Dear Reader:

With the dog days of August nearing  its end and the official exit of summer arriving with Labor Day…the days of beach chair musings are coming to a close.

What is it about sitting in a beach chair watching life and people around us that lures us into a peaceful, contemplative state of mind?

I remember someone dropping this little book off several years ago as a gift to read…but have now forgotten whom. I picked it up a few days ago and started thinking about the clarity we get while sitting in a beach chair staring out at the ocean amidst peals of laughter from children frolicking in the waves and building sandcastles.

Our chair turns into a type of Aladdin’s Magic Carpet and we are swept through thoughts and memories of the past and daydreams about the future.

I could recite some wonderful verses of poetry for my musings or deep psychological thoughts like the old “Deep Thoughts” on Saturday Night Live…. since you all know me so well…I think a humorous perspective on life is what my mood today calls for….

1. Beach Chair Wisdom: In the morning you beg to sleep more, in the afternoon you are dying to sleep, and at night you refuse to sleep.

2.  Beach Chair Wisdom: God please give me patience, if you give me strength I will just punch someone in the face.

3. Beach Chair Wisdom: I’m old enough to know better, but young enough to do it anyway.

4. Beach Chair Wisdom: If we were on a sinking ship, and there was only one life vest… I would miss you so much.

5. Beach Chair Wisdom: Stop worrying about the world ending today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.

6. Beach Chair Wisdom: The most important thing in life is not knowing everything, it’s having the cell number of somebody who does!

7. Beach Chair Wisdom:  If I live to be a hundred…I still won’t know how to fold a fitted sheet!

8. Beach Chair Wisdom: How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear what they said?

9. Beach Chair Wisdom: Bad decisions make great stories!

10. Beach Chair Wisdom: “Do not machine wash or tumble dry” means I will never wash this ever.

It is also while we are contemplating life in the beach chair that we start asking those life long questions that we have never discovered an answer to….

1. Beach Question: Are there really people who step into the shower first before turning on the water?
2. Beach Question: Why doesn’t McDonalds sell hot dogs?
3. Beach Question: At the movie theater, which arm rest is mine?
4. Beach Question: If God sneezes, what should we say?
5. Beach Question: When does it stop being partly cloudy and become partly sunny?
6. Beach Question: Why is it that everyone driving faster than you is considered an idiot and everyone driving slower than you is a moron?
7. Beach Question: If money doesn’t grow on trees then why do banks have branches?
8. Beach Chair Question: Can a cemetery raise its prices and blame it on the cost of living?
9. Beach Chair Question: If you speak only one language, are you just lingual?
10. Beach Chair Question: Why doesn’t Tarzan have a beard?

Libby told me something new…I didn’t know. When Betsy was having to have a lot of blood work done before and after surgery…her cousin and aunt accompanied her to the doctor one day. Her cousin started to turn white and look like she was going to be ill  or faint and the doctor asked her to leave.

Libby’s sister, Linda, went to check on her. Paige told her mother that she must be a ‘fainting goat” and then explained the video she watches about the fainting goats.

If you haven’t heard of this particular breed of goat…let me enlighten you so the next time someone feels faint…you can forever dub them the ‘fainting goat’ too.

A myotonic goat, otherwise known as the fainting goat, is a domestic goat whose muscles freeze for roughly 10 seconds when the goat feels panic. Though painless, this generally results in the animal’s collapsing on its side. The characteristic is caused by a hereditary genetic disorder called myotonia congenita.

While we are on “goats”…this next breed doesn’t faint….but screams….Who knew there were so many strange types of goats….learn something new every day!

So until tomorrow…Isn’t this a perfectly wonderful crazy world we live in which provides us with all kinds of crazy thoughts…Thanks God for a sense of humor…one of man’s best weapons of all.

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh

* The shining star award for this week goes to this gorgeous black-eyed susan and her “snail” friend! Best of the bunch in the garden!

*I love this picture too ….my bottle brush just produced one red bloom and look at all the pollination going on….I was able to sneak up close to the bees because they were greedily eating everything in sight.

*And that brings us to a most beautiful closure….please take some time (after the fainting and screaming goats) to enjoy the spectacular beauty of pollination in nature. It will make your day! *Thank you Brookie for sharing this beautiful piece of nature with us.

The beauty of pollination – YouTube

*Mandy and John invited me over for supper….delicious supper and great company….on the way home last night after the rain…the sky was so beautiful, coated in red, purple, orange and pink… returning over the bridges…it literally took my breath away….of course grandchildren do that all the time to me.