I’ve had loads of costumes over the years but never did dress up like a witch.
But .. If I had, I’d want to be Samantha Stevens. Funny. Smart. Sexy. Capable in the kitchen and the board room. Able to easily deflect nosy neighbors (Mrs. Cravitz) and meddling relatives (Endora).
All in kitten heels. Me-ow!
Years ago, I used to wear a suit every day to work. Jacket. Shoulder pads. Hose. Heels. You name it.
I don’t wear dresses for work much anymore. This is for several reasons; the dress code in my office is “business casual.” I’m pretty comfortable working in pants, not to mention.. warm. And… I’m heavier than I was in those “suit-wearing days.” Definitely packing more “junk” in the “trunk” than I did back in the day.
Still .. sometimes it just feels good to feel feminine and dresses do that for me. So do heels. When I feel good in something, the number on the tag fades away. When I walk with confidence, with my shoulders back and a wide smile across my face, I feel I can do anything. The reaction, however, can be a little unsettling and here’s why: sometimes in the course of the business day, I cross paths with people I’ve never met. They don’t know me. They don’t know that I used to be thin. They don’t know that I once wore single-digit sizes.
Here’s what I realized recently: They don’t care.
It’s not the dress or the heels.
It’s me.
They’re reacting to me. A comfortable, confident woman who feels good enough in her own skin to allow herself to shine on this day, and they’re not looking for a number on the tag.
They’re seeing me. My light. My presence. Me.
I baby sat a lot as a teenager. I.E. start at 6pm and go till 2am. As in cook the kids’ supper, play with them, give them their baths, put them to bed and hope for an Elvis movie later – a lot. I started babysitting at age 10 (I know!) and continued through high school.
Until this movie: “When a Stranger calls.”
Before caller id.
The movie about the creepy killer guy who torments the babysitter (Carol Kane) with these infamous words, “Have you checked the children?”
Considering my overactive imagination + the fact that I was more of a Disney girl, that was all she wrote.
Sorry, Mr. and Mrs. ____ I can’t babysit this weekend; I’d rather …um… live.
So … do tell … what movie terrorized you?
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
photo by emjayandthem
I took this picture on Monday:
We had gale-force winds Tuesday & Wednesday.
Drove by that tree tonight; it’s naked. As a jailbird. Plucked clean.
So long Fall, you were glorious this year …
Here’s a glimpse of what those winds did with Lake Michigan, which lies about 45 min west of here:
Take chances, make mistakes.
That’s how you grow.
Pain nourishes your courage.
You have to fail in order to practice being brave.
– Mary Tyler Moore
When making a to do list remember to put yourself on it, too.
Other than my “normal” work/mom/household responsibilities today, this is my NEW to-do list:
We’re one week from the mid-term elections on Tuesday, November 2nd.
I live in MI and found this helpful link.. perhaps other states are offering it as well? Simply type in your name & address & it generates a sample ballot populated with candidates websites and $$ spent.
https://webapps.sos.state.mi.us/mivote/
Michigan has 83 counties, 274 cities, 1,242 townships and 259 villages and, some say, has been hit the hardest in the recent economic downturn.
In the last Presidential election (2008) 66.2% of our eligible voting population voted. source: https://webapps.sos.state.mi/us
The weather guys are tripping over themselves with repeated warnings of high winds expected later today.
Is it all the political hot air flying around?
Or … could it be the winds of change?
This morning, traffic was backed up so I pulled off the main drag, scrounged up some loose change and bought a tall coffee w/cream at my local coffee shop… and since I had packed my breakfast my plan was to just enjoy both at my desk as I perused emails and updated my projects.
But then I arrived at work to find that one of my sweet co-workers had baked a pumpkin roll for all of us. Ooh. The nutmeg-cinnamon-walnut-pumpkin-cream cheese infused goodness. With a tall brewed coffee. Mmmm good.
Monday’s looking really, really good.
That's me, holding the flag, during my swearing in
I am excited to vote on November 2nd. Because I can count one hand the number of times I have been able to do so.
I became a citizen two years ago and that moment stands as one of my proudest. Choking back tears, seventy-eight of us (from thirty-four countries) took the oath of allegiance to the United States of America and stepped forward as new Americans. It signified the end of one journey and the beginning of another.
“I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform non combatant service in the armed forces of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God.” http://www.uscis.gov/
Coming from Canada, I didn’t experience some of the challenges that other immigrants do. I already spoke the language and I understood most of the references. That doesn’t mean it’s been easy, because it hasn’t. It’s difficult to be far from my family, far from who knows me and what’s familiar. However it was in stretching my boundaries and moving beyond what my wonderful parents taught me, and what my community instilled in me, that really made me grow.
Could I have done this in my homeland? Of course I could have. But I didn’t. I chose another path. And that path took me here.
So in just over a week we vote again and, standing in line at the polls, you will hear me humming the melody to this lovely song:
God Bless America, Land that I love
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above
From the mountains..to the prairies
To the oceans..White with foam
God Bless America!
My Home Sweet Home
America still is a land of opportunity. I know, because I’ve had many.
The pre-Holiday shopping season has started and with that comes an influx of catalogues. I flipped through the latest one that arrived and here’s a sampling of items featured:
I’ve definitely left an amazon-qvc-barnesandnoble-bestbuy-footprint online and I also understand that some vendors likely sell my contact information. But, for the life of me, I cannot think of any purchase that translates to the above.
Although … come to think of it ..I have shot others a look that could turn them to stone. In my neck of the woods we call that a “stink eye.”
Hmm … maybe I do need that gossamer solstice dress after all.
Me? Just happy to have a cup!
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A prairie woman choosing to enjoy each season, in weather and in life
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some thoughts along the way
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EMPLOYEES MUST WASH HANDS...
