Raige Creations

Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.  Ann Landers Read more at https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/fire-quotes When you get to enjoy a lovely fire, do it. A little nice music helps too. 

Writing has been difficult for me lately. The words just do not come easily, or if they do they are a jumbling mess of rambling on. And not good rambling. So to ease back in I thought a Music Monday would be a nice, easy effort. Well, turns out that wasn't as easy as I thought.  Let the rambling begin! Can you believe this is only the 2nd blog I have done in 2022? I have had lots of stress, work is ridiculously busy and there was an incident that has been quite stressful to deal with. I do hope to write more about that soon. But the words to write about that are not pleasant words, and what I have to share about that I (finally) realize is precisely why I am struggling with writing.  What happened to me made me more reserved, questioning every action I did. I realize now the effect this incident has had on me, and the effect it had on my writing.  Now that I realize what has been the cause of my writing difficulties, I can begin to work through it and get back to writing....

Wow, I hadn't heard this song in YEARS! And here it was...but modern, heavy, cool! We watched Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw - our Saturday night 'date' movie. I wasn't real excited to watch it, but when it started with this song, my mood changed. Was this that song I used to LOVE? Wait, it IS Time in a Bottle , but ROCKIN'!! Okay, this could be a good movie then, if they picked that song , my warped thinking was (it was almost midnight....) And I actually enjoyed the movie, even though it was a completely predicable ridiculous action movie, it was entertaining.  This version, the cover of this oldie but goodie, it was not bad! The song is one of the few songs I learned to play with few mistakes (mostly) on the piano. I have a music box that plays this song. I love this song, and have since the 1970's. I always loved the original Jim Croce song. Yes, it is one of those AM Radio songs I heard playing in the kitchen when I was young. But this cover w...

I have been full of sour moods lately. I didn't even realize until I started scrolling through my FB rantings.  And, apparently I really have been ranting. My comments without a picture are the most telling. I guess mornings have been rough. Luckily, some old humor found me. Thanks hubby, that one still makes me giggle. Still, it has been a rough road, for over a month apparently.... But, little rewards are helpful. I sure hope the next month and a half gets better.  On a more happy note.  Today is Mango Day.  I got some leftover jars ready to hand out / sell. And pulled some Mango from the freezer for popsicles and smoothies.  Today is not the day to make more jam. After the several weeks I have had, I am taking it a bit easy today. Just some happy popsicles, please. Even just the smell of mangos lifts my spirits. I have been sneaking tastes as the mango defrosts. The first smell literally made me smile. The first taste reminded me life ain't so bad really....

 Talk about a break in blogging. Yes, guilty again. But as I sit here, procrastinating on writing my paper for my Leadership and Management class, pondering the last few days, I can only say life happens in the little things.  I try not to over-share. I like my privacy, and try to only share the lessons learned and not too many of the details of how I got there. But the last week has been a lesson in the little things. It is the little milestones, the little every day things, the little (but often seemingly huge) interruptions to normal life. The little things help you see how lucky you are. So here and now I will share, perhaps over-share, my latest little interruption, and how the little things made all the difference. A little backstory, I had a milestone this year. I reached an age where my doctors said, "Oh, you are ' this age ' (Not 37, which I stayed at for a number of years, nor 42, a nice number I stayed at for a number of years as well. A big milestone, the big o...

Surprisingly, this song had the distinct effect of making my day...well....lovely.  I was driving to work one day last week, in heavy traffic. I have mentioned before , perhaps a few times , how bad traffic is. A normal 20 minute drive takes me 40 or 45 minutes during rush hours. I was getting more and more irritated, going 4 miles per hour, then 12, then 4, then stop. Oh, and excuse me I was leaving space between vehicles, not saying please cut me off.  Geeze. And then this song came on. Well, it was just a lovely song really. So mellow. It has quite a nice message too. I mean how sweet the lyrics are! Just lovely. By the time I got to work, it actually WAS a lovely day. No the traffic didn't get better. My mood did. I was noticeably in a better mood, humming along this quite , well frankly quite repetitive, song.  After so many lovely days you just start having a lovely day! Just goes to show you, we can change our moods and perspectives. Sometimes all it takes is...

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I always thought a note in a lunch was a fun way to let the kids know I was thinking of them, and that they should smile, or have a good day, or have fun, etc. I even leave notes for my hubby to find throughout the day, just for fun. But I never thought my little notes were anything more than a little written hug - to be enjoyed at that moment, and then tossed away. They were often messy, on scrap paper, I mean nothing fancy here.  Sometimes, I ( try to ) draw a little something, but the 'talented artist' gene is not with me. Usually my signature ' happy face with a curl ' is all they get.  Never did I think they were worth saving. I never meant them to be saved, actually. It was always meant for a quick reminder, to be thrown out with the lunch bag. I never had anything profound to say, just a ' hey I love ya! ', or a ' Enjoy your day ', or ' SMILE ', or something like that. When my daughter moved back home after college, I had the chance again ...

Yup. Hooked on this song apparently. I heard it on the radio driving in to town the other day. I cranked up the volume, and sang along as loud as I could. And then over the weekend it came up in conversation...can't remember that conversation now but I got to hear it again. And there it has been in my head, stuck. Every time I hear it, I want to sing it, and sing it loud. I like sing along songs, particularly since singing is good for you . Plus, both sing and dance are on this great list of advice for living. What a GREAT feeling that was in the car, though! There is something so liberating about singing alone in the car while your driving. I hadn't let loose like that since, well at least since before the lockdown . And honestly, I didn't let loose much before that because traffic was so bad people sitting in cars right next to me would have seen me blaring out the song and doing a little dance sitting behind the steering wheel and that would have just been we...

Yes, we did it. We got  a pup. Or should I say toddler. He is a doggy toddler. We named him Biko. He is a rescue doggy, and it has been quite the journey so far. I keep reminding myself of The 3's - 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months .  It has proven to be true and helpful to remember the stages. We are approaching the 3 months soon, so of course I had to do a Music Monday with the inspiration song, even though I mentioned on FB that because he chewed my laptop charger, a sock of mine, a bra of mine, hubby's earbuds, my running shoes, and now countless toy ducks in less than 10 minutes, he didn't deserve mention. But here I am, dedicating a blog to the loving and quite gentle, though energetic, coconut loving, Boxer-Pit-Something else mix, Biko. Named after a Youtube music listening session and going through a long list of names. We thought Biko was a good fit. He is a rescue, and was abused, and had a skin irritation. We took him in when others just couldn't. Biko roll...

It was a long work week this week. After the emotional  last few weeks, I had to be knee deep in year end reports. Ah the financial world. Though there is some satisfaction when the spreadsheets balance, it is often a long road to that point. Add to that, there has been no exercise for the last 3 WEEKS! Yes, that is correct. 3 friggin weeks. And it wasn't like I was eating carefully either. It seems when one goes out the window, the other follows. My lame and completely wrong justification,  "Well I am not working out anyways....so why not have those fries, and yes I may as well have another cookie while I am at it!" It was thus proved I have NO willpower. At all. None. And I was feeling really crappy about it. The evidence is, I ate 2 boxes of my favorite Girl Scout Cookies in 2 weeks. No willpower. At all. Had them for dinner one night. Feeling like big fat crap. My kryptonite, I don't care if they are called Caramel DeLites or Samoas , I am too weak to...

Friday! We all wait for it, especially those of us who had to go back to 9-5 jobs. This has been a particularly long week.  Our office recently moved in to a new building, thus a new floor plan. Gone is my office, and I am back to cubicle working. In other words, every 15 minutes I have some paper pusher coming to my desk and hovering until I notice they are there. Even hovering while I am on the phone. Or obviously busy doing something for the paper pusher who is still standing there ahead of them.  So much so a co-worker who was waiting on me to sign a check told one aggressive hovering office space invader  : 'Give her a minute she is doing something'.  This particular week, for whatever reason, was chock full of hovering office space invaders and paper pushers . Constantly interrupting me. Add the phone that seldom rings suddenly was ringing far too much - some cubiclists decided to stay at their desks and call me instead.  Dare I say, I was a...

Yes, we are all strange. Makes the world a wonderful interesting place. I spent the weekend re-discovering LP . I still love Into The Wild . My blog of when I featured it for Music Monday came up in my FB memories. (I get lost on those stupid FB memories regularly) So I listened to it again, and then got curious to find some of her other music . So I spent the weekend going through her music. I found myself listening to her songs, several more than once. Liked a lot of what I found. Yes, we are all strange. Thank goodness. I appreciate this song for featuring how we should keep those strange people who appreciate the stangeness in us. How lonely and boring the world would be if we weren't all strange. from Twitter And yes, this will get stuck in your head. You're welcome. We are all strange And it ain't never, never, ever gonna change We are all strange And it ain't never, ever, never gonna change Ah, oh, la, la, la, la, la, yeah, ...

I have always been a fan of Train , loved their first album way back in 1998 when their debut album came out. I will never forget listening to that in our old bedroom, with all 3 kids piled in our bed, and taking naps to it. They are a poetic band, as I have mentioned before , which is part of the appeal for me. Too 'poppy' most of the time for hubby, and now the kids, but I still like them. I have been nostalgic lately. Especially since I have been unpacking things that have been in boxes in the warehouse for more than 3 years! Things I forgot we had, games like dominoes and Monoply we used to play with the kids, curtains I made for their playroom over 10 years ago! I have been enjoying looking back on memories, listening to old music. Which is why I bring back this band. The times where we napped on weekends to this band make me feel warm and comfortable, and full of love. It is sad to me that the issues in this song are even more extreme than they were back th...

After a very active morning (a few weeks ago now...) - a 3 mile mostly walk with little jogs mixed in, 15 minute morning yoga routine, and a 30 minute yoga workshop (to help me step through Down Dog , which I can't do very well) - I sat there on my yoga mat deeply thinking. Thinking, " I am calm, it is a beautiful day really, and oh - a donut hole would be good!" and then I shared my desire for doughnut holes after all that good-for-me activity. I was struck first that I wanted to share such a thing. With whom, exactly, do I want to share these accomplishments mixed with signs of weakness? Facebook?? Really??? No, not really. I realized. I have purged my Facebook friends to mostly real friends and famlily (even if it is distant cousins I haven't seen since I was a kid and friends of whom some I haven't seen since High School, and creative friends that I have not met in person but feel a closeness with via venues like Facebook {which initself is quite stra...