my latest Etsy Favorite.

Etsy is just filled with so many talented people.

You see things you just don’t see anywhere else.

Take these little hats for example.

reindeer hat

dinosaur hat!  love this one!!

pumpkin hat

pumpkin patch hat

I never get tired of looking at these pictures...

so darn adorable.  I just laugh out loud.

and what a good sport her cat is..

You can find more of these kitty hats on

Scooter knits

Happy Birthday to me from Sooty.

Imagine if you will Sooty playing Happy Birthday

to me on his xylophone.

Today I am 59 years old.   My mother always

told me to lie about my age. 

I never was very good at listening to her.

Saying the rosary is like chanting a mantra

over and over again...

it keeps the mind focused..

and helps you to stop thinking so much and ruminating

on the negative stuff the clogs your head.

My Grandma Braeger said the rosary constantly.

maybe I can be full of grace if I keep at it.

I stumble and fall over and over again.

I get back up over and over again...

only to stumble once more.

Happy September! 

In Irene’s Path...

cream city brick in Princeton, Wisconsin...

To all those in the path of this horrible storm...

while waiting for things to calm down

I am thinking of you and praying 

for all of those who are suffering...

my little problems are nothing 

compared to what you are going through.

It’s hot here.

too hot and I don’t care for it much.

but I am safe and secure.

I’m going to quit complaining today.

I’m so good at complaining.

Bellyaching my father use to call it.

It’s a life long habit that I need to

control and cut out.

So hang in there friends on the coast...

Stay safe.

Think Positive...it’s all we’ve got.

earrings by Beatnheart on Etsy

Today is going to be great.

all things are possible

i am wonderful

 loving,

 kind

and considerate.

 full of spirit

 and of joy.

Instead of letting things get me down

and responding in a negative way...

Today, I want to live like it’s my last day.

I’m eating ice cream.

Beatn down heart

and the old door shuts one last time

Just a tiny little pin prick of light...shining in her dim and clouded eyes.  Recognition?  Does she

remember me?   The baby girl she had so long ago, held for countless hours, lost sleep over..Now

I am a mere shadow.   I saw Cindy on TV she told my brother.   And after the first visit, she never

asked for me again.   She didn’t remember me coming there in the flesh, holding her in my arms, whispering in her ear..it’s gonna be alright Ma.    But is it?   This is where the elderly end up...after all those years of struggle and pain and heartache and abuse and suffering and laughing and crying.   Oh yes.  Crying.

Years and years and buckets of tears and rivers of tears flowing endlessly out of those cloudy eyes.  And

now?  Now what?    All those years of saving and sacrificing and not spending a penny on the nice things..the money saved so carefully...the sacrifices made for what?  Adult diapers and a tiny hospital bed in a stifling, airless room with the noises and wails of others...suffering equally.

            The woman who never shared a secret with anyone is now living among strangers where there
are no secrets.   All the dirty laundry is aired out right there in front of everyone.
Partners in wheelchairs and walkers.  Roomates.   Wailing like infants in a maternity ward.   Get me
out of here.   No longer able to walk...talk...think clearly or think at all...back to crawling and crying
and wearing diapers.

  91 years is a long time to live.   Sometimes too long a time to live and in the case of my mother the tears
and agony and wishing for things better carries on still.   I’m still on my knees...I’m still praying for
something better... for the pain to end for her...and us.

Beatnheart is beating harder.

Time for my yearly trip back home and it is

going to be filled with so much sadness and pain.

My mother fell and broke her hip and at 91 years old

you know that that is not a good thing.  I am so

full of dread at seeing her... this time in not very

good shape both physically and mentally, lying

in a hospital bed and not walking on her own. I

am praying for strength and courage so I don't

break down and that I am strong enough to give

her some light and love.  I always say to myself

that this will be the last time that I see her but the

old gal just keeps on keeping on.   a miracle really.

There will be fun times too.  I’ll make sure of that.

I have some good friends to see, some music to hear

and play and a chance to have some quality time to

spend with my brother.   I have a flea  market in

Elkhorn, Wisconsin that I plan on going to and

old pals in Milwaukee to visit.

So hold down the bloggy fort and I’ll be back on August 18th.

Cynthia

The Fabulous Bettye LaVette

Had a chance to see Bettye LaVette Saturday in Pasadena

for a free outdoor concert. 

She has been around and has been at it for a few years now.

Her list of credits and accomplishments could cover this

whole page and then some.   She is kind of under the

radar but it just goes to show if you stick it out things do

happen and this has been one heck of a year for her.

I took a lot of photos of her but she is like a hurricane

and so many pics turned out blurry cause this

gal never slows down.

On keys, our friend and excellent singer in his own right Al Hill.

A beautiful evening in Pasadena on the lawn in this 

great park, not to shabby sound system and free.

My kind of night...

Check her out HERE!