Tumbled Words

Yes, when things go the way we want it is sometimes easier to see only the good and overlook the bad. Now, I will give you one hint on this picture. Those branches that are missing on that side of the tree had to be cut off to allow a diseased tree (times 2) to come down without hitting either house before the storms hit in October/November. This was also taken midway through the job. I wrote about the tree trimmer briefly here.

So, find the good in this photo… it is there, don’t just state the obvious: the neighbor’s house is now safe from the other tree; use the less obvious, please. It is great practice for making your everyday life a little better, for we do, for the most part, create our own happiness, and if you can see the good in an otherwise ugly situation, you are halfway there, at least!

Now, run off to Nancy’s Only The Good site and add yourself to the blogroll, add a picture to your site so your readers can practice… What a better world you would help make. And while you are there, why not follow the links to the other participants. You just never know what any of us will come up with from week to week!

You know what is great about living in a more laid back area?

People are just more relaxed. George finished cutting and Leon helped get all the logs into the underbrush where they can do what nature intended them to do… (An advantage to living in this type area.) We are left with just the tinier branches to clean up… They obviously made the resident raccoon happy. We haven’t seen him this year, not even in the cherry tree, but they roused him. He was rummaging around getting the berries that were knocked down.

George is an imposing man, over 6′ 3″, and, also, an interesting man, grew up on Bainbridge Island, climbing trees as a young lad. He appears to have that old fashioned work ethic and Leon does, too, so they made quite a team (I know I joked about them earlier…)

They finished just as the first drops of rain came down. Now, in Florida, the tree trimmer would have been rushing off. But George stayed for tea and cookies, we had the longest chat about all kinds of things. It was one of those afternoons Leon and I and George will remember. He even told us a few places in Eastern Washington to check out when we get back from Florida. And the pictures, well, I forgot to ask him if I could publish them, but I am making him copies and mailing them to him, he is looking forward to having them. But, I will post a pic of the raccoon foraging.

Now, a quick break and back to work…

Middle name meme. Yes, Shelly at This Eclectic Life tagged me some time ago. Her middle name response amused me greatly.

THE RULES

1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.

2. Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of their middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.

3. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.

4. At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

5. Don’t forget to link back to the person that tagged you in the beginning.

As a child, I had no middle name… and there are times I was really grateful, but then my first drivers license actually had the word, “NONE” typed on it. I never forgave them for not just leaving it blank. I don’t like the word none: you know from previous posts, there are some words I just plain don’t like. So, in the spirit of not liking it, I chose words that aren’t flattering to me as a child, why not? I could have chosen the ones that showed me in a favorable light. There were plenty!

Noxious whiner - They enabled me.
Obstinate - Yes, I refused to clean my room - and guess who did it to keep me from getting a whipping? Mom…. yes, she enabled me.
Nincompoop - Well, don’t all kids feel like they are one once in a while?
Endearing - At least to my Mom and Dad when I wasn’t whining, though not to my brother. I had to put one nice one in.

Finally, on my drivers license after I got married, I got to use my maiden name. At last, I got rid of that other awful word. So, let’s see if I can come up with positive words for the latter half of my life, grin.

Marcia - I am who I want to be, and that would be me, Marcia.
Charitable - though not often enough, I procrastinate on that, too.
Loquacious - well, I have been known to be. (Wait, I was supposed to write good things.. Lovable, I am lovable, strike out loquacious.)
Energetic - I am lively and spirited. That I am.
Eager - I am eager to learn, eager to dream, eager to do something.
Safety freak - You thought I would say the other. Nope, that is not mine to judge, it is like beauty, it is by the beholder, grin. I am a safety freak and proud of it. Y’all may think I take it to the extreme, but I most likely think you don’t take it far enough.

Now, I am tagging Leon. It is time he participated in something and I happen to know he doesn’t exactly love his middle name. Guess he doesn’t want to be associated with royalty, although he is British.

I’ve totally lost track of who has been tagged, but I have decided to tag only men. So, Bone and Damien and Chris, I will tag the three of you, too. Why not?