Cattitude and Gratitude

(Thanks to Morguefile.com for the zebra pic.  I have never seen a zebra in real life so have no photos.  And I sure don't have a funny photo like this one!) The A to Z challenge is over for this year If you’re still reading, I give you a cheer, We’re doing the last letter Zed today You might say Zee, but I’m Canadian, eh? Hard to think of Z words, my brain is getting sore What about zany and zombie? There must be more, Zamboni, and zenith. Zipper and zit Zulu, zebra. Okay, I quit! My energy is zapped and I’ve lost my zing I’m out of the Zone and can’t do a thing! It’s hard finding Z words to fit and rhyme I need a ZZZZ now. See you next time! 

Moments slip away as seconds rush past I want to find a way to make them last, I make my Yesterday books to help keep track I look at my books and the memories rush back, By taking photos and putting them in a book I can recapture Yesterday every time I look. © Cathy Graham April 29, 2013

Xtra Xtra read all about it, X is hard, no doubt about it, It sure is hard to find X words Doing X is for the birds, There’s Xray, and Xylophone, yes, that’s true Xerox, X box and X-rated, too, Signing off with an X or two (SMACK!) X is way too hard to do! Love Cathy XXXXX

We writers are strange, there’s no denying We are wacky and weird without even trying, We live in a world of our own creation Dreaming up stories from our imagination, We’re not in it for the money or for the fame Though a little would be nice, just the same, Writer’s block is a deadly curse Writing crap is even worse, Being a writer can be lonely and tough We often feel we’re not good enough, But when we write some shining prose Our writing shimmers, sparkles and glows, It’s what being a writer is all about And helps sustain us through the drought. ©  by Cathy Graham, April 26, 2013

Do you use your voice to complain and moan? Do you witter and whine in a pitiful tone? How you use your voice says a lot about you And your choice of words definitely matters, too, What if you decided to praise and rejoice? Wouldn’t that be a much better choice? Think about that when you use your voice.

Did you ever wonder why you’re here? Or why were you born in a certain year? Why are you living in this time and place? Why do you have that body and face? You are unique and one of a kind Just the thought can boggle the mind, The population grows as we speak But you alone are totally unique! So show the world what you can do There’ll never be another you!

(Disclaimer: This photo of these lovely roses is not mine.  Thanks to bluekdesign at morguefile.com for the use of their photo.) Just for a while, why not stop your hurrying? Are you in the moment or always worrying? Rush, rush, rush to get it all done Like a race that has to be won, Why not take time to smell the roses today? Take a moment to stop and play, Right now matters more than past Today is all we have and it’s going fast, Step right up and get a brand new day But you must act now before it slips away. 

Singing is much better than any pill I’m in a place where time stands still, All my worries fade away Singing is a time to play, Singing brings out such emotion It soothes me like a magic lotion, Singing connects me to my soul Pushing me to a higher goal, I feel such joy in every song Singing is where I belong. I have been in the Village Voices Women's Choir for almost 9 years now. www.freewebs.com/villagevoices It has been such an enriching experience being able to share with a group of supportive women, all united to create beautiful music. We work hard but we have fun, too. Our passionate and incredible director, Karen pushes us further than we think we can go and we're always amazed to realize we actually did it. Our accompanist Tina is so talented and makes us sound so good. I feel so fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful group. And I love being able to share our music with audiences, whether in seniors' residences, nursing homes, or ...

Life is a tough journey that is never the same Constantly changing like some kind of game, We are not perfect and we make mistakes We hurt so deeply that our heart breaks, We try new things and fall flat on our face Resilience helps us forget our disgrace, Growing and learning, we persevere Resilience guides us through the fear, Wiser and stronger, we start anew Resilience helps us see it through.

During the 1960's when I was in grade school,  I remember there always being a framed photograph  of Queen Elizabeth II in every Canadian classroom. Here is a poem I've written based on those recollections from a child's perspective. I still like Queen Elizabeth today and admire her strength and tenacity.  And yes, it's obvious, she still is the boss! Too bad, Charles! Did you know Queen Elizabeth went to school with me? I’m not kidding as you can plainly see, Dressed in her robe, a crown upon her head She’d watch and listen to whatever I said, With splendid jewels and a fancy gown She was the best dressed queen in town, Every morning I’d sing God Save the Queen I did this each day until I was a teen, I was nervous of the queen always watching me So I’d try my hardest to be good as could be, I tried my best not to make her cross It was obvious that she was the boss.

Pasted on smiles and stiff formal poses Scarecrow hair and runny noses, Knee high socks and sagging skirts Baggy pants and wrinkly shirts, A sunny beach or a snowy hill Spring lilacs on the window sill, A contented cat or a hyper dog Fungii growing on a fallen log, Sepia, colour, black and white A magical display of contrast and light, Photos are a good way to express my art Freezing the moment that is close to my heart.

The Atlantic Ocean, so majestic and vast I gaze at the waves and imagine times past, Point Michaud on the Cape Breton coast Is one of the places I love the most, The waves so huge, all capped with white Crashing and splashing with all their might, Being here makes my life seem small I’m a blink of an eye in the scheme of it all, The ocean keeps going on and on And will continue long after I’m gone.

Numbers never stay inside my brain They wash away like morning rain, Phone numbers, birthdays, addresses, too What’s a number hating gal to do? Stepping on the scale can be a fright When I see the results of my binge last night, Numbers, numbers, everywhere They like to catch me unaware, There’s no escape, nowhere to hide I should know because I’ve tried, Speed limits, grocery prices, bills galore I’ve had it with numbers, my brain is sore!

Moments are sun patterns through the trees Moments are butterflies on the breeze, Moments are music that touches the soul Moments are friendships that make you feel whole, Moments are snowflakes swirling above Moments are heartbreak followed by love, Moments are your children, small then grown Moments are times when you’re all alone, Moments are the minutes that become hours Moments are the buds that grow into flowers, Moments are fleeting and gone so fast Try to enjoy them while they last.

I must admit I did not use my own photo this time for the challenge. I had no lemons to photograph and I sure don't have any lovely lemon trees like this one outside my door. Just neverending snow! Sigh. It is spring, isn't it? You'd never know if you looked out my window. Good thing we Canadians love winter. HA! So I borrowed a photo from morguefile.com, and used a photo from beglib. Thanks, beglib, I owe you one!  http://morguefile.com/creative/beglib I was lying in bed this morning when this poem came to me partly written. I felt like a scribe getting it all down and then all I needed to do was tweak it to make it smoother. I am grateful when that happens as many times it doesn't come that easily and I write a ton of garbage before I get something I like. When life hands you lemons make lemonade Sit and enjoy a glass in the shade, When life hands you lollipops , take a good lick. But don’t lick too much or you’re sure to get sick, When l...

Here is a photo of Mrs. Cardinal that I took recently on our feeder in the front yard.  I used the Kaleidoscope photo editing feature at this site  http://www.tuxpi.com/   and Voila! Mrs. C and the feeder have been transformed into a lovely flower pattern.  Why not g ive it a try? It's fun and there are other fun photo editing features to waste time on....er I mean to try out. Sorry the photo is a bit big for the blog post but you can't read the quote otherwise. Sparkling shimmering patterns are sure to delight All made by glass and mirrors reflecting the light, Twirl those glass pieces and see what you can do Create new patterns and make something new, Look through your kaleidoscope and play the game Shake it up and look inside, it’s never the same.

I love journals of every kind Small or large, I really don’t mind, Feminine flowers or masculine stripes I love journals of many types, I write "to do" lists or random thoughts Story ideas or outlines of plots, I write about love and I write about hate I write down appointments so I won’t be late, All these journals are cluttering up the place I must stop buying them, I’m running out of space!

Recipe for Developing Good Ideas It all starts with imagination, the main ingredient which you could call the starter or base of the recipe. Let imagination simmer and incubate in isolation for a while. Don’t expect instant results. Good ideas take time. Even being idealistic is okay at this stage. Avoid being irritable or indifferent . Those ingredients do not go well in this recipe and often sour the recipe before it’s even begun. Sprinkle with some inspiration. Boil for a while enjoying the invigorating scent as it invites you to invent. Soon new ideas will bubble to the surface. Take your favourite idea and carefully isolate , putting it aside so it won’t be forgotten. Skim all the other ideas off the top and reserve for later. You must be quick as these ideas quickly dissipate and are lost indefinitely. Take your one idea and stir it well. Throw in some more inspiration and imagination .  Repeat as necessary. Ask for insig...

Good health is more valuable than money and jewels More precious than mansions with Olympic-sized pools, Don’t worry so much that it makes you blue Live each day mindfully and take care of you, Good health means nurturing body and soul Staying healthy should be a daily goal.

Grateful or grumpy, it’s always your choice Are you mad at the world or do you want to rejoice? For it all comes down to your thoughts and attitude Are you full of anger or full of gratitude? You see the world in your own unique way Your thoughts and attitude determine your day, Grateful or grumpy, it’s up to you What would you prefer to do?

Footloose and fancy free That’s the way I like to be, No anger or despair, no wallowing in sorrow No regrets of yesterday, no worries for tomorrow, I love to bathe in mud and jump in a puddle Who cares if my humans get all in a muddle? Rolling in rotten stuff is such a delight And there’s nothing better than a good dog fight Struttin my stuff, the cats quiver in fear Watch out Gordon and Bigfoot, Loup is here! I’m living in the moment, it’s my time in the sun I’m a doggie whose mission is to always have fun!

This is me last week after a visit from the Enthusiasm Fairy. Pretty scary, eh? On those days when I’ve had enough Finding some enthusiasm can sure be tough, I’d rather just go back to bed Pull my covers over my head, But instead I search for the Enthusiasm Fairy Have you seen her? Her name is Mary, I know she was here just last week She perked me up when things were bleak, I sure hope she’ll come and visit soon Or else I’m going to sleep til noon.

I took this photo on a trip to Toronto to see "The Wizard of Oz" this past February. I thought this mural painted on the side of a building was whimsical, fun, and very fitting for the theme of dreams. Here is a poem I wrote about going for your dreams. It's never too late! Keep dreaming! You’re never too old to go for your dreams It’s more attainable than it seems, Just start slow and make a start Find out what is closest to your heart, Stop waiting for some day and do it now You are the only one who knows how, The main thing is get going and make a plan Come on now, get moving, I know you can!

Today is the letter C in the A-Z challenge. Since I was torn between writing about chocolate or cats, I couldn’t resist using this zany orange cat picture created by the clever and creative photographer John Lund. I know I should have used my own photo but when I tried to get Rosie to hold a box of chocolates, she never even budged. So I wrote the poem and that was my creative effort for today’s challenge. Hmmm, Creative. There’s another great  C word. There are so many to choose from. I thought about Coffee, too, another great C word. Hmmmm, Coffee Break time. Don’t mind if I do. See ya! I think every day is a box of chocolates day Who knows what we’ll get when we pick from the tray? Some days are nutty and some days are sweet Some days are so bitter they knock you off your feet, Coconut, nougat or orange cream? Vanilla swirl or strawberry dream? Such delicious moments, so full of flavour Those are the days we love to savour, ...

Mary Kay didn’t let anything stop her and built a huge cosmetics empire just because she believed she could and she didn’t let others say she couldn’t. She persevered through many obstacles, the biggest one being fear. How often do we hold back with fear, thinking we can’t do something instead of taking a risk and trying? Our fear of failure and embarrassment can be so strong that we are paralyzed to take action. We believe that inner voice that says we can’t do something or worse, we believe the negative naysayers out to sabotage our efforts. What’s the worst that could happen? We might get turned down. We might look foolish for a while, feel uncomfortable and defeated. We do survive. What if we changed our way of thinking and believed we could do it? In Steve Jobs biography, Jobs pushed his team to the limit, making them achieve things that were thought to be totally impossible. Jobs believed it was possible and he made the team believe it, too.  BELIEVE an...

I've signed up for the A to Z blogging challenge. Nothing like a challenge and a deadline to get a person writing regularly. And I love to read all the creative blog posts of other people in the challenge. There's so much creativity out there that I can't help but be inspired. For the challenge, I will create my own inspirational poster each day combining one of my own photos and a quote on a subject that begins with that day's letter. And I will include a poem or piece of prose with it, depending on what I'm inspired to write that day. To begin, I have chosen: A is for Art. Creating art is creating life, the process is the same Splash some paint on your canvas and see it as a game, Write those words upon that page, strut your stuff upon a stage Play your instrument or sing a song Don’t let them say you’re doing it wrong, For art is life, and life is art Full of love, straight from the heart.