I found an interesting story today about the need for renewable energy on Cleveland.com.

It talks about an architect who proposes rice farmers in China have differently constructed homes and businesses with rectangular slices of farmland topping these buildings.

Take a look:Future is in renewables, architect says

Have a great day.
Peace.

Storms

I love storms. They are beautiful, powerful, sometimes scary.

They replenish the plants and rejuvenate the earth.

Peace.

Dogs

Dogs are pretty cool companions. They exhibit sheer joy at our arrival; as if the time we were apart was a week.

Buddy loves to have his picture taken.




Fund Food for Animals @ The Animal Rescue Site

Peace.

Memorial Day

Those lost in wars past; today we remember and honor them as a nation.
Past wars; and there have been many in our short history as a country.

A photo essay
Dover AFB Photos our administration does not want us to see






Like a drop of water in a pond, the ripples cascade out, touching everything around it, so does the life of a fallen soldier. His death touches us all.

If you are unfamiliar with Memorial Day History, read and honor those who have lost their lives in battle.

Peace.

Ask For Help

Asking for help when we feel the lowest is the hardest thing to do, but the best time to do it.

If you are having a difficult time, stop and think of who you can ask for help. Call them.
No one has to be alone, even though it feels like we are.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline


There is always hope.

Peace.

Our Beautiful World

There is beauty everywhere I look.

A flower making itself known through pavement is an amazing act of beauty refusing to be held down.

Our world is seen through our personal scopes of vision. What am I seeing? What are you seeing? Is it the same?


Peace,
Deanna

What keeps you conscious?

Kittens are beautiful for helping me tap into the child inside. We all need to play.
Being conscious does not just mean being aware of what is going on in the world around me; it also means tapping into something deeper. Making conscious contact with what's inside. Its a place where I am pure ME.
My soul.
(Plus it helps to have a kitty that likes Al Franken) :)






Nature is like that for me also. Its mysterious. Powerful. Beautiful. Peaceful. Energizing.

Have a great day. Peace.

Peaceful

What gives you peace? Calms you? Helps you find a certain amount of serenity in your life?
What is the name of that place? The place you go when things are grim; when life throws you a curve ball.

Tapping into that energy can be so important in our lives. It can be a life saver.



Pa Qua with Feng Shui Mirror





Share here what you do for yourself when drama knocks on your door.

Peace.

Sicko

Michael Moore's new documentary, 'Sicko' , is receiving good reviews at the Cannes Film Festival.

His film will be opening in the United States in June and exposes our health care system flaws. I invite everyone to check it out when it arrives.

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Its a beautiful day here in northern Illinois, 81 degrees and mostly sunny. I'm about a quarter mile from the Rock River and I can hear the boats speeding back & forth as I sit here. The warm sun is kissing my arms as I type, so I think its time to head outside and read in the shade for a spell.

Have a great Saturday.
Peace.

A Good Day.

This is Buddy, my yellow Lab. He is a good boy. Devoted. Loving. He even smiles. There is also my kitty.
Her name is Fast Kitty because, well........she's a fast kitty.



















I wanted to post a pic of some of my pets because I had a good day. We had a staff meeting where I'm conducting my intership and although it seems a bit overwhelming, I'm excited. I'll be co-leading groups, helping with addiction classes and learning to do one on one counseling. It's going to be a busy summer.

Peace.

Fuel For The Bod

Nutrition is such an important aspect of good health, but with all the fast food restaurants within a mile of each other, its difficult to believe that our culture perceives that.

Good foods cost good money; or so I thought. I accepted that in order to eat well.....buying fresh fruits & vegetables....etc...I needed to spend more money. There is a recent study on eating well on a fixed income.
Healthy Eating Is Possible on a Tight Budget

Staying healthy does not mean having to go broke, Taking care of myself is the gift I give to myself.

Peace.

Alaskan Cruise Ship

It was a gray Monday for passengers on an american cruise ship in Alaska. The boat went aground, but all passengers were evacuated.

Passengers rescued from cruise ship off Alaska - CNN.com

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day,
and peace on earth.





And this is just soooooooooooo funny for mom's day! YouTube - Mother's Day

A Weekend Break

I've been neglecting my blog.

What can I say; I have a fairly busy life. I work full time at an animal hospital and go to college part time. My job requires rather long hours and we rarely get breaks. Pet owners are a very needy bunch, that's for sure.

I will be starting my summer intership in a few days in addition to working full time at my job. Foundations provides assessments, classes and counseling in substance abuse and I'm working on my counseling certification.

Its ironic that my position at the veterinary clinic has been so helpful in my practicing listening skills for counseling others. I don't know how many times I've been with a client in an exam room and they are dealing with an emotional aspect with their pet such as a grave illness or contemplating euthanasia and they begin to talk about other issues in their life that are painful. Many times, after talking for several minutes they look up at me and say, "I don't know why I'm telling you all this."




Difficult situations bring up emotions that people have been dealing with and its understandable that its all connected and they begin to talk about it. Some people deal with it by crying, or projecting anger onto the staff or being silent. Everyone is different. I try to be understanding and meet them where they are.
Have a great Saturday. More tomorrow for Mother's Day. Here's a link to visit that I love:Multiplayer Online Games - Spogg.com

Peace.

Work Smarter, Not Harder On The Envirnonment

Its critical to help the environment, and many countries are looking into alternative fuels that don't damage our surroundings.
Argentina is one of those countries. Citizens of that country are concerned that in an effort to help their fuel costs, they are causing damage to the environment.

Argentina confronts potential environmental impact of biofuels demand - Americas - BostonHerald.com


We can't be overzealous in our efforts; we have to be smart about it in the long run.
Peace.

Finals This Week

Studying is not so bad; its finding the time to do it while working full time and trying to set up my field placement for my summer internship.
I had a great interview last week for my placement. The clinical director seemed to like me and I'm pretty sure I'll get the "job".
I also turned forty, which was not as bad for me as turning thirty for some reason. I'm a different person than I was ten years ago; I'm sure that has something to do with it.

Now.....back to studying about Virginia Satir and Jay Haley.
Peace.


P.S. Also, in order to remind us all what is going on in the world----watch this

Spring is here........

Spring is here.....

New earth sounds
rising up
to meet the birth
of new creatures.

Mountains sharing
rivers of wet nourishment
feeding the new ones.

Rain, surrendering to the
storms that swell
from the dark, grey clouds.

Lightening striking
the newly emerging soil
breaking through to the
green plants that give birth
to new flowers.

Sweet, fresh oxygen
filling the forests
feeding small lungs.

Warm, yellow sun
creating smiles
as they bask in its rays.

Spring is here......