Karen's Stuff & Such

I've been reading the book Storycatcher by Christina Baldwin. It has reminded me gain how important our stories are. Our Stories Determine How We See the World Things happen to all of us, but how we describe those things to ourselves determines how we feel about our lives. Do I describe myself as a victim, thus short-circuiting my power to better my life? Do I see myself as a survivor? Do...

I've been thinking about decisions in the last couple of days, particularly those decisions that change the course of a life. Granted, every decision we make creates a new path, but whether I have toast or cereal for breakfast won't make much difference in the long run. I'm thinking of decisions that cause real change. I was a nursing major in college for a short time. It seemed like a nice...

Last night was Third Thursday here in Klamath Falls. During the summer on the third Thursday of the month we have an arts festival downtown. Businesses stay open and provide snacks for visitors, musicians play, and people set up tables to sell items. Loads of people come out - it's a great way to spend a Thursday evening. The public library always has something set up. Last night they were signing...

I'm writing this at a mandatory sexual harassment meeting. Frankly, I feel harassed by this whole thing. Not only was I given no choice about whether or not to attend, but also I was given no choice as to which session to go to. Is there sexual harassment in the workplace? Yes. I know that first hand - not from the job I have now, thankfully. When I was in high school and before college, I...

I'm a namer. I name everything. I'm just not happy until something has a name - and when it does, I talk to it, whatever it is. I name plants. My Christmas cactus is called Della after the woman who gave the plant to a friend many years ago. I inherited her, and she is beautiful. The tiny philodendron I baby at work is called Little Fred. The big plant that arrived there last fall is called...

It's spring in Klamath Falls. Our four feet of snow is gone, and everything has turned green. Hogsback, the hill I can see from my home is developing an emerald cover, which will only last a month or so. The rest of the year it is brown. We are at 4100 feet above sea level, which means we have a relatively short growing season. We don't plant until after Memorial Day, and often the first killing...

My library recently got in the third season of The Muppet Show, which I promptly checked out. The Muppets inspired brand of silliness makes me laugh. Roy Clark was the guest star for one of the episodes. He sang the song "Yesterday When I Was Young," which I have always liked. Part of it goes like this: Yesterday, when I was young, The taste of life was sweet, as rain upon my tongue, I teased at...