My Nerve Jangling, Door Busting Arrival of Mercury in Retrograde

It was about 5:30 Tuesday afternoon. Elizabeth had just poured me a glass of wine and was snagging herself an artichoke to snack on while we were watching the season premier of Warehouse 13 on my DVR. She opened the refrigerator to grab the pitcher of water (see Tuesday's post) and —*C*R*A*S*H!!!!!*—...the refrigerator door came OFF in her hand. All the bottles and jars stored in the door slammed to the tile floor in a crescendo of chaos and shattering glass. As my mom would say, it certainly "jangled our nerve endings!"

Elizabeth had the presence of mind to freeze. She was, of course, barefoot, as was I. Furthermore, she also had the presence of mind to NOT let go of the door itself, even as pieces of shelving fell at her feet and continued to fall. I grabbed her shoes first, handed her one at a time - and of course, my phone rang before I could hand her the second shoe. Of course.

I turned and grabbed the phone and my shoes and got back to hand her the second shoe, telling the caller I'd call back later. Once I got my shoes on I was able to step in and take the door out of her hands. She began picking up broken shards of glass as I began picking up the bottles and jars. There were quite a few of them, as you can imagine from what you have in your own refrigerator door.

I immediately called my sister Diane to see if her handyman could come help me figure out how to get the door back on. He was actually still there and came right away. Elizabeth and I had time to finish mopping up and clearing the floor before he arrived. I had put the door on its top swivel and seated it on the metal shank from which the base pivots out, but it was simply shut, not attached to conserve the coolness inside.

When Asghar got here, I took the door back off, flipped it over, showed him the parts that I had recovered from the crash site, and together, we put the door back on properly in about one minute flat. Amazing. Simply amazing.

The only bottle that broke - and since gravity is still on they ALL hit my tile floor - was my bottle of wine. What a blessing, but what a smelly mess! It took me a while to wash the wine off of everything. In the collection of stuff in my door were three old cans of biscuits that were certainly past their prime. As I was rinsing one bottle off, one of those cans of biscuits exploded upward into my face, hanging glops of goo off my forehead, shoulder, and, of course, splattering all over the newly cleaned jars and bottles. Again, my nerves were jangled (and that glass of wine was still waiting for me in the living room).

About five minutes after I had completed cleaning up the biscuit blast and drying the bottles to return to the fridge, a second can exploded - hitting the ceiling, ceiling fan, and splattering the stove, cabinets, and, of course, the newly cleaned and dried jars and bottles. I tossed that mess and the last container of biscuits into my lidded trash can where it couldn't do any more damage.

I recommend that you remember these words like you remember your mother's face: "GOT to love Mercury in Retrograde. Ain't it funny?!!!" They will come in handy during the next 6 weeks for you. Just so you know, Mercury in Retrograde doesn't actually begin this time until August 2 but its effects start 10-14 days beforehand. This will last through August 26 (plus 10-14 days afterwards). And this happens 3 to 4 times every year.

Elizabeth and I were sure glad we had each other as back-up to get ourselves through our MR rock and roll riot. After I returned that phone call, she popped supper in the oven to heat. As she turned to come back into the living room —*B*O*O*M!!!*— ...the last can of biscuits blew up and she ducked like someone under fire. We had a grand laugh at that right after she chastised me for not opening the last can before throwing it away.

MR - got to love it! But brace yourselves, we're in for a rocky ride this time. For more information about what you can expect, I recommend Susan Miller's website for simplicity and clarity. Visit her website at www.astrologyzone.com. For specific explanations and dates on Mercury in Retrograde, go here.

Enjoying the Elegance of Water

One day my daughter's best friend Sarah blew me away by crunching down her water bottle. The sound alone is enough to unnerve you the first time you hear it, but the cool thing is that all water bottles are now required to be crunchable to minimize the space they are taking up in the landfills. I happily began crushing all my water bottles, and, OK, I admit it, enjoying unnerving other first timers. ; )

As a recycler, I began to think about all the waste I was adding to the planet - my carbon footprint - and its growing size with my empty water bottles, crushed or not. As I was considering how low my supply of bottles was getting I happened to be putting away some wine glasses and glanced over at my crystal water goblets that I never use. I love those goblets. I had just acquired a Brita water pitcher and decided I was not going to buy any more bottles of water. Instead, now I create a magic moment out of every glass of water. I keep oranges, lemons, limes, and even pineapple sliced to add to my crystal goblet as I fill it with water I actually bless every time I refill the pitcher.

You can bless your water quite simply. Hold your right hand so that your first two fingers are pointing out and your ring and little finger are bent toward you, while your thumb points straight up. Then moving your hand in a plus sign and then a circle over whatever you're blessing, say OUT LOUD, "I love you, I thank you, I bless you." That's all there is to it. I bless the water for my coffee, the water for my cats, and even the water I use to boil pasta. I bless the water in my shower since the body absorbs over a liter and a half in a shower, but I don't do the hand movement, or mudra, as I say the words.

I encourage you to try this for yourself. Get a few really lovely crystal goblets - check out the resale shop if you're on a budget. Get yourself a filtering pitcher and give up bottled water for a week. Try it and see if you prefer your water blessed in crystal with a splash of colorful fresh fruit OR filled with the flavor of PCBs (polycarbonate, aka plastic).

Personally, I enjoy the elegance of my new water experience at levels that greatly supersede the simple act of quenching a thirst. It's all about appreciating the moment. The money I'm saving more than covers the cost of the pitcher's filters. And my carbon footprint has shrunk. It's kind of like losing 10 pounds, while getting a raise. I'd love to hear your results!

July 2011 Newsletter from Tomorrow's Key

July 2011 Newsletter from Tomorrow's Key

June 2011 Newsletter is Hot Off the Keyboard!

I have just published my June newsletter. For those of you wondering how to improve your Fame and Reputation in life, here is a pretty good collection of tips and tricks. You'll also find a link to my YouTube video on Fame too.

As we approach the Summer Solstice it is once again time to check the ideas and goals we set in place at the Winter Solstice. Now, at the half-way point in the year, is the time to weed and feed those ideas and goals. Get rid of those that don't serve you. Feed those that do.

Coolidge is Back!

This baby elephant is on Sawyer between I-10 and Washington Avenue, just about at the corner where you turn to go to Target. East side of street, just behind the Knave's drawing.

I drove by it yesterday and someone has drawn in a larger elephant's foot immediately above the baby elephant. : (

I am not very happy with that. While I can appreciate a twisted sense of humor, Coolidge's art is so whimsical that this addition seemed to smite him. That isn't a delicious feeling.

Oh boy! News and Ideas for a Super Spring!

One of my subscribers called me within minutes of when I published this month's newsletter. She had gotten to the article about how clutter makes your butt bigger and could not quit laughing. She thought it was so funny because she had just seen a photo of herself from behind and wondered how her rear end had gotten so large.

This friend has valiantly battled her clutter since I met her. She has brought in help, had garage sales, and still constantly battles the bulge of stuff that is gaining on her. She is now doing an experiment to see if a solid six weeks of clutter clearing will reduce the size of her butt. Stay tuned. She's keeping records. I'll let you know what she discovers.

I do know that it worked for me. Every time I fold my clothes I look at the size of the spread of the rear end of my jeans and I am truly amazed. Little butt!! Really. It makes me very happy.

The clutter clearing took me years though, so if you're about to embark on the same experiment, be patient with yourself. It's like learning to walk again - baby steps. Or learning to dance - you've got to start somewhere. The more you do, the better you get. But you can't quit practicing.

It's a process rather than a place. Celebrate each drawer, each shelf, each load of stuff you take to Goodwill - bribery works. I particularly like getting a new outfit to reward myself because I can see myself in the three way mirror in the dressing room and see how good I'm looking. Losing the weight of all the stuff you've been hiding behind looks really good in the mirror. Ask anyone who follows you up a flight of stairs.

To link to my newsletter, simply click on the title of this posting.

TC Bank- Dream Rangers

I just watched this commercial, sitting entranced, intrigued, and then overwhelmed with the sense of joy that comes from living a dream. I invite you to watch it, enjoy it, then, in joy - share it with everyone you care about.