The Castle Lady

The Sign of Our Days

2012-01-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite authors is Debbie Macomber who I began reading on occasion during my first year working as a nail technician many years ago. The salon where I worked had a full library of paperback novels and I usually read one or two books a week on my hour-long lunch breaks. I discovered her among the romance novelists and she was different in her approach to the point of total discretion but they really were romantic with some realism thrown in for good measure. After I would read her novels I'd often feel as though I could have the same happily married ending. While I may still be waiting on that- no laughing please !- when I took up reading more of her books within the last decade she had become a very well-rounded author by touching on new subjects and various series which appealed to a wider audience. This year she has come out with a book, which is titled One Perfect Word, that I am keenly interested in reading. It is a non-fiction inspirational book focused on a very interesting premise. The following is her own description of it:

"For almost twenty years now I've chosen a word to focus on for the year. My word for 2012 came to me in October: magnify. I find it far too easy to think about problems and concerns, so I decided that instead of concentrating on those, I would turn my thoughts to God instead. I want to use the year 2012 to magnify the Lord in my life.

Actually, I've had some pretty amazing things happen when I've concentrated on a single word for the year. In January my new non-fiction book, One Perfect Word, will be released. In this book I recount a few of the growth steps along my spiritual journey through these words. If you choose a word each year and would like to share your choice for 2012 with me, I'd love to hear your thoughts. You can write me via my Guestbook."

Interestingly enough, I have been using this particular concept on a daily basis for two decades now and have found that the Lord often supplies me with a scripture to support it. I understand Debbie's concept and I feel that her word for the year is marvelous for focusing and stabilizing for long term effect and for breaking through stubborn problems or those which are complex and difficult to solve. My plan dealt with each day-to-day challenge for coping and overcoming- for everything from rush hour traffic to dealing with homeless people. God always seemed to supply the right word or phrase and it was comforting to know that He was right by my side helping me every step of the way- every day.

Now that I face different challenges which are more similar to Debbie's lifestyle of writing a good part of the time rather than regular workday issues I think the concept of her book might be a little closer to my current needs. All I need now is a word for this year. I believe I'm going to choose the word miracles because I could use a few this year and I'd like to step back for awhile and see what God can do. Wish me mazel tov !

Miraculously,

The Castle Lady

God's Undercover Agents

2011-11-28T16:07:00.000-08:00

In the Neighbor to Neighbor section of the December issue of Guideposts I spotted an article about how the Oregon freelance cameraman, Kevin Felts, was able to see abundant fruit come from a random act of kindness just last April. The coincidence of his chance meeting with the recipient, author Paul Young, was another aspect of the miracle and was the type of circumstance which the Lord loves to bring into effect. Above all the rewards which are bestowed upon us everyday, of which we may or may not be aware, seeing someone become as blessed as Paul was by Kevin's selfless act are those which bless us the most. It was a wonderful thanksgiving story which I can relate to wholeheartedly. To hear more on the story you can click here www.guideposts.org/paulyoung and do check out the actual article as well.

Whatever you feel about this story there are many like them out there. I have a few of my own, both as a recipient and a giver. One winter, upon leaving work in a sudden blizzard, I was rescued by four football-size men in a Rambler out of a large snowdrift in which my car had become stuck. From out of nowhere, here they were! They got out of their car and started pushing mine and got my car back on the highway. My car drifted off the on ramp and I got stuck on the shoulder again. A man stopped immediately and said, "I can't get your car out of there but I can take you home." I locked up my car without stopping to question the help and he took me right to my door at home. I asked him if I could repay him and he said, "No. Just remember to help someone else like this someday." Whether these men were angels or not I cannot be certain but everyone of them were God's agents, regardless.

Several years later when I was headed to choir practice for church I spotted a couple right on the corner of a big, busy intersection who had the hood of their car up and seemed to be at a loss. I stopped and asked them if I could help. The man said that he needed a jump for his battery and I had just bought an emergency kit for my car. Without hesitation, I went to work getting my car situated to give them a jump and handed them the kit. Their car started up and we went our separate ways without even asking names. They were very happy and so was I.

Some years ago, after I closed my nail salon and was liquidating my salon furnishings and equipment through a garage sale, a cousin of mine came to the sale and among other items which she purchased had spotted a beautiful sofa that I had kept in top condition. She didn't have enough money to pay for it but she really wanted to have it for her basement. I told her, "Go ahead and take it and you'll pay for when you can." I knew she was good for it and good to her word. Years went by and she would mention it from time to time but I knew her and her family were in a tough financial struggle so I never made an issue of it. After ten years she hadn't paid for the item but I let it go. In my mind, I had pardoned the debt and wiped it out. I felt better for pardoning it than to continue to expect the money and I felt that in some small way I was able to help her by striking the debt. Paid in full. Over.

Just last year she approached me with $20 and pressed it into my hand. She knew I really needed the money. She still has financial struggles so I was surprised. She said, "Remember the sofa ?" After thirteen years my memory was hazy. I had forgotten about it completely. When she gently reminded me of the debt she included, "I can pay it off now. I'll make four more payments until I've paid it off." I hugged her because it was a miraculous amount at that point. I never would have expected to be rescued by my cousin but it was a lesson to me in forgiving debts. My patience paid off in a way I never would have expected and it was a lesson to me in how to deal effectively with such situations. Looking to the Lord for our source is the only way to live this kind of life of faith and His leading. You can see how it has made a real difference in my life.

These are all examples where the agents of God, angels or not, were those with faces (if not names) and I am glad that some of those agents are as close as my family. Kevin and Paul's eventual chance meeting may have been orchestrated by God but even if this cannot be arranged, I can tell you that there is no finer feeling than knowing that you have done right through an act of kindness- especially during this time of the year when it can make such a difference in someone's life. You may not ever know how far it goes but God's Undercover Agents act on faith and not by sight or accolades. I can vouch for the fact that just the act itself makes you feel good. Now, there's something that doesn't have to be taken to the bank or noted on a check register. Golden.

Angelically,

The Castle Lady

Beyond Reason

2011-11-04T22:21:00.000-07:00

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1

Substance and evidence are the strongest words we use in the English language for the tangible properties on subjects which may be elusive of definition. If we want to solve a mystery or win a court case we must have these elements or success is uncertain. This verse in the bible stands out the most of all in its quest to define our strongest motivation for every action we put forth in life. It goes a step further than we dare go. It asks us to put away logic and forge ahead when we see nothing ahead. It urges us to seek light in the darkest shadows. It brings us to places of answers although the path was only strewn with questions.

We often think of spiritual aspects of our lives as if it was only mist, vapor and wind. Anything which is not made of atoms- as we know them- must be relegated to the unknown, unseen and intangible. This is our world as we see it. As we read further in this chapter in Hebrews we are given examples such as Noah who was mocked while he was building the ark. Abraham wandered around with an enlarged family for many years because they were looking for a city already built, not quite understanding that they had indeed arrived and had taken possession but had not laid down the roots. Sarah conceived and bore a child when she was way past normal child bearing years and could not help but laugh when she realized what was happening. Joshua and Israel marched around the city of Jericho six times in six days and seven times on the seventh day, blowing trumpets and shofars. Along with the thirteenth encircling, they all shouted together and watched the thick curtain walls of the city literally tumble down. Without attacking this citadel to bring it down, they merely obeyed Joshua's instructions which were given to him by God. These are clear acts of biblical faith and there are many more instances, along the same lines, throughout old testament history concerning strong faith.

No other verse in the bible is so succinct as a definition of faith because it refutes our common sensibilities and asks us to believe despite how our physical realm persuades our minds. To the natural mind of man it is easier to doubt than to have faith but we all operate with a certain level of faith or we would not get out of our beds in the morning. There is common faith spoken of in Romans 12:3 but the verse above calls us to greater faith. In its highest and truest form it builds our spiritual character in such a way that we can exceed even our own expectations of ourselves in living a victorious Godly life. One does not have to be tested to build their faith in this way. They only have to be willing to put away their worldly attitudes and motivations and step into the realm of attaining possibilities.

Conversely, such great faith will not go untested because the natural life we live concurrently makes trials, hardships and even tragedy inevitable. A common error among the faithful is to assume that when you're suffering illness or experiencing seeming insurmountable difficulties that your faith is flagging. However, we need such strength to endure those times and eventually come through in the same way that strong faith helps us escape trouble altogether. Some may be delivered from death while others are enabled to die victoriously. After all, great faith involves a belief in a better place in the hereafter.

Jesus felt that even small amounts of faith were enough to move mountains ( Matthew 17:20) which alluded to endless possibilities. When faith is released into God's hands through prayer it galvanizes your faith into bonafide miracles. He becomes our source of growth and possibility because nothing is impossible to Him. Through the act of prayer and faith in those prayers our perspective becomes focused into a Godly perspective and our faith grows in proportion to that measure. The miraculous intervention itself is not the builder of faith but the prayer, which is in line with the Word of God, will build a momentous faith within yourself. Not only that, but the most wonderful payoff is that anyone who witnesses you using your faith and seeing miracles has a tremendous opportunity to live a life of faith, as well. Your children, family and co-workers will want to live a faithful life when they see it in action. Romans 10:17, James 2:17 & 18, 1 Tim 3:9

The Castle Lady

Faith goes beyond reason. It goes beyond what you can see.

But it is as real as anything you can touch or feel.

- Henry Cloud

In talking, reading and writing- do opposites attract ?

2011-09-09T19:51:00.001-07:00

I generally laugh at horoscopes if my eyes happen to land on them any time I'm reading the paper. The advice can often be unclear and quirky, to say the least, but yesterday I found a rare pearl in the following sentence. It is so apt and relevant to my life right now.

Someone in your daily life means well and can inspire you

but

at the same time can make goulash out of

the most precise communication and situations.

- from the Denver Post horoscope for Virgo 9/8/11

by Jacqueline Bigar

Keeping a good attitude often involves ignoring someone else's bad attitude. If you don't believe me, try telling someone exactly what you think when they make you angry. Just remember that you alone are responsible for your words, action and character. Responding out of emotion is never exactly clear and often conveys intentions and definitions that are opposite to what you wanted to communicate. Before you say that sentence, do this: Ask yourself, "Is this true ? Is this harmless ? Is it necessary? If it isn't don't bother to say it.

Understanding people well involves more work than most of us are willing to exert. It is for this reason that I am more inclined to write my communications than say them verbally. I have found that unless the distractions around me are deafening, no one can mess up a clearly written and ruminated sentence. Through my writing I can convey my intentions much more clearly than when someone is forced to actually listen well to what I am saying. If someone misses the details from my writing it becomes their own problem rather than a failure on my part. This is what it means to be a good writer. An excellent writer is a diplomat and is well on his way to mastering his thought life.

Just The Castle Lady...

reading you loud and clear !

Debt Deal Sounds Like Let's Make a Deal

2011-09-01T22:45:00.001-07:00

Have you ever watched Let's Make a Deal on TV? The show is still on the air, believe it or not, and the deals can still be quite sour if you happen to pick the wrong curtain in lieu of a few hundred dollars in cash. Something about those clunker deals reminds me of the Debt Deal which is going down in Congressional meetings these days. Their compromise is as bad as any ideas they have come up with in most recent years. In the hands of Congress they never get any better- they always get worse.

Are you more than a little upset about the debt deal struck by Congress? This deal calls for a Super Committee to recommend spending cuts with a ceiling in the vicinity of $1.5 trillion ! If it seems a little fishy to you it's not without good reason. I'll bet you're wondering where the cuts are going to come in and who they're going to affect. Thanks to our Presidents input and compassion (among other politicians and advocates for saving Social Security) the elderly beneficiaries will continue to get their checks at least until the end of this year. Thanks to those who care about the elderly in this country who live from one social security check to the next we are only reassured for a limited time and the spending cuts loom in the minds of those who haven't any other source of income.

All the faces you see above are what Congress is calling a Super Committee and they're out to reform Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in ways that are totally unacceptable for anyone who has to live off the money they paid into Social Security alone. These short term cuts could be devastating. Believe me when I say that no one could possibly ever get rich by having to live on Social Security and those senior citizens who shrug it off never had to worry about actually having to live only on these entitlement payments.

The truth is that Super Committee has only one agenda. They want to plunder the funds which remain in Social Security to cover a debt they incurred and we are not responsible for- and we never were. Social Security is a wonderful program that was instituted by FDR- the greatest President we ever had- and is being attacked by the very politicos that didn't want the program instituted at all from it's very inception. There is no other government fund gathered as taxes from the people that is more efficiently run than the United States Social Security Administration and I would challenge those people who want to take an axe to it to prove that the problem is not a problem at all but a large sum of money they want to practically rob from us.

This Super Committee's ideas are to raise the retirement age, slash benefits to new lows or completely destroy the program by privatizing it. I'm sure you won't mind having to work at your backbreaking job until you have to do it on crutches, start eating Alpo and Mighty Dog instead of Hamburger Helper or trying to figure out how to get a stockbroker to make $5 out of 2 pennies for you, will you ? All kidding aside, it is time to tell the congressional looters of our government mad money to keep their filthy hands off the only back up we have when this economy finally tanks. If you don't believe me, take a look at what is actually in that fund and tell me they're allowed to take anything out of it at all. They stole our payroll tax surplus to the tune of $2.6 trillion and left a bunch of IOUs in its place. Does it sound like they have your best interests at heart?

My suggestion is this: if you're smart enough to be outraged, call someone on the committee- or everyone of them if you have the time- and tell them to fix it this way:

"Admit that you have stolen money from the people to pay off debts they never agreed to pay, restore the system's backup for fiscal soundness by locking the trust fund amount, fully apply the payroll tax on your rich buddies and make the increase in payments like it was promised to us when you started applying the increase in 1984. It sure as heck wasn't so you can go flying around in jets everywhere."

The Castle Lady

laughing with and not at you !

Love is like a balloon....

2011-08-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

Man is in love
and loves what vanishes.
-W.B. Yeats

Lord, it's morning !
Your sun- on easter feet-
has creeped into my room
and called me
from my slumber tomb:
"Arise, be risen,
and spread the news.
It's morning !"

With kisses that take flight,

The Castle Lady

Mary Jane's World

2011-08-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

The T.V. has finally gone out

Digital is no longer a possibility

Can't afford cable, dish, satellite or any form that will bring that

series back to your daily life.

Do what I do...

Read a book, go for a walk and look at life

clean that shelf...

There's much more to life than what is on the boob tube.

Lovingly,

The Castle Lady

Why Buy Travel Insurance ?

2011-08-03T20:17:00.001-07:00

For most of my life I have traveled without travel insurance. The first time I purchased insurance was for a tour in Europe at the insistence of the travel agency. It certainly paid off and I am now an advocate for flying only with insurance for long tours or expensive vacations. Could anyone have predicted 9/11? My dream vacation of a grand tour of all the major European castles coincided with this world changing disaster. Without the insurance I took out, I would've had to pay for a week's worth of hotel rooms in one of the most expensive cities in the world for accommodation- Munich. I had to pay for all my meals at that point and I never saw a McDonald's. To top it off, one of my bags became so damaged I had to replace it. This and several other problems created by my delay in returning home became a source of loss that would've been financially devastating.
I'm sure most people think of travel insurance as a waste of money because there are so many insurance policies we have to deal with and pay for continually. I can clarify my position with one sentence. Bad vacations happen to good and bad people alike. Accidents and injuries can happen along with delays, emergency situations back home and baggage is lost and delayed every day of the week. Everyone should carry travel insurance each time they fly big ticket trips. The convenience of paying for insurance far outweighs the expenses and aggravations if you don't carry insurance, depending on the severity of the problems which can occur.
Your coverage is often determined by your own needs and there are many choices out there, as far as companies go, but you should go with a company that specializes in travel insurance if you want to get the best rates and a comprehensive array of coverage. What should you look for in insurance? Make sure that the company offers these basics:
1. Cancellation, interruption or delay coverage.
2. Medical expense and evacuation coverage
3. Lost, delayed or damaged baggage coverage.
4. 24-hour emergency assistance
Many people assume that their medical insurance will cover them outside the U.S. but in fact, most do not. A good travel insurance company will offer coverage for injuries or medical treatment that requires a visit to a physician, transport to a medical facility or home. Evacuation coverage is key and is often preferred in cases of sudden sickness especially in severe cases. The most important aspect of buying a policy is that the carrier comes highly recommended and several web sites give you the opportunity to review the terms and costs prior to using an unknown company. I recommend InsureMyTrip.com or SquareMouth.com to get more information about what's available and what to look for concerning each individual policy. Don't wait until you receive the papers for the terms of your policy. Find out specifically what you will need and make sure the terms make sense before you have bought the farm. The trickiest part of buying travel insurance is knowing what coverage you will need before you need it.
When I went on my castles trip my carrier was Trip Mate who were courteous on the phone when I made my claim. They gave me a time frame of how long it would take for them to make a decision on my claim and they did follow-up to my phone call reassuring me, by mail, that they would process it quickly. Within two weeks I had my check by mail in the full amount I requested for hotel bills, meals and intercity travel. I got a refund on the amount it cost to replace my bags and the hotel bill amount was there in full. Travel Guard is another good carrier which covers all four of the basic policy coverage with the same courteous and quick handling. Once you've done your homework in checking out the company your agent approaches you with or the recommendations you garner and everything checks out you're good to go. Travel insurance generally doesn't have a high cost. You'll pay more in landing fees and taxes and if you have to make a claim you'll be glad you took my advice.

Just keeping my readership happy and informed.

Kisses !

The Castle Lady

Barbie's Ken Reaches 50th Milestone

2011-07-26T21:38:00.001-07:00

Barbie's boyfriend, Ken Carson, turned fifty last March without much fanfare or brouhaha. It's probably because he's a man, I suspect, but they made a much bigger deal about Barbie's fiftieth birthday almost two years ago. I guess the real truth is a little hard to take. He is slightly younger than her but he hasn't accomplished anywhere near as much as Barbie® has all these years!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2018403/Barbie-gets-Malibu-mansion-chandelier-hair.html

See my entry http://thecastlelady.wordpress.com/2010/10/16/be-a-barbie%c2%ae-girl/

Ken had rather scrawny beginnings but he was reinvented quite a bit, anyway, just like Barbie® has been through the years, if only superficially. Ken was a little bit dorky-looking in the early 70s and was a total wash-out in 1991 as Totally Hair Ken® but everyone has bad hair days- why not bad hair years ?

More recently he's appeared younger than he did when he started out ! How the heck did that happen, I wonder?!! If I go by doll years he'll go down in history as the best looking man to ever go through the middle-age crazies! Who wouldn't want a piece of that... uh... let's not go there ! Even though I suspect that Ken is a gay male fantasy, it's still rather fun to think that middle-age savvy could be incorporated with handsome-blonde blue-eyed twenty-ish looks. Talk about your dream man !

Well, all this just points to the fact that everybody ages if they don't die first. Some of us just age better than others I guess- if you're plastic enough, however, you may improve with age.

NOT !

With ageless kisses

The Castle Lady

Talk about your cat and mouse games....

2011-07-16T08:25:00.000-07:00

Just in case you missed this in May,

Lovingly,

The Castle Lady

I have a date with destiny !

2011-07-02T18:02:00.001-07:00

I recently viewed the summer film Soul Surfer at the dollar movies and was pleasantly surprised at the presentation of Bethany's story. I'm not sure what I expected since I knew what had happened to her from the newspaper articles which came out at the time of the attack in which she lost her left arm. All the basic details were in the first article of how it happened but I (and the rest of the country, I suppose) could only imagine what she would have to go through in the ensuing months and years after she survived the attack.

At one point in the film she has recovered and is unsure about continuing to surf competitively or to quit completely and she goes to the spiritual mentor of her youth group to talk. She finally breaks down in front of the mentor and cries, "How can this be God's plan for my life ?" Her mentor has no clear answer for her but she is very sensitive to her plaintive sublimation even though they both know the answer.

It states in the Bible: For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you a future and a hope.

Early in the movie, Bethany wins the surfing championships and finds a sponsor. Soon after, her mentor reminds her about the commitment she had made to participate in a youth outreach in Mexico but Bethany turns her down because of the competitions she'll have coming up and she wants to get in practice. This is a major error that many on-fire and committed Christians make and I will admit that I have made myself, sometimes. By doing this you are giving God a big fat, "No." A greater error could not possibly be made because it's a defiance- no different than sin which is also a defiance of God's laws.

However, this is not about God seeking revenge. When you defy God in this respect you have taken a turn in the road. You have officially left the path he had for you and now you are on unsafe ground- not unlike a sheep which has left the fold. There are wolves, sharks and whales out there ready to waylay and destroy you. Fortunately, an allegory which Jesus related to a gathering tells us all we need to know if we have only temporarily become waylaid. This was the story of the two sons who were both asked to go to the vineyard and work. (Matthew 21:28-31) One son refused and left. Later on, something happened and he came back to the Father, asked forgiveness and went to work in the vineyard. The other son said he would go to work immediately and then never showed up. Jesus asked his listeners which son had done the will of his father.

This is obviously just a question of character but on second thought- is it? The question with the Soul Surfer story is weather Bethany was in the first category or the second. In truth, she made the error of the second son who said he would- but changed his mind for no apparent reason. When I was a child I remember my mother and church members talking about their children walking out of the arc of safety. What is the arc of safety? It is a road that you have been warned not to take. It is a sin you return to or can't seem to defeat. It is going to the exact place that you were warned not to go and out of defiance or willfulness go anyway. The term speaks for itself.

"You are now on unsafe ground. You are in the devil's territory and he will win because you're willing to play games with him."

Your destiny as a child of God is one of victory. If you want to remain victorious then you must follow the path that God laid for you. If you take any other you are on ground which must be repaved by the Word of God. Are you strong enough to blaze a trail and keep a ring of Godly fire around yourself ? My advice is a biblical one. Only fools walk where angels fear to tread. Angels do not defy God, they obey him. You cannot walk his path and branch off another way. If you do this you are only being foolish and will be defeated at what you are trying to do on your own.

I have a date with destiny. The Lord says this is my destiny and has given me his guidance- clear and concise on how to get there. I will follow his plan and I will arrive victorious. I have what he says I have. I am what he says I am. I will do what he says to do. I will win because he's on my side.

Oh confess it, girl, confess it !

Jeremiah 29:11

Matthew 19:26

The Castle Lady

Wake up laughing

2011-06-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

This has been an interesting day- so far. I can certainly tell that summer has arrived. Very first thing- before I even opened my eyes- was laughing at a Boulder D.J.'s banter about how Bono had hitched a ride somewhere in Canada and the driver boasted that he had picked him up without knowing it was him at first. Taking the whole matter too far the D.J. continued,

"You, of course, wouldn't pick up Bono- no! - you'd get some psycho."

After about five seconds of dead air silence he rejoined,

"I'm not saying that everyone who hitches rides is a psycho."

Upon hearing that- practically unconscious still- I roared in laughter knowing full well what I just heard but not yet awake enough to realize what I was laughing at or why. It did keep me chuckling through the morning.

This is called a good start to a wacky day. I had to go to the bank and I got a few errands done on the way. When I got to the shopping center some cops had blocked off an entrance to the shopping center. No explanation was given or supplied. As I kept reaching different entrances they were systematically blocking off each entrance I approached. What is this stupid game? I'm thinking to myself. By the time it was apparent I wasn't going to get to my bank at this shopping center I moved on and went to another branch at a different location, thereby defeating the short trip into a long drawn out affair. I got my business done at the other branch and then tried to figure out where I would get ice cream as I had intended. I ended up bringing home some ice cream treats rather than a tub of ice cream like I had intended. Rude!

All the while I was detoured I mulled over what I had encountered and decided that one of the many businesses must have been robbed shortly before I arrived. What were the chances of that ?

When I got home there was a short news flash on the T.V. and sure enough the King Soopers that I had intended to go to for my banking and for my ice cream had been thieved and the cops had chased him into Home Depot. According to the report he disappeared in that store and they never found him. It has occurred to me, just now, that if I had picked up a hitchhiker it probably would have been that guy that stole something (ice cream?) at King Soopers. Now I have another good reason never to pick up a hitchhiker- it wouldn't be Bono that's for sure !

Keep laughing !

The Castle Lady

Poetry for all Seasons and Reasons

2011-04-13T13:33:00.001-07:00

At the beginning of this month I spotted an article in the Denver Post newspaper which gave a lackluster viewpoint on the future of poetry in print. It seems that with all the new Nook and Kindle electronic reading devices, poetry has been left in the dust as far as accessibility. Why would any poet want to be published in print ? Interestingly, the author of the article, David Milofsky, had to acquiesce to the fact that most people who are still reading books or collections of poetry want to buy a book with pages you can turn. That is very encouraging to me because it says that poets are still the most visible authors. Perhaps we'll take over the book stores someday. Well, we can dream can't we ?

While Milofsky may be encouraged by the fact that well recognized poets are still being published, with the dubious honors and distinctions which were already in place, the unknowns, who may be better, worse or at least equal to their fellow stars have been using the electronic medium to reach their reading public for going on three decades. I have personally been posting my poetry online for more than a decade now, selling my first edition poetry book, Seasons of the Heart online for almost as long and have enjoyed a certain amount of recognition from common people and people who love poetry all the while. It hasn't made me a publishing superstar yet, but I remind myself that starving poets are legend. It's a shame that people are so ignorant to the fact that they are actually addicted to poetry and they are unaware of it. How so, you say ?

Well, think about all the music with lyrics you listen to in a day. Perhaps you watch a little T.V. each morning before you go to work. I guarantee that you will hear at least several commercials with jingle music on them before you've even had your toast. How about the alarm each morning ? More music, more poetry. Then, when you're driving to work you'll hear anywhere from 5 to 10 songs on the radio along with some more commercial jingles. Pardon me but that's a lot of poetry to listen to before you even get to work. If you have piped in music where you work there's more right there. It's true that much of the elevator and office music may not have lyrics to their MOR washed out noise but if you work in a mall or retail store you're more likely to listen to whatever is the most contemporary to back to the 80s full on with lyrics by the original artists.

As you drive home you'll hear some more from your radio or CDs or MP3s depending on what you have going on in your vehicle. After dinner you'll probably watch shows that all have their own ditties and more music on the shows you watch. You know what ? That's a lot of poetry~ every day. Somebody writes those lyrics for a living. Some may be passable and then there are genius lyrics which elevate our souls and we feel it and may still be unaware of what we are enjoying. Listen to the lyrics of George Harrison's Across the Universe and it will make a believer out of you.

Now that you have been enlightened to your dependence on poetry you will certainly appreciate what you have been enjoying all along a little more now won't you ?

I thought so.

Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup

they slither wildly as they slip away

across the universe....

The Castle Lady

Nuggets and other tidbits

2011-04-08T17:29:00.001-07:00

I don't write about sports events that often and in most conversations I veer away from putting forth opinions about players, teams and my own personal philosophies concerning how a sport should be run. It doesn't mean I don't have strong opinions about them but I tend to keep it to myself. Sports are to be enjoyed as spectators and participants, principally, and not argued or fought over as if that was more important. In addition, if you don't at least participate directly in a sport, it is my opinion that you shouldn't discuss particulars about rules, decisions or abilities of players. My feeling is that you really won't know what you're talking about and your opinion should be kept to yourself.

That being said, I am going to put in my 2 cents worth about the Nuggets, Denver's NBA team, with and without Melo and I am doing so not necessarily because I want to start a discussion, argument or brawl but just because I think what I have to write about the issue is valid. I read all these negative comments from sports commentators, sports writers and columnists, casual spectators and naysayers and I feel an opposite viewpoint might be refreshing.

First off, before Melo was traded to the Knicks he has been a boon for quite a number of years to the Nuggets. The attendance at the Pepsi Center increased continually and continues to climb. His offensive playing was phenomenal the entire time of his tenure with the Nuggets if you check the averages. His injuries were minimal and he often played through certain problems. That's beyond the call of duty. For one year he topped Kobe Bryant as the highest scorer in the NBA and he kept up a high average. It is my understanding that he cooperated with everyone on the team and never played the star against any teammate. He's a sensitive guy so when I looked on his blog and read negative comments on the entry where he thanked Denver for all the great years I became a bit irate.

The Nuggets are doing phenomenally most recently and I applaud that and realized a long time ago that they had a great roster of very talented players. I can't think of one Nugget who isn't showing abilities currently that hadn't already shown up in the stats. The only exceptions were a couple of Nuggets who were traded along with Melo and Chauncey, ironically enough. That happens. Not everyone lives up to their potential. The real debate always seems to center around the defense/offense objective. You have to have both to win a game. Each is equally essential to a good or great basketball game. When it is unbalanced either way you have a serious issue. Right now the Small Forward position, which was taken over by Danilo Gallinari, is among the double digit scorers but if you compare most of his scoring with Melo's stats you're going to find an interesting difference. If an offensive player is allowed to dominate a game then there are a lot less opportunities for the remainder of players to play an offensive game. Just use your head because I'm only using logistics here. A lot of coaches allow their offensive stars to dominate the ball.

If you think I'm wrong then let's focus on LeBron James for a minute. Have you seen the Win/Loss stats this season for the Cavaliers ? Since LeBron has been whisked away of his own volition they have had the worst season ever. Worse than the Nets 2009/2010 season. Worse. Perhaps they relied on LeBron's offensive playing a little too much. This is sad. Meanwhile, the Heat are enjoying being on top in the southeast division and the Eastern Conference topping the Boston Celtics ! The truth about the Nets is that they needed Vince Carter's great offensive playing and maneuvering fouls to get in those extra points.

My point is- that won't happen if you have a team who can play offensive and defensive basketball equally well. It won't matter if your offensive player is gone because the team was always ready to play real basketball. This is really lacking today. I remember watching basketball games on T.V. when I was a little girl that were riveting. I don't see that much anymore and the action seems awfully slow. Slam dunking is great when you see a team work up to that pitch in their playing. It should be a crescendo to fast passing, sticking to a ball, ali ooping and any amount of legitimate maneuvers that show skill and energy. The Nuggets are currently playing this kind of basketball. It works.

Just the humble opinion of

The Castle Lady

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/BDL-Hump-Day-Chat-?urn=nba-wp979

Can You Save Someone from Dying of Anorexia ?

2011-03-30T21:57:00.001-07:00

I saw a headline at the beginning of this year that got my attention because it involved the death of a young woman who shouldn't have died so young. There was nothing wrong with her physically that couldn't have been corrected if she had received proper treatment early. She was not attacked, murdered or in an accident. She died because she starved herself to death believing she was overweight.

Her name was Isabelle Caro and she was a French fashion model. She had suffered from anorexia nervosa from the age of 13 and was never told that she was killing herself. Instead, her employers encouraged her to continue to starve herself under the supposition that she may not be able to wear clothes or look good in them unless she kept her weight low. At the time of her death, she was 28 years old, weighing only 29 kilos, which is about 64 lbs. For a model, she was short- only 5'4". Before she died she started a campaign in 2007 in Europe, putting billboards up where major fashion shows were taking place, addressing the problem of anorexia and shocked the fashion world with her bold statement by showing her emaciated body and gaunt face.

While fashion and print modeling may be the strongest encouragement for someone with Caro's inherent problem there is a bigger concern staring society in the face which could become bigger with time if we don't all stop and look around us. While America may have a large percentage of people who are overweight and battling serious illnesses because of it there is a strong percentage of men, women and children like Caro who are silently killing themselves and no one will come forward and tell them they need help. It's an insidious disease because it's so difficult a subject to broach in public or in private. However, no one should sit idly by and watch someone they love slowly but surely starve themselves to death. Anyone who lives with someone with anorexia nervosa has an obligation, through love, to tell that person they need to get help and then make sure they get that help.

I consider myself a person who survived anorexia nervosa. I didn't do it alone even though I was so young that no one recognized the problem except one person. My mother noticed. She tried to encourage me to eat. She pulled me out of dance classes because she thought I was getting dangerously thin. She took photographs of me and showed me them. I thought I looked fat in the pictures even though I was one of the original lollipop girls. (I can look at those photos now and see what I couldn't at the time.) One day I remember my mother holding out a cookie in front of me and begging me to eat it. Something changed in that moment.

At the moment I heard my mother imploring me to eat something I realized it was just my desire to control something in my life. I felt powerless in every other aspect of my day to day life, so refusing to eat was my chance to take power back. I believe it is the same for all who suffer from anorexia. The power is an illusion aided by this feeling of euphoria which cannot be explained. Dopamine levels in the blood can become high so instead of eating they run or workout like a maniac just to feel like they can cope with life. Their bodies stop telling them it's hungry. They don't know they're hungry and they have a distorted view of what they look like. If you want to save someone from dying of anorexia tell them they are too thin and if they don't eat they are going to die. If you love them you'll do it.

Bon Courage,

The Castle Lady

This is the 100th entry on this blog.

My secret blog...

2011-03-10T19:30:00.000-08:00

Yes. I've been holding out a little. This is my Rock Blog for those of you who haven't been following real close. It's my rock-n-roll side so be ready for a different way of me looking at the world. The music world that is...

check me out at: http://evelynsrockpages.blogspot.com/

The Castle Lady rocks your world

with kisses !

The 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day ! ! March 8th

2011-03-04T17:17:00.001-08:00

For those of you who have never heard of this international holiday which supports the independence, fortitude and ingenuity of women I wanted to supply a little bit of information. It is well worth supporting. In some of the 176 countries which recognize this day many activities are very supportive of women's causes. One organization which supports it is online at www.internationalwomensday.org and you can find out more about it wherever you are at on this big blue marble we call earth.
March 8th is the day to mark on your calendar and possibly get involved in one or several activities. Those who live in the New York City area can attend the celebration at the Ramada Plaza New Yorker Hotel. There will be all manner of authors, journalists, artists and female entrepreneurs who will speak, teach and give all types of support for women's issues, rights and general support to the cause. www.wishsummit.com
Finding online celebrations and information will be easy this year so go type in International Women's Day into your browser and go on a search. You're sure to find an activity just right for you.

With lots of support and care,

The Castle Lady

Boy Wrestles Girl ?

2011-03-02T18:03:00.001-08:00

Did any of my readers see the recent story on TV news about the two teenagers of the opposite sex who were scheduled to wrestle in the first round of the Iowa state high school wrestling tournament? The 16-year-old boy, Joel Northrup, and a 14-year-old girl named Cassy Herkleman were set up to a match and the boy refused the match, walked off the mat and had to forfeit to her, losing his chance at a state title. It looked like a case of a win/win for feminists and non-feminists alike but if you look a little closer this is really becoming much more than a battle of the sexes. It seems to be a battle of keeping to your convictions and faith and being penalized for it.

A popular ESPN columnist, Rick Reilly, jumped on the story and I guess it quickly became national news. Joel, who is home-schooled, is also a pastor's son. His father, Jamie, was quoted as saying, "We believe in the elevation and respect of women, and we don't think that wrestling a woman is the right thing to do. Body slamming and takedowns -- full contact sport is not how to do that," when he was questioned by the Des Moines Register about his son's decision.

"As a matter of conscience and my faith," he wrote in a statement, "I do not believe that it is appropriate for a boy to engage a girl in this manner."

It's too bad his decision was not recognized for an act of faith and that he be given another chance to compete against an opponent that he felt was a comfortable match. I think he should be rewarded for and commended for his ethics. How many teenagers make a stand for anything these days? If it happens we don't hear about it often enough. We'll hear about all the trouble they can and do get into but how often is it the other way around and made into national news?

Unfortunately, Rick Reilly decided to humiliate Joel by saying he was wrong to refuse the match and wrote that,

"If the Northrups really wanted to respect women, they should've encouraged their son to face her."

Perhaps it never occurred to Rick Reilly that they were encouraging their son to think for himself and provided him with the best ideas of character for a man. That is especially true in these times when domestic violence is more rampant than ever and violence against women can be seen on TV sitcoms for several hours nearly every single night. There are several organizations which are gaining strength and momentum trying to help women in situations that have become life-threatening. I personally wonder how this idea that full contact sports, such as wrestling, would show any amount of respect for the person of a female.

That said, this story is really more about the distinctions surrounding gender than it is about these three individuals opinions or wrestling itself. Coed sports is still largely not done especially on a professional level. The passage of mandate title IX in 1972 states that schools receiving federal funding should offer female athletes access to the same opportunities as the male athletes receive. I don't see any reason that this should be interpreted to mean that coed education should be encouraged or even made accessible. These same opportunities exist even if they are separated and it would certainly be more appropriate considering our current problems with violence and vice.

I hope that what Joel's father had to say about his son's conviction, namely that he may not have wrestled Cassy but he did wrestle (and win) with his faith, will get more media attention than Rick Reilly's diatribe. That's a good and admirable thing and ought to be national news more often. Maybe everyone will finally understand why we keep to our convictions rather than go along with everything that is approved of by the world.

Keeping it light but with integrity,

The Castle Lady

Nuggets News or Knicks News ? Can't Choose !

2011-02-26T14:55:00.001-08:00

Whether I did this consciously or not- I know I predicted the change in the Nuggets line-up, which happened recently, a little more than a year ago. I spotted first round draft pick Danilo Gallinari out of a small crowd as the next wunderkind of NBA basketball. I hope I was right. He has very quickly taken Carmelo Anthony's place as Small Center. This was Melo's position through the nearly eight years which he played for the Nuggets and kept consistently high scores akin to that of Kobe Bryant and several other stars in the NBA.
Danilo was given the number 8 supposedly because they found out his birthdate, which is 8/8/88, could possibly be a lucky number. Well, I've been saying that for years even though I am no adherent to such superstitious ideas. What got my attention was his good looks and his stats which were very good for a European player. To me, basketball will always be an American sport because it was invented and perfected here. It makes sense that the best of the NBA would be here. Well, there are now quite a few Europeans proving us all wrong on that premise. I sincerely hope Danilo will be able to do just that because he's got some awesome shoes to fill and he'll have to do better than 2 points for a game. Maybe our climate is a little rough for him.

The first game without Melo is showing me that many other prodigious players are going to have to really step up their game and take themselves to the next level. On February 24th the Nuggets played the Celtics and won 89-75 which is wonderful considering that Kevin Garnett was very much in attendance. As a matter of fact Kenyon Martin, Power Forward, caused him to hit the hardwood and K-Mart (as we like to call him!) made the most points at this game at a total of 18. To exceed Melo he'll have to double that consistently with every game. He was his usual happy, mouthy self by the fourth quarter when he was fouled. To K-Mart that's money in the bank! Affalo and Chandler were right behind him in scoring but they'll have to bring their numbers up as well. With Chauncey and Carmelo gone they must do even better. Andersen aka Birdman is still day to day since that knee surgery but he'll get back to doing what he does best. Blocking slam dunks from the Big Birds ! !

http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/denver_nuggets_george_karl_prepare_for_life_after_carmelo_anthony/4227289

In other news...... The Knicks lost to the Cavs ? ?

Big kisses from

The Castle Lady !

A Proven Method for Avoiding Jet-Lag !

2011-02-16T18:36:00.001-08:00

I have read about and tried a few methods for avoiding jet-lag which rendered mixed or bad results through many years of traveling. One exception to this roundelay of panaceas was the anti-jet-lag diet I tried before going on my European castles tour in 2001. I would remind everyone that this experience included a week delay return flight because the end of the tour nearly coincided with 9/11. The day I returned after a long two flights back home from Munich (including a brief layover at Dulles Airport) I got up at my usual time the next morning (even after poring over my hundreds of e-mails 'til midnight the night before), after I arrived home ! I got back into my home routine without so much as a yawn !

Today I'm going to share that method with you. Please let me know your results after you try it. I'm interested to know if this method works for everyone from all walks of life.

This diet was exclusively designed with the idea of helping people adjust to changed schedules, changing shifts for workers (such as power plant operators) or those wishing to drastically rotate work hours. The development of this diet was the invention of Dr. Charles R. Ehret for a division of Biological and Medical Research as an application of his fundamental studies of the daily biological rhythms of animals in a research lab in Illinois.

1. Determine breakfast time at destination on day of arrival.

2. Feast-Fast-Feast-Fast on home time three days before departure day. On day one, feast on a high-protein breakfast and lunch and a high-carbohydrate dinner. No caffeinated drinks should be consumed except between 3 and 5 p.m. On the second day fast on light meals of salads, light soups, fruits and juices. No coffee or caffeine drinks should be taken in except between 3 and 5 p.m., once again. On the third day you should go back to feast with an identical routine as described for the first day. The fourth day, being the day of departure, you will fast with one distinct change. If you drink caffeinated beverages you should take them in the morning when traveling west or between 6 to 11 p.m. when traveling east. If you are traveling west you should only fast for one half of the day.

3. Break your final fast at your final destination breakfast time. For best results you should not consume alcohol on the plane. If your flight is international, long or you experience long delays and layovers be sure to only sleep until normal breakfast time at your destination and no later. When you wake up, feast on high-protein breakfast. Stay awake and active. Continue day's meals according to meal times at destination.

What should you eat ?

Examples of foods to feast on are high protein breakfasts and lunches which would include steak, eggs, hamburger, high-protein cereals, nuts and green beans. The protein stimulates the body's active cycle. (This will re-train your body to have a active cycle for a longer period of time.) High-carbohydrate suppers will stimulate a sleep cycle and they include such dinners as spaghetti, pastas (without meatballs or sausage), crepes (without meat-fillings) potatoes and starchy vegetables and sweet desserts.

How do I fast ?

Fasting has a distinct effect on your body. It depletes the liver's store of carbohydrates which thereby prepares the body's clock for resetting. Suitable foods which can be consumed at this time, in moderation, are fruits, light soups, broths, small salads, dry unbuttered toast or half pieces of bread. As light as you can is the rule to keep calories to a minimum. Water hydration is essential.

On your return flight, you will want to repeat this procedure, again, three days before departure day. The best way to stay on track with this procedure is to log your feast, fast days so you will stay on schedule. This is made to reschedule your body for the destination and timing is important. Use a day book or an online calendar to keep your progress current and correct. Script it ahead of time, if you need a reminder, then check your progress. The only way this schedule can be defeated is if your destinations change drastically. Some adjustments can be made within reason depending on the destination difference. Do not continue a feast-fast-feast-fast routine for longer than four days.

Thought for the day:

And let us, with God's help, begin a new diet:

Fast from Criticism, feast on praise

Fast from Self-pity and feast on joy

Fast from Ill-temper and feast on peace

Fast from Resentment and feast on contentment

Fast from Jealousy and feast on love

Fast from Pride and feast on humility

Fast from Selfishness and feast on service

Fast from Fear and feast on faith.

The Castle Lady

with a feast of kisses and hugs !

Good News for Airline Passengers ?

2011-02-05T22:49:00.001-08:00

Maybe. Yes, I know that doesn't sound very encouraging from the last time I addressed a specific airline travel situation on this blog back on November 28th, 2009 but the reports look better if not improved to everyone's satisfaction. In truth, 2010 still had its problems. The downright space invading body pat down complaints, Europe's volcano eruption flight delays and new fees instituted by airlines were hardly a step in the right direction. However, a turnaround in DOT's focus from targeting airlines with more regulations to becoming more consumer friendly and enforcing regulations that actually help air travelers is a breath of fresh air. This is the first time in the administration's history that airline passengers rights are being given first consideration since DOT has been in force!

Last Spring, a rule was put in force which limited tarmac delays to three hours. In addition, several consumer protection initiatives have been brought to the tables which will force air carriers to display airfares and optional fees to allow better side-by-side price comparisons and boosted fines for overbooking were also proposed over the summer which should be finalized by this Spring at the latest. Once these changes are approved airline passengers will have more clout and consideration with DOT than ever before. Not since the deregulation of 1978 has such radical changes gone into initiation and it will continue if everything gets approved and in a short period of time.

Because of the changes that have already taken place our nation's cops issued 47 tickets to some of the top airlines of which the revenue from the citations totaled $3.33 million in penalties. This is up from 2009 in which the numbers totaled were 30 tickets and $2.6 million. The citations covered such areas as misleading brochure information on baggage compensation and failure of online information supplied by an airline to disclose full ticket prices. One citation even covered El Al's non-compliance with international baggage policy regulations.

Unsurprisingly, DOT is getting some criticism on the new tarmac delay regulations from travel industry insiders and a few outsiders. All committees, aviation analysts and various industry agencies, such as AAI, feel that more can be done. Michael Miller, AAI's vice president says, "I don't think the tarmac-delay rule is well thought through, and I'm not alone." He also says that for the DOT to create a new legacy of consumer friendliness, it would be necessary to create new initiatives to make air travel noticeably better. One way would be to partner up with the Department of Homeland Security by improving the way passengers are screened and move away from the body-scan/pat down procedures now in place.

Thomas Dickerson, the author of the book, "Travel Law" and a New York Supreme Court Judge feels that the poor disclosure of new airline fees for extra luggage, ticket changes and other options which were once bundled with the basic airline ticket should be better regulated. There has been an increase in litigation over surcharges, airport concession fees, government fees and passenger facilities charges.

With the changes, it appears that many people are stepping forward for greater airline passenger advocacy and that is a step in the right direction if these changes are not tied up in arguments over how these regulations should be written or enforced. Time is of the essence and any input from the consumers themselves will put us on a faster track to solving these issues and making flying more consumer-friendly. Everyone concerned will gain from the changes, I feel, including the airline industry itself.

The Castle Lady with good news for the new year 2011 !

Consider the Source

2011-01-27T12:24:00.001-08:00

Any time someone tells you something really bad

about someone you know

hardly know

or don't know at all

they are telling you more about themselves

then they are about the person

they talked about.

-Evelyn M. Wallace

What Would Elvis Do ? ?

2010-12-31T18:54:00.001-08:00

By now some of the readers of this blog know about the catastrophe of Live Spaces™ being taken over by WordPress™. Who would've known that such a great concept for versatility in blogs would ever be upgraded (actually, downgraded !) to the point of non-existence? You'll have to excuse me if I take a moment to cry. Let me explain.

I started that little blog late in 2005 and was in awe of the fact that I could put something up on the WWW all by my novice self. I had not started my official web site yet but I had purchased the name http://www.ilovecastles.com/ and had a marker in place years before I finally put it up in 2006 with all the castles I had personally visited. I started my Live Space Castlelady™ blog after this one, so this blog was my first attempt but I did not start it with a clear concept in mind. To me, it is an online diary for which I intended to write everyday. So much for that ! This blog became more of a mosaic of my thoughts, aspirations, trials and hopes put into small essay forms, often. Sometimes it is only a hodgepodge of my pet peeves, strong opinions and inspirational lightning bolts from heaven. This blog has served a special need in my life and I really appreciate it for every purpose I have set it to do. However, when I started the Castlelady™ blog my purpose was very clear and my concept was set in stone. After a couple of years, I knew exactly how I wanted to lay out the photos, text and the lists organized just so.

When I found out on September 29th that Live Spaces™ were being shut down and migrated to WordPress™, at our discretion, I was crestfallen. I thought of all the work I have put up on it. I have been saving all of my entries on it for quite some time and keep two types of backup files so the information put up will not be lost. What concerns me most is that it took quite a bit of time to finally get my lists, my WMP and the layout of the blog exactly the way I wanted it to look and sound. http://castlelady.spaces.live.com/ has been through many changes that would be almost too subtle for most people to notice but became very important to me. I have enjoyed it for some time in its present format. I wrote and formatted the text precisely to target a casual reading audience or professors on the subject. That wasn't easy, considering the vast difference in knowledge of the diverse audiences. Doesn't it figure that someone had to come along and start rearranging the furniture- so to speak? It almost feels like we all got an eviction notice on Live Spaces™.

So I have a big decision to make in a matter of days. Being at a crossroads is never easy and making a determination on moving or deleting my blog like this was certainly not on my agenda for this year. Obviously, I have bigger fish to fry. I need to sit down and rearrange a schedule to get more writing done, in general. There is a matter of finding my way back to a regular income which won't cut into my writing time completely. There are so many things to be done and yet I am frozen on this platform of resolution. It almost makes me angry that I have been forced to make a decision that I didn't ever want to have to make.

The other day I asked myself," If Elvis was put in such a situation, what would he do ?" It helped because it was a bit of nonsense. I think Elvis would sing his way out of the mess to cut the tension. He always did that in the movies. In real life, he would write a song about the problem and record it. Maybe that helped him make choices that fit but probably didn't always work because I remember he went through several divorces.

Well, I don't want to divorce my blog and I don't like anyone forcing me to change something I have grown to cherish. Every time Live Spaces™ has upgraded it has always been a removal of this feature.. then a removal of that, etc. Now they don't even want to be bothered with providing a free blog to their members. How can that be considered an upgrade? It reminds me of products that have the words New and Improved emblazoned on their packaging. The caveat emptor is taking it home and finding out they just put two or more less ounces of the product in the package than before. WWED ?? Probably punch their lights out ! Since that is not an option I guess I'll have to go with the change...

NOT!

The Castle Lady

The Drew We Knew

2010-10-23T15:00:00.001-07:00

Of all the actresses I have watched in the movies and TV through the years I think Drew may be the only one I truly relate to on several points. Her struggle with overcoming addiction, however, is one I can't relate to but I can definitely sympathize with and applaud her ability to overcome a generational problem in her family. This is a very difficult task and I commend her on all that she has accomplished in that area of her life.

When I read articles where she is being interviewed I often find myself nodding because we seem to think alike. I browsed through the book she came out with years ago which recounted her struggles with addiction and her family problems. This woman of thirty-five was drinking at nine years of age, smoking marijuana at ten and by the time she was fourteen had moved onto cocaine because she moved with a crowd way beyond her years. By the time she was making the movie See You in the Morning at thirteen she had already been in and out of rehabs. The book came out in 1990- the year I started my first nail salon and I made a beeline for the book because I just couldn't understand why she would follow in the footsteps of her grandfather concerning addiction. Instead of learning from his mistakes it appeared she had fallen into every hole which he had inadvertently dug for her.

Everyone struggling with addiction who is ready to do something about the problem should read her book. It was written semi-journal style but is an expose on how addicts are born and not just made. The making is in the codependency of those around them and they also have to undergo treatment in order to learn how to help their loved ones recover with success. Drew's last sentence in the book continues to resound in my brain.

" All I can do is the best I can."

Nowadays she is giving out interviews where she describes herself as...

"I am just a big walking question mark with an open heart."

This is really not surprising given the fact that she has been sober and in control for double the time that she spent her life trying to sort out the good and the bad of being a Hollywood actress a bit too early in life and trying to find a reasonable existence in the middle of what can be confusing circumstances. A USA Weekend interview she gave out at the end of summer shows me that she has been through a lot of relationships during her life of sobriety which may be a result of the rocky upbringing. In her book she talked a lot about difficulty in dealing with her mother and in this most recent interview she still says there is a problem.

"We just hit our bumps along the way. It's not an easy relationship. I'd say it is still a work in progress."

This is a key issue in her life and I feel the same has been in mine. I have never tried to work out such things as she has had to because there were no underlying problems for me but I can certainly relate to having to work at relationships- even close ones. When she was still struggling with the addiction problems she spoke of resenting being patronized and felt misunderstood. Anyone who has had autonomy such as Drew so early in life is bound to feel that way. I have felt that way most of my life because being in control was an important aspect of living. Had my early life been a little more tranquil it's possible I would not be quite so fiercely independent but I feel it has been an asset in my life regardless of my singleness. I have never truly felt lonely and I need a lot of space.

Apparently, Drew also feels this way because she's currently talking about a new relationship with her Going the Distance co-star, Justin Long, and having children without the benefit of marriage. Apparently her mother being a single parent gives her confidence in the area with a little uncertainty but I believe if anyone can pull off such a daring prospect given the circumstances created by her mother I have every reason to believe she could do it. Maybe I could, too. Like Drew, I have never felt the need to strive with the status quo. I enjoy being in my skin and being free and especially feeling free even when you can't. Reading about Drew's current life has made me also think about what the next half of my life will be and what's is around the corner.

"I'm trying to figure out what the second half of my life is going to be," Drew confides to Mary Murphy, a reporter for USA Weekend.

Touché Drew. I am, also but I've got a good plan and I'm prepared to continue working it. If you give yourself a chance it might surprise you what you can do all on your own. It's always best, though, to travel in pairs.

The Castle Lady

with a pair of kisses !

Facebook, Facebook, Facebook ! !

2010-10-20T22:24:00.001-07:00

Ever since last March I have been in a struggle to get control of an alternative e-mail address that I only use on public computers. I have had this account since before I ever owned a P.C. so that I could send e-mails from internet cafes, Kinkos and public access computers- such as at the public libraries. For over a decade it has been useful to deal with e-mails from this address relieving me from having to deal with it in my daily e-mail flow. This year that all changed when I tried to start a Facebook page with that e-mail address and because Facebook wouldn't DL any jpg, tiff or GIF photo I just gave up during that process and didn't continue.

Shortly thereafter, when I would use the e-mail address I started seeing strange e-mails in Turkish. Luckily I didn't just delete them or I wouldn't have been onto what was happening later on. It turns out that some Facebook adherent using the name Kaan Toprak- which I've since found out is a rather common name akin to John Smith- seized the chance to use my e-mail address by using Spyware to hack the password and gain access. Once I figured out what was going on I changed the password on it twice and basically locked him out. When hotmail upgraded recently I was able to see sleezy female messenger requests for friendship and deleted about 30 women off the list and I changed the settings so it couldn't be used like that anymore. I had him locked out but when I checked to see if I could proceed with the Facebook account (this was on a hunch- I had decided against having it) I found out he was still using the e-mail address on Facebook even though I had locked him out. Because he was using it I couldn't proceed or finish the Facebook account. I am so glad I didn't use my primary e-mail.

I contacted the Hotmail team by phone to find out how to report this illegal use of my e-mail address to Facebook and during the process of reporting I was advised to report it by e-mail to abuse. After reporting it to them they immediately put a block on the e-mail address even though I told them I had gained control of the account myself. They have been bungling on this account ever since by putting me through a validation process that I shouldn't have had to do. After the validation process which I passed I changed the password yet again because you have to and then later I could not access it again because either the Hotmail team put another block on it or this Turk has been trying to hack the password again. Not only is Kaan locked out but I am as well. As long as he keeps trying to use this e-mail I will have to keep struggling to get control over this e-mail address. How's that for a vicious circle ?

I have tried numerous times to get the Hotmail team to understand that Facebook cannot be reached and that the problem lies with them since they obviously don't check to see if someone's use of an e-mail address is legitimate or not. Facebook cannot be dealt with unless you have an account. I checked their issues page on this topic and there are countless people on there who have had their e-mail and Facebook blogs stolen and their only solution is to make them use yet another e-mail address to even have a Facebook account.

Why doesn't Facebook have a contact phone number ? Well, only Zuckerman can answer that and I wish he would since every legitimate web site originating in the USA has to have one. If you are wondering why I didn't join you at Facebook now you know the reason. What would you do ? Play this stupid game ? Not on your life. If you have a Facebook account do me a favor- send Zuckerman an e-mail (yes, you can do that !) and ask him why no one can call his web site to complain and why there isn't a validation process for the use of e-mails. Blogspot has one, MSN has one... why doesn't he ?

Fuming !

The Castle Lady

Sunsets

2010-10-13T18:51:00.001-07:00

I don't do this very often but I felt the need to do this tonight. I watched an amazing sunset while my city bustled and drove and barked and talked all around me. I don't think anybody bothered to watch what I was watching. It was an exhibition by God and it was free and there will never be another one exactly like it. It was as if I owned it. I wanted to share it but instead I enjoyed it alone. There were many other things to do but I walked away from all that responsibility and just stood for the span of about fifteen minutes reveling in the beauty and serenity in the midst of all the unnecessary ado about nothing.

As I stood there I started to think about what kind of a world this would be if everyone stopped, right at the time the sunset starts, everything they are doing and just watch the sunset. I think this would be a better world. It would be more beautiful. The people who watched it would become younger for every minute they stood there taking it in and they would never have heart attacks or influenza or gout. I think the people who stopped to watch sunsets would actually become more beautiful. Their interest rates might go down along with their blood pressure. They would be happier and not want to fight anymore.

Sunsets are so beautiful aren't they ?

Love,

The Castle Lady

Summer Movies

2010-09-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

I didn't go to very many movies this year, in general, but who can get through a summer without seeing at least one during the season? Certainly not myself. The selection is thankfully short for my readers. I went to see Alice in Wonderland (the remake, of course, with Johnny Depp in it) at the dollar movies and how could I resist seeing Salt when I heard the preview on television say, "I'm Salt. My name is Evelyn Salt" ? I've never seen but one movie with Angelina Jolie in it prior to this summer and that was Hackers. Yes. A very long time ago. So, I suspended my basic feelings of seeing any of her movies and went with all female family members to see this sleeper of the season.
I wasn't prepared for the Lara Croft treatment and so here I was trying to stay focused on the action as she landed flat on her back from great heights several times within seconds of each landing for the space of about five minutes of humanly impossible action. This was very nearly the beginning of the movie. Needless to say, I couldn't help but laugh at the most inappropriate time of the movie. How could I help it?

The actual beginning of the movie was horrendous and I won't go into why but it seems to me that as I watched her receive brutality after brutality on the screen for everyone's so-called viewing pleasure I started to actually feel sorry for all women by the end of it. The violence was so bad I couldn't get over the trauma of viewing more than an hour of this thriller. I'm especially bothered by senseless murdering onscreen of which this celluloid blunder contains a plethora. I don't know who I'd recommend this movie to or why. I suppose it was the finest of its genre but I believe my problem is with the genre itself- not its expertise. A funny paper cartoon pretty much says it all for me:

(Please turn off your brain cells ! ! )

Conversely, the grown-up Alice movie was a delight from beginning to end with some real thought provokers contained within the now somewhat fractured story through an adult onset viewpoint. In it the 19 year old Alice (played by Mia Wasikowska) goes through the same moves (and not without a comment made about her apparent inability to remember the mistakes she made the first time !) It was so darkly colorful ( with Depp as the Mad Hatter !) that it was absolutely charming and would be fun for children and adults to watch together. If you are a parent you may have to explain a few things to your child about what they are viewing but it's all good and in good taste with a little sexy playfulness that is absolutely innocent. If you don't believe me on that count please view it first (it's on DVD already !) before showing it to your child. The viewing should convince you.
That should get you up to date with my limited viewing. There are so many I miss anymore but after seeing Salt I'm convinced that in many cases I'm probably saving myself a lot of grief after all.

The Castle Lady with no grief

and lots of love !

My Lucky Life ? ?

2010-09-05T22:45:00.000-07:00

Ambition is a dream with a V-8 engine.

- Elvis Presley

All the faithful readers of my Castlelady™ blog are probably wondering about where I've been lately since my castle entries have decreased dramatically since March. I have a very good reason and no excuses. The main reason for the seeming abandonment has been a financial situation which has become intolerable and I've tried to turn the situation around since April with only a little success and a big waste of my precious time. It has been frustrating and there's no sense in trying to put up a positive front in this particular case because the financial need is so great. I can't honestly say I've ever made scads of money doing anything- manicuring and nails (for nearly thirty years !), bank teller jobs or my current self-employed salesperson status. However, I have always been able to pay my bills, live reasonably well and travel on what I made before I became a published author.(Don't let anyone think they can quit their day job just because they've had a book published by a major trade publisher, had articles published on the internet for pay or have self-published a book!) Self publishing is a great way to get in print but it won't make you rich unless you pitch your product towards other people wanting to get their books published. The subject of self-publishing is booming on Amazon dot com and Barnes and Nobel but guess who's making the money? I'm being gut-level honest with you when I say that the trade publishing game is absolute cut-throat. (Trade publishing is when someone else publishes your book- not a book you pay to have published !) During the current economic woes, which everyone is experiencing, this situation will probably get worse before it gets better.

Recently, the Live Space ™ team made changes again which didn't make anything particularly better and took out a valuable research tool I use frequently which gives statistics such as which pages have been viewed and the link from which it came, etc. In my case, often, it was a Google™ question for castles. When we had this feature, I checked them everyday no matter what else I did on the internet. It has been my first agenda for years! Now that this feature is gone I am completely cut-off from the public who haven't a Live Space™ or even people in my network, for that matter. It makes me too reliant on fielding questions in my comments. I feel that many people who don't subscribe to MSN™, Hotmail™ or their many services such as the Live Space™ blogs will also suffer since they may be in need of the information I impart on my castle entries.

To be be perfectly honest, though, I did not start a castle web site or my Castlelady ™ blog to please anyone but myself. My interest in castles began in my teen years and gained momentum with reading books on the subject and then, finally, - a short ten years ago- researching them on the internet. My fascination with castles and architectural history has kept me at it long after opposition and circumstances started to make it nearly impossible to continue. My livelihood always came from being a beauty professional- not as a writer. However, I have been a writer for a longer period of time. As you can see by my latest entry on my Castlelady ™ blog http://castlelady.spaces.live.com/

I have not given up nor will I be quitting for any reason. I have been asking God, for some time now, how to go about the business of writing and also go back to a livelihood that any able-bodied adult professional can expect to make. So far, I haven't seen any solutions materialize true success in this area, despite my greatest efforts. I haven't given up on God at all- I wish I could say the same for people. I'm just being honest. There are times I relate quite well to Socrates whose epitaph basically reads: He tried to make the people think so they killed him.

My request to all my Christian friends and contacts would be to pray in the area of my finances, stamina for all the work I will be doing and favor with publishers and the media, in general, for getting on with my vision for the books and the web site: http://www.ilovecastles.com/ Just lately I have been experiencing deception going on around and toward me which means that satanic forces are in force in almost every area of my life. I need clear direction from God in what to do next. Should I continue in my writing efforts ? Should I be seeking a grant and from whom ? These are just a few questions I need answers directly from God alone. I covet your prayers but not necessarily advice unless you're certain that God is saying something to you on my behalf. Your prayer efforts are priceless to me right now and I'm going to thank everybody ahead of time for doing so. God bless you and your household for taking the time to read this and pray on my behalf. If you leave a comment please also leave a prayer request and I will pray for your needs as well. That's how this whole thing really works.

Blessed kisses from The Castle Lady !

The House Your Heart Built

2010-08-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

There is a right way and a wrong way to do everything.

- Evelyn M. Wallace April 2010

When I saw these two funnies in the newspaper only days apart it made me think of one particular parable of Jesus in the sixth chapter of Luke. I prefer this rendering of the parable (as opposed to Matthew 7) because it appears that Jesus is not speaking of a house but a castle. It is because of this parable that I believe I started to become interested in architecture as a very young girl almost without my complete realization. One could say that this parable is very close to my heart because it is so personally relevant to all of us. We not only live in houses (or castles !) we are houses in and of ourselves. In 1st Corinthians 3:16 it states... Do you not know that you are the temple of a Living God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you ? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. Jesus referred to his own person as a temple on several occasions, too.

If you examine the parable I mentioned in Luke it reads this way:

Whosoever cometh to me, and hears my sayings and doeth them I will show you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built a house and digged deep and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose the stream beat vehemently upon that house and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that hears and doeth not is like a man that, without a foundation, built a house upon the earth: against which the stream did beat vehemently and immediately it fell and the ruin of that house was great.

I have wondered many times, when this parable is preached in churches, why the minister or preacher refers to the stream as a storm. To me, a stream from a flood is not nearly as violent as a storm can obviously strike. A flood is not without warning, which in some ways is the insidious part, but it is more subtle. There is a great difference here which bears examination. My grandmother had a saying which she repeated often when I was quite little,

"It's not the first crack that breaks the rock."

which means that it takes an awful lot of continuous application to something to make it work. It can also mean that if you hit a rock many times with medium force you will achieve the same results as if you had taken an iron hammer and struck with all your might. If we apply this principle to ourselves then it is important for us to realize that as we live and make choices we are building our selves and our lives. We can choose to follow previous instructions which obviously worked or do everything our own way and suffer the consequences that the vicissitudes of life can bring. The results of our choices will make a difference what kind of longevity we can enjoy and the quality of our lives. Our happiness will be tied to the success in the choices we made and each life which has become intricate with our own will also be affected.

Following the precedents of God is viewed almost with disdain in our so-called modern world. We see a lot of people who live mostly according to their own whims and fancies and they seem to do better than those who follow a strict code of behavior which is laid out very well in the Bible or in old social mores. One does not necessarily have to be religious to follow such codes and precedents. Perhaps it's because I tend not to take people at face value that I see holes and rips in the fabric of lives which don't hold to these standards. Their hearts don't appear loyal, they don't impart wisdom and they very seldom put down roots that last or take hold. This is the foundation of a life, however.

Your life is part of the inheritance that you give to your progeny. They follow in your footsteps, they emulate you and they never forget you. Eventually, they live right inside the house that your hands and your heart built. It's best we build that on a foundation which will hold them secure for a long time. We don't know if a stream or a storm is headed their way.

The Castle Lady, with a stream of kisses !

Avon Walks for the Rockies on June 26 and 27th !

2010-06-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

This year marks the eighth annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer which starts in Washington, D.C. and draws a 45 state participation each year. It will reach Denver by the 26th and continue on throughout the western states culminating this year in New York City and Charlotte, N.C. Thousands of participants share the walk every year and they have raised more than $7.7 for research in finding a cure for breast cancer and to help patients to fund their care and treatment.

You may be aware that Suze Orman is the ambassador for Avon's Foundation for Women but you may not know that she personally raised more than $105,000 alone- the most any walker has ever raised for a single event ! Donations are being accepted for all the remaining events which will occur in San Francisco, Santa Barbara, New York City and Charlotte. For more information about how you can register to walk, volunteer or donate you can click here or you can call 1-888-488-WALK.

This is one of the many ways that Avon is truly making a difference in the lives of people around the world and have made a commitment to help women most in need.

The Castle Lady with kisses you need !

How not to be a schlumpadinka !

2010-05-24T15:58:00.001-07:00

I don't know how many of you remember (or happened to be viewing) when Oprah had a segment on her show- a year or so back- which centered on her friends and their apparent lack of fashion sense and customary appearance. I mention this because it was Oprah who coined the term schlumpadinka on the show~ although, to be honest, it sounds rather Jewish doesn't it ? No matter.

It turned out to be hysterically funny in one sense and yet also a head turner for everyone concerning the American penchant for dressing a little too far down most days. I don't know if it started with actors and celebrities hounded by paparazzi when they are obviously not looking their best but I'd like to know why the average citizen thinks so little of their appearance in public that they will show up at the post office, grocery store or other mundane errand stops looking like they just got out of bed or were run over by a truck ! Why don't they stay at home and check out the mirror first ? Huh. Your guess would be better than mine I'll bet.

Now this is not to say I haven't had my serious bad lapses in taste when I've little time to do my daily dozen and get on with my day. I'll be honest and tell you that I don't dress like Beaver Cleaver's mother when I work in a kitchen or wear tight clothes, like Blondie, when I'm sitting and pounding away at a P.C. I don't put on the dog to go take the dog for a walk but when it comes to meeting and greeting the public I am aware that video cameras are everywhere and I would rather make an effort to make myself look presentable for nice affairs and events. Sometimes I try to outdo myself and try to look at least as nice as Marilyn Monroe, although I am not making a comparison, trust me !

About a year or so ago, the wife of a good friend of mine sent me an e-mail called The People of Wal-Mart and there were all manner of folk dressed either wacky, demented, sexily inappropriate or completely disgusting. Completely disgusting, you ask? How about someone wearing a T-shirt that has, "I just farted", emblazoned on the back? I suppose we should call him schlumpadink-him ?

At any rate my feeling is that people everywhere ought to start making more of an effort at least when they are shopping in stores or making the rounds where a lot of people congregate. You might think this is nit-picking or even being hypocritical. I did say I have my schlumpadinka moments or hours depending on what I'm trying to accomplish. Perhaps adding a little style to something very casual isn't out of the question. French women have been doing that for years and with a true knack for accessorizing simple outfits. What's wrong with adding a hat, scarf or little bauble of jewelry?

This is just a passing observation, but many middle aged to advanced middle age women dress in clothes too large for their frame. I'm not sure exactly when that started but it seems to me that for a desperate span of years women ran around in sweat outfits to do everything. The sweat outfit decade! Phew! It's over and it's time to look for a much more flattering wardrobe. God gave women curves for a very good reason and I don't think it's out of the question to show them off a little. As Jim Morrison said, "no eternal reward will forgive us now for wasting the dawn." So my advice is stop wearing something that you think is hiding something unacceptable. God gave you those assets for a reason and if you're clever you can show off that wonderful waistline without knocking everybody's eyeballs out. You may have to make some outfits, by the way.

There are designers who have made a difference in the fashion world by creating flattering outfits for women of all sizes and just in case you think you would not want to make the best of your figure, I want you to know that Bali is still making undergarments that reapportion your figure to the acceptable curves standard. Why not make use of them ? They still are affordable and will help you be the best you ! I understand that even these beanpole sylphs walking around are using the very same type of garment as outerwear to make themselves look more like their better endowed sisters! How's that for a switch ?

Now, about that un-made-up face. I know. I know. Do I need to look like Heather Locklear or Pamela Sue Anderson to make a Hamburger Helper meal for this lump of a boyfriend? My advice is that if you want the kind of service you used to get in stores try putting on a little blush, some lipstick coupled with lip gloss so you won't look like Bette Davis or Joan Crawford on a bad day. Some light fragrance will do wonders for how you are perceived by store clerks and cashiers, too !

If you feel unsure of yourself with the amount of make-up you've applied you can always remove what you think is over the top. The whole idea is to feel more relaxed and confident about yourself so make yourself happy. If you feel like a clown you'll probably act like it, and if it feels like too much- it probably is too much. Just remove it to the acceptable level you want to achieve.
I suppose selling Avon got me on this new track of being more aware of my every day appearance. I would remind everybody that the way you look is the first perception people will have about you and it's better that they see something positive in almost any given situation. Well, you better get back to work....

Glamorous hugs and kisses from

The Castle Lady

www.ilovecastles.com
http://castlelady.spaces.live.com/

Hear the other side.

2010-05-17T22:58:00.000-07:00

That quote by Saint Augustine is a flagship citation for anyone who truly wishes to be a peacemaker.

I have met a few of those in my time. I have often tried to be one myself and have had some successes but I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that sometimes I have failed at it miserably. I don't know if that is a failing of my own but I can say unequivocally that when I try to make peace I am earnest and quite sober about it. People who are enraged are impossible to appease and I've never seen a person reach this stage of loss of control who can easily be laughed off. When someone is fighting to be taken seriously they refuse to laugh. They are also the most difficult people to live and work with on all counts. So what's the answer?

Remember that 70s quote that was on almost everyone's lips? (If you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem.) It's logic that's difficult to disprove and I find is most often right. In order to have peace it has to be in your head first. If you can't find it there and hang onto it then don't expect to get in the middle of someone else's affairs and make peace. This is not to say that everyone who has head problems makes problems for everyone else. That isn't my point. However, if you cannot make peace with yourself you're not an obvious candidate to make peace for the world. You basically have to be able to focus on being a peacemaker, make it your priority and then there's one other type of solution that always seems to work wonders. Learn how to listen to people. They often say things they don't mean when they are scared, lonely or just hurting. People will strike out at others when they feel bereft of any other recourse. People are basically selfish and are badly in need of attention. If you take these things into consideration and you really care about people you're half way to being a true intercessor to the world. It badly needs you.

Blessed kisses from

The Castle Lady

A desire, a dream, a vision...

2010-04-06T23:39:00.001-07:00

"Champions are made from something they have deep inside them-

a desire, a dream, a vision."

-Muhammad Ali

Very recently I have gone back to entrepreneurship to save myself from financial ruin in the form of becoming an Avon Lady again. I don't know how many women groan when they hear they word but they should be quite relieved to hear it. I can't name any other company more involved in women's rights and women's issues at this time other than Oprah. If you visit their foundation web site you will find a very committed newsletter to the issues of breast cancer and ending domestic violence. Avon was always a company primarily for women but that doesn't mean that men can't get involved in helping.

Avon's CEO wants to empower women by giving them opportunities for higher education and making an income when all other avenues have failed or are inadequate. The women involved with Avon in this cause are Amy Hughes, Reese Witherspoon ( who is their spokesperson and recently added her Avon signature fragrance In Bloom to the product line) and Suze Orman.

As a kick-off to the Avon Walks which will start on April 10th in Houston, there are products you can purchase of which 100% of the profits will go to these causes. They start from $3 items to $15 starting with the empowerment bracelet up to a beautiful pink breast cancer Sleepshirt and Crusade Strap Watch. If you visit my online store you can go to the newsletter and find out more about these items and the walks. Please check out "You Can Make a Difference" and "Help Us Change the World".

Concurrently, Reese Witherspoon will join many other ambassadors in Washington, D.C. to launch a global advocacy campaign involving Vital Voices and the U.S. State Department. This summit will bring delegations together from all over the world in collaborative solutions to the escalating issue of violence against women. Avon's empowerment products have raised more than $8 million in 50 countries to fund programs in stopping domestic violence.

I'm keeping a blog on my site as well so you can monitor my progress and also find out about some of the products I like. I love Reese Witherspoon's signature scent and I highly recommend it as a mother's day gift. You'll get a matching free gift bag if you order within the next month. Avon has great products for almost every member of the household now and they are on the cutting edge of technological breakthroughs in skincare and make-up lines. The Mark line is for the teen set and young adults and there are wonderful bargains to be had by checking out the Outlet tab when you check out my web site. Go take a look at:

http://ewallace5026.avonrepresentative.com

www.avonfoundation.org

You'll be glad you made a difference ! The Castle Lady

If you don't like the weather in Denver....

2010-03-26T17:14:00.001-07:00

We've been having a rather unusual spate of seasonal changes in this city...certainly more unusual than a typical March. The truth is I can't explain it without the following saying I've heard since I was very young.

"If you don't like the weather in Denver, wait a minute."

That explains it in a nutshell and covers just about any time of the year and any season or semi-season you can think up. We have a special couple of sayings for March that puts the crazy changes in a succinct few words.

"March comes in like a lamb and leaves like a lion.

Sometimes it comes in like a lion and leaves like a lamb."

The latter saying may have you scratching your head especially if you don't live here or have never spent any amount of time in Denver or Colorado for that matter. It simply means that we'll have a humongous snowstorm at the beginning of March and then true spring-like weather by the end of it or it will come in very mild and balmy, windy and end with a blizzard.

This year it came in very nice, almost like summer on a few days but the second half of this month has been extremely weird. Weird weather here is the kind that can drive you out of your mind. Today is a good example. It was sunny and dry after having a pretty good snowstorm Tuesday night which almost dripped off and dried up by Wednesday afternoon. At about 2:00 pm it went cloudy. At 3:00 it had gotten windy, then the wind quit and it started to rain. (It almost never rains in Denver. I can count our rainy days in a year on one hand, normally.) Then after it rained for about ten minutes it decided to quit and started snowing. It snowed for ten minutes tops and now it's just cloudy again. This could go in any direction now and it's 6:00 pm while I'm writing this looking at a cloudy but dry late afternoon.

Did you get all that ? Well, don't feel badly if it confuses you just be glad you don't have to leave your house everyday equipped with every possible type of defensive apparatus known to man to fend off an unknown weather. We laugh at weather predictions this time of year because they really don't mean a thing. All I can tell you is that if you come to Denver be prepared for just about anything.

The Castle Lady with unpredictable kisses !

Cead Mile Failte~ A Thousand Welcomes

2010-03-17T16:44:00.001-07:00

Well, it's time for another round of Irish folklore. March 17th always seems like perfect timing for lifting up our spirits for the sake of a heritage that is rather ancient and yet is still so young in many ways. Back in 1999 I wrote the story of St. Patrick as a reporter for a newsletter of a Denver bank while I was concurrently employed there as a teller. I decided to republish it on my castlelady blog some years back and this is the link for it:

http://castlelady.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!F29367B89E011214!418.entry

I have a special feeling for the authentic castles of Ireland that reaches back into my own Irish heritage which comes from both my mother's and father's side of the family. A good example is Castle Trim. While it has been said that Irish people are not exactly fond of castles I would challenge that supposition on the basis of knowing that not all castles built on Irish soil were for feudal purposes alone- the same as it is in England. I cannot hear Danny Boy sung without crying. Does that tell you something ?

http://xeowulf.home.mindspring.com/Trim.html

There is, however, a bit of a tourist fascination which has been well-capitalized on Irish soil and everyone should be aware that when you mention castles in Ireland there will be a bill attached to it which you may find excessive. There are no significant bargains to be had but there are wonderful venues for everyone to enjoy and get a dramatic initiation into their particular world of castles and culture. Not only that but it's worth the price of admission !

If you'd like to find out more just check out www.celticcastles.com and you can read about the featured castle this month, Lough Eske Castle which has been renovated and turned into an award-winning castle hotel. This wonderful site will be a great resource if you are planning a major event and you want it to be spectacular ! Tell them....

The Castle Lady sent you !

PTL- An Incredible Day in the History of Haiti !

2010-03-15T20:27:00.001-07:00

The following is an account I was sent in an e-mail about what is going on in Haiti. This is an historical event that reaches beyond the devastation and finally brings the good news to these spiritually starving people:

AN INCREDIBLE DAY in the HISTORY OF HAITI
-by Jerry Miel (Feb 17) (verbatim)

Jerry Miel is a good friend and radio engineer who served as a missionary in Haiti with World Team mission when we lived there .
He worked with the Christian station, Radio Lumiere (Radio Light). He has gone back to Haiti to help in the aftermath of the earthquake and makes these important observations. - Boxley

I think that I will remember this day as one of the most significant in my life, not because of what I did, but for it's meaning . . .Today was the one month anniversary of the great Haitian earthquake.
About 3 days ago the Haitian President announced that there would be 3 days of holiday from work for the purpose of fasting and prayer. This is absolutely historic . If you have ever been in Haiti as a visitor or missionary, could you ever have imagined such a pronouncement? Could you image (sic) such an announcement from the U. S. President? This morning I saw a young Haitian-American woman, the leader of a work team, crying because the Americans could not understand the incredible importance of this day and wanted to go about business as usual. Remember, it was only about 6 years ago that a former Haitian president called the nation to come together to rededicate the nation to Satan.
This was not a minute of silence for the deceased or something as equally insignificant. Whatever the President might have originally intended, this became a real commitment for the Haitian people. As I sit here this evening, I can hear the preaching coming from a nearby church. Services have been going on all day . . . Let me tell you what I saw and felt today.
Peniel and I had planned an inspection trip up to the Artibonite Valley today. Right or wrong, I don't really know, but since it was the only opportunity, we went ahead with the trip. As we left the guest house abut 7:30 am, we were met by throngs of well dressed people headed to various churches. The sounds of Christian music and worship filled the air everywhere. the next observation was that there was NO traffic. Port-au-Prince streets are always clogged and overflowing with bumper to bumper traffic. This morning there were only a few vehicles on the roads, a few small buses (tap taps), some UN and military vehicles, and a few private cars. We had clear sailing through town. the same was true of foot traffic. Usually the streets are clogged also with people walking. Today there were only a few and many of them dressed for church. The only place that there were traffic blocks was in front of several churches where the congregations had overflowed the buildings and the yards and had moved out into the streets as well.
The next observation was that EVERYTHING was closed! We could not find even one business or gas station open. There were no intercity buses running. Whereas the sidewalks are usually overflowing with millions of street venders, we only saw a few here and there. The huge outdoor market near the wharf where thousands work each day and is spread out to cover most of the street, was EMPTY.
Where were all the people? They were in churches and makeshift meeting sites. Every church (except a JW church) had services going on, almost always overflowing into the streets. Beside broken down churches, services were taking place outside. In homeless camps, there were services. Everywhere the nation was gathered to worship and pray. No, I did not see any voodoo, Islamic, or Buddhist services. This scene was repeated in every
town and hamlet that we passed during the day.
Tonight, Pastor Ignace, who is sharing the room with me, asked this question: "Can people still say that Haiti is a voodoo country?" What has been happening and is continuing to happen in Haiti did not happen because of the earthquake. It has been happening because the Haitian people know how to pray. This is a tremendous outpouring of God's power as the result of prayer. Twenty years ago I started praying for the Gospel to change the Haitian culture . I think that I am seeing God do that work.
The only sadness that I feel today is for our nation . While a nation that has long been under Satan's domination is turning to God with total commitment, our nation, founded on Godly values has rejected God and is rapidly trying to forget that his name even exists. Let us pray for revival.

Pajanm bliye, Jezi remmen ou. M'ap priye pou ou !

Be blessed by Jesus today !

The Castle Lady with hugs, kisses and blessings !

Preach-y ? ?

2010-03-05T22:26:00.001-08:00

I occasionally am inspired to write expository entries on all my blogs on the topic of Christianity and specifically God-given epiphanies and outright sermons (if you will) concerning faith. I hope I never come across as preaching heavily although given that my stance is basically fundamental by nature I'm sure it is unavoidable on certain points. I am not here to judge anyone and the Bible states pretty clearly "judge not lest ye be judged." I always keep that in mind when I write something I feel so strongly about- enough to write about it and post it on my blogs.

That being said, the following is my feeling about regular church attendance and why I think it's necessary for many but may be redundant for a few. There are a lot of variables here, so hear me out:

I don't know how many churches I've attended now and I've decided not to turn this into a mathematical equation or attendance record contest. I do know that any church I've attended on a regular basis eventually gets into the realm of repeating a sermon that invariably becomes an exercise in teaching a conditional type of faith based on works and not the love of a God who sent His son to die on the cross for our sins. I don't know how many people have said the sinners prayer and walked out of a church later- never to return except to the life they lived prior to attending the church but apparently it's so prevalent that John Bevere decided to write a book years ago titled, When the Heavens are Brass. I heartily recommend this book for those of you who witness to people and actively invite and take these people to church. Without prayer and careful watching, there is no one more vulnerable to spiritual attack than a brand new convert. Why do they get attacked so vehemently? They are generally the most enthusiastic people for the gospel. If a verse in the Bible describes them well it is in Jesus words in Matthew, Mark and Luke:

Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself but endures only for awhile. For when tribulation or persecution arises, because of the word, immediately he stumbles. Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, (but) the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becomes unfruitful. He who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Today the world is such that very little of what we see, hear and read is truly internalized. Perhaps we are too inundated and it becomes difficult to sift through the barrage we encounter each and every day. Very little should be internalized, in truth, but it is not that way in your communication with your creator. People who accept Jesus as their personal savior need to attend church regularly, get in a good study group and get saturated with the words in the Bible in order to gain understanding of what they have started in motion. You cannot build anything without directions or education and it is the same with becoming a Christian. You have to build your faith and you have to work at it.

As your Christianity grows your church should be sensitive to your individual needs and make sure that they provide you with the training you need to become an effective witness for Christ. If you stay where you are at you will become the Christian who stumbles. Witnessing is key to the growth of your faith. This is a time for a special type of sheltering which ultimately comes from God but should be recognized and encouraged. No one has to be perfect to witness for the gospel but your effectiveness will definitely be according to the level of training you have received to deal with vicissitudes and others concerns. Compassion for sinners becomes a key issue at this point. If your church is not helping you at this stage, find a church that does!

If you have reached a point where you spend most of your time in a church and you begin to become judgmental of the world around you- finding it almost impossible to share your faith and feeling that you no longer want to communicate with sinners, you need to stop attending church and ask yourself where you are headed in life. What are you doing for the Kingdom of Heaven ? It's very easy to continue to cloister yourself among the faithful and stay comfortable in your perfect little world but you are like the seed among thorns. All the people who get on your nerves and make you feel uncomfortable with your life as a Christian are your assignments. It would be better for you to open your mouth and take the risks involved than continue living a life which produces nothing. Re-read John 15:1-9 and then ask yourself what you are producing at church.

If you are one of those people who actively invite and take people to church or you actively witness at each and every opportunity remember to keep these people in your prayers. Watch over your seed like a mother hen watches over her brood of chicks. Stay involved in those lives you have touched as much as is possible. Keep praying over the words you have witnessed and ask God to prosper them. You're ready for the Lord's Army. Rejoice ! !

Not preaching...just teaching,

The Castle Lady

Women Politicians and Election Loopholes

2010-02-20T13:43:00.001-08:00

I have been watching the ongoing bipartisan skirmishes with a lot of apprehension lately and I have become a little surprised at what the traffic bears today in the way of TV ads and newspaper commentary along with all the political e-mails I receive from family, friends and outright foes.

Perhaps you may not know that recently Supreme Court passed legislation called Citizens United to allow corporations and other special interest groups to spend unlimited amounts of money in our elections. So what, you say ? If we value this country as a democracy we would not want these groups to unbalance the former fairness of our election system by allowing any individual or group to practically buy our elections. I would urge you to not let foreign governments and foreign corporations to place ads attempting to sway the American population to vote according to their needs rather than our own. These may include government contractors, TARP recipients, CEOs of companies who often hide but fund these special interests. The Tea Party convention in Nashville supposedly has no leader but believe me this is no time to stand around sipping evil nectar! Republicans didn't want this legislation when democrats dominated the house and senate but now they've pulled a fast one by pushing their own version of it because they believe they have the public bamboozled with their so-called true agenda. If that's true, why don't they come out and admit what they support and don't in those ads? The people want to know: who really paid for this ad ?

I guess the best way to illustrate what can happen with this is to point to republican Jane Norton who is running for something here in Colorado. She claims in her television ads that the current government spending is what put this economy in its tailspin. If you've been paying attention at all you'd know that isn't true but the problem would be traced back to Bush's last act of treachery with the so-called failing banks bailout. Turns out he didn't give that money to failing banks. He put it in the hands of well-to-do bankers themselves. He also did worse than that but I don't need to tell you this do I ? Eight years of nothing but bumbling speaks for itself, I believe.

Well, this same Jane Norton is proposing to put taxes on our groceries and medications. A tax we've never had to shoulder here in this state. (This shifts the tax burden off of the wealthy and hits senior citizens on a fixed income right in the wallet.) She says the government should have no role in health care which is bad news for Medicare recipients. She also says that President Obama cares more about the rights of terrorists than protecting Americans. The funny thing is that you'll never see that on her TV ads. These double-minded tactics have become a new high-strung way of pushing a different agenda but covertly and with plenty of money to fuel it. It also makes no sense.

All those who think this is harmless ought to take a good look at Sarah Palin who looks as harmless as a jelly-fish but her stinger is poised at destroying Social Security and Medicare saying that people are being oppressed by these programs when as a matter-of-fact these current economic times would require that they stay in place. She's Going Rogue alright and she doesn't aim at anyone she doesn't think is a direct threat to her spending sprees or mismanagement of funds. Whatever happened to Bush Sr.'s, "Read my lips"? They want to tax more and take our programs away. What are those funds for? Think about it. We have a lot of people in this country who have no health insurance. If Medicare dies what will our options be, anyway? If Social Security is privatized, only those with lower benefits coming to them will be out on the street at a time of life when you would not want to be homeless. Is this our future under the Republican regime?

Just in case you're wondering what a legitimate special interest group might look like, take a look at what Leonardo DiCaprio is currently supporting and quite openly. www.ThisIsOurMoment.org It's an organization that is trying to push forward with a Clean Energy Bill which will be aggressive in getting carbon pollution dealt with, create jobs and will be a defining moment in what Obama said he would tackle if given some sign or initiative to help. He was looking for someone to roll up their sleeves and here it is with no hidden agendas or underhanded dealings. This is about solving problems, not who wins a bigger piece of the pie.

The pie is not all,

The Castle Lady

Don't travel funky ! !

2010-02-16T15:33:00.001-08:00

When I first started embarking on travel in earnest it was international all the way. My first trip out of the U.S.A. was to London which was probably the best place to cut my teeth with European travel since I was young. I was only nineteen and had never been outside my country- not even to Mexico (which I've never been to!) My first castle was the Tower of London and it was also probably a best first once again since I can't think of a better prototype model for a concentric medieval configuration of a castle than William the Conqueror's pride and joy in London.

The other day I was looking in the travel section of my local newspaper when I spotted a book which just made me shake my head in disbelief. Actually it's two books: Beginner's Guide to Cruising and Stern's Guide to the Cruise Vacation. Now, I ask you, if there is a no-brainer- just get on the plane and then get on the boat- ease of a trip, it would be a cruise. Why would you possibly need to read about how to go on a cruise ? Would someone please answer that in some way that won't make me accidentally shoot water up my nose through my throat again. That hurts you know!

Taking a vacation in the current economy apparently involves trying to think up ways of making traditionally boring ways to spend your week off in an even cheaper manner than ever before. Why try to spice it up with knowing the ins and outs of your particular nonsensical idea of a vacation? I may be a little harsh in my assessment but it seems to me that if you cut corners too much or attempt too hard to make something out of nothing it may be more like just going to work than you care to think about.

Amusing vacations are in as well. I found these links and thought I would share them with you.

Head cam videos of heliskiiing in Alaska

http://blogs.denverpost.com/sports/2009/04/28/oe-in-ak

http://blogs.denverpost.com/sports/2009/0428/oe-in-ak-ii

http://blogs.denverpost.com/sports/04/28/oe-in-ak-iii

http://blogs.dneverpost.com/sports/04/28/oe-in-ak-iv

Maybe it would just be easier to stay close to home and find a nice spa to lay around in ! Good idea !

Ah ! Home again, home again, jiggity-jig!

The Castle Lady

Who wins ? McDonalds or Burger King ?

2010-02-02T20:49:00.000-08:00

I am going to give everyone a fair chance to express their opinion on something that isn't a major issue but got me to thinking about the way the media is always trying to sway public opinion for their own selfish gain. The other night I came across this article on the internet:

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/108728/burger-king-draws-critics

It struck me as rather ridiculous that anyone would make their decisions about whether they will patronize a business based solely on what type of advertising they do. I'm not saying that the commercials aren't juvenile and at times even insulting to more than a few identifiable groups out there but since when do people make their consumer purchases based on the commercial they watched on TV the other night? Does anyone seriously do this or am I being silly myself?

Assuming that you've read the article from the link I just provided please give me your opinions in the comments. My personal feeling is a practical one. Since BK has been in business I have preferred their hamburgers over just about every franchise hamburger chain out there. I don't buy hamburgers from Wendy's but I like their salads. Period. McDonald's quality has been down since 1969 apparently. I've never had a decent hamburger from them. Period. Their fries are the best and that's about it. Carl's Jr. can give BK a run for their money but we only have one in the entire state of Colorado and it's luckily reasonably near where I live. Sonic might be fun if I still drove around in my first car- a vintage '67 Oldsmobile Cutlass. Otherwise it's insanity to try to eat finger food with half the contents dropping on my steering wheel. Those drive-in days are over- believe it !

I think that someone out there (guess who? ) paid this guy to write that article. Special interest groups will tear them apart the same way they tried to do KFC in about their so-called mistreatment of chickens. Pshaw ! ! Activist- smack-tivist ! I'll go where the quality is and for me a decent hamburger will always be the flame-broiled decent-sized beef patties in a plump, non-soggy bun that only Burger King provides ! So there. Thbbbph ! !

Don't forget to leave a comment ~ BIG KISS !

The Castle Lady

Inner Beauty

2010-01-26T19:47:00.000-08:00

We can't do much about our appearance through normal means but we have

total control over the kind of person we become.

One of the least prized attributes of our current culture is quite possibly the most important to our health and well-being today. That is truly a shame. In a time when we most need the fortitude and tenacity that inner beauty can impart to individuals and team players alike, we seem to be seriously lacking. I cannot remember a time in my life when politics have ever been this mean-spirited and divisive or when so much of old game conning and some insidiously new trumpery in business has been so prevalent. Our values are all wrong but we cling to them because it's what worked previously.

I believe it's time for this country to take a giant leap in character-building and reset our priorities. Helping Haiti is our chance to show the world what lies beneath the surface of our flag-waving courage and pride. Perhaps if we stop thinking so much globally as we ought to think to those who are truly less fortunate and put a stop-gap on what we think is worth spending our money on, we will be helping everybody including ourselves.

A new face cream is not going to change your face so much as a heartfelt, genuine smile. A brand new racing style sports car isn't going to give you any more dash than a hands-up to a few hundred people who have never known anything but privation. I cannot look at a hugely expensive or over-priced item without thinking how many meals I could buy with that money for people who are starving.

Only a decade and a half ago Americans were being referred to as the Ugly American in most global capital cities around the world because of their blatant self-indulgence and tawdry life-styles. Wouldn't it be nice to change the world's view to one of inner beauty and radiance on our part? We could stop throwing epithets of liberal and fascist at each other and start showing a new face to the world which might truly make a difference globally. All we would have to do is change the way we act- here and abroad- but mostly here on our own shores. There isn't any quick way to wealth and once it's gone you cannot buy back your health. If you think about the impact you have in your own sphere and mind what you're actually doing you may be able to change the world for good without even fully realizing it. It's worth it to appear like a movie star without wasting the money on that Gucci rag, isn't it ?

Putting a new face on and loving it,

The Castle Lady

Do we need an Airline Passengers Bill of Rights ? ?

2009-11-28T21:29:00.001-08:00

I don't know how many of my readers have been watching the TV news lately but a recent item that came up just before Thanksgiving made me so mad that I vowed I would write something about it even though I'm neck deep in projects. Last Monday I watched a brief news story on the late afternoon CBS telecast that described an unbelievable act of barbarism in the form of a wheelchair-bound woman being taken off of a plane and left in a baggage area at the DIA airport. Apparently, while she was waiting for help she died of a stroke and was found abandoned where she should never have been left.

A couple of days later this woman's daughter was on the news. She lives in Latvia and expected to see her mother come home on a plane. She sure didn't expect to get a call from the authorities that her mother had been wheeled to a baggage area and left there to die. I will not disclose the name of the airline but I cannot believe that a human being could be treated this way for any reason or under any circumstances. The daughter said she just wanted an explanation of why her mother was taken off of the plane. This newscast ended with the anchor relaying that the airline had been contacted by them and no explanation was given. They called the hospital where the woman had been taken and they gave no explanation to them as well.

We see items in the paper everyday about our relationships with other countries but what must they think of the United States when these intolerable acts happen and our authorities shrug? Why would the rest of the world not hate us under these circumstances?

Just the day before, I had read a Washington Post article about a bill being passed for passenger rights. It expounded on a few other problems that have existed for quite some time. It went on and on about code-sharing which I've known about since I was a teenager. One expert that had been consulted by the author Christopher Elliott was consumer advocate Edward Hasbrouck who felt that truth in advertising, problems with federal pre-emption and failure to enforce existing consumer laws were greater issues but how can that be seriously heeded when a bigger issue is staring us in the face like this?

I can pick up a paper or turn a news telecast on any day of the week and I'll hear about gay rights, animal rights, and Miranda rights but I am wondering about basic human rights. Whatever happened to treating your common everyday citizen with compassion, respect and care? The same consumer rights advocate I cited above was quoted as saying, "Airlines routinely engage in practices that would constitute fraud if engaged in by any other business." I'll go a step further in saying that they also routinely engage in the practice of treating people worse than cattle. Apparently, people that work in airline terminals need to be given classes in human compassion and responsibility toward your fellow human being along with CPR and basic medical care. I doubt if it will bring that woman's mother back, though.

Blowing off steam !

The Castle Lady

Cheap! Cheap!

2009-11-04T22:26:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite quotes is from William McKinley, our twenty-fourth president:

"I do not prize the word cheap. It is not a badge of honor... it is a symbol of despair.

Cheap prices make for cheap goods; Cheap goods make for cheap men;

and cheap men make for a cheap country."

My strongest feeling about today's economy is that it is nearly nonexistent. It exists electronically or if you're lucky, on paper. Our virtual economy is even more precarious than the failing economy. A lot of people bank only online but I watch my mother, who wouldn't touch a computer (out of plain old fear and probably mistrust) snubbing ATMs in favor of real live tellers. I must admit that if I did not have a building in which I take my deposits, periodically, I would feel as if I had lost touch of something tangible. We have all lost something tangible, truly.

While everybody goes on and on about a global economy, I sit and ponder what happened to businesses in my immediate community which are simply gone and had been thriving up until the day I saw the closed signs go up, recently. About twenty years ago an initiative for Colorado in which they had set up shops all around the state called simply, "Made in Colorado" received a little publicity. All the products were made in Colorado, of course, but the most amazing thing is that they were making it easy for Colorado to continue to have a true local economy without having to resort to expensive and annoying advertising. Today there are no such stores. Nobody supported them apparently. Tourists and residents walked away shrugging. I don't know if any such organization was attempted elsewhere in the country.

Buyers and consumers think because their finances move at a fast pace with lowered prices or faster ways of shopping that they are contributing toward the recovery of our economy. I would look askance at the products they find acceptable. Products and services are more shoddy than ever. How often do you look to see where the product was made as you shop? Do you read labels? People have been complaining about the junk sold in stores and how you can't get good service for as long as I've been alive and probably longer than that- truth be told. Today I would concur with those who have been saying so and with the emphasis on the quote I cited above. This whole economy is being hampered by the dominoes theory.

When you buy cheaper made products you are supporting a business that does not care what they sell you as long as you buy their product. A cheaper price is not good enough for me if it will not last or perform as it should. This problem is nearly across the board now. The quality has gone down on everything from acrylic fabricated containers to tissues to zinc oxide sunscreens. The less you pay, the more likely the product will break, fizzle out or show some lack in workmanship or quality. By buying these products you are also supporting the level of quality.

Do I have a solution to this problem? The answer is yes and the solution is much easier than you would think. Let me count the ways:

1. Start buying locally and pay with cash when you can. Find out about these products by contacting the local manufacturer. When a company knows that its customers care about the quality of the product, in all likelihood, they will rise to the occasion and make sure they inform and please their client base. If you support local farmers you will probably get the best produce you can buy and it's the strongest way of building up our country's economy on a large scale. It's a win/win situation.

2. Barter services and goods where you can. Garage sales are now bartering as well as selling. It's the oldest form of an economy and it works. If you trade Nellie's apple pies for the quince jelly you make every year, you both know where to go if something went wrong. Instant feedback wins the day.

3. Start conserving your stock of goods. Recycle the old fashioned way. Reuse something. (This year I am making quite a few Christmas presents from containers and presents I received in the past.) Don't regift- remake! Families appreciate hand-made gifts many times over anything you can buy at a store and the reason is obvious. You will be saving space in landfills and conserving on rampant consumerism as well.

4. Before you buy a major purchase do your homework and find out what the best components to the product are and educate yourself about its use. If you are considering a service, don't just check prices. Get educated on the service through expert opinion and find out how to get the best for your money. Money spent blindly is nearly always money wasted. This is especially true of service related expenses.

5. Try to think of ways of saving money for your individual needs that don't compromise the quality you receive.

By following this basic plan you can make the economy a reality and you will save money in the long run. Thinking globally is wonderful when we are thriving but a good part of the reason why our economy is in such sad shape is because we are almost devoid of factories, many jobs are being outsourced outside of our country and we stopped supporting local businesses in favor of business franchises who don't think locally or support their communities. If you must do business with large chain stores and shops, engage them in your neighborhood through charity outreaches and encourage them to buy locally manufactured products instead of those produced overseas. The economy you save might be your own !

The Castle Lady says charity begins at home !

honor virtutis praemium

2009-09-21T13:43:00.001-07:00

Honor is Virtue's Reward

At the beginning of the last presidential campaign I made keen note of all the issues and tried to decide early on who I would watch closely and to see who had the most integrity to carry out the ambitious promises I expected each candidate to make. Most of my attention focused on Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama since they were the only candidates which were tackling the issues I felt were the most important. Barack's were all about change which were a little vague at first and Hillary's were very cut and dried. I did not agree totally with everything on Hillary's agenda but most of it was very acceptable and I felt she was the most qualified since she had actually spent two terms in the White House in an advisory capacity.

Nobody seems to talk about being humble anymore but I think it's a wonderful virtue for anybody taking the Presidential seat especially with the current caustic political climate. When was the last time we had a humble President in the White House? It seems to me that Jimmy Carter tried to fulfill that quest and he did very well at that but he also made some grave errors. I think we all are aware of what those are, or at least those of us who have been keeping themselves reasonably informed when it comes to politics.

Humbleness comes in handy when people attack your character, decisions or even your moral compass. Without it you are left to defend what you may miserably fail at defending. I watched Bush try to defend our invasion of Iraq first with a deceptive motive, which was that they harbored weapons of mass destruction and then when that failed to hold water he told us we were morally obligated to these people while he went after his sworn enemy- Saddam Hussein. If he had told us the truth of his agenda from the beginning I certainly would have appreciated the honesty and conceded that something needed to be done with terrorists in a leadership role such as Saddam held. We did not receive the truth from him, however, and in my eyes he fell from grace at the moment he showed that he did not even want to admit that he lied.

Personally, I would like to see humbleness come back into vogue in every political office held in this country. I believe our foreign policies would start to line up with all the virtues that our founding fathers obviously cherished. It showed in their Bill of Rights, it showed in the Constitution and the Amendments. It showed, most importantly, in their lives which were far from perfect. I believe what showed the most, in certain cases, was a willingness to humble themselves when they most wanted to receive laudits. Abraham Lincoln, I understand, despised only one thing. That single most disgrace on his list comprised one word: grandstanding. He didn't do it and neither should our leaders. Self-esteem is really honor made manifest but honoring yourself is rarely worthwhile. Receiving honor after a job well-done is always better. I guarantee it.

I'll reward you with a guarantee

of my finest kisses !

The Castle Lady

What I Did for Twenty Years ! ! Conclusion

2009-07-24T12:22:00.001-07:00

Why did I close my shop? The main factor was an unlikely occurrence on May 5, 1997. On that Sunday my mother decided to get overly busy and she broke her right ankle running down her downstairs staircase. As a matter of fact she broke both of her ankles in two separate incidences on that same day. My part was in taking her to Kaiser with the first one and getting her back home through the Cinco de Mayo traffic- which was horrendous in that decade in Denver!

After the shock of the second break and two ambulances later it became imperative for me to be close at hand in order to be of any help at all to her. She wound up in a nursing home for a short period of time but the house had to be made wheelchair accessible and it forced me to take time away from my shop. The only other instance in which I took that much time away from my shop happened when I was called in for Jury Duty during a Christmas season. It clearly was a hardship in both instances but in one I had no choice. When it came to my mother I wouldn't have chosen any different.

As a result, I closed my shop permanently, moved my business into hers ( home Beauty Salon) and stayed on because I felt it was necessary- even after she got back on her feet and went back to working in her salon. The down side to this was that I watched my business dwindle down slowly over the years. I had never found anyone who could take over my salon in my absence. This was the only negative factor of salon ownership during those seven years. Finding good, steady employees was always elusive and very frustrating. I don't feel I ever found a co-worker or employee that came even close to my standards. Most of the technicians I hired didn't have enough knowledge (a rather common occurrence because of the high burnout rate for this profession.) My goal was always to service a client according to their needs and objectives.

Apparently the different (and geriatric) atmosphere at my mother's salon was not conducive to my business which thrived at a storefront. Quite possibly, I had made an error in closing the prime location shop but I wouldn't have chosen any different given the circumstances. My family was first and there was no discussion. I hope I receive the same consideration someday when my time comes. Time will tell.

In 1999 I had two more life changes. One was positive and other was a learning experience that I'll not soon forget. That summer I sat down and wrote an inspirational book which practically wrote itself. If I have ever had an automatic writing experience I believe this was it, however, I was fully conscious of what I was writing. The result is a book about praise and worship titled, "In Spirit and In Truth". Once it was written I immediately started to try to find a publisher or agent. I met up with almost total silence and even in some cases hostility toward the ideas I presented even though every word of this book is scriptural and I supported it only with scripture. The response from publisher and agents was surprising and disappointing to say the least. Many did not bother to read it. Good reactions to the book came from ordinary church people. My only aim was to reach church-going Christians and so I view this book as a success. I still desire to get it published.

That same year, shortly after my birthday, I saw that my dwindling clientele was creating a financial hardship for myself and I decided to take a job in a bank as a teller. What started out as pleasant, menial work turned into a nightmare when I saw that the workload was being shunted my way too much. Within a year I quit because I started to develop stomach ulcers. I learned something about working in a corporate environment that I'll never forget and I don't believe I want to repeat the mistake because I believe that many of my clientele were put off by my irregular hours. I worked only evenings and Saturdays in my mother's salon at that time. This episode was debilitating to my spirit and created another hardship that I've never known. Taking in only half the pay I normally made in the past along with incredible amounts of stress was demoralizing.

When an opportunity to take a trip to see castles came along in 2001 I realized I was being given a chance to to make a long time dream come true. I have been interested in castles since I was a teenager- even before I took any trips overseas- my first in 1977 when I went to London for the first time. The Tower of London was my very first castle, which was a good place to start.

I seized the ring and set out for Paris- our starting point for the 2 week tour- on August 31st. To see castles in photos, diagrams and lithos in a book are great but it can't compare to being present to view them personally, walk their floors and study the individual architecture. I wouldn't trade the experience for any other trip I've ever taken. We took in seventeen castles in five countries in that span of time! In addition, it sparked a passion for architecture of which I had not been fully aware until I was there to see the castles for myself. I want to share this passion and I can truly say that my books will be those which I would want to use myself.

I hope you have enjoyed getting some details of my life which heretofore have been unknown to the internet reading public. If you still believe me to be a bit of a mystery all I can say is that each person must keep a certain amount of their lives in a strictly personal state. I share my feelings and hopes and dreams with those who don't mind getting close and sharing those details. This is why we have friends.

A friendly kiss and hug from

The Castle Lady !

What I Did for Twenty Years ! ! ! Part Two

2009-07-22T21:53:00.000-07:00

Four years prior to that I had been working full-time and had almost full-time college course work in musical flute performance on my schedule plate, too. During the years between 1984 and 1987 I had played as third flute on what was then the Denver Symphony Orchestra stage (now the Colorado Symphony) on numerous occasions, sang and played for weddings and funerals and formed a flute/guitar duo with a Denver Public School teacher. I had started taking lessons when I lived in San Diego back in the early 80s and felt that I wanted to master my sound on it. This led to college even though I wasn't really looking to get a degree. My musicianship blossomed with every course I took whether it was theory, lab or an ensemble. It was a busy and exciting time for me but I always managed to find time to write poetry and composed my own songs.

I traveled extensively for years after 1983 attending trade shows for my profession in California, Arizona and even Massachusetts adding new services to my menu with each class. Very few nail technicians offer as many different mediums as I do so I took my artisanship in nails to the highest level. ( I know every type of artificial application whether it is acrylic extensions, gel, silk, linen, fiberglass or paper overlays (the latter of which is very passe'.) To this day I maintain my inventory to offer everything that is in my scope and capability. My vacations usually coincided with shows and classes but one year I really took a "time-off" vacation to Jamaica in 1989 which I found intriguing but also beguiling. Perhaps relaxing vacations were meant for other types of individuals. I remember renting a car and gallivanting all over the island!

A fond memory of learning about airbrushing comes to mind from the originators of the practice of doing this medium on nails. The people collectively owned a company called Colormist ( TM) and they developed the special airbrush stream to be 1/100th the usual width especially for nail art. The designs below show how muted and elegant the designs were and you could make your own templates to create the unique designs. We were only limited by our imagination. Imagine my dismay at what passes for airbrushing designs today. I don't care for most of them because they don't appear elegant to me. They get paint all over the fingers which has to be wiped off. The designs look crude and ostentatious. It may be a matter of taste but the designs below speak for themselves. Today I still do all my nail art with individual brushes to do hand-painted art and I have had many people tell me that my work is unsurpassed. I enjoy doing it my way and not the cookie-cutter method which prevails now.

After eleven years of working both in Colorado and California as an independent contractor (primarily) I took a month off from my daily schedule for a writing sabbatical to set about the business of getting my first book of poetry published. I'll never regret the time I took to find out what the life of a writer entails. The work is very solitary but quite fulfilling. I'll have to say that it is not the life for a loquacious individual unless you become a journalist. Otherwise, it is quite a bit of isolation combined with the fortitude of a nun and a very exacting business as well.

My book Seasons of the Heart was published in July and I did several poetry readings. When I went back to my work as a nail technician I found that my nail clients were the people most keenly interested in my book of anyone. They made my sales phenomenal for a first run book by an unknown poet. (For people outside of the literary world, poetry is the least money-making of all books published and they rarely print more than a few thousand copies even for well-known poets. My book paid for its own printing with the first one hundred sales!)

A little more than a year later, (1990) I decided to get serious about starting my own salon and I found a storefront in which the location was virtually untapped. There were no nail salons in the area and it was a prime business location. Two minutes after signing the lease contract with the owner of the strip mall I had a deja vu moment that told me I had made a decision that would change my life.

When I opened my doors on the first day half my clientele dropped off, telling me that they wouldn't drive as far as my location even though they all had followed me around a ten or more mile radius away from the location I'd started working when I returned to Colorado in 1983 ! I was a little stunned because it was obvious the snob factor had set in, of course. However, I rebuilt the missing clientele within a short time, due to constant prayer on my part and a faithful fortitude that I attribute to being the offspring of a long line of entrepreneurs and business owners.

After three successful years my lease was up and I started looking for a new location since my landlord decided to triple my rent! The only negative factor that I had experienced with salon ownership at that point was finding good, steady employees. This was very frustrating but I found that with being in charge I could make up for the lack of their standards with my own. Since I set the standard there was no one over me with any inhibiting factor of lack of expertise affecting the clientele. It was a great position for someone of my professional stature to keep.

Sure enough, I found a new location only three blocks away and I expanded my service and added a boutique. My biggest profit year occurred at that second location and I enjoyed it more as well. Because the space was quite small and cozy I felt it was necessary to completely redecorate it and I watched my clientele increase. I learned more about my capabilities in those seven years than at any other time of my life. If you want to build your character ( or test it!) start a business !

All during the years that I owned my salon, which was during the years 1990 to 1997, I used my flute playing skills by going back to a church I had attended many years before, on the strength of my mother's preference for the pastor's wife's teachings, to play in their orchestra. This is Marilyn Hickey's home base (ORCC) where I played flute or sang for their church for more than thirteen years! I also involved myself as an actress in the plays the director, Scot Aspromonte, ran from 1998 and really found my niche, I believe. For an interlude during the years '95 to '97 my flute playing and singing took a detour to a little church not far away from my relocated salon which was called "Good News". I was able to utilize my session playing very well there and had a very appreciative crowd for my solo singing, too.

More to come from The Castle Lady ! ; )

What I Did for Twenty Years ! ! ! Part One

2009-06-27T16:30:00.000-07:00

From Spring of 1977 up to two years ago my steady source of income was the profession of manicuring and artificial fingernails. What most people consider tedious and menial work was a creative and financially well-rewarding vocation for me. Even when I started my own nail salon in 1990 I knew that I'd never become a millionaire- busy as I was- but the rewards were in the personal service of people (mostly women) achieving their individual beauty goals- a perk unmatched in any other personal service industry, in my estimation.

I never consciously gave up the profession. I'm still licensed and stock the materials to continue at any time ! The changes to this industry, however, have brought the standards of the practice to an all time low and the evidence of that is empty nail salons with one or two idle Asian "nail servers". Their unsanitary and dangerous practices have placed the integrity of the profession to the point of non-existence. Most of the "discounters" are not licensed and the public remains ignorant that this is a requirement in nearly every state of the union.

The blame for this lack of enforcement remains with the state boards who are supported by the licensed professionals. The boards don't even bother to inform the public of these standards and rarely hire enough people to inspect salons.

As a result I have watched my business diminish to nil even though I offer an impressive array of services, unmatched by most of the people in the nail service industry- professional or no. The discount salons simply offer basic and shoddy services at ridiculously low prices- but where are their clients?

Well, the proof is in the pudding, as they say and I haven't failed to see today's legendary drastic pay-cuts and job displacement as a parallel to the undercutting of the true beauty professionals supported by those who are only out to save-a-buck. I'm more concerned about saving what once was a wonderful profession from vanishing altogether.

During all these years of working as a nail technician I have been an avid reader and writer. I wrote from the time I was an elementary school student and took creative writing courses in high school. Poetry has always been a great love of mine and publishing my own book has been a dream come true. This happened in 1988 with my book, "Seasons of the Heart", a few years before I took the plunge into becoming a business owner for the first time.

To be continued....

The Castle Lady with TLC for all !

Have you hugged your Zoombak today ?

2009-06-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

In a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to our children's safety it's nice to know that technology can work in our favor and not against us. This has come in the form of a new device called a Zoombak. If you haven't heard about them yet you owe it to yourself and your children to check into this innovative GPS locator. It is sized so that it can be placed in a child's backpack, on a bicycle or a laptop bag but I would suggest- for increased personal safety for the child- that it be placed in a pocket or on a neckchain which can be hidden under clothing.

When you log onto the device to find its real time location you can find out their position even from your cell phone. You set up customized safety zones such as "home", "school" or "park" and can be alerted when the Zoombak leaves or enters the pre-set zones.

Check out http://www.zoombak.com/ for further details.

The Castle Lady keeps you and your household safe ! ; )

Tomorrow ? More about me! Stay tuned !

The Life and Times of The Castle Lady

2009-06-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

Many of my readers seem to think I'm some woman of mystery because I don't write about myself very much. In truth, this particular blog isn't a daily log of my activities, either. If you've been reading this blog faithfully you've figured that out by now. All a person would have to do is read through all my entries to make that presumption.

My original intention for this blog- which was the very first blog I ever started-was to chart my progress (on a frequent basis, if not daily) on my research and writing about European castles. If you jog over to http://castlelady.spaces.live.com you will see that it became a better forum and format for achieving that goal and I've used that ever since and even after I put up my official web site www.ilovecastles.com in September of 2006.

I think of this blog as my unburdening and current topic opinion forum. it has served me well on that score. It seems to be irrelevant to my castles work. Just keep in mind that I am a writer first and foremost and I'm willing to write about almost anything that is interesting to myself and, hopefully, my readers. During the first three decades of my life I wrote a voluminous amount of poetry, then essays and short stories and plotted out several novels which I play around with since I started researching castles on the internet. I don't take my fiction writing any where near as seriously as I have my non-fiction writing. That may change with time. As long as I am happy with my work on castles, fiction writing will be kept on the back-burner.

With that put forth, I propose to write about myself and my life for the next few entries. I only intend to write what I want my reading public to know about my life prior to my serious undertaking the profession of writing. Some people might consider my original profession to be equally as whimsical as writing but I can rightly state that it was quite lucrative and a steady, reliable income until only a few years ago.

In my next entry you can expect to go back in time... to the year 1977. Until then...

Keep on keepin' on.... The Castle Lady

Love Bears All Things....

2009-06-16T16:53:00.001-07:00

Nequaquam nobis divinitus esse paratam

Naturam rerum; tanta stat praedita culpa

-Lucretius

(Had God designed the world, it would not be

A world so frail and faulty as we see.)

I believe that the happiest people in the modern world are those who experience many deep friendships. We feel obligated to family (usually), and also to spouses and often, even our children. One purposefully forms friendships and this is where the difference lies. We choose our friends and keep the relationships alive through our own volition. Is it any wonder that many times, we prefer the love of our friendships over the love of family and family ties?

This is not as unusual as many people seem to think. If you have never read C.S. Lewis' book, "The Four Loves" I highly recommend that you do so and as soon as possible. It is the single most book that I can point to and say it made a difference in almost every long term relationship I've had since. It has also been effective in shorter term and fleeting relationships as well. Those which were established before I read it- such as family and people I have known all my life have been a little more difficult to apply the principles to- but if you read the book you will understand why.

There is a serious problem today of lack of affection between people who may ordinarily have closer ties or at least friendlier relationships for many complicated and not-so-complicated reasons. The increase in social-interactive crimes, identity theft, and a general- purportedly justified- lack of trust is mostly to blame. Our social ills also add to this general alienation between people and cinch the problem.

If you have attended a church which includes primary Bible studies including regular services then you have been taught to know that God is love and that all love comes from Him. Additionally, we know that we cannot love without Him. Love has many dimensions, faces and duties- just like God. The same way we learn to trust God we can also learn to trust each other. This is possible even in the perilous times we live in if we learn to use discernment.

Discernment has been a rather unused virtue for the past few decades and I don't see any improvements in wisdom or judgment either. We rely more on our general mistrust and skepticism than we do with our minds. It is a sign of the times but it's also sad. Are we to sacrifice relationships which might be more fulfilling than any other only because of fear ?

I believe there's a better way and my feeling is that great discernment is God-given. This requires trust in God first and then you can tap into this "mind" of God and know many things. This is scriptural. Look up Philippians 2:5 which reads "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." This is a verse full of power because it gives us awesome abilities with our own minds. If you repeat this scripture often it's like repeating the promises. Your mental abilities increase immeasurably.

Be blessed with abundance and my kisses !

The Castle Lady

It is impossible to understand the things of God

standing in the shadows of disbelief.

- Evelyn M. Wallace (2004)

A Resolute Heart

2009-06-11T22:55:00.001-07:00

"The relationship between commitment and doubt is by no means an antagonistic one.

Commitment is healthiest when it's not without doubt but in spite of doubt."

- Rollo May

You may wonder why I would begin this entry with a quote from a known humanist and yet I believe that some of the best words which fit my criteria come from sources which most people would view as being from left field- given my dedication to being a Christian. Sometimes, however, pearls come from surprising sources. They often crop up where you least expect to find them and I don't think it takes away anybody's credibility to ask questions concerning matters of faith and belief.

Faith concerns reliance on intangibles and speculations. Matters of faith are a challenge to the skeptic but those challenges should be made reciprocal. One of my favorite quotes by Francis Bacon is thus: "If a man will begin in certainties he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin in doubts he shall end in certainties." Some of the best questions about faith come from skeptical people and when I take on these inquiries I find it strengthening. Perhaps because one must ask these questions of themselves to understand why they believe the way they do.

I feel the same about my work in writing in general and the castles project. I am not only committed to my projects but I am resolved to see them come to completion and fruition. A resolute heart is one which has moved beyond faith and into the realm of complete devotion and total possession of the object of desire. It's yours and no one can take it from you.

Furthermore, I respect a resolute heart. This is the heart of God and we have the capability, by being his creation, to this inheritance. He is devoted to us and has made many commitments to us which is repeated over and over in the Bible that he will keep. Did you know we are God's favorite subject? We are not his only subject of interest but we are His primary concern.

Knowing this not only makes me feel secure in His love, it also gives me the impetus to emulate him. To be more and more like Him. All I have to do is be myself.

With resolute kisses, The Castle Lady !

Independence Has Rewards

2009-05-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

Recently I came across a quote by Mahalia Jackson when I was going through some old papers that I'd written down from some mysterious source and then promptly put it away for future reference. This quote struck me as particularly apt for our times and for my personal current status, too.

It's easy to be independent when you've got money.

But to be independent when you haven't got a thing-

that's the Lord's test.

I don't know exactly how I felt about this quote when I first saved it but I've always had an independent spirit and perhaps I felt it was a bit curious of a statement. It's only more recently that I've noticed a negative aspect to my penchant for doing things my own way. Lack of support never seemed to be an issue nor did hardship. My mind hasn't changed at all. When I can work alone at something and rely on my own resources -that's when I hit a happy state that is almost like what the Hindus call nirvana.

Perhaps it's because I've chosen a subject- castles to be precise- that seems too remote to people. Very few relate to castles or castle lore save for those who live very close by them. (People who live in Northumberland or Yorkshire come to mind.) My internet traffic on my web site and castlelady blog is most often from native English speakers when I check statistics, less often French and even more rarely others. The inquiries repeat themselves over and over again and they are very basic and almost ignorant. I think it's sad that people who have not experienced castles appear to have little or no interest in them. I would perhaps do better in England and Europe with my books than I could possibly ever achieve in sales with Americans.

The sad part of this is that I want to get Americans excited about castles and I have made very little progress as far as I can tell. Since I have been reading about and poring over photos of castles from my childhood I almost take my own interest for granted but I can't afford to take it for granted. Too many people around me need to catch up and I may as well be speaking Greek as to talk about what I know of my subject.

Here's the positive: It's like uncharted territory and I have to find out how to spark the interest in the architectural aspect of castles along with whatever people might find intriguing about them. I never realized how much I knew until I started talking about castles with people and then writing about them. For many years I silently studied with no desire to speak of my interest. I have been unaware, all this time, that my passion was like a secret love and it astonishes those who never thought about them. At times, it's like I'm talking about monsters. Other times I find someone who asks all the right questions and then I'm in my element.

Along with the lack of interest and ignorance there is no financial support for such an endeavor. I could stand up in front of any university crowd and give dissertation after dissertation but I don't have any such credentials to do so and I don't think there would be any support of such training save for an architectural college. Even then, my subject would be largely irrelevant to them, eventually, for the most part. These people have to make a living when they leave with their degrees.

Following this path will be a lonely one but I can handle that- and there are rewards there, too. Jesus said, "A prophet hath no honor in his own country." Perhaps someday I'll see an outpouring of interest to match that of sports, movies, music and the like- until then I'll just have to revel in the hidden rewards which exist in rugged individualism and true independence.

Individual kisses from The Castle Lady

Earth Day ~April 22nd~ Change is Good !

2009-04-18T19:19:00.001-07:00

One way to make a true difference in our current times is to be ready for change but how does one prepare for change? In truth, people are such creatures of habit we could be compared to salmon during spawning season when it comes to rearranging and reordering all our ritualistic days of duties, obligations and schedules. Indeed, the idea of even making small sacrifices in the ways we've always done things is enough to make us want to dig our heels into the dirt like stubborn goats and refuse to even talk about it. Is it any wonder that when we hear that word our natural inclination is only to cringe inside?

When someone prepares for times such as these- slow economy, supply scarcity, money problems and debt- it's imperative to get ready for drastic sacrifices perhaps and learn to live in a different way. This makes me think of words from Thoreau's book, Walden:

I think that we may safely trust a good deal more than we do. We may waive just so much care of ourselves as we honestly bestow elsewhere. Nature is as well adapted to our weakness as to our strength. The incessant anxiety and strain of some is a well-nigh incurable form of disease. We are made to exaggerate the importance of what work we do: and yet how much is not done by us! or, what if we had been taken sick? How vigilant we are ! determined not to live by faith if we can avoid it; all the day long on the alert, at night we unwillingly say our prayers and commit ourselves to uncertainties. So thoroughly and sincerely are we compelled to live, reverencing our life, and denying the possibility of change. This is the only way, we say; but there are as many ways as there can be drawn radii from one center. All change is a miracle to contemplate; but it is a miracle which is taking place every instant.

From reading this anyone could sense that we are really ignoring the true essence of our lives. We are much more adaptable than the average animal because we are essentially a higher intelligence. Often, however, we see animals coping with environmental changes (which we made) easier than we did ourselves !

Many people will have a difficult time with conforming to less consumerism, less waste, less necessities, etc. but if we set our minds to economy then it is not so difficult to start altering our standards, if only for a time. This is only one instance of adaptation. Perhaps your industry has dried up and you're now looking at having to go back to technical college, learn a new profession or restart a business at a new location.

Some will face other "run-off" problems involving social interaction and even coping with discrimination. We cannot know everything that will come at us when we're trying to improve our lives but we can change the way we feel about our lives and the lives of those around us even in the midst of hardship or perhaps because of it. This is the day of repentance. It is upon us and we must listen not only to our hearts but look in each others eyes for the answers as well. As my mother would say:

United we stand, divided we fall.

The Castle Lady

Iraq? Don't Get Me Started...

2009-03-24T14:46:00.001-07:00

When thinking about our continuing occupation in Iraq I always think of two quotes which I found to be true:

When liberty is taken away by force it can be restored by force. When it is relinquished voluntarily by default it can never be recovered. -Dorothy Thompson (1894-1961) American Newspaper Columnist

"If I were an American, as I am an Englishman, while a foreign troop was landed in my country I never would lay down my arms,- never! never! never!" -William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, during a speech November 18, 1777

These are, in essence, the basis of my opinion. For democracy to prevail in such a war-torn country as Iraq, they must propagate their own form of a democratic society. This may not necessarily match our version in the U.S. Few countries have such a difficult set of decisions to make concerning how to be fair to all religious groups inhabiting their land and make any form of democracy work. How does one make democracy work in such an environment ? Most religions work upon some mutual goals: respect for other religions, commonalities in philosophies and personal deportment, working for the common good even among widely-differing opinions. Radical Islam is a rare exception to this rule and intolerance is rampant and militant in most cases. The basis of their religion in many respects is undemocratic.

So what is the answer?

I believe that democracy requires that the governed body of people have important points of contact in like-mindedness. They must respect a specific set of rights- whatever they determine those to be. They do not necessarily need to share the same culture. (The U.S. couldn't be more culturally diverse, right?) They need to appreciate all cultures and find ways to accommodate others.

Militarism needs to be set aside. That won't happen as long as the United States Armed Forces reside in Iraq, it's as simple as that. Look at the type of societies run on militarism and you can see what kind of environment it creates. N. Korea, Saudi Arabia, Jerusalem, etc. Iraq has not actually changed much and it won't as long as we're there. They need to create a society that is intolerant of fascist states of mind and ways of governing. They need a real and kind leader to step up to the plate. I don't know if they have such a person but they need one.

The United States had George Washington. Any prospects Iraq ?

The Castle Lady sends out lots of encouragement !

Remember....?

2009-03-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

Remember when self image meant nothing?

Remember when fun was "king" ?

Spring has sprung so let's have fun !

The Castle Lady ; )

It's That Day Again !

2009-03-16T17:38:00.001-07:00

Sla'inte is ta'inte !

(pron. slawn-chuh iss tawn-chuh)

If you've never heard this quote, you will if you ever celebrate St. Patrick's Day in Ireland. For many years now the Irish have made their way to New York to celebrate because the type of celebrating we make here in the States was so different than what they allowed on their own shores. That's of the past now since they recently voted for an official holiday in Ireland making a St. Patrick's Day to rival our own.

You're probably thinking that I have a wee bit of Irish in me and you would be right- on both sides of my parentage. I think that makes it official.

Something I have never understood- until recently- is how words like hooligan came to be thought of as Irish. The ironic part of this is that it came from an Irish name which was originally O' hUallachain. In English we say Houlihan which eventually morphed into hooligan when a rowdy street gang run by a family of that same name terrorized London during the 1890s. Even a song was circulated in the pubs making that name stick officially for any hoodlum.

The English probably knew how to deal with a slew (sluagh, Gaelic for crowd or army) of hooligans. Just break their pints of ale to smithereens ( from Gaelic, smidirini) and put the kibosh (from Gaelic, cie bais) on their drinking galore. (from Gaelic, gu leor)

Now here's a word you might not expect and it even surprised me! Cairn is an Irish word you don't hear very often and possibly not at all on American shores. A cairn is a pile of stones set up as a landmark, monument or possibly even a grave. St. Patrick is buried along with another saint underneath such an edifice. I wrote very recently about these curiosities on my Castlelady Live Space in January. If you read the entry which was titled "Castlerigg, Stonehenge and other Stone Circles" you'll recall that I mentioned Carnac in Brittany, France.

The similarity of the words did not escape my attention and I'm sure you noticed it, too. What you may not know, however is that Ireland and Brittany do not belong in the same branch of Celts. I can hear you ask, "There's more than one?" yes. The Celts are, in fact, made up of two families. The Irish, Scottish Highlanders and the Manx (Isle of man) are of the Goidelic branch,- the true Gaels. The Welsh, Bretons and Cornish are of the Brythonic branch who spoke the Briton language. You will find variations between the Brythonic languages which make these quite different even amongst their own but what you normally don't see are the words that suddenly appear quite alike- such as cairn and carn- outside their respective branches.

You learn something new everyday !

Happy Saint Patrick's Day everybody !

Running Out of Patience?

2009-02-24T15:33:00.000-08:00

I receive regular e-mails from the DCCC on a regular basis and the last one I received caught my attention because it contained words that struck me as a Bushism. (For the uninformed, a Bushism is a mangled quote and is a trademark of the former Bush administration and, of course, Bush himself.) In it, Michele Bachmann ( a republican Congresswoman) is quoted as saying, "We're running out of rich people." This is such an ignorant remark that now I'm wondering if she actually meant to say, "All the rich people are running out of this country." Now that would be truthful but we know that there has been a clear trend for quite some time now of deception coming from the GOP so we're left not knowing if she's just ignorant or can't really see what's been going on for more than eight years now. It's quite possible that she refuses to see.

You see, the U.S. economy has been taking serious hits ever since a policy was instituted in this country of giving tax breaks to businesses that took their industries out of our borders. Outsourcing has been one of the most harrowing economic blunders ever to hit this country in its wallet. Just to illustrate this for everyone, fiscally, it is like giving your child an allowance for feeding your neighbor's dog while ignoring your own. So how do we fix the problem?

Well, first we need to take away that ridiculous tax break they've been giving to these businesses who don't care about Americans or their livelihood or how they're going to pay for all that stuff pouring in from Asia. The second action is to institute a special import tax for all those goods coming from our outsourced supply which comes from many countries. The tax break should go to those who are investing and banking on our own fiscal health right here in the good ol' USA.

I have had several people ask me, if I went into politics, what my own key issues would center on. Several ideas come to mind including the one above but in all honesty I have felt that the insurance industry is one that has needed serious reform for decades. The reason why insurance is such a financial burden on this country's citizens is because the office that was supposed to regulate the agencies and companies does nothing of the sort. As a matter of fact, if you call the Insurance Commission on most issues you will find that they work in close alliance with the insurance companies-not with the people, who they were instituted to represent.

The insurance companies claim fraud eats into their companies' coffers when, as a matter of fact, they spend more money on investigating fraud than the so-called fraudulent claims cost. The real issues are on the amounts of money it exacts from consumers while giving nothing in return and, with the help of the Insurance Commission, making it impossible for many people to get the money entitlements they deserve. You won't see any commercial for that on T.V. It's not fair for an insurance company to penalize those people who pay their insurance premiums faithfully and don't make any false claims. State Farm and all the rest would have you believe that they have no choice but they do.

If the average person looked at the insurance budget he is on currently and the policies he's signed, he'll find he is over insured in many areas- including his automobile insurance. Not only that, he'll find that any amount of income he could have used as truly discretionary (i.e. to buy luxuries) is sunk into insurance premiums which are never returned to him in any amount. To me, this is almost feudal and somewhat like having to deal with the Mafia.

A more honest system of insurance would be rebating. What do I mean by that? Well, in essence, any and all policyholders who pay for their insurance in installments would, after a certain time period, have a portion of their premium money returned if they have made no claims on their insurance. This could jumpstart the economy in a way never before seen just by putting money back into the hands of the person who earned it. This is the only fair way to reward someone who has managed to live in a responsible way. I would call it the 'good citizen' rebate. I would like to see this happen with every type of insurance with the possible exception of life insurance which works on a completely different basis.

In conclusion, I'd like to mention that an economic recovery for this country is going to take time and a lot more effort if we really want to turn every aspect of the problems around. It may take more than four years of Obama's administration but if we all work together on the issues a lot can be done in four or eight years. The Clinton administration proved that so let's get to work. Okay?

The Castle Lady with lots of love !

Brainstorms in the Dead of Night

2009-02-13T16:15:00.001-08:00

I have a book that I would recommend to any writer for its comradely support. It was published specifically for this reason and there is one entry in there I have read a couple of times now. The book title is : Rules of Thumb- 73 Authors Reveal Their Writing Fixations. The entry by Samantha Hunt reminds me of my similar experience with inconvenient inspirational moments:

Knock, Knock, Knock

Sometimes if I'm lucky, I'll wake up in the middle of the night with a phrase or sentence echoing in my head. I have never felt responsible for these words plucked from an unconscious reservoir, but rather imagine that they have arrived here, in the dead of night from some exterior source, possibly even off the lips of someone I was talking to in a dream. The phrases rarely make sense. "You weren't going to do all that you nosy queen of habitat," I remember one of them saying.

Despite the lack of meaning gleaned from the phrases, I feel that to ignore these words would show a terrific lack of respect for mystery, and so it is my one writing rule that I force myself to get up in the wee hours and record these ( really often very dumb) messages so that I might remember them in the morning. "Into the forest I walk with the good bear. Goodbyes and lacerations." What the heck does that mean? I haven't the slightest idea, but I wrote it down anyway. It's the rule.

Perhaps these phrases are the lowliest of words, the desperate beggars that come knocking at midnight wanting to be put to use in a story. Maybe they are ghost phrases destined to wander in ambiguity until some mortal tries to make sense of them. Or perhaps they are stern warnings that I am just too dense to decode. Or else maybe they are gifts , gifts of nonsense. It doesn't seem to matter. All I know is that were I to ignore these foolish words I would somehow cheapen the value of all words. So in the dark I obey these voices, these midnight inconveniences, not out of superstition but because they connect me to that which is most crucial to my writing: the gloriously inadvertent, the perfectly unintended.

While I may not be able to relate to everything she wrote I have had moments where I have woken up with a paragraph burning to roll off my pen. I also have obeyed these voices and been pleasantly surprised at the revelations and wise words which seemed to come out of nowhere. I feel that this is spiritual and must not be ignored. I believe all writers should practice this because we are a special breed and we certainly know who we are, don't we? Ms. Hunt takes it seriously and I think we all should. The truth is that if we are dyed-in-the-wool writers we can't help it anyway!

There are times when I am in the park walking and then a couple of divine sentences overwhelm me and I know that one of those rare moments is upon me. The perplexity is being caught without pen and paper to jot them down as quickly as possible. I have also woken up in the wee morning hours grappling for any pen and paper in the room. At one time I started carrying a mini-cassette player around with me when I had one of these inspirational moments in the car. These revelations can come at any time so it is imperative to get them recorded, somehow, as soon as possible. I've also been without means only to find out later when I could get to writing materials that my memory had lapsed by then and those fleeting gifts of wit were gone and irretrievable.

If you get these one-offs occasionally or even frequently- and it's okay if you don't, it won't make you any less a writer- then by all means make sure you keep something handy to be able to jot down these ideas, crazy witticisms and outright nonsense ( if you will !) as quickly as possible. It's for a very good reason you were chosen to hear it.

Just me, The Castle Lady with inspirational hugs and kisses !

A Good Marriage

2009-01-27T20:48:00.001-08:00

Of all the types of advice we receive in a lifetime I think the most attentive you'll find a recipient is on marital advice. I've seen enough Phil Show segments myself and gotten my fair share of seeing the negative side of what can go wrong with a marriage, that a positive spin on such a subject is always a welcome change. Since I have never been married I figure it's quite a job sifting through all the aspects- good and bad- that are said but I am not sure the advice has prepared me for the (hopefully) inevitable.

The following quotes are from a short segment on marriage by Wilfred Arlan Peterson. I thought these were very good with a few amendments of my own:

You are never too old to hold hands.
Never go to bed angry with each other.
Don't take your spouse for granted. Keep the courtship going perpetually and learn to be romantic.
Keep a mutual sense of values and common objectives.
Stand up for each other when facing down or to the world.
Do things for each other in a spirit of joy not an attitude of duty.
Your independence should be equal, dependence mutual and your obligations, reciprocal.
Don't expect perfection in each other and have compassion for failings and faults.
Speak words of appreciation and demonstrate gratitude in thoughtful ways of your own.
Learn to forgive and forget.
Don't forget the words "I love you" and say them as often as you feel necessary- or more often.
Half of marrying the right partner is being the right partner.

The last one is so true and the most important one of all, I believe. I once read those words on a bumper sticker and it impressed me so much that I have worked on that more than all the advice I have ever received. No one is ever really ready for marriage- at any age- until they get that one right. All the rest of these pointers are much easier to execute in a relationship if you take care of that last one first!

Just pointing the way to marital bliss-

with a kiss!

The Castle Lady

All for One and One for All

2009-01-18T19:39:00.000-08:00

Today I was reading a section of the newspaper which had a wonderful article written by David Shribman on our past president's inauguration speeches. It mentioned the quotable quotes of Lincoln, FDR ("the only thing we have to fear is fear itself") and JFK's immortal words- "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country". The article goes on to show how many of the presidents who took office used the inauguration day to inact, through symbolism, what their primary aim would be while they were in office.

An example is when Jimmy Carter, along with his wife, got out of the presidential limo and strolled down Pennsylvania Avenue, which was risky behavior for a president after the assassination of JFK. His point? It was to show that he was going to have an open book on his dealings in the White House- as opposed to the clandestine dealings of Nixon and the Watergate Scandal. There is more in the article dealing with the movers and shakers that have taken to the Oval Office and it really started my thinking processes along another line. Something I only thought about today.

Obama has been speaking a lot about us basically taking our country back by using the privilege of being a citizen, taking on a responsibility we have not been exercising. This makes perfect sense to me and I believe he's right. We all need to do our part to help him make these changes effectively. Together we can make great achievements in the areas of obtaining affordable health care, securing our borders effectively, putting people back to work and making sure that each and every person who has put a portion of their work into social security will have this fund to fall back on when they most need it. Collectively we can get our economy and our greatest strengths back on track and going in the right direction.

Perhaps the most important lesson this country has learned in the wake of 9/11 is how important our people are- when we unite and pull together for a common cause but this is not to take away from each individual. I think about one president- perhaps the greatest president this country has had in modern times- being taken away from his post and out of the presidency in ill-timed fashion. This is, of course, John F. Kennedy, who by his absence has shown how important each individual is to the fabric of the common good. You don't have to be a president to make a difference, just someone with a strong vision and motivation to better yourself and others.

Therefore, I propose that each and every one of us who want to see this country get back on its feet and once again lead all the nations in every aspect, to see Obama as the leader of our great citizens who will go on to do great things. Obama is the figurehead but our greatest strength will be ourselves working for the common good.

Here's a bear hug from The Castle Lady !

What a Year !

2009-01-07T18:24:00.001-08:00

This past year has been one for the records ! My work alone on Northumberland about did me in because it took seven separate entries just to cover all the castles in that county and I didn't get my additional North England material posted because I promised my Live Space readership to put up a few entries on countries I hadn't covered, Switzerland (Chateau de Chillon) and Luxembourg (Chateau de Bourscheid), Ile de France ( the area that surrounds Paris) plus many of the Treasure Houses of England and an area of Royal Palaces in London (St. James's Park).

In addition to those castle entries I posted up two pieces of Holy Spirit-inspired writs "To Pray or Not to Pray" and "The Nature of Love" that I am grateful to God for giving me to impart to my readership. In fact, I am always more awed by the inspirational writing I do than any other because the ideas and the methods, so often come to me in very unconventional ways. I feel the only way to get to this point is through diligent bible reading with prayer beforehand so that God will lock in with what you are doing. He will always answer a call to communion with Him especially concerning the Word. When you do this He helps you properly interpret His word for your edification. I often think of my inspirational writing as my confirmation back to God which edifies Him. I'll bet you didn't know that we also edify God but we do so by listening closely to what He is telling us through His Word.

If you haven't visited my official web site for awhile www.ilovecastles.com you may want to check it out because I've revamped the overall look before I start putting up the individual castles of England- county by county. You'll have to be patient but it will all be worth it! I will be posting a few more articles on North England's counties on my Castlelady blog

(http://castlelady.spaces.live.com/ ) while I am concurrently putting up England on my web site to fill in- with extra data- those castles I hadn't already covered back in 2006 and 2007.

Watch me put the pedal to the metal !

The Castle Lady ; )

Christmastime

2008-12-22T22:16:00.001-08:00

We all think of standards at this time of year which are thought of as normal. The economy has changed the usual volume of spending but even the most thrift conscious will most likely put up a Christmas tree, perhaps send out cards, make special holiday treats like cookies, make or buy gifts for loved ones and execute any number of habitual holiday traditions because they wouldn't dream of eliminating these traditions out of their lives.

This may be the first year of my life that I have seriously pondered why I think these holiday customs are necessary to celebrate Christmas. For many years now I have involved myself in the usual machinations of yuletide customs. The reason I feel this way is because I did something completely different this year. I decided to join in a cantata given mostly in Welsh through the Colorado Welsh Society which I joined back in September. I am only familiarized with this language so it was good to have translations in English readily available. Some songs were familiar and then some of them were completely foreign to me but not to a native Welsh speaker. It certainly did me a world of good because it gave me a whole different perspective.

If you don't already know this, I am a Christian and I have been most of my life. Quite a few movies and television specials for Christmas have a message that is clearly Christian with the exception of the most recent. In the Charlie Brown Christmas Special that is played every year the consensus of all these children is that it has become too commercialized and it's true that, for the most part, it has been. However, something even worse has happened systematically and without warning: Christmas has become too secularized.

We, who are Christian, have allowed our most precious holiday to become a buying season, making merry, bribing kids into good behavior with it and partying along with all the rest of the world into an oblivious state of disillusion. According to what I've been reading for years, chronic sufferers of the debilitating mental state of depression plunge back into their old mental state more deeply at this time of year than any other.

I am writing this as a challenge to all Christians to take our holy day back, start celebrating the real reason why we started this tradition and perhaps we'll see a change in the world we never expected. Maybe atheists will sit up and take notice when we tell them, "I'm celebrating Christmas at church." Buddhists may be surprised when we insist on all references to Santa, reindeer and gift buying to end. As far as lights and decorations go- they're all fine to a point because they cheer us up during a rather dreary time of year. However, I believe a manger scene should be at the front and center of all of them, not done away with because it makes reference to a specific religion. We are celebrating Christmas and I would challenge anyone to say differently. Well, let me put it this way: if we aren't then what exactly are we celebrating?

The Castle Lady, keeping Christ in Christmas this year!

People Who Need People

2008-12-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

Where do friendships go? Does anyone know why so many friendships end? It has seemed to be an ethereal and elusive commodity in my life and through the years I have had occasion to reflect on past alliances and wondered why they don't exist anymore.

I have not truly forgotten anyone I have palled around with through my several decades of life and the saddest part is that I cannot say that even 95% of those people are active participants in my life today. I don't know how other people feel about this issue but it truly concerns me and even those who have only briefly touched my life, if I remember them, cause me to wonder how they are doing. Have they solved that problem? Did they follow their dream? If they consciously rejected my friendship, without explanation, I can only sit and ask myself why and more often than not I come up without an answer.

More recently I have ventured to make up a mental list of people I have come to know well enough to consider friends. Having worked in a service-related field for many years, the bulk of this list would be clients, but this list would also include people I have helped who had temporary or quickly-solved problems. The list also includes people I have attended church with for many years and friendships I have made in passing such as those who I see when I walk in the park each morning. I believe the average person most likely strikes up at least two hundred friendships in their lifetime.

At one time, starting in my teens, I started writing to pen-pals all over the world. Eventually I had twenty-four pen-pals in twenty different countries. Now the list is about five in five separate countries. I certainly don't remember ever being the one who quit writing. Probably I've written about six times as many letters as I've received. What is most interesting is that these ex-correspondents have no idea how they impacted my life. When I look through their photos, the eyes pierce something in me and I think, "Where in the world are you, now?" I met a few of them through international travel and some I still correspond with and others I do not. A Parisian pen-pal quit writing some months after I met her and dined with her family, visited Versailles with her and her cousin and toured a lot of Montmartre where she lived. We had corresponded for five years before I met her. Why did she stop writing? I may never know.

All types of reasons can go through your mind. Did this person get offended by something? Did something happen in this person's life that caused him/her to drop out of sight? Did they have to move for political or personal reasons that they could not relate to anyone? Was there a real friendship to begin with or some deception they could not continue? Did the person succumb to envy or hatred?

Before we start to apply all the superficial reasons for this problem, merely explaining it away, perhaps we should stop and ponder why friendship has come to have so little value in our world today. There is nothing in our friendships that we can take to the bank. Materialistically, if the the friendship is genuine it is a bust. A real friendship doesn't contain a capital gains clause or anything like that if we are honest.

Without true, lasting friendships life is impoverished and it can never be what it ought to be if we don't connect to people outside our sphere of experience. Too often we exclude people out of envy, disinterest or wrong assumptions. The other side of this dilemma is that far too many of us value livelihood and material aspects of our lives over people. We don't have to be entrenched in greed so much as the fact that we are essentially a materialistic society. Nearly everyone can get caught up in the 'game' of existence and feel trapped by it.

Perhaps our most important activity should be to occasionally put away our balanced checkbooks, put the bills aside and try to reassess our values. Your values exist in how you spend your time. Working, shopping, gardening, and watching T.V. are all activities that may not involve other people at all unless we make a point to include someone in those activities.

In the Bible a verse in Proverbs (18:24) states: A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. According to Chinese philosophy, Plato is my friend but a greater friend is truth. I have felt for most of my life that my best and greatest friend was Jesus Christ. Once I understood the sacrifice he made for me it only made sense to consider him so. I have never had anyone stand up for me and say they would die for me. I have never heard any person say they would take the blame for anything I've done wrong. I have never had anyone say that they would build a house for me that is indestructible which I can live in for the rest of my life. That is, except for one person. His name is Jesus and you can read about him in the Holy Bible. He's my best and greatest friend.

People who need people, need Jesus!

The Castle Lady

Silence is Golden

2008-11-20T21:40:00.000-08:00

How many times have I stood in a check-out line or window-shopped in a writer's reverie and had the spell broken suddenly by some person loudly yapping a mile a minute to their other self- only to see that they have a cell phone plastered to their head or one of those blue tooth contraptions? More times than I care to think about.

What is the rudeness level on this bit of nonsense? On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd estimate about an 8 ! I hardly think my right to think quietly in peace should be violated by a cell phone speaker. Who's to say what's more important anyway? I don't care whether they remembered to buy razorblades to shave off that awful beard even if the person on the other end of the conversation does, to tell you the truth. I'm concerned about my next novel, article or story and I don't think it's fair for Mr. Whatshisface to break my concentration.

Remember what life was like without cell phones? Well, I do and it was better and I mean that most sincerely. Quite a few years ago I worked, briefly, as a lobby teller in a bank and one regular customer would come in always yakking away on that thing and he never stopped talking for more than a few seconds at a time. You could barely converse with him about his transactions and it was especially annoying to have several transactions messed up and to have to re-do them because he said things to people on the phone that actually sounded like instructions to the teller! Not a single teller wanted to wait on him including myself. Being treated like a non-person was bad enough without the complications of having more problems than was necessary. He was complained about constantly to the head teller. Are you surprised ?

I believe people are becoming increasingly annoyed by the constant chatterer on wireless devices. I've had dinners in restaurants messed up by such people. I've also had legitimate one on one conversations interrupted by sudden ringing and loud banter by a person close by who hasn't the decency to take the phone someplace private. I've been driven out of public libraries, seen people driving erratically around me trying to talk on a cell phone and have you tried to get the attention of teenagers who do just about everything while texting each other ?

Remember that song Silence is Golden ? I'm thinking of singing this song the next time someone cuts me off in a supermarket with their basket and talking to the air- or is there really someone else on the other end? Who knows? Who cares? These people are not nice anyway, usually. Once you actually do have their attention- assuming that can actually happen- they stare blankly at you like they're watching TV. Yes. I am a real person standing here waiting for you to pay and move along so I can finish and go home too!

The most dangerous cell phone users are those who insist on driving and talking or even texting ! With all the horrific accidents that have already occurred because of cell phones you would think people would wise up and stop that lunacy. Instead, I see an increase of them and they almost always drive erratically. Here is where we must draw the line and it should be enforced more rigidly than traffic violations because it's actually the most serious violation of all. It's worse than not buckling your safety belt and they've already passed a law on that in Colorado.

If they get a cell phone law passed I'd like to go one better and maybe write a book on cell phone etiquette. I think we all need one.

Back atcha! The Castle Lady

Predicting the Weather ? Don't Second Guess Yourself !

2008-11-14T13:58:00.001-08:00

Back sometime in the summer I decided to predict when the first snow would come to Denver this year. I chose November 14th off the top of my head and put a little announcement on my French blog- http://matite.over-blog.com/ to be posted on that date and then proceeded to just sit on it. It has been set to post ever since- sporting a little elf sliding down a snowy mountain- and for quite awhile I didn't even think twice about it.

Well, last week I looked at the pre-set drafts I had lined up to post in the near future and thought about what the weather has been like. Up to this morning, Denver has had the most beautiful autumn weather I can recall ever and I suddenly felt that I should at least put that entry off into a further future date. So I casually changed it to the 29th and figured that was as good a prediction as any because of the numerous times that it has snowed in Denver the day after Thanksgiving.

This morning I got the shock of my life when I got up and it looked like our first snow was going to be a blizzard. I did a mock konk on the head and said to myself "Why....why....why??? Why did you change that date?" I have done this more times than I can remember and I wonder if I am ever going to stop questioning my judgment and be more confident about these little victories.

Let this be a lesson to one and all. That little voice inside your head that gives good advice which we often do not heed is there for a reason. Teach yourself to trust it and I believe we may just see humankind start to improve in a very vital area. Listen to your heart. It's wiser than you think !

The Castle Lady listens to hearts!

I Voted !

2008-10-31T15:13:00.000-07:00

This is the first year, since I started voting, that I voted early instead of waiting until November 4th. Apparently a lot of people do just that because it was actually busy and so was everyone that was working ! My motivation was in reaction to one of the fiercest political contests in my memory. After I watched the first debate between Obama and McCain my decision was made. I didn't like the way McCain addressed Obama. He was totally disrespectful and I was shocked that he was pointed at and ridiculed as if he was a non-person standing there. I wonder what John F. Kennedy (our Civil Rights president) would have thought- were he alive today- to see a presidential debate erode into such a spectacle as this one.

I've heard so much right-wing garbage coming from the news, radio, TV ads, slanted newspaper articles, phone calls and snail mail political cards that I cannot understand why these people still believe they are Christians after saying some of things that have been said. Conversely, I commend Obama for staying on track by focusing on coming out with some details on the changes he wants to make. They all sound pretty reasonable to me and I haven't heard that much negative feedback towards McCain from him- despite all the terrible talk that has swirled around Obama from McCain's camp.

I have found that character counts for more than all the cheap rhetoric anybody can muster. Character isn't about people not making mistakes- everybody makes mistakes, big and little. Character is about how someone handles the situation when they make a mistake and their self-deportment when in the middle of disaster. Now more than ever we need someone in the White House with real character. We have been lied to for eight years and it's high time someone start telling the truth, rolling up sleeves and correcting the problem instead of covering up lies with more folly. McCain has said that he agrees with Bush most of time on issues that have become worse than thorny. He was a part of this dangerous bail-out and he may not be able to even stay in office due to his bad health.

Who would that leave in charge? Sarah Palin. If that idea doesn't scare you, think about this scenario. A woman who is so busy with expensive shopping sprees and supposedly running office in Alaska that she doesn't have enough time to counsel her teenage daughter from making irreversible mistakes such as having unprotected sex. Am I to believe that she could handle a country that is currently in the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression? That she would know what to do if another 9/11 were to happen? Has she shown an ability to correct mistakes and in a calm and cool manner? ( Hint: Neither she nor McCain show anything but hot-headed fervor over non-issues !) She condemns abortion even in the case of incest and rape. Do you think she's really thought about and examined this issue on all sides and been sensitive to peoples wishes, opinions or even their fears and heartaches? I wonder about people who say they have voted or will vote for someone solely on their stand on abortion when the same issue was bandied around Bush. Eight years have passed without change. Perhaps someone should tell these voters that since this is an issue passed through Supreme Court (through Roe vs Wade) the only people that would make a decision repealing or keeping this landmark legislation has nothing to do with the person in the Oval office.

Even if I don't agree with laws such as Roe vs Wade, legalizing euthanasia or the death penalty does that mean that I have a right to impose my views on the people as a whole? In a way, this is a judgment and a way of imposing my judgment on others using the court system as my henchman. Roe vs Wade was passed so that any woman who decides that pregnancy is a threat to her life or may be unsafe for her can obtain a safe and legal abortion. Many illegal abortions took place before Roe vs Wade was passed and many women bled to death in warehouses and empty office buildings because abortion wasn't legal. If Roe vs Wade is repealed we can expect more of that. You can see what the effect has been during the time that Roe vs Wade has been under fire from pro-lifers. How many newspaper articles have you read reporting about newborn babies having been thrown into dumpsters, found in public toilets or a high school gym bathroom during a prom? I have read one too many. Obviously, this problem will not go away even if Roe vs Wade is repealed.

If you are interested in taking a healthy outlook and direct focus to the more pressing issues which threaten this country currently- homeland security, the state of the economy, unemployment, foreclosures ( an issue which might prevent U.S. citizens from voting if they don't know their rights) with an eye to solving the problems and not covering them up or pretending they don't exist, then Obama is actually the right man for you to vote into the presidential office. I believe he will stand up for what is right, fair and true and can keep the correct composure for making the crucial decisions which must be made in the coming years concerning the so-called preventive war in Iraq, health care insurance for everyone, securing our still unsecured borders and making it possible for unemployment to become non-existent within our borders.

I have a dream- so does Obama.

It's the same dream.

The Castle Lady avec beaucoup d'amour!

Greatness

2008-09-17T12:33:00.001-07:00

Have you noticed that no one has ever done anything truly great by staying at home? Risk takers, gamblers, movers and shakers are the variety of people who are traditionally restless and ambitious. They take risks that no one else dares to venture. Often they would rather be out where action seems to be in high gear than take quiet, solitary and routine paths. They don't see life as something to conserve but rather more like a bank account which needs to be spent. You will never hear them grumble about a loss but you will probably always hear about their latest scheme or plan- and they always have a plan.

I will grant you this much- this type of attitude can be taken to extremes. We don't have Gamblers Anonymous without a good reason. On the whole, however, I personally would rather live to achieve great accomplishments than shuffle around and try to act busy while making someone else rich. I'd rather really be busy and take my chances with living.

Now, if someone looks at life with this "mega" drive and zeal there are negative aspects which need to be in check or just about anything can go wrong. Basically, a person like this may spend too much money. It is only when a true fortune has been made ( i.e. at least $1,000.000 !) that one can truly forget about money and even then, so much money may be going out that a budget is the only thing that saves the fortune. Obviously someone has to be watching the bottom line and the person with the "mega" drive will most likely need someone else to take care of finances.

This type of person will almost always be outspoken and have outlandish ideas which go against the grain of conventional thinking and action. Often they are unique in their approach to a chosen profession. This person may even be an inventor without fully realizing it. In the early days of patents many people were mislead to believe that patenting was a sensible approach to making lots of money and they wasted manufacturers time because they didn't have this unique way of thinking which produces new products or better-made devices and products. (There are legendary jokes about zany contraptions which did nothing but make a mess or worse!) Call them what you will- geniuses, prodigies or just plain gifted- the real movers and shakers see everything from a different angle and may not fully realize their potential. They just know a good idea when they see it and know how to make it work.

The "mega" drive types aren't the only geniuses in the world but they do have the initiative that people who don't possess such boldness often sorely need. In short, there are more sheep than rams in this world and we need to be sensitive even to these people. Often they don't come in this exact mold and quietly go about the business of what they do and know.

I count myself among the "mega" types although I don't fit the description exactly to a tee. For one, I am very careful with money and very value-conscious when it comes to making purchases. I don't buy junk- ever! I took the risk of going into business- the storefront variety- by myself, with no investors and without a loan just before I turned thirty! My business was successful for seven years. Did I crash and burn, you ask? No. I liquidated my business and did very well even though my business was service related. I continued in the service but unloaded the equipment. This is much more savvy than the average Mom and Pop business venture which normally folds within three years.

To conclude, I would say that I am definitely a risk-taker but I make calculated risks and I never overextend my spending ability, no matter the situation. There is no good reason for someone to be tens of thousands of dollars in debt today and if a person is in that kind of dilemma they need to take a good look at their priorities along with the situation. Is there merely a spending-consciousness here or a real drive to excel? Do you bring something to the world market which improves the world or to make the world a better place to live?

Greatness comes to the person who finds how to solve real problems or finds how to serve mankind well and with more humility than heroics. Heroics are great for the movies but becoming a real life hero means to take a backseat on the laudits and learn how to enjoy another's happiness. Adding character to any service to the public in general is the true path to greatness. That's something we can all believe in and strive for today.

Great big hugs and kisses from The Castle Lady !

Birthdays

2008-09-06T22:22:00.001-07:00

Having recently celebrated a birthday myself I decided to pay particular attention to how people treated me if they knew it was my birthday as opposed to those who didn't and I came up with some startling conclusions based just upon this day in question. Birthdays are a bit of a curiosity when you really deeply contemplate the way we celebrate them. Just the fact that we celebrate them at all is an oddity in and of itself although because we as human beings are steeped in all our traditions they seem quite natural and we nearly take them for granted. In the books by J.R.R. Tolkien, " Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" they had a tradition for birthdays that for us would seem quite reprehensible. For all Hobbits the tradition was that the person celebrating the birthday gave everyone else a present and not the other way around. Now Tolkien may have been playing with our heads a little bit but I think, on the whole he made an excellent argument without making one.

Here's a bit of a curiosity: Why do we make a special cake that says 'Happy Birthday' on it and serve it with ice cream? Why don't we always serve ice cream on cake? There are other traditions from foreign countries which have made it to our shores. How about the Mexican tradition of children being given pinatas, which are filled with candy and toys, then are strung up in a tree? They give the child celebrating the birthday a pole or stick and they set them about hitting and striking it until it bursts open and all the children who have attended and the birthday boy or girl scramble around trying to gather up as much as they can for themselves. Rather curious isn't it? I don't know if this is an American tradition but I can't tell you how many birthday parties I attended as a child where we always played "pin the tail on the donkey". I don't know if they still play this game.

The final item is a particular puzzle in and of itself. Why do we have to wait until a birthday to make someone feel special ? If this person in question really is so special why don't we demonstrate this in more spontaneous ways. Do we really need to wait until someone has waited about 365 days to let them know they are thought about and deserve recognition? I am reminded of the Alice in Wonderland books. We may only have one birthday a year but we have many more un-birthdays. Maybe we should concentrate on those and not make such a big deal out of the one day. Okay, for those who would never give up the tradition- have a blowout on your next birthday but consider what I just said. There's a lot of people out there who feel unloved, unnecessarily.

Just The Castle Lady with lots of kisses and hugs !

He Loves Books

2008-08-14T18:00:00.001-07:00

About a month ago I read a book review on Larry McMurtry's version of an autobiography. ( He is most famous for authoring the books "Terms of Endearment", "The Last Picture Show" etc. which were subsequently made into successful films and has co-authored many screenplays including "Brokeback Mountain" which won him an Academy Award, of course.) I can't remember the last time I read a review on an author's autobiography, in fact, this may be the only one I've encountered.

I think what really struck a dissonant note with me about the piece was lack of understanding between two writers. Let me count the ways:

1. The title speaks for itself so we don't have to wonder what it might contain.

2. Instead of getting a glimpse of how Larry feels about his subject (i.e. books) we are given a character assassination over his reluctance to write about himself or his relationships to the point that he is accused of being bitter because someone (not necessarily himself) is supposedly jealous because others "have achieved more than he has."

3. In the last two run-on sentences the reviewer, Ms Margolin, takes him to task for not illuminating his life for the reader with the same artistry as his fiction works. This ignores the fact that much of fiction contains a certain amount of fact about the writer. It may be a little or a lot, depending on how private the writer can be in any given situation.

I, like Larry , tend to avoid revealing much of myself in my non-fiction writing almost to the point of reticence. Further, it is not a deliberate avoidance but more a professional tendency. My introspection is saved for my hand-written journals which are only written for and read by one person; myself.

You see, writers traditionally are like this by nature. Most of us are not media journalists or moguls and our natural habitat is a library, bookstore or just a quiet place to write.

I would be willing to bet that if we really want to know Mr. McMurtry a little more than what he revealed in his book, "Books : A Memoir", it may be best to go back and read one or more of the 28 novels he's written.

Twenty-eight kisses from The Castle Lady ! ! !

He that loveth a book will never want a faithful friend, a wholesome counselor,

a cheerful companion, an effectual comforter. - Dr. Isaac Barrow

( on a plaque at the Upper Montclair, N.J. public library )

Museums are a trip !

2008-08-12T22:18:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday I went on a little foray to The Denver Museum of Nature and Science as a little break from my usual of working on a day that everyone else on this planet takes off. It was well worth the trip. It has been so long since the last time I visited- probably to see a show at IMAX. This complex encompasses IMAX and our Gates Planetarium, also, so it's always worth it to go! I spent the entire time in the gift shop which is often as fascinating as the museum itself because there are many interactive displays along with gifts and specimens you can buy. I found lots of stuff without breaking the bank, too!

As a child I remember that, among much smaller dinosaur fossils, this huge T-Rex fossil which dominates the big room and reaches all the way to the ceiling. Even as an adult it can make you feel so small and insignificant. Most of the fossils exhibited were found in Colorado which is one of the most fossil-rich areas in the world. They have thousands of fossils dating back at least as far as 500 million years, according to their claim. Even if I don't believe they're that old it's still an awesome sight to see these bones put together to form the skeletal remains of an animal I'll never actually see. Most of the important part of the collection, Prehistoric Journey, is on Level 3 and the exhibition is well tagged along with explanations of how Earth evolved. What does it matter how long I think it took as compared with their time line which is more years than I believe the earth has even existed ? It's all there and worth contemplating. There is an adjacent lab where you can watch researchers at work- cleaning and preparing fossils for study and to place on exhibit.

Even though castles are not and never were a living, breathing entity I feel the same way about these edifices as people feel about paleontology and all its variables. There are many aspects of these fabulous monsters that we may never know. In the case of castles, it is how mere men were capable of moving and placing stones without any of the equipment we use today in the form of earth movers, cranes, tractors, mobile shovel loaders, scraper loaders or by making use of straight-line link mechanisms in the case of siege engines. Obviously they are every bit as fascinating if you take the time to really study them in the proper context.

Most medieval castles today are museums and are a way of tracing more than human life. Forming and reforming our current mode of existence, castles are a real study in the survival of the human species. I will be writing more on this subject in an upcoming entry on my Live Space blog in August, so keep checking in @ http://castlelady.spaces.live.com to find out more than maybe you ever wanted to know about castles. As for myself...

I love castles, The Castle Lady !