Meri's Musings

I got a hit of JOY from this quote: Be yourself. Life is precious as it is. All the elements of your happiness are already there. There is no need to run, strive, search or struggle. Just be.             - Thich Nhat Hanh It's as simple as that, if you don't get all wound up in expectations and shoulds.  Just be. Bloom. . . even if it makes you feel like you're a show-off.  So what? Shine your light.  You never know who'll find her way because you shared your light. Where did you find JOY this week? To play along and share the joy: 1. do a post that tells and shows us  what gives you joy. 2. capture the URL of the specific post  and paste it into the  Mr. Linky box along with your name. 3. Then click the NEXT box If the "next" box doesn't pop up, click the link to go to the page to select your image -- choose one from your post so you'll entice people to visit. (If you just can...

Yesterday I showed you two cover designs and asked you to choose which you liked. I had started from scratch and redesigned the cover because I didn't like the graphic designer's proposal. But in order to use the image I chose, I had to re-title the book. A couple of you left comments (or emailed me) asking why I didn't use my own photos. And a dear friend objected to changing the REAL title to match the image I'd chosen. SO. . . . back to the drawing board. What about this instead? and just to muck up the waters, I've done a second design using another cover photo. Feedback, please. . . 

I need your help.   The graphic designer came up with a cover  for my poetry volume,  but I didn't like it. So I've chosen new cover art and tried my hand at layout. # 1  # 2 Which one do you like best? I need your comments on the "Comments"  background color preference and whether you like the title ascending (as in # 1) or horizontal (as in # 2). p.s. The white box is where the ISBN goes and of course the watermark will disappear when the photo is purchased for use. The photographer/artist is Elena Vizerskaya .

What gave me JOY this week? Going to a baby shower for a mom-to-be that I've known since she was a little girl. You met her last year for her April wedding and the year before that on Valentine's Day when we shopped for her bridal gown. Then later in the same day, I got to find out what happens to cheerleaders when they grow up. Wasn't really looking forward to the class reunion, but it was more fun than expected. Photo by Rich Sittner That's me on the right, Judie in the middle, Patsy on the left -- and our cheer coach Joanne standing. I know, she looks great and is 8 years older than we are. What gives you JOY? To play along and share the joy: 1. do a post that tells and shows us  what gives you joy. 2. capture the URL of the specific post  and paste it into the  Mr. Linky box along with your name. 3. Then click the NEXT box If the "next" box doesn't pop up, click the link to go to the page to select your image -- choose one fr...

I don't have any travel plans this fall and I'm feeling the urge. Where would you escape if you could?

Another favorite face. . . festive coloring, but sad eyes. He looks alone in the crowd.

How time flies -- it's already Thursday and I haven't put up Share the Joy. Could it be that I'm having too much fun sharing my Favorite Faces? Where have you found joy this week? To play along and share the joy: 1. do a post that tells and shows us  what gives you joy. 2. capture the URL of the specific post  and paste it into the  Mr. Linky box along with your name. 3. Then click the NEXT box If the "next" box doesn't pop up, click the link to go to the page to select your image -- choose one from your post so you'll entice people to visit. (If you just can't get it to work, email me and give me the URL of the post you're adding and I'll take care of it). 4. visit other players -- as many as possible --  and let their joy infect you.   5. Leave them a comment about their post because everyone enJOYs getting positive feedback. Let's start an epidemic of joy!

I think she defines "adorable."

Egyptian woman who bakes pita bread  at a roadside restaurant near Saqqara. I altered this photo using an opaque chalk filter treatment.

For the life of me, I don't know why I can't get Blogger to cooperate today. It keeps turning my font blue, underlining,  and changing fonts for no reason at all. All of which makes it unreasonably hard to tell my story. Imagine me, outside yesterday morning, the anniversary of my birth, around 9 a.m. I'm in the back yard,  which borders on the very ritzy private golf course, with men in little carts whizzing by, looking for their balls-- golf balls, that is - and me decked out in the Birthday Tutu. I'm setting up the camera on the tripod and then trying, to no avail, to get the self-timer working. In other words, I was a photo failure on my birthday. So here, courtesy of my youngest son Gavin, is the promised image: And thank you, Gavin, for not fainting from being with a mother in a red tutu and a sparkly tiara. . Now if you have a birthday in October or early November and you'd like to humiliate your children by wearing the birthday tutu made by Deb a...

A dose of JOY Playing with the boys. . . . And on that theme, my favorite scene from Top Gun. . . (did I mention my ex was a Top Gun pilot? SIGH) Where have you found joy this week? To play along and share the joy: 1. do a post that tells and shows us  what gives you joy. 2. capture the URL of the specific post  and paste it into the  Mr. Linky box along with your name. 3. Then click the NEXT box If the "next" box doesn't pop up, click the link to go to the page to select your image -- choose one from your post so you'll entice people to visit. (If you just can't get it to work, email me and give me the URL of the post you're adding and I'll take care of it). 4. visit other players -- as many as possible --  and let their joy infect you.   5. Leave them a comment about their post because everyone enJOYs getting positive feedback. Let's start an epidemic of joy!