Meditation Mount

During my two weeks of housesitting, I had another guest. My friend Royce, who hasn't spent much time in Ojai, came up for a visit. I knew I had to take him to one of my favorite places ... Meditation Mount. It's so beautifully landscaped against the backdrop of the valley, and the hills and mountains in the distance. It is constantly changing with the light and with the seasons.

It had been cloudy and rained a couple of days prior to our visit but the skies cleared and it was simply gorgeous.

Meditation Mount, Ojai

January 2012

The world is healed

one loving thought at a time.

~Marianne Williamson

Joy has no cost.

~Marianne Williamson

Miracles occur naturally as expressions of love.

The real miracle is the love that inspires them.

In this sense

everything that comes from love

is a miracle.

~Marianne Williamson

When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched,

you begin to discover that it's bottomless,

that it doesn't have any resolution,

that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless.

You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there,

as well as how much space.

~Pema Chodron

Every moment is unique, unknown, completely fresh.

~Pema Chodron

"The mission of Meditation Mount Is to promote the building of an enlightened and compassionate world through the power of creative meditation, inspirational educational programs, and community-based events focused on the practical application of the following universal spiritual principles: Right Human Relations, Unanimity, Goodwill, Spiritual Approach, Group Endeavor and Essential Divinity"

For information about the Mount, it's history and about "Friends of the Mount," please go to Meditationmount.org

Have a beautiful weekend!!!

Blessings and light to you!

Friendship ~ The Ladies in Ojai 2012

Of all the things which provides to make life entirely happy,

much the greatest is the possession of friendship.

~Epicurus

341BC- 270BC

Sometimes we have an over-abundance of blessings in a particular area of our lives. For me, it's my friends. Friendship takes everything you hear about ... time, love, compassion, listening, gentle honesty, sometimes patience, humility, optimism, gratitude and the ability to spot awesome people and invest time and love in them. You have to be open to it, but I do think part of it is choosing wisely. Listen to what people say, are they sensitive? Do they have integrity? Are they kind?

I have newer friends and I have old friends. Some I have known since I was a little girl and some since high school. The old high school gang tries to get together as often as possible for a "girls weekend." Sometimes it takes awhile to get everyone in the same place, at the same time, but after a year and 3 months, we pulled it off.

The ladies came to Ojai while I was housesitting, and here is a bit of what we were up to.

After a Friday night of making and eating Italian food and enjoying our Italian beverages (Prosecco, Vino and Limoncello!) we got up Saturday and headed for the hills. (literally) I decided to take them for a walk back at the Ventura River Preserve ...

Ojai January 2012

With every true friendship,

we build more firmly the foundations

on which the peace of the whole world rests.

~Mahatma Gandhi

Later we packed a picnic and headed to the Old Creek Ranch Winery for tasting and a bit of dining al fresco!

To know someone with whom you can feel there is understanding,

in spite of distances or thoughts expressed,

that can make life a garden.

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The Barbera was my favorite! (We bought a bottle for our picnic.)

Another winery, Vino V gives tastings there as well, and they are very tasty too!!! The Syrah was gorgeous! (Ended up with a bottle of that for the picnic, as well.)

They also had some lovely whites ...

Wineries usually have some fun gift items but I managed to stay out of trouble. Loved the vintage linens though!

We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed.

As in filling a vessel drop by drop,

there is at last a drop which makes it run over,

so in a series of kindnesses there is at last

one which makes the heart run over.

~Samuel Johnson

Treat your friends like you do your best pictures ...

place them in the best light.

~Unknown

The tastings were great, our picnic was wonderful (It happened to be the nicest day while I was up there housesitting!) but then we were on our dinner quest ... off to sushi at Hakane! It's become a tradition, when I think about it. I don't know if a sake bomb was the best idea but it was sure hilarious. We were all supposed to yell "Sake Bomb" 3 times and hit the table but our friend got so excited she hit the table on the first one and the sakes went flying. Bottoms up!

Cheers ladies!

Thanks for coming!

Love you!!!

Some people come into our lives and quickly go.

Some stay for a while and leave footprints in our hearts,

and we are never the same.

~Unknown

Don't forget to call your friends and let them know you love them!

Blessings and light!

All quotes from Spiritual Quotes to Live By

Dreams ... Theatre of Nature and The Theatre

Every great dream begins with a dreamer.

Always remember,

you have within you the strength,

the patience,

and the passion to reach for the stars

to change the world.

~Harriet Tubman

iPhone photos

I've been trying to get this posted but I have been housesitting for a week and a half up in Ojai and night before last around 11:00pm we lost power. Always interesting when you loose power when you're housesitting and you have to improvise and figure out where things are. I was on my mom's laptop when the lights went out and I ended up walking around with it and using it as a light to find the candles and flashlights!

Anyway, the lights and everything else came back on yesterday afternoon, thank goodness. (Not until after I locked myself out of the house though! Sheesh! Crazy 24 hours!

Outside of those little glitches, things have been great. My friend Lynn and I drove up from Ojai to Santa Barbara last week, to the beautifully restored Granada Theater, to see My Fair Lady. That was after having a wonderful plate of ravioli and vino rosso, at a darling little Italian restaurant around the corner from the theater, called Ca' Dario. Sometimes I forget how great it is to have an evening at the theater. It reminds me of being a kid and how I'd play soundtracks to Broadway shows until I knew them all by heart, then I'd choreograph and perform them in the living room.

101 Freeway To Santa Barbara ...

Nothing happens

unless first we dream.

~Carl Sandburg

Our truest life is when we are in dreams

awake.

~Henry David Thoreau

I haven't been on stage in many years, but I think what I loved more than anything about it was the camaraderie. Happily, I have found that in other places in my life, like at the art studio, in classes and with my girlfriends.

My dreams these days aren't about playing certain parts or where I'd want my acting career to go. I can't even relate to that anymore. I have other dreams and little by little I am manifesting them in bits and pieces, like a great puzzle. I don't know where they lead but I am working on "doing the work," then trusting in the future and most importantly, being in the present, and enjoying the moment. Being "in the present" is still a work in progress, but over time I am getting better and better at it!

Dreams come true;

without that possibility,

nature would not incite us to have them.

John Updike

A walk in Ojai last week ...

Ventura River Preserve

To make your dreams come true,

you must go to the unseen world--

the world of Spirit, or inspiration.

It is this world that will guide you

to anything you'd like to have in your life.

~ Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

Trust in dreams,

for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.

Kahlil Gibran

your dreams are limited to what you only can imagine,

you must go out and see the world....

Oren Zroya

Here's a little dreaming fun from the 70s! ;)

And a little more dreaming fun from the 80s Blondie.

Gotta love the 80s get-ups!

What are your dreams?