NEVER...EVER...GIVE UP HOPE : The Cops Called and Left A Message

"This is Officer Colt and I would appreciate it if you would contact me as soon as possible." That was the message left on a Friday afternoon. What is the first thing that runs through your mind when a cop calls and leaves a message?

"What's wrong?" "Who's in trouble?" "Who is in the hospital?" Of course I called right back but I would have to speak directly with Officer Colt and he was out of the office until Tuesday. Every negative scenario I could think of terrified me. At dinner I asked my husband, "Do you have a bunch of parking tickets you threw away?" "NO!" That's good...... I guess. I still didn't know what was wrong and it drove me nuts all weekend.

Finally on Tuesday, the officer called again and was wondering if we could help him find someone. He said this person frequented our store and had been a witness to a crime and he did not have a phone number on file. Great detective work? Yes, we knew him and passed on the message.

Why do we automatically think the worst? What would you have thought?

This shouldn't surprise me any more....

I often house/dog sit for my daughter when they go out of town. When they went to Hawaii a few months ago and needed me to house sit she informed me that they now had SHEEP. I'm a city gal, what do I know about taking care of sheep? But it turned out great as she rewarded me with a full day at a luxurious spa which I shared in Will a Day at the Spa Remove the Smell of Sheep.

So why should I have been surprised when she just informed me they now have GOATS -- and they are in HEAT! I have to stop answering the phone - it is giving me unwanted messages!

Gotta admit -- they are pretty cute!

After 42 years, some people wonder how I can still be in love

We have two jewelry stores and we also do custom design and repair work. Many of our older clients just love to call my hubby or come in and share their lives with him as they are lonely and he is so kind. One of our clients turned 92 recently and called my husband in tears because "they" took her driver's license away and now she couldn't get out of her house to do ANYTHING. She needed some jewelry repair work done and didn't know how she was going to get to our store, 40 miles away. He told her not to be stressed and offered to go to her house and take her GROCERY SHOPPING or whatever she needed in addition to picking up her repairs, which he did. She wanted to repay him in some way so she offered him tea and cookies. Try as he might, even dunking the cookies into his tea, he could not bite them. Not wanting to embarrass her, he pretended to take a bite and put them in his pocket. Need I say more?

Stepping out of my 'zone' to do something new

I have the greatest respect for my fellow bloggers who are new to this arena, as I am. I didn't know ANYthing about social marketing, social networking, or blogging until I published my memoir, Battered Hope. My publisher (whom I since fired) did absolutely nothing for me. The upside of that is I was pole vaulted into learning new skills and taking charge of my own marketing. It's a slow process, especially when my computer skills are limited, almost non-existent.

Imagine my delight when I was able to complete a book trailer for Battered Hope. As scared as I am to ask you, I would love to hear your opinions of it -- it's only 60 seconds long and your input would be appreciated. (Speakers on)

Have lived here over 20 years and first time I saw this

Life is too busy at times and we have to be reminded to take time to smell the roses. My hubby bought me a beautiful bouquet for my desk so that I could smell them as I worked! When my dear friend called to inform me, "Carol, do you realize we have not had a coffee for almost three months?" Immediately I responded "Let's do 7 A.M. at the ocean on Saturday morning!"

As we were sitting in my car sharing our summers, we looked closer at the Pacific Ocean in front of us and started shouting, "LOOK! Is that what I think it is?" We sat in my car until 11:30 - that's 4 1/2 hours of sheer bliss while we watched the whales - yup, WHALES. Too many to count and they were very close to shore. I think they were following the tide line and the fishing boats passing by.

In all the years we have lived here, this is the first time I experienced this. It was beyond awesome and will be remembered forever.

The subject of Ebola conjures a lot of emotion

I posted an article on Linkedin regarding Ebola and was shocked at the response. As a Health Coach, I shared how we can build our immune systems and make them strong. This is something I have been teaching and studying for almost four decades. The response to this article was overwhelming with about 1600 views, a few hundred likes and lots of comments. The difficult part was the handful of people who decided they would personally attack me. I was called a kook, charlatan, quack and Mary Poppins. One 'gentlemen' took it upon himself to respond to numerous positive comments and tell them he will be happy to see me die as he lies in the hospital bed next to me with his pharmaceutical cocktail and me with my "natural remedy." Another person said that I should take full responsibility for what is happening in Texas? Are these people on glue?

All I did was share what I know to be true from my personal experience. When given the diagnosis of cancer forty years ago, I was told I had two years to live unless I had a hysterectomy. I chose alternative treatments and have long outlived that doctor and others who were angry with me for taking that stand. What I don't understand is the close mindedness and the anger this stirs up among professionals. What are they afraid of?

Again - there's an upside. Many of the readers have messaged me asking for consultation so that they may realize optimum health with strong immunity in their own lives. And that.......is what it is all about!

Dakota is G.......O.......N..........e

Last month I shared the loss of Willow. She was rescued from a dumpster 6 years ago and gave us so much love and laughs. Her story is here. Dakota and Willow were best buds. They ran together every day and patrolled the property. Dakota missed her terribly and looked so sad and lonely. One of the cutest stories of Dakota's gentle spirit is when he sent me flying through the air.....by mistake, of course. When he decided it was time to leave, it happened very quickly. We were able to lift his 125 pounds into the truck and got him to the vet in time. He kissed my daughter one last time as he closed his eyes and joined Willow.