Jukebox

Cool Jukebox This is so neat! It's sort of a time machine of music. Each of the years below connect to that year that is special to you, including the best 20 hits of that year. Pick a year, wait a few seconds, and the Jukebox will show you the 20 hits (Just like a Jukebox of "the day" would) that you can select from. You can play all 20 hits, or just those that you like. It will also tell you all of the cool stuff that happened that year. So, check out the year you graduated from high school, you were born, got married, etc. Great memories! Take an awesome trip back to "the day... your day". Hope you enjoy playing with this very cool toy! Just "CLICK A YEAR" and have fun. It is way cool! > > >1940 > > >1950 > > >1960 > > >1970 > > >1980 > > >1990 > > >1941 > > >1951 > > >1961 > > >1971 > > >1981 > > >1991 > > >1942 > > >1952 > > >1962 > > >1972 > > >1982 > > >1992 > > >1943 > > >1953 > > >1963 > > >1973 > > >1983 > > >1993 > > >1944 > > >1954 > > >1964 > > >1974 > > >1984 > > >1994 > > >1945 > > >1955 > > >1965 > > >1975 > > >1985 > > >1995 > > >1946 > > >1956 > > >1966 > > >1976 > > >1986 > > >1996 > > >1947 > > >1957 > > >1967 > > >1977 > > >1987 > > >1997 > > >1948 > > >1958 > > >1968 > > >1978 > > >1988 > > >1998 > > >1949 > > >1959 > > >1969 > > >1979 > > >1989 > > >1999

October 22nd: In Your Town

I can hardly wait for the “cold weather” to begin down here in southern Florida.  I love when I can open my window at night and sleep with fresh air instead of air conditioning.

One of the things that I have found I love is the sound of the train horn when it passes about a mile up the street from me.  5:45 am… at times it sounds like it’s coming right thru my bedroom.. and yet other times it has a more distant haunting sound.

Below is the exact spot (in the town where I live) that it passes each day….

 

It comes from the South…

 

and goes to the North…

…and leaves me wondering just where it is going and what it is delivering somewhere beyond South Florida.

October 16th: Something You Wrote

October 16th: Something you Wrote
Since I only wrote one thing you keep seeing the same thing. This time I’ve tried to show it a little differently.
I am not a writer but I am proud of the trilogy. Never did I think I could write so many words and they come out being a story. I often wonder how good it might have been if my English teachers actually made the subject interesting.
I wrote my stories while being caregiver to my brother…my characters took me away from my circumstances and helped me through a very rough time.

the moon

July 17: Your Addiction

oh…. and my Cafe Vienna!

July 4th: Fun

It is but a memory… but I had so much fun and happiness when I attended the Trek Conventions .

Tribute to DeForest

waaaay funny!

Wizards

King Kong

 

King Kong was on television today so I thought I'd use it for Quest on Screen...

Some, like myself, are old enough to remember the original 1933 King Kong starring Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong and Bruce Cabot.

 

As I look back it seems strange to me that I was so scared watching this black and white movie and yet still managed to cry at the end, even though I was very young!

 

Knowing all the new technology it seems pretty amazing that they did so well making it back in 1933!

But the most recent 2005 version, Peter Jackson, makes King Kong look totally real!  Of all the versions after the Original this is the only one that I like.

..Keeping with the original story the Beast falls in love with Beauty.

But none of it would have been as good as it was if it wasn't for Andy Serkis...

..who, once again, dawned the magic computer dots and acted out all the moves for Kong.

... as if that wasn't enough Andy also played the cook on the ship but gets killed fairly early on. (I guess that was to free him up to be Kong!)

Beauty and the Beast is such a classic tale.  The beast being to big and ugly and beauty finding all the inner beauty to fall for him anyway.

Of course King Kong doesn't get to keep beauty in the end but the love story is there non the less.  ...and when Kong dies at the end I dutifully cried.  Why is it even when I know the ending I keep hoping for a happy ending?! duh! 

Burke and Hare

This is yet "another movie" I found that I want to see that is only out on UK DVD. :o(    ..can I say: "not fair!".

I adore Andy Serkis and most of his work I can't see!

I will admit that I met Andy at a Creations Convention once and found him to be the greatest guy!!  Not only did he give his audience all they wanted (continually using Gollums voice) but was thrilled when I asked him about his appearance in the movie Inkheart. (unfortunately it did not do well in the box office) But everyone loves a bit of laughter and this movie sounds just perfect!!  Maybe I will finally get lucky and one day they will make it for the US to see too!

Burke and Hare

 

Burke and Hare (2010)

91 min  - Comedy/ Thriller . 29 October 2010 UK

A black comedy about two 19th century grave robbers who find a lucrative business providing cadavers for an Edinburgh medical school.

I would really love to have this movie *sigh*  I wonder if they will ever produce it for the USA?

Speaking of Andy Serkis...

Did you know that not only is he reprising his role as Gollum in The Hobbit but he is helping direct!

Perfect Launch!

A perfect Launch on a perfectly cloudless day!!

Ending of an Era

Today may well be the last flight for Endeavor. (depending on the weather).

 

I have loved our space program from the very beginning when Alan Shepard made his historic fifteen minute flight in space. I still can easily envision it in my mind... I was in high school and they stopped everything and put it over the loud speakers. As I would wind up doing for all the early space flights..I cried. I was so relieved when he made splashdown that I cried.

 

...as I cry now. But now it's not "just" for the last flight of Endeavor that I am sad, but for the ending of the space program. Oh, I know NASA will muddle on as best it can, but for most intents and purposes it's come to a screeching halt, and I couldn't be sadder.

 

I was amazingly blessed when NASA had the original Astronauts do an autograph show and it came to NJ. As with all their blastoffs and splashdowns, when I walked into the room where they all sat I felt small and insignificant.. I knew I was in the presence of real live heroes. And I would never feel this way again.

Over these many (many!) years, they have all remained my heroes..

 

 

I wish I could say that I knew the names of all the brave shuttle Astronauts, but I don't. However, that doesn't make them any less heroes. There's not a time we don't need heroes, and it's heartbreaking that the Astronauts of today will no longer will no longer have a space program.

 

I am a firm believer that we live on an unstable planet and moving out into space is not a luxury, not a race, but a necessity if mankind is to survive.  (We may well be getting a few "hints" in all the natural disasters that have been happening all over the world.)  No, I don't think Earth will kill off humanity any time soon... but at the same time I pray that we find a way to safety before it happens.  Will I be alive to see it?  No.  But I believe that this is an instance that gambling all will be well is not an option.

 

Ah well.. those are my thoughts.  I've always felt this way and I guess I always will.  I feel we are very wrong in not going back to the moon.  Maybe not making a space station ON the moon.  But at least learning and developing a more secure vehicle to get our men back. To make it safer before going out even farther into space...

.......which really is "our final frontier".

 

Below are 2 photo's that are probably the highlight of my life...

Dedicated to DeForest

Wallpaper

ummm.. I've been making Avatar Wallpaper...

Always Right...

Remember

Hobbit

Rankin/ Bass .. The Hobbit

Back in the day (1977) when The Hobbit was only a cartoon!!!!

Smile

 

G'DAY, G'DAY
(Kasey Chambers / Slim Dusty)
Slim Dusty

CHORUS:
G'day, G'day, how yer goin'?
Whadya know? Well, strike a light!
G'day, G'day, and how yer go-o-o-in'?
Just say g'day, g'day, g'day and you'll be right

Isn't it great, to be an Aussie
Takin' a walk along the street
Lookin' in shops, or buyin' a paper
Stoppin' and havin' a yarn with people
that you meet
Down at the pub, or at a party
Whenever you're stuck for what to say
If you want to be dinky-di,
why don't you give it a try
Look 'em right in the eye,
and say "Good-day"

CHORUS:
G'day, G'day, how yer goin'?
Whadya know? Well, strike a light!
G'day, G'day, and how yer go-o-o-in'?
Just say g'day, g'day, g'day and you'll be right

Now, when Italians meet, they all go crazy
The folks all like to hug each other, too
The Yanks invented "Hi!" and "see ya later"
While the Pommie will shake your hand and say,
"how do you do?"
Now watch out for a Frenchman, for he'll kiss yer
The Spaniards go for "Hola!" and "Ole!"
But in the land of the cockatoo
Cork hats and the didgeridoo
When you meet an Aussie, ten-to-one,
here's what he'll say...

CHORUS:
G'day, G'day, how yer goin'?
Whadya know? Well, strike a light!
G'day, G'day, and how yer go-o-o-in'?
Just say g'day, g'day, g'day and you'll be right

It's a greeting that you'll hear across Australia
From Geraldton to the Gove and Gundagai
It's as dinkum as the dingo and the dahlia
And you spell it with a "G" apostrophe
a "D.A.Y."

CHORUS
G'day, G'day, how yer goin'?
Whadya know? Well, strike a light!
G'day, G'day, and how yer go-o-o-in'?
Just say g'day, g'day, g'day and you'll be right

CHILD JOINS IN:
G'day, G'day, how yer goin'?
Whadya know? Well, strike a light!
G'day, G'day, and how yer go-o-o-in'?
Just say g'day, g'day, g'day and SHE'LL BE RIGHT!

 

 

Home Among the Gumtrees

I've been around the world a couple of times, or maybe more,
I've seen the sights, I've had delights on every foreign shore,
but when my mates all ask me the place that I adore,
I tell them right away.

Give me a home among the gum trees,
with lots of plum trees, a sheep or two, a ka-kangaroo.
A clothes line out the back, verandah out the front,
and an old rocking chair.

You can see me in the kitchen cooking up a roast,
or Vegemite on toast, just you and me, a cup of tea.
And later on we'll settle down and mull up on the porch,
and watch the possums play.

Give me a home among the gum trees,
with lots of plum trees, a sheep or two, a ka-kangaroo.
A clothes line out the back, verandah out the front,
and an old rocking chair.

There's a Safeway up the corner, and a Woolys down the street,
a brand new place theyve opened up where they regulate the heat,
but I'd trade them all tomorrow for a simple bush retreat
where the kookaburras call.

Give me a home among the gum trees,
with lots of plum trees, a sheep or two, a ka-kangaroo.
A clothes line out the back, verandah out the front,
and an old rocking chair.

Some people like their houses with fences all around,
others live in mansions, and some beneath the ground.
But Me, I like the bush, you know with rabbits running 'round,
and a pumpkin vine out the back.

Give me a home among the gum trees,
with lots of plum trees, a sheep or two, a ka-kangaroo.
A clothes line out the back, verandah out the front,
and an old rocking chair.

Give me a home among the gum trees,
with lots of plum trees, a sheep or two, a ka-kangaroo.
A clothes line out the back, verandah out the front,
and an old rocking chair.

Some Reality

This photo is the closest thing I will get to "fall".. there is a tree in the parking area that has acorns!  However, I am doubtful these leaves will give forth with fall colors.

They do remind me of when I was a kid though.  When acorns would fall (brown not green) and with a small knife we would carve out the inside and then poke a small hole in the side and put a tiny twig in and pretend that it was an acorn pipe and then pretend to smoke it.  Where this ritual came from I can't remember.  The fact that I remember doing that at all is a small miracle lol.

So.. that's my touch of Fall.  That's a piece of reality for me.  Most of which I wish I could run away from.  But this little piece... it's not bad. Maybe it's a touch of hope of some sort.  I don't know.  I just know I was surprised when I spotted these little fellows.

A reality I need to work on.. and work on seriously... is my habit of buying books.

I hear many of you saying "ya think?" and "me too!"   I sit here and stupidly try to rationalize spending money on books.. well.. honestly.. I try to rationalize spending any money that isn't a necessity.  But books are the hardest one to deal with.  Right now they are a big part of my sanity. But truthfully, I do have enough TBR books here to do for a number of months. 

What has happened since my move to Florida is that without having the boys to deal with and to talk to it gives me time to dwell on the overwhelming sadness inside of me.

So I "rationalize" my book buying because, they help me.  They also give me a little something to look forward to.  Once ordered I get a little more excited when the mailman arrives wondering if I will have a package instead of a bill.  Believe it or not, the anticipation of the arrival of the book does as much for me as actually reading the book.. maybe more, because it takes longer to get it than to read it!. So at any given time I will suddenly log on to amazon and order a book.  While it's true it's on my wish list and I do want it... the reason I order it at that moment, is to have something to look forward to.

I say things to myself like, "well it's used and cheap".   "I need something to look forward to, life can't be without some joy".   "I'll stop next month" (boy, we all know that one don't we?! yeah right sure we will. dream on)

I know I am not the only person suffering with depression.

I know I am not the only person who sits and wonders, "is this how it all ends? Giving up anything and all that might produce some sibilance of happiness"

The answer to that question is.. yes. This is how it all ends, at least for me.  The worst part is that it will drag on like this for years before it's all over.

So, anyone reading this.. don't try to rush life by. 

Heed the old saying to Stop and Smell the Roses, because you don't get a free "do-over" card. 

You don't get back time. 

You don't get back good health. 

You don't get back youth.  And it does get harder to find (and afford)  those small things that make you happy.

It gets harder to keep getting up and to keep going when there seems to be nothing to look forward to.

So stop right now, think of something that will make you happy.. and do it while you can.  You won't be sorry.

To Die For..

LIsa Snellings has done it again!

Has anyone else seen this poppet?...

(animation by DesLily)

Is this the greatest little thing or what?

I want one!

I already know her name and what she's reading!

Her name is Lilith and she's reading Kesterwood Forest (right Chris?!).

OMG, I mean this is tooo dang cute!

Everyone needs one!

Everyone can name their own and have them reading their favorite books!

I think you need to go to LIsa Snellings site and order yourself one..

..or two. heh.

Daydream

Once a day and sometimes more

You will knock upon my daydream door,

And I will invite you to "come right in,

I am glad you are here with me again."

Then we will sit and have a chat

Recalling this and remembering that,

Until some task that I must do

Forces me away from you -

Reluctantly, I will say goodbye

Smiling with a little sigh

For my daydreams that bring you near.

I wish that you really were here.

But that, what reality cannot change,

Dreams and wishes shall always arrange

And through my wishing, you will be brought

To me each day, a guest of mine in thought.

Dream

I had a dream my life would be

So different from the hell I’m living

So different now from what it seemed

Now life has killed the dream I dreamed

My god but I can't get Susan Boyle and this song out of my head!  Not a day goes by that I don't replay the youtube of Susan singing this song.  

I know I am not alone.  I know many of  us (especially the elderly) have a special feeling for this part of the song.

We often wonder where our life has gone. 

Why wasn't it all we dreamed it would be?

While things can always be worse.. so many times we feel exactly like this song.

It makes me wonder ...

If everyone has their dreams...  how many really get to live them?  Or even get close?   Or get any of it at all??

But I thank god for dreams... 

for fantasy and escapism ..

for the very small moments we get to live dreams, if only in our minds.  I don't think I could have survived without them.

I Dreamed a Dream

There is no dream like a dream come true.

I dreamed a dream in time gone by

When hope was high and life worth living

I dreamed that love would never die

I dreamed that God would be forgiving

Then I was young and unafraid

And dreams were made and used and wasted

There was no ransom to be paid

No song unsung, no wine untasted

But the tigers come at night

With their voices soft as thunder

As they turn your hope apart

As they turn your dreams to shame

And still I dream he’d come to me

That we would live the years together

But there are dreams that cannot be

And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be

So different from the hell I’m living

So different now from what it seemed

Now life has killed the dream I dreamed

To Dream A Dream...

I somehow found myself making the header you see above. I don't know if I will follow through on this blog or not, so I wouldn't bookmark it, but for now I thought I'd put this post here because it more than fits the title of the blog.

Susan Boyle is living "what dreams may come". It's obvious that singing is her passion and at age 47, she is finally able to get some recognition for her talent. I hope you have seen this woman, but if you haven't then please click this link to youtube and see her first appearance. You won't be sorry.

And then you can watch the video below and see her second appearance. Susan started off a little shaky, but I think she's been overwhelmed by all that has happened to her.. she deserves to be shaky. She soon found herself and sang to another standing ovation.

This is a case of a lady who waited a long time for her dream to come true.. but come true it certainly is!

My vote is for Susan Boyle to win over the pond, in England, and to get to live her dream for the rest of her life.

Susan Boyle is good for me. I constantly need to be reminded that sometimes dreams do come true.

Kesterwood Forest

Chapter One

Kesterwood

Still drowsy from sleep Lilith moaned as she laid there, her body feeling achy and stiff, gradually as she began to wake up, her senses became aware that the air was fresh and crisp. Slowly she unfolded her arms from her chest and let them slide to the ground; beneath her hands she felt the soft grass with her fingers. Her mind still foggy she wondered,” Grass? On a city street?” Her eyes opened wide in disbelief as she sat upright in a panic. Rapidly, she turned her head from one side to the other. Looking in all directions, she found herself alone in a forest. Her mind began rapidly taking in her situation, “A forest?” The trees were so numerous and dense that the sunlight was barely peeking through the branches high above her. Mistrusting her own eyes, she rubbed the sleep out of them and mustard up the courage to look around once more. But it was to no avail, no matter where she looked she saw nothing but trees in every direction “How did I get here, where am I?” Only moments passed as she tried to assimilate her surroundings, “I know I was in the city when I went to sleep, and this is definitely a forest, but what forest, and where? How did I get in a forest, I know I didn’t walk here.” She rubbed her eyes yet again and held her head as if trying to wake up from a dream, but when her eyes reopened the forest was still there, “There’s no rational explanation, I have to be dreaming.”

Struggling to clear her hazy mind, she recalled falling asleep on the sidewalk next to a brick building, she had been homeless for some time now and with the shelters nearly always filled she had taken to sleeping on the sidewalks. “I remember I was across the street from the Burger King, so how the heck did I get here?” Her mind whirled, struggling to make some sense of what was happening.

When she drifted off to sleep the previous day she had been reliving the many failures of the fifty odd years of her life; she wondered why she still existed. She sat there bewildered and confused, continually contemplating where she was and how this could have happened. Becoming even more frightened, she tried to make light of the situation, “I bet this isn't Kansas, Toto.”

Glancing down at herself, she saw that she was wearing the same tattered clothes she had been in for weeks; somehow that was a comfort to her, “Well, at least that hasn't changed,” but she wished there was something more than just her clothes to prove that this wasn't some sort of weird dream.

Taking a more precise look around her surroundings, she spied a small bubbling creek meandering through the trees, “Perhaps if I splash some water on my face it will help.”

When she tried to stand, she discovered that the simple task of getting up on to her feet was not easy, her legs were shaky and weak, most likely because it had been a few days since she had eaten any decent food. Slowly, but surely she stood and stumbled over to the creek, once there she knelt down to take a deep drink of the water, it felt refreshing, clean and very cold, “Maybe this will wake me up.” Bending over a second time she scrubbed her face as hard as she could with the cold water hoping she would waken from this dream, or at least help her make sense of the situation. One moment she’d feel scared and lost, and the next, frustrated at what seemed to be occurring, “This can’t be happening, I just have to wake up.”

She stepped away from the creek and sat down, leaning against a large pine tree; vigilantly she continued to search the surroundings, hoping to spot something that would give her some indication of where she was.

The forest was thick with foliage and lush with a variety of vegetation, there were some enormous gnarly trees with canopies that reached so high her neck hurt to look up at them. Squeezed in between all of the trees were shrubs and undergrowth of all sizes and shapes struggling to survive, many of which she didn’t recognize.

Focusing her vision on one tree in particular she thought it was odd that it appeared to have a face with long hanging moss for a beard, “Overactive imagination,” she thought.

Feeling exasperated, she was no longer certain about much of anything, with the exception of one thing; the small amount of sunlight that had been making its way through the branches only moments ago was beginning to fade. Taking a deep breath she exhaled quite discouraged, “This isn’t good, not only am I delusional and lost but now it’s getting dark, what else can go wrong?”

She was sitting and contemplating what to do next when she inadvertently realized that something about the forest seemed strange. She remained silent and listened intently; with the exception of the bubbling creek, the forest was noiseless; no chirping of birds or scurrying of little animals, it was completely silent. The quiet was unnerving and a shiver went down her spine as she began feeling frightened. Suddenly she looked up thinking that she saw something move, there she spotted what she assumed was the only other living thing in the dimming forest. On a branch above her head, sat a snowy white owl staring down at her; a bizarre feeling of relief ran over her body, “Thank goodness I’m not alone”.

"Well, hello there, Mr. Owl," she found herself saying out loud.

The owl sat and stared at her without so much as a blink of an eye. Continuing to watch the owl, she proceeded with her one-sided conversation, "It's okay I really don't expect you to answer,” “I may be nuts but I’m not crazy… or am I?” Her situation being uppermost in her mind, she took a brief moment to glance around and then back up to the owl. In a somewhat subdued voice, she uttered, "I don't suppose you know where we are?" A silly grin crossed her face at the thought of a response coming from the owl, "I realize that you know where you are, but I was wondering if you’d care to share that information?"

“Gads, I'm talking to an owl, why am I talking to an owl, it's not like he's going to answer me! Nothing better than proving you’re nuts to the world. I'd better start looking for a way out of here, it’ll be dark soon.”

Recognizing that any light she may have would soon be gone, she stood up and began to walk in the direction of the setting sun, “I hope I can find some sort of path to help me find a way out of this forest. How does someone fall asleep in the city and wind up in the middle of a forest anyway?”

Unfortunately, the more she walked the more lost she appeared to be and there seemed no way out; eventually, it grew too dark to look any further. She had found no path or any footprints to indicate that anyone had ever passed this way before; nor any sign of life other then that of the owl, nothing was to be found in any direction but trees and more trees. She grew weary as the darkness began setting in and walked over beneath a large oak tree to rest, still resolved to find a way out of the forest.

Decidedly, she knew that the darkness was affecting her judgment and she needed to get some sleep, “There’s just no way this is real, it has to be a dream,” she thought over and over, “Maybe I’ll get lucky and wake up on the street again and all of this will go away.”

Hunger growled in her stomach as it had many times before, but she knew she was tired enough to fall asleep without it bothering her too much; after all it wasn’t the first time she would be going to sleep without eating.

Night in the forest was proving to be damp but clear and she was thankful that it was not very cold. She searched around the tree in the dimming light and noticed a large patch of comfortable looking moss and inched her way over to it. The moss was much softer than the cement she remembered going to sleep on the previous night. Lying down she gathered leaves around her to help keep the night dampness away, her eyes slowly began to close, but not before a movement from above made her glance up. She squinted, straining to see up into the tree branches; barely she made out the shape of the white owl perched above her. Seeing the owl somehow reassured her as she drifted off to sleep, “Odd,” her last thought was, ”I didn't notice that the owl followed me.”

Unknown to Lilith the owl kept a vigilant watch over her as she slept, leaving only once to hunt in the night. Morning dawned and minuscule rays of sunlight began filtering through the dense trees stretching to the forest floor, sprinkled here and there were a variety of small shrubs that had struggled to sprout from the sparse rays. The crunching sounds that the dried leaves made as Lilith began to waken alerted the owl to lean down to get a better look. Her eyes remained closed as she began to stretch her arms in the morning ritual of waking up. Pausing while she rubbed her eyes Lilith wondered if when she opened them she would still be in the forest, or back on the streets she had come to know so well, “I don't hear street traffic,” she nearly said aloud. To confirm her thought she opened one eye, “Nope, no cars here, that's for sure.” Sighing heavily she pulled herself into a sitting position and rested her back against the big tree, “I just don't get it, none of this makes any sense.”

Glancing upward into the tree she found the white owl sitting there, watching her, "Well, I see you're still here,” she said acknowledging the bird. With a few exasperating groans and her knees creaking she pushed herself to get up and stretched and twisted the night kinks out of her body, “Boy, it's hell being old. Worse then that... it's hell being old and obviously out of my mind! “ "However,” she mumbled out loud to herself, while she looked around, "at least no one here is looking at me in disgust." Cautiously she peeked back up at the owl shaking her finger at him, "And don't you say a word!"

She then scrutinized the area around her, this time more keenly than she had the night before, for she realized she was not only hungry but very thirsty too. Automatically, she reached into her shirt pockets to see if maybe she had a half of a stale doughnut left from the other morning when she was fortunate enough to have had coffee and a doughnut at the shelter, but luck was not on her side. All that she found in her pocket was an old pocketknife, and a watch that had stopped working, she hit the watch in her hand wondering why it was no longer functioning but it did not start up again. The time on the watch said 3 p.m., which was about the time she thought she had laid down on the sidewalk to rest and had fallen asleep. Having found nothing to sustain her, she returned the items to her well-worn pocket. Feeling at her wits end she looked around one more time but nothing had changed, “I never should have left that creek last night.”

The white owl suddenly fluttered its wings and the sound caught her attention, briefly Lilith speculated if he was about to fly off and leave her. The owl settled back down and as she continued to stare up at it she saw that there was something on the branch near the owl; though she strained to see, she could not make out what was on the limb. Being curious in nature she tried to get a better look, but no matter how much she squinted she just couldn't see what it was, “I’m old AND blind,” she moaned to herself. Finding determination building inside of her she examined the tree more closely. Old though she may be, she felt that she was still capable of climbing a few branches to where the owl sat, “One will attempt almost anything when one is dreaming,” came the humorous thought.

Grabbing onto a low branch she literally, walked her feet up the trunk, and then thrust her leg over the first branch to pull herself up, hugging the tree tightly while straddling the branch, she glanced down, “Taadaa! Not bad for an old broad!” Then she looked up towards the owl, “I must be nuts!” she thought. Maintaining her balance as she got to her feet she reached for the next branch, steadied herself and miraculously scrambled to get to the next level unscathed. Another quick glance up told her that she was almost high enough to see what was on the branch; the owl sat and watched never moving, as if it were a porcelain statue. Positioning her feet on her current branch, she stabled herself and then reached for the next limb, her hand missed the branch, and instead she grabbed the trunk of the tree to avoid falling, “Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, ok, so Tarzan I'm not, but I know I can do this!” Her heart pounding from the fright, she reached out again and this time caught a hold of the branch, realizing that she didn't have a lot of strength left in her, she paused to take a few breaths, before going on. With the help of some small limbs and the larger branch she had a hold of, she pulled and climbed her way up, “Whew, finally!” Happily, she found that she was eye level to the branch that the owl was perched on and immediately she began to search along the branch until she found the object next to the owl. When she realized what it was she screamed, "Ewwwwwww! A dead mouse, that’s disgusting." Cringing slightly she looked at the owl, "Went hunting for breakfast, huh? So nice of you to offer to share it with me, however, I’ll pass if you don't mind."

Discouraged and still hungry, she lowered herself onto the branch she was standing on and sat there collecting her thoughts and taking a moment to catch her breath. Before she began her descent she looked around from the newly found height, the thick canopy did not allow her to see very far, however, she was able to glimpse a little more then she could when she was on the ground. There was one area in particular where she noticed the sun peeking through, but not much else. Straining as hard as she could, she spotted something… or, thought she spotted something, “Could it be the creek?” she wasn't sure. Desperately she tried to focus her eyes so that she might see better, but she remained unable to distinguish if it was the creek or a shadow, “I need glasses.” She decided to climb down the tree, carefully, and go investigate the sighting.

Once she successfully maneuvered herself back to the ground, she immediately headed off in the direction where she hoped to find the creek; reaching the brightly lit area she stepped out into the sunlight and paused to savor its warmth. Giving her eyes a moment to adjust to the brightness Lilith strolled across the patch of grass and discovered what she had hoped for, “Water!” There, winding amidst the trees, just out of the sun’s reach was a creek. She hurried to the creek and knelt down cupping her hands and filling them with water; Lilith drank until she felt she couldn't take another swallow. The cold water made her feel somewhat refreshed as she doused her face experiencing relief now that she had found the much-needed water. Not knowing how long this impossible situation would last; she resolved not to stray far from the creek.

As she turned from the creek she noticed the owl landing in a tree on the far side of the clearing. Curiously she marveled, “How strange that an owl would follow a human around like this one is doing,” yet at the same time, it was oddly comforting since she still had not spotted any other life around.

Her eyes strayed down the tree in which the owl sat and she saw a group of shrubs that appeared to have blossoms on them, ever curious she went to investigate. Once she had crossed the sunny area she found that indeed the bush had blossoms and berries, “Food!” Quickly she picked a handful of berries and was about to toss them into her mouth when she hesitated and wondered if the berries would make her sick, or worse, be poisonous. Since she did not recognize the berries as any that she knew, and caution, being the better part of valor, she decided against eating them and unhappily tossed the berries to the ground. Eyeing the discarded berries, the owl swooped down and quickly ate them. Lilith watched with surprise, “Well, if he doesn't get sick I guess I can eat the berries.”

While anxiously waiting to see if anything would happen, she found herself becoming concerned for the owl, though she was very hungry she didn't want to see anything happen to the bird. He was, after all, her only companion and the only sign of life she had found since waking up in the forest. The owl flew back to his branch in the tree and resumed looking down at her while Lilith kept her eyes on the owl.

After some time had passed and all seemed well, her hunger took over and she decided to take the chance and eat some of the berries. As quickly as she could pick them she was tossing them into her mouth, surprisingly, she found that they were delicious. Once she felt the hunger pangs leave, she continued to pick what berries were left on the bushes, wrapped them in a big leaf she had found, and placed them in her pocket, ”Ok, now what do I do? I still don’t have any idea where I am or how I got here, and I’m lost... very lost.”

Just as these thoughts entered her mind, she saw the owl fly to another tree. She watched as he landed on a branch, almost out of sight, "Hey,” she called out, “Where are you going, you’re not going to leave me, are you?" Not letting the bird out of her sight, she began to walk towards him but as she drew near, he flew off again. Instinctively, she quickened her pace and tried to keep up with the owl, yet each time that she would almost reach him he would fly off to yet another tree farther away.

Never wanting to loose track of the water, she kept one eye on the creek to be sure it remained in sight; on and on the owl flew, always landing and seeming to wait for her to catch up to him. After about an hour of this she was beginning to tire and paused to catch her breath, "I don't know where you are going, friend owl, but could we take a short break? I'm not young, ya know, and exercise was never on my to do list.” This time when she came close to the tree that he had landed in, he did not fly away, “I'll be darned,” she thought, “It’s almost like he understood me.”

Taking advantage of the fact that the owl stayed where he was, she collapsed and rested against the tree. Leaning her head back on the tree her eyes began to close, she was just about to take a nap when she heard the owl take flight again. Having no other plan, and not wanting to loose him, she jumped up and followed the owl.

After some time of playing catch me if you can, they came upon a wall of broad vines and plants covered with thorns. Though she searched frantically she could not find a way through this strange growth. Suddenly, the owl began to fly over the impregnable barrier, startled, she yelled out to the owl, "Hey, Don’t leave me here! Don't go; I can't follow you! I can't get through here!" Disheartened, she stood quiet for a moment hoping the owl would come back, but the owl did not return. Again she tried searching for a way through the thorns when suddenly the vines parted as if a door was opening before her. Stunned and too tired to run, she stood there with her mouth agape; it was as if a vision had appeared before her, there stood an old man with his frail hand on the bushy gate.

"No need to yell young lady, a simple ‘hello’ would suffice."