We have much to chronicle here today, so let’s get started. Beginning with the recognition of Carolyn’s special day. This is the woman who gave birth to some of my absolutely favorite people. When I married her son they all added me into the family as a bonus kid. Happy Happy Birthday to my Mother-In-Law! Hope it was lovingly festive and filled with joy.
From our Special Occasion deck we have a super cool card, for our special and super cool day honoring our special and super cool Mom.
Dragonfly ~ Illusion ~
Like the Butterfly, Dragonfly embodies the regenerative powers of rebirth.
After mating, Dragonflies deposit their eggs in water, where they hatch and develop into ferocious aquatic larvae before transmuting into adult Dragonflies. The Dragonfly emerges from a fully aquatic lifestyle to a creature capable of full aerial flight, no longer restricted to the confines of the pond or river into which it initially hatched.
Dragonfly experiences a symbolic death at the midpoint of its life. After a period of obligatory dormancy the Dragonfly re-emerges as an apparently completely new creature, with deceptively iridescent wings that seem to glisten with the changing light – a transformation Dragonfly is yearning to see you make today.
As children we may be taught values and beliefs that are based on cultural or family tradition and morals that may be simply regarded as outdated in today’s society. These illusions seem so real, though, that we accept them as our reality.
As we mature, these ways often contradict our self-discovered principles and we learn to adapt them accordingly. However, depending on how deeply these beliefs are ingrained, sometimes we cannot shake them in order to make way for our own. When this happens we find ourselves in turmoil because we feel as though we are dishonouring our culture or family by trying to follow our own truth.
If Dragonfly has darted into your cards today, you are being urged to break through self-endorsed limitations that hinder your development and growth. Look at yourself and acknowledge the illusions you may have woven around yourself as a form of protection.
Ask yourself if these illusions were put in place to prevent you from seeing a truth or to prevent others from seeing the real you. Have you started believing in your own deception, in a falsity created originally to protect your sense of security or self-esteem?
Your view of the world may be restricted to your tainted perception of what is real and what is not and as a result, the view the rest of the world had of you may also be unfairly tainted.”
Dragon Fly?! Wow, the themes in my life are so obvious sometimes. I love this one because I’ve been a very loud advocate of not doing what everyone else says you SHOULD do. Great message.
Next item on our agenda is a matter of opinions and safety. We’ve had a bit of a discussion going on in yesterdays comments. No, I do not wear a seat belt in cars. I am short (they choke me), I voted no (when the option was on our ballot some years ago), and I feel it is my prerogative to make that decision. (There is also a long story involved, similar to Judy’s, in that someone died, due specifically to not being able to escape because he was belted in.)
I also do not wear a helmet when I ride the bike. If I had a motorcycle I wouldn’t wear one for that either. (Yes, I know what the law states, one of the reasons you don’t see me ON a motorcycle right now. And won’t, until that law is rescinded.)
No lecturing here please, I am 50 years old, and have seen all the pamphlets, watched all the films, know all the arguments. This is a choice I make of my own free will. Your care and concern for me, your outrage on my behalf, is very much appreciated, and I honor it. However, at this point I won’t be changing. Can’t say one way or another if I will change in the future, but for now, this is where I am.
Yesterday, as I rode past the park where that dog water bowl is set out, I saw a group of kids. Later, as I made the loop around the other side, I saw them again. One little girl kind of called out to me as I rode by the second time, “we like your….uhh,” and she put her hand to her own hair, then waved it as though indicating MY hair and head, on which was a brightly colored new sports band (also big long story, but for another day).
Then she sort of stood there shocked, I could see her mind putting pieces together. Her hand fell to her side as her brain dropped facts in to place, “you’re not wearing a ….” then she turned from looking at me, to face the direction where her mom was sitting on a bench, and screamed, indignantly outraged over my scofflaw attitude and reckless demeanor, “SHE’S NOT WEARING A HELMET!!!”
On that note (yes I pedaled away laughing, I know, I’m terrible and a really bad example to all impressionable children), look at these cranium covers we saw today. Daniel and I went on a leisurely wander after we did some investigating, and walked past a cycling shop with this window display. Too amusingly ironic.
Here’s what we were checking out, the place I found yesterday when I picked up our lunch/dinner sammiches. Yogurt eXtreme! (Not sure if you are required to make the arm gestures, but I like to.)
It’s a local company, with a very informative website here. Read about it when you get the chance, and if you are near any of their shops, go there. I have to say though, I am so NOT a fan of all that vision-searing pink, but otherwise, totally delicious and very nicely run (we got ours To Go, not entirely due to the decorating choices). Disclaimer: I don’t love frozen yogurt. I don’t MIND it, but it certainly ain’t ice cream or frosting.
Knowing this about my own wee self elf, and my dessert ideals, I still recommend going if you can. The selections are very good, and the toppings are much more varied than I thought they would be. (Although, as I said, NOT ice cream nor frosting, so what is the point of the sauces and toppings?) Also, Anna, the delightful young woman who Dan and I met, said she’d read the blog and put my card up on the wall. (No joke, awesome employees!)
My selections were Georgia Peach (which was outstanding), chocolate (to which I added maraschino cherries, because I adore them and there are NEVER enough offered when you eat out), and Praline (not grand, not bad, just not one I’ll get next time). Bottom line, go there, support them, have a healthy treat, and tell them I sent you.
Foreign license plate sighting du jour: Florida. Still oddly sparse around here for a college town well into the school year. I don’t make this shit up ya know, simply report it.
And finally, back to the costume of the weekend. I have not heard how the wedding went, but I did get to see Jade in person. We took this shot with my phone because his father was talking on his phone to the birthday girl, and I was informed that we needed to send the picture immediately. 
In the original view he appeared to be glowing. (I’ll show you that one if anyone is interested.) Now we await photographic evidence of/from his pal Whitney, and validation that there really WAS an event, for which he needed to purchase a new gun (and hat).
