My son came by this afternoon. To pick up two packages which had arrived on our doorstep yesterday. He also brought me a jacket* that needed some button repair work. In order to speed things along, I assigned him camera duties. My suggestion was to just stage the dog around whatever-the-hell he’d ordered this time. As you well know by now, J.D. is pretty individualistic. (Can’t imagine where he would get such a trait.)
*By which I mean he walked in wearing that interesting seersucker suit coat he owns (which I tried to find in the archives but couldn’t, just pretend you remember it). All three front closures were loose and wobbly.
Suffice it to say, none of these shots were what I asked for. And yet, he was exceedingly pleased with how they all turned out.
Ammo, a new knife,
and gun-related items.
I won’t even attempt to describe what is in this above picture, he can give us the details later. Also, I so don’t care.
Max in a gun case,
on a table.
The funniest part of this view is not that my Grand Dog is posed on (inside of?) a rifle-and-equipment carrying caddy, but what he did when Jade instructed him to jump up there. He rolled over on the floor for a belly rub. Because ya know, that’s LIKE hopping on to a piece of furniture. Or, he just wasn’t sure what was required of him. Either way, it worked out in the end.
Very busy.
One last specialty photo, then we can move on. As you can clearly see below, he also ordered himself a Buck Knife. He’s never had one before, and (apparently) felt this was a necessary purchase. (And it was probably on sale.)
DWF
WTF?
It arrived with a monogram. Not his, obviously. We have no idea what it means or why the blade was engraved. But he thought it was funny. I just try not to think about shit like this at all. (See above photo of me being VERY busy and attempting to ignore him entirely.)
We’re going to do something slightly different with our card message today. We’ve done it before, or a version of it, so it’s not completely new. The deck for today is one that sometimes we need to re-work a smidge, or reWORD. I’ll be transcribing MOST of what the guidebook has, then step in (briefly) to help it fit better for us, running it through the filter of my own radio-ness.
“You’re a Leader ~
St Joan of Arc
You are called upon to use your leadership skills to help an important cause. You probably know or suspect the nature of this endeavor already. You have natural qualities that will inspire others to help. Even if you don’t think of yourself in this way, trust that this card comes to you as a clear message of your selection for this position.”
Through prayer/meditation/focused intent, the Universe, all of Life, “Joan of Arc, and other saints and angels will give you clear guidance as to how to be the best leader. Your Divinely guided actions and words will motivate others into positive work. A leader best serves by being a living example and role model, so live in such a way that others admire your integrity and strength of character.
St Joan of Arc is an inspiration to anyone who feels called to help, yet worries about whether one individual can make a difference… she is a patron saint of those who are persecuted for their spiritual beliefs and for women in the service corps.“
This is not my favorite illustrated interpretation of Joan, but I do like the message. There is great power in standing your ground, in saying your truth, and in living your life in a genuine and honest way.
We know that there are no actual labels in authentic spirituality, so feel free to ask for this young woman’s aid. She won’t care what you call your belief system, or if you don’t call it anything at all. The real assistance we are able to receive from the Universe (or The Force or Mother Earth or Insert-Your-Name-Tag here), is a positive and loving influence, which is open and available to everyone who is open to receiving it. All we need to do is ask.
Today’s Deck:
Saints & Angels Oracle Cards by Doreen Virtue
Today’s Movement Report:
bike ride. Where I was hit in the face by a bee. No sting, but it was startling when it happened. Also, I saw the world’s most poorly behaved dog, dragging a woman down the running trail. Appalling.
Health Check-in:
great, over all. Still sorta puffy and red-faced though, but the heat of this most recent rash is finally gone. It tends to leave behind not-so-smooth skin, which I just have to wait out. Also, had a very enlightening appointment with *A* earlier. More on that tomorrow, I’m out of hours and space today.
LateNight Good News:
my pal Karen Anderson, here in town, put up a new blog post tonight, it’s uplifting and hopeful.
LateNight Bonus Daily Dog:
this was in my e-mail box. From Dan.
No idea what the circumstances are/were, he’ll have to tell us in the comments section tomorrow before he heads off to work.
Implements of death & destruction, and a white & blue seersucker suit… yes, quite individualistic! LOL!
Oh, my, silly little dog!
My first thought for DWF: die while fighting… for a knife, ya know, it just kinda seems to fit… but then, I thought: do what fits…. so, take your pick, or make your own.
Joan does have a great message, with the bit of reworking by Julie!
Trying my best to lead by example, though I don’t have many watching at this point. I know it helps those who are. 
Ack, bee in the face!
~
Whether you are leading an army or one single person, no matter. When we are called upon to help, we need to just go. Excellent job being a wonderful and lovely example.
J
9:27 p.m.
6-8-12
One of the dangers of riding, those dang critters. Mrs. Denial and I rode the motorcycles through a butterfly migration one time. Thousands of them, some of which gloriously impacted us and our machines.
Nice card. Went and saw “Joan of Arc at the Stake” last spring at the Hult when Marin Alsop came back and directed it. Really a neat presentation that illustrated how pig ignorant I am.
At my last training conference, I bought raffle tickets, with which I won several cool items (one of which has initiated Mrs. Denial into a frenzy of planning, more later) but another was a sports memorabilia thingy that I traded for a tactical folding knife. No monogram, though…
~
What a great opportunity to see a cool show, and learn something!
Oooo, I can’t wait to hear more of this new frenzy! And what sparked it.
J
9:32 p.m.
6-8-12
I’m not much of a leader given that I barely leave my apartment.
~
I disagree. And you’ll be seeing that in the next post.
(You DO have leadership qualities, I’ve seen them, read about them, and know they exist.)
J
9:34 p.m.
6-8-12
Is it possible JD got someone’s mongrammed gift by mistake? He should make a telephone call.
Sorry about the bee. Runner’s have to deal with that as well. I once plowed into a yellow jacket running through a parking lot. He wasn’t so polite. He stung me in my ear. OW!
This card doesn’t fit anything that’s going on right now, so I guess we’ll just see what turns up.
Max is sooo sweet!
~
Fortunately THAT particular bee only mildly bashed in to me, but yes, thems are the perils of bein’ out in nature for us all.
I (sorta/kinda) take your name in vain to start off the new post, you and Skye. But remember, I do it with love!
J
9:37 p.m.
6-8-12
I told you that you’d wind up putting one of the pictures of you on the blog.
It’s only a seersucker sport coat. I *do* have a seersucker suit, but it’s “undyed” brown-and-tan, not the traditional blue-and-white.
The total order was: one rifle case (which is only JUST big enough for my rifle, it turns out); three magazine couplers (doohickies to attach two rifle magazines together, for faster reloads); two boxes of .45 Long Colt ammo (for my “cowboy gun”); and one buck knife which, yes, I’m almost positive was engraved for someone else and mistakenly sent to me. But I like it, so I’m keeping it.
You DID, in fact, told me.
As much as you dislike it when *I* am right, the feeling goes both ways from here.
(Dammit, some of those were just perfectly fine pictures though!)
Thank you VERY much for the descriptions and information on all of the items featured in these shots. And, really glad you are feeling better, too. Lastly, did you go get your car yet?