"The Important Things in Life"

Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be - a roommate, a neighbor, a professor, a friend, a lover, or even a complete stranger - but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment they will affect your life in some profound way.

Sometimes things happen to you that may seem horrible, painful, and unfair at first, but in reflection you find that without overcoming those obstacles you would have never realized your potential, strength, willpower, or heart. Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness, and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests, whatever they may be, life would be like a smoothly paved straight flat road to nowhere. It would be safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless. The people you meet who affect your life, and the success and downfalls you experience, help to create who you are and who you become. Even the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact, they are sometimes the most important ones. If someone loves you, give love back to them in whatever way you can, not only because they love you, but because in a way, they are teaching you to love and how to open your heart and eyes to things. If someone hurts you, betrays you, or breaks your heart, forgive them, for they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart. Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from those moments everything that you possibly can for you may never be able to experience it again. Talk to people that you have never talked to before, and listen to what they have to say. Let yourself fall in love, break free, and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to. Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don't believe in yourself, it will be hard for others to believe in you. You can make anything you wish of your life. Create your own life and then go out and live it with absolutely no regrets. And if you love someone, tell them, for you never know what tomorrow may have in store. Author Unknown (Received in an email from a friend)

MEME OF 38 QUESTIONS

1. Name one person who made you laugh last night? That would have to be my son, 21. He makes me laugh a lot. 2. What were you doing at 0800? Just getting out of bed. Not wanting to.. 3. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Working on a post for my blog, smoking a cigarette. 4. What happened to you in 2006? Not much. I babysat my grandson all year. Probably drank too much (not while watching my grandson, of course.. 5. What was the last thing you said out loud? ”Wow! Thanks!” 6. How many beverages did you have today? Two fountain Pepsi’s, 2 cans of Pepsi, 2 8 oz. glasses of water, a glass of milk. 7. What color is your hairbrush? My hair is short and thin so I don’t use a hairbrush. Just a pick and a comb. 8. What was the last thing you paid for? Bag of tobacco, 3 packs of cigarettes, two packs of Tops papers, 1 12-pack Budweiser and 1 12-pack of Bud Light. 9. Where were you last night? At home, working on my blog, watching Jimmy Kimmel. 10. What colour is your front door? Beige 11. Where do you keep your change? I’m not telling. 12. What is the weather like today? Not too bad for in the mountains, 60-ish, cloudy. 13. What is the best ice-cream flavor? Chocolate and most variations of chocolate: chocolate chip cookie dough, double fudge, Etc. 14. What excites you? Going camping in the summer, Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in August, my home, my kids, my hubby sometimes (wink wink). 15. Do you want to cut your hair? As I said before, my hair is short and thin. I wouldn’t mind a good haircut and keep it short. 16. Are you over the age of 25? Oh yeh. 17. Do you talk a lot? No not really. I would rather be quiet and let people think I’m a dummy than to speak and remove all doubt. 18. Do you watch the O.C.? I don’t get this TV show and if I did the answer would still be NO. 19. Do you know anyone named Steven? I can think of two: Steve Stevens, an ex deejay, and another Steve who is in prison for drugs lol.. 20. Do you make up your own words? I don’t know if I “make up” my own words, but I can sure twist things around, such as: “Poat Cocket” for Coat Pocket, and “back hass of the houf” for “back half of the house.” 21. Are you a jealous person? Not really…my philosophy is “It is what it is” and jealousy usually has no true basis. 22. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘A’. Angee: an awesome lady and a good friend. 23. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter ‘K’. Not really a friend (he’s an ass) but he is a neighbor: Kenny. Another neighbor who is a good friend and one of our favorite bartenders at the Tavern: Kat. 24. Who’s the first person on your received call list? I don’t have a cell phone but the last person who called on my caller ID is my daughter. 25. What does the last text message you received say? I don’t have text messaging because I don’t have a cell phone. Up here in the mountains where I live, we can’t get any “bars” except the Tavern hehehehehehehe. 26. Do you chew on your straw? Nope, I don’t believe I do. 27. Do you have curly hair? No but I wish I did. My hair is straight and thin. 28. Where’s the next place you’re going to? To bed about midnight tonight.. 29. Who’s the rudest person in your life? I know a lot of rude people but they are not in my life. 30. What was the last thing you ate? Oreo cookies and a glass of milk. 31. Will you get married in the future? Noooooooo. If the marriage I am in now (29 years) fails, stick a fork in me, I am done! 32. What is the best movie you’ve seen in the past 2 weeks? The Reaping, The Edge, and Deadwood Seasons 1, 2 and 3. 33. Is there anyone you like right now? Silly question. Of course, my friends, my family, and everyone else except my enemies. 34. When was the last time you did the dishes? A couple hours ago. 35. Are you currently depressed? Well, I take Zoloft and I am diagnosed with depression, but I am feeling pretty good today. 36. Did you cry today? Not yet. 37. Why did you answer and post this? I really like meme’s. 38. Tag 5 people who would do this survey. Sarsaronia75, M4N14C42O, littlesquealer, mrcoffeescreamer, tadlem43 Since this is a fairly long meme, I will post it in my regular posts, and ask you to copy and paste the questions and your answers in the comments section. I WANT TO HEAR ABOUT ALL OF YOU!!! Thanks.

A GRATEFUL PAGAN HEART

I remember the day that I experienced and understood the true meaning of gratitude, thankfulness, and humility. I felt a profound sense of being blessed and appreciation of those blessings.

I had watched "Good Morning America" earlier that day, a beautiful late spring morning here. But, as GMA reported on, it wasn't a beautiful spring morning in Iraq. It was a sad and deadly war zone for the people who live there. When I wake up in the morning, I am surrounded by silence, peace, and pine trees. Imagine waking up to the chaos of a war right outside your front door - soldiers everywhere, gunfire and bombs going off, people shouting, and the smell of gunpowder, dust, and death in the air; probably waking up on a mat on the floor. No coffee, no hot breakfast, no sitting at the kitchen table and making plans for the day. A very sad and painful way of life. :-(

I had had my morning coffee and sat at my kitchen table to make plans for the day. I took a hot shower and I was wearing freshly laundered clothes. I had errands to run that day. As I was driving down the mountain, the gratitude slammed into my heart like a locomotive. My hubby and I don't have a lot of things or money; we live paycheck to paycheck. But that morning I felt lke the richest person in the world. I was totally overwhelmed as all of my blessings flooded my heart.

The material things are a given to be thankful for - things like bottled water, a soft mattress, a computer, dark chocolate M&M's, and the list goes on and on and on.

I have made many mistakes and ignorant choices in my life. Often I am amazed that through all of my stupidity, I am still blessed with many things. I never would have realized these things if years before I hadn't been blessed with finding my spiritual path of paganism and realizing how sacred Mother Earth was, and my heart being free of religious sin and guilt.

I am blessed with a phenomenal family. My hubby and I will celebrate 30 years of marriage in June 2008. He is my rock and my best friend. We have two extraordinary kids - a daughter 32, and a son 21. My daughter and her hubby have blessed our famiy with two truly awesome grandkids - a granddaughter 14, and a grandson 2 1/2.

We are blessed with our 20+ year old mobile home. It is my castle and my sanctuary. We bought our trailer outright. A life-long dream came true for me when the opportunity to live in a national forest kind of fell into our laps. I am blessed that my loving hubby and super son and I live together. I am blessed that my daughter, son-in-law, and my two grandkids live only 20 miles from me. We are blessed with the friends we have and especially we are blessed with the great little Tavern down the road 5 miles.

But most of all, I have been blessed with my pagan spirituality. My heart and mind are open enough to listen and read about different paths and to choose the things I want to incorporate into my way of belief.

There are many mundane and material things that I am so very fortunate to have. But the spiritual and heart paths are my true blessings as is being born in and living in the USA and the freedoms I celebrate everyday. At the top of my freedoms list is my freedom to choose a pagan way of life.

Paganism is not about appeasing a wrathful god, but about improving yourself as a person. Pagans are not only allowed but also expected to think for themselves, not blindly follow anything or anyone. My pagan path also celebrates Mother Earth, Father Sun, the four seasons, and the beauty of all nature and her creatures. My church is in the forest (where I find my Higher Powers and where I find ME). In my heart is a bible. I know right from wrong and I know that what goes around comes around and I believe wholeheartedly in the premise of "Harm none."

I think most of us realized on 9/11 how precious our freedoms are. I also know the people of this country reacted when our freedoms were threatened. There was no way in hell that we could sit back and not do anything. But I am also not in agreement with still being in Iraq.

I AM proud to be an American. I am proud to be a pagan, a woman, a wife, mom, grandma, daughter, sister, friend and neighbor. When you feel the blessings and the pride in your heart, like I have, we could be no more blessed.

Peace, love, and freedom to you all.

TAGGED BY SUNNY

I was offered this meme by Sunny, from Sunny http://sunnysez.blogspot.com. If you have the time to do it, please let me know so I can come read it on your blog, ok? *What was I doing 10 years ago? 1997 - I was living up here on the same mountain, but I lived in a very small apartment in an old hunting lodge. My hubby, son, and I lived in a tiny one bedroom apartment. My son had the bedroom and my hubby and I turned the living room into a bedroom...mattresses on the floor and everything. Believe it or not, we lived there 6 years. *What was I doing 1 year ago? I wasn't doing much except recuperating from the Shingles. *What was I doing yesterday? Yesterday I reached a point in my busy days where I could put some real time into my blog, pinesdreams.blogspot.com. I am also working on making money online, mainly filling out surveys and reading emails. I also did dishes and cleaned all my countertops and kitchen table. *5 snacks I enjoy: 1- Oreo cookies 2- Cheese, meat, and crackers with a few green olives on the side 3- Deviled eggs 4- Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream 5- Reese's Peanut Butter Cups *5 things I would do if I won 100 million dollars: 1- Get out of debt 2- Buy a few acres of land in the mountains and build a small cabin 3- Buy brand new vehicles for me, hubby, son, and daughter 4- Have a blast buying all new furniture and things for my new cabin 5- Have an even bigger blast spending a couple weeks in Deadwood at the Bullock Hotel *5 locations I would like to run off to: 1- Canada, somewhere in the wilderness 2- Deadwood 3- Disney World with my whole family 4- Amsterdam 5- Northern Idaho *5 bad habits I have: 1- Picking at my blemishes 2- Smoking cigarettes 3- Acting before thinking things through 4- Asking my kids "How u doin?" a lot, and they get pissed 5- Being too judgemental at times *5 things I like doing: 1- Blogging 2- Stick making 3- Cross-stitch and crewel embroidery 4- Writing 5- Reading *5 TV shows I like: 1- House 2- Bones 3- Don't Forget the Lyrics 4- Dr. Phil 5- Jeopardy *5 things I hate: 1- Hunting for sport 2- Uppity bitches 3- Having a panic attack 4- Not having Pepsi to drink 5- Rudeness *5 biggest joys of the moment 1- The birth of my daughter and my son 2- The birth of my granddaughter and grandson 3- Being lucky enough to live in the forest on a mountain 4- Moving to South Dakota 5- Buying our mobile home This was a really fun meme...thank you Sunny! I love doing meme's and will have some over in the Tavern occasionally. Peace everyone! Pines

RETURNING TO CAMP AFTER BEING LOST IN THE WILDERNESS

HI EVERYONE! I'M BACCCCKKKKKK!!! YAY!!!! LOL I have been working on ideas for Pine Dreams. I have been jotting down ideas for my posts; I have come up with many interesting and informative topics. I have a vision, and all I have to do is put it together and make it work. I am really excited about my vision; it's going to be a lot of fun for me to create and I think you will find it fun as well. I will be working on my sidebar elements also, but I will post a post at least once a week (that is my goal anyway). I have been searching for the right template that will fit into my vision - one with a forest theme that I can make work on Blogger and get it there without crashing the whole thing like I did a couple weeks ago. So, I'll ask: does anyone know of a forest theme template? I would appreciate any suggestions. Last, I want to thank everyone who sent me an email with words of support and encouragement. Peace Pines

SILLY ME!

WELL I DID IT THIS TIME. I WAS MESSING AROUND AND LOST MY WHOLE BLOG. SO I AM BACK TO SQUARE ONE. NEXT TIME I WILL DO WHAT THE INSTRUCTIONS SAY AND DOWNLOAD A COPY OF MY BLOG (OFTEN)! LIVE AND LEARN!! THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE. PEACE PINES

TIME TO TAKE A SHORT BREAK

Happy Saturday everyone! I am in need of some time to regroup and get my eggs in one basket. So, I won't be adding any new posts for a few days...possibly a week. Please come back and hopefully I will have learned some things and my blog will be new and improved. I love doing this, but I tend to jump right in to something, then I have to backup and do it right. No, I usually don't read instructions before using. LOL. Thank you so much for visiting and please come back in a few days. Peace Pines

20 THINGS ABOUT PINES

Pines lives in a National Forest in South Dakota. Pines was born and raised in Wyoming. She has lived in the National Forest for16 years. Pines loves the pine forest. Pines has been married to Red Viking for 29 years. They have two children – Nurse, 32, and Awesome Son, 21. Pines has two grandchildren from Nurse – Green Bird, 14, and Monkey Boy, 2 ½. Red Viking is a plumber. Pines has wanted to be a writer since she was a little girl. But she has written very little due to many things. She is now fascinated with the world of blogging and writing on the internet. Pines likes to embroider and cross-stitch. She also likes to read, hike, and camp. Pines is a homemaker. Her home is her sanctuary and she would rather be at home than anywhere in the world. Pines graduated from high school in 1970 and has had some college where she majored in nursing the first time she attended and business management the second time. Pines has 3 tattoos, all homemade, but she is saving for a remake on the three tats she has and a brand new professional tat. She has an Indian shield on her back right shoulder with a bear, two flying birds, and a sunflower. Pines also has a black wolf with blue eyes in front of a blue moon on her right boob. She also has a short band of flowers on her upper left thigh. Pines misses her Dad very much; he passed in February of 1988. She misses her Mom who passed in June of 2002. And she misses her brother, a career army man who passed from a massive heart attack in 1992. Pines has a sister who is 10 years older than Pines and who still lives in Wyoming. Pines loves her pine trees and over the past 15 years the pine trees have helped Pines heal from years of substance and alcohol abuse. These are still a daily struggle, but they are becoming less and less hard to handle. Pines likes to garden with flowers but she is horrible at it. Pines wakes up in her beautiful pine forest, showers, then sits at the kitchen table with her coffee and cigarettes. She has a large 3-ring notebook in front of her that she uses to make plans, set goals, and basically keeps track of her life. She also has a new notebook titled “Blogging” where she is learning and keeping all of her ideas and thoughts on blogs. Pines is a very proficient multitasker. Pines is 5’2” and weighs 130 lbs. Pines has a 75 lb. mutt named Bodega. She loves all animals and out her bedroom window she has a bird feeder so she watches many different birds stock up for the winter. She also enjoys her little family of chipmunks that visit her backyard daily. Pines also sees big ol’ wild turkeys and sweet, peaceful deer out her window. She also sees the neighborhood cats, of course. Pines LOVES Deadwood. She loves the history of the old gold mining town and if she had a life before the one she is living now, she had to have been a lady of the evening back in the day with Calamity Jane and Wild Bill. Pines and Red Viking are stickmakers. They gather beautiful diamond willow from all over the the National Forest and surrounding areas and they create many things: canes, hiking staffs, plant props, wizard staff’s, magick wands, sign posts, rails for decks and stairs, stangs, and even toothpick holders. Pines loves the Denver Broncos. Pines loves Mexican food and watermelon. Pines counts her blessings every day.

MY LIFE AS A BOOK COVER

MY LIFE AS A BOOK COVER This is the true story of PinesMagick. Pines is no one famous, no one that would make you sit up and take notice. But Pines is a real person with a real story. Travel with her as her story unfolds. Her childhood was good: middle-class family in a small community. Then childhood passed, the teen years passed, and Pines found herself in the adult world, a cold crazy world that took her down a road of fear, weakness, and pain. Of course, she chose to go down that road. Her own naivety and ignorance brought years of detachment and struggle.

The broken road she followed all those years not only led Pines to a deep inner strength, but also brought her to a place of peace and happiness. Learn with Pines the many life lessons that helped mold her into someone extra special. Feel her pain of depression, anxiety and panic attacks. Finally, join Pines as she searches her heart and soul, looking for only one thing: herself. c. October 2007

FULL CIRCLE

FULL CIRCLE I craved the forest when I was small. I remember the feeling and I heard the call. I knew that something special grew, But as years passed, I forgot I knew.I struggled then for years and years. I killed the pain and hid the fears. I pretended that I didn't know. I didn't want my Self to show. Finally the answer came; I heard the Goddess call my name. Once again the forest beckoned me; the mountains I wanted so desperately. Then one morning I opened my eyes; Joyous and grateful were my cries!!! In the Forest I now live. With all my soul I now give. I dedicate mySelf to Pagan Road and thank Wild Woman for my mountain abode. Now the path I see is clear. I know the Guides have led me here. The Earth, my Mother, gives me life. I now live daily free of strife. I've learned to listen to the voice deep within. Full circle, I return to the forest again. PinesMagick c. June 1998