What is the most valuable thing you ever found at Goodwill?
I THINK I just discovered a real hidden treasure, like something you’d see on Antiques Roadshow!
I often stop at the Goodwill located right next door to TJ Maxx. I hadn’t been there in a while, but yesterday morning it didn’t look too crowded so I decided to check it out.
I’m always on the lookout for cute little boxes or animal figurines. I didn’t see anything like that, but a very unusual vase caught my eye. I looked and looked at it, and I knew I didn’t NEED a vase, but the shape and colors were unique and I brought it home for $3.99.
Always curious, I researched the maker’s name on the bottom…Finland Arabia. There’s a lot of information online and I learned that Arabia was a Finnish ceramics company, founded in 1873 by Rörstrand. The specific type of mark on the bottom of my vase indicated it was made between 1900-1917.
It’s in absolutely pristine condition. I couldn’t find this exact triangle kind of design (which might mean it’s super rare) but similar pieces recently sold for hundreds of dollars!
Who would toss out this turn-of-the-century beauty with the stylized floral motif?
I probably won’t ever sell it, but I’m grateful to have rescued her (for $3..99!!!!) and she’ll have pride of place in my display case.
If anyone knows anything about this piece, please tell me!
These are such exquisite words, it almost hurts my heart to read them.
“And at night you will look up at the stars. My star will just be one of the stars, for you. In one of those stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night. And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me. I shall not leave you. There is sweetness in the laughter of all the stars….and in the memories of those we love.” Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince ⭐
This full moon + lunar eclipse sparked such wild dreams that I’m almost afraid to fall asleep. Has this happened to you?
Last night I dreamed that I was in a large supermarket which is kind of unusual for me because I do most of my real life shopping at Traders and Sprouts. I stood in the checkout line with a shopping cart full of food. When it was my turn to pay, I realized that I didn’t have any money or any credit cards; they had disappeared from my wallet. I was SO embarrassed and had to leave the store. People were watching me in that covert, silently judgmental way.
To make matters worse, I couldn’t locate my car. It’s not that I forgot where it was; my car had been stolen. When I thought about it, I realized that my credit cards had also been stolen, so I called the police, sat on the curb and waited.
That’s when I woke up.
I hate it when I don’t have a satisfactory resolution to my dreams; the feeling of loss and confusion can linger for hours after I wake up. Now I’ll never know who stole my car and credit cards. I’m still there, sitting on the curb, sad and stressed out.
I don’t even want to research the symbolism of that dream; I just want to forget it.
“Thanks, full moon, for a disturbing night’s sleep.”
Because I love to add music to posts, here’s Neil Young’s Harvest Moon:
There was a recent WordPress writing prompt to describe what type of music you listen to — although I never follow a prompt, I did however, think about it and decided I didn’t give enough attention to Leon Russell.
(OK, I admit it, I’m still obsessed with Leon, especially since I had a light bulb moment as I watched a video of Leon and Willie Nelson in concert.)
I thought to myself, OMG, I was only ONE DEGREE from Leon Russell! It’s true.
In 2006, Willie came to San Diego to promote his own brand of biofuel– BioWillie. In a strange set of circumstances, I attended the Sustainable Biodiesel Summit where he talked about alternative fuels. I believe he was accompanied by Darryl Hannah but I can’t be sure…actually, I’m 100% sure but my laser focus was only on Willie.
(I’m an unlikely country music aficionado, but only for certain musicians and only at certain times. I like the old hillbilly stuff, too, like Hank Williams.)
Here’s what I know about myself: I have no fear when it comes to talking to anybody whether it’s a celebrity or a high ranking politician. Or His Holiness the Dalai Lama. No fear, none at all. It’s like my brain goes into a different space (and time haha) and I become hyper-focused on the interaction and I simply do it without thinking of anything, really. It’s a very strange feeling, but not unpleasant…
I can’t recollect the exact reason why, but I remember walking on the stage to introduce myself to Willie and he gave me a big, lovely bear hug in front of a roomful of people. Why did I do that? I have NO idea.
It was so random, so unexpected, and soso COOL.
And then, literally just this minute, it dawned on me that I was THAT CLOSE to Leon Russell and how it was a total and absolute missed opportunity.
After the first time I saw Leon Russell in concert in the 70s, he performed in San Diego at the Belly Up at least half a dozen times, the last time a few months before he died. I never saw him again. It’s one of my biggest life regrets.
I was ONE DEGREE AWAY FROM LEON RUSSELL!
I would have most definitely been brazen enough to introduce myself to him and recount my previous interaction with Willie. In the story I tell myself, after that encounter, we’d forge a lasting friendship. At least that’s how it plays out in the little fantasy world in my crazy head.
This is Part Two of my Leon Russell obsession –the master of space and time. I’ve travelled down a rabbit hole to learn all about who he was.
What is even more remarkable about his extraordinary talent is that he was born with cerebral palsy, causing some paralysis to his right side which resulted in a limp. It made him the target of bullies while growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the 1950s. Also because of this, he had to teach himself new ways to play the piano (and guitar).
I find him even more fascinating because I possess ZERO musical talent in any and every way. I can’t sing (you wouldn’t want me to), I can’t play an instrument, and I can barely keep the right count when I dance.
However, Leon Russell’s talents are forever; as a classically trained pianist, arranger, band leader, and songwriter.
Here’s Willie and Leon together:
Did you know that Leon played piano on many Beach Boys recordings?
Leon Russell and Glen Campbell were part of a group called the Wrecking Crew, first call session musicians in Los Angeles for Phil Spector. I can’t post it here, but look on YouTube for In Session – Glen Campbell & Leon Russell – 1983https://youtu.be/TXHR_L6LeVo?si=thP93HlKfv1qrcy1
This a a compilation of many of Leon’s live concerts:
Herb Alpert had this to say about Leon Russell, “Leon was a wonderful musician and had a major effect on all of my recordings. His touch can be heard on many Tijuana Brass records, including “Whipped Cream” and “A Taste of Honey.” To top it off, Leon was a true gentleman with a special talent and he was a person that I had a great feeling for.”
In the early 1960s, before Leon became the long haired, very sexy blue-eyed pianist/songwriter/producer, he was the house pianist for the band on the Shindig TV show.
Here he is playing Roll Over, Beethoven.
Shindig again with Glen Campbell on banjo.
THIS! Delta Lady, one of my all-time faves. Leon wrote it for Joe Cocker (I never liked him) but does it so much better himself…some say it was written for Rita Coolidge.
To answer that expired prompt, right now it’s obvious that I listen to a lot of Leon Russell. Here’s a list of my recently downloaded playlist on my iphone:
One More Love Song Magic Mirror This Masquerade It’s a Hard Rain’s a Gonna Fall Tight Rope Delta Lady Stranger in a Strange Land and of course, A Song For You
I really hope I’ve inspired you to re-acquaint yourself with Leon Russell’s vast body of work and if you have never listened to him before, please do!
He will always be the master of space and time; a musical genius.
Be my mother, I said to the trees, in the language of trees, which can’t be transcribed, and they shook their hair back, and they bent low with their many arms, and they looked into my eyes as only trees can look into the eyes of a person, they touched me with the rain on their fingers till I was all droplets, till I was a mist, and they said they would. (Emily Berry, Canopy: Stranger, Baby)
I’ve become obsessed with observing how often people say “of course” in response to “thank you” or any other expression of appreciation. Have you noticed it, too?
For example, I was at the market and said thank you to the person who bagged my groceries. He said, “Of course.”
Later, a neighbor gave me a cool puzzle for the grandkids. I texted “thank you.” She responded, “of course”.
Someone else helped me find a particular section of rugs in TJ Maxx and when I told her I appreciated the help, she responded, “of course.”
This all happened in the same day because it seems as if no one says “you’re welcome” EVER –just “of course.”
Is it rude? Is it polite?
OF COURSE I did a little research…
Here’s the query: Is it rude to reply “of course”?
‘Of course’ by itself means obvious, expected. So when someone says ‘of course’ instead of ‘you’re welcome’, the feeling is “it’s obvious that I would do that because I want to do that’. It seems to be a friendly communication, BUT IS IT?
In fact, it’s a big search on Quora…
Why do millennials often say “of course” instead of saying “you’re welcome” when you thank them?
You can respond to someone who says “of course!” after you thank them by expressing your gratitude again or by acknowledging their kindness. For example, you could say “Thank you again, I really appreciate it” or “You’re so kind, thank you.” This shows that you value their response and appreciate their willingness to help.
What about people who respond “no problem” in response to “thank you”?
I like this following points of view:
“You’re welcome,” is the correct short answer. “Of course” implies entitlement. Even the currently popular, “No problem,” implies imposition.
Both of those answers imply “It’s all about me, not you.” I think it’s another sign, indicative of more and more egregious narcissistic behavior creeping into our society on a daily basis.
Regardless of the following ways to respond to “thank you” and you can call me old-fashioned, but I’m going to stick with “you’re welcome.” That’s the only one that feels right to me.
Do you say “no problem” or “of course” or are you like me and reply with a simple “you’re welcome”?
As we’re gearing up for the total solar eclipse on April 8, there’s a lot going on in the sky, like today, April 4, a rare celestial event occurs as four planets align: Venus, Saturn, and Mars will be visible to the naked eye, while Neptune can be seen with a telescope or binoculars.
These alignments carry profound spiritual significance. They represent moments when celestial energies merge, heightening awareness and opening doors to deeper insights and experiences.
There will be no sighting for me, I’m sad to report, because the skies are becoming overcast and cloudy due to an approaching storm, but I hope someone is lucky enough to see the planets align.
Even so, simply knowing that’s happening in the skies above, despite not being able to personally view the magic — is enough. I can still feel the energies.
The full moon and lunar eclipse again wreaked havoc with my sleep – I woke up several times seemingly for no reason, but I looked out the window and said “goodnight, moon“, as if I were in Margaret Wise Brown’s classic book where the bunny says goodnight to various objects and creatures before drifting off to sleep.
I thought the earth remembered me, she took me back so tenderly, arranging her dark skirts, her pockets full of lichens and seeds. I slept as never before, a stone on the river bed, nothing between me and the white fire of the stars but my thoughts, and they floated light as moths among the branches of the perfect trees. All night I heard the small kingdoms breathing around me, the insects, and the birds who do their work in the darkness. All night I rose and fell, as if in water, grappling with a luminous doom. By morning I had vanished at least a dozen times into something better. –Mary Oliver
This is my favorite, a swan pedal boat on Agua Hedionda Lagoon. It’s an activity high on the list when the Angels visit this summer. Doesn’t that look like a lot of fun?
Now I’m standing on a path with a view of the trestle bridge and a peek of a blue Pacific ocean. Do any locals know my specific location? I bet not, ‘cos it’s a secret.
After walking all the way around the lagoon, this is a look to the east and a very low tide…
If you block out the electrical poles and the road, it’s easy to transport yourself back in time to when this land was the home of the indigenous Kumeyaay Indian Nation.
This is where they lived, fished, gathered berries, wove baskets, and buried their families. They lived in small family groups which had to move frequently to find new sources of food and water. Each clan wintered in a sheltered valley and migrated into the mountains in the spring.
It’s sacred land and should stay that way in perpetuity.
Enchanted Seashells | Princess Rosebud 