FloweringW Things

Sexy Client

2007-01-20T09:24:00.000-07:00

Yippee! I have a new client, which, in itself is something to cheer about. The extra sexy part is that they are in Honolulu! So, for at least three months I will be there working one week...my first trip includes a weekend stayover. :)

Master Cleanse

2007-01-20T09:19:00.000-07:00

Yep, I've done it now, gone completely granola. Am halfway through the "Master Cleanse" (day 5). That means for 10 days I drink a mixture of water, fresh squeezed lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper. Herbal Tea at bedtime, and a mild salt water mixture in the morning. Yep.

Many societies have believed in 'cleansing' as a way to help your body rid itself of toxins. I think half of mine came out yesterday... But I'm not hungry, I have great energy and focus, and I haven't actually lost more than 2-3 pounds after 4 days of this.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2007-01-20T09:14:00.000-07:00

Build a snow cat: Meow!!

New Years Resolutions? Join others with the same goals for the years at: 43 Things

Also, a leftover favorite from the holidays: Elf Yourself Oops, he has retired for the season, but its worth seeing at next year!

Traveling Like A ROCK Star!

2006-10-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

My guitar has been going with me on my new business travels. I figure that it will help keep me centered and give me something to do at night in hotel rooms.

Have been experimenting with hard case vs. soft case--first trip, I bought a hard case because supposedly the overhead bins were too small for the soft case and it would get put down below. Well those particular bins were big enough. So, this trip, I took the soft case. These bins really weren't big enough and ended up having to gate check my guitar in the soft case. Go figure.

But, the funniest thing is that it is the best conversation piece ever. This morning at the airport I had the funnest little chats with people over the guitar on my back--Is this your living? What kind of guitar is that? Wow, you haul that around with you just for fun? Are you hoping that someone will recognize you? plus a variety of people staring at me trying to figure if I'm 'someone.' If they only knew that the extent of my repertoire is currently Amazing Grace, You Are My Sunshine, and America The Beautiful. (But just you wait, soon I'll be able to play some real John Denver! ) :)

It is totally fun to travel like a rock star--at least when you're not one. Going to have to get some good stickers for my cases though, that will really get the conversations flowing. Am accepting them from all corners of the world...hint, hint.

Home Remedies

2006-09-14T19:42:00.000-07:00

There are lots of home remedies out there:

baking soda+glycerin = facial scrub

epsom salt+glycerin+baking soda=bath salts

ice+gum=removal from floor

hairspray+ink=removal from clothes

baking soda+toothbrush = clean teeth

baking soda+toothbrush = clean tile grout

toothpaste+pimple=dried pimple

baking soda+burned pot=clean pot

olive oil/mayonnaise+hair=deep conditioner

HOWEVER. Gals, toothpaste just doesn't work to remove extra wax from your face. Trust me. It can remove the skin in the general area over the course of a few days, but not the wax. Might try the oil that comes with the kit. :)

Wild Things

2006-08-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

I understandably had a hard time going to sleep last night and was on my deck at 1:30am. Guess what I saw down in front? It had four legs, a nice thick fur coat, and probably weighed 400lbs. Yep, I saw my first bear, and it wasn't small. It left the area via the stairs to the house across the street and disappeared into the trees. Nice view, huh!

It looked something like this...but smaller, and I suspect it was a female.

Google Is Good Stuff.

2006-08-01T19:55:00.000-07:00

I just have to say, Google is the coolest thing ever. Their email format is great, and I rarely get spam--Google Reader is awesome for catching new posts to my friends' blogs--and I've just discovered their homepage features. WAY cool all the things you can do there, even just silly stuff (my favorite is .

Seems not long ago (but it was, 1999 to be exact), I had to do research on internet marketing for a class in grad school and I discovered Google for the first time. Who knew then what it would be now, really it is a new verb in our vocabulary. Even my mother tells me now to go 'google' things--so much for reference books. I wasn't even sure if I should put it forward as a reliable search engine for my class. Crazy...and they keep coming up with more good stuff.

Proud Mary Is On The Market

2006-07-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

Proud Mary (my Trek 1200 Alpha Series Road Bike) is officially on the market--see Craig's List . I thought I would keep her to ride on the trainer during the winter, but two seasons later, she's only been gathering dust since I bought my Orbea Dama.

I've been piddling around with the notion of selling her, but now that I have my own personal musical revival to fund, I figure I better get off the stick.

"Guitar or Bust!" or "What Gives?"

2006-07-30T21:02:00.000-07:00

In order to learn to play the guitar, it is best to have one to practice on. Off I went yesterday to find one at the Pawn shop where I figured I could get something used. Sure enough, there were a few to choose from. My brother-in-law gave me some pointers on what to look for, and that (even though I fell in love with the sound of it immediately) a 12 string would be a better second instrument than a first. So, I bought the Oscar Schmidt Washburn 6 string.

I also went ahead and bought my 2nd instrument--the 12 string (Ventura Bruno CW-160) is mine now too! Love it!!

Clearly, the next thing I needed was a set of instructions, like what notes are the strings supposed to be tuned to? Staying with the theme of second hand purchase, I went to the ARC thrift store and found a few beginning guitar books. Also found a piano worth checking out more thoroughly--to be continued later.

24 hours later, both guitars tuned once anyway, and my fingers sore from practicing the exercises in the book dutifully on the 6 string--I look at the instruments side-by-side a little more closely. Hmmm. The 12 string is strung opposite from the 6. I must need more information on how to tune it! So I looked it up online, and sure enough, it was tuned right. Dang it, the strings are strung for a leftie! I sit down to figure out how to flip them. Whoops. The grooves in the nut for strings are clearly cut for the way it is strung right now. What the heck gives?!?!?! Totally scratching my head here. I go back to my gently used beginner guitar book and study the diagrams a little more closely. Turns out, the 12 string is strung right. So is the 6 string. However, the 6 string is actually a LEFTY guitar! Go figure.

In the end, I'm glad I bought the 12 string Ventura...at least I have something to practice on until I sell the lefty and buy a right right righty 6 string. Goes to show that even a simple trip to the pawn shop for a guitar can provide days worth of adventure and entertainment!

Want to Know More About Yourself?

2006-07-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

Feeling like I needed to understand more about myself and how my brain works, I just went through some testing. The Johnson O'Connor Foundation has been administering aptitude tests, researching, and compiling results since 1922...and that is where I went to find some answers.

The results were fascinating, overwhelming, surprising, and there were some real duh-George's in there too. The most important thing that they stress is that where you have an aptitude, you must find ways to exercise it or you will be unhappy/unfulfilled, and it ignoring it will only be a source of grief and/or frustration.

What I learned about myself, for the most part, can be addressed by tweaking my work situation and by learning to be more aware of opportunities to exercise my aptitudes. The kicker? Music aptitudes. And that is a part of my life I have virtually ignored for a solid 10 years (except for singing to the radio). Talk about bottling up.

So, I got my flute out for the first time in 1.5 years (prior to that, it had been 3 years) and played for an hour until my lips were nice and numb. And I've decided to try a new approach--dig in and learn a new instrument that I can be more interactive and entertaining with people while I'm playing. What better than a little pick'in and grin'in! :)

Thought For The Day

2006-07-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

During tough times, the value of true friends and the strength of family become very clear...and I am grateful that I have both.

Thanks!

Better Off Single?

2006-07-14T23:01:00.000-07:00

A friend sent this link to me today: "Better Off Single"

...if you are one of my single friends, you're going to love it. If you're married, well...I'm sure that one could also prove the opposite, somehow... :)

3 Blocks from Pikes Peak Trailhead

2006-07-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

Many of you have heard me say that my new place is literally 3 blocks from the Cog Railway and Pikes Peak trailhead (Barr Trail).

There is also a trail there called "The Incline" that is what is left of another Cog railway--just the ties. I think it covers 1000 feet in elevation in about a mile if you go straight up. I like to go up halfway and then catch the Barr Trail for a trail run down. Photo below is the view down from halfway up--eek!

"X" marks the spot where I live.

Follow My Links Too!

2006-07-12T19:38:00.000-07:00

My Brother's Blogs
Flying W Things
Just A Runner

My Tri Coach, Amazing Athlete & Good Friend
Jennifer Harrison

The Name

2006-07-12T18:38:00.000-07:00

Why FloweringW? Silly girl that I am, "Flower" is a nickname bestowed upon me by my brother and sister when I was a frosh in college.

Yes, I'm the little one tugging on my underpants.

So Anne and Brad and I were having a bite at Braum's (best ice cream & burger in the midwest) in OKC the summer of '88. Our parents had just moved back from CA, I was starting college in Iowa, and Anne & Brad were helping with the move. I figured it was the perfect opportunity for me to introduce myself in Iowa with a new nickname--makes sense right?

Margaret can be a long name, and everyone likes to shorten it to something (Madge, Marg, Peg, Maggie, Marge, Margie, Meg, NutMeg--you get the picture). So I asked them what they thought. Silence. And then--FLOWER! There was much laughter (I didn't think it was so funny at the time), and that was it. Flower is a silly little nickname that is used, by them, on the occasion that I've crossed over into a world that doesn't have as much to do with reality as it does with my own imagination.

Otherwise, my family calls me Meg. Funny thing, that's what my new friends in Iowa ended up calling me too.

Anne says "Well, the way I remember the naming was that we were moving TO California and were sitting around talking about what was to become of you since you would now be attending high school there. One of us said that you would probably turn into some crazy hippy chick named Flower...I think if I was going to name you something before you moved to Iowa it would have been Corny or Daisy.

Brad says: "The way I remember it is that there was a stampeding herd of rhinoceroseseses and we sought shelter in a nearby cave which happened to be full of bats. As we munched on deep-fried bats (I had my Fry Daddy and a long extension cord) we discussed Meg's pending move to Iowa for college, where she would be a California girl amongst the corn-fed Iowaians - and that she would be some kind of granola-eating kook in their eyes and that they would call her "Flower." ...The rhino part may not be right - perhaps hippopotomausussesess? But I'm sticking by the rest."

FloweringW - The Official Launch

2006-07-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

This spring I did a lot of 'gardening' at my new place. Dumped out 2 half-barrel planters that were here; bought, painted, hung and filled baskets for the deck railing; made off with a full barrel planter that a friend wanted to get rid of--and then put in new soil, planted seeds, planted bulbs, and planted a few live plants. Wildflowers, Zinnia, Marigold, Calla Lily, Canna Lily, Sweet Potato Vine, Vinca Major, Geranium, Trailing Verbena and more. Turns out my thumb is pretty green! Violia--the new and improved
FloweringW deck. It is my favorite place to be night or day.
Calla Lily

My zeal carried over into the beds on the way up the stairs to my doorstep. They were actually one bed before I attacked. It was basically a catchall for trash and leaves that swirled up and down the stairway--but now--it is terraced and planted mostly with perennials that will come up years after I've moved. Elephant Ears, Caladium, Coleus, Hasta (well, these haven't come up yet), Corsican Mint, Impatiens, Wishbone Flower, Shamrocks, and Dwarf Bugleweed. My landlord has got to love that--but will it be enough to get screen doors installed on the front & back door?
As if that wasn't enough, my upstairs neighbor and I cleared the yard of the thistle that had taken over. It was an ugly sight from our decks. Next time I get ambitious in the garden, vegetables and herbs are on the list. We shall see, we shall
see!
This is the pile of thistle that was left--who knew there was a lilac bush down there?
PS These photos were taken about a month ago, the wildflowers in baskets are 2 feet tall, and barrel has vines that hang a foot below the deck now!

My Tree

2006-04-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

This is only the top half of the tree in front of my apartment--you should hear it talk on a windy night! Just wish I could understand what its telling me.

Grow Where You're (trans) Planted

2006-04-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

New city, new state, new life, new blog...