Here's a Mystery For YA

I usually take the weekend off from blogging, but this couldn't wait.  Actually, it is because I get to the computer to late in the afternoon, as today, because my son works into the wee hours of the morn, and he sleeps in the room where my computer is.  I know, I am too nice.  Can't move it out of the room, either.  No place else to put it.  This house isn't wired too tough, not enough outlets.   But, this has nothing to do with my mystery.

When I first began blogging, all comments were immediately posted.  I trusted everyone to write something nice.  I know, myself, if I don't have something nice to say, I won't say anything at all.  So it was that one day I discovered a troll had posted some rather judgmental remarks on three of my blogs.  It was then that I learned that how to monitor comments so nonsense wasn't posted.  Along with that, I also learned how to have comments appear on my Yahoo email as well....and the mystery begins.

I have basic internet on my cell phone and  am able to check my mail.  Today, thought, the strangest thing occurred. When I retrieve messages on my cell phone, it is the names of the commentors that  appear and below it will say they had commented to Moontides.  There were two there this morning...my friend, Dede, and the other from my friend, Rue.  Now, mind you,  Rue's comment had already appeared a few days ago, but now it was back.  Now, here is the mystery.  When I clicked on the names, they disappeared and all it said was 'No Message.' Not mysterious in the least, BUT the date on these messages was Wednesday, December 31, 1969 at 7pm.

Now, how strange is that??? Now, not only did Blogger and Google not exist back then, but neither did Cell Phones, Yahoo or the internet. Where did this come from, and what the heck does it mean? I am so totally confused. It only happened with those two names, no one else. I have a folder with Blogger comments I save and tried a few names. This didn't happen with anyone else, and just for the heck of it, I went back and tried them again. Same response. Was either blogger even born at that time? I don't know. Does this mean there is some kind of connection between us that happened in another time and place? I have no answers for this one. Anyone have any suggestions? I've always loved a good mystery, but I am clueless on this one. 




*A couple things I forgot to mention.  My computer hasn't been hacked, thank goodness...and these messages appear fine when read from the computer.

Branching

Those little nimble musicians of the air that warble forth their curious ditties, with which nature hath furnished them to the shame of art. --Izaak Walton

As another Friday rolls around, I am preparing for a quiet weekend.  Rain showers are headed this way so it sounds like a good weekend to sleep in.  I've nothing planned so it will be pretty much a play it by ear weekend.  We had some heavy storms during the night, but they are pretty much cleared out of here. 

This morning as I walked to the train station, the world around me was alive with song.  It's such a blessing listening to the sounds of the birds trilling their songs.  Such a delight to hear them chirp, sending messages to each other through the air.   Everyone has heard birds sing, but not everyone pays much attention to them. Try it for a moment.   Listen to the sounds.

This year I have been blessed with a bird's eye view of nature at her best.  Yesterday I watched as one by the little eaglets branched.  Branching means going from the nest to branches, then back to the nest.  The next step is fledging, and by next week they will be gone.  Watching them grow has been has been quite the experience watching mommy and daddy as they took care of their young.  It's exciting for them to do this, and I knew this day was coming, but I'm not ready to lose them yet.  I'm happy and sad at the same time.

The other day I was watching, and they had a nasty storm.  The tree and the nest were blowing back and forth.  The eaglets had been in the midst of prancing about and exercising their wings when from a distance they heard mom's call.  The three of them immediately stopped what they were doing, moved towards the middle of the nest, and hunkered down to ride out the storm.  Nature truly is amazing.  

Yes, it has been quite an experience, and through the great mods on both the Decorah Eagle site and Phoebe's Place, I have learned so much about eagles and hummingbirds...the smallest of birds to the largest of birds.  Life truly is amazing. I am so thankful that  I had this opportunity to witness this miracle of life.

Fly free my feathered friends and enjoy the world that is awaiting you.

HE clasps the crag with crooked hands;
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ringed with the azure world, he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls;
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.

--Alfred Lord Tennyson--

May you all have a beautiful, joy-filled weekend.

 

"Have you ever noticed a tree standing naked against the sky,
How beautiful it is?
All its branches are outlined, and in its nakedness
There is a poem, there is a song.
Every leaf is gone and it is waiting for the spring.
When the spring comes, it again fills the tree with
The music of many leaves,
Which in due season fall and are blown away.
And this is the way of life."

- Krishnamurti -

Nature, with Her changing seasons,  provides us many revelations; sometimes they are hidden, so subtle that we do not see, and other times they can be very much apparent and out in the open.  And, just as the 
seasons of the year change, so does the seasons of our lives.  Life is a wonderful journey, and as we travel through, we will experience many seasons.  Some will be difficult, others will be quite easy.  Some will be seasons of sorrow while others will be seasons of joy.  Every season should be treasured, whether it holds joyous moments or difficult trials, for each season of our lives is a precious gift.

Full Moon Eclipse in Sagittarius

Above the tower -- a lone, twice-sized moon.
On the cold river passing night-filled homes,
It scatters restless gold across the waves.
On mats, it shines richer than silken gauze.

Empty peaks, silence: among sparse stars,
Not yet flawed, it drifts. Pine and cinnamon
Spreading in my old garden . . . All light,
All ten thousand miles at once in its light! 

--Tu Fu--

This Full Moon was known as the Mead Moon in Old England. Mead is the nectar of the gods. The Mead Moon was the month when the honey was gathered and the golden mead wine was prepared and set to barrels.  The appearance of the full, round Mead Moon heralds the end of fertility and the beginning of life anew.  In Europe, this Full Moon was known as the Honey Moon.  Some traditions call this Rose Moon as roses begin blooming this month.

The Indian name for June means Strawberry Moon, so called by Native American tribes of New England and the Great Lakes because at this time of the year the strawberry ripened..  Among the Cherokees, it is the Green Corn Moon.  This Moon is also known as the  Moon of Horses, Lover's Moon, and the Strong Sun Moon.

This Full Moon will be in Sagittarius and will be the second eclipse in the triad of eclipses. The energy of the moon is about emotions, relationships, and psychic energy.   Sagittarius deals with inspiration and flashes of insight.  The Sun in Gemini symbolizes reason.   At this time, you may find yourself beginning to question where you are going and how you plan to reach your desired goals...or whether this is really where you want to go.  Of course, the Full Moon also represents endings, so this can be a very emotional time, possibly having to do with endings of some kind. . 

Furthermore, since this will be a Full Moon Eclipse, the Moon will be hidden in the shadow of the Earth, and as the Moon represents your unconscious, you may find yourself facing and examining what has been hidden, beliefs and motivations.   Take some time to examine the people, things, and emotional attachments in your life. Do you see them as positive or negative?   Although difficult, this is a time to release old beliefs that no longer serve you.

Tis moonlight, summer moonlight,
All soft and still and fair;
The solemn hour of midnight
Breathes sweet thoughts everywhere,

But most where trees are sending
Their breezy boughs on high,
Or stooping low are lending
A shelter from the sky.

And there in those wild bowers
A lovely form is laid;
Green grass and dew-steeped flowers
Wave gently round her head.

--Emily Bronte--

Audit Time...Crunch, Crunch

The successful person is the
individual who forms the habit
of doing what the failing
person doesn't like to do.

Donald Riggs

Surprise, surprise.  That's what our state funding source, OASAS, said yesterday when they showed up to audit our charts....five months early.  They are not due until November, but this is the way they try to get you.  With funding getting tight, they are pulling these spot audits to see who can hack it and who can't.  They're not stupid; they know that early in November our agency would be scrambling to get the charts together, so let's catch them on the sly.  

As I watched my office mate scramble about trying to get her charts in order, I had to breathe a sigh of relief because my work ethics are totally different.  I am paid to do a job, and I do it to the best of my ability. Don't get me wrong.  I love the counseling part of it, love working with the clients, and seeing a client succeed is all the reward I need.  But, alas, paperwork is a huge chunk of the job.  It shows the auditors what we are doing, how we are working with any given client...and if the paperwork is not up to par. they either pull the funding or give the agency a 6 month license, the lowest you can get, and if in 6 months there is no improvement, then they will pull your license. I'm just glad my charts are all in order and ready to go....

....and my bosses know this, so when they asked for a third chart from my office mate's caseload, my boss offered another of my charts instead.  He's always done that, even at the other job; he has always used my charts to cover for her shoddy work.  Talk about enabling someone. It angers me, yes, but, hey, I want to pass this audit.  This is my livelihood we are talking about.  

Just to show you the kind of insanity I work with, I just have to share this one with you.  It has to do with our illustrious nurse.  I think I have mentioned her before.  This is a person who still believes that you have to be careful because you can catch HIV from drinking from someone's glass, and once advised me to put hot compresses on an eye infection.  Heat spreads infection.  Even I know that.   I swear, it scares me sometimes that our clients trust her and go to her for advice. 

Well, it seems that she had not done the nursing assessment on my client, and if she had, it wasn't in the chart.  She had lost it.  So, I am working with her to complete a medical assessment so we can avoid a citation.  The client has been here since October so I know her very well.  We come to the question, "Does client practice safe sex?"  Mind you, the question does not ask, "Has patient 'always; practiced safe sex?"  

I tell the nurse to respond, "Yes, she does".  After all, the client has told me a number of times that she doesn't want another child and always makes sure that her partner uses protection. 

The nurse tells me, "No she doesn't.  She had a child.  If she was practicing save sex, she wouldn't have gotten pregnant."  

I respond, "But she had the baby six years ago when she was still with her husband.  Since that time she has been practicing safe sex."   

"No, no, no,"  she argues.  "I don't want them to question my license.  If they see she had a baby, and I say she practices safe sex, how would that look for me?"

By now, I am speechless.  I mean, how dumb can one be!  Heck, if that were the case, there wouldn't be a soul here on earth who practices safe sex.  I decide to try again.  "But this question is asking about NOW, not six years ago.  What is the client doing now?"  

In one ear and out the other.  Not worth arguing about.  Who am I to question the Nurse?  After all, she is the medical professional...or, at least she is supposed to be.  I'm just wondering where she bought her license because I want one.  

The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand,
and the determination that whether we win or lose,
we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand. 

--Vince Lombardi--

Monday Ramble

The insight we gain from solitude has very little to do with
the amount of time we spend alone. It has a lot more to do
with the quality of time we spend with ourselves.

Jan Johnson Drantell

I had a very quiet weekend. After a busy day on Saturday, shopping and cooking, I took full advantage of my Sunday. Slept in until 10:30 (late for me), then did some reading, watched a few episodes of Law and Order, and eventually put in a DVD I had recently bought about Ireland. And all through the day, I lounged in my jammies. I ate, yes, but made sure it was healthy food which kept me on my WW count.

Earlier in the morning, hubby had gotten a call about his son and had to go try to talk some sense into the kid before he winds up back to the hospital.  I don't know if I had mentioned this before, but his son's mom and grandmother both had schizophrenia, and the kid has inherited it. He refuses to comply with his medications and has been in and out of hospitals for the past 10 years. We tried having him live with us for awhile, but within a week, he had stopped his medications. Now, he lives in a supervised mental health residence, and even they cannot get him to take his medication. Sadly, I feel this will be the way he spends the rest of his life; he is only 27, but now, even on medication, has difficulty functioning.  I know this bothers hubby a lot more than he lets on. He knows that I am there for him it he wants to talk, but I don't push.
 

Needless to say, my son went to a friend's house for the day, and I found myself alone on a Sunday....not that I am complaining. In my opinion, there is a big difference between being alone and being lonely. Some people can live comfortably with their aloneness, while others perceive the feeling as loneliness. I guess being an only child has taught me well.  Lately, I've been thinking about that a lot.

It's that time of the year that my co-workers as they busily prepare for graduations and weddings,  and I must admit, I have felt a tinge of regret whenever they mention their siblings and their parents for, aside from some distant relatives I've met through my Family Tree, I've no one left.  I never had that brother to watch over me, or that sister I could go to with my problems.  I know, it's always peaches and cream with siblings, but right about now, I wonder what it may have been like.  


When people find out I am an only child they usually say, "Oh, you must have been spoiled."  How little they know that it can be rougher on us than those who were raised in a large family, but one thing you do learn is how to improvise.  We learn to devise our own games and solitary pastimes, and although we may be the center of our parents' attention, it may not be the kind of attention that we really want.   While we may be craving for love and affection, we are, instead, flooded with material goods such as toys and clothing.  Yes, as an only child, my Christmases were filled with more gifts than any child could possibly want, but what I needed was to know that my life mattered, that I wasn't alone, that I was loved.

There were many times in my life, until I was left alone, that I wished for solitude. I now find that I love solitude. I never had the blessed gift of being alone until the last of my loved ones was wrested from me. Now I can go sometimes for days and days without seeing anyone. I'm not entirely alone, because I listen to the radio and read the newspapers. I love to read. That is my greatest new luxury, having the time to read. And oh, the little things I find to do to make the days, as I say, much too short.

Solitude--walking alone, doing things alone--is the most blessed thing in the world. The mind relaxes and thoughts begin to flow and I think I am beginning to find myself a little bit.

--Helen Hayes--

A Prayer in Spring

Oh give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,

Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;

And make us happy in the happy bees,

The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird

That suddenly above the bees is heard,

The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,

And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,

The which it is reserved for God above

To sanctify to what far ends He will,

But which it only needs that we fulfill.

--Robert Frost-- 

Well, Spring is just about gone, and Summer will soon be here to take her place....although, for many of us, Summer has already blessing us with Her heat.  Be careful this weekend, and if you 'must' be out in this heat, be sure to take care of yourself.  Heatstroke is no joke.


Hoping you all have a wonderful weekend filled with love and joy.