Happy 49th Anniversary

Parents Wedding...
Originally uploaded by nieve44.

Today, on January 13th my parents celebrated 49 years of marriage. Thanks mom & dad for your love for one another and your inspiration.

Driving home this evening, it "hit me that ordinary people have extraordinary love and a million little miracles far beneath the stars above". Here's to a river of stars and more miracles in the years to come.

Candy 4 My Soul

Morning Arrival in Goa

Live 2005

courtesy of

Ottmar Liebert.

I could listen to this all night!

Wait, it gets even better

Check out the

Listening Lounge

4 more.

************

Also playing on CD

Chris Botti

Mary Chapin-Carpenter

************

Time to update my iPod!

Girls Like Me

Girls like me aren’t hard to find

We grow like roses on the vine

We wear our hearts on our sleeves

You probably know a girl like me.

We live alone and in our heads

We eat standing up or in our beds

Guilt and fear merge easily

In the quiet souls of girls like me

And loneliness is like a cold,

Common and no cure we’re told

We take to bed per chance to dream

In the blue light of the TV screen.

Girls like me like summer light

And cold beer on a summer night

And boys who aren’t afraid of what they see

Inside the eyes of girls like me

And hopefulness is like a drug

It makes a girl believe in love

And if somehow you love us back

We think there’s something wrong with that

Girls like me aren’t hard to trust

Your deepest secret’s safe with us

And when it’s time to set you free

You can always count on girls like me

It’s good to know a girl like me

You used to love a girl like me

***************

words by Mary Chapin-Carpenter from Between Here & Gone. I just bought this CD last week and loving it more and more each time I hear it.

Chico Chulo Rivera, III

Pup
Originally uploaded by nieve44.

Chulo is the first registered dog that I've ever had. He was given to me by a former student who begged me to take him. I didn't want him at first as I wasn't a fan of Chihuahua's at the time. Reluctantly, I took him and now I can't imagine life without him. He's my lil man.
This picture was taken from the back of my dad's truck which used to be his playpen for awhile. His first collar was bought from the cat's section of the pet store.

happy rose bowl

happy rose bowl
Originally uploaded by Fifi LePew.

LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!!!!

GO HORNS!

National Champions 2006!

Thanks to Fifi LePew for pic.

My Heaven

Nothing shatters and nothing breaks

Nothing hurts and nothing aches

We got ourselves one hell of a place in my Heaven

Looking down at the world below

I'm unsure why the fighting shows

Up here we got none of those in my Heaven

There's pools and lakes and hills and mountains

Music, art, lighted fountains

Who need bucks here, no one's countin' in my Heaven

No one works, we all just play

You can pick the weather every day

And if you change your mind, that's okay

In my Heaven Grandma's up here, Grandpa too

In a condo with a to-die-for view

There's presidents and movie stars

You just come as you are

No one's lost and no one's missing

No more parties, just hugs and kissing

And all these stars are just fruition in my Heaven

There's little white lights everywhere

Your childhood dog in Dad's old chair

And more memories than my heart can hold

That leave us singing Field of Gold

There's neighbors, thieves and long lost lovers

Villans, poets, kings and mothers

Up here we forgive each other in my Heaven

For every soul that's down there waiting

Holding on, still hesitating,

We say a pray of levitate in my Heaven

You can look back on your life a lot

It can't matter what you're not

By the time you're here

We're all we've got

In my Heaven.

January 1, 2006.

*****

words by Mary Chapin-Carpenter.

Post-Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice is a time of cocooning

before the transformation of the new year,

so hold ceremonies to perpetuate

the renewal of life that comes in the spring.

Write down what you wish to create next year,

then roll up the paper and place it in the soil of a potted plant.

Every time you water it, remember that you're nurting your dreams.

Choose a hearty plant like peace lillies, which will last the whole year.

--Denise Linn, author of Soul Couching and Sacred Space

***

****

*****

I came across this the other night, though the Winter Solstice may have passed us last week, I still plan to roll up a piece of paper with my list of wishes and place it in a potted plant before year's end.

Morning Glory

"

Morning Glory
Originally uploaded by nieve44.

Merry Christmas"
"Joyeux Noel"
"Feliz Navidad"
"Frohe Weihnachten"
"Buon Natale"

Season Glow

From Texas for a Christmas Night
Originally uploaded by nieve44.

Music: Tish Hinojosa

Mood: Caroling

"Angel wings and candle light from Texas for a Christmas night. In my mind a western sky fills my heart with stars inside. A tale of hope from long ago still glistens like new fallen snow. Boughs of green and songs of old make the season glow..."

Here's wishing that your Holiday season

is filled with the glow of holiday lights and a river of stars.

Feliz Navidad.

Heart Still/Beating

ottmar liebert(clarity of vision)
Originally uploaded by mRio.

Under a full moon
beneath the confines of the Verizon Theatre
Pavane's moon glowed with a wink from La Luna. Silence (No More Longing) fell upon the crowd and with the strumming of strings
and the magic of percussion hundreds of hearts became still yet were beating as one
as they weaved their Tango of music.
One by one we all joined in their Carrousel
and discovered exotic locations like Santa Fe, Goa, Sao Paulo, Barcelona and Bethlehem. After the Bells tolled we were taken to the Underworld
where we were introduced to the Snakecharmer.
Before we knew it we were floating and dancing to
to the beat of Le Cafe (Arabian Dance) and the Tango.
Once again Ottmar, Jon and the rest of the band
cast their Duende del Amor on the audience and this fanmenco was
all too sad to see it end so soon.

Nonetheless, sweet memories remain such an Ottmar photo pass
and a very prized setlist that was at the foot of Ottmar's chair.
Yes, Santa Claus came early and these two items will be tucked away
in my LE box.

A very special thanks to Mario (fellow fanmenco) for making the evening possible & for photo. To Kim & Jhon--2 budding fanmencos who attended their first Ottmar concert. By the way, during the concert I almost forgot I had my photo pass and camera in hand. I only took a few photos but my crappy little camera couldn't do much without a flash and I didn't want to abuse the rules--although we did see a few blinking flashes from the audience.

Winter Rose

Winter Rose.

My own

Winter Rose

that blooms every

December.

I always look forward

to her

beauty

each year

and now I have

music

from which to enjoy her

and be inspired.

Seven Wonders

Seven Wonders

A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present "Seven Wonders of the World." Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes:
1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the 'Seven Wonders of the World' are:

1. to See

2. to Hear

3. to Touch

4. to Taste

5. to Feel

6. to Laugh

7. and to Love

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous! A gentle reminder -- that the most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.

After having had knee surgery, I am thankful for the gift of love and touch from that of my family, friends and loved ones. With the upcoming Ottmar concert I am thankful for the gift of seeing, hearing, feeling. At my friend's graduation party last night, I was thankful for the gift of laughter and taste--of all that wonderful food, drink and merriment.

Seven days...

OLVerizon
Originally uploaded by nieve44.

...in 7 days Ottmar will bring his current Holiday tour to Houston and I thought it would be nice to go back and re-live Ottmar's last concert. That concert was magical and looking forward to more magic on December 15, 2005.

In the LE boxed set of La Semana, Ottmar wrote a small intro about the song, Carrousel..."What a great loaded word...Carrousel of life comes to mind, carrousel of love, carnival, freak show, excitement, out of the ordinary, sweets, escape...etc..." Ottmar's concert here in Houston was all of the above...minus the freak show. I had perfect seats--4th row dead center, which made for a perfect view. Some of the best seats, I've ever had for any concert and well worth the price. I'm not a fan of Verizon Wireless theatre as the venue is not an intimate setting that compliments OL and the band. Nonetheless, the concert was magical and it ended all too soon. The eight o'clock hour could not come soon enough but then finally the band walks on stage and the magic begins.

Hearing OL play the guitar live is simply stunning and while the music on CD is great his music is so much more enjoyable in person. There were many highlights throughout the show but my favorites included, "La Luna", "Querencia", "Snakecharmer", "Santa Fe" & "Ballad 4 Santana". My new favorite is "Cocteau", which in the past had been my least favorite song from La Semana. Of course the Drum Duet was exceptional and Jon's bass was incomparable. I finally bought his Transit CD which I totally love. The icing on the cake was meeting Ottmar outside his bus and having him sign my La Luna postcard from the box set. We exchanged a few words and he was gracious as always.

The only disappointment was not being able to get a copy of the setlist to which I had requested twice. :-( The setlist would have been another wonderful memento from the evening to add to my box. As mentioned earlier, I'm not a fan of Verizon as they do not allow pictures to be taken. For once I had the perfect seats/view but could not capture the evening with a camera. Regrettably, my camera phone was not working either. I did notice some flashes going off during concert to which I was shocked and silently yelled, "no fair", but after the show I rushed to my car and grabbed my camera and perfectly timed Ottmar before he boarded his bus. He was in a hurry to get inside the bus and afterwards I noticed he blogged immediately thereafter.

While browsing the website, I came upon his blog from Integral Naked to which he wrote and I'll close this blog with..."Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away". Sunday evening surely took my breath away.

Paint It Black

Paint it black he says on #6 in Little Wing

and so I do with a black eyeliner pencil

in my black moleskin journal,

then with a black unibal deluxe pen

and now in typed black ink on the screen.

So, black is the word of the day

and the color of the night.

Black is the color of skin,

Black is for bean...coffee bean.

Black is for leather.

Black is the color of Chulo.

Black is dark and can be bleak...

especially if you’re depressed or

if black clouds follow you all around.

Black is strong, black is bold,

black is stillness, it is quiet.

Black can make you blind at times.

Black can be magic, just ask Santana

about that “Black Magic Woman”.

Black is for dancing in the dark.

Black is for dreams…good and bad!

Black is for watching the moonlight

and that’s what I’ll do

as I close this blog and turn off the computer

and when I do the screen will once again be black.

Post Op-Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty got put back together again on Monday

and more importantly the damage to my knee was not as

bad as previously thought, which is definitely good news.

Still, I don't see myself running marathons anytime soon

--not that I ever did!!!

Walking around on crutches is not fun--I almost fell yesterday and

going up the steps at my mom's was a task!

I have to remind myself to walk slow.

Thus, SLOW is the new word of the week!

Friends and family have been quick with well wishes and offers for help,

which is much appreciated. I've got nearly everything I need

...a few good books to read, a warm bed, an iPod full of music and a laptop from

which to connect to the internet. I have a bunch of DVD's I had rented

to watch but just found out this laptop isn't DVD friendly. :-(

Boris...if you're reading this I'm anxiously awaiting pictures of your NYC adventure

and meeting up with Ottmar! C'mon make Humpty Dumpty's day! :-)

Daylight Melody

Agua Bella
Originally uploaded by nieve44.

...with the passing of night comes daylight and it's own melody of sights and sounds. Whenever, I hear water it makes me pause and soothes my soul. It's an elixir, an opiate that massages the senses.
Next to my bed I have this half moon like object that plays nature sounds and mine is always set to water. Each night I press the button and the water sounds lull me to sleep and becomes my nighttime melody.

Happy Thanksgiving

Destination...
Originally uploaded by nieve44.

a thank you for family, friends, loved ones far and near, the gift of life, the gift of sight and all the other senses. I'm off to Corpus Christi for the holiday...we haven't been home for Thanksgiving in about 15 years, so this will be an interesting trip back home to see family. By the way the forecasted temperature will be around 80 degrees. YUCK...eating turkey with the air conditioner on! :-(

Nonetheless, a safe journey for others who are traveling as well.

One

One
Originally uploaded by nieve44.

Music: Silence: No More Longing, Ottmar Liebert

Mood: Serene

While hiking this past weekend I was in a sea of beautiful trees all dressed up in their fall colors. There were more green and golds than there were reds but no matter. Each seemed to beckon me to capture their beauty in a photo.

Trees, leaves, birds, squirrels, rocks, cliffs, canyons, caves, trails, hills, waterfalls, ponds, and streams were just a small sampling of sights, sounds and scents that invigorated my soul. I was inspired by the serenity of nature and reminded by mother earth that if we stop to breathe her essence and beauty we can all become one...just floating through time.
...PS-ONE month from today I'll be floating....at Ottmar's concert. :-)

Nature Beckons...

Yellow Wildflower
Originally uploaded by nieve44.

...I'm off this weekend on another camping adventure and looking forward to getting out of town for the weekend. The chaos of the city won't be missed. I'll be in search of lots of nature photos and just taking in the scenery and listening to nature instead of the noise of living in the city.

Score!

score!
Originally uploaded by mRio.

Music: Winter Blue, Ottmar Liebert
Mood: Happy and Sad

Thanks to Mario for scoring two front row tiks to Ottmar's concert next month...that's the happy news. The sad news is that I will be having surgery on my knee on November 28th (Arthroscopic). Thus, I may be on crutches but one way or another, I'm going to that concert--even if I have to crawl or scoot down to the front row!