wow, what a nice day outside.

I trekked down to Fort Niagara- the earthy smell of grass, dirt and leaves was highly pleasing. I took deep breaths, the air feeling mild and cool at the same time.

Boaters took advantage of the gorgeous day. The water of the Niagara River was very calm. Lake Ontario boasted more ripples, but it too was calm.

A few people out skipping stones, riding their bikes, walking their dogs, jogging, boating, holding hands, sitting on picnic tables looking out at the water. One person read while sitting on a blanket spread out on the ground; I liked that. I want to have a fall picnic now.

All these activities that people are doing today, on such a traditionally nice autumn day, are things that I will do all year long. Although I can never quite talk anyone into my mid-winter picnics or camping ::)

I took just a few pictures with my pocket pc. I wanted to bring a camera with me- however my old camera is structurally frozen- can't get parts to move(I wonder if I can take it apart?) and my new camera need the batteries to charge-- which is an all day affair first time around.

It was super bright with that sunshine.. the water was ablaze..










simple piece of wood endlessly amuses me..





Now it is time to find some food before heading back into Buffalo. I want to spend time reading and maybe writing. I enjoyed my snuggly chair at Starbucks last weekend, so I may opt for a return trip. Maybe I can get one next to the fireplace OOooOooooh nice.

Then a movie later- right? Right.

Stopped at Tops this evening to buy a few things for Thanksgiving dinner. As it will be just my mother and myself, we do not need much. I am very easy to please on Thanksgiving. I just need one turkey, a giant vat of real mashed potatoes and an equal portion of gravy. My mother is a vegetarian, so I seriously have a turkey to do as my carnivorous desires take me.

oh, and 'yoga pants'--(girly sweat pants) You know you'll be busting out the Zuba's Mwhahahahahahah

and maybe some apple pie.

and if there happens to be anything else, I will eat that too. My standards are simple, like I said.

If it were ever formal and dress-up that would not be my thing. I am more apt to want to relax, eat, and sleep on thanksgiving. Ooh, veg in front of the fire.. nice..

I wandered down an aisle that had a display of winter items. I happened to notice that salt you put down to melt snow and ice with is the same that you make ice cream with. This disturbs me, i think..







Tops did not carry tofurkey that I saw, so I picked up Quarn turkey. I like their products so far, so this might be good? Not sure if my mom will go for it. I just thought I would buy and prepare it to be nice-- and to make sure she doesn't get any ideas about touching my turkey.

kidding-- i am not that posessive over it

• growls*

semi itinerary for turkey-day:

clean

do my dishes. icky

go for hike/walk-- especially if it is sunny

eat

relax

engage in global domination activities

eat some more

sleep.

Anyone check out the stars toightz? its super clear out there!

My new user pic was selected in honor of Thanksgiving.
(homer)

be safe.. be well.. be thankful for elastic waistbands :)

I am writng about tea. Simple, hum-drum, non risque. I'll do better next time ;) SO what brings me to write about tea? Well, I could write about the trouble I am causing at work (delish) or the french speaking sexy moroccan man that I have been flirting with (more delish)- or any other number of observations, musings and sources of scandel- but no, tonight I write about tea (thats delish too). My creativity has been on hiatus- soon to return; I will make sure of it. I write whatever (obviously) pretty much to keep my mental muscles warm. Besides, its a habit. 22 years worth of "journaling".

so, tea. I love tea. I drink all kinds. I have been going through a lot lately- tea bags, loose teass, green, black, red, sea anenomes, infusions, whatever. I drink it for caffeine, I drink it to keep warm, I drink it to help me sleep, I drink it to keep me hydrated. Sometimes i drink it to give me crazy dreams. (watch out for those "sleep aide" varieties, especially from Yogi brand)

for a legal warped state of unconsciousness, try:


I stopped at the Lexington Co-op before turning in for the evening. I wanted to grab some apples and a box of tea. I couldn't remember what stash I had left in my B-lo home. On a side note, I also bought a small bag of "papaya spears". They are not fabulous at all- I found these ones very unenjoyable to gnaw on. (e:PMT) you are welcome to them!--you know where my snacky stash is--

My apple was good, crispy and juicy, though!

I looked at the shelves of tea boxes up and down, looking for a little something different. A big mug of steaming tea while curled up at my desk this evening seemed to be my deciding factor for selecting a decaf variety.

I spied with my tea roving eyes a variety of holiday themed flavors from Celestial Seasoning. That usually wouldnt intrigue me, but at $1.99 a box, I went in for a closer look.

It smells and tastes better than it looks:


"sugar plum spice"

Hibiscus, roasted barley, chicory, rosehips, chamomile, natural plum, cinnamon, ginger, roasted carob and cardamom.

Its sweet.

and its pretty yummy. Caffeine free for night time tea drinking.

I never add anything to my tea. I used to add honey and occasionally milk, but then I found it too much of an effort and eventually began drinking it plain--for a couple of years now.

Lazy is not always a bad thing!

(its only bad when you start throwing out dirty dishes because it sucks to wash them by hand. *I'd* never do that..)

My eye then wandered to another box of tea- yerbe mate variety. mmmm Mate Chocolatte.

"a blissful, sweet blend of yerba mate, cocoa and spices"

oh, and "naturally caffeinated"

um, yeh, I was sold. I do believe I look forward to that in the morning! Betta be good!





Ahh, my hot tea has eventually turned into iced tea. I should be drinking this in front of the fire...and I should be getting royalties from this post ;)


time to relax--
be well,stay warm, peeps!

turkey (tofurkey?) day is drawing near!

good night..

I am fatigued and in need of sleep, which will occur shortly, but first I needed to recap the day.

It felt like a long drawn out work day- no breaks, no lunch, just busy humdrum-- the usual. I wont re hash the details as I want to purge my mind of most of the day.

I do not work directly with the children any longer. ((I am in administration- and I juggle a lot of stuff. I am in the process of hiring a supervisor --to better equip and support the program that is being rebuilt. One day i will explain more of what I do..))

OK, so I don't work with the kiddos directly- I do see them-- but from a distance. Some continue to say hi to me, and that always puts a smile on my face. One child who is very dear to me, I try to sneak in to see him. One of the employees in that classroom also work for me, so I make an excuse to go in and speak with her, all the while saying hello to my 'little man'.

He's tough, anyone who knows him understands that he and I went through a lot together. We have a bond and its pretty cool to see that it still exists.

I was walking down the hall at the time that he was. He had two staff members walking with him to his bus, one on either side of him. As I was walking toward him- to walk past him (it isn't really 'appropriate' for me to be involved any longer, meh), I glanced in his direction. He had already been looking at me-- and took that as a que to reach out for me. He got the biggest smile on his face (I am sure my smile was already there) and he grabbed my hand and tried to vocalize something. I lowered my face to his and told him how proud I am of him and that I hope to visit him in his classroom soon. I had "business" to attend to-- that needed my immediate attention so I had to be quick. He did not want to let go of my hand and tried to pull me with him to the bus. The staff asked if he was holding on, and I said yes. They were surprised. As I said, he and I have a bond. And when he said, 'don't go' and they were astonished even more. And I didn't want to go..

but I did.

I felt mildly sad.. to not be able to give him my time.

but a stong sense of happy won out on that one. He made eye contact, looked for my acknowledgement, sought my hand and my words and wanted me to go with him.. after time apart, this continues.

That is the pay off of hard work on both of our efforts.

And so I zipped down the hall to take care of 'urgent business'

wondering and trying to see/feel that sense of accomplishment and pride in what I do now.

funny how love works. or doesn't work.

the things you learn about yourself

the things you unlearn

it all seems so grand, yet it is all so basic.

for some its easy

for others its hard

some people want it, but don't get it

others get too much of it, but don't want it-

Feelings.

they really are a driving force. even if you have them locked and well guarded.. they are still there.

and when they break out of their cell, it is mayhem--and control is lost...

is this the result of answering old questions,

or answering new ones?



I do not know.



I do reccommend tossing the key and seeing what happens-- the good, the bad, the ugly-- it is a part of the sensual life. Without it, it is all mechanical- easy, contolled and safe.


now if I would just follow my own advice, yes?









btw, thanks for sharing:?