One of my most favorite things are….
Post-it Notes!
One of my most favorite things are Post-it Notes. In fact, I love any kind of paper. I love to write little reminders, thoughts, ideas…or just doodle on them. The more colorful the paper…the more my heart gets excited. I love Post-it Notes!!
~Michelle
Since it was a beautiful night, I decided to go for a walk. I love this time of year. Nightly walks. I love to see lights on in people’s homes. I often wonder what is happening inside. Are they watching tv? Are they reading books? Are they sitting around the kitchen table eating? Are they enjoying each others company? As all of these random thoughts were popping in and out my head, I heard a tapping noise. The tapping would start and then stop. Tap, tap, tap, tappity, tap tap! As I was walking, the sound was getting closer but I couldn’t see anything in front of me. Then…I looked up. It was a woodpecker. 
I stood and watched this little bird for quite sometime. I was trying to figure out how this little guy can stand vertical to the pole that he was tapping against. Why is he tapping? It is so loud…do you think that woodpeckers get headaches? This was so intriguing that I came home and found out some information that I want to share with my many (3) readers because I know that you are as curious as I am.
How does the woodpecker stand vertical against a pole? They have special feet with 2 backward toes instead of just one. It would be similar to having an extra thumb. They also have amazingly sharp claws which aid in helping them hold onto the wood. Oh…they have stiff tail feathers to let them lean back and rest on their tail.
What are they doing when they are tapping the wood? If they hear a bug under the bark, they peck a hole with their becks. Their beaks are long, straight and pointy which aids in making good holes. Their tongues are extremely long with a sharp end for spiking bugs inside the tree. It is also sticky so it can stick to ants in the tree or lick up sap. They have a straight bill for collecting nuts and berries. They love peanut butter.
In my research, I found that woodpeckers have an extra-thick skull. This helps prevent headaches from all of the pecking that they do. AWESOME!!!
Another reason for their tapping is that it will attract a mate. After they find a mate, both the male and female peck a hole in the tree. They tunnel down into the tree about one to two feet. They make a wood nest at the bottom and they take turns sitting on the eggs and feeding the birds. Aw…a happy family!!
So….the next time that you hear a woodpecker pecking…you know that they don’t get headaches from all of the noise. (wink)
~Michelle
There are certain days of the week that I am extremely busy. On these days, I find that I don’t have a moment to spare…from the moment that I wake up until the moment that I am falling asleep, I am going non-stop. I do enjoy these days because my life is planned out and I don’t have time to get too bored or to think too much.
Well…on one of these particular days, I had only minutes to spare from work until I had to be at a meeting. I decided that I didn’t want to wear a skirt to this certain meeting so I headed home. As I ran upstairs, I knew that I needed to turn on the iron, grab my capri’s, iron them and be on my way to my meeting in less than 5 minutes. I could do it.
Ok.,..so, this is how it went…I ran up stairs, on the way to my bedroom, I plugged in the iron and grabbed my capri’s. I checked the iron…it was ready. Wahoo! I can do this. As I was ironing my pants, I looked down and found that I had a spot on my shirt. I grabbed a wash cloth and scrubbed the spot. By doing this, I noticed that there was a wet spot on my shirt. In my brain…because it is so creative…I did not want to have a wet spot on my shirt when I was at my meeting. I looked at the iron and had the perfect idea pop into my creative brain. I knew that there wasn’t any time for me to take off my shirt and dry the spot so…I grabbed the iron and…what do you think that my creative brain thought?
Yes…I ironed my shirt while I still had it on. Yes…I know now that was the most stupid thing that I could have done. Immediately…I started screaming. I was in so much pain. I had to peel clothing away from the burn. It was horrifying. What did I do? I attended my meeting (trying not to move or to cause too much attention to myself). The entire night, I was so close to tears. It was awful. When I arrived home, I checked the spot where I burned myself. Remember what my ear looked like a couple of months ago? Yes, that is what my left side of my chest looks like. Let me tell you…my creative brain was not so creative.
My advice to you and I really hope that you take my advice…do not iron clothes while they are still on you. Let me tell you…it is not worth it.
This little adventure happened two weeks ago…and it is still painful but I know that someday it will only be a little scar and I can reflect on how creative I was (or how non-intelligent) I am. Maybe being too busy is a sign that I probably should slow down….or at least take my clothes off before I try to iron them.
~Michelle
I love music. Listening to certain songs can change my mood so easily…lifting it when it needs to be lifted. Do you have songs that immediately lift your mood? I have a playlist on my computer at work that makes me smile. It makes me just giggle when I listen to it. Amongst the many songs in this playlist, there is one that I love. It can lift my mood at any time. It makes me smile. Sweet Carolina. I love that song. I loved it when I was younger and I love it still to this day. Well, there is another song that makes me smile when I hear it. When I am having a rough day, I choose these two songs to listen and my mood immediately brightens.
As I was working on a less than fun project at work, I clicked on this particular playlist to brighten my mood. I was singing (in my mind) to Sweet Carolina (occasionally out loud…not intentionally). Then, the next song started to play…I was singing it when I realized that the song was not about ice cream or a treat in the afternoon, it was about something else. Oh my goodness…I have been listening to this song for years and never ever realized what the words meant. I was mortified. It has a catchy tune and I loved the lyrics but…let’s just say it isn’t about ice cream.
Of course, I didn’t keep my new found knowledge to myself. I blurted it out…thinking that maybe someone else thought it was about ice cream. Um…they didn’t.
Let’s just say that I did make my friends smile and laugh.
Note to self: Listen to the words of the song BEFORE it becomes one of your favorites.
Have a happy day!
~Michelle
