Summer's End

♥

Life's Inspirational Valiant Endeavors

~ Summer's End ~

"We carry within us all the wonders we seek without."  ~ Sir Thomas Browne

  

Summer's end always sets me on a familiar path; tender shoots of late summer grass beneath my feet, sunlight that plays on my face and warms my toes, cool breezes dancing through the trees, fire smoke on the air, and the promise of time to come shared with friends and family. Already well acquainted with autumn's glory, though having grown unaccustomed these last miserably hot months spent indoors; still the question is raised in my mind... am I living a meaningful life? If I am to believe 'to everything there is a season' then why do I always find myself contemplating my failures, rather than applauding my successes?

I, in fact, did plant my garden this summer... only to stand by, feeling incredibly lazy in my helplessness, as the fruits of my labor shriveled in the harshest drought these parts have seen in a long time. (Fail.) 

I did weep over my losses, and mourned as long as mourning was acceptable in the normal order of things. (Success?)

 I did refrain from smothering embracing my children when my needs exceeded their own. (No wait. I got this one. Suc-cess!... *High fives everyone.* I think.)

I do did, I occasionally, inflict self-loathing onto my sometimes delicate voracious psyche. 

(I suck.)

And I did, in fact, not speak when I should have cried out from the top of a mountain. I may have taken some liberties with this one a bit. Though still true. (Complete and utter failure.) 

I suppose one could argue (me) that I did, in theory, succeed at something. I did contemplate my failures, while at the same time basking in my success(es)... that I had, at the very least, truly contemplated my failures. So there's that.

"A time for every purpose under the sun" right? Perhaps the answer, interwoven deep within these failures of mine, is where I will triumph at last. At the moment, I think I may have forgotten what I have failed and or succeeded in to begin with. So the point is moot.

***

To everything there is a season,

a time for every purpose under the sun.

A time to be born and a time to die;

a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

a time to kill and a time to heal...

a time to weep and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn and a time to dance...

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to lose and a time to seek;

a time to rend and a time to sew;

a time to keep silent and a time to speak;

a time to love and a time to hate;

a time for war and a time for peace.

~ Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ~

 ***

A meaningful life? 

Ahhh, September! 

How do I love thee? 

Let me count the ways.

Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time. ~John Lubbock

  ***

On a good day, a day like any other, a day when searching for and accepting balance into my life is my heart and mind's sole purpose; I suppose that is a day lived in the pursuit of meaning. That is a day when love and wisdom take charge, watching over my successes and correcting my failures. And that is more than 'good enough'. That is a force for good. Though it always helps to be reminded, every once in a while. We learn through repetition, after all. And it all started...

Well, very close to kindergarten.

"All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten"

~ Uncommon Thoughts on Common Things ~ 

By Robert Fulghum

"All I Really Need To Know about how to live and what to do and how to be 

I learned in kindergarten. 

Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, 

but there in the sandpile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don't hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don't take things that aren't yours.

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life ~

...learn some and think some

and draw and paint and sing and dance and play

and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world,

watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.

Be aware of wonder.

Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup:

The roots go down and the plant goes up

and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.

Goldfish and hamsters and white mice

and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup ~ they all die.

So do we.

And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books

and the first word you learned ~

the biggest word of all...

LOOK.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. 

The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. 

Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

And it is still true,

no matter how old you are ~

when you go out into the world,

it is best to hold hands and stick together."

Love My Friends

... and happy learning!

“The best way out is always through.”

~ Robert Frost

 

*Life is in the journey!* ~ If I Were Brave

♥

  Life's Inspirational Valiant Endeavors

~ If I Were Brave ~

I was brave once.

I spoke my mind,

stood up to bullies

and loved with all my heart.

I was brave once.

I lost those dear,

but kept them close.

I was brave once.

I asked, “How are you?”

and then

waited for an answer.

I was brave once.

I stood up and said,

“I do dare. I do.”

I was brave once.

I believed in truth,

I believed in hope,

I believed in integrity.

I chose ‘right’ over ‘easy’.

I was brave once.

I believed…

in the power of my voice,

the power of my words,

and the power of choice.

I was brave once.

I claimed responsibility,

and opened my heart to forgiveness.

If I were brave,

I would do it all over again...

in a heartbeat.

If I were brave.

***

“It takes courage to grow up

and become who you really are.”

~ e. e. cummings

 Courage is not the absence of fear.

It is action in its presence.

  Be Brave My Friends!

"The best way out is always through."

~ Robert Frost

Like Oil and Water

                                                                                      Heart on Fire

(The New Year is here, most likely the tree has been hauled out and the candles have been lovingly placed in the closet. I shared this almost a year ago and thought this morning, now is a good time for a gentle reminder... To PLEASE make the time for Fire Safety! I am the first to admit that I panicked. My boys, on the other hand... Good God! Did *I* teach them that? Well, maybe it was their dad. Give me blood. Give me vomit. Give me a person that needs a good cry... and I will most likely know just what to do. Give me fire... in my house... with my children present... and my curtains burning... and obviously, well, obviously I am pleased that it is not MY name in the papers as the dimwit who burned her family's home down. Lesson learned, alright! Think Before You Act! I wish all my readers a happy, healthy and safe 2012!)

We hear it when we're little, “Stop Drop and Roll”. We heard it, at least four times a year, as we followed lazily after one another through the school building, out into either a cold and blustery day or a searingly hot one, “Walk swiftly and quietly toward your exit boys and girls”. We hear it, even as we sternly warn our own children, fear gripping our hearts, “Don’t touch that stove – Don’t play with those matches – Don’t forget, little ones, Mommy and Daddy will come for you. Stay where you are!”


So why is it, like oil and water, all of the fire safety warnings I’ve filed away in my brain since childhood simply separated themselves, alongside the panic rising in my chest, from any of my somewhat-rational, usually dependable reasoning skills yesterday – sinking to the bottom of the towering inferno I had mistakenly created in my kitchen.

I stepped out of my kitchen onto our deck, for no more than a few minutes, after setting a small skillet with roughly a quarter inch of cooking oil on the burner. It completely slipped my mind that I had already turned on the heat – as I walked away from it, distracted. This is where my good sense deserted me completely. Honestly, it is with disgust and shame that I admit here today to you all, that I did Everything Wrong – Everything I knew I should not have done. All I know is, the moment I saw flames blazing on my stove top, my fear of losing Everything took over.

One third of all house fires start in our kitchens, folks – and are generally caused by something as simple as leaving what you have cooking on the stove unattended. Those involving grease can be exceptionally volatile.
Now, I have forgotten my keys were in my very hands, as I turned over the house searching for them – a time or two over the years. I have forgotten to turn off the water to the barn, thereby watering every moss-covered rock in creation. (Wish the pony pasture would have been in the way!) I have even forgotten my age, on occasion – sometimes on purpose. And to answer your question, no, I do not suffer with excessive memory loss. Hmmmnnn… at least, I don’t think so. My memory is probably no better or worse than any mother of three children with a small farm, a large mortgage, multiple dogs, cats, chickens, bunnies, horses and any number of other critters that come and go to love and manage! I lead a busy life. Don't we all.

This is that moment – the one where I read about someone else’s misfortune and think, well, I’m more mindful than that, right? I’ve heard all of the warnings. I know what to do, where to run, where our children are, where our pets are, where the fire extinguisher is – oh, wait – we DO have a fire extinguisher, right? Maybe I should locate it and make sure I know how to use it. Eh, maybe tomorrow.

Speaking clearly from the other side of “tomorrow” – this glorious other side, where my children are safe, I have no more than a few small blisters on my arms and face, little more than new window curtains to replace, and our home with all of our treasures and memories still standing – Please Do Not Wait for Tomorrow!

LOCATE your fire extinguisher!
KEEP it in the kitchen!
KNOW how to use it!
And NEVER, EVER WALK AWAY from oil, in a pan, on the burner!
Not even for a minute! It takes less than ONE to lose EVERYTHING!
And, HERE – is where, what I thought I knew about grease fires, kicked the butt of what I really knew about grease fires!

 

MY FIRST MISTAKE.

Instinct, not knowledge – told me to grab the skillet with a hand towel and walk it slowly through my kitchen and outdoors.

#1 Rule of Grease Fire Safety:  NEVER try to move the pan.  This can make a bad situation MUCH worse.
When fire licked at my wrist as I carried the flaming skillet across my kitchen and hot oil spit into my face, my heart raced, propelling me into Survival Mode – Throw it into the sink, I thought.  My eyes shot upward then over the kitchen sink at the pretty lace curtains I had just washed not a week ago, trembling slightly with the billowing cloud of smoke as the flames grew higher.  Panic screamed, WATER!  My brain whispered... no.


MY SECOND MISTAKE.
Who knew water would not only NOT put out a grease fire, but it would make it grow bigger?  I didn’t – that’s who.  Yes, I had heard that you should not throw water on a grease fire.  I won’t tell you that I thought it might simply produce gremlins, and only if after midnight.  I might say if you had read my post, "When I Start", that I was going to start my period tomorrow.  But then, that seems a bit smug.


#2 Rule of Grease Fire Safety:  NEVER, EVER throw WATER on a GREASE FIRE!  It can cause it to explode and will cause it to throw flaming grease with it!
I panicked, reaching for the faucet and my two boys, ages seventeen and twelve yelled simultaneously, ‘No!’  I’d like to say thank you to hours of “Mythbusters” reruns on the Discovery channel Saturday mornings.  I would also like to thank our local volunteer fire department who first showed our children the awesomeness of a fire hose.

But, it was our oldest son, Will who acted – so fast, in fact, that I have he alone to thank for saving our home and all that that entails.  The moment the rushing water ignited the flames further toward the curtains, the cabinets and the ceiling, he bolted down two flights of stairs to his room and returned seconds later with... whaddya know... a fire extinguisher.  I am reminded now after almost five hours of clean up in my kitchen last night, where a fine yellow powder covered every surface and a fire was snuffed out, that we are truly fortunate to have been left with the mess that could be cleaned up, rather than picked through and hauled away!

Our home is intact, albeit needing some baking soda in the carpets – and possibly a coat of fresh paint on the kitchen and living room ceilings.  Once the odor of grease and smoke clears from the house and I hang some new curtains we’ll be right as rain again and back to normal, with one exception.

I will never again NOT keep a working extinguisher under the kitchen sink – and thanks to some long overdue research, which took all of fifteen minutes, I will now know how to put out a grease fire.


GREASE FIRE SAFETY
1.Never throw water on a grease fire.  It will cause it to explode.  Righto!
2.Do Not throw Sugar OR Flour on a fire.  They are combustible.
3.Never try to move a pan that is on fire.  This can make things much worse. Got it!
4.Put a lid on it!  SMOTHER a grease fire!  Throw on an oven mitt and using either a lid or a cookie sheet, slide it over the pan – something that is fire proof that will not allow air in.  If you can’t find the proper lid, grab one that is bigger but will fit snugly around the edge to cut off the fire’s air supply.
5.Shut off the burner and do not remove the lid until the pan is cooled 15 minutes.

 

 

 A SECONDARY METHOD TO PUT OUT GREASE FIRES

Use a class B or BC or ABC fire extinguisher.
Caution: Fire extinguisher’s release so much pressure that it could tip the pan or spread the burning grease if sprayed too close to the grease fire. So, if you do use a fire extinguisher, start at a distance away and move towards the fire, rather than locating the nozzle directly near the burning grease.

Should a grease fire occur, don’t panic. Humph! If you believe your safety is in jeopardy, evacuate the house and call 911 from the neighbors. Don’t forget – where there’s Fire, there’s Smoke! Carbon monoxide poisoning can have lasting effects, even after you’ve gotten out of the house.  

Smoke inhalation is the leading cause of death from indoor fires.

Smoke rises, so GET DOWN and GET OUT quickly! And, NEVER, EVER go back into the house if the fire has not been contained! Wait for the fire department to arrive!


MY THIRD MISTAKE!
Install a smoke detector on each floor of your house or apartment, and one in the basement. They should be located close to sleeping areas and near the kitchen so that a cooking fire can be detected in its earliest stage. We had them outside of every bedroom and in the basement. We DID NOT have one on the same floor as the kitchen! Our reasoning was, if we placed one too near the cooking area it would be screaming at us every time a little smoke escaped. Had one been installed closer by, perhaps I would have reached it BEFORE the flames were uncontrollable and BEFORE thick, black, choking smoke had completely filled the entire first floor – from ceiling to my eye level!

When to Seek Medical Care for Smoke Inhalation
It wasn’t until the fire was out and we were all safely out of the house that I worried about how much smoke we may have inhaled into our lungs. If you suspect you or someone with you are having problems due to smoke inhalation, contact your doctor or go to the local emergency room for advice.
Seek medical attention if you or someone with you experience the following symptoms with smoke inhalation:

• Hoarse voice
• Difficulty breathing
• Prolonged coughing spells
• Mental confusion

• Decide whether to call an ambulance for assistance. Someone with smoke inhalation can get worse quickly. If such a person were transported by private vehicle, significant injury or death could occur on the way that might have been avoided if that person were taken by emergency medical services.

It is so easy to put things off when it seems we are always trying to just find a moment to relax in between our running. House fires are often avoidable. It literally takes just minutes to lose everything you own and more importantly, your life or the lives of those you love.

Slow Down – Be Prepared – Be Informed!

With Love! Scarlett

 

                 Oil, Water and Fire Don't Play Well Together

 

 ( Heart on Fire source: Here )

First

Night

Saint Louis,

Missouri

12*31*2010

source 

When I was a little girl, I believed in magic. Christmas always brought snow for Santa’s sleigh, and at the stroke of midnight on December 31st, the New Year would arrive with a promise, late into the night, of a taste of sparkling cider and a host of wishes to be answered in the days to come. As I grew older the bubbly in my glass matured, as did my wishes, but the magic remained. Where I once anxiously awaited the clink of a plastic glass and the thrill of boisterous laughter, now I anticipated a kiss.

The New Year offers each of us a clean slate, a fresh start. True magic reveals itself in new opportunities and gently reminds us of those still there for the taking. Even as we dream of changing attitudes, set in stone only moments before the countdown lands on ‘Happy New Year!’, feelings of inspiration and motivation seep into our hearts and our minds, luring us in, if only to say to ourselves, “What if?”

What if – I could summon the courage to Forgive, to Love, to Live my life with eyes wide open? 

The year was 2010 – New Year’s Eve. The plan was – there was no plan. My husband and I would wrangle the kids into the living room once again for a raucous game of Win, Lose or Draw, maybe some shrimp, some wings, some punch – well, maybe something easier than punch. On second thought, what’s easier than punch, I ask. A few cans of silly string would then be revealed outdoors – for this lesson we learned long ago – and all would hoot and holler as we ushered in the New Year. Not long after midnight, the lights would be dimmed and the lot of us, furry and otherwise, would fall asleep to a movie, making our way upstairs much later to lock doors, tuck in a stray kid or two, and retire to that place, where we just might follow through with that promise the adults made to each other hours ago when they were more awake and enthusiastic about the late hour – or maybe not.

In our efforts to prove to our kids that we are not stagnant or dull human beings after all, my husband and I searched secretly, frantically, to find the perfect New Year’s Eve celebration with less than twenty-four hours to do so. Somewhere affordable topped our list – warm and dry would be nice. Well, two outta three ain’t bad! What we found, in our city and in ourselves, was the magic we were looking for.

"Fantasea"

 source

 

In 1991, St. Louis organized its first community wide New Year’s Eve celebration. Nineteen years later, the people continue to gather along the outskirts of North Grand Blvd. in the hopes of creating memorable experiences with friends and loved ones, through the visual and performing arts of First Night.  This year’s theme, “Fantasea” transformed the Grand Center District into a playful ocean of glow-in-the-dark bubbles, bigger-than-life jellyfish floating on air, a forty-foot wall of wishes, shared in post-it notes painting an undersea mosaic, a fifteen ton sand sculpture of Neptune, numerous performers who sang and danced and entertained us all into 2011 – and two spectacular fireworks displays over the city!

*Fireworks!*

source 

First Night’s mission was to broaden our horizons and to deepen our appreciation of the arts, to share a cultural experience, in and with our own community, and to make it as accessible and affordable as possible. This evening, the evening after, I can honestly say, they achieved their goal with our family, despite Mother Nature’s efforts early on to send us home, with cold rain seeping into our shoes and chilly winds whispering at the backs of our necks.

Nearly seventeen years ago we moved further west of St. Louis with our first child, out of the city life and away from the madness of crowded streets and neighborhoods. Our small family of three grew to five over time, and though rich in our new rural community with friends, and opportunities wide open spaces provided – our simpler, more modest way of life kept us so comfortable, so out of touch, that we missed out on a few of the more extraordinary, remarkable experiences within that madness.

With the exception of many affordable trips to the St. Louis Zoo

(Free Admission)

The St. Louis Zoo

 source

and more than enough to the St. Louis Science Center and Planetarium

(Also, Free!)

The Planetarium

 source

 and lets not forget the Art Museum, where my children, literally, climbed the walls

(Yep, Free As Well!)...

The Art Museum, St. Louis, Missouri

...we’ve missed out on the excitement and the cultural growth to be found in

 *Here*

The Muny, St. Louis, Missouri

source

 *Here*

The Fox Theatre, St. Louis, Missouri

source 

*Here*

Powell Symphony Hall, St. Louis, Missouri

source

and *Here*

The Repertory Theatre, St. Louis, Missouri

source

...and numerous other venues there for us to experience, and join in with our world community. 

This New Year’s Eve, our very first First Night, welcomed us onto the streets of St. Louis, lit with the enthusiasm of the performers and the crowds, there to celebrate the harmony within us all, each uniquely the same. After snagging a free parking spot close by we headed north up the boulevard.

Jeff, The Juggler

source 

Jeff, the Juggler lured us in quickly beneath the Fox Marquee and the dancing jellyfish, entertaining the crowd that had gathered with his interactive comedy and flaming batons. Huddled together beneath the warm brilliance of the stage lights and a very tall, blue man on stilts, who easily accentuated my shortness, I knew it was going to be a good night.

St. Francis Xavier Church, St. Louis, Missouri

source 

Accompanied by a host of street performers, we eventually turned our damp brood southeast, aiming for the main stage and looking for St. Francis Xavier church. A man with a smile and a steel drum played island music beneath the eave of a building as we passed, while another stood on a box as a human statue, entertaining a break in character only when a passerby dropped a show of appreciation into his cup. The light rain hurried us on past the diver in scuba gear enveloped in a life size bubble, as she floated her way down the boulevard, stopping to touch hands with a small child in a little pink coat. That was us once, I thought.

There are moments in a life when something just sticks – a kid grows up, a cold rain seeps into more than just a coat, perhaps even a shared experience that moves you on a special night. We accept an active role in our world, among the human race, when we participate. We made new friends along the way when we met up with the family of our oldest son’s girlfriend. Who would have thought our kids would be setting us up on play dates? Gone, are the days when our little boy would have weaved and ducked a girl’s attentions. Spying her hand in his, as the lot of us welcomed the New Year, I was reminded yet again that he had grown into a mature and loving young man. My husband and I shared gentle nudges, some not, throughout the night, painfully aware of two more of our children who would follow soon enough. Once we have teenagers, birthdays aren’t the only thing that reminds us of our age or disposition. Here I am – that place I thought was too far in my future to ever become reality. Happy New Year to Me!

Start Over!

source 

Our New Year’s Eve ended brilliantly to music and dancing and pageantry in the streets. However, it was our attention and our appreciation, which we gave to...

 The Reventones

when they shared harmony in their guitars and voices. 

 Buckets and Tap Shoes

when they entertained us all with their witty, distinctive talent.

Creative Pandemonium, Justin Kredible, The Cadence, and so many more we would love to have seen! Their energy and showmanship drew us in and will keep us coming back for more year after year!

My New Year’s Wish
for You and for Me
  ~This year I want to know Peace,
through exhilarating dance that will move my feet,
inspiring music that will move my soul
and passionate,
sidesplitting theatrics
that will move me to laugh.~

"Nobody can go back 

and start a new beginning,

but, Anyone can start today

and make a new ending."

~Maria Robinson