Sunday, June 30, 2013

Hot Time in the Old Town

Our Chicago adventure did not end as abruptly as my posting here on my blog. 

Sorry for the delay.  We went onto another 3 day adventure to Missouri.... but you'll have to wait for  another time to hear the story about that!
 
After we left the Bean we walked up toward the Wrigley Building (not seen in this picture) to 400 North Michigan Avenue to catch a 90 minute Chicago River and Lake Michigan/Architectural Tour on Wendella Boats.
It turned out to be a very beautiful and hot day in the Windy City.

Weeks #26 LIFE'S Simple Pleasures - day adventure  tourist in your 'own' town.

Each building is unique and rich with history and our tour guide Jim is a proud Chicagoan (they are specially trained guides with a passion for 'their' hometown) we heard styles like, Art Deco, Neoclassical, Craftsman, Modern and Revival.  We also heard names being throne in like Frank Lloyd Wright, Trump, Kennedy, & Wrigley.

I am very happy we got to enjoy a hot day in Chicago and just be a tourist with no real agenda.  We saved money by bringing a picnic lunch and ate it in Millennium Park.  And for the 2nd time as well, we got stopped on the streets near the train station while they were taping some sort of commercial? ... closed off streets, extras, crews with clipboards and walkie talkies.  We even went Geocaching and were 1 for 2!!  The sights, the smells, the sounds... those are all part of the big city adventure!!!

It's nice to get back on the Metra commuter train and go back 'home'.  I think the suburbs are more my style!

Late one night, when we were all in bed,
Old Mother Leary left a lantern in the shed,
And when the cow kicked it over, she winked her eye and said,
"There'll be a HOT time on the old town tonight."
FIRE, FIRE, FIRE

 

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Bean There, Done That

We've heard of Millennium Park.  Our children have visited there a few times on school field trips.  Often the Chicago news shows pictures of the park.  Many tourists visit the park to see a huge 110 short ton sculpture named Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor.
 
It was fondly nicknamed "The Bean"..... it reflects and distorts the city's skyline.  And since we went on a day adventure to the Windy City, we actually stumbled upon this popular tourist photo spot.

 
Week #26 - LIFE'S simple pleasures - day adventure
 
We were on our merry way walking up Michigan Avenue to find our Chicago River architectural boat tour, and we actually turned left and then right and then right out of the train station, and a few blocks later, we ended up at he AT & T Plaza.  Dedicated to the city on May 15, 2006 it is a fantastic center piece of architectural art in the middle of a huge green park on Lake Michigan. 
 
We were total tourists. 
 
And you know what?  That's okay! 
 
It's one of those once in a LIFE time simple pleasures, going someplace for the first time.... even though pretty much everyone has already done that and BEAN there!  And taken their distorted reflective 'classic' picture in the highly polished stainless steel plates!
 

Hey, it's all about the angles and the positioning.  The best part, it was FREE!

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

I'm Going Downtown

The trouble with you Chicago people is that you think you are the best people down here, whereas you are merely the most numerous ~ Mark Twain


I really don't want trouble... I'm just a mere tourist in the 3rd most largest populist city in the United States.  I don't have a problem walking the Mag Mile, comfort is more important to me than style.
 
I've always enjoyed stories written from people who say ... You know you are a true {insert city, state, college alum}  when   yadda yadda yadda .... and it lists all these facts that only the locals understand. 
 
Go to this blogpost,  about being a true Chicagoin, but be fowarned, some  tough language is used...
 
I'm sure most (all) people who were born and raised in Chicagoland (which includes cities in both Wisconsin and Indiana... it's true, I read that in a description somewhere here on the internet) will understand that little ditti above. I'm all for being loyal to your hometown, but we're not from these parts.
It's quite possible that Jeff and I both could (but don't think we ever would) consider Chicago(land) area to be our home.  Naw.... I was raised about 60 miles north of Chicago in Wisconsin, and he was raised about 120 miles south east in Indiana. Nope, I don't think we'd ever claim it!
 
Week # 26 - LIFE'S simple pleasures - day adventure
 
Being a tourist in our 'own' town.
 
Here is one way a travel guide advertises tourism to Chicago:

Located on Lake Michigan, Chicago is a city made up of eclectic neighbourhoods, sophisticated culture, and an amazing variety of foods, tourist sites and top shopping locations to keep your entire party entertained during your visit.

Growing up less than 5 miles from Lake Michigan (did I mention I'm from Wisconsin?), although I appreciate the Great Lake and what resources it provides.... going to downtown Chicago to see Lake Michigan is not a draw for me!  By getting lost in downtown Chicago is one way to find eclectic neighborhoods and unless you have a reason to be there, after dark it might be kind of scary (but that's in every town, I suppose).  Sophisticated culture?  In it's hey day!  I know I'm not a sophisticated kind of gal.... the cost of sophistication doesn't impress me.  Variety of foods?  Every street corner has a Dunkin Donuts or a Starbucks.  We checked out the menu at Michael Jordans' restaurant.... $38 for a steak.... it cost extra for a potato.  Tourist sites?  Which cost and arm and a leg for a basic ticket! Top shopping?  Sales tax downtown is 9.5% which is currently the highest in the US.
 
Am I gripping about Chicago, *wink*, slightly.  We stand out proudly in our neighborhood (in the Burbs) with our Greenbay Packer Flag and our Illinois license plate holder, Go Packers!  Cheeseheads unite!!! Although we can be Blackhawks fans, we can't be Bears, Cubs, Soxs or Bulls fans.  We just can't cross that line!
 
You know people, Chicago is not a state... it's a city... you live in Illinois.... and you only can live in Chicago if your zip code is 60601 (or something close to that) ....  a suburb 30 miles away is the city you live in.
 
I am still amazed about living so close to downtown!  Seven years ago when we moved here, new friends would talk about going downtown.... our little city Crystal Lake has a downtown district.... every city I have lived in has a downtown area.  But when you live in the Chicago suburbs..... downtown means DOWNTOWN!  It's a given..... DOWNTOWN = Chicago.  It took me a year or two to get it!
 
I lived in Chicago for a few years and got a sense of - kind of that broad-shouldered, windy, um, stern, Midwestern, warm-slash-passive aggressive, wonderful - every adjective I can think of, very cold.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Small town girl, Big City Adventure

Chicken in the car and the car won't go, what does it spell ? Chicago...
Week #26 - LIFE'S Simple pleasures - day adventures
 
Okay, why that little ditty came to mind?  I have no idea sometimes where I pull stuff from.  I know that it flows off my tongue so easy and I have been saying it for more than 40 years.... chicken in the car..... Chicago.  Clickity clack.....
 
Going on a day adventure outside your own city is something fun to do!  It makes you appreciate where you come from and all that there is out there beyond your own city limits.
Downtown Chicago is just a 'short' 1-1/2 hour train ride from our northwest suburban town.  We have lived here for over 7 years and make at least one yearly trek to the big city.
 
Growing up in Wisconsin (a bit of trivia.... we are almost equal distance to downtown Chicago from my home town and from the city we live in now) As a young person, I was aware of the lure and excitement of the Windy City, the 2nd City, Chi-town or Chicagoland, but never had much of a desire to crossover the cheddar curtain (Wisconsin/Illinois state line) and see what the big city had to offer me.
I've often heard from people who don't live in Illinois how much they love Chicago.  I'm not sure completely what it is to love about the city itself.  I know that living in Wisconsin for over 35 years there was a distinct difference in attitude between Illinoisans and Wisconsinites.  I must claim complete loyalty to my home state.... I'm a cheesehead, although it's a bit dusty!

Come along with me this week, as I highlight our summer day adventure to the big city.  I enjoy being a small town girl and sharing adventures (big or small) with my hubby.

There is a Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/chickeninthecar) page and a book ( http://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Car-Wont-Go-Chicagoland/dp/0984639810 ) with the title... Chicken in the Car and the car won't go, what does it spell? Chicago...one of those fun rhymes for simpler times and jumping rope on the front sidewalk!

Friday, June 21, 2013

It's A Bugs Life

Some days you're the bug....
Some days you're the windshield


It's Week #25 and I decided to explore insects (bugs).  Quite obviously bugs are a big deal!  There are over 925,000 + species that scientist have discovered or identified.  It's a huge topic to cover on my tiny blog!  I can't even spell half of the official names, so I won't even try.  Bugs have a major significant purpose in our lives, without them, we wouldn't be able to enjoy some of LIFE'S simple pleasures, produce honey, wax, silk and pollinate flowers and crops. I will however, draw the line on ugly bugs and ones that just creep me out.  I'm glad they share the Earth with us, but I really don't want to see them.

One of the largest bugs is a beetle that weighed up to 4 ounces.  Is that even possible?  Here are a few bugs that just give me the willies thinking about them... cockroaches, earwigs, spiders, flies, ticks, ants, fleas and termites. Yuck! Ever watch Survivor and see them eat bugs in a food challenge? Huge, white, juicy larvae that crunch when they bite into them and then they eliminate black innards.... see...gross, but a local delicacy?
On the other hand, there are lots of cute bugs, like the dragonfly, butterfly, grasshopper, firefly, ladybug and bumble bee.  At least they have been cute for doodles (the one above is a rubber SU! stamp) on creative greeting cards.  And, there are cute sayings for cards too!
 
Don't bug me!  Heard you caught a bug, feel better!  You are cute as a bug, bug off, Heard you had the Travel Bug, Bon Voyage, Snug as a bug in a rug, Love Bug!
 
Bugs are one of LIFE'S simple pleasures....
From small in size
to as big as whoppers,
we hop in the grass
so we're called .....

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Cute as a Bug

 Little red bug, oh so cute
Here's a black spot for your suit...
~ Susan M. Paprocki
 
Cute little bugs make great images for my creative greeting cards
 
Maybe you've received one of my cards over the years.  Business is slow, but I still love a good doodle bug!!!
 
From the fun facts I learned, Lady Bugs are really part of the beetle family.  There are over 4,000 types and their color can be the most popular red, to orange and yellow. Being the bright colors they are, they warn predators that they are not a tasty choice for dinner.  They secrete a stinky yellow puss from their knee joints to warn others to stay away!!  (Beetle Juice)
 
Sticky feet help them climb up stems of flowers and on the underside of leaves. As part of our circle of life, they eat our plant pests aphids. Farmers love to have ladybugs on their crops.
 
Unless you have a net to catch butterflies or a jar to catch fireflies... it's not really a good thing to catch a bug
 
I'm getting mixed answers doing a small bit of research, but there is a phrase some use I 'caught a nasty bug'. Is it a good excuse to use when you just don't want to go out?  Or did they really come down with some strange illness? 
 
Years ago before the study of microorganisms, people thought they got sick by infected little bugs that flew around.
 
Cute get well cards often use they phrase.... heard you caught a bug.... and the doodle is some bug with goggle eyes, thermometer sticking out of it's mouth and a cold compress on it's head.
 
Ladybug ladybug fly away home,
Your house in on fire and your children are gone,
All except one and that's little Ann,
For she crept under the frying pan.
Nursery rhymes are a nice way to learn stories, poems and how to rhyme, but when you really examine how they came to be, sometimes the stem from a terrible tragedy. Read more here.
 
Week #24 - LIFE'S simple pleasures - bugs (beetles) they help complete the circle of LIFE
 
Lady bugs all dressed in red
Strolling through the flower bed.
If I were tiny just like you
I'd creep among the flowers too!
~Maria Fleming

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Busy Bee

A bee is never as busy as it seems; it's just that it can't buzz any slower.
 
Week #25 - LIFE'S simple pleasures - bugs
 
The buzz is that bees help spread pollen. Plants depend on them when the flutter from flower to flower.  One single bee that can be as long as a standard paper clip can collect enough nectar to create 1/12 teaspoon of honey.

One of the most notable onomatopoeia, a word that imitates the sound associated with object or action.... is buzz. Everyone knows the sound a bee makes! It's fun and annoying to say buzz.... buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... buzz, buzz!!! Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee ~ Mohammed Ali


 
I'll admit that some bugs can be quite scary; huge ones that you see in movies that crawl out of drain pipe of a sink. They can seem creepy, especially if they have hundreds of legs and they zig and then they zag along a crack in the ceiling.... and then disappear!  If you heard a noise and didn't know what it was and all of a sudden something was crawling on you in the dark... a bug like that would certainly freak you out. 
 
All bugs serve some sort of purpose here on earth.  I'm just glad that I found the cute ones to add to my creative greetings... I think a smiling bee can brighten any one's day!
 
How doth the little busy bee
improve each shining hour
and gather honey all the day
from every shining flower
~ parodied by Lewis Carol for Alice in Wonderland

 
 

Monday, June 17, 2013

Float Like a Butterfly

Happiness is a butterfly, which when pursued, is always just beyond your grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you
 ~ Nathanial Hawthorne
Week #25 - LIFE'S simple pleasures - bugs

It's the middle of June!

We are almost to the half-way point of the year. 

There are so many different topics to explore for LIFE'S simple pleasures.  Unfortunately when I first started thinking of this new week, I just wasn't quite feeling it ... but the more I thought about it, I decided and was determined that even some of the tiniest things can brighten our day, even if it's a bug!

Lot's of bugs may be annoying and ugly, they may even be gross and disgusting.  But one thing is for sure, they serve a purpose in our circle of life.


Butterflies have been one of my go to images in my creative greetings. (FYI I'm a small business that creates unique greeting cards, they are inexpensive and will surely BRIGHTEN SOMEONE'S DAY, I'd love to create something for you!!!)  I think they represent beauty, calmness and freedom.  Throughout history they are often portrayed as symbols of transformation and growth.

There are over 24,000 species of butterflies and they are not to be confused with the over 140,000 species of moths.  Butterflies have large often brightly colored wings and a conspicuous fluttering flight, they are considered a day flying insect.
Butterflies can't see their wings. They can't see how truly beautiful they are, but everyone else can. People are like that as well.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Sit a Spell

Come and sit a spell, wave hello, relax and smile!

 
So many of LIFE'S simple pleasures can be enjoyed on the front porch!
 
Week#1 - Beverage
Front porches are notorious for a place to put your feet up and enjoy sipping some sweet tea or tall cold glass of lemonade, a cup o' Joe.... and even a special adult beverage!
My copy cat recipe from Starbucks, so simple: Passion Lemonade Tea
1 packet Crystal Light Lemonade (makes 2 qts)
3-4 Tazo Passion Herbal Tea Bags
Boil 4 cups of water, steep tea bags (you have to be patient and let them cool, completely)
Pour cooled tea into picture of Lemonade and mix,  Will have to add more water.  Pour into cool Starbucks tumbler packed full of ice, and sip slowly and enjoy!
Week #5 - a good read

The front porch is a great place to settle down and read a classic novel, a few chapters in a college textbook, catch up on a silly tabloid magazine article or get lost in an easy fun summer read.
Weeks 20  &  22 - enjoy the clouds/sky and fly the American flag

The front porch is a perfect place to watch the weather, enjoy blue skies or spy the rain clouds move in.  If there aren't too many bugs, on a hot summer night it's peaceful to look up in the great big beautiful sky to watch the stars and dream! The front porch is a perfect place to watch the flag unfurl and wave boldly in the breeze

Actually, you can follow any of the porch rules throughout the entire year - your beverage may have to be warmed up, you might have to get all snuggly and cozy under a blanket or two(Fuzzy Socks LIFE #3), instead of beautiful flowers, you might get a hearty wiff of a fireplace burning (LIFE#4) and if it's chilly, fewer hellos may be said ....and it might be a quick 'sit a spell', but the front porch can be enjoyed anytime.

There are some pretty good PorCH rULES  in LIFE'S simple pleasures!  Thank you for letting me share my view.

Y'all come back now ya hear!!!
 

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Just a swingin'

The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a front porch swing with, never say a word, then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you ever had.
My front porch is my window to the world!

Just out front...I have seen kaleidoscope rainbows and magnificent lightning shows.  I've seen snow plows pushing 1 foot of slush up the road and I've seen backed up traffic re-routed idling impatiently on a Friday night. I've seen all kinds of friendly dogs and a family of 3 deer sprinting across to get to the woods.  I have seen at least 3 sets of twin babies being strolled and tattooed smoking skateboarders.... big wheels rumbling to motorized scooters humming. Every day I see airplanes as we are in the landing pattern to the busiest airport (O'Hare).  There is our neighborhood hawk who soars above the roof tops. Hot air balloons? Seen them too!
So many of this year's LIFE'S simple pleasures can be enjoyed off my front porch.  I hope you have the chance to enjoy some of these too!

The front porch is a great place to relax and enjoy a nice cold drink.

The front porch is a great place to show your patriotism by flying the American Flag.

The front porch is a great place to read a book.
There is a major rainstorm brewing... should I sit on the front porch and watch mother natures fury? Will I be safe from the storm as I swing?

The FRONT Porch is a great name for... a diverse and eclectic gift shop, a restaurant... cafe... bar... tea room, a literary journal (Porch Posts), a bluegrass band, a furniture repair, and  an Inn.

When you are out and about... see who might be enjoying their own front porch, one of LIFE'S simple pleasures!




Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Porch Rule #3

Welcome to the
PORCH
wave hello
sit  read a book
chat  hang a flag
relax   smile
listen to the birds
sip lemonade
enjoy the weather
watch the sunset
Week #24 - LIFE'S simple pleasures - the front porch

I'm very lucky!  I have a porch that wraps around the front half of my house.  We have a few wicker chairs with lumpy cushions and a table, a swing hanging from the ceiling, a bench and a few flowers ... all of that combined is simply heaven.
The hubster and elder child

In writing my blog, I decided this year would be my year to look for LIFE'S simple pleasures

I want to experience LIFE and take note of it all.  I separated each letter of the word ... L-learning,  I-inspiring, F-feeling, E-evolving & S-shining.

Simple pleasures - things that don't cost a lot, every day things that are so easy to miss, things that are near by... we just need to stop and notice.

Sip the sweet tea,
Sip the lemonade
or sip the kopy kat Passion Tea Lemonade from Starbucks!
 
We all have some sort of an interesting point to view! And if you don't have a front porch, you can adapt... if it's a front stoop... maybe you don't even have that... balcony? patio? a curb or a step???  It's okay every once in a while to just sit and sip wherever you are ... it's one of the porch rules!  Trust me!

Monday, June 10, 2013

Porch Posts

Porch Rules
Sit a spell * visit
sip sweet tea
smell the magnolias
read a book * nap
Relax * put your feet up
It's a Southern Tradition
Have I caught your attention? 
 
Are you laughing yet? 
 
What on earth am I posting about this week... a southern tradition?  prdesigns.... you keep talking about living in the middle of your block in your Midwest town outside Chicago.... can't get any more Midwest than that!
 
Just because you live one place doesn't mean you can't adapt or adopt traditions and lifestyles of other places.
 
Week # 24 - LIFE'S simple pleasures - the Front Porch
 
One of the things I loved about our house (by the way, we just celebrated our 7th anniversary living here in Illinois just over this past weekend!) was the front porch.

 
I just spray painted the white wicker furniture for the first time a few weeks ago. I missed a few spots! And I keep thinking I need to buy new cushions, but when I sit down and look around I say to myself... these still work!!
 
I remember finding this set, Martha Stewart at Kmart, putting it on lay-a-way until the moving truck came to our house in Wisconsin. It was the first time I ever put anything on lay-a-way and the only reason was because, they could 'store' it in there warehouse until we were ready to move.
 
I love my front porch! I love reading on my porch.  I love talking on my porch. I love drawing and painting on my porch. I love hiding in my own thoughts on my front porch. I love feeling like I am at a very special secret spot on my front porch. I love putting my feet up and day dreaming on my front porch.
 
We have a great porch and we have done everything the porch rules state above... except smell the magnolias... I will have to replace that line with ... Smell the lilacs!
 
Do you have a front porch?

Friday, June 07, 2013

Watch where you Sniff!

And today, I will find joy in the small things.
Come on big money!

Week #23 - LIFE'S simple pleasures - stop and smell the roses!

Huh? Come on big money?  I only play the lottery when the winnings are big and my chances are small, but I find it always amazing when I make a point to seek something out in my LIFE, how much I see IT around me.  Obviously, I'm taking time to look for it!

Stop and smell the roses... although I mentioned it earlier in a posting... this phrase has become quite cliche`.... I'm amused how many times I heard it or read it this past week. It must be that time of year where everyone is rushing around to get their summer plans ready, time to check off items on a long to do list and a time to reflect on the goals they need to gather and attain in the near future. Yet.... it's such a simple reminder and to actually do it every single day... slow down, breathe, enjoy life and the little things, count your blessings!!!!

It's time we discovered happiness in the simple every day things.  And if it's a real sign to remind us of that fact.... to remind ME of that fact.... I'll plaster my walls with the sign:
I'd love to hear if you actually stopped to smell the roses!  Just make sure the dogs haven't peed on them first.

Please leave me a comment!

Thursday, June 06, 2013

Roses Smell

Life moves pretty fast.  You don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it. ~ Ferris Bueller
As with many of my LIFE'S simple pleasures, sometimes, you have to go out of your way to find them.  But they are there! 
 
Why do we have to be reminded to: enjoy the little things, slow down, some of the sweetest things in life are free.... count your many blessings every day.
 
Could you describe what a rose smells like?  Or is it better to describe the feeling you get when you smell a rose?
 
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet ~ Shakespeare
 
 
I think you can celebrate small victories every day!  I think actually smelling a rose is a great sensory gift!   Many memories are triggered by scents,  they have stronger emotional connections than those memories triggered by other senses.  According to one source, there are over 150 different species of roses.  A rose have a very rich and warm smell and the fragrance can very from each flower in it's strength and tone.
 
When you walk into a room 'filled with flowers' or even a tiny pretty rose bouquet, doesn't the smell fill your senses? I just cut a few stems from one of our blooming lilac bushes and instantly it turned my kitchen into a sensory wonderland.
 
We can complain because roses bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses ~
Abraham Lincoln
 
Which is going to be??
 
I commented recently on a post and noted that I am a product of the 80s and I admit that when I didn't know the lyrics to a song that was playing on my am radio, I made up words.  I'm not to far off from the actual lyrics to the song Lady by the Little River Band.. I like to sing....
 
 "Look around you, look and see, take time to make time, take time to be there...."
 
Take time to stop and  look around, make time to smell the roses and actually be there in that moment!

Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Here's your Sign

The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention.
 
I certainly would not be writing this particular post in the middle of winter.  Week #23 - LIFE'S simple pleasures - stop and smell the roses.
 
The underlying meaning behind the cliche` of words can be used at any time of year!  It's just so exciting for me to share the comparison to my beautiful window to the world, the garden I see out my own back window.... a place I enjoy in all seasons.
 
I'm all a buzz to tell you this is your sign... Stop and smell the roses. Don't have a beautiful rose to smell?  No lilacs near by?  Just take a moment and be aware  of  your surroundings, the sky, the sun on your face, a gentle breeze blowing by, birds chirping, people talking, a butterfly on a petal.
 
I'm sure where ever you are, you can stop for a moment and take it all in.
 
Along this weeks LIFE's journey I read something.... any time you see big bold words that are italicised, it is my way of letting you know it's a quote, in most cases I include the author, but there are some quotes that I stumble upon that I can't give full credit to a known author.
 
My desire to be well informed is currently at odds with my desire to remain sane.
 
Give yourself permission to day dream. Count your many blessings every day.  You can do amazing things with the simplest things. You are a channel for God's creativity and your work comes to good,  Great things are waiting for you around the corner... but don't ever forget to STOP and smell the roses!


I love this view across my backyard, the rich greens, the sturdy earth colors of the fountain and the tree and bright pop of red from the hanging plant.
 
Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose ~ Elizabeth Kuber-Ross
 
Didn't get my message before????
 
Here's another big beautiful SIGN from the universe that life can be very good!
 
 
I am so fortunate that not only do I get to stop and smell the roses, I get to plant them and watch them blossom and  I get to take pictures of them and I get to share them here on my blog and I am allowed to nurture my artist.
 
Stop and see what you might be missing!
 

Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Slow Down

The sweetest things in life are free....
Single Rose boutonniere from Prom 2013

Sometimes I think I am in the best place in the world! 

Not so much physically here in the Midwest (I'll take the good, I'll take the bad) but the time when I ended up being born.  My age group is the very last of the baby boomers... coined late bloomers!

Now you may wonder how the heck I'm going to turn this topic of smelling roses and baby boomers into a cohesive post?  I may not do it so eloquently, but my true intent is here.

I'm trying to compare a metaphor in speech to a cliche in language and what better way to do it than find an actual song with the words of STOP And smell the Roses,  sung be the one and only Mac Davis.



Now, if you are any younger than 40... you probably don't remember who the heck this guy Mac is. And that is precisely why I'm so lucky to be the age I am.  I get to remember all the great musicians, artist, actors, comedians....& entertainers from the 40s on up. I can still appreciate the meanings behind their song lyrics.  I get a kick out of their videos that were re-created from a song circa 1974.  You don't have to look hard to 'get it'.... you just have to make an effort to accept it!

If you click on Miss Piggy with Mac above, you will get to hear his song.... You gotta stop and smell the roses and count your many blessings every day.
Lilac bushes in our back yard
 
I think we can STOP, And smell the lilacs too!  After all, it is just a cliche` or is it a metaphor?  And there are a whole bunch of other beautiful flowers we can stop, behold and just breathe it all in !
 
So now, it's become a metaphor cliche`....
 
Take time today and every day to... Slow down and enjoy life.  It's not only the scenery you miss by going to fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why ~ Eddie Cantor
 

Monday, June 03, 2013

It's a Bit Cliche`

Enjoy the little things in life... for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things.
Week #23 - LIFE'S simple pleasures - Stop and smell the Roses
 
This week, I have the perfect cliche` that I have seen twice already today before my day has even really started!
 
These lives of ours can be so busy and it is easy to use a catch phrase that we just don't have the time.  But there is so much you can miss if you don't take a moment, pay attention, slow down, take time to appreciate, enjoy the pleasures of life and just breathe!
 
I have taken this cliche of Stop and Smell the Roses and literally while walking the dogs down a path, in the middle of a sidewalk on a busy street or climbing someones driveway.... stopped and bent over to smell the roses.... or any kind of beautiful flower that is growing!!
 
Unfortunately, sometimes,  we need little reminders throughout our busy day to tell us do that.  STOP. AND SMELL THE ROSES! 
 
I also like having instant access to Google's dictionary to look up words I use but don't always remember the actual meaning.  For example.... we've all heard that phrase is cliche`, but what does CLICHE` mean... it's an expression, idea or element of an artistic event that is overused and has lost it's meaning.
 
These cliches`, or quotes, or life lessons are so absolutely true ... we are so busy ALL the time that we really need to just take a moment for our selves and realize the little things.  That is why I am taking this weekly simple pleasure trip.... I don't want to miss out on smelling some really beautiful roses!!

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