Not as Advertised

Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life

are not the advertised ones,

not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved.

The real milestones are less prepossessing.

They come to the door of memory unannounced,

stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit and almost never leave.

Our lives are measured by those.

~ Susan B. Anthony~

Your Path

Be neither a conformist or a rebel, for they are really the same thing.  

Find your own path, and stay on it.  

~Paul Vixie~

Celebrate Life take Two

We are still Celebrating and Enjoying Life
a Year later.
National Chip and Dip Day
Rocked!
Again.

Vigor

Do not quietly conform,

but trumpet your differences loudly and with vigor!

Sunny Spring Day

Science has never drummed up
quite as effective a tranquilizing agent
as a sunny spring day.
~ W. Earl Hall~

Woodpecker

Even the woodpecker owes his success to the fact that he uses his head 

and keeps pecking away until he finishes the job he starts.

~Coleman Cox~

Fire

The mind is not a vessel to be filled
but a fire to be kindled.
~Plutarch~

Smaller, Slower, Less

The longer I live, the more this means to me.  

Make your impact on the earth smaller.

Slow down.

Consume less.

It's a daily challenge but we're trying to live this smaller, slower, less life.

Thank You

Make it a habit to tell people thank you.
To express your appreciation,
sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return.
Truly appreciate those around you,
and you'll soon find many others around you.
Truly appreciate life,
and you'll find that you
have more of it.
~ Ralph Marston~

Thank You to all of you who
read and Love Happy Hippie Heart.
I appreciate that you all take time out
of your day to appreciate my pictures and ramblings.
Happy Friday!

Use It Up

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.

-- New England proverb~

Simple

Life is simple,
it's just not easy.
~Author Unknown~

Soon

Soon my pretty birdies, soon.

Bounce

Life is not about how fast you run
or how high you climb
but how well you bounce.
~Vivian Komori~

Get Out Of The Way

I think that people want peace so much that one of these days government had better get out of their way and let them have it.  

~Dwight Eisenhower~

Happy Irish Day!

For each petal on the shamrock
This brings a wish your way -
Good health, good luck, and happiness
For today and every day.
~Author Unknown

Happy Birthday Kevin!

I won't give you his age, but there have been 38 revolutions of the sun since the day of his birth!

I hope that your day is fantastic!

It has been a pleasure to be a part of the last 25 of those revolutions.

Know that I will always love you and always be here for you my friend!

From Omega Oop to buying our house and everything in between, it's been a great ride.  

I look forward to the future and, as Morgan would say, the solar revolutions to come!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

A Hand

Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away.  

~Dinah Craik~

Don't Be Afraid

Here is the world.
Beautiful and terrible things will happen.
Don't be afraid.
~Frederick Buechner~

Empty Plates

There is no love sincerer than the love of food.  

~George Bernard Shaw~

Sunshine

Friends are the sunshine of life.
~ John Hay ~

Thanks for being my sunshine
Miss Susan

Spring Forward

Losing an hour of sleep does not make my hippie heart happy.

Gorgeous flowers beginning to bloom however, gives my hippie heart wings!

Get Better

The best six doctors anywhere
And no one can deny it
Are sunshine, water, rest, and air
Exercise and diet.
These six will gladly you attend
If only you are willing
Your mind they'll ease
Your will they'll mend
And charge you not a shilling.
~ Wayne Fields~

Great American Meat Out Month

Hi everyone.  March is the Great American Meat Out Month.  If you pair this up with Meatless Monday, think of the great things you can do for your body and the environment!  

Just a few facts:

Water needed to produce 1 lb. of beef: 2,500 gallons

Water needed to produce 1 lb. of any vegetable/fruit: Less than 70 gallons (varies by crop)

Percent of Fresh Water in the world: 2.5%

Number of people worldwide that do not have access to clean water: Over 1,000,000,000 (yes billion)

 Number of people worldwide that will not have access to clean water by 2025 (13 years from now): Over 2,700,000,000.  That's 1/3 of the world's population.

Number of people whose food energy needs can be met by the food produced on 2.5 acres of land:

If the land is producing cabbage: 23 people
If the land is producing potatoes: 22 people
If the land is producing rice: 19 people
If the land is producing corn: 17 people
If the land is producing wheat: 15 people
If the land is producing chicken: 2 people
If the land is producing milk: 2 people
If the land is producing eggs: 1 person
If the land is producing beef: 1 person

Be kind to your body.

Be kind to your earth.

Be kind to animals.

Happy Hippie Friday everyone!

Visible Soul

I love cats because
I love my home
and after a while
they become
its visible soul.
~Jean Cocteau~

Trembling

The sky and the strong wind
have moved the spirit inside me
till I am carried away
trembling with joy.

~ Uvavnuk ~

Frolic

Even our pets frolic in the snow!

Shadow

Be kind to your shadow.
~Rebecca Lawless~

Welcome Home

Home is the one place in all this world where hearts are sure of each other.  

It is the place of confidence.  

It is the place where we tear off that mask of guarded and suspicious coldness which the world forces us to wear in self-defense, and where we pour out the unreserved communications of full and confiding hearts.  

It is the spot where expressions of tenderness gush out without any sensation of awkwardness and without any dread of ridicule. 

 ~Frederick W. Robertson~

This Day

Look well to this day.
Yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow is only a vision.
But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness,
and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well therefore to
this day.
~Francis Gray~

The Mist

I was very drawn to this picture at Brandywine Kitchen in downtown Bham when Becca and I took the kids out for lunch.  I'm so glad Becca took a photo of it.  

When I saw it, I instantly thought "This must be in Washington".  The way it looks as if it's been raining while you're driving across the Astoria-Megler bridge from Washington to Oregon, brings me a strange peace like I can almost see through the mist.  

Please excuse the run-on sentence. 

On a side note:  The Brandywine Kitchen makes the BEST hand cut organic fries in the universe (except for Becca's but we don't have a restaurant yet).  The staff is friendly, the decor is awesome, and you get to sit in pews.  I recommend it to anyone looking for a local place to eat!  You can click on the link above or just go down to 1317 Commercial Street and check them out! 

Happy March Happy Hippies!

March

Springtime is
the land awakening.
The March winds are
the morning yawn.

~ Lewis Grizzard
and
Kathy Sue Loudermilk~