Exploring the Wonders of Arizona, yesterday & today

As I was scanning old photos I came across a whole bunch of family pictures from our various vacations through the years.  Somehow my parents managed to wrangle an entire tribe of children and take us to exciting places.  We moved to Arizona when I was only nine years old, and for the first several years my parents planned trips all over the state to help their children to see all of the wonders of Arizona. 

We explored the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest of northern Arizona.

We visited the Grand Canyon.

We learned all about the large meteorite that struck the desert at Meteor Crater.

We watched gun fights and enjoyed the old west experience in Tombstone.

We went ‘south of the border’ in Nogales.

I am so grateful that my parents took the time to teach me all about Arizona.  I made sure to take my children to many of the same wonderful places in our state and even a few that I had never visited.

We explored the copper mines near Bisbee.

We ate peaches at Schnepf Farms.

We went camping up on the Mongollon Rim…

And climbed up the lookout tree (that smells like vanilla ice cream)

And hiked to the top of Picacho Peak.

Arizona has so many wonders to share with children. I look forward to sharing Arizona with my grandchildren in the future.  

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Did you ever have one of those moments when you learn something or make a connection and your mind is just blown?   I was wasting time surfing through various Facebook posts recently and I came across an article that shared 'things you never knew about the movie Wizard of Oz'. One of the items in the article completely captured my attention. 

I have always been interested in learning history, and the horrific events of World War II have always been an area that held my interest.  Like everyone I learned about Hitler and the Nazis killing Jews and others during the war.  I knew that Hitler disliked gays, gypsies and anyone disabled, but I had never stopped to consider who exactly the Nazi’s considered disabled.  It never occurred to me that the Nazis considered some of the actors for the iconic Wizard of Oz movie worthy of extermination. 

The article explained, “The Munchkins are portrayed by the "Singer Midgets", named not for their musical abilities, but rather for Leo Singer, their manager. The troupe came from Europe, and a number of these actors took advantage of the trip to immigrate and escape the Nazis. Professional singers dubbed most of their voices, as many of the actors couldn't speak English and/or sing well. Only two are heard speaking with their real-life voices - the ones who give Dorothy flowers after she climbs into the carriage.”

Things were not necessarily easy for this group of actors; the article further explained, “according to lead Munchkin Jerry Maren, the actors on the set who played the Munchkins were paid $50 per week for a six-day work week, while Toto received $125 per week.”  I would imagine that being paid less than a dog might be humiliating, but faced with the brutality of the Nazi regime, the movie Wizard of Oz literally saved their lives.  For this group of actors and actresses, Oz truly was some place ‘over the rainbow’. 

I don’t think I will ever be able to watch the Wizard of Oz again without thinking about the Munchkins and their possible fate in Germany if they had not come to OZ. 

You can read the other unusual facts about the movie here: http://www.knowable.com/a/10-crazy-behind-the-scenes-stories-from-the-wizard-of-oz/p-3

No seriously – are you kidding me????

I try not to get too political on my blog, and I always try to respect other people’s opinions, but this week I encountered something that is simply too egregious to ignore.  I am talking about the new Indiana state law, HEA 1337. 

According to the Indian General Assembly, this bill:

·      Requires the state department of health to develop certain information concerning perinatal hospice care.

·      Requires physicians to provide information about perinatal hospice care to a pregnant woman who is considering an abortion because the unborn child has been diagnosed with a lethal fetal anomaly.

·      Requires documentation as a matter of informed consent to an abortion that the pregnant woman received the required information about perinatal hospice care.

·      Provides that the gender of the fetus and the medical indication by diagnosis code for the fetus and the mother must be reported on the pregnancy termination form for an early pre-viability termination.

·      Prohibits a person from performing an abortion if the person knows that the pregnant woman is seeking the abortion solely because of: (1) the race, color, national origin, ancestry, or sex of the fetus; or (2) a diagnosis or potential diagnosis of the fetus having Down syndrome or any other disability.

·      Provides for disciplinary sanctions and civil liability for wrongful death if a person knowingly or intentionally performs a sex selective abortion or an abortion conducted because of a diagnosis or potential diagnosis of Down syndrome or any other disability.

·      Provides that informed consent for an abortion must be obtained in a private setting.

·      Provides that a pregnant woman considering an abortion must be given the opportunity to view the fetal ultrasound imaging and hear the auscultation of the fetal heart tone at least 18 hours before the abortion is performed and at the same time that informed consent is obtained.

·      Provides that a miscarried or aborted fetus must be interred or cremated by a facility having possession of the remains. Requires a person or facility having possession of a miscarried or aborted fetus to ensure that the miscarried fetus or aborted fetus is preserved until final disposition occurs.

·      Specifies that: (1) a person is not required to designated a name for the miscarried or aborted fetus; and (2) information submitted with respect to the disposition of a miscarried or aborted fetus that may be used to identify the parent or parents of a miscarried fetus or a pregnant who had an abortion is confidential and must be redacted from any public records maintained under the burial permit law.

According to CNN, Indiana already has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation, and Pence called the bill, House Enrolled Act 1337, a "comprehensive pro-life measure."  This bill was so extreme that even Republican women voted against it.  

I am so sick of Republican MEN who claim that they want smaller government and LESS regulation on their businesses, yet they feel totally justified in telling women what to do with their bodies.  Not only that, but also this law actually forces a women to carry a pregnancy to term even if she knows that the fetus has a genetic deformity or she will be breaking the law.  This bill forces families to cremate remains of aborted or naturally miscarried fetuses, adding financial strain and additional burdens to families who are already grieving and struggling through a difficult time. 

I applaud the creative and independent women of Indiana who have decided that since their governor is so worried aobut their reproductive organs that they have begun a Periods for Pence campign where thousands of women are calling the governor’s office every day to let him know how their uterus and vaginas are doing.  You can find out more about the #periodsforpence  group through their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Periods-for-Pence-565501973618299/?fref=ts)

There is also an online petition that you can sign to voice your concern about this bill http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/stop-indianas-hb-1337

Confessions of a Social (media) butterfly

As usual I was trying to do four things at once, and in the process I was texting my hubby about something while texting a response to my brother and simultaneously trying to answer a question from my daughter on Facebook messenger.  You can already see where this is going – I sent my husband a response that was intended to my brother, and he was naturally confused.  I explained and my hubby laughed, calling me a social media butterfly.  I loved his description and it was fairly accurate to the kind of exchange I was having with my daughter, brother and husband all at the same time. 

Our lives have become so dependent upon technology.  This is even more evident in our children, who can barely take a shower without a phone in their hand.  There is no doubt that social media has changed our lives. 

I have always been a social person and I do admit – I am on social media quite a bit; not only for personal reasons, but also to share my blog posts and to promote my books.  For a small blogger and indie author, social media provides an invaluable ability to connect with other people without a huge marketing budget.  I am enjoying the use of social media to catch up with old friends and even make some new ones, and as long as I can avoid the emotional black hole that resides in the comments sections, my use of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+, and Linkedin have been fun and an effective media tool. 

I value the friendships that I have on social media.   The people who go out of their way to write an encouraging comment on my post always manage to make my day just a little bit better, and I truly hope that I am able to return that favor.  So yes – I guess I am a social media butterfly.

Thanks to http://www.coffsharbourboardriders.com.au/boardriders-sponsor/coffs-social-media-butterfly/ for creating this awesome image that I 'borrowed' for this post 

The Need to be Spontaneous

Have you ever noticed how often your nice neat plans get completely changed, usually at the last minute, and you wind up making things up as you go?  In large ways and in small way, my plans have a way of never working out exactly how I intended.  This is not always a bad thing, but at times it can be frustrating. 

Flexibility is an important skill in life.  People who try to live by a very narrow rigid path can wind up making themselves crazy.  I am not saying that all planning is bad or useless; quite the contrary in fact. I think having a plan is essential, but you cannot be so tied to your plans that you are unwilling or unable to make compromises or change direction. 

Life has a way of changing our plans.  Just when you think you had your credit card paid off, you wind up needing some car repairs, or just when you are ready to celebrate your last child moving out of the house, another child asks if they can move back in.  Everyone has had a similar experience.  Planning for the future is important.  It helps give you direction, but you have to be flexible enough to deal with an occasional detour.  

Years ago, in my first marriage, my life was always neat and orderly.  The house was clean and well maintained.  Trips were planned well in advance.  There was little room in my busy, organized life to be spontaneous.  There were benefits to all this organization.  We were incredibly productive.  We had little debt, a beautiful home, and we had accomplished a great deal.  We did make some time to play, but our schedule and our lives were very full and somewhat rigid. 

Fast-forward to today and I still have a beautiful home, although not quite as clean.  I still have a very full life, but it includes a lot more time for fun.  My life now also includes a great deal of spontaneity.  Much of that has to do with my incredible husband.  He appreciates my ability to plan ahead, but he also teaches me the skill of just being in the moment. 

Its okay to be silly, its okay to have fun, sometimes a change in plans is wonderful!