acacia blossoms

acacia blossoms

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Life is Grand hey?

best blog thinker award

Its cool and windy today. The wind always makes me feel restless and unsettled. We have had soft rain through the night too which is great for the green stuff, but not enough to create run-off into the dams.
Tree branches are scratching and scraping on the tin roof contributing to the edgy feeling.

Yesterday there was a shoot out on the road. A vehicle wrapped in police tape and covered with a tarpaulin, next to the road. Anxious faces looked from afar - trying to make out the nature of the event. Emergency vehicles raced to the scene. The crime wave has arrived at this quiet backwater - like the ripples on the proverbial pond, danger now laps at these shores too.

It doesn't have to be this way. But while corruption in the corridors of power is seen as opportunity rather than a bad thing - the crime tsunami will continue to build and build. No-one can say that crime doesn't pay any more and leaders here lead by example.

Anyhow, there have been a couple of memes in the pipeline. Firstly one that started on Fire Byrds blog where you must say five good things about two people on your blogroll - the newest and the first...

The first person on my blogroll must have been Miranda - of The Times of Miranda. She was the one who first introduced me to blogging and gave me all those encouraging comments as i took my first babysteps in the blogosphere.
I am still a huge fan of her blog - its so fresh and funny and original. Miranda is also the daughter of My Great Friend; She has that wonderful ability to mingle positive upbeat energy with enough encouragement to make you believe you could actually do that thing! or at least have fun trying. Miranda is having a baby soon. This is a wonderful thing she is doing - bringing so much joy to all her family and friends. It is said that anyone who has a child influences the course of history.

The most recent addition to my blogroll is I think Pink Dogwood of Wandering Mind.
She is a fellow tree lover and has a wonderful angelic mother who steps in with home cooked dinners after a hard days work; There was a really cool recipe for no-knead bread recently - if only i could cook!; and gorgeous pictures of the two new puppies in the family. Also she writes really kind and friendly comments on my blog - which I love!

OK Miranda and Pink Dogwood - you are tagged to write about two of your blog rollers!

Then there was another meme from Marilyn at True Blue Texan called the Life Is Grand award - "because you make me smile with your posts"; rules here are to list five reasons why life is grand and nominate five more people.....

ok so - deep breath -
Life Is Grand Because....... we live on the best planet in the entire known universe. And i am willing to bet, in the unknown universe as well. It is like a blue jewel marble whirling about between dun coloured pebbles. We have sky, air, water, land - trees and plants that defy imagination, creatures so tiny we cant see them and so big they can block out the sun. I could go on, but you all get my drift?

Life is also Grand because we have each other to love and learn from; to fight with and bond with and grow old with.

Life is Grand with creativity - music art writing performance in all their forms, that heighten the senses and stimulate the imagination

Life is Grand because we have humour!!!! thank goodness. Humour is free medicine. If you are ever feeling blue, laughter can solve all that. Find friends that can make you smile. Even just laughing out loud with no reason can become quite funny if you try it.

Lastly - Life is Grand in the Blogosphere! here i have found great friendships and inspirational people; living in diverse continents and environments - i can see how it feels to be in Washington today or knee deep in snow in Toronto or hiking in California with bells on my shoes for mountain lions...
(you know who you are!)

and thats just five reasons......

so I tag

Angela of Letters From Usedom
Rob from Inukshuk Adventures
Janelle from Ngorobob House
Chesapeake Bay Woman from Life in Matthews
Janet from Under The Blood Red Sky

THEN...today Angela from Letters From Usedom gave me a very lovely award.
BEST BLOG THINKER AWARD

In the words of the person who created it:
"This award acknowledges the values that every Blogger displays in their effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values with each message they write. Awards like this have been created with the intention of promoting community among Bloggers. It`s a way to show appreciation and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web."

Wow - I'd like to thank Geli for this, but also everyone who has ever encouraged my strangely random writings and word pictures. And i must tag five blogs who i think deserve this so much more than i do, and that havent already been tagged by Geli...

Reya from The Gold Puppy
Adrianne from The Bhodi Tree
Katherine from The Last Visible Dog
Chamira from Holey Vision
Tam from Fleeing Muses

I hate having to choose a limited number so anyone else that feels like participating in any of the above is welcome to consider themselves tagged by me.

Its now dark and there is a bat flying around in the house. The porcupine will be looking for biscuits and the frogs are chirping after the tiny rain. I suppose i should get up and lock the doors.

Blog on everyone!
xx

14 comments:

Lori ann said...

Life is Grand Val. Even with the baddies out there. Whatever will they do next?? Keep safe dear...

I LOVE all your picks and what you had to say, it is a beautiful place this blogland. We are all so lucky.

That was the BEST description of our Mother Earth, perfect...

lots oflove,lori

Angela said...

Val,what more can I say why life is GRAND but what you already said? Your words are always so touching and making sense and dancing around like shiny feathers - how can I match you? I especially liked your very last descriprions of your home...the bat, the porcupine, the night (I can even hear the noises). Beautiful! But OH, TAKE CARE!!!

Tessa said...

Oh Val, I do love your 'Life is Grand' observations. Beautifully, lyrically and luminously expressed...as are all your posts.

So very sad that your quietness has been disturbed. Is it inevitable, I wonder? The price of corruption is astronominical.

Fire Byrd said...

Even some thing as vile as a shoot out is beautifully written.. you are such a talented writer, I love reading your posts.
xx

Rosaria Williams said...

Val, this is delightful and funny. I'm an instant subscriber!

e said...

I really enjoy both the visuals and the writing on this Blog, and I am extremely sorry to hear that a crime wave has disturbed your bit of paradise. I hope you will continue to be safe and well.

Kristin said...

Val, I really love your words. Thanks for sharing them.

karen said...

dear Val, life is so grand, and i thank you for these positive comments when I feel I really need to hear them. I can relate to that edgy feeling of the rain and the wind on a tin roof.... so sorry to hear of the criminal activities, but happy that you can write about them while being positive at the same time...

great words about fellow bloggers too, plenty to read in this post! :-) xx

A Concerned Citizen said...

Ah, Val. I am so sorry to hear about that crime wave. It always amazes me that some people view corruption as an appropriate maeans to get ahead, when playing nicely with others works so much better in the long run. Sending thoughts of love and safety your way.

Life is grand, though, despite all the messiness, and I completely agreed with all your reasons.

Last but not least, I am deeply honored by the Best Blog Thinker award, which I in turn will bestow upon some of my bloggy friends later today.

Reya Mellicker said...

These are wonderful memes. Life truly is grand, it is. I agree completely.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for the honor of an award from you. What in the world would make you think anyone deserves it more than you? Thank you thank you!

I might have to get into some of these memes. They appeal.

Keep breathing through the wind and sprinkles and scratching tree branches.

Thanks, too, for the Mopane tree on FB. I will pass that along.

Chimera said...

Keep losing my comment..will try once more.
Just wanted to say THANK YOu so very much for my blog award. Your writing always makes me smile and think ( and occasionally wince!) Life - she is grand indeed.
Tanvir (Chimera)

Kate said...

Thank you. For your words. You truly make the world a better place, Val.
And thank you for my award, and my own efforts.
x

Chesapeake Bay Woman said...

Aaaah! That scream is because I love coming here to read your stuff (and don't get to often enough) and then I am completely taken off guard when you tag me! Thank you, life truly is grand. So is your writing and your blog.

I hope that there is an end, or at least an improvement, to the corruption and crime.

Anonymous said...

Oh Val. I'm so sad that the evil stalking the land has now arrived, even in your remote, far away place. Engulfing, drowning everything. Sigh.