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I've already jumped onto the Weekend Express, but I'm taking advantage of a pit stop to post my Saturday Sweet! List from the past week before I get whisked into the next one...
Saturday: catching the Super Moon low on the horizon; waking to the sound of unexpected rain
(Not the best capture, but enough to trigger my memory of standing on my friend Nancy's back porch watching it rise in the sky over the pasture.)
Sunday: Mass with dear friends in a beautiful historic church; sunlight streaming through stained glass windows; barbecue chicken plates benefiting a volunteer fire department; a quick visit with your son, future daughter-in-law, and grandpuppy; Gruene, Texas, even for just a quick stop
Monday: an omelette made with fresh veggies from a friend's garden; new tires on your car; spending time with your baby girl
Tuesday: your husband bringing you flowers; finishing tasks that weighed on your mind
(from a yucca plant that was knocked over in the thunder storm)
Wednesday: soft raindrops on a morning walk; box turtles resting near a pond; sleeping dogs; friends responding to a prayer request; grilled cheese sandwiches a la Tom
Thursday: an unexpected paid work day (cha-ching!); second graders; Ocean Week in an elementary school; storm clouds making way for sunshine long enough to walk your puppies
Friday: gathering with friends and 1/3 of your kids for dinner, even if the band (and dancing) is rained out; sunsets and storm clouds over a lake; rainbows
Hope you all had a wonderful week and the next one is even better. And in case my Mother's Day post runs a few days late, Happy Mother's Day to all of you who have experienced the joy and heartbreak of motherhood, whether you ever gave birth or not.
I would lie on the wooden floor for hours... or at least it seemed like hours... listening to my Mary Poppins soundtrack album, over and over. Asthma held my lungs hostage - each breath was a major accomplishment - so lying there listening to "Step in Time" and "Feed the Birds" was about all I could do and the songs are ingrained in my memory.
It was, and still is, my favorite Disney movie. I don't remember the first time I saw it, but I remember going back as a teen with my sister, imagining strange looks from everyone else in line because we were the only ones who didn't have someone under the age of 5 with us.
Thanks to the miracle of recorded movies a la Beta, VHS, and DVD, I've watched it hundreds of times, with and without my children at various ages.
And that's why my heart skipped a beat when my dear friends let me know they were taking me to the stage performance for my birthday.
We went Thursday night, first stopping for dinner at Hyde Park Grill. The stage production is a teensy bit different than the movie, but I could still sing along with most of the songs and the sets and actors' performances were amazing.
A very sweet! night, thanks to some very sweet friends. Thank you Mary Kay, Karen, and Conni!
Conni's not pictured... she's going Sunday with her twenty-something daughter, but we made sure to get her one of these bracelets! We've formed a new club!
Now I'm already halfway through a sweet! weekend. Two-thirds of the kids are home for the second weekend in a row, just because they wanted to. I like that.
And as if those aren't enough, here are a few other sweet! moments from the past week...
Sunday: Easter Mass; all the kids home; dinner with friends; watching kids on an Easter egg hunt; a call from your mama
Monday: new flowers popping up; watching your puppies hunt for lizards and swim in the creek
Tuesday: shampoos by Clint (bittersweet... he's retiring from shampoos); a new cut and color by Michael; Panda Express fortune cookie fortunes
Wednesday: kids of all ages blowing bubbles; taking photos of a sweet friend and her family
Thursday: shoes on your feet and insect spray close by when you spot a 6-inch centipede swishing across your kitchen floor; the imaginations of 4th graders; watching kids swinging and playing a rowdy game of kickball on a school playground; dinner and Mary Poppins with dear friends
Friday: Friday the 13ths; spending the day with your sweetie; watching another episode of "The Game of Thrones" with 2/3 of your kids; discovering you won a "Post of the Week" from Hilary at The Smitten Image (Thanks again, Hilary!)
Saturday: spring mornings; your son and his dad working together on his "new" car
I hope you've all had a week full of sweets and the next one plain overflows with them!
Three years ago I started a (mostly) full-time job and, except for Voting Day and a couple of quick visits to talk about writing to students, I didn't step a foot into the schools during that time.
I missed it, and I'm so grateful the district accepted me as a sub again. Over the past few weeks I've reviewed color patterns... read Peter Rabbit aloud for the first time in more than a decade, as well as voiced a part in the last act of Othello... watched a stage performance of "The Emperor's New Clothes"... enjoyed a documentary hosted by Peter Jennings about the 50's and early 60's (three times!)... learned about the dangers of drinking and drugs from Hollywood Henderson via VHS... and overheard some heartbreaking home life stories.
I'm not going to be the popular sub... at least not at the high school... because I don't care if the kids like me or not. I'm there to follow the teacher's directions, period. And, if possible, get the kids to learn something while they're under my watch.
After raising three kids and subbing for 15 years (plus one year on the payroll as the elementary school librarian) I'm on to all, or at least most, of the tricks. But I still have a soft heart and those kids can be really tricky. I'm sure they're going to pull one over one me every once in a while because they can also be interesting, considerate and funny.
I'm hoping to sub as much as I can until summer vacation starts. Unlike other jobs I've had in my life, this one gives me a good feeling, like I've actually done something positive with my time. It's also a great source of material for my children's book!
And, of course, the main reason I'm taking time away from my book for anything else is we need the money. I'm just grateful that I've been able to gather a flexible collection of jobs I enjoy:
I haven't blogged in a whole week. I think that's a record.
Snippets and ideas for posts have popped in my head - random words are scribbled on scraps of paper all over the house and in the car - but I haven't been able to stop long enough to work them into full posts.
This morning Life is moving slower and I'm hoping today I can focus my attention on those poor, neglected Good Intentions and Need-To-Do's I see moping in a dusty corner.
It's been a fun week, though. No exotic vacations or anything, but just Life and all of the challenges and adventures and love it provides. There have been beautiful spring days that turned into powerful thunderstorms with blustery winds and cold temperatures... which meant stinky country dogs cowering in the laundry room... but we're back to Spring and warmth and outside dogs now.
While I'm grateful for the rain, I'm not so grateful for the mosquitoes it awakened. They buzzed and bit me every step of my walk this morning. You can be sure I'll thoroughly douse myself with repellent every morning from now on.
Yesterday, TG fixed me breakfast... a delicious sauteed veggies/scrambled eggs concoction she prepared every morning over Christmas break that set my stomach growling with its divine smell. But it was always several hours after I'd already eaten.
I'm too lazy to go to that much trouble myself first thing in the morning, but yesterday I slept late after a sleep-deprived weekend and she woke up early to prepare for a Spring Break trip to the coast... which means we woke up at the same exact time! So when I saw the eggs and veggies coming out of the fridge, I worked out a deal with her involving laundry.
One of the best deals I've ever made! It turned out to be just as delicious as it smelled, and sustaining enough for a day on the run that included seeing her disappear into one of five chartered buses for an overnight drive (and praying the whole way home for their safety!)
Sunday morning I met a blog friend for the first time in person. Non-bloggers (or non-FlickRers, etc.) probably don't understand how exciting that is. They might have trouble understanding how you can become friends with total strangers you connect to online but have never seen face-to-face, but I can assure you those friendships are just as real as any other.
Wolf, of Just Add Father, was in town for a dad blogger conference. He delayed his flight home to meet me, Tom, and 2/3 of my kids for brunch downtown at the Driskill Hotel's 1886 Cafe and Bakery. It was just like meeting a long-time friend I hadn't seen in a while.
Wolf is a pseudonym (he explains why he uses one on his blog) so we had some fun taking this photo below. I wanted one I could post here. (I'm sure the people sitting at nearby tables were wondering what the heck we were doing!)
We chatted awhile on the sidewalk after eating, but knew it was time to part ways when my kids (ages 20 and 23!) got restless and started roughhousing on the sidewalk.
Some things never change!
Actually, we needed to leave anyway because Wolf wanted to walk around and see the Austin sights before heading for the airport, and we wanted to get back to the house to visit with my oldest and his fiance before they had to leave.
They were in town for a wedding. After the reception on Saturday night, they brought friends back to the house with them and all of us were up really, really late visiting and laughing. I always enjoy seeing those grown-up kids, even though it makes me feel old, wondering how these kids who I swear were in middle school yesterday are now out of college, working, married...
Totally worth getting only 4 hours of sleep.
No, really it was.
<yawn>
Anyway, Sunday afternoon I grilled chicken and enjoyed a quick dinner with them, before dashing off (late!) to my writer's group meeting.
Even after all this time, my book is still a misshapen piece of clay. Writing is so dang hard. But with these women's input and guidance, it's beginning to take shape, although it still needs lots and lots of pinching, molding, scoring...
It's tough - even painful - but I'm grateful to them and willing to do whatever work is necessary to have a finished piece by the end of the year.
Saturday I took a short road trip along Highway 281 to San Antonio. A friend of mine hosted a Silpada jewelry party for me.
Highway 281 runs through the Texas hill country and several small towns... a beautiful drive, even on a rainy day like Saturday. I spotted my first bluebonnets, splashes of blue drizzled along the roadside. I promised myself I'd drive out this week on a sunny day and take some photos.
Jewelry parties are always fun, what with the food and drinks, the sparkly silver bling, and meeting lots of interesting women, but this one was especially fun because Jackie and I went to high school together, but didn't really know each other until just recently. We reconnected thanks to Facebook and discovered we didn't live that far from each other.
Here we are with another high school friend, Marilyn, who came to the party. She lives even closer to Jackie but they didn't even realize it until recently.
And here I am with one of my dearest friends, Nancy, the first person I met when we moved to Lago. She now lives near San Antonio, so she and her daughter took advantage of the situation and came to the party, too.
You just can't beat reconnecting with friends, playing with pretty jewelry, and making money at the same time, can you?
The rest of the week was a blur of writing, reading, subbing at the high school, trying to catch up on emails, and watching the Hollow explode in greens, blue, yellows, pinks, and purples. I'm hoping not to get lost in the busy-ness of this week.
I do want to mention Tuesday, though. I spent the day swim suit shopping with TG in preparation for this trip to the coast. There's always more under the surface than shopping, though... there's talking, laughing, sharing, and just soaking up the sight of her.
In one store, going through a clearance rack, I came across the perfect shirt to describe the way I feel...
We took turns trying it on and snapping pics with my iPhone, but in the end, I just went ahead and bought it. How could I not? It was cheap and fit perfectly, in so many ways!
And now for the official Sweet! report:
Monday: time to be still and breathe, sitting on a rock beside a pond, listening to running water and chattering birds, watching silly dogs and flirting dragonflies
Tuesday: hours spent with your daughter... shopping, talking, laughing; finding a really good fortune in your Panda Express cookie
Wednesday: porch swings; flowers and tree buds popping out everywhere
Thursday: finishing a great book; high school one-act plays
Friday: rainy days when a drought is fresh in your memory; some of your kids home for the weekend
Saturday: clouds sitting on hilltops; roadsides sprinkled with bluebonnets; a job that lets you catch up with 'old' friends and meet new ones; sangria; staying up late visiting with your kids and their friends, who used to be kids but somehow turned into adults; the birth of a great-nephew and photos on Facebook
Sunday: meeting a blog friend in person for the first time; brunch and people-watching at the Driskill Cafe; an afternoon with your son and future daughter-in-law; a writing group that keeps your ego in check
Monday: sleeping in after a sleep-deprived, busy, busy weekend; spending time with your baby girl
This tiny naked baby, arms opened wide for a hug, sits on my kitchen window sill, a sweet reminder that just two weeks ago my kitchen was overflowing in love and friendship and hugs from women who have known me almost forever.
The baby came hidden in an authentic King Cake, carted all the way from Louisiana (along with some genuine boudin sausages) by my friend Sandy.
I'm not sure who found the baby in their piece of cake, but I love that they plopped him down where I would spot him and be reminded of them every day.
The Diva weekend started on a Friday night, two weeks ago tomorrow, when half of the women braved my dirt road in the dark of night just to get together with friends they've known since high school.
The rest rolled in on Saturday.
The beauty of these get-togethers, though, is that we weren't all friends in high school. It took a few decades, but we're grabbing this chance to connect in ways that are impossible when you're a teenager.
I didn't start snapping photos until Saturday morning, though, when some of us ventured out on a walk to wake up my husband who had escaped to his tent across the creek soon after grilling us a delicious fajita dinner the night before.
What a sweetheart!
We thought about jumping in on him, then realized he might be as naked as that King Cake baby, so we just talked to him through the canvas, instead.
Look! I wasn't the only one swinging a big camera that weekend!
Love this one of Rae and Max, just chillin' by the creek...
Max and Belle love Rae - she always brings them treats.
This time she brought puppy Valentines, of course...
After a morning spent hanging out on the porch talking and eating more fajitas, we piled into SUVs and headed to Flat Creek Estate for a wine tasting and tour.
It was fun being a customer for a change!
We even talked Chef Sean into posing for a photo...
Back at the house, we continued the celebration of our friendship with tons of food, including the King Cake below...
...and a toast (I knew that one day all of those souvenir shot glasses I collected would come in handy!)
And that's why I feel this photo says it all...
I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it: Friends make life a lot more fun.
I'm in a calm spot between a busy week and a busier weekend. We've been blessed with spring-like weather, lately, and I admit I'm ready for it to just stick around. Wildflowers haven't yet ventured our way, but we're being serenaded by birds and frogs and a running creek. Storm clouds and sunshine are taking turns painting the canvas above us.
Middle son is home this weekend which called for a celebration: pizza, wine, and a Netflix double-feature last night (I finally got up the nerve to watch "Interview with a Vampire"! Plus another movie that was pretty good but I can't recall the name. Guess it wasn't that good.)
Even though it was a busy week, I remembered to keep track of my sweet moments. Hope you did, too!
Saturday: a morning walk with girlfriends and dogs to wake your husband in his tent across the creek; fresh kolaches; a sunshine-filled afternoon with friends in a vineyard; kitchen counters overflowing with BBQ, King Cake and tons of other food; a house full of your longtime friends...dancing, laughing, talking; toasting your friendship with shots of Patron followed by cinnamon-sprinkled orange slices
Sunday: a road trip with a friend with hours to catch up on your lives; being part of a circle of support for a friend mourning her husband; snapping photos of an alligator (from a safe distance); dinner with view of the water; sharing a beautiful sunset with friends; hugs from your parents
Monday: breakfast by your Daddy, hours of unrushed time with your parents; a quick visit with your sister; missing traffic on your way home
Tuesday: sunshine breaking through morning fog; the wisdom of Winnie-the-Pooh
Wednesday: Grand Prize on a SheWrites giveaway; a quick visit with your daughter; a phone call from a sweet friend you haven't talked to in a while; sitting on the porch swing on a summer-in-winter evening with your sweetie
Thursday: a puppy's face at the door, first thing in the morning; getting your run out of the way before the sun comes up; a walk along a running creek at dusk with your sweetie, and capturing a photo of the first star of the evening
Friday: dramatic storm clouds; wind whispering in your ears; pizza, wine and movies with your sweetie and middle son
Saturday: sleeping in before the rush of a busy weekend begins
Hope you've had a week full of sweet moments, too!
A collection of colorful bags and pieces of luggage grows beside me. Today's the day I take TG back to campus to start the spring semester. Wasn't it just a few days ago that we carried all of those bags down from the car?
Christmas break went by so fast. At the beginning of it I had two kids at home; soon it will be just me and Tom again. Sweet, yet bittersweet.
Sweet because, luckily, Tom and I enjoy being together - we easily fall back into our pre-kids selves. Bittersweet because I enjoy having the kids around, too, and not only for all the help they give us with dishes, dog care, laundry... although I do miss that, too.
This might have been the last long break TG spends with us. By this time next year, she'll be living in an apartment, probably working near campus through the break, coming home for a weekend every now and then. Sigh.
I'll take it a semester at a time, though, and right now I just pray this one will be the best ever for her.
Well, while I wait for her to finish packing, I'll tell you a little about my day yesterday, spent in the World of Writers.
I finally made it to a meeting of the Austin Chapter of the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators) held at BookPeople, a wonderful independent book store in downtown Austin. I don't think I've every met a friendlier group of strangers in my life - the support and encouragement was palpable!
I sat in the only open chair I spotted, After introductions, I discovered the woman beside me, as well as the two directly behind me, all live just a few miles from me and are eager to form a writer's critique group.Talk about serendipity!
The first session of the meeting was a presentation by author Brian Yansky on plot, character and structure of your story. Some of it was knew to me... some I already know but don't necessarily put into practice... and that's why I need reminders like this, especially from successful authors who are willing to share what has worked for them. Judging by the others who were scribbling notes, I'm not the only one!
Next, a few of us went to the third floor for the open critique group... the part I had been most eager for! I passed out copies of my first two pages, cleared my throat, took a deep breath and read out loud while they followed along.
When I finished, I could see they were hesitant, not sure if I wanted brutal honesty or encouraging pats-on-the-back.
"Rip it apart!" I told them. I've read too many books lately that began with seeds of great stories, but because of neglected pruning, had grown into huge distracting messes. I don't want mine to end up that way!
So with my blessing they ripped it apart, so to speak. Some of what they mentioned I had already wondered about myself, but needed another opinion... which is why I was eager for the critique group. Other things were surprises, and so even more helpful.
A critique can be painful if you take it personally, but I look at it as a really good workout... tough to get through but so invigorating and energizing when it's all over... and the only way to get stronger.
We took turns reading and critiquing, everyone offering concrete constructive comments. Writer heaven!
After a quick break (I walked to Whole Foods and enjoyed a cup of tomato basil soup at a small table outside, great for people-watching!) we gathered on the third floor again. Two of the members had attended a recent Story Masters Workshop where they took pages and pages of notes, all of which they shared with us.
Spending a day with such a great group of talented writers (many published authors in the group) who encourage and support each other... very sweet!
And now for some other sweet! moments of the past week...
Monday: a fire in the woodburning stove on a cold, rainy day; cedar pollen that's been attacking your nose and making you want to scratch our your eyes washed from the air by the rain; finally meeting a previously only 'online' friend in person; loose ends neatly tied up; joining a writer's group, at long last, to help you with your book
Tuesday: the moment when dark clouds break apart to reveal blue sky; frogs singing in the distance, grateful for the recent rain; watching "The 10th Kingdom" with your daughter; cell phones that allow you to talk to your mom and your dear friend, despite the miles between you
Wednesday: $300 worth of free jewelry, thanks to your party!; a Post of the Week award from Hilary for one of your photography posts; that sparkling-clean-teeth feeling you get after a trip to the dentist; a jingle-jangle in your pocket for stuff you didn't want anymore anyway
Thursday: getting word that a sweet kid you know was found before you even knew he was missing; scratching things off of your list; finally fulfilling a months-old promise to a friend
Friday: a "Happy Anniversary" first thing in the morning from you sweetie before you even realize it's Friday the 13th; puppies stretched out comfy and warm on the laundry room floor on a below-freezing morning; shopping with your baby girl; getting $17 for from a local resale shop for things you were going to toss out; any Ryan Reynolds movie
Saturday: a day spent with writers; getting honest feedback and suggestions on your children's book-in-progress; tomato and basil soup outdoors on a gorgeous day; a walk at dusk beside a running brook; home-brewed beer; watching Harry Potter movies with your daughter
Sunday: a friend thinking of you when a job comes open; watching more Harry Potter movies with your daughter; a call from your mom
What were some of your sweet! moments in the past week? (I know you can come up with at least one!) Please share them here!
Up late last night, writing and coming through on a months-old promise of photos to a sweet friend.
Reset alarm, later, later. Finally staggered out of bed at 6am to kiss Tom before he hit the road.
"Happy Anniversary!" he tells me.
My sleepy brain scrambles for the meaning behind his words. Through the fog, it hits me... Today must be a Friday the 13th, just like the day we got married almost 30 years ago.
And he remembered.
That's just one reason I love him.
It was a beautiful Friday the 13th for me. I hope it was for you, too!
A rumble of thunder and whisper of rain woke me in the night. It continues today, another steady, soaking rain falling from a colorless sky. We've had enough rain in the past few weeks that I almost take it for granted, despite the months of drought.
Almost, but not quite. Waking to the sound of rain is still a sweet sound, especially when I can roll over, snuggle deeper into my covers, and go back to sleep.
I would also almost start complaining about the soggy weather... the mud that gets tracked in, the slippery roads... despite those months of drought, but in between our frequent rainy days, we've had warm days with crisp blue skies (Saturday) and cool days with skies of rainless clouds (yesterday.)
I love it when things balance out that way! Very sweet!
Yes, I realize I'm running late with this post. I've been keeping up with my sweet!s this week... but my photos, not so much.
Well, I've been taking plenty, but all of them from the past week were still stashed on my camera until last night. I didn't have a chance until now to tidy my sweet! list and glance through my photos - it was one of those on-the-run weekends that I love, but that leave me breathless!
First, Daniel came home for a visit this weekend. His face is always a sweet sight, but I hadn't seen him since last year, when he moved out to his own place just after Christmas!
So you can imagine how happy I was to see him!
We spent Friday evening talking and watching a movie, just hanging out and relaxing. I was hosting my own Silpada jewelry party (one of my other "hats") the next afternoon, but thought I would have plenty of time Saturday morning to get everything done.
But after letting myself sleep in and then mentally comparing what I had left to do with how much time I had in which to do it, I realized I was wrong!
My kids were lifesavers, though, bless them... they pitched in and helped me pack up the last of our Christmas decorations away, tidy up the house in preparation and followed whatever other orders I barked at them. Such sweet kids!
Consequently, it was a relaxed open house. And what a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon... sitting around a table, sipping wine, munching on yummy snacks, talking to friends and looking at beautiful jewelry!
Tom and I headed out right after the party to help my dear friend Darla celebrate her birthday at Z'Tejas. (It was my first time there, and oh my gosh, it was soooo good! Great twists on traditional Tex Mex... I got the Wild Mushroom Enchiladas.)
(Again, my kids were lifesavers... they helped clean up from the party for me! I just hope Daniel will come home again some day... I don't think he was counting on all the extra chores!)
Just getting together with these longtime friends from high school is a sweet way to spend a Saturday night, but we were joined by a face none of us had seen since graduation day. We reconnected with Wayne via Facebook and discovered he'd been living in the Austin area for the past fifteen years or so, too. We've probably passed him on the highway a zillion times...
After church Sunday morning, I met my future daughter-in-law in town for another day of wedding venue sightseeing. There are so many possibilities, it's mind-boggling! I'm glad I'm just a tag along and not the one having to make the decision!
I can have fun snapping photos...
And now for my belated list of Sweet! moments from the past week...
Monday: walking at sunrise; checking out wedding venues with your son, his future bride and her family (photos HERE and HERE); one of your blog posts listed on Pioneer Woman's sidebar links
Tuesday: frost sparkling in the caliche road like tiny diamonds; working on your book for hours, even if it doesn't feel like you made much progress
Wednesday: almost getting caught up on your email; a friend pinning a link to your blog on Pinterest; not burning the chicken legs on the grill even though you were distracted with writing; catching a movie with friends; extra-sweet... the movie starred George Clooney and was set in Hawaii ("The Descendants")
Thursday: the excitement and joy of puppies on a morning walk; words flowing onto the page without effort, for a change; a phone call from your sister; your kids helping you take down the Christmas decorations
Friday: fresh morning sunlight; bumping into a friend at the grocery store; the Epiphany; photos of your husband's aunt ziplining in Costa Rica in honor of her 74th birthday!; the sight of your middle son for the first time in two weeks
Saturday: your kids pitching in to get your house ready for your jewelry party; finding out one of your photos was chosen for FlickR's Explore; friends gathered around your table, chatting; a friend putting in an order for jewelry even though she sells it herself, just in hopes you have a good party; celebrating a dear friend's birthday and reconnecting with a friend from long ago
Sunday: kneeling and praying next to your sweetie in church; checking out more wedding venues with your future daughter-in-law; hearing from your oldest, letting you know he made it safely to Arizona for a business trip
(Monday: I didn't plan to add Monday on here, but first thing this morning, I received a message from a friend I've been praying for that he's met 'someone'. It made me smile, inside and out, so I had to add it here.)
I hope you had tons of sweet moments this past week, too. I confess, there are days when I have to think really hard to find one, but I always manage to... and often it triggers recollection of a few more. If you haven't tried it yet, I encourage you to!
We let Max sleep inside the past two nights. Belle, too, of course, although it was more for Max's sake than hers. They have a large dog house, nestled up against the house and the hill, protected from the elements, but even though temperatures were just in the low forties Sunday night, it was bone-chilling damp and he's an old dog with sore joints.
So I found an old comforter and Daniel spread it in on the floor of the laundry room. Comfy cozy and warm.
Then yesterday morning I discovered Max isn't the only one with old achy, slow-moving bones and joints. The winter chill seems to be affecting my computer, too! (You thought I was going to say it was me, didn't you?)
Tom asked me to scan and email him some documents for our health insurance... would you believe it took me over 40 minutes to scan three photos!
Forty minutes to scan 3 photos!!
My old computer was moving so slow I knew I had to do something, so instead of finishing up the editing of my last photo shoot, as I'd planned, plus catching up on my blog reading, blog writing, book writing, personal history transcribing, etc. etc, I went down the list of installed programs, files and folders with a virtual pair of scissors, Googling the ones I wasn't sure about and getting rid of everything I didn't absolutely need.
Six hours and a couple of defrags later, I gained 3% of my free space back. It was still as slow as ever, but I still felt like I had accomplished something, like that feeling you get when you finally clean out your kitchen junk drawer.
You know, if you keep a computer long enough, and your entire family uses it, it essentially does resemble a junk drawer or storage closet... a repository of all kinds of odds and ends no one needs or uses anymore.
Anyway, I also finished up the editing of my last photo shoot and emailed them to my friend/client so she could get her Christmas cards ordered, although I had to stay up really late to finish it. It was worth it just to help her out... and also for that awesome feeling of finishing something!
It's a rare thing for me; I hope to get more acquainted with it!
The only thing I accomplished this past weekend was spending lots of time with friends and family... even though it means I'm behind on everything else, it was another awesome feeling!
First came the celebration of my first baby Tommy's 26th birthday. It was just like his birthday parties in the old days: lots of pizza... ice cream cake... singing Happy Birthday off-key... kids sleeping over, staying up all night playing video games and watching movies...
...except this time the "kids" were drinking wine and beer, not just soda. My how time flies!
Me and my sweet boy.
After working at the Bistro Saturday, I rushed home, changed clothes and met Daniel and Tom downtown for Daniel's friend Austin's graduation from UT...
Here, let me zoom in a little more.
See how happy he is?
Afterwards, we joined Austin's parents and some of the boys' friends at Asti (above) for a scrumptious Italian dinner. We arrived a little early, so I filled the time strolling down the street, snapping photos.
Look, someone knitted scarfs for the street posts! (To see more of these scarves, plus other night street scenes, go HERE.)
Sunday night Tom and I went to our church Christmas party. I look forward to it every year... we get yummy Rudy's Bar-B-Q and a wide open dance floor.
My idea of Texas heaven!
With the busy weekend, I neglected to check and charge my camera battery before we left. Of course it died before I could get any photos of the great dancers, but I did manage to get this one.
I want one of these shirts!
I smudged their name tags to protect the innocent. (You're welcome, Joan and Sherry!)
It was a wonderful weekend, and I think I appreciated it even more because through it all I was praying for a friend who underwent surgery for cancer on Friday, a friend who lost his mother on Saturday, a high school classmate who died on Friday, and fellow parishioners who rushed from the Christmas party Sunday evening when they got word their house was on fire. It burned to the ground; they didn't just lose all of their belongings, but also their dog. Just breaks my heart. Please say a prayer for each of them.
So I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too... but mostly I hope you didn't take a single second of it for granted.
Belle's face peered in from the pre-dawn darkness, much earlier than usual. I had just stumbled from the bedroom, still groggy with sleep.
She seemed nervous about something. Stepping outside, I knew right away what had her up so early, wanting our company...
...The frogs had a croaking chorus coming from the pond, so loud I knew the full moon could hear it through the misty clouds. Belle had probably forgotten what that sound was, it had been so long since there was enough water in the pond to make the the frogs sing.
I reassured her and stepped back inside. Thirty minutes later, when she was still peering in at me, I gave in and stepped back outside to rub her ears, and this is what I saw...
I knew it would be a good day.
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Daniel had an interview downtown. I tagged along to visit the State Library.
It had been ten years since I'd done any research there... it was completely changed! Bigger, more modern... and even a snack room for patrons now. (In the 'old' days, my co-genealogy-nut friends Susan and Donna and I would stand on the steps and eat our lunches.) I caught on to the new microfilm readers, thanks to a lesson from the sweet girl working the Library, and even found a few tidbits on 1880's taxrolls. (Are you yawning yet?)
Something that hasn't changed is our beautiful Capitol building, just across the street from the State Library and Archives building.
A scent captured my nose, sending me whirling back into my childhood and memories of catching honeybees in glass jars (released soon afterward, don't worry.)
Japanese Ligustrum... complete with bees. Too bad I didn't have a glass jar with me! (I took more photos around the capitol - you can see them HERE.)
After Daniel's interview, he introduced me to this Austin icon, used in the movie, Dazed and Confused...
We both ordered fried chicken and it was, indeed, Top Notch!
But the best part came after we got home and took the puppies for a walk. After just one day of rain, the pond has water again! It might not look like much to you, but it's beautiful to me!
The air hummed with dragonflies. Where have they been hiding? They flew too fast to capture their photos, but across the pond, I came across this splash of color, such a welcome sight after months of gray and brown...
As if all that wasn't enough, this is how the day is ending...
Normally, there's no way I'd be praying for a tropical storm to head our way, especially on a weekend, but extreme circumstances call for extreme prayer!
(Forty-plus days of 100+ degree temps and the driest 7-month span on record qualifies as extreme circumstances, doesn't it? Thought so.)
I believe in the power of teamwork, so that's why I'm asking all of you to join me in praying, focusing, concentrating, meditating or, if nothing else, just keeping your fingers crossed that Tropical Storm Don veers a little more to the right.
See the "TX" down there, just to the right of the white stripe?
Well, that's about where I am, here in Long Hollow, and I really, really want Long Hollow to be on the left side of the projected path.
See, if Don changes his travel plans and heads for Dallas instead of El Paso, more of Texas (including Long Hollow) has a chance at the good soaking rain he'll be scooping out of the Gulf of Mexico and slinging over his left shoulder.
So if it's not too much to ask... PRAY! FOCUS! CONCENTRATE!!
Years and years ago, I worked weekends, the natural consequence of rotating twelve hour shifts. First one weekend of nights, then one weekend of days and finally! two weekends free.
I hated it. Once I quit, I never, ever wanted to tie up my weekends like that again, but here I am, twenty years later, trying out another weekend job.
And so far, surprise! I'm really enjoying it!
Isn't it funny how time can make such a difference?
Of course, now I'm working just six to seven hours, not twelve.
With twelve hour shifts, there's no time for anything but work, eat, sleep. Now I still have time in the morning to walk, workout or go to Sunday Mass, and in the evening there's time to write, watch a movie, or meet friends for dinner and dancing, which is exactly what I did last night.
Plus, once my other job completely dries up, I'll have big chunks of time during the week to write and work on developing my business in a quiet, empty house.
But my enjoyment despite exhaustion, throbbing feet and aching back is such a mystery to me that I've tried to analyze it. This is what I figured out..
...I like being around people. I like helping them and making sure they're happy. I also enjoy staying busy, being part of a team, moving as opposed to sitting still, and working with upbeat, interesting, diverse characters. It helps to be in a beautiful place where I can sample wonderful food and wine (only so I can share my opinion with our customers, of course.)
Have you guessed? I'm working in a winery restaurant. It's like traveling to Tuscany every day (and the closest I'll get to the real thing for a long time, that's for sure!)
I don't think of it as a career, not the end of my road. But I think I'll enjoy the scenery along this section of it.
Speaking of roads, I treated myself to some Panda Express Orange Chicken this week and listen to this fortune in my cookie...
"Your road to glory will be rocky, but fulfilling."
Fulfilling. Can we ask for more? I hope this one comes true.
I love Panda Express fortunes!
Here's another one I got that day (a two-cookie visit!)...
"Chances of glamour and excitement are coming to you."
Well, I won't hold my breath on that one, but I'll keep you posted!
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And now, here are my sweet! moments of the week. I hope I'm never too busy to take notice of these!
Saturday: sun, water, friends, mimosas, photography, margaritas, barbecue, sunsets, wine (don't judge me - I was with my girlfriends!)
Sunday:listening to your parents' stories in their own words and capturing those words in their own voices
Monday: switching radio stations just in time to hear one of your favorite songs (in my case, Ted Nugent's Stranglehold. Oh, those drums in the beginning!)
Tuesday: watching a great blue heron fly in a circle around you just so you can snap some photos (I'm sure that's what it was doing!); finding out the little green bird you saw last week was a female painted bunting!; helping your son plan his trip to Germany (next best thing to planning a trip for yourself!)
Wednesday: spotting a roadrunner in a tree (alas, no time for a photo); a tiny fawn skittering across the road to safety in front of you (alas... no camera); finally installing the Photoshop Elements your friends gave you for your birthday 2 months ago, despite missing all these great shots
Thursday: a call from a sweet friend; helping your son shop for a new suit; Panda Express fortunes
Friday:new yellow and white flowers popping up in the woods and along the road, despite the drought; a sweet puppy staring in through the French doors in the hopes of catching a glimpse of you; making it through the first day of a new job without totally blowing it
Saturday: sharing a wonderful meal, a dance floor and a subtle, yet striking, Texas Hill Country sunset with friends
Hope you've had a wonderful weekend! And if you go out to eat, don't forget to tell your waiter thank you and cut 'em some slack! They might just be in training!
Because of the drought, the University of Texas is turning off their fountains to save water.
I'm glad I didn't procrastinate any longer than I did on Daniel's photo shoot. He would have looked funny sitting there in front of a stone dry Littlefield Fountain.
Imagine this one without the water shooting up... wouldn't it have looked like he was about to be run over by that, um, whatever it is?
Look out, Daniel!!!
I added the one below just because I like it.
I bet he was thinking, Surely she's almost through snapping photos...
I'd love to be standing in that fountain right now...
Well, I guess not right now, since they've turned them off.
But you know what I mean.
Okay, you've probably guessed that's not the good thing about a drought I was going to mention. It was just an excuse to post more photos of Daniel.
Plus I'm craving water.
No, the good thing I was going to mention about a drought is that it gives you a chance to clean all the silt out of your pond when it dries up.
That's what we did this past weekend.
(I use "we" lightly - I did a little bit more than snap photos, but not a whole lot more. As you can see, "we" is mostly Daniel and Tom.)
Belle helped, too.
I'm not sure what she did to help, but I'm sure it was very helpful. I believe she mostly stood in this teensy bit of water - all that's left on our property - trying to catch the last few minnows left alive.
Don't judge. Their days are numbered anyway in this heat, even if we do get a few drops of rain.
Check out the temperature - this was in the shade on the front porch, around 4pm.
(Poor minnows.)
So now you know how Tom spent his Father's Day, in between checking on the brisket he smoked for dinner.
Do you ever have those mornings when you're so mentally drained or physically tired you just want to pull the covers up over your head and skip that day altogether?
I do. Not often anymore, but I still do every once in a while.
On those mornings I remind myself that each and every day, good or bad, is a gift from God. We give educational and "tough-love" gifts to our kids, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised when some of the ones he gives us aren't all sunlight and butterflies.
I think back to my own words in a previous post I wrote (click HERE) and pray that God will direct my footsteps. I pray he'll keep me out of my own way... keep me from tripping myself up.
If I'm here, there must be a reason and I need to stop overthinking everything. I need to trust, have faith and give thanks.
Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.
Now to my Saturday Sweet! moments of the past week...
Saturday: hot Texas sunshine, cold water of Lake Travis, wind in my face
Sunday: group hug with dear friends, in prayer over too many tragic community stories
Monday: ping-pong on the porch; homemade vanilla ice cream; floating in a backyard pool and yakking with friends
Tuesday: word that your son has an upcoming interview for the job he really wants
Wednesday: watching your twenty-something son try on new running shoes, remembering the days in Pay-Less when they were all small, testing out new shoes by running down the aisles and jumping up and down
Thursday: blue skies, dry roads and an air-conditioned car when there are dozens of errands to run
Friday: a few hours of unexpected (paid) work; figuring out something on your own; recovering what you thought was lost forever (see below...)
In yesterday's post, I shot a virtual arrow of distress out into Internet-world, asking for help. Only two people responded at all. Even though they didn't have concrete answers, I appreciated their support and suggestions (thank you, Deb and Liz!)
It made me wonder... Is anyone else out there? Do they just not care? Or is everyone else just as ignorant as I am about these things?
The latter made me feel better, so I went with that. (see my Update below!)
The good news is, I figured it out by myself. At least partly ... maybe temporarily ... but at least enough to recover the lost photos and save them onto my computer. It took a few hours and I'm not finished yet. Today I need to figure out a better system.
Here's what I did...
I unplugged the external hard drive, waited awhile, plugged it back in, and then, barely breathing, checked the folder. My heart soared to see those precious photos back again. From now on, I'm going to keep my external hard drive unplugged unless I need it, although I couldn't find information about that written anywhere.
Live and learn... I'm just grateful I had a chance at a re-do on this one.
Update: Since I posted this, I discovered my sweet sister Brenda sent out emails to several professional photographer friends, asking if they could help. And another friend, Shirley, let me know she said a prayer but didn't comment because she didn't have any advice.
It just shows that things aren't always how they appear to be. My apologies and gratitude to both of you and anyone else who is trying to find an answer for me.
And now, thanks to my oldest son, part of the puzzle is solved: The mystery photo of the two girls is one of his, from a semester he spent in Costa Rica. Now how it jumped from that folder (also on my external hard drive) to this latest one is still a mystery...
Anyway, here's my belated Friday Favorite Photo, recently recovered... a reminder of a wonderful day on the lake with friends (possibly my one and only day on the lake this summer) as well as a reminder that even on choppy, turbulent days, some bit of beauty, light or peace can be found.
Before I was fully awake this morning, I started the coffee brewing and switched on the television.
Up popped the devastation in Joplin, Missouri - that hospital with blown windows surrounded by mangled vehicles, toothpick trees and piles of rubbish ... the videos, the woman's voice praying "Help us, Jesus..."
After saying a prayer for all of those affected, I vowed never to complain about the weather here again.
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May is almost over and I'm feeling paranoid.
The past two Mays have given me belated birthday presents that I wouldn't re-gift to my worst enemy.
For my 50th birthday, May gave me a case of shingles which came with an MRI because of the headaches that heralded its arrival and steroid drops for my eyes so I wouldn't go blind.
Last year I guess May felt it had to top the previous one. First, it gave me the worst urinary tract infection of my life. (It was actually only my second ever, but the first one, thirty years ago, was so bad I took every precaution to avoid another.)
I thought that was it (thank you so much!), but then just a week or so later my heart went crazy, pounding and racing so hard and fast that it woke me up. I thought it was going to fly out of my chest! Follow up tests concluded it was SVT, or Supraventricular Tachycardia, basically an electrical short circuit in my heart that causes it to pound and race.
I haven't had another episode, or any other health scares, but then, May isn't over yet, is it? I'm just hoping this "Welcome to your 50's" initiation phase is over.
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My book review for A Jane Austen Education went live on BlogHer this evening (along with several others, if you want more than one opinion!)
I've been thinking about the book again today, mostly thinking it's a shame Jane Austen isn't required reading for everyone. Some people learn the lessons about life on their own that William Deresiewicz, the author, learned from the books, but I know quite a few people who have never learned them, such as the one he learned from Pride and Prejudice: we aren't born perfect and there are some lessons we have to learn on our own in order to grow. We can't learn them from other people. We have to experience our own failure.
I know this was certainly true for me when I was young (and maybe it's still true!). I wish it hadn't been - I wish I'd had the sense to take the advice of those older and more experienced than I was. I hope I have a teeny bit of that sense myself now.
Which reminds me... I saw a blurb on the news today that some state is considering holding parents responsible when their child gets a bad grade. Huh? Maybe I heard it wrong, but if it's true, don't they realize they're just giving parents more reason to do their kids' work for them or encourage them to cheat or that we'd be keeping kids from learning life lessons they need later on? Don't they realize no one is born perfect and everyone has a different path to follow? A different time line?
Where are these people coming from? Why do some people think their way is the only way?
Oops. Sorry.
Anyway, click HERE to read my review on BlogHer... and go read some Jane Austen!
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As far as Mondays go, this hasn't been a great one. Okay, it truly sucked in places (and I don't use that 's' word lightly.)
But I'm still keeping my eyes open for those Sweet! moments and keeping my feet moving forward, even though I don't know what's ahead of me.
These quotes help, so I'm going to add them here in case one of you needs a little 'faith reminder'. (I need them a lot - that's why I collect these quotes!)
"Suppose you plant a garden, and after a few days, you don't see results. Do you dig it up again? No, because you know that a lot of things are going on that you can't see. It's the same with God."
~ Charles Stanley, American Baptist preacher
"Patience with others is love, patience with self is hope, patience with God is faith."
~ADEL BESTAVROS Egyptian deacon and lawyer
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
~Proverbs 3:5-6
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
~Jeremiah 29:11
"God often closes a door before opening a new one. Between those doors, don't worry. Wait, worship and watch! It's a test of faith. Colossians 4:3"
- Rick Warren
"Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods."
~C.S. Lewis
"Hope is wishing for something to come true. Faith is belief that it will come true. Believe that for every problem God gives you, He will also provide you with a solution."
Anyone know who said that? I love it!
But this is my favorite, and the one that truly keeps me going...
Everything works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out yet, it's not the end.
~Author Unknown
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And for me, this is proof of that nugget of truth... the path might be tough, but if you keep going, you just might get fireworks in your honor! (The last of my graduation photos, I promise. Here, anyway. I'll post the rest on "Confessions".)
Saturday night, a Texas moon smiling down on me and Tom by my side, I had one of those Aha! moments.
I realized I was finally experiencing Austin with all five senses in a way I hadn't yet in the nearly sixteen years we've lived here.
I could feel it in the just-cool-enough breeze blowing through the courtyard of Stubb's Bar-B-Q, taste it in my jalapeno brisket taco, hear it in the music of Willie Nelson's son, Lukas, and his band, Promise of the Real and then even more in Los Lonely Boys, those sons of San Angelo, see it in trees and old stone buildings bordering the courtyard and in the diversity of the other fans ... young, old, straight, gay, preppy, hippie, Austin Weird, every race and color imaginable ... and even smell it in the air, an intermittent wafting of barbecue with a hint of... is that marijuana?
Yeah, that's Austin.
Stubb's doesn't allow detachable lenses (discrimination!) and I don't own a point-and-shoot or an iPhone, so I don't have any photos from Saturday night, just these images impressed on my mind.
But here are some photos from the rest of the birthday boy's weekend...
A happy breakfast a la me and Daniel for the birthday boy
Walking with the boys, Kirby and...
...the goofy dogs.
The boys spotted this beetle (just like old times!) Anyone know what it is?
Music is a puppeteer pulling my strings, making me laugh, cry, sing, dance. There are songs that whisk me into the past, songs that soothe my fears, songs that lift my spirits, songs that inspire me, encourage me, give me hope.
I'm just a feather blown this way and that by the melodies and words.
Saturday night I was lucky enough to have two singer/songwriter/musicians in my house who have written the kind of songs that reach into me, wrap themselves around my soul and become a part of me.
Shake Russell's songs have been a part of me since the '70's when I heard Deep in the West for the first time. He has been writing and performing for four decades ...a true musical living legend, but still alive and well and just as wonderful as ever.
Regretfully, I've only just discovered Michael Hearne, although he's been busy writing and performing those soul-stirring songs almost just as long, it seems.
There's just something extra special about listening to their music in our own home, surrounded by friends and family who feel the same way about their music. After listening to the Shake Russell Trio in the comfort of our living room last year, how could we resist doing it again? Michael joining them this year was a sweet surprise.
And the night shall be filled with music, And the cares that infest the day Shall fold their tents like the Arabs And as silently steal away.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Day Is Done
THE Shake Russell, singing in MY living room!
Michael Hearne and Doug Floyd
Mike Roberts
Shake and Michael
Mike, Michael, Shake and Doug
Sitting on the front row, just two feet from the band, is amazing - but it limits you on photos. Thank goodness many of our guests brought their own cameras and have shared their photos with me.
One guest, Lexie, went a step further, playing around with the photos on picjoke.com (I had never even heard of it!) This is just one example, but it's my favorite...
What do you get when you mix a Hootenanny with a 50th birthday party?
A Hawaii-Hootenanny 5-0!
And Saturday night Tom and I were lucky enough to attend one for Liane,
Ms. Hootenanny, herself.
What's a Hootenanny? Here's the official description from its Meet-Up site:
"These open jam sessions are open to all musicians at our outdoor woodsy stage. We keep it mainly acoustic, but we can hookup to some amps occasionally. We do our thing every Friday night and have a great time playing and enjoying newcomer talent. Not much of an audience yet, but we like it just fine! The core band is Linton Mancilla. Our style is a mixture of many, so we can play along with your songs, whatever they may be. We usually have guitar players, a keyboard setup, a mandolin player, a flautist, and some type of percussion (no trap sets yet please!) We start at about 7:00, and people just gradually show up. If this would interest you, please call for directions and such. We are on myspace, search for Linton Mancilla, and at www.sonicbids.com/LintonMancilla"
Ever wonder what a Texas-style Luau would be like?
Come along with me and I'll show you...
You have Big John frying catfish.
Eric grilling salmon.
Cute couples dressing Island-style.
Party decorations. Ahem.
Arrival of the Birthday Girl.
Cupcakes by Karen, Queen of Desserts
Friends, Family and Food
Surfing...
Boots and fancy jeans...
Instruments and musicians waiting patiently for...
Nothing would be more tiresome than eating and drinking if God had not made them a pleasure as well as a necessity. ~Voltaire
Texas has a lot of vineyards and wineries. I bet some of you didn't know that! We noticed one outside of Wimberley named Driftwood and decided to drop in on our way to the Salt Lick.
When I say "we" I mean "me". Tom doesn't care for wine, but hey, it was my birthday!
And it was also Rachel's birthday! Her 21st! She was there with her parents. So of course we had to have a picture together.
(My hair doesn't look too bad, does it, considering it was just released from a zipline helmet and it was at least 120 degrees in that room? Thank you, Michael!)
(This is what Tom wants for his birthday.)
Driftwood is actually a little town... the location of The Salt Lick Bar-b-que (the original). I had never been to the Salt Lick, although it seemed everyone else had been, so I used my birthday as an excuse to get Tom to take me. I was so tired of hearing everyone else rave about it!
(Tom wasn't waiting on me to finish snapping pics - he was hungry!)
Let me tell you... it lived up to it's reputation.
And let me tell you something else... Wednesday afternoons at 4pm is the time to go. No one else is there. From what I've heard, if you go on a weekend, expect to wait in a long line!
But I understand why now - it's divine!
Tom's brisket is this good or better, which is saying a lot because this was damn-good, but Salt Lick's ribs, turkey, sausage were melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and the potato salad and cole slaw were the best I've ever eaten.
(Sorry, Mama.)
(This lasted me two days - Wednesday's dinner and Thursday's lunch - yum!)
The oak trees and picnic tables called to me, so we tarried a little outside, and guess what? We discovered a winery next door...
Since I was hitting legendery Austin places, how could I not stop at Poodie's Hilltop Bar & Grill when I spotted it on our way home? Poodie Locke was Willie Nelson's stage manager for three decades - he ran the bar on the side ... it's one of those unpresuming spots where big names drop in unannounced.
Very unpresuming.
We didn't recognize anyone famous, so we took our drinks outside to a deck overlooking the western horizon, imagining how beautiful the sunset must be from that vantage, and wondering about Peggy...
A long drive home, through Marble Falls, along twisty, turning hill country roads faced us, so we didn't wait around for sunset on the deck.
We made it home just at twilight, in time for a quick walk with the dogs.
And then, another surprise from Tom... a beautiful card and cheesecake!
Now that's the way to welcome 52.
Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been. – Mark Twain
P.S. Update on my sister - she's much better and was released from the hospital this afternoon. She's weak and still on antibiotics, but able to eat again. Yay! Thank you for your prayers and please keep them coming! There's still that hip surgery she needs to recover from... !
I'd sit in the livingroom on Saturday afternoons watching Johnny Weismuller swing from tree to tree on those vines, and then poof! I was in that jungle myself, way up in a tree, grabbing hold of a vine and swinging high above the ground to the next limb. A green blur surrounded me and the wind whistled in my ear...
And then there were the dreams of flying through my neighborhood - not too high, not too fast, just soaring above the treetops.
Well, imagine a combination of the two, and that's what riding the zipline felt like to me yesterday; there was that stepping off into nothing feeling and that swinging feeling (holding onto a lanyard instead of a vine) and that soaring feeling as I glided above the treetops.
I confess I was a little nervous at first. Thank goodness they make you zip on a practice line before they let you go hundreds of feet in the air, because I failed and had to do it again.
Sure, I looked like I knew what I was doing...
...but when it was time to brake, even though I knew I was supposed to press down flathanded on the cable behind me, I clamped down instead, gripping it, and that's a big NO-NO! If I did that up on the real zipline, going 30 mph, my arm would be ripped out and left dangling from the cable, or fall to the ground to be some coyote or vulture's dinner...
Ugh.
Lesson learned. I didn't forget again! (Classroom humiliation really works! That's also how I learned to read the word "something" in first grade, but that's another story...)
Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself...
My wonderful birthday-day started by sleeping beyond sunrise. Yes, I took the day off from work. What better reason could there be but to celebrate life, or more specifically, celebrate another year of your life? Tom took it off, too, just to make me happy.
Then there was coffee - not just any coffee, but some freshly brewed Texas Pecan that my friend Bo sent me. It was leftover from their coffee house that unfortunately couldn't compete with a nearby Starbucks. I was so bummed when I heard it was closing before I even had a chance to visit, so he offered a bit of his leftover "stock" - coincidentally, it arrived just before my birthday!
While I fed the dogs and sipped on my cup of Texas Pecan on the back deck, Tom whipped up a delicious heart-attack breakfast of fried eggs and sausage. Yum!
Thus fortified, we headed off to to Wimberley Zipline Adventures, almost two hours away, where we were issued our helmets, harnesses, lanyards, pulleys, water bottles and "brakes" (leather gloves) and sent over to the practice line, where I failed.
Okay, I'm all caught up.
After we all (finally) passed the practice zipline, we piled into four-wheel drive trucks for a trip up the hill. Then on foot we climbed and climbed and climbed up to the first platform. You start at the highest spot, of course, then criss-cross the valley/ravine along 8 different lines almost to the bottom.
In between, our guide Andrew filled us in on local history and information on native plants that we didn't know (his great-grandfather was Buck Winn, an artist who bought the property back in the 1930's and pretty much established Wimberley as an artist colony.)
I'll explain the rest through photos...
This is taking off (it isn't me, but you get the idea.)
This is me...
Notice the look of concentration as I press the cable flat-handed... "Don't grip! Don't grip!"
Ah, good job, Barbara.
Tom's turn. He's a natural. (show-off!)
He was coming in fast!
We had to take a few posed shots...
Just some random shots to give you an idea of what the heck we were doing!
Look, I'm smiling now! Nothin' to it...
This is FUN!
One of our great guides, Andrew (all of them were wonderful and made it a lot of fun!)
So guess what we did next?
The answer and more tomorrow in "Birthday, Part 2"!
(thanks to my friend Debbie for the idea of "Zippity" in the title, by the way!)
As a college drop-out, I had no personal experience with sororities - just my fraternity of chemical plant technicians ... a fraternity of hardhats and steel-toed boots, you could say.
So I confess to a case of the jitters this past Friday night as I headed downtown for a Wine and Cheese Social. I would be meeting other moms with daughters in TG's sorority. I had worried over what to wear... jeans or dress slacks? What does "modern casual" mean, anyway? I opted for nice jeans and heels, with a dressy blouse and more jewelry than I normally wear. But I just knew I'd stick out, that my social deficiencies would be obvious.
With relief, I noticed I hit the halfway mark between the most dressy and the most casual. And I believe I blended in with the rest of them quite well. I met some of TG's friends and their moms, then she and I drifted out by the pool and had a good chat, all by ourselves. That was the best part.
She's a doll. A smart one.
I'm a lucky mom.
That was Friday night, just the beginning of a Mom/Daughter Weekend...
The next morning, after coffee and danishes in the sorority house, and a fun non-buying shopping excursion at the Domain, we nabbed Daniel from his apartment and headed to downtown Austin. In a Living Social-newbie frenzy back at Christmas, I had bought three half-price meals at Mongolian Grille ("$20 worth of food for $10"!), and they were about to expire. We couldn't let that happen...
We ate our money's worth for sure, but I think we walked it off afterwards. First we headed in the direction of an Art Festival we'd heard about, but made a U-turn at the $8 per person entry price. Instead, we meandered through downtown, finding plenty of free art and interesting things to see everywhere we looked.
Santa, for instance...
Wall art...
Our feet (reflected)...
(Note to self: even out your britches before snapping next time.)
A herd of segway tourists...
And Bacon...
I'm so glad TG spotted her! I walked right on past, oblivious. But at the mention of a baby pig, I hurried back, introduced myself to Matthew (Bacon's daddy), snapped a zillion photos, asked a half-zillion questions (she's one month old; she'll only get a few inches bigger; when she needs to go potty, she lets him know by pulling on a rope attached to a bell with her mouth ... and she's only a month old!)
...and then begged to hold that sweet baby pig. Matthew's friend offered to take some photos...
Isn't she precious?
Tempting. Very tempting.
I reluctantly handed Bacon back to Matthew and we finished up our walk and dropped Daniel back home. The Mom/Daughter weekend finished up at a boutique, where we munched on quesadillas and taquitos from a nearby restaurant while ogling clothes we couldn't afford, which was actually fun because few of the others bought anything, either. And we got goody bags. Goody bags make everything fun, but then, it was fun just hanging out with TG a little longer.
I made it home in time to watch a movie with Tom - Stone of Destiny, which apparently got a Rotten Tomato award, but I liked it. It's based on a true story, I think more than most "based on a true story" movies are.
Sunday was a 'try to catch up' day, but we managed to squeeze in a game of ping-pong. I let Tom beat me this time - just so he won't get tired of playing, of course.
(Not really. Now I feel guilty. He beat me fair and square. I'll get him next time...)
I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too!
P.S. Please continue to keep my sister Brenda in your prayers as she recovers from her hip surgery, as well as my parents who are caring for her. She's already had to battle a stomach virus and now she's back in the hospital with a bladder infection. Thank you in advance!
TG and I spent a morning together last week running errands. (It's kind of weird how even errands can be fun now, if my kids are with me. It sure didn't feel that way very often when they were small... )
We took time for a quick lunch, then had one more stop to make near campus before I dropped her off and headed back home.
A man sat outside the door of the store, handing out slips of paper. I took the one he offered me, said thank you, and flashed a perfunctory smile. Colorful characters like that are common in the area, dotting the sidewalks and streets, and it's not unusual for them to be passing out flyers or tracts, promoting concerts, products or ideologies.
Believing it held nothing to interest me, I tucked the paper in my purse without a single glance; my mind was on my daughter and the afternoon ahead of me, and I forgot about it.
As we left the store, the man offered another slip of paper. No thanks, we already have one, I told him, with another one of those polite "thanks, but I'm not interested" smiles.
That night, digging through my purse, I came across the paper and read these words.
HIGHER
Eagle flies
Open skies
Pale moonlight
Taking flight
Overseas
Feel the breeze
Colors fade
Life is made
Spread my wings
Spirit sings
Love has come
Nothing undone
All is seen
Love's wind I lean
Take me higher
Burdens lighter
Above the clouds
Your love shrouds
In Your peace
Is sweet release
Your child takes flight
In Truth is light
Your beauty gleams
Give me strength to fulfill my dreams.
Ah, man. This is what he was passing out? I had carried this treasure around with me all day without even looking at it, and I had passed up the chance for more, or to ask the zillion questions now popping up in my mind, like "are you Rizzy?", or to even say thank you and really mean it?
The poem is full of inspiration for me, just the kinds of words I need right now ... so I'll go ahead and say it, late as it is ...
While I sit here typing away on my computer, throngs of people are converging on city streets (including Austin's) eating, drinking, and getting all of that rowdy, overindulgent behavior out of their systems, because tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, and for the next 6 weeks they'll be pure as hermit monks...
(Do I detect some cynicism out there? Shame on you!)
I'm not out there in Fat Tuesday revelry because I pretty much celebrated Fat Tuesday all weekend long! It started Thursday night with the arrival of my sweet, longtime friend, Rae. Longtime, as in "since 5th grade"!
She surprised me with this plate, because that's the way she is...
"...fame is the scentless sunflower...but friendship is the breathing rose..." I just love that!
(By the way... happy birthday, Oliver Wendell Holmes!)
Tom fixed us his famous hot wings, and then we sat on the back porch listening to music, petting puppies, sipping red wine and playing catch-up until the chill chased us in.
The next day I took her on a long tour of the Hollow, up and down the hills, along the creek bed, everywhere! Then we headed up the highway for lunch and a few hours of shopping in Salado before coming back to the house, spiffying ourselves up, grabbing Tom and meeting other friends for more wonderful food (and more wonderful wine) at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse, one of our favorite hangouts (especially on these gorgeous spring nights!)
One of my favorite singer/songwriters, Drew Womack, serenaded us, and then Tom and I lingered longer than the rest to listen and dance. (Rae house-hopped to our friend Darla's. We share, as good friends do.)
Eight representatives of DPHS Class of '77, and one beautiful daughter.
Drew Womack, singer/songwriter
The next morning my eyes popped open too early, mind racing, filled with all I needed to do before hitting the highway for a quick trip to my parents' house near Houston. Tom had to stay home to tend to our gypsy-dogs, but Daniel tagged along, and I enjoyed having that time with him on the road.
We barely had twenty-four hours with my parents, but it was fun, feeding the squirrels peanuts, snapping photos of the birds on the feeder, watching the kids in an adjoining backyard tumble about on their trampoline. My sister came by for a good visit, and my brother and niece dropped in after work to help us move my grandmother's piano from the livingroom back into her room - a pretty major ordeal, but we did it! Mama's happy. And she promised not to worry about imposing on us when there's something they need help with. (Did I ever explain that she just wanted the piano out of the livingroom, not necessarily gone, but she didn't want to "impose" on us? sigh...)
The next morning, Daddy, aka "The Breakfast King", fixed us bacon and eggs!
Between that and the pizza we had for dinner the night before, Daniel and I decided we better take at least a short walk through the neighborhood before sitting for hours in the car ... again.
Well, Daniel mostly rode his long board... and I mostly snapped photos...
After our walk, we enjoyed yet another huge meal - Mexican food with Mama and Daddy - and then boom! it was time to hit the road back to Austin.
But not until I grabbed some more photos, of course. You can never have too many photos of your kids or your mom and dad, you know.
And that was my Fat Tuesday weekend. Perhaps you can understand why part of my focus during this Lent is to get back on track taking care of myself - I tend to go overboard way too often.
I'll touch on Lent a little more tomorrow - but tonight I need to hit the Publish button on this and go to bed. (Getting enough sleep is going to be another Lenten focus ... starting tomorrow.)
Are you doing anything special for Lent? Giving anything up? Adding anything to your routine?
My legs ache so bad!. This is one of the worst cases of shin splints I've had in ages!
No, I didn't run in the Austin Marathon. But I did run/walk 28 zig-zagging, uphill/downhill blocks in record time, camera bag ricocheting around my body, trying to reach the finish line in time to see my oldest baby son victoriously cross it after running the Half.
I didn't make it.
I'm not sure who that is in the photo above, but I know it's not my son. He doesn't usually wear sports bras. (But congratulations to whoever you are, anyway! Way to go!)
I staggered up, sweating more than the runners, about ten minutes after Tommy crossed. I'm glad he had his cell phone so I could find him...
A few minutes later, I spotted Kirby (the pretty redhead) just after she crossed.
That's right! ... I ran (okay, walked/ran) 28 blocks just to take pictures of my son and his girlfriend and tell them congratulations. I am Mom!
A bit of Marathon Mayhem, Austin-style...
The champs together, already discussing next year's half-marathon...
Look at these medals ... aren't they beautiful?
After walking back 28 blocks to our car (parked at Daniel's apartment), we met Tommy and Kirby at Trudy's for a celebratory dinner and Mexican Martini toast. They clean up pretty nice, don't you think?
I'm thinking I might join them in the half marathon next year. I mean, these people make it look pretty easy, don't they?
And you're entertained along the way...
But then, there are the hills (oh, my aching shin splints...)
Well, I have some time to think about it. But you know, if I'm going to be sore the day after, I'd rather be able to say it's from running it rather than running to it.
We took our time walking back, coming upon the full marathon runners as they made their way across the University of Texas campus. A few stood out. There was the blind runner, using his cane to check his path - how inspirational is that? And then there was this one, who just, well, stood out...
Now we know what Santa does in the off-season...
If we weren't planning to meet Tommy and Kirby for the celebration lunch, we would have rested for awhile near these guys and just listened to the music. They were really good!
I first spotted this sculpture of wild mustangs fifteen years ago, when I chauffered Tommy and other fifth graders to the college for a career project. I've passed it several times since and wished I could take a photo, but either didn't have my camera or the time. Sunday I had both.
See? No time limit on wishes...
We passed some other interesting houses, graffiti, wall art, along our trek back to Daniel's apartment. (The day was just full of adventure!) Check Confessions tomorrow for those (as well as a few others I took downtown.)
If you've run a marathon or half-marathon, tell me about it. Help me decide if I should give it a try or not.
(This is my contribution to week 7 of focus52 sponsored by Jan at twoscoopz. Click HERE to see the other contributions to the prompt "Close Up".)
He stood on the edge of the dance floor, toes tapping, body bouncing to the beat, feet shuffling, preparing for take-off.
I recognized those signs: he wanted to dance.
I recognized the signs because I was doing the same thing next to our table, 20 feet away. Tom had turned me down on this song (Too fast!) and so I thought, What the heck? So what if this tall dark cowboy is 20 years younger than me? I'm 50, dammit! This is a good song and I want to dance!
(Okay, okay, 51, but if you're over 50, you know what I mean. Just a few years ago I wouldn't have had the nerve to ask a stranger to dance like that, but now, who cares? There's no time to waste!)
I made my move, hoping he didn't twirl off with someone else before I got there.
(Funny. I realize now I never thought of rejection. Just preemption. See above explanation about life after 50.)
Do you want to dance?
Sure!
I realize now it might have been embarrassing if he had said "no" - but he didn't, thank goodness! He grabbed my hand and my waist and we were off. I expected a fast polka and had to readjust my step to his really fast two-step, but it was a smooth transition, and soon he was even spinning me around...
...which was tricky, because we were at Austin's legendary Broken Spoke on a dance floor that might comfortably provide for 10 couples - but there were at least 50 all vying for space. At times it was more like a session of bumper cars than dancing.
Despite the crowd, Tom and I danced quite a bit (they weren't all fast songs) - we did our best to break in hismy Christmas shoes, fulfilling my wish for a night of dancing.
It was also a night with friends, eating, talking, and catching up, and scratching something off of my Austin Bucket List: dancing at the Broken Spoke.
But neither one of us has any desire to go back. And not just because of the tiny, overpacked dance floor. The place just seems to be trying to cash in on its legend. The band (Bobby Flores) was pretty good, but the service in the restaurant was terrible, the chicken fried steak was far from the best I've ever eaten, and this is the first dance hall I've ever been to that didn't provide water for free: $2 for a bottle, take it or leave it.
I took it then refilled it in the ladies' restroom.
But at least now I can say I've been to the Broken Spoke. I just wish I could have said it twenty or thirty years ago, before it became another Texas caricature. (It reminds me of Gilley's after Urban Cowboy, except at least Gilley's still had a large dance floor!)
Still on my Austin Bucket List ... La Zona Rosa, Austin Music Hall, Cedar Street, Stubbs BBQ, Cactus Cafe, Cedar Street, Continental Club, the Hole in the Wall, Mount Bonnell, Salt Lick BBQ, The Blanton Museum, the UT Tower, the Elisabet Ney Museum ...
Last night, just as I was about to drift off to sleep, I swear I smelled cinnamon toast. You know that kind where you put four globs of butter on a slice of white bread, then sprinkle cinnamon all over it and finally, cover the whole thing in sugar and toast it in a small broiler oven like we had when I was growing up, open on one side so the smell tiptoes out...
That's what I smelled. Cinnamon toast browning in my mama's toaster oven.
It halted me in my fall into slumber - and then I couldn't get back to sleep, because my brain started turning...
I wondered why the hell I was smelling cinnamon toast.
Then I thought about my W-2 form, and how I didn't have enough taken out for taxes and now we were going to have to pay big-time... I thought about the bills I needed to pay, and how it was good my hours had picked up again, but then how frustrating it was that I wouldn't have time to work on my book just when I got on a roll again... and no time to bang on my drums... and I tried to figure out how I could fit it all in, but still get enough sleep, because I'm trying so hard to eat right and exercise and take care of myself, but what good is it if I'm not getting the sleep I need? That's the glue that holds it all together!
I know this, and yet there I was, lying wide awake, watching the clock tick beyond the chance to get six hours of sleep... dang it, now only five... so I tried 'emptying my pockets' (handing it all over to God), visualizing myself reaching deep and pulling each of these things out and handing them over, and then I tried just old fashioned prayer and then I tried deep-breathing and thinking "Oh, I'm soooo tired and this is soooo comfortable..." and somehow in all of that, I finally fell asleep.
But here I am again, wouldn't you know, still sitting at the computer, plotting how I can get at least seven hours if I really hurry, and that's plenty, isn't it? but I was determined to post something on my photography site - I have so many photos I've almost forgotten about and it drives me absolutely crazy when I continue putting it off again and again, so tonight I just sat down and did it... I posted some photos from the day after Christmas when we drove out to Taylor, Texas to meet friends for dinner just as the sun was setting on the farmsteads. (You can take a look here.)
My puzzle pieces still don't fit... work, sleep, photography, blogs, writing, reading, answering email, household stuff, family... do yours? If they do, please share your secret!
We're coming off of a quiet, lie-low weekend. Tom and I both felt the need to stick close to home. I don't know about you, but as much as I enjoy getting out with my friends, dancing, eating, shopping... there are times when I just want to burrow into my cave, hide the entrance, and have some down time.
This was one of those weekends. Tom and I burrowed, going for walks, playing ping-pong, and tackling projects during the day (I cleaned bathrooms and my "library" - fun stuff like that) and then relaxing and watching movies at night ... "Gattica" (great science fiction) and "The Madness of King George" (historical fiction.) Both from the '90's. Both really good! Jude Law, Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Helen Mirren, Nigel Hawthorne... it was a star-studded weekend!
I never realized we missed so many good movies in the '90's. Grown-up movies, anyway. I think we were busy watching what the kids wanted to watch... "The Mummy", "Mystery Men"... I enjoyed those, too, but wow, how did I miss so many others?
But the big news of the weekend is... Tom fixed my lens!
Need proof? I took this of him cleaning up his tools at my junky little work area (he found the instructions on the internet)... the very first photo with my refurbished lens...
I swear, this man can do anything he puts his mind to, especially if it's going to save him some money! Even after almost 30 years, he still amazes me.
...now, I admit I had to nudge him a little to fix it. I planned to see my friend Amory Castro's play on Sunday, and I wanted to be ready to take photos if the chance arose... not impossible with my zoom, but a tad awkward. I didn't have to nudge too often or too hard, though. I didn't have to go into an all-out nag over it, thank goodness.
I've always been too shy to be an actor, so it always amazes me how someone can step out on a stage and transform into a different person altogether.
It takes a great script, of course, one with believable characters, action and dialogue, and this play had all of those. The actors were amazing; even though this was all they had to work with - two tables, a ladder, and a branch -
- once the play began, instead of these simple props, I saw a kitchen, a meadow, a craft store, a dining room... pretty much a small town, right there in front of me!
How do they do that?
I forgot to take photos during the play - too swept away by the story! But I managed to corral Amory (on the right) and Erica Heidepriem, who played the part of Charlotte. for a couple of shots when it was over.
No way to get the rest of the cast - as you can see in the background of this one, they were already busy striking the set. Ah, show business...
(Open your eyes, Amory! You're a successful playwright!! Congratulations!)
Don't worry - it's not too late to see the play yourself! There are still two more performances of "What You Touch is Gold" at the Salvage Vanguard Theater - Jan 26th at 7:00pm and Jan 30th at 7:30pm.
The sun came out for the first time in days today. I made sure I slipped outside to feel its warmth on my skin. I've heard it's only visiting for a couple of days, then it's off again ... a gypsy sun, just popping in and out... so I didn't want to miss it!
I wish it had paid a visit this weekend. Instead, a cold misty rain hung around, which wouldn't have been bad if it had been a slow weekend close to home, one spent watching movies, reading, writing, keeping the fire going in the wood-burning stove...
But it wasn't. We had plans. Places to go. Things to do. And we didn't let that rain stop us, either, by golly!
Friday night Tom learned why I'm in love with Eddie V - and I think he might have fallen in love himself! We met my friend Tamara and her husband Rod there, just like my first rendezvous with Eddie V (it's a "where", not a "who", in case you're wondering), and again, for several hours I was in Taste Bud Heaven. The best part was getting to spend time with Tamara and Rod, though, and having Tom finally be able to enjoy their company as well.
Saturday evening we ignored the rain again and headed downtown to meet up with some of my former high school classmates and even some alumni I didn't know! Many of them traveled from the Houston area in the yucky weather for the gathering at Fado's, where lots of talking, laughing, reminiscing, eating, drinking, and listening of music ensued... specifically music by the band Mysterious Ways, a U2 tribute band, befitting an Irish Pub.
The part for my versatile lens didn't arrive in time, so I did the best I could with my zoom... mostly photos of the band...
(I was playing around with the settings and got this one somehow - I think it's kind of creepy and cool at the same time!)
...and this one of me and my 9th grade boyfriend, Larry...
But before you get any ideas, look at this... you'll see Larry got around that night...
Sunday was my day-before-empty-nest day (see my last post), totally focused on TG... church, shopping, eating, delivering, hugging, and saying goodbye... for now. I refused to worry or stress about anything else except enjoying the time with her and helping her get a good start on the semester.
So far, I'm sticking with my resolution... what about you?
...I said hey, hey, hey, don't let another moment pass away...
Today I also thought about the impact Martin Luther King, Jr. made on our country. He was a man, just like any other... he had his faults, his sins... but that only shows that each of us is capable of more than we thought possible, too. These are some of his quotes that I call my favorites... they apply today as much as they did then.
Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.
Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.
Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek.
Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
I experienced another dream come true Friday night, one I had given up on long ago, and I owe it all to a tall, bearded stranger in a red sweater.
No, it wasn't Santa. This tall stranger's name was Phil (or Bill...the music was loud and my hearing isn't what it used to be!) Phil/Bill needed someone to dance with, and I just happened to be at the right place at the right time, on the edge of the empty dance floor, probably tapping my foot as I studied the drummer of this amazing rocking, funky, blues-y band, Seventh Sun.
(No photos because of the camera fiasco last week; I didn't feel like lugging around my zoom lens. But click on their name to check out the website and hear a sample of their music. The photo below is from their website.)
Tom and I were at a company Christmas party - an annual event hosted by one of Tom's old bosses, Al. It's a reunion for Tom...he gets to reconnect with past coworkers from his first job in Austin, at a small engineering company.
Al knows how to throw a party...there's always a lot of food, but best of all, a live band, usually Relentless Jones; one of the ex-coworkers is a member.
They're great, but for some reason they weren't available this year, so we were introduced to Seventh Sun. No compaints! They're a relatively new band, but they were awesome!
So back to my dream..
On countless Saturday nights, years ago when I was single, I would stand wistful on the edge of various dancefloors, envious of the women twirling round and round and round. My boyfriend was a solid two-stepper, but not a 'twirler'. Same with Tom, and since I expected him to be my main dance partner for the rest of my life, I let go of that twirling dream.
I've also never been very good at jitterbugs or 'swings', so last night when Phil/Bill swung me around, I apologized and told him I just wasn't good at it.
"You're a good dancer! Just don't step out so far and you'll be able to twirl."
Twirl? Did he say 'twirl'? So I tried it.
And I twirled.
And twirled.
And twirled.
Round and round and round I went (I felt like a ballerina!) then he pulled me back, twirled himself around, twirled me around some more, and then we slid smoothly back into a quick two-step.
Sigh.
Dream come true.
Obviously, there are no expiration dates on dreams.
I didn't see my camera hit the concrete; it all happened way too fast...the oh-crap look on Tom's face, the metallic clunk that made me wince. By the time my eyes caught up to it, it already lay still and naked on the hangar floor, staring up at me, the lens skidding several feet away.
Tom had been holding it for me, the strap hooked over one shoulder. Somehow, in the process of goodbye hugs and handshakes with friends who were leaving the party early, the strap slipped off and he couldn't catch it in time.
I think that's what happened anyway. Tom was so upset about it, I didn't ask many questions. I was just relieved that the only damage is a small nick in the lens body, possibly a super glue fix. The camera itself is fine and I was just grateful I was using my basic lens, not my more expensive zoom lens.
If the lens can't be fixed...oh, well.
No, I'm serious! I just wasn't that upset about it. It surprised me - if you read my blog much, you know I love that camera and I'm obsessed with taking photos - but it's just a thing. It took me a few minutes to convince Tom to quit worrying about it and just enjoy the evening.
Because we were at the annual Vernon Hangar Christmas party, listening to an awesome band and much too busy talking, eating, drinking, dancing, and laughing. No room for worrying about a thing, even if the thing was my camera.
Tommy's sweet girlfriend Kirby offered to let me borrow her Canon Rebel; I took her up on it for a few shots (one of her with her grandmother and one with her aunt), but then I was happy to just let her be in charge of snapping the memories. I know she'll share.
Tall propane heaters chased the chill from the hangar where the band, Soulution, mesmerized us with their musical talent and got us dancing...also good for chasing the chill away.
Besides the music from the band, we were also entertained by the Vernon's daughter Sierra singing everything from Lady Gaga to Christmas carols, and eventually even Kirby gave in to her uncles' and aunts' pleading (she's the Vernon's niece) and performed for us. Oh, my gosh, she has an amazing voice! Too much talent for one family - not fair!
Perhaps it was because those two had the gumption to sing in front of the crowd, I'm not sure, but guess what? I made my public debut on the drums!
I was terrible, I know, but the point is, I actually played in front of People! They all told me how good I was, but I think it's only because I wasn't as terrible as they expected me to be. Even Tom said he was impressed (I've never even played in front of him!)
The drummer had let two others take turns on his drums, and I just couldn't resist taking a turn myself. I sat down, picked up the sticks and banged away. Such a sense of freedom and fun! I just kept drumming and drumming and drumming and they had to come and pry the sticks out of my hands and pull me away!
No, not really, but I did take a much longer turn than the others, I think; I finally came out of the spell and released the sticks of my own volition. The drummer questioned me about my drumming experience and offered me some tips. Yeah, that's right...I was talking "drums" with a real live professional drummer.
The night flew by. Before we knew it, it was 3 a.m. Clocks always seem to spin faster when you're having fun, don't they?
Thanks again to the Vernons for hosting another wonderful, rocking Christmas Celebration in the Hangar!
And now here are some of the highlights I captured before the camera catastrophe...
Hostess Rachel - this woman knows how to throw a party!
Me and my friend Kim - I haven't seen her in well over a year. Maybe two! She slipped off to the other side of the lake and got married. It was so good getting to see her again and finally meet her husband!
Tommy and Kirby in the best seats in the house...an OV-1 Mohawk.
Soulution!
(Heads up to those of you in the Austin area - this band really, truly rocks! You can find them at Cedar Street, Maggie Mae's and other spots, playing both covers and original work. We listened to their CD today, all original music - I love it! I have a feeling Tom and I will be going to see them again soon.)
A cold front dropped in for a visit this weekend and has decided to stick around for a few days, so Tom and I took advantage of it tonight and made our first pot of Winter 2010 Chili.
We made a great team - he browned the meat and chopped onions...I added the tomatoes and seasonings and came back periodically for tastings (and adjustments) while he kept an eye on it. He knows I'm not good at the "keeping an eye on it" stage - I get distracted by too many other things, like laundry, loading the dishwasher, cleaning off my desk, decorating the tree (as you can see, the only common theme on my tree is sappy sentimentality...)
We made way too much chili for just the two of us, and we'll be sick of it by the time we finish it all, but, man oh man, it hit the spot tonight!
A little of this and a little of that makes great chili...and also a great weekend!
We started off right, with friends, music under the stars, and a bonfire. Hootenanny!
We have fun even if it's just a handful of us out there, but Friday night there was a real crowd - so many talented musicians playing all kinds of music, and enough others in the audience that Tom and I didn't feel alone. Thanks again to Jim and Liane for hosting this every week.
Saturday Tom and I took advantage of a day at home to scratch things off of our dusty to-do lists...but we threw in a walk with the dogs and a game of ping-pong (I won!), and a movie, because, after all, it was Saturday!
Sunday after Mass I needed to run into town to the bank...to the grocery store...to Goodwill to drop off boxes I've been moving from room to room for months... Normally I would procrastinate, but I knew if I didn't just go, I'd end up having to go late one night this week (NO!) or I'd be late to the infamous St. Mary's Adult Christmas Party, where we get to visit with friends, and enjoy Rudy's Barbecue (sigh), complementary "adult" beverages, and a dance floor almost all to ourselves...
When was the last time you did the Hokey-Pokey?
I've known Mary, on the left, for years, but I just discovered that in a previous life she interviewed Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, and other celebrities while working at a radio station years ago in California. People are full of surprises (and I love that about people!)
My friend Karen didn't realize when I encouraged her to come to the dance even though her husband was out of town that I had ulterior motives...getting her to fill in on dancing with me when Tom pooped out. I think this was taken right after her first "chicken dance".
We never get to spend time with these two anymore...Tom D. helped us build our house (we couldn't have done it without him!) and I loved subbing for Berniece's English and theater classes in my other life...she is an amazing teacher!
And this couple is proof that you should never give up on love popping up where you least expect it (and they're also the best dancers, although I couldn't catch a good one of him flipping her.)
A little of this, a little of that...works with chili and weekends!
Are you going to cook up some casseroles, label them with the days of the week and freeze them for me?
He laughed. I think he thought I was joking.
Well, sure...I was...a little bit...
He's off, away on his own for a few days, as of yesterday morning, visiting his parents, his brother, and his brother's family. If I could afford to take a few days off from work, I'd be with him. We haven't seen his parents since last Thanksgiving! How did this year slip by us so fast?
I stayed so busy yesterday, though, it didn't fully hit me he was gone until I came home from dinner out with friends to this empty house. And it wasn't just because I had to feed the dogs! (Normally, he has night duty.)
After rushing through my morning chores, I spent a few hours in a movie theater with 2/3 of my kids - a noon showing of the latest Harry Potter movie - munching popcorn and trying to remember the storyline of the book it's based upon. It's been years since I read it. I got totally hooked with the first book; Daniel won a drawing at his school's book fair and he picked it as his prize, based on the cover.
I read a chapter of it to these 2/3's every evening...and couldn't wait for the next one. By the second or third book in the series, my kids were too impatient...couldn't wait until evening for me to read...couldn't take just a chapter at a time. They took turns devouring the book in one, maybe two days.
I'm pretty sure that was the end of our nightly readings. Sigh. Dang you, Harry and J.K. Rowling.
But thank you, too, for that magical world, wonderful characters, and makes-me-so-jealous writing.
I'm not sure why we even go to see the movies. It doesn't matter how well made they are - they just can't and don't come close to the experience of reading the books, and we usually end up annoying all of the patrons around us with our whispered commentary.
Yes, I'll warn you next time we go so you don't have to listen to us.
After delivering the 2/3's back to campus (discussing the movie the whole way, and ultimately deciding we need to produce our own) I headed to the bank, the grocery store, home again...unloaded groceries, patted dogs, changed clothes, and jumped back in the car to meet friends for dinner at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse.
I let Tom take my camera with him to Florida...a tough decision, let me tell you. (I think it even surprised him! But I reasoned that he would be seeing his parents - I would be seeing autumn leaves, colorful weeds and wrestling dogs. It was really a no-brainer and I'm ashamed I even had to think about it.)
So, I couldn't take any photos last night of our group! But I can describe it to you...
Six of us sat outside at a rectangular table, enjoying steak, shrimp, elk, yummy rolls, sauteed mushrooms and more. I sat between Rod and Tamara, and across from us were Robert, Roy and Darla. (That's when I first really felt Tom's absence!) A nice breeze blew in from the lake...it bordered on being too cool without a jacket, but overhead heaters cycled on and off, keeping the chill away.
Above us the shy full moon hid behind gauzy clouds.
And if that wasn't enough for a beautiful evening, just a few feet away, Drew Womack sang to us - he's another one of those musician, singer-songwriters oozing with talent that has stepped over the edge of stardom once or twice, but not as far as I think he should go, and I don't understand why.
He has an amazing voice... click HERE to hear for yourself, and check out the video down below that I found of him singing at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse back in January. He's much better in person, of course, but it gives you idea of his talent.
Thank you, friends, for a wonderful Saturday night. It would have been a long, lonely evening here at the house without Tom...eating a sandwich, listening to CD's, typing away at the computer.
Last Thursday I sat in a small club with friends listening to a harmony of poetry, guitars, a bass and a mandolin...
The music and words danced together...took me by the hand and pulled me along on a journey...
They reached into my heart, triggering long-lost memories and emotions.
But then, out of no where, I also found myself thinking about success and failure, and what defines either one.
I was at the Saxon Pub for the first time ever. It's a small nightclub, an intimate setting between the musicians and the audience. The Shake Russell Trio performed, joined by Michael Hearne...my first time ever to hear him.
Shake and Michael have written some wonderful songs, separately and together. Both are poets and musicians with loads of talent.
Shake Russell's voice, music, and poetry captivated me years ago, but to my surprise, he never made it 'big'...not by Nashville, New York or Hollywood terms, anyway. From the first time I heard "Deep in the West" 30 plus years ago, I expected to hear his distinctive voice all over the radio.
Never did.
A couple of big names recorded some of his songs, but their voices don't compare to his, especially when performing his songs. Why didn't some music executive jump on the ones he recorded himself and promote them?
Maybe it was Shake's choice.. Perhaps he would have had to conform, fit into a niche created by someone else, and it just wasn't worth it.
I really don't know.
But I realize it's a possibility. What is the definition of success anyway? Winning awards? Making a lot of money? Maybe to some, but not to everyone.
Next to me Thursday night sat Debbie, a girl I haven't seen since high school...and didn't know well back then...but thanks to my blog and Facebook, I didn't feel a stretch of years between us at all. That in itself is enough to make me feel my blog is successful - helping me connect to other people, even if I don't have hundreds of readers like other blogs I come across.
Why do I even keep comparing?
I guess success can mean different things to different people. Shake has certainly touched a lot of lives with his music and poetry - when we had our house concert last April, we heard so many stories from friends about what his music meant to them. They wondered, like I did, why they didn't hear his name or music more often.
He has recorded tons of songs on CD's and sold many of his songs to other artists (one is on the radio now..."The Girl Just Loves to Dance", recorded by Gary P. Nunn. Request it on the radio so Shake and co-writer Michael can make some money!)
Maybe it's a matter of timing - of having the right person hear you...of producing the right material... at just the right time.
Maybe it's just that he hasn't promoted himself enough. I've gotten to know Shake enough lately that I can see what a gentle spirit he has. I know the part I hate most about writing is sending out queries, pieces of my writing, like bait on a fishing pole, hoping someone will bite and I'll reel in the big one.
That only happens if you put your hook in the water, though, and for some of us, it's tough. We don't like fishing - we hope someone else mans the pole so we can spend our time writing, not promoting ourselves. Maybe we're just afraid nothing will ever bite, so we're afraid to cast that line to begin with...
If we can't promote ourselves, though...if we don't believe in ourselves and our gifts...how can we expect anyone else to?
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?”
--Marianne Williamson.
Shake is still young enough - I think his time is coming. Maybe it's all going to come together soon for him. I hope so.
I've been in a bit of a slump myself - even this post has been tough, sorting my thoughts, trying to get my words right. Maybe it's from not having as much time as I'd like to devote to it, split between my book and work and life. Maybe I'm just tired. Last night I chose working on my book and sleeping...tonight I'm determined to finish this one and move on.
It makes it easy for those renegade thoughts to slip in...it's all a waste of time, but underneath, I can hear this other voice telling me to keep going.
"We must travel in the direction of our fear." ~ John Berryman
Someone posted that one on Facebook last week. John didn't explain why we needed to do this, but I suspect it has to do with either growing stronger or getting lost and fading away.
Inspirational quotes keep popping out at me, encouraging me. Tom and I stopped at Panda Express Sunday night on our way in town from our visit with my parents.
"Discover the talents within yourself," my fortune cookie told me. It's pretty sad when your fortune cookie is having to cheer you on, but I do appreciate it. I take all I can get.
And I spotted this motivational speech on success by Kevin Spacey last week. He makes some good points, but in other spots gets a little vague, and I'm not sure what the heck he's trying to say. If you have time, listen to it and tell me what you think...
Yeah, I think success and drive need to come from within, but I still think there are other markers of success, like enough money to pay the mortgage, and ward off worry for when you're older. I think if you can make a living and pay your doctor bills off of your dream, that's success.
But maybe success comes before that. Maybe it's as simple as that point when you decide it's a worthwhile goal, worthy of your time, energy and lack of sleep.
Or maybe it's when someone tells you they enjoy what you're doing.
Here's another quote I came across last week. (I'm telling you, they were jumping out at me!)
There are those of us who are always about to live. We are waiting until things change, until there is more time, until we are less tired, until we get a promotion, until we settle down — until, until, until. It always seems as if there is some major event that must occur in our lives before we begin living.
George Sheehan American columnist, 20th century
I'm trying my hardest to live now, in this moment, every moment...and not wait for a "better" time...because, quite frankly, I'm sitting smack dab in the time I've been waiting for. Or maybe I just realized there isn't ever going to be any better time. If this isn't it, it's not coming.
I just wish it was a little easier... I'm really tired.
What about you? Have you started "living" or are you still waiting? Are you following your dream?
Are you successful? Please tell me what that means to you.
Meanwhile, here are some photos from Thursday night...
Dee (Shake's beautiful wife and my sweet friend), Debbie (from high school who has a beautiful smile even though she hasn't learned to keep her eyes open in a photograph...I'm not giving up on her!), and me...
The musicians and poets...Mike Roberts, Shake, Michael Hearne, Doug Floyd...
Kevin (Debbie's husband), Debbie and Tom...
The circle widens...my new friend Helen with Dee, her longtime friend...
...dancing (I danced, too...but I don't let him dance with anyone else very often!)...
...ping-pong (and another reunion with more sweet friends, Shari and Robert!)...
Shari's the champ!
...lots and lots more dancing ...talking on the front porch until dawn is knocking on the door...waking early to squeeze in just a little more time with them...
...and you've got yourself one fantastic weekend! (no photos of the second half by request.)
Yes, I'm exhausted. But happy...and ready to do it all over again!
I played my drums this morning - just one quick song streaming through my hand-me-down iPod knock-off... "My Alien" by Simple Plan.
It's the first time this week I've picked up the drumsticks. I think I might have once last week. I can't remember. The weeks, the mornings, just blur together.
By necessity I'm focusing my time on making money right now, and I realize I will never, ever, ever make any money playing the drums, so it really makes no sense to play them at all. But I'm old enough not to worry too much about making sense or being logical, and last night my blood pulsed to the beat of other drummers, firing me up to grab my drumsticks this morning and pound away.
My sweet friend Liane, knowing I have a soft spot for drums (if not a drop of talent) invited me to a performance of Drumline Live.
Oh, man. Even from the balcony where we sat...even with my fading 50+ eyesight...those flying, dancing drumsticks on the stage below mesmerized me. I felt the beat. Tapped it out with my foot. Longed to mimic the movements with my hands.
I know I'll never be that good. Now maybe, if I practiced an hour or two every day...maybe then I'd be a passable drummer. But at this rate, well, I might have lots of dreams, but I don't live in a dream world. But I have fun playing. I play for me.
The thing is, just because you're not the best at something - or even any good - if you have fun doing it, then do it. Do it for yourself. Do it to the best of your ability, but don't worry about anything else.
Hope you enjoy these drummer videos - friends send them to me to inspire me, and they do, but my skills resemble those of the last one much more than the first two...and I'm sure always will! Thanks anyway Mike, Tom, and Doug. Keep 'em coming!
(Ignore the 'wrong gig' part of the first one and just enjoy his drumming. Who named this, anyway?)
This girl's amazing!
And then there's me...but see the smile on my face?
I love a good tradition, especially one that involves getting together with friends. One of my favorite new ones is the bi-annual Tully/Brad weekend... two sports-addicted longtime friends from high school who take time in the fall (football) and the spring (March Madness) to catch up on each other's lives while devoting several days to watching the previously-mentioned games.
They're gracious enough to invite a bunch of us to tag along for bits of it... mostly the ones involving food... and so finally, finally, this weekend I got to experience Austin's 6th Street...
I'll vouch that it's still fun at 51! At least for me it was... lots of music, people dancing, glimpses of drummers in windows, neon signs, historical brick buildings, and of course, colorful characters everywhere.
Thank you, Tully and Brad!
First, a gathering in the loft overlooking 6th street... Class of '77 reps me, Tully, Gina, Ann, Brad...
...on to dinner outside on a gorgeous night at the Chupacabra Cantina, joined by Darla, Roy, Leslie and Clive...
...and then a move inside to watch the Texas Rangers game...
...or to just yak and take more photos...
Oops, how did this one get in here??
The whole gang... oh, yeah, Darla's gorgeous daughter Kassi joined us...
Later, a stroll down 6th Street to the Driskill Hotel. (Did you know the restroom near the bar is haunted? I took the women in there to tell them the story... we got a little carried away with taking photos, even recruiting a stranger to help us out... or was she really a ghost?? These are just a few!)
...and one with our guest photographer - if she was a ghost, she was a very friendly one...
We finally rejoined the guys...
...and eventually said good-night... but within 24 hours most of us were back together again for pizza... my first taste of Home Slice (yum!)
...and then Tully and Brad offered to escort me and my camera up and down 6th Street a little while longer. Most of the photos will be posted on Confessions, but I'll end this post with two of my favorites, taken in The Jackalope.
Those two wild and crazy guys with a new friend...
...and look at me! I'm riding a jackalope! I bet you thought they weren't real...
Thanks again for such a wonderful weekend, Tully, Brad and company!
Count your age by friends. Count your life by smiles.
I caught a glimpse of the blushing horizon through my window this morning... a soft orange-pink glow just above the tree line, so similar to the sunrises that greeted me the past three mornings, except they reflected on the shimmery surface of of the Gulf of Mexico and led into days of sun and fun with friends.
With this morning's sunrise I stepped into a new week, fresh from a long weekend on the coast. I've been soaking up the sun and relishing days spent with an extended sisterhood of new and long-time friends, a blending of the corners of my life.
There were cool early mornings spent shooting photographs of the morning light on everything around me and jogging beside the waves and the seagulls... hours and hours lying on the sun, walking on the beach, playing in the waves, talking and listening... evenings eating, drinking, dancing, and more talking... with lots of laughter sprinkled throughout (most of that thanks to Gina - voted Wittiest once again!)
It would be tough to top the excitement of last year's trip...the surprise visit from Laura Bush, chit-chats with Secret Service men, and the Stoney LaRue concert... but this weekend took on its own special touch because of so many new faces... mostly friends of mine from high school but also some I had never met before. Leading up to the trip, I was a bit worried about being stretched between "groups", but that worry flew away with the seagulls sometime Thursday night when everyone first met.
And the weather... absolutely perfect!
The only "down" sides to the weekend were the maniacal mosquitoes (not on the beach, thank goodness!) and the lack of sleep. I rolled in last night totally exhausted and have to admit I was grumpy to Tom, even though he had thrown out his back (again!) I know it's because I tried to pack as much into the four days as I could, but next time I'll make sleep more of a priority. Tom deserves better than that from me, poor guy.
This morning I felt nervous, like a kid on the first day of school: I had jury duty for the very first time in my life. I've only been called once before, but since I was a stay-at-home mom I was excused and I've been waiting and hoping to be called again for a long, long time! It irritates me when people complain about it and try to get out of it - it's part of what makes our country unique and strong, I believe, and it's also our civic duty to serve on a jury if we're chosen.
But I was called to serve downtown. I wasn't sure where to park, what to wear... so many unknowns! Per Tom's suggestion, I parked at Daniel's apartment and rode the bus to the courthouse. Riding the Metro - another first! And I was so nervous about it!
Now, back in 1976 I mastered London's Tube and the Metro of Paris. I rode buses all over both cities, as well as several other major metropolitan areas. I rode trains across Europe. Back then I had no problem figuring out routes and schedules - why was I so nervous now?
Thank goodness Daniel took my advice and learned to ride the buses to and from campus so that I could now benefit from what he had learned. His roommate directed me to the right stop; a tattooed young man on a bike (I'll call him Stan) who was also waiting on the bus assured me any of them would get me downtown and then we discussed the American jury system while we waited.
I hopped on, slipped my dollar bill into the fare slot and plopped into an empty seat next to Greg (he introduced himself.) I peppered him with questions (how will I know when it's my stop?) and he said he'd keep an eye out for 11th for me and let me know. He even told me he had been nervous the first time he rode the bus but I think that was just to make me feel better.
I chatted his ear off until it was my stop. He pointed out the courthouse and pulled the cord for me. Stan, a few seats ahead, caught my eye and gestured that it was my stop - two guardian angels!
In the courthouse, I had to strip off my belt and send my purse through an x-ray tube, then step through a metal detector. BEEP! Step over here, please... I passed the wanding, but then Do you have a pair of fold-up scissors in your purse? After discussion (It's your call, Bill.)the guards decided to let me keep them and I finally headed up the elevator to the 8th floor.
Chairs lined the walls of a large room, occupied by dozens of silent people. I looked around then asked no one in particular, This is my first time here- are we supposed to check in anywhere or just sit down?
One nice man told me we just had to sit and wait, so I sat beside him and he showed me and the women on his other side photos of his granddaughter on his iPad until the double doors open, we were assigned numbers and filed into the courtroom.
Hours later, I was rejected. I have a feeling it had something to do with my brother Buster being shot - it was an aggravated assault case and they asked if we knew anyone who had been a victim of aggravated assault. Um, yes. I didn't even mention the time my sister was attacked by two women while she was sitting in her car at a red light. I didn't want to ruin all my chances of being picked!
I headed out of the courthouse and found the bus stop Daniel had directed me to for the return trip, jumped on and off the right one like a pro and walked to Daniel's apartment, grateful I was called during sunshine weather, not rain. (No angels on this bus, but it was a prime spot for people-watching. Austin's motto isn't "Keep Austin Weird" for nothing!)
After regaling Daniel and his roommate with my bus and courtroom stories, and giving Daniel a hug, I headed home... with a quick stop at Ace Hardware to buy a back brace for Tom. Gotta make up for yesterday's grumpies (and I know he doesn't want flowers!)
It was a beautiful weekend and an adventurous Monday, but it's back to "normal" tomorrow. I think I'm ready. Maybe even relieved...
A beautiful blend of ages and corners of my life, plus a few new ones to tuck away in there (but missing Cheryl - couldn't get her into the picture!)... photo by Bill (thanks, Gina!)
More photos to come here and on Confessions... later. Time for bed! My wish is for all of you to be blessed with such wonderful friends and weekends of memories as I have been with these...
I think I'll start with today, a Monday which has redeemed all prior Mondays in my eyes (even though it's not technically part of the weekend) and move backwards for a change.
No, I didn't win the lottery or anything. We're still as broke as ever.. monetarily, anyway. And no, I didn't get another Monday off from work. But this has been a really, really good day.
I think part of it is I've taken John Lubbock's advice on priorities to heart and it's working! I haven't become super-productive or anything, but I've noticed a subtle change in my attitude, more purpose to my actions now. And attitude and actions are what count, right?
I couldn't help but have a good attitude after this: yesterday I posted on Facebook that I still had raffle tickets available for my church's Oktoberfest with a link to a post from last year about our St. Vincent de Paul Society, one of the beneficiaries of the raffle ticket proceeds (click here to read that post.) Right away I had responses from friends wanting to buy tickets... including one who wants to buy 100 - yes, you read it right - 100 tickets!
I can't do much myself monetarily to help St. Vincent de Paul, so that request made me sprout wings; I've been soaring like one of my jewel-colored dragonflies all day, knowing that my request initiated a response like that.
See? It never hurts to ask!
Now to Sunday... that's when I really took John's advice. I slept late because of a late Saturday night. I knew I'd regret it if I didn't. I went to Mass, not just because I knew I'd regret it if I didn't, but it's true I would. I tackled the laundry pile, the desk pile, the promises-I-made-to-other-people pile. I posted that request on Facebook.
I took time to think about my Grandmother Annie B. - yesterday would have been her 104th birthday.
We took time to call Tom's brother Steve, the Montana brother, who I believe turned 52.
I worked and worked and worked on my book, even opting out of a walk with Tom and the puppies, knowing when it was all said and done, I would regret not working on the book more than not going on a walk.
Even when Tom came running in telling me about a huge spider down near the pond, I let him run back out alone with the camera. I admit I was a little sorry I didn't take this:
(I finally asked Mr. Google what it was - it's just a female Yellow Garden Spider. Such a plain-Jane name for something this splashy, don't you think?)
After working on my book, I played with my photos from Saturday... lots and lots of photos because it was our annual University of Texas Longhorn Football Game, courtesy of our generous friends, Saint Mary Kay and Saint Joe. We can't afford tickets ourselves, but thanks to MK and Joe, we get the full Longhorn experience once a year. (They share the love with other friends on the other game days.)
We started out the game tailgating in their son's apartment, part of a wonderful old duplex on a dead-end road near a creek, just blocks from campus! I love those old houses.
Hanging out, wishing we were college students instead of paying for our kids to go there... MK, Peggy, Jeff and Tom...
After stuffing ourselves on BBQ and fresh fruit, we walked those few blocks to the music hall, where we snagged some photos with MK and Joe's son, a member of the Big Bertha team...
...and then on to the stadium...
MK and our bunch in our corner.. Jeff and Peggy, both UT grads but this was their first game! MK and Don, one of her first bosses. He's recovering from cancer; this game marked his 50th consecutive UT Longhorn opening home game - his doctors didn't think he'd make it to this one so soon after surgery, but he was determined. Where there's a will, there's a way, right?
We proceeded to watch the UT band and Big Bertha team (once a band mom, always a band mom)...
...and, oh yeah, the Longhorns kicked Wyoming's rear end. I actually did watch the game and took lots and lots of photos, of course, including some of actual football players. You can see the rest here, at Confessions of a Photography Addict.
Now on to Saturday morning...
Another turtle! Belle discovered this one, but she didn't hurt it, thank goodness, just dug it up and brought it up to the porch. I traded it for a dog treat and put it in the bathtub until we could carry it down to the creek. It didn't seem very appreciative at all, even after Tom stepped ankle deep in mud to release him!
Turtles are awful grumps, aren't they?
I can't remember what else I did that morning, but I do know I took care of a lot of stuff I'd regret if I didn't!
I do remember that I slept late, because, once again, we were up late Friday night. We introduced some friends to the Hootenanny! There weren't as many musicians this time, but the music under the trees was still magical.
Keeping John Lubbock's advice in mind, I said 'yes' when Jim asked me to play the cajon box drum. I'd never played it before, had no idea how to play it, but I did it anyway, because I knew I'd regret it if I passed up the chance.
Here's Eric on it later. I paid attention so I'd know what to do next time.
Oh, you see the photographer there next to Eric? That's Bruce Coville, one amazing photographer. Take a look at some of his Hootenanny shots here.
When you're around someone who is so much better than you are, you can either slink away, or you can take advantage of their presence to improve. I felt a bit intimidated, photography-wise, with Bruce and his muscle-camera's presence, but keeping John's advice in my head, I decided to take impromptu photography lessons that night, instead of slinking away.
While I was at it, I took belly-dancing lessons from Liane, too. (no pictures!) Drums, photography and belly-dancing under the stars! Now that's a Friday night!
I didn't take many photos that night, but here are a couple I like of Triana and Robert Castaneda, married musicians extraordinaire... one 'normal' photo and one 'artsy' (in other words, no flash)... I think you get a sense of Robert's energy in both of them. That man can play the flute!
Tom and I hit the highway last night to experience a Central Texas gem we had no idea even existed until now - the Walburg Restaurant and Biergarten. I was kicking myself (in between dances) that we'd never been before.
Tom danced with me, but while those fast polkas start my toes tapping, he became immune to their allure a long time ago.
WANTED: POLKA DANCER No specific requirements except the ability to twirl me around a dance floor when a polka beat is too fast for my husband.
Pulling into Walburg is like a going back in time 100 years - you round a curve onto a main street lined by a few old storefronts and Victorian homes with glimpses of farmland in all directions.We've only just discovered it now thanks to TG's former high school band director, Les, and our friends, Joe and Mary Kay.
Les is now a Walburg Boy, playing gigs on the weekend after working all week as a high school band director in Austin. It's a return to his roots, in a way: in a previous life, he was a member of two other Austin bands, The Debonaires and Lonesome Dove. Two of the current Walburg Boys were also in Lonesome Dove, and that's how Les came to join them. Ron, the leader of the Boys and owner of the biergarten and restaurant, was a national yodeling champion years ago in Germany.
The music, a wonderful, eclectic mix of German polkas and Texas rock/country favorites, wafts out of a large Oktoberfest-type tent (featuring a slide-smooth concrete dance floor) into the old oaks and rolling countryside. We didn't eat at the restaurant; you can order food and drinks at a take-out window in the biergarten itself, everything from hamburgers to wiener schnitzel and so many different types of beer that I wished I still liked the stuff! Tom and I shared some wiener schnitzel, potato salad (that was to-die-for!) and purple cabbage that even Tom (a non-vegetable-eater) agreed was good.
I had big to-do plans for this weekend, but number 1 on my list was sleeping eight hours. I scratched that off, but since we were out late last night dancing to the Walburg Boys' music, it meant I didn't get an early start on the rest of my to-do's. Here's the status of my list:
My Weekend To-Do List
1. get caught up on laundry 2. work out (I'm trying to fit 5 in a week; Thursday we had a visit from an environmental inspector - I didn't mind skipping that day even though it meant I had to make up for it today.) 3. write 1000 words on my book (I'm determined to get back on track with this!) 4. compose blogs and figure out a way to make money from them (I've always told my kids to do what they love and they'll find a way to make a living at it. It's time to match my actions with my words. You know how kids are - they do what you do, not what you tell them, right?) 5. go to the grocery store (except for quick stops at our tiny local store, I haven't been in about 3 weeks!) 6. change the refrigerator water filter (it's only a few weeks overdue) 7. organize my property issue notes and collect my photos into one file 8. put flea and tick treatment on the dogs (just a little overdue) 9. send out an email about my new business venture 10. upload all of my photos from my Diva weekend to Facebook so my friends can see them 11. send a query to Texas Monthly magazine about an idea I have for an article 12. clean off my desk and pay bills (I swear the paperwork is breeding over there!) 13. clean house. Or at least something in the house, like a mirror or toilet.
You can see I haven't accomplished even half of my list yet!
So what have I been doing today, instead of taking care of the uncrossed-out items above?
1. made blueberry muffins 2. took a walk with Tom and the dogs 3. called each one of my kids AND my mom 4. checked my email and answered a few 5. played with some photos 6. danced (Tom has music streaming from his computer through the house speakers) 7. checked out some photography blogs, including this one that is just amazing: Rayel Photography(check out the vacation video) 8. stayed glued to the television while the Pearland, Texas Little League team played Hawaii 9. checked up on my Facebook friends (while I watched the game - multitasking!)
If you haven't heard, the Texas boys lost. I know their broken hearts and disappointment blind them to how awesome it is that they made it as far as they did! But it's something they'll remember with pride in a few years, I'm sure.
So somehow Saturday is almost gone! I'm thinking it's time to hang up the list for the day and head to the back deck to enjoy the sunset, then watch a movie with my sweetie. There's still tomorrow... (thank the Lord for Sundays and early Mass!)
I gained three pounds Saturday night but it was worth it.
My friend Tamara and her husband Rod were in town and invited us to meet them for dinner. Tom, as I mentioned yesterday, was out of commission because of his back, but he urged me to go anyway, without him. I think it was just to get me to leave him alone (Do you need anything? Did you take some ibuprofen? Want the heating pad? Don't you think you should get in the jacuzzi tub?)
It didn't take much arm-twisting. I hadn't seem Tamara in ages! Or at least it seems that way. So I touched up my makeup and headed into Austin to Eddie V's.
I'd never been there, but Tamara and Rod had just eaten there the night before for Tamara's birthday, and raved about it. They enjoyed it so much they picked it again so I could experience it.
Oh. My. Gosh. For the next few hours I was in Taste Bud Heaven...
We shared a smorgasbord of appetizers (it was Happy Hour, discounted prices, so we splurged!) The Maryland Style Crab Cake, the Salt & Pepper Gulf Shrimp, Pacific Ahi (pretty much sliced raw tuna... I was very hesitant at first, but, oh-my-gosh-again, it just melted in my mouth!), calimari (another first for me, although my kids love it), scallops, and Sliced Wagyu Beef "Hot Rock" Ishiyaki, paper thin slices of beef you literally cook yourself right there at your table on a hot rock, flipping it with your chopsticks. And somehow we found room in our stomachs to share a flaming Bananas Foster for dessert. Magic in my mouth!
Maybe some of you are yawning, but this was a night of gastronomic firsts for me, and I loved it! Of course, getting to spend a few hours catching up with Tamara and getting to know Rod a little better was the best part. (I just wish Tom could have been there! Next time... !)
I can't believe I forgot my camera. I can't BELIEVE I forgot my camera. I CANNOT BELIEVE I FORGOT MY CAMERA!
That's all I could think about when we arrived at One World Theater Saturday evening for the Linton Mancilla CD Release Party/Concert. As soon as we pulled into the parking lot of the Tuscany-Meets-Texas-style villa perched on a hillside in Austin, I thought, oh, how gorgeous... I want to get a picture... and that's when I knew... I just knew without even looking in my purse: I had forgotten my camera.
I probably started twitching, and as soon as we entered the room, I glanced around in a desperate hope that someone had an extra camera they would let me borrow... oh, yeah, what are the odds? I even started asking around. People were probably elbowing each other, pointing at me, noting the crazy look in my eyes.
I'm sure I felt the same ache a smoker feels when she taps her pack and only stray flakes of tobacco fall out, teasing her. Got an extra cigarette, mister? How about a spare camera?
Persistence pays off, though. Turned out, Lunchbox the the bass player had a camera (his name is Larry but they call him Lunchbox and I have no idea why) but he would be on stage and couldn't use it. So not only did I score a camera, but I would be doing someone a favor by taking lots and lots of pictures!
I have no idea how the photos turned out. Probably not very good - the theater was dark except for spotlights on some members of the band and there was a no-flash rule, and I was using an unfamiliar camera. But I blissfully shot away, making sure I snapped several of Lunchbox. I love digital.
Even though the concert photos are probably nothing more than blurry shadows and light, I did get some good ones of me and Liane, and a few of Alan "Bones" Davis, another friend of ours, who played the pre-concert show in a better-lit room downstairs of the theater.
I hate to complain, but the camera I snagged was a pretty simple point and shoot. Soon after the concert started, I spotted a hefty Nikon right on the front row. When it was over, I slipped the photographer my email and blog addresses, begging for some of his photos to post here. (Tom didn't even get my contact information until our 2nd meeting! But then, I don't think he showed me his camera right away.)
Oh, I guess I should mention how wonderful the concert itself was! Jim and Eric are the framework of Linton Mancilla, but on any given Friday Night Hootenanny at Jim and Liane's house, there are half a dozen other gifted musicians, and many of them played with the band Saturday night, coming and going on and off the stage. Saxophone, penny whistle, mandolin, violin... even Bones on the harmonica, blending with guitars, keyboard, drums into an eclectic collection of songs... jazz, rock, latina, folk.
Afterward, we climbed the backstage stairs up to a walled terrace that was caught in the beam of a full moon to soak up the view of Austin and hang out a bit with the band members and other friends. What a glorious night!
Alas... no photos from the concert have popped up in my email from Lunchbox or David (Mr. Nikon) but I do have this one of Jim serenading us at a Cub Scout campout at Inks Lake years ago...
Needless to say, when I left my house the next day, heading back into Austin to Hyde Park Theater for a reading of my friend Amory's play, I made sure my camera was snug in my purse.
I had never been to Hyde Park Theateror to a play reading - two new experiences at one time... very exciting! And I hadn't seen Amory since our screenwriting class ended over a year ago. But I know from her updates on Facebook that she's been busy writing... at least two screenplays and this play, plus a short film and I can't remember what else. So much talent and drive! Did I mention she's also an actress?And so cute to boot!
I'm not sure what I expected, but I admit the theater surprised me. It's much smaller than its website implies! It didn't look like much from the outside, except for this one fantastic typical-Austin-painted wall, but when I stepped inside, I knew it was all about "theater"... as perfect for plays as One World Theater was perfect for musical performances... small, intimate seating, focused on the stage.
It was déjà vu, the play reading... just like sitting in class with some of us reading the parts and then commenting/critiquing afterward. Except here, the readers/actors sat in chairs in a row on the stage, and stood up when their characters were "on stage".
The play was great. The actors were great. And it was all free! Mostly, I feel so fortunate to have been there, to be able to be a part of the process of Amory's play. I can't wait to see it produced... because I have no doubt someone will pick it up and produce it. It's that good. And I'll be able to say, I knew her when...
By the time slow-poke Friday knocks on our door, Tom and I are usually worn out from entertaining the other demanding, high-maintenance days of the week; we can muster enough energy to snuggle downstairs watching a movie, but that's about it. We don't have enough brain left to make plans (besides, we're procrastinators, remember?)
Thank goodness for our friends who do make plans and invite us to join them. That's how we came to be at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse last night, sitting on a hill overlooking Lake Travis at sunset, relishing the breeze that took the bite out of the Texas sunshine, sipping Pinot Grigio and a Shiner Bock, respectively, catching up with great friends, listening (and dancing) to Drew Womack singing cover songs and originals in his not-quite-country beautiful voice.
Isn't there a saying about not recognizing the treasure or beauty that's closest to you? If there's not, there should be. I've been hearing people in our little town talk about Drew for years (he lives here)... about what a great singer-songwriter he is, how talented, how he'd won awards in Nashville.
I'd never heard of him, and Tom and I never bothered to go see him, although I did end up on a committee with him, briefly. He seemed like a sweet guy. It was only by accident that I found out everything we'd heard about his musical talents was true - he played at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse after my friend Darla's wedding. It had already been a long day, so Tom and I only lingered for a couple of songs, but I left reluctantly. Drew's music goes hand-in-hand with sitting up on that hill above the lake, watching the sunset.
I admit we didn't go to Steiner Ranch last night to see him, though - we didn't even realize he would be playing there when we planned it. It had just been too long since we'd gotten together with these friends, including the newlyweds, Darla and Roy (see the link to their wedding above.)
Discovering Drew was playing just tipped the night's rating from "great" to "perfect". Tom and I were the last ones in our group to leave - we don't get out much, but when we do, we don't want it to end.
Scenes from the perfect Texas night... the girls, our table, Drew and the lake, sunset, night scene by Tom, Drew's teen groupies...
Yesterday I was stressing out, overwhelmed by how quickly May was filling up - its busy-ness is rivaling the Spring Green and wildflowers that are taking over Long Hollow. After months spent snuggling (and snoozing) on the couch, watching movies with Tom, suddenly I'm faced with a full dance card.
I'm socially out of shape. The thought of it all was tiring me out and I hate having to make choices ... hate having to say "no" to anything ...
Then last night we traveled to the other side of the lake to hear the Shake Russell Trio perform again. Sitting under the stars and oak trees, with the music and soft breeze surrounding me, I could feel the stress start melting away, especially when Shake sang "Today's the Day" - a joyous song about making the most of each day.
This morning I knelt in church, relishing the sunlight pouring in through the stained glass window behind the altar and the quiet seeping into my soul. A sigh welled up from deep inside and escaped, and I knew that what was left of yesterday's stress was gone, leaving only anticipation of this wonderful month behind.
Because the next few weeks are going to wonderful, full of friends and family, and I'm actually very grateful and excited about everything written in each of those little squares on my calendar ... birthdays, graduations, a wedding, Mother's Day. I'm going to remember to live for each moment, enjoy each second as it comes and quit thinking about the next one. My brain has got to slow down ... it has to quit running ahead, ignoring the beauty of the here and now!
The challenge will be staying on top of the things I need to do in between all of the fun things, plus get enough sleep so that I can enjoy it all (and others can enjoy being around me!) I'll just keeping playing "Today's the Day", over and over and over in my head ...
The fun started this week. Thursday night a friend from my shiftwork days came out to the house for dinner with his wife. Ester was in town for work, and Gene tagged along. We realized it had been fourteen years since we've seen each other! How can that be? I'm so glad he called and they were able to come out to the house for dinner ...
Friday night we helped celebrate my friend Larry's birthday. Celebrations don't stop after 50!
Yesterday morning Tom and I welcomed May by sleeping late (all of those 4 AM's caught up to me) and taking the critters for a long walk. It's shiftchange for the flowers. Here are a few newcomers I spotted ...
Last night was like a dream - a perfect Texas night filled with the music of Shake Russell Trio. Getting to see Dee, Shake and our friend Bob again was just icing on the cake.
Kiss your life. Accept it, just as it is. Today. Now. So that those moments of happiness you're waiting for don't pass you by. - Unknown.
The cream of enjoyment in this life is always impromptu. The chance walk; the unexpected visit; the unpremeditated journey; the unsought conversation or acquaintance. - Fanny Fern
Tomorrow will be good, but today is awesome! I'm determined to make the most of every second! - Me
Let me first say that I love my husband...I have fun just hanging out with him, he makes me laugh, we have great discussions, I can talk to him about anything, he's my best friend, blah, blah, blah...
With that out of the way, let me second say that I love my girlfriends, too...and I don't get to see them nearly as often as I'd like...
...which is why last Saturday I jumped on the chance to spend the day with my friends Mary Kay and Karen...attending a University of Texas women's basketball game, dinner and a movie ("Up in the Air" with George Clooney...good, but not as good as I expected) with a little shopping squeezed in between.
...and it's why, even though I was heading out of town the next morning, I left my poor, sick husband home alone this past Friday night to meet my friends Darla and Leslie (and Larry and Roy, but this is about GIRLfriends...no offense, Larry and Roy) to hear the Rhythm Dawgs play in a smoky Round Rock bar. Darla is in the first days of a new relationship and I just had to see her floating on air with my own eyes. (I wasn't disappointed.)
Thank goodness Tom understands about girlfriends - and even about non-girl friends like Larry and Roy. Many man don't. But that's one reason why I'm so crazy about him!
My trip to Pasadena was all about family this time, not girlfriends. I spent time visiting, remembering, laughing...watching "Inglourious Basterds" with my parents, brother and niece...being entertained by the squirrels and birds who have taken over the backyard and keep my parents hopping...
...but I did slip in a quick detour to meet my sister and her husband at my friend Rae's Mexican Imports garage sale on my way out of town Sunday...I needed to drop off a plastic container she had left at my house in October when everyone came for our friend Ann's birthday celebration. (I only bought the two pairs of earrings at the garage sale to be polite. Okay...it was also because they were gorgeous and such a great deal!)
While we're speaking of girlfriends...specifically Ann...I am so excited that my very own copy of her book Objects of Reflection was delivered today. It was a girlfriend thing that made me cheer her on the past few months as she worked on it...it was a girlfriend thing that I ordered it and spread the word about it here on my blog...but after flipping through it, reading some of her magical poetry, believe me...it will not be just a girlfriend thing that makes me read it. It's a beautiful piece of art in itself. Way to go, girlfriend!
Last night Tom and I sat under the branches of towering trees, watching the half-moon play hide-n-seek behind the fast moving clouds and listening to live music - it was a Friday Night Hootenanny! The cold and the rain have kept us away for the last few months - we're wimps. But after last night, we're regretting we missed so many!
Our friends have created an outdoor Texas-style auditorium on their property - all wood and stone. A small fire chased away the chill near where we perched on a stone ledge on the terraced hillside, part of an audience that was almost outnumbered by musicians performing for us on the stage. Musicians came and went, but over the course of the night we listened to several acoustic guitars, a bass guitar, keyboard, saxophone, mandolin, trombone, snare drum, flute and bongo drums. Oh yeah...also a tambourine and one of those cylindrical things you shake to make a sandy, rattling sound.
The Hootenanny is a meeting of nature and music. If you're a musician, you're free to join them on the stage. It's a wonderful combination of cover songs and Linton-Mancilla originals...rock, blues, folk music, some Latino...
If you're in the Austin area and want to experience the Hootenanny yourself, let me know. I'll send you all the details. It's free - the only cost is an adventurous trek down a dirt road, something to drink and maybe a bag of chips and jar of salsa.
Now I'm off for more adventure - my first University of Texas women's basketball game and a movie with some Lago girlfriends...we're not sure which movie, but it doesn't matter. It will be fun just spending time with them!
Tomorrow will be a day of playing catch-up and crossing off to-do lists. Today...fun and friends.
I was down all day...knowing what was ahead of me, wondering if I would be able to find the right words...wondering if I would be able to explain myself and my reasons clearly enough...hoping there would be no tears.
The overcast day matched my mood and added to the melancholy. It's so sad when a relationship comes to an end.
I was nervous when I entered the little house. Was it obvious something was wrong? I thought about waiting until the end, but I felt it was only right to just get it out in the open right away.
"This...I...this is my last visit," I sputtered to Michael.
"Why?" I could tell he wasn't expecting this.
So I explained it all: the hulking college loans breathing down our necks...the shuffled bills on my desk...the growing guilt from this self-indulgent pleasure... the mounting tension in my neck that even Clint's magic hands can't massage away during those wonderful shampoos.
Oh, how I'm going to miss those shampoos!
"I understand," he said, relieved that it wasn't because I was unhappy with his work.
Heavens no! Michael's been cutting and coloring my hair for over two years now and I've never been happier with a hair stylist...or a shampoo-ist. It has been such a relief to have such consistency...such care...especially since my hair stubbornly continues to thin despite my best efforts of eating right and all the other tricks I've read about.
Visits to Michael's house were my splurges...my dessert after years of "dieting" - I've had one manicure in my life, two massages and I can count the number of pedicures I've had with one foot. For several years Tom cut my hair and he did a wonderful job! But the thinner my hair became, the harder it was for him to cut it...plus standing up in the kitchen while it's cut and then having to do all of that sweeping...well, let's just say it wasn't really a pamper-session.
I tried my best to hold on to my time with Michael and Clint. I looked for other ways to cut back, even "dropped out" of college again. And as far as stylists go, the cost isn't extravagant. But with one more student in college, that hulking federal-loan-monster has grown larger and more menacing, and I want to take him down. I'm ready to fight and I think I'm up to it. I remember when I first quit my job to be a stay-at-home mother and all of the ways we learned to cut corners to make that work. I don't regret that decision now or the fact that we have to continue cutting corners to finish what we started - doing what we felt was best for our kids.
So I'm giving up Michael and Clint...my college class (again)...my nightly glass of red wine...my daily Diet Lipton Citrus-flavored Green Tea and red grapes (until the prices go back down)...and I can't think of any other splurges I even have to give up. I'm not ready to give up my rare night at the movies with my kids or get-togethers with my friends. I hope we can tackle this giant without resorting to such drastic measures!
This quote popped out at me earlier this week. It helps make these changes a little easier for now - I'll keep it close by if I start feeling mopey...
"You may have a desire for six double-chocolate donuts, but hopefully, you have a deeper desire for health and well-being. The deepest desires have your destiny all over them." - Matthew Kelly
Right now my deepest desires are to see all three kids graduate from college (one down, two to go) and to be debt-free, as much as possible. I'd like to at least have some breathing room. If it means I have to give up the donuts, I'll do it gladly. For now.
Next week my "class" begins again and I will have even more incentive to finish my book, sell it and become a millionaire: I want to return to Michael's house!
For those of you in the Austin area, I highly recommend Michael Smothers. Yes, I'll be jealous, but when you find something good it's just not right to keep it to yourself. You can find him at the Mark Thomas studio. Click here for more info.
Yesterday evening, I hugged Michael and Clint goodbye and walked away...looking fabulous, I must add. Yes, I'll be back...one day.
I'm curious to know how other people are cutting back. If you have any ideas, please let me know - leave me a comment!
The turkey soup landed in the garbage can tonight. I was sad to see it go...it was the first Leftover-Turkey Soup I've ever made, and it was good! But Tom and I can only eat so much...and then only so much of the same thing for just so many days in a row.
That's one of the problems with an Empty Nest - too much food goes in the garbage. Right now we still have leftover pork chops AND chili, and way more oranges, apples, grapes and lunchmeat than Tom and I can eat by ourselves. More Thanksgiving turkey and ham would have gone in the garbage, but it's the only thing Charly would eat. Now it's all gone and he's working on the lunchmeat and white bread.
It seems just about the time I adjust my cooking and shopping to the number of mouths expecting to be fed, the number of kids in the house changes again...either coming home or heading back to school. It takes awhile to adjust my buying and cooking appropriately.
Even though we had the pork chops, I had to make chili Friday night. That's what you make on snow days...even if the snow only falls for 5 minutes and doesn't stick to anything.
We also made it because we had guests that left Houston, where a rare snowfall actually accumulated a few inches, to visit us for the weekend...my niece Christin and her friend Ashley. We couldn't just serve them leftover pork chops, for goodness sakes...not if they left snow to see us!
Christin came bearing movies I hadn't yet seen - we had a Double Feature Movie Night - "August Rush" (what a sweet story - a combination fantasy, musical and love story, rolled into one) AND "Australia" which was good, but long...I admit I took a short nap in the middle of it. I should have known better than to try to watch two movies in a row after a long, emotional week. I'll give it another try later, with a big bowl of popcorn handy!
Saturday was absolutely gorgeous - brilliant sunshine and perfect temperatures. We took the girls and the critters for a walk to the corner. While we searched for fossils, Charly headed off toward some nearby property where there's a dead dog (Daniel had told us about it - he said someone had shot it, which you can imagine made me a little nervous.) I called and called, but the stubborn old dog wouldn't come back, so we had to follow him. When Frankie realized there was a dead dog there, he started squawking and squawking. It took a while for him to calm down, poor bird.
I finally got Charly away from the dead dog; he headed toward the creek and we just let him lead the way. He didn't have a problem going downhill to the creekbed, but going back up on the other side was a different story: I had to carry him up the steep bank, about ten feet. I had to carry him again a little while later when he was determined to continue our walk along the creek across our "dam" neighbor's property - he doesn't understand why we can't walk there anymore, after so many years. I pleaded, begged and tugged on his collar, but finally gave up and just lifted him up - he wagged his tail as I huffed and puffed up to the road.
Next, Christin, Ashley and I jumped in the car and headed downtown to grab Kendall and go shopping. Ah, the mall at Christmas...crazy! But I got my Panda Express Orange Chicken fix and found some good deals on the clearance racks at Macy's.
After dropping Kendall off at her dorm, I took a detour through downtown Austin to show Christin and Ashley the Capitol Building and Congress Avenue all lit up for Christmas. Then I drove down 6th Street so she could say she'd been there...technically speaking...and then zoomed home in time to watch the University of Texas vs. Nebraska game...a real nail-biter but UT pulled it off at the end to win the Big 12 Championship. Whew!
It doesn't seem possible that December is already 1/4 of the way over, does it? This week's agenda: Christmas shopping...Christmas cards...Christmas parties...
I have a million things to do before company arrives this afternoon, but I have done a wonderful job ignoring them so far...I slept in, and then it was such a gorgeous morning that Tom and I had to take the critters for a walk (these days, with Charly, there's no way to rush that.) And now, here I am blogging...
Do I qualify for Procrastinator of the Year yet?
Tom took Max and Charly to the vet yesterday for their shots and check-ups...Max passed with flying colors, and except for being old, skinny and lumpy, Charly did, too.
There was one thing they didn't check on Max, though, because he goes berserk if you go near his rear-end. Yep...the stool sample. So it fell to us to take some in a ziplock for them to test. Easier said than done; in the six years we've had him, I've never seen Max go poop. I knew he must - I see the food go in, so I knew it had to go out! But he is the most private dog I've ever known...Charly just finds a grassless spot next to the road, but Max always slips quietly out to the woods and then reappears a few minutes later, grinning.
So this morning, we kept our eyes on him. He tried his best to slip away unseen, but I noticed, and when he reappeared from the woods, Tom went searching in that area for the "treasure". It took a few minutes...both of us scanning the ground, sniffing the air (oh, the things you do for your "kids"!) but he found it! So he's off in the Suzuki right now to deliver the goods and then take Pop four-wheeling on some back roads.
Last night we headed to Gruene (pronounced "Green"), one of my favorite little towns, to meet Tom's nephew, Tom, and his fiance, Lynn, before the craziness of the wedding on Saturday. We ate at the Grist Mill. We've eaten there dozens of times, but this was the first time I've ever sat in the original building. It was very cozy and quaint, surrounded by tall walls of century-old brick. The town was spruced up for the holidays...music drifted out of the Gruene Hall...it was a crisp, cool, star-filled night...I wished we didn't have to leave!
Okay, company arrives in two hours...I've procrastinated long enough. It's time to get busy and start scratching things off of my list...
for the first time. He has been writing and performing for four decades ...a true musical living legend, but still alive and well and just as wonderful as ever.
