State University.
We had a lot of fun....and guess what!!.....I got to meet Kevin from the band!!
He is the Phil Lesh in the group (the base player)
He was really nice. He said traveling is hard on him...he misses his family in Chicago.
He said all he has left are his sister and mom now and would like to be able to see them more.
Anyway.....have a grateful day!!!
love,
Michele



7/14/08 Kent Stage Acoustic Show
Original Setlist Second Set w/ Lisa

Deep Elem
Race Is On
FOTD
Cassidy
To Lay Me Down
Monkey & Engineer
Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie
On The Road Again
Bird Song >
Ripple >
Drums >
Oh Boy

Silver Threads
USBlues
Let Me Sing Your Blues Away
BTWind
Dire Wolf
WRSuite >
Let It Grow >
Catfish John >
NFA >
So Many Roads

2nd That Emotion

Life is how you choose to react to it.

Macy and her friends on our lake.

Last week was really rough at work.

We had to have a police officer monitoring the unit for like a week straight related to all the hostile situations.
I really feel bad for the kids sometimes.
Anyway, the police officer said this quote below and I loved it.
I hope you do too!!!
Love,
Michele

"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it."

Dog days of summer

above is Henry the Bassett Hound.
Here is a link to his youtube video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=NlKywiULyCY
you might have to cut and paste it

Mark, Paul, Scooter,me, Dusty and Marko

This is Jack and he is up for adoption.
I want to adopt Jack!!! Isn't he cute??
if you would like to adopt him go to this website
www.love-a-stray.petfinder.com



Above are some pictures from the dog days of summer at
Great Lakes Brewing Company.
I hope you enjoy them.....and I hope you enjoy the quote.
Love,
Michele



My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am.
--Author Unknown

friends are like potatoes

dusty is going out to dinner!

Dog Days of Summer	July 13, 2008

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
2:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Great Lakes Brewing Company is one of the few restaurants in Cleveland that is dog friendly! GLBC will open on Sunday, July 13, 2008 at 2:00 PM to accommodate well behaved pooches and their owners. We've got an exciting lineup of activities scheduled, including:

* Love-A-Stray from Avon Lake - adoptable dogs!
* Geauga Humane Society Rescue Village - adoptable dogs!
* Middleburg Heights Animal Foundation - adoptable dogs!
* Studio Dog Face - dog portraits
* Dog & Owner Look-Alike Contest
* Dog Treats from Grateful Dog Bakery
* Paws and Relax My Pet Massage LLC
* Dog Psychic Agnes Thomas
* Doggie Menu!
* Doggie Merchandise Including Bandanas and 100% Eco-Friendly Dog Bowls

Dog Days has been a HUGE hit the past three years, so don't wait to the last minute to visit (reservations will not be accepted for this day; first come, first serve)! Please note: all dogs must be on leashes. Any dog that misbehaves will be asked to leave. Rain Date: Sunday, July 20th. We'll see you and your pooches on July 13th!

Prayer

Mira took this picture in our back yard last week.

PRAYER

It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch

a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway

into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.

Mary Oliver

Have Fun!!

Macy getting ready to jump in our lake.


"Take heart, truth and happiness will get you in the end.
You can't lose in this game.
Have Fun.
It goes on too long to be taken seriously all the time."
by John & Lyn St. Clair Thomas
Eyes of the Beholder

softening the heart

Mira jumping into our lake.




"Once again we face a paradox, for it appears that softening your heart
and gently tending its wounds _will protect you from evil. Building a
fortress and defending yourself behind it will only make you more
vulnerable. Healing your own heart is the single _most powerful thing you
can do to change the world. Your own transformation will enable you to
withdraw _so completely from evil that you contribute to it by not one
word, one thought, or one breath."
-Deepak Chopra,
The Deeper Wound Recovering the Soul from Fear and
Suffering*

Patience

The word for me today is patience.
above is a picture of a bumper sticker that this guy had on his Vanagon at Findley State Park.
I thought it was a beautiful bumper sticker and such a beautiful word.

I have been journaling again. ever since I gave my friend Steve (a nurse that I work with)
my Artist's Way book to borrow, I have been thinking about that book and how it worked in my life.
There were two major ideas that I took from that book on how to open and let my creative juices flow. One is waking up and journaling 3 notebook pages of handwritten entries daily
and taking myself on an artist date once a week...doing something that I have always wanted to do by myself....just little things like walking through a pawn shop or trying a new hiking trail.

so I have started journaling again. somehow it does make me feel more free.
I guess I get all that junk that is floating around my head out of the way and can focus on the really important things in life....things like letting go of trying to control things that I can't control anyway, trusting the universe and just trying to love what is.

I am learning to breath deeper again....to let go more.
I am reminded that there is nothing that I really need to know right now.
There is nothing that I need to really have or own right now.
I am starting to let things flow more and be in the moment.
noticing more and not needing to grasp it...to control it or to even wish that is could be different.
so today my posting is part of a poem by Mary Oliver:

Sometimes
4.

Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.

------------------------ from Red Bird by Mary Oliver