Long Hollow

Hello There

Has anyone even missed me?

For the past few days, I've been holed up in my office, focused in a way that's unusual for me, fueled with determination to finish editing photos from a shoot last month.

(I know! Shame on me for taking so long! I do have the relatively good excuse of getting my new computer, having to load software and learn how to do what I need to do, bit by bit. Still, shame on me...)

But I'm happy to report I finished the photos last night and mailed them off to my friend today. I also mailed a shoebox full of thank-you notes to friends who helped me get this dream computer that I'm staring at right now. I never, ever, ever could have gotten it without them, so the writing of those notes had also been hanging over my head, occasionally tapping me on the shoulder, and even sometimes tripping me when I walked by. 

I forgive them because I appreciate the reminders, but you can imagine how relieved I am to have them out of my house!

(Now I know my friends that they're addressed to aren't checking their mailboxes every day and tsk, tsk, tsking me on my lack of manners, or planning to de-Facebook-friend me because of it. But it's one of those things you feel inside, that you know you need to take care of and the longer you put it off the more it eats at you.)

So, whew! that's done.

During my outing to the post office, I also mailed a ring to a friend. This is a dear friend who lives a couple of hours away, who I just happened to visit this past weekend on the premise of her hosting a Silpada party for me.

This ring is the replacement to one she bought several years ago from a different Silpada representative. The stone had fallen out and I took care of the exchange for her. (Silpada has a lifetime guarantee.) 

I've been holding onto the replacement ring for a few weeks now. I mean, why mail it when I would be going to see her soon anyway, right?

It's weird...I remember the very moment this weekend when I realized I had forgotten to bring that ring. I was standing in her kitchen and it hit me hard, like a frying pan. Thank goodness Nancy was (sort of) forgiving and didn't hit me herself with a frying pan.

And hallelujah! that nagging feeling that I'd forgotten something went away...

Tom came along with me for the weekend and we had such a great time. Nancy and Paul are teachers who live out in the country, as in cows and chickens and kittens and sheep and tractors and gardens overflowing with cucumbers, squash, potatoes, peppers... overflowing enough that they loaded us up with fresh garden treasure... that now overflows bowls in my kitchen...

It had been a couple of years since our last visit to their house. Time always brings change, but this time the change was pretty obvious: an oil rig squatted in the pasture between Nancy's house and her in-laws'.

Oil is the new hot crop in those parts, especially after the drought of the past couple of years. Ranchers have had to sell cattle because they couldn't feed them. The oil boom is a huge blessing!

And that's why they forgive the rig its gawky incongruity with the surrounding countryside. In fact, Tom would really love to get one, too!

But I had looked forward to getting some more photos of Nancy's cows, and was disappointed that the rig had scared them off to some distant back forty. 

Thank goodness the Mama cat had had more kittens...

...and even though for some reason I felt too intimidated on this trip to snap any photos during Mass of their gorgeous, historic church, I did snap these afterward...

Nancy and I also went for a ride down the highway on a Kuboto RTV to meet members of their sheep herd (mostly to see the brand new babies) but I'm going to post those on my photography site, um, later. Hopefully tomorrow.

But there are still some of those items on my to-do list tapping me on my shoulder, so first and foremost, I'm going back into my shell to get them done before they start tripping me as I walk by. 

#1 on that list is "make progress on my book." 

Wish me luck!

Vintage Airports, Engaged Couples, Dark-Eyed Juncos, and other Sweet!s of the Week

We've known him since he was a baby, but when Justin gets married next month we won't be at the wedding. He and his beautiful bride-to-be Pati are tying the knot in Mexico, and as much as we'd love a few days at an ocean side resort, we just can't swing it financially. 

That's why his mom and dad threw an engagement party for them last weekend, so we and all the rest who couldn't be at the ceremony could celebrate with the couple.

The best part.. it was a surprise party! I love surprises!

They thought the surprise was just a flight in this small plane...

They didn't know it would land at a different airport where friends and family waited to party with them in a vintage airport terminal.

 

Did you catch that "vintage airport" part?

It was the 1940's Air Terminal Museum - the original art deco air terminal at Hobby Airport in Houston, currently being renovated back to its glory days and filled with all sorts of vintage airport memorabilia. Very cool!

I took one or two photos... ahem...

Bob, Justin's dad, decorated the tables with flags and maps and tidbits on the history of Justin and Pati's love story.

As you can see, we sat at the Istanbul, Turkey table, where Justin and Pati's story began.

Bob's so creative.

Believe it or not, I also took some photos of the cute couple! 

 

Ah, young love. Very sweet! 

And now for a few other sweet!s of my week...

Saturday: seeing your husband after a week apart; surprise parties; dancing, dancing, dancing

Sunday: breakfast by Daddy; parakeets running wild; tutus and cowgirl boots; a slumber party with your sister and mom

Monday: finding out you won a beautiful sketch by TexWis Girl; a call from a dear friend; an afternoon walk with the puppies after a fun weekend with friends and family; new growth on a beautiful tree you didn't think survived the drought

Tuesday: the sun rising early enough to fit in a walk with the puppies before work; a call from another good friend; two hawks hamming it up for your camera (okay, once on the computer I realized they were those vultures again, but they really are photogenic!)

Wednesday: time before work to walk your puppies, switch the laundry around, and run two miles; high school juniors reading and writing children's stories; packages in the mailbox; baby frogs; finding out Hilary at The Smitten Image awarded you a Post of the Week for one of your photography posts

Thursday: hours to get lost in your writing; answered prayers for a friend; your mom calling, worried about you because you haven't checked in with her yet today

Friday: veggie omelettes; eavesdropping on teenager's conversations; a mailbox stuffed with the box containing the beautiful sketch you won, a dark-eyed junco by TexWisGirl Theresa of The Run*A*Round Ranch Report

Isn't it precious? She's so talented!

Theresa also enclosed one four- and one five-leaf clover in a sweet card. Bonus sweet!

Thanks again, Theresa!! 

I hope the next week is filled with bonus sweet!s for all of you!

Traipsing through Cemeteries and other Sweet!s

It might seem unusual to wander through a cemetery on your birthday, but that's what I did yesterday.

There's a small one dating from the 1850's down the highway toward Marble Falls. When I heard it was blanketed with bluebonnets, I couldn't wait to visit it. There's just something about wildflowers growing beside a headstone that I find quite beautiful.  A reminder of fragility of life, the cycle of life, of life after death.

How appropriate for a birthday, especially one that falls on Good Friday, right?

After exploring the cemetery, offering prayers for the souls of those resting there and their families, we drove on to Marble Falls, where we visited a few eclectic antique and art shops in the old part of town (Tom and Daniel are such good sports!), and enjoyed dinner at a restaurant overlooking the lake.

Best of all, later that evening I got to share the traditional birthday cheesecake with all three of my kids. 

Just icing on a week full of sweet! moments...

Sunday: fields of bluebonnets and prairie verbena; pizza from a brick oven; sitting on the back deck on a beautiful spring night with your son and talking for hours

Monday: daily chats with your mom; finding a pair of shoes in your closet you'd forgotten about; butterflies; talking about your day over dinner with your sweetie

Tuesday: four-year-olds... especially their smiles and hugs and imaginations; working with a friend; reading a new book

Wednesday: a surprise birthday lunch with friends; creme brulee; a vineyard, caliche road and tin roof glowing in moonlight

Thursday: birthday cards in the mail; a birthday call from a dear friend and your uncle; practicing the drums; a full moon welcoming your birthday

Friday: greeting another birthday morning; breakfast, courtesy of your husband and son; birthday surprises in the mailbox; birthday wishes via phone, email and Facebook; bluebonnets blanketing a cemetery; sharing cheesecake and a movie with all three kids

Saturday: a lazy Saturday at home 

I hope you had a week full of sweet! moments, too!

 

Enchanted Awesome-ness

Awe is the finest portion of humankind… In awe one feels profoundly the immense.

~ Goethe

We sat under a dark sky sprinkled with stars, catching up on each other's lives. The warm breath of the bonfire chased away the chill and the song of the creek drifted to us from the darkness.

After a few short hours, Tom rose and faded into the night, returning with a bucket of water which he poured onto the fire. It sizzled and popped and sent golden sparkles up into the sky to compete with the stars.

"Time to go to bed! We've got to get up early!" he barked.

"Yessir, Bossman!" we grumbled, grabbing chairs and bottles and trudging up the trail to the house. 

But when my alarm shocked me awake the next morning, I was grateful Bossman had ordered us to bed. Otherwise we would have stayed up half the night, mesmerized by the fire and the stars and the joy of seeing each other again.

Which means we would have gotten a late start this past Saturday and never experienced the view from the top of Enchanted Rock, a granite dome that is the center of many Native American legends, because, shortly after we made it through the gate into the state park, it closed due to the capacity limit.

 

On a beautiful spring day in the Texas Hill Country, everyone wants to go to Enchanted Rock...

 

...even though there's not much to do but climb, sit, and stare...

 

...wonder at the life growing even on top of a huge granite rock...

 

...and maybe sneak a kiss.

 

But somehow, that's enough.

 

On the way back down the Rock, however, the formations bring out the kid in you. You find yourself wanting to climb again.

The trick is getting back down...

At any rate, thank you, Bossman!

(Before reaching Enchanted Rock State Park, we introduced our friends Robert and Shari to the waves of bluebonnets on the Willow City Loop, and afterwards, enjoyed lunch in Fredericksburg at the Altdorf Biergarten Restaurant. Best Reuben sandwich I've had in a long time! I'll share those photos, as well as a few more from Enchanted Rock, on Confessions tomorrow.)

Texas and other Sweet!s

I spent this glorious spring day with Tom and dear friends Shari and Robert driving through the hill country... ooh-ing and ah-ing at fields of bluebonnets, hiking up Enchanted Rock, and eating in Fredericksburg. I'm sunburned and dog-tired, but happily so. (Pictures to follow... you can probably imagine how many I took!)

I have to give Tom credit for spotting this single Bluebonnet growing right in front of our house. For some reason, bluebonnets are rare down in the Hollow. One year we tried to plant some, but as I told a friend, the birds must have eaten the seeds and pooped them out elsewhere.

Thank you to whatever bird planted this bluebonnet standing so tall and proud, like a true Texan...

I just love it!

..."Proud Texan" leads me to this next photo that some guy named Steve Redman posted on Facebook. It's spreading like wildfire... at least among my Texan friends. I have no idea where he got it, but I love it, too.

Yes, we do think like this. But we also laugh at ourselves for thinking like this. Does that help make us a little less obnoxious?

"I have said that Texas is a state of mind, but I think it is more than that.  It is a mystique closely approximating a religion.  And this is true to the extent that people either passionately love Texas or passionately hate it and, as in other religions, few people dare to inspect it for fear of losing their bearings in mystery or paradox.  But I think there will be little quarrel with my feeling that Texas is one thing.  For all its enormous range of space, climate, and physical appearance, and for all the internal squabbles, contentions, and strivings, Texas has a tight cohesiveness perhaps stronger than any other section of America.  Rich, poor, Panhandle, Gulf, city, country, Texas is the obsession, the proper study and the passionate possession of all Texans." -John Steinbeck, 1962

"If a man’s from Texas, he’ll tell you. If he’s not, why embarrass him by asking?" - Travel writer John Gunther, The Best of Texas.

 

And now for more sweet! moments of the past week...

 

Saturday: your Mama's tuna fish salad; watching basketball with your Daddy; bluebonnets and Indian paintbrushes on a hillside at sunset; the smiles on your puppies' faces when you arrive home after a road trip

Sunday: driving empty highways at 4am to retrieve your daughter from a 22-hour bus trip; a great sermon; a red-tailed hawk, soaring through the hollow; watching movies with your daughter before she heads back to college

Monday: a bluebonnet growing in the Hollow; ducks gliding across a pond; four-year-olds discovering patterns and pretending to be airplanes and kitty cats; walking familiar halls after years of absence

Tuesday: knowing your puppies are indoors, safe and sound, on a stormy morning; a glimpse of more ducks through the trees, even though they fly before you can snap their picture; a call from your father-in-law, letting you know he's out of the hospital 

Wednesday: a walk before dawn, the Big Dipper ahead of you and a glimmer of sunrise behind; no line at the post office

Thursday: lunch with friends; coming up with a good excuse to drive downtown for a daughter hug; watching ducks fly away from you, even though you didn't have time to snap their photo (again!)

Friday: reading Othello aloud with high school seniors; a (mostly) clean house, just in time for the arrival of sweet friends; sitting around a bonfire with friends under a sky full of stars, talking and listening to a rushing creek

Saturday: fields of Texas wildflowers; sharing the view from the top of Enchanted Rock with friends; real German Reuben sandwiches

What were some sweet! moments of your week?

A Celestial Evening (Celeste Krenz and Harley's Angels)

Friday night, Tom and I joined 38 other sets of ears in our friends' living room to listen to Celeste Krenz, an singer/songwriter we'd never heard of before, even though her amazing voice has been singing for audiences for a couple of decades.

Her songs are unique, yet familiar somehow... her voice lyrical, soothing, and angelic... even when she's singing "If I Had a Gun"... 

And nothing beats listening to music like that in the intimacy of a home concert.

These particular friends, Bob and Lisa, have hosted several concerts in their home, including the Shake Russell concert a few years ago that inspired us to have our own (because we couldn't make it to theirs!)

Two years ago Bob and Lisa decided to add a purpose beyond entertainment to the concerts. Each artist who performed in their home signed a a Venture V3 acoustic/electric guitar that was later auctioned off. Last year it went for $2000 in a live auction at the Flight Against Breast Cancer fundraiser.

The fundraiser benefited Harley's Angels, a non-profit organization comprised of a group of "women motorcycle enthusiasts dedicated to promoting breast cancer awareness, research and education." 

Bob, a motorcycle enthusiast himself, lost his sister Karen to breast cancer a few years ago. This is his way of celebrating her life and helping to fight the disease that took her life.

The Shake Russell Trio and Michael Hearne will be the featured performers again this year at the third annual Flight Against Breast Cancer fundraiser on September 29.

Celeste Krenz kicked off this year's concert series and fundraising: a portion of her CD sales went to Harley's Angels.

Susan Gibson plays in May. I'm not sure who else Bob has lined up this year, but I'm sure he'll gather some other great musician/artists. Last year's guitar was signed by Tavana, Chuck Cannon, Klaus Oglesby, Jeff Senour, Joe McGinnity, Shake Russell, Doug Floyd, Mike Roberts and Michael Hearne.

As you can tell, Bob isn't one of those people who sits around wishing other people would do something. He just does it.

Bob holds the guitar steady while Celeste signs her name.

Celeste with representatives of Harley's Angels.

 

Celeste with hosts, Bob and Lisa.

 

I just love this pic of Bob and my sweetie! They've been friends since their Coast Guard days. 

If you're interested in learning more about the Flight Against Breast Cancer concert series and auction, let me know and I'll be sure to keep you posted on the details.

Catching My Breath (and other Sweet!s)

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 

Wishing each of you a week full of sweet moments!

Beauty in the Midst

Last week I helped celebrate my cousin Ronnie's life. 

Looking through the photos afterward, Claire Bidwell Smith's words kept coming back to me...

"Even in the midst of all this pain and sadness I see something beautiful."

 

I snapped this one of Ronnie's sister Cindy surrounded by her daughters, grandkids, and great-granddaughter because of the palpable feeling of support they gave her, as well as the sweet hug and kiss of comfort from a grandson to his grandma. I had never even met some of these generations before, my own cousins once or twice or three times removed.

 

I had to capture this smile on my mother's face as she met her great-great niece, Khloie, and the proud smile on Khloie's grandma's face.

 

Representatives of the Veterans of Foreign Wars paid tribute to Ronnie's military service with a few words at the graveside ceremony. 

The man in overalls on the far left was Ronnie's neighbor, a good friend who drove Ronnie to and from his many doctor visits. 

 

 

 

Charles and Howard are brothers, my cousins. 

I had good visits with both of them on this day. 

I can't remember the last time I saw either one of them. Perhaps it was at a funeral.  It makes me sad to think the next time I see them will probably be at another funeral.

 

 

Martha and my mom's friendship goes all the way back to junior high. Martha's sweet face always appears in those times when Mama needs support, reminding me of my own longtime friends. (I wonder what they talk about when I'm not around?) 

 

Tex-Mex for lunch afterwards with my parents and sister, Brenda. 

Mama and Daddy aren't often this dressed up. I used this opportunity for a photo shoot. Daddy made me work for it, though.

"Well, that's okay, but Daddy, this time remember to look down just a little so the flash doesn't bounce off of your glasses. And smile!"

 

"Hmmm... better, but Daddy this time don't take a bite of food before I take the picture and really smile! You know I'll keep taking them until you do what I tell you."

 

 "That's it! Perfect!" (He knew I meant it!)

Sunsets that Kiss the Sky, Silly Things That Make Me Cry, and other sweets of the week

I'm late with my sweet!s. It feels like a whole month was stuffed into last week...highs and lows, late nights and early mornings, and miles and miles on the road. I've only been home long enough to sleep the past few days. I haven't even gone on a morning walk with my puppies since Friday!

I had to ignore Max and Belle's puppy dog eyes once again this morning so I could make it to my allergy doctor appointment on time. Somehow I missed the past two yearly check-ups. But that just means I've been asthma-free! A very good thing after a lifetime of asthma, of doctor visits and pills and shots and too many trips to the emergency room to count.

But listen to this... based on high scores on my peak flow and lung function tests ("better than average!") I don't have to see him again for another year and a half. Now that's sweet!

Keeping track of the sweet moments in each day has become a habit, hallelujah! Some days I'm better at it than others, but overall I spot them much easier and more often than I ever did before. I know there aren't more sweet!s... I'm just keeping my eyes and heart more open to recognizing them when they grace my way.

I urge you to try, too, if you're not already. It puts a lightness in my heart I would never have imagined possible.

"Even in the midst of all this pain and sadness I see something beautiful."

~ Claire Bidwell Smith

Earlier this week I admitted to a friend that I don't cry as easily as I used to. It kind of worried me, in a way, but I thought perhaps it was because I'm better able to accept the bumps, roadblocks, detours that come in life.

But then the next day Lisleman (from A Few Clowns Short) sent me a short film - he said he knew I'd like it because I'm a writer.  That's pretty sweet! by itself. 

Well, I did like the film. In fact, I loved it! So much that by the last scene I was sobbing! Happy, sad, bittersweet tears, all at the same time. It is one of the most creative, best made, sweetest films I've ever seen. I also realize I'm kind of a book addict, and that probably has a lot to do with why I love it, but I truly think it would bring at least a smile to everyone's face.

Here's the link: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Lessmore 

If you watch it and love it, please let me know. If you don't love it, well, okay, go ahead and let me know that, too. I promise I won't hold it against you. 

Well, I promise I'll try not to hold it against you.

(P.S. Lisleman just let me know it won an Oscar last night for Best Animated Short Film. Yay!)

Friday night I attended Stations of the Cross, something I try to do at least once during Lent... step out of my busy life and really reflect on Christ's sacrifice, his Passion, the last moments of his life on earth, on the fourteen significant moments between his condemnation to his placement in the tomb. I try to consider how I can apply them to my own life. 

This year the Stations in our church were done a little differently than in past years. While our priest moved from station to station, Aaron Neville crooned "Were You There?" in between the readings. He wasn't actually in our church (I wish!) but our priest played a recording narrated by Father Jeff Bayhi with Aaron's sweet voice singing in between.

I enjoyed it so much, I searched and found this little 3-minute clip to share with you. Just one of the fourteen stations. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 

 

 And now for a few more of my Sweet!s from the past week...

Monday: the sound of a running creek at the bend in the road; a tip on a writing gig from a friend; an afternoon hunting fossils with your husband

Tuesday: ponds filling with water; arriving in Houston just ahead of highway-clogging traffic; laughter blending with tears

 

Wednesday: supporting your friends and loved ones in times of heartbreak and grief; treasured time with your parents, sister, and cousins; talking to a rooster and a chicken in a parking lot; warm days that turn into soft evenings; reminders to not waste a single moment of your life 

Thursday: prayers answered in the way you were hoping for;  your blog chosen as one of five finalists in About.com's Favorite Friendship Blog contest; your friends voting for your blog; witnessing a sunset that kissed the entire sky

 Friday: eavesdropping on a conversation between the wind and the treetops; a "Happy Friday" email from your son; time for reflection and Aaron Neville singing "Were You There?"; movie night at home with your sweetie

Saturday: dinner and board games with friends; Siamese cats; making it home safe and sound when your car is dripping oil; a friend who wants a text letting her know you made it home safe and sound

 

 

Sunday: vineyards in winter; your husband fixing your car, bringing it out to you at work (and driving his back home); the smell of warm foccacia bread; red chili chocolate cake, especially when you're starving; the support you get from a writing critique group

What were some of your sweet! moments this past week? Please share! (If you wrote a post, you can share the link in the comments.)

Hope this week is full of sweet moments for you!

Seasons and Promises

Today I'm driving to Houston. My cousin died a few days ago and I want to be there for his funeral tomorrow, Ash Wednesday.

Ronnie was only 64. Not old, but not young, either. I guess "just enough time", as the Band Perry sings... but I can't imagine ever thinking I've had enough time.

I'd prefer not to be going to Ronnie's funeral tomorrow, although what better way to remind us of our mortality as we enter this season of Lent than to have someone we love and care about die?

As I prepared for my trip this morning, I got word that a dear friend's husband died suddenly yesterday. For the past two years they've lived in separate countries, longing for the day when she could join him in Spain and they'd finally be together longer than too-short visits that passed oh, so quickly. 

Just over a month ago, that day finally came. And now, just like that, he's gone. 

I'm grateful they were together, that there wasn't still an ocean separating them when he died, but my heart breaks for her as all of their hopes and plans and dreams for the future turn to ashes.

That's the thing about life. We can make all kinds of plans and dream all kinds of dreams, but there's no guarantee any of them will come true. 

Should we stop planning? Stop dreaming?

Heck no. Even if we can't control what happens in our lives, we can control how we react to the unexpected. We can still try to make the most of each moment we're given, even if it we feel there's never enough time. We can try to embrace the lessons in our tears as much as those in our laughter. 

I came across a wonderful reminder of this on Beth's blog yesterday in the video below. I felt it was too powerful a story not to share. 

 

I haven't made my Lenten promise yet, but I have a feeling it will have something to do with my answer to the question below...

"What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

~ Mary Oliver

How would you answer that question?

Please join me in praying for peace and strength for these and others who have recently lost loved ones, including my high school classmate, Tanya, whose husband died today.

What Electrifies You?

Author Gayle Brandeis posed that question on SheWrites last month. “What electrifies you? What gets your heart pumping? What takes your breath away? What makes the hair on your arms stand up on end?”

I answered...

Dancing, which I do as often as possible, even to the extent that I missed talking to a lot of people at my high school reunion because I couldn't leave the dance floor. Also playing my drums. I'm not any good. It will never make me any money so no matter how hard I try I can't justify the time I spend on them, but I play anyway, because playing them makes me feel alive. (But only when no one's around. Unless I've had a few drinks.)

And guess what? My answer was the Grand Prize Winner! What a sweet surprise when I saw my name in a SheWrites newsletter yesterday, especially since I had totally forgotten about it. I won a copy of Brandeis' The Book of Live Wires, along with a copy of her Bellwether-Prize winning novel, The Book of Dead Birds.

Yay! Books electrify me, too! (Also winning Grand Prizes and getting things for free!)

Something else that electrifies me is seeing my friends follow their dreams... and trying to help them along the way. Here are a couple who inspire me...

 

Walking the Walk

When I first met Jimmie Jackson, he was a tow-headed golf-loving teenager, rarely speaking up in the Confirmation class I taught. Now he's all grown up with a degree in Electronic Media, living in Nashville, and preparing for the experience of a lifetime: a solo 2,178 mile long journey along the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine.

Only Jimmie isn't just walking it... he's going to film a documentary as he goes, focusing on the spiritual aspect of the walk as much as the physical. "Why do people hike? What is the connection between being outdoors and leading a spiritual life?" He hopes to find the answers to those questions along the way.

Go to his website, Walking the Walk.org to find out more, and please consider making a small donation to help him see this dream come true. He really is a sweet kid (and I'm not just saying that because I was his Confirmation teacher!)

 photo from WalkingtheWalk.org

 

Indie Friendlie 

Indie Friendlie is my friend Byron Tully's 'baby'. With his beautiful wife, Darlene, and friend, Weathorford Bradley, he created this site to support and promote great filmmakers and great films, the ones without huge advertising budgets, the ones that get stomped on by the bullies with huge marketing campaigns, the ones left shivering in the cold outside of the theaters.

If you love independent film of any kind, go to the site and watch the clips from wonderful movies, documentaries and shorts they're spotlighting in their effort to give them "a voice, a face, an opportunity."

I've only watched one or two, but they were great. "Validation", a full length short, just made me smile and "The Inside Out Project" made me want to stand up, cheer and grab my camera.

Also, if you're a filmmaker, you can submit your own film to be showcased on Indie Friendlie. Click HERE for how-to's and guidelines.

Tully's a sweet kid, too, although I guess "kid" is a bit of a stretch since we went to high school together. He's also very, very funny.

(Full disclosure: Tully promised me one free margarita for every 1000 visitors his site receives from mine. So what are you waiting for? GO! And tell your friends to tell their friends!)

Oh, wait, before you go... What electrifies you? Share in the comments below...

 

Sweets On Christmas Eve Eve

Who is rich? He that rejoices in his portion.

~The Talmud

Dishes overflow the kitchen sink.

Fudge waits in a lined pan to be cut into squares and shared.

Three twenty-something kids and I huddle around a laptop within the glow of Christmas tree lights, laughing at You-Tube videos.

Favorite cookies fill gold and silver tins, tumble off of plates and cool on a metal rack on the kitchen counter... Chocolate Chip, courtesy of TG, while I made a last minute dash to the grocery store, and peanut butter Cyclops Cookies by me, assisted by Daniel.

I haven't taken one single photograph. The one above was taken earlier this week.

There are no gifts piled under the tree... the cookies are our gift. Our laughter is our gift. We are our gift.

I'm headed out in the morning with my kids, leaving Tom behind to care for the puppies... his gift to me. For the first time in decades, I'll wake Christmas morning in my childhood home and enjoy Christmas dinner with my parents. What better gift could I receive? 

 

And now for a few my sweet! moments of the past week. I hope you've gathered a nice, shiny collection yourself!

 

Sunday: placing your gifts under the church Giving Tree, imagining the faces of two 9-year-old boys when they open the gifts you bought for them; recovering treasured ornaments you thought were lost forever; fresh tamales and guacamole; your son's rants about the commercialization of Christmas

Monday: rainy days (good for writing); getting back to work on a dusty project; forgiving scales after a week of peanut butter and chocolate bars

Tuesday: tangerine sunrises framed in a window; brisk mornings and frisky dogs; listening to your daddy's stories; your pop-in-law finally released from the hospital; Pinterest, at last!; chili so spicy it makes your brow sweat on a cold night

Wednesday: your husband and daughter home with you, but quiet enough that you can still write; your college student child getting the official report of good grades for her past (really tough!) semester

Thursday: walking along a fog-shrouded country road; driving on a two-lane highway that zigs, zags, rises and falls over and through the hills; a surprise Christmas bonus; Lammes dark chocolate pecan and caramel Longhorns; a glass of wine and a movie with your son after seven nonstop hours on your feet

Friday: warm chocolate chip cookies baked by your daughter; your son helping you bake his favorite cookies; the mailroom scene in Elf; all three of your kids home, laughing over You-Tube videos and watching movies

Saturday: traveling with all three of your kids; Christmas Eve spent with your parents for the first time in decades

Another very special sweet... Kamana of Journalling Through Photos recently posted a series of "Six Question" interviews with women bloggers. I was honored and humbled that she asked me to participate.

Go HERE to read the interview, but be sure to stay there awhile... meet the other bloggers she interviewed and also take a stroll through Kamana's beautiful poetry and photographs. Thank you again, Kamana!

I wish all of you a blessed Christmas, filled with peace and joy, love and laughter...

I'm also joining Otto at Münchow's Creative Photo Blog in challenging each of you to use Christmas to make a difference in someone's life who, instead of love and joy during these holidays, feels despair or sadness. Perhaps they've lost a job or a loved one or have just forgotten the meaning of the season. Even if all you do is smile at a stranger, try to do something. ("...it might be the only sunshine they see.")

I'm challenging myself as well.

Christmas is not as much about opening our presents as opening our hearts.

~Janice Maeditere

Peanut Butter/Chocolate Bars, a Snow-Squeaky Beach and other Sweet!s of the Week

Wednesday evening I spent an hour sitting at my in-law's dining room table working on a post to update you on our Florida week. I just had one more image to add before I hit 'publish' when Tom's laptop froze on me. As a last ditch effort, I refreshed the page.

Poof! My post vanished! 

Sigh. 

Of course, it was a brilliant post - one of my best ever! Ahem. But I decided playing cards, exploring thrift stores and walking on the beach were more important than trying to remember what I'd written, and I procrastinated re-writing it until now, after a twelve-hour drive home and lugging in all of our suitcases and before starting the laundry.

I'm sure you understand. 

I do recall that Nobel-worthy post had something to do with eating lots of peanut butter and chocolate. In my mother-in-law's kitchen there were these cute little Christmas plates that magically filled with all kinds of cookies overnight. Tom and I did our best to eat them up every day but then, the next morning, it would be overflowing in sweet yummy goodies all over again!

It was so weird!

Christmas magic, I'm sure.

We did more than eat peanut butter and chocolate, though; we played lots of cards... mostly 3-13, a kind of rummy. Tom and his family also play cribbage, but they're so fast at it I'd rather just sit and watch in awe.

One of Tom's eight brothers, Joe, lives near his parents; he and his wife Erin used to live in Texas and we've always had a great time with them. On this trip we trekked through antique/junk shops and along the beach, searching for all different kinds of treasure. We also spent one evening catching up over margaritas and 3-13 (they stomped us!)

Martha Stewart has nothing on Mom and Erin when it comes to Christmas decor. I came home totally inspired to finish my tree and create a beautiful table setting. Both of their houses twinkle in Christmas spirit.

Friday, our last day there, Mom had planned to take us to the infamous McGuires Irish Pub right after Pop had a small test run. Unfortunately, we ended up eating in a hospital cafeteria instead of McGuires. (Barbecued ribs, since you asked. And they were pretty dang good!)

Pop didn't even get any lunch... unless you call the stuff that drips through an IV "lunch".

You see, over the last few years - more frequently in the past few months - Pop has been getting anemic. So anemic that he requires transfusions. On Friday the doctor felt his blood count was low enough that he needed another recharge.

I'm glad Tom and I were able to be there to help them out, at least for a day. And we still had fun with them, playing cards and listening to Pop flirt with the nurses (that old rascal!)

As I write this, he's still in the hospital. We're praying the doctors can figure out why he keeps getting anemic and what to do about it. Please join me! (Thank you!)

And now for my sweet! moments of the week... 

Sunday: your parents-in-law's faces on a long overdue visit; playing 3-13 even if you lose every game; a tree covered in angel ornaments; chocolate and peanut butter bars

Monday: chocolate and peanut butter bars; chocolate and peanut butter bars; chocolate and peanut butter bars; laughing with your brother- and sister-in-law over margaritas and games of 3-13 (even if they always win)

Tuesday: chocolate and peanut butter bars; Tums; running with your sweetie so you can eat more chocolate and peanut butter bars; swingsets sturdy enough for adults; an evening penitential service in a beautiful church

Wednesday: exploring thrift/antique/junk shops with your sweetie, brother- and sister-in-law; Victorian houses draped in Christmas

Thursday: walking on a deserted Pensacola beach with loved ones, searching for shells; your heels sinking deep into squeaky snow white sand; wearing a swimsuit in December; purple beach flowers; finally winning a game of 3-13!

Friday: spending a day laughing and playing cards with your in-laws, even if most of it is spent in the hospital; old globes; watching old episodes of MASH, Taxi, Gomer Pyle, Petticoat Junction...

Saturday: starting off on time for your return trip home; a pre-dawn deserted interstate; sharing a footlong turkey sandwich with your sweetie; your tail-wagging, grinning puppies greeting you when you arrive back home after a week away; the sight of 2/3 of your kids after a long absence; your son helping you out when you're feeling frustrated and exhausted; three paychecks in the mail

Simplify! (and my Saturday Sweet Report)

"Simplify, organize, simplify..." a small voice has been chanting in my head lately, making it difficult to concentrate.

So when my friend Gwen invited me to add some of my things to her garage sale this weekend, I jumped on the chance to de-clutter.

By yesterday morning, my car was loaded with two large boxes for the garage sale - one of clothes and another of junk like lampshades, 90's jewelry, steam hair rollers and clocks. 

On my way to Gwen's I would be passing a Half Price Books store, so I also loaded up two boxes of textbooks we've been hoarding for some insane reason... some were from my brief engineering student days, for goodness' sake, relics of the dark ages when a pocket calculator cost hundreds of dollars and a computer filled an entire room.

Someone please tell me why I thought I should save those?

Half Price gave me $9 and an offer to recycle the ones they didn't want (probably my college books!) Thank you and good riddance!

Unfortunately, those boxes didn't make a dent in the junk inventory. For the next few weeks, I foresee an internal battle between my alter egos (the collector/hoarder and the zealous tosser/organizer) over what to toss and what to keep. Please wish me luck! The zealous/organizer is responsible for throwing away my journals from 3rd grade all through high school. She's dangerous!

So please also wish me a clean, organized, but interesting and eclectic decor, with no lingering regrets!

And now for my Saturday Sweet Report... 

Saturday: celebrating your mother's 80th birthday; your toddler niece reaching out to you for a cuddle

Sunday: wishing your Mama a happy 80th birthday in person; your Daddy's bacon and biscuits for breakfast; baby squirrels taking peanuts straight from your son's hand; your mom in a sombrero; a son who is addicted to books, just like you are; your oldest running his first marathon

 

Monday: an Indian summer morning; getting paid to write

Tuesday: a good soaking rain; photography friends who give advice and tips; Google, when you're learning something new and can't afford a class; people who make free tutorials

 

Wednesday: sunshine in the morning after a rainy day; a surprise visit from a friend; meeting a writing deadline; a call from your youngest; a POTW from Hilary!; a husband who shops and cooks so you can keep working on your dreams 

Thursday: the sound of a woodpecker filtering through the trees; finally sending the Cd of photos from your first shoot off to your client; bumping into a neighbor at the post office; an afternoon walk through the woods with your puppies

 

Friday: a happy photography client; lunch with girlfriends; ridding your house of two boxes of old textbooks, one box of clothes and another one of junk; visiting with three generations of beautiful blondes; lace and velvet Christmas dresses, in size 3Toddler 

Saturday: a friend who lets you put things in her garage sale even though you can't help work it; autumn leaves falling on the road in front of you; helping break a sales record where you work; sitting down after a long day on your feet; making $30 on things you would have tossed away; a movie that makes you both smile and cry at the end

 

Hope you've collected plenty of Sweet!s, too!

 

 

"The Best Laid Schemes..." (What happened to Monday and Tuesday?)

According to my calendar, I'm in Galveston right now, visiting my friend Ann, finally getting to see the cute little Victorian house she's fixing up and browsing through some wonderful eclectic shops.

Things don't always go according to plan, though, do they?

Instead of strolling the tourist-free beaches and staying up late talking and laughing with my dear friend, I've spent the past two days glued to this old computer, spending hours and hours on projects that should have only taken half the time.

(I'm beginning to wonder if shoveling coal into it might make it go any faster. I don't think it could hurt!)

Ann's free days evaporated, too, anyway, complicated by family schedules. We're going to try again in the next month or two. Why are our lives still so complicated?

I'm grateful for the work that's keeping me glued to the computer, though. One is a photo shoot from a couple of weeks ago that forced me to learn Lightoom. I'm by no means an expert, but I've learned so much, thanks to tutorials and photography friends (thank you, Beth!) and learning something new is so much fun! (And frustrating. And agonizing.)

Unfortunately, one thing I've learned is that my E: drive on my computer has gone kaputz. Nothing like a few hurdles in your path to keep you on your toes, right?

The second project was a review for BlogHer with a quick turnaround, as in, I learned about it yesterday and the deadline was this morning. And I (pretty much) turned it in on time. Ahem.

It wasn't a typical product review... more of a personal essay on health and aging and menopause, so I was happy I was chosen for the project.

I can't believe it's already Wednesday, though. Here are a few highlights from the past few days...

 

My mother turned 80! Middle-son Daniel went with me for the celebration at my parents' house. I enjoy road trips with Daniel - he helps me find good radio stations and doesn't mind me singing along loudly, even when I don't really know the words. 

It was a quick visit with family, highlighted by fried Gulf shrimp, birthday cake, breakfast by Daddy, plenty of coffee, Mexican food, and my mother in a birthday sombrero... 

...which matches this one of my dad from last month...

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Oldest-son Tommy ran his first full marathon! If you knew all the nights I stayed up with him while he struggled to breathe with his asthma, you'd really understand how very proud I am! And how relieved I was that he crossed that line, safe and sound and breathing!

This photo was snapped by his sweetheart, Kirby. She completed her second half-marathon that day. 

Yay, Tommy and Kirby!

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I won a blog drawing!! This cute cup featuring a 'doodle' by Cyndee at Eloise's Collage arrived in my mailbox Friday. I love it! Thank you, Cyndee! 

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Remember the Thanksgiving Comes First campaign? Thanks to Suldog, I found out about a petition to "Tell Target to Save Thanksgiving". If you want to add your name, click HERE.

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It rained yesterday! I mean, really and truly rained!

Well, not enough to capture a photo of the actual rain, but I did get one this morning of a dew-covered wildflower...

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Last but not least, Hilary at the Smitten Image awarded me a Post of the Week for As if I were beside you... Thank you, Hilary!

(Click the icon below to go read the other POTW and see her wonderful photography.)

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I hope you're having a wonderful week, even if your plans went agley like mine!

(At least I wasn't left with "nought but grief an' pain"...)

 

...The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!

~from To a Mouse by Robert Burnes

Dancing, friendship, butterflies and the Jake Carr Band...

Tom and I ventured into enemy territory Friday night: we went dancing in College Station.

Considering we have one University of Texas graduate and one still in attendance, that's tantamount to treason around here. (College Station is the home of Texas A&M... UT's arch-rival.)

But we had a good reason to go there! We went to hear our friends' son play... he's the drummer in the Jake Carr Band, an up-and-coming country-ish musical group full of talented kids. They opened for another band (JB and the Moonshine Band) at a Bryan/College Station landmark: the Texas Hall of Fame. 

I call it a landmark because it's been there since 1978. It only took a few minutes for Tom to realize he had been there before.

"Did you come here with Debbie?"

"Yep."

Hmmm.

I know all about Debbie. Tom even called me "Debbie" once when we first started dating.

Needless to say, I made sure we got out on that dancefloor. He owed me! Plus, the Hall has one of the best dancefloors I've ever seen - I think the best since Gilley's in the days of our youth. Huge! No danger of bumping into anyone else, no matter how wild they get with their elbows and their twirling.

But back to why we were there...

The Jake Carr Band is really good. Sam Duncan, on the drums, is really, really good. Remember that name!

Plus he's so dang cute! Here he is with his beautiful Momma, Shari...

And here are some shots of the band... I bet we'll be hearing them on the radio before too long.

College Station was just the first stop on our weekend away. The true destination was our friends' place, nestled in the tall pines northwest of Houston.

Did you know that when the wind plays in those giant trees, its laughter sounds like rushing water? I had never noticed it before - perhaps it's because I miss the sound of our little waterfall so much.

That's the kind of weekend we had - slow and relaxing, where you have time to listen to the wind playing in the trees. Just the kind of weekend we needed.

We went for walks in nearby Tomball, full of great antique shops, where I was very, very tempted to buy this...

...because I've always wanted one and it was a great price.

But even a great price is too much these days, especially when I have no idea where I'd put it or what I'd do with it. That used to never stop me, but in these days when I'm dying to de-clutter, function trumps everything else.

We also took a long walk beside a nearby river, where my drought-weary eyes found colorful relief in the form of purple morning glories, clumps of red, white and yellow wildflowers, and even the butterflies I've missed so much this year, like this beauty... 

An old stable, buried under vines by the side of the road, caught our eye. We stopped to explore, not realizing until we were telling it goodbye that some of the vines were poison ivy... (Yikes! Where's the Benadryl?)

But we still used it as a "couples" photo backdrop before leaving (stepping up a few feet, of course!) 

Our sweet hosts, Robert and Shari...Thank you both for such a wonderful weekend!!

 

 

 

On November (and my Sweet! Report)

Today is the fifth of November. How can that be?

Does anyone else feel the swoosh of time flying by?  If I'm not careful, with just a blink it will be December Eve.

November is full of writing challenges - novel writing, nonfiction writing, blogging...

Why? Who decided this was a month to focus on writing? A month dotted with important holidays in between two other big holiday months... a month of beautiful weather that begs you to drop your pen or leave your keyboard to come outside and soak it up (at least here in Austin.)

I won't be joining any challenges. Well, okay, maybe the blogging one because blogging is therapy... plus there are prizes, and I love prizes. I'll spend a few hours a week on my book, but I won't log the hours or daily words anywhere. The encouragement from other writers would be great, but right now, that's just extra time spent away from writing.

And every minute is gold right now. Yesterday morning, like a curious puppy on a leash, my brain dashed forward through the days of this month and all of the exciting events - visiting friends, celebrating my mother's 80th birthday, Thanksgiving - then I remembered the everyday demands, like editing photos from my first-ever paid photo shoot, writing, transcribing... laundry, groceries, bill-paying... morning walks, dog duties, working out...

How am I going to fit it all in?

Right away, I pushed the retract button on the leash, reeled in that frisky puppy-thought and made up my mind to keep it on a tight leash, allowing myself to stand in just one square of this month at a time as much as possible. I want to appreciate each day, accomplish what I can and not stress about the rest. (Why am I always having to remind myself of this?)

Already this month I waved my son off on his first post-graduation job, attended Mass in honor of All Saints Day, and said extra prayers for the souls of my friends and family who have passed on in honor of All Soul's Day. I came across these quotes and started writing a post including them, but ran out of time.

But they're great, so I'll still share them with you...

God creates out of nothing. … but He does what is still more wonderful: He makes saints out of sinners.~ Søren Kierkegaard

Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.~ Oscar Wilde

 

I've also survived my first paid photo shoot gig (from what I've seen of the photos, I think it was a success!) and helped ease a friend into a new decade of life with a surprise celebration of his 60th birthday. 

(As promised, Dan!)

And at the moment this post is published, Tom and I will be off visiting dear friends.

{Last night (Friday) we enjoyed (I'm sure!) listening to their son's band play, and today (Saturday) we're either off exploring garage sales and flea markets or, if we're too tired from last night, we're just hanging out on the back porch. Either way, we're having fun!}

It's only the fifth of November, but the rest of the month promises to be just as packed. I'm determined to savor each day, slowly and deliciously, as if it came from a box of assorted rich chocolates. 

Because these days of our lives are precious, aren't they?

And now on to the rest of my sweet moments from this past week... Hope your week was filled with them, too!

Saturday: a surprise visit from a friend at the Bistro; winning a coin toss; autumn days in a vineyard; home from work early enough to watch a movie with your sweetie

Sunday: catching up with a dear friend after church; sharing a yummy cheesesteak sandwich with the one you love; five minutes with, and a hug from, your oldest, on his way from Dallas to San Antonio; cleaning house while listening to The Best of U2, 1990 to 2000 and the Beatles #1 hits 

Monday: Haley, the neighbor puppy who was hit by a truck just a few weeks ago, joining you and your puppies for your morning walk; making a little headway on learning Photoshop Elements

Tuesday: seeing your son off on his first day of a new job; support and advice from photographer friends; almost forgetting, but then arriving early for All Saint's Day Mass

Wednesday: cotton candy clouds; meeting Fancy, a leggy Doberman puppy; surviving your first ever 'real' photo shoot; a call from your sister; a now-routine weekly lunch with wonderful friends; helping a friend celebrate his 60th birthday (and spending time with friends you never get to see anymore) 

Thursday: seeing your "baby" girl; homemade chili on a chilly night; laughing with your son at the Modern Family episode you missed via Hulu

Friday: joining other bloggers worldwide for the Blog Blast for Peace; Belle peering in at the window beside you, in hopes you'll come out and visit; taking a break from the computer and visiting with your wiggly, joyful, full-of-kisses puppy; finding out you won a blog drawing for a cup with a friend's beautiful original artwork on it!

Hope you're having a wonderful weekend. Don't forget...

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things." - Robert Brault

P.S. Please keep my father-in-law in your prayers. He had to go into the hospital this week and be given blood for a recurring problem with anemia. So far, they haven't figured out what's causing it. Thank you! 

A Top Notch Day

It started like this...

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...

 

 

Hope your day was Top Notch, too!

Sweet Reflections on a Sunday Morning

Dear God,

Thank you for this day, for letting me wake in Mam-ma's room, surrounded by so many sweet memories. Thank you for the sounds of Daddy, moving around the kitchen, and the rumbling thunder outside, a promise of rain on this parched land.

Thank you for this time with my Mama and Daddy, and with my kids, all three of them stll nestled in beds that have cushioned them most of their lives, in bedrooms from my childhood. Please help me be a blessing to them all.

Please watch over us as we head home today... 

It's raining, although not as much as Daddy would like, so he's grumbling a little. He's in the kitchen, rustling up some breakfast for Mama, who is now up and helping keep the squirrels in peanuts. I just missed a great shot of a dove and the kids are still sleeping. They were up longer than the rest of us, the sounds of their mingled laughter drifting in to me as I fell asleep.

It's a beautiful Sunday.  

 

Sunday: a pre-dawn horizon glowing red above the water; walking on the beach, witnessing the sun rising above the waves; tagging along on a photo-staging with your new artist friend; hitting a "Penny" sale... buy one, get one for a penny... with your girlfriends; home safe and sound from a wonderful weekend; grilled pork loin a la Tom; tagging along on your boys' trip to Europe via photos posted on Facebook; reading a letter written by your great-great-great-great-grandfather to his brother in France, written in 1810, that answers so many questions about your family history

Monday: glimpsing Belle's face peering in at me through the French doors before dawn has even softened the darkness of night; a morning walk with my puppies (I missed them!); eagerly wondering what new door God is planning to open for me now that another one is shutting - and realizing the thought was automatic, not just a way to cheer myself up; hearing (with relief) from your doctor what you already suspected... that the lump in your breast is just a result of your out-of-control coffee addiction; sitting in your car chatting with your daughter, catching up on the latest in her life, then having dinner with your middle son AND getting a phone call from your oldest

Tuesday: needing a light jacket on your morning walk; sunlight kissing the top branches of the trees; the joy in a running dog's face; a whole day at home to work on your projects, including your book for the first time in weeks; a call from a friend letting you know she'll be in town on Friday (time for a get-together!); sitting in a rocker on the front porch reading, a puppy dog at your feet; a new episode of "Glee" 

Wednesday: working on your book two days in a row; tons of information for your book from your cousin in your email inbox; news that your recently graduated son got called for a job interview

Thursday: meeting a deadline on your book review; reflecting on an inspiring life; writing, writing, writing

Friday: wishing your father a happy 85th birthday; reciprocating a favor by helping to take care of friends' dogs; a glass of wine on the back deck with a sweet friend; dinner and some dancing with more dear friends at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse 

Saturday: hearing all of Peter Frampton's "Do You Feel Like We Do?" on the car radio (and singing along); all three kids under the same roof; seeing your cousin Sheryl and her husband Bill for the first time in years; celebrating your Daddy's 85th birthday with fresh seafood and German Chocolate Cake, surrounded by family; your brother-in-law going to the trouble to find something for you on eBay he knows you will really appreciate (more on that later); reading to your toddler niece; experiencing Germany's Oktoberfest through your oldest son's iPhone videos and stories; laughing with your three kids over silly SNL skits and you-tube vids

Sunday: squirrels peering in at sliding doors, begging for peanuts; helping your daddy find information on Drop Foot on the internet and (maybe) convincing him to get the brace the doctor suggested since it's still bothering him; the sound of rain and thunder all around the house, enough that your Daddy finally admits it's raining

Here's wishing you a beautiful Sunday, with skies the color of your dreams.

Retreat to the Sea

 For whatever we lose (like a you or a me),

 It's always our self we find in the sea.

~e.e. cummings

 

For the past few weeks, I've felt like a jumping bean, hopping from one project to the next, never quite finishing one before moving on to another, mentally filling to overflowing a shelf labeled "Later".

I had lost my balance, knocking it aside somewhere in my zeal to conquer my dreams, get organized, and make money, all at the same time. No matter how hard I tried to breathe, to focus on each moment, I couldn't stop that little hyper bean inside of me that couldn't just enjoy the present but had to continually jump ahead, or sideways, or backwards.

Then Thursday afternoon I stepped onto Mustang Island.

One look at the waves rolling in, rolling out... one deep breath of the salty air...one note of the symphony of crashing waves and cries of seagulls...

That's all it took for the stillness to return, as if the waves and the air loosened the knots and cleansed my spirit. The symphony soothed me... a lullaby chasing away the helter-skelter bits of thought in my brain.

I find myself at the extremity of a long beach.  How gladly does the spirit leap forth, and suddenly enlarge its sense of being to the full extent of the broad, blue, sunny deep!  A greeting and a homage to the Sea!  I descend over its margin, and dip my hand into the wave that meets me, and bathe my brow.  That far-resounding roar is the Ocean's voice of welcome.  His salt breath brings a blessing along with it.  ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Foot-prints on the Sea-shore"

That's why my friends and I run away every year to the sea. This was our 12th annual retreat, a time to reconnect with these friends, but also with myself.

To think of nothing, but to see and experience everything.

Year before last, we encountered Laura Bush on the beach and discovered Stoney LaRue. Last year my high school Divas joined us, and although the numbers made it tougher for me to spend time with everyone as much as I hoped, priceless memories were made.

This year I had no expectations, especially considering the highs of the past two. I only craved simplicity and silence. I hoped for sun, but would have smiled at raindrops.

But it didn't rain. Thursday afternoon's storm clouds cleared out and blue skies ruled the rest of the weekend. Thanks to this year's drought, there were no mosquitos. And on our one night of dancing, we had plenty of dance partners for a change, including some who knew how to spin me around country-style.

This year, I didn't worry about running every morning or about waking at the crack of dawn to photograph the sunrise each day, although I did manage each of them once.

This year I read. I wandered with my camera. I prayed. I met an artist, Marilyn Lindholm, who asked for one of my photographs of a rainbow umbrella and invited me along on a photo-staging of wine glasses and driftwood.

I spent hours listening to the waves, watching porpoises, seagulls and cute little seabirds, drinking Bloody Mary's and talking about life with fifteen other wonderful women, including my sweet sister Brenda, healed enough from her hip surgery six months ago to drive herself to the coast. She even made it down to the beach and the swimming pool. (Thank you for all your prayers for her.)

Hanging on to the stillness will be a challenge, I know. I felt that restlessness waking up with me Monday morning with just one glance at my to-do list. But if I close my eyes I can hear the waves, reaching in, pulling out, reminding me to hang on to the rhythm of life, and leave the rest behind.

It helps to have some photos. I haven't finished going through the ones I took, but here are a few...

A magical moment... My friend Cheryl spotted this little Yellow Warbler cowering in a corner of the boardwalk. He hopped on her finger and stayed put for an extended photo shoot. She thought he was injured and was trying to decide how to take care of him when suddenly, whoosh! he was gone, flying out over the dunes. 

Such a sweet little thing. And what a model!

Schools of fish teamed just offshore, so the pelicans and seagulls (and even a few porpoises) were going nuts. 

There's always at least one woman who feels a need to give everyone something - this year it was Mary Kay and her niece, Tiffany. I've given up protesting.

How could you protest something like this, anyway?

We always treat ourselves to dinner out one night - can't beat fresh seafood straight from the gulf! 

A table for 16, please...

Me and my sweet sister... (note the 'character scar' on my nose, my souvenir from our little wreck a couple of weeks ago.)

Where I lived for two full days...

In my normal life I can barely sit still through a movie, yet I had no problem lying for hours on a hard plastic lounge chair. Go figure.

Mary Kay, the University of Texas Longhorns #1 Fan! (We stomped Iowa State!)

These precious little girls kept us all sighing over their cuteness on Saturday. I took dozens of photos and I don't even know them!

You can imagine how many photos of sea birds I took - I'll post most of them on Confessions later (uh-oh... "later" is already popping up.)

There were almost as many dogs as birds at the beach this time! Total exaggeration, of course, but there were a lot. I loved this trio of ladies... Lucy, and, um, ah, I can't remember the other two but they started with 'L's. 

Our traditional photo of the whole group just before final hugs and heading back to the real world, mostly in different directions. 

Spotted this sign in the restroom of the restaurant and ran back with my camera, ignoring the stares. I think it pretty much sums up our weekend.

From the Port Aransas "Secret Files" (and a week's worth of Sweet!s)

For twelve years now I've trekked to the coast with friends for a much-needed respite from "routine".

Two years ago, a beautiful weekend was made unforgettable: Laura Bush spent the night at the same condos we were staying in.

I wrote about it (HERE), but didn't post the photos my friend Donna took with my camera of Laura walking on the beach with her friend, surrounded by Secret Service guys dressed as 'normal' people. Like us, she was just trying to have a relaxing evening at the beach.

Donna took the photos because I ran out to the beach with some of the other women, hoping to "casually" bump into Laura as she returned from her walk (can you say "paparazzi"?)

When we passed her on the beach, Laura was gracious and friendly. The Secret Service guys we met were good sports, too, joking around and letting us take their photos.

It was a magical weekend, the perfect way to commemorate 10 years of a special friendship.

For some reason, we decided we shouldn't post the photos of Laura. I'm not sure why... she gets her photo taken all the time!

I decided enough time had passed to post a couple of them.

Beautiful, isn't she? 

Laura's not here this weekend, but we're still having a beautiful, magical time, full of sunshine, the surf, plenty of food, friendship, dancing...

Sweet!

Here are a few of my other sweet! moments of the week...

Saturday: the only evidence of a rear-end collision being a few scratches, even if one is on your nose just before a reunion; recognizing and remembering faces you haven't seen in twenty years or more; spending overdue hours with dear friends and vowing not to let so much time pass again without another visit; friends who take care of your grandpuppy as well as your own menagerie while you're away

Sunday: breakfast with your parents; face-to-face time with your sister, her husband, your parents, your brother's kids and capturing more photos of his precious granddaughter; picking up your son from the airport after his European adventure and hearing some of his stories; 2/3 of your kids at home for dinner; remembering a first dance 30 years ago that changed your life; getting word that your oldest made it home to Dallas, safe and sound

Monday: spotting a few patches of yellow and purple wildflowers popping up along the roadside; looking through photos and videos of your son's trip to Munich and Prague; spending a few hours with your daughter; sharing dinner, conversation, memories and cheesecake with longtime friends; lightning flashing in the distance on a night drive home

Tuesday: an invitation to become a contributor to an online blog for over-50 women; dark clouds in intricate patterns, thunder and lightning seen from the protection of a wide porch overlooking the Hollow; rain spray carried into the porch by the wind to splash on my face

Wednesday: jacket-cool mornings with pink clouds; a drive through the Texas Hill Country at sunset; reuniting your grandpuppy with her mom; souvenirs from Germany and Prague

Thursday: road trips; Reuben sandwiches; the first sight of the coast in a year; pink and blue beachhouses; reuniting with friends on a balcony overlooking the beach

Friday: running on the beach; flocks of pelicans; a long phone conversation with a friend; a glimpse of porpoises leaping from the water; strangers offering to help your hip-surgery-recovering sister down the boardwalk; twirling on a dance floor with friends for hours

Saturday: having an artist you met during a walk on the beach ask for one of your photos; a thirsty beach puppy drinking from your hand (and reminding its parents that beach puppies need water!); Bloody Mary's on the beach; a call from a friend checking on you after reading about your car accident; reading on the beach until sunset; singing "Happy Birthday" to a special friend

I hope all of you are having a beautiful weekend, too... a grand finale to a week full of sweets!

Share yours with me!

 

A Weekend of Reunions

 "Be the first to hit the dance floor."

~ Love, Dove

Finding this in my chocolate wrapper today made me laugh. I'm frantically tying up loose ends and scratching to-do's off of lists so I'm ready to hit the road with my Lago girls first thing in the morning. Today is the eve of our 12th Annual Girls' Weekend at the Coast. This time tomorrow I'll be, well, actually I'll be grocery shopping.

Doesn't sound like fun, I know,  but even though grocery shopping is near the top of my 'Things I hate to do" list, this is one shopping trip I enjoy... zipping around the store buying up goodies for the weekend, bumping into my friends around every corner and then trying to load several cartfuls of supplies into our already over-packed vehicles for the final leg of the journey onto the island, giggly with excitement and eager for the sun and sand.

But back to my Dove love note... Some of us will be hitting a dance floor this weekend, and I'm usually the first and last one on there (I don't mind dancing by myself, so it's not contingent upon someone asking me.) But thanks for the encouragement, Dove!

Gosh, I can't believe it's already Wednesday Thursday. Here I am on the verge of another weekend and I haven't even told you about my last one! And there's plenty to tell! (I started this yesterday but had to zip off to return our grandpuppy to her mom. Now I'm frantically trying to finish it!)

I'll start with Saturday morning when Tom and I made several new friends, guys from New York who were traveling across Texas in their rented Dodge Durango. We were on our way out of Austin, headed to Pasadena for a reunion with my old DuPont co-workers, people who (with a few exceptions) I haven't seen in over twenty years.

Tom stopped at a red light. The guys in the Dodge Durango didn't.

I heard - and felt - a CRUNCH in the back of my little Hundai Elantra as my head lurched forward, smacking the visor. Sigh. So much for the reunion and all the people I'd waited months to see. 

Just as one of the guys ran up to Tom's window, I felt something wet on my face.... touching it, my hands came back covered in blood. "My nose is broken!" I dug for napkins in the glove box. 

We pulled off the road into the parking lot of a small church, the Durango close behind us. At least we could still drive it that far! I took a deep breath, prayed and felt peace flow through me. Tom must have done the same thing because both of us got out of the car smiling, especially when we saw that my little car somehow had less damage than the Durango and that my nose wasn't broken after all, just had a bad cut. 

Tom and the other driver exchanged information while another guy scooped some ice for my nose into a cup from a cooler in the Durango and also gave me more napkins. "This would have turned into a brawl in New York," he told me. We all chit-chatted then went our separate ways, elated and relieved. 

A few minutes later we drove through Bastrop, strips of black earth and charred toothpick-looking pines dotting the land on either side of the highway, reminders of the recent wildfires. It's amazing how the fire created a patchwork of black and green.

We had a few hours to visit with my parents then headed to the reunion. That's when it hit me I probably wouldn't recognize anyone - in my mind they all still looked like they did twenty years ago.

But an amazing thing happened... I recognized everyone, especially when I heard their voices. And by the end of the night, everyone looked exactly like I remembered. Even the ones I thought I didn't know had suddenly popped back into place in the pages of my memory.

Opaque layers of time had been peeled away.  

Yeah, I know... when you look at these photos you see a bunch of old farts, but when I look at them, I don't see a single gray hair or wrinkle. Funny, isn't it?

The night went by fast, full of "Remember that time...?" and "What do you do now?"... of smiles and laughter. I was so relieved that everyone seemed to enjoy it as much as I did and voted to do it again soon.

But there were even more reunions this weekend! My nephew, his wife and precious baby girl moved back from Wyoming, which meant gathering around my mother's kitchen table, sharing pizza, gabbing and...

...more photos of baby Haila! Unlike my last visit, this time she was more tolerant of my paparazzi behavior.

She even smiled for me!

 

 I wish we'd been able to stay longer (in other words, I wish I'd had time to take more pictures of that little girl) but we had to rush to the Austin airport to pick up Daniel, back safe from his world travels.

I intended to post some of his photos on here, but they'll have to wait... I'm late! The coast is calling me!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

 

 

 

 

September, Oktober(fest) and my Friday Favorite Photo

"By all these lovely tokens

September days are here,

With summer’s best of weather

And autumn’s best of cheer."

-   Helen Hunt Jackson, September, 1830-1885

 

Wednesday night, alone on the Bistro patio after a special banquet, I bent over to un-velcro a small cushion from one of the metal chairs. Triple digit heat had given way to a cooling breeze whispering over the vineyard. An acoustic guitar strummed a beautiful song through the outside speakers.

I turned to remove another cushion and that's when I saw it, the orange orb hovering on the horizon, smiling down on the grapevines. The beauty, the peace, they total SIGH of it all froze me in place for several moments. I could have stayed there, doing nothing but soaking it all in with all of my senses for hours.

I love September... I love full moons... so that's why I chose the one above as my favorite this week. 

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

My boys are on the edge of a European adventure. They're in Chicago as I'm typing this but jumping on another plane this evening, headed for Munich to experience an authentic Oktoberfest, visit castles and all that fun German stuff.

In a few days, they'll head for Prague, Czech Republic. Another place I've longed to visit.

I'm unashamedly living vicariously through my sons the next few days just as I did with TG when she traveled to Spain a few years ago. 

A photo of them at the airport would have been my favorite photo of the week, except I wasn't there to see them off. They left early this morning from San Antonio, along with Tommy's girlfriend Kirby. We met up with her in San Marcos last night to trade Daniel for our grandpuppy, Josie. We'll be puppy-sitting for the next week or so. (Max and Belle are very excited!)

In Chicago, the trio are meeting up with Kirby's cousin Matt before taking off on the next leg of the adventure.

All I've asked for are lots of photos and, if possible, something with "Czechoslovakia" written on it. Heck, it could be a napkin for all I care, but "Czechoslovakia" has been my favorite word for as long as I can remember... it's just so much fun to say. I love the rhythm of it, the way it dances around in your mouth. Try it!!

(I can't believe they traded "Czechoslovakia" for "Czech Republic"! Not nearly as much fun, in my opinion.)

Since I don't have a photo of them, passport in hand and loaded down with luggage, and because their trip is throwing me back into my own memories (a sure sign I'm getting old, right?) I'm adding one of me with my friends Donna and Laura, on the edge of our own European adventure way back in '76. (I'm the brunette on the right.)

Under that brown hair, I truly believed this was just a preview of many European trips to come. I'm only 52 now - even though I haven't returned yet, there's still plenty of time for my brunette 17-year-old self to be right, isn't there?

But even if I never get the chance (more like, have the money), I'm so glad my kids have the travel bug and are taking advantage of the opportunity.

Please join me in praying they have a safe, fun adventure (and bring their old mom lots of photos!) Thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Sweet and Summer Sour

Monday morning I knew autumn had arrived, riding the tail of a brisk breeze from the north that dropped temperatures nearly twenty degrees. Robe wrapped tight and relishing the chill, I sipped coffee in my pajamas rocking on the deck of a log cabin nestled in the woods above a dry creek bed.

We were at a rental lake house, guests of my oldest son's girlfriend's dad, along with his mom, his girls, their friends, my boys and Tommy's friend Ryan. It was just the change of scenery I needed after being on my feet eleven hours on Saturday and six on Sunday: fajitas, wine, a hot tub, my first game of beer pong... (Tom and I lost, of course. How could we compete against college kids?)

One of the college girls is a San Antonio Spurs Cheerleader; it took awhile but we finally convinced her to teach us part of the audition dance. ("Us" included my boys. I was one proud mom! That took guts - and resulted in lots of laughs!)

We kept one eye on the television, though. Unfortunately, the dry, brisk breeze that brought such beautiful weather also helped stir up and spread wildfires all over Central Texas Sunday afternoon.

I worried about my puppies, but my neighbors promised to let us know if the Hollow was threatened with fire danger, so before heading home we all drove to a beautiful picnic area on the banks of the Colorado River.

A rope swing beckoned. It took awhile to get up my nerve (and Tom had to mention "Bucket List") but I finally took my turn, swinging out over the river and splashing down into its cool depths.

Ah, such summer sweetness! 

It was truly a glorious day with blue skies and perfect temperatures, but driving home, seeing the towers of smoke from wildfires to our south and east, we prayed for rain instead. 

 A few hours later, I noticed the blue sky over the Hollow had turned a hazy gray. I stepped outside and the smell of smoke hit my nose. I envisioned a wall of fire just over the next hill, racing toward us. 

With a blue sky above you, it's easy to feel detached from the danger even while you pray for those affected and  worry about it coming close to you. When smoke fills the sky and your nose, detached uneasiness can flare into full-fledged panic. At least that's the way it affected me.

I searched the sky in all directions, but thank goodness no distinct columns of smoke, black or white, rose above our surrounding hills. That helped douse the panic, but I had to make sure nothing was sneaking up on us, so I grabbed my keys and drove to a nearby hill where I had a 360 view. That hazy gray smoke wafted toward us from across the lake, obscuring the horizon and washing out the blue sky, but no fires burned near us. 

Yesterday, the winds were calm. The sky above us stayed blue. I kept an eye on the horizon but no smoke drifted our way, although I knew the fires are still burning around us, both old and new. But the potential remained. I knew it could be us just as easily as it has been Bastrop, Spicewood, Steiner Ranch, Pflugerville, Leander... and what would I do if fire turned our way? 

Lists ground me, making me feel I have some control, even if it's an illusion, so I made an "Evacuation List", a reminder to me of things I need to grab if fire chases us out of our home.   

The puppies, my purse, plus some items I can fit in a backpack:  my external hard drive, my phone and charger, my camera and charger, a list of accounts and passwords, our medicine, a bottle of water...

No extra clothes or toiletries... they're replaceable. No books, family mementoes, heirloom quilts, wedding photos... I'd hate to leave them behind, potentially lose them, but they aren't crucial. 

So tell me, what's on your Evacuation List? 

Please join me in praying for the evacuees, for the firefighters and especially, for rain. Fires are also popping up near Houston. Over 3.6 million acres of Texas have burned since December - reportedly the size of Connecticut if you lump them all together.

If you would like to help the victims and firefighters, click HERE for the Central Texas Red Cross website and HERE for a list of other organizations and locations to drop donations.

Just counting a few of my blessings... (my Friday Favorite Photos)

 

1. Rain on my windshield! Before heading to Houston yesterday, I swung downtown to drop some things off for TG on campus, and I heard an unusual sound... raindrops on my car! And then it actually rained on me all the way to Smithville or LaGrange. It wasn't enough to wash the dust from my car, but I'm grateful even for this small amount. Tom says a little even fell at our house, hallelujah! At least we know it remembers where we live!

2. My parents back at home; specifically, Daddy out of the hospital. Nothing more to add. That's enough!

3. Being able to catch a photo of my great-niece Haila smiling. I love this one of her and her daddy, Evan, my brother's son. They were in Houston visiting from Wyoming and I'm so glad I was able to run down to see them. I've been told Haila never fusses, but just before I arrived, she woke from a bad dream and cried and cried a good part of the time I was there. When she wasn't crying, she was on the move. This is a miracle capture!

4. My sister Brenda can walk without her cane! Just a few steps and she keeps it handy, but still, that's a major accomplishment and a beautiful sight to see. I haven't seen her since her hip surgery 5 months ago - how can that be possible? To say she looks much better would be an understatement!

I returned this evening from a quick trip to my hometown to attend my friend's husband's funeral. As you can see from these photos, I packed a lot into 24 hours... long overdue visits with my parents and siblings plus hugs (and tears) with my lifetime friends at the viewing and funeral.

I wish I'd had more time, but I'm just grateful I was able to sneak down there at all. I have to work tomorrow.

I'm hoping to fit another trip in soon for a second interview with my parents and to gather with the other Deer Park Divas around our friend. She's doing great now, but we all know the next few months are going to be tough.

This next week I'm focusing on getting organized - I have no deadlines to make me crazy although another book is in the mail for the next BlogHer Book Club review. I'm looking forward to it, though. These book reviews have kept me reading all summer.

The last one I read was Faithful Place, by Tana French - a wonderful love story/murder mystery with the kind of writing that makes me want to go revise everything I've ever written! You can read the full review HERE on BlogHer.

I have several friends and quite a bit of family over there on the East Coast and even though I've been on the road, I know there's a hurricane headed their way, so I'll be praying it's a dud like the one aimed at us a few weeks ago! And if not quite a dud, that its damage is minimal. Stay safe, all of you!

 

 

 

Phone Calls, Heartbeats, Hugs

A call that wakes you in the morning rarely bears good news.

The call that woke me yesterday let me know a dear friend's husband had died. He had some health issues (who doesn't by the time you hit your 50's?) but nothing that warned her that a day we all dread and hope never comes would soon arrive on her doorstep.

I, in turn, began making calls and sending messages to other friends, and they then did the same... so many digital arms stretching out and surrounding our friend, embracing her in a virtual hug. It's comforting to be able to connect that way with men and women who are still just school-age boys and girls in your mind.

Most of us will come together in person on Friday for the service and we'll continue to encircle our friend afterward as long as she needs us. 

I've been wanting to head that way to see my parents, anyway, especially since Daddy's recent hospital visit, and my nephew, his wife and baby are visiting from Wyoming this week. 

I always enjoy fitting a visit with friends into my trips home, but not under these circumstances.

One friend shared a comment his father-in-law made years ago...  "when you're in your sixties, the funeral homes become your reunions with everyone." We're not yet in our sixties, but I think we've met at too many funerals already.

So if you don't mind, please say a little prayer for my friend this weekend. And while you're at it, could you pray for a bit of rain to head our way? We just passed the triple digit record - 70 (sweaty) days this summer as of today. 

Oh, and two more prayer requests. I've delivered TG and her things safely back to campus - would you say a prayer for her for a safe and successful semester... and one for her recently graduated brother to find a job?

I promise that's all (for now.)

Thank you in advance.

I'll be praying for all of the above, plus keeping the East Coast in my prayers as Hurricane Irene heads its way and I'll also give thanks the recent earthquake up there didn't do more damage.

Just too much going on, isn't there?

How do we get back to simple? Or is simple just an illusion created by our memories? Probably. If so, then I'm even more grateful for my memories. 

Where did the week go? Heck, where did the years go? (plus my Saturday Sweet Report)

I totally lost track of this week. Until this weekend, nothing extraordinary happened, but even so, it felt crazy and I was exhausted without knowing exactly why!

Our empty nest isn't so empty right now - TG is still home for the summer, along with the contents of her dorm room, currently in Transition-Limbo, tucked into random places. And as of this past Saturday, Daniel and the stuff from his apartment are back home in Transition-Limbo, as well.

Tom helped move him home then they both took off for several days of sun and fishing on the coast, leaving a maze of boxes and stuffed trash bags full of household items and clothes overflowing from Daniel's room.

While they were gone I had to cover for Tom, which meant making sure TG and I had something to eat and pulling the evening puppy duty as well as the morning one. Okay, it doesn't sound like much, but it felt like a lot and I was pooped. 

They rolled back in Thursday night, just in time to unpack, re-pack and head to Dallas (all of us) for a wedding.

See that cute chubby-cheeked boy in red below?

That's Quentin, one of Tommy's friends. They went through Boy Scouts together and helped each other earn their Eagle Scout ranks. Along with his dad and brothers, Quentin helped us build our house.

Somehow, he's old enough to get married now. How did that happen?

The photo above was taken at Tommy's 12th birthday party, when all it took to entertain those boys was pizza, video games, movies, boxing gloves and some kind of rowdy wrestling game that, if I remember correctly, involved jumping from trees and forced me to come inside before I started screaming "Be careful!" and embarrassing my children.

Ah, boys. Those were the days.

In just a blink or two from when this photo was snapped, Quentin graduated salutatorian from high school, graduated with a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Texas A&M and then decided to teach high school math and science. A pretty good decision because that's where he met Kristen, the high school Spanish teacher who is now his wife.

Funny how we somehow get to where we need to be, even though the path seems to zig-zag a bit.

These days, I believe Quentin finds Kristen much more entertaining than pizza and video games.

It was fun seeing those kids, all grown up. A bonus to the trip was having all of my kids together. TG and Daniel stayed at Tommy's house, while Tom and I snuck away to our very own hotel room - all by ourselves! It was kind of an early anniversary celebration - next week will be 29 years.

Talk about time passing in a blink of the eye!

This morning we enjoyed a wonderful Mexican food breakfast all together before zooming back home, where I changed clothes and headed to work for the First Saturday Dinner at the Bistro. Each month the Three Course Wine Lunch menu changes and they feature some of the new items at this special night event. Getting to see - and taste - some of the new items... definitely sweet!

Here are some other sweets from the week...

Sunday: seeing your son and husband heading off for a few days of coastal adventure; watching a movie with your daughter instead of tackling your to-do list.

Monday: a surprise call from a dear friend; a text from your son letting you know they made it to the coast okay; hearing that your sister is feeling better after being very sick... again.

Tuesday: finally making the decision to buy a lens you've been wanting and getting a surprise discount on it; a glorious blue and orange striped sunset.

Wednesday: a glimpse of a mama quail, babies parading behind her, making it safely across a busy road; trio of baby deer finally out in the sunshine where you could snap their photo.

Thursday: pink mornings; your husband and son straggling in safe and only slightly burnt from days of fun at the coast.

Friday: witnessing a wedding, being reminded of love that lasts a lifetime; catching up with long-time friends; dancing.

Saturday: sharing breakfast with your husband and all of your babies; arriving home safely from a road trip; a new book to review waiting for you in the mailbox; Banana Crumble with a glass of Mistella; moonlight on a vineyard.

Hope you took time to notice the sweet moments in your week!

 

 

 

Headed for Adventure, a Crape Myrtle Update and Saturday's Belated "Sweet!" Report

Tom and Daniel headed out this morning for several days of fishing on the coast. Would you believe TG and I weren't invited?

But that's okay with me. I wasn't even tempted to tag along. When I say they'll be "on the coast," I really mean "on the coast"! They're planning to park the truck right on the beach and just stay put. 

Despite my love for the sun and sand, my idea of a vacation at the beach includes an air-conditioned high-rise condo decorated in blues and greens and cute beach decor. Oh, and also with a balcony looking far out over the water where I can sit with my coffee in the mornings and a glass of wine in the evenings.

And I'll get exactly that in about two months. 

So, have fun, guys! Be safe! TG and I will miss you while we sit here holding down this (air-conditioned) home fort!

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

My poor baby crape myrtle trees. Only one is budding, and it hasn't made much progress in days. Every morning I haul buckets of water up the stone path to them, whisper encouraging things and say another prayer for a good soaking rain. 

Sigh.

At least their leaves are still green. And summer's not over!

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Now for my week of sweet! moments... 

Saturday: whacking and killing a centipede without its legs scattering all over the laundry room floor (why, yes, I do have a photo! But for the sake of the skittish, I decided not to share it. Yet...); a quick trip into a Goodwill store and finding treasure.

Sunday: spotting a silver fox running cross the road right in front of you on the way home from church.

Monday: a summer morning on the back deck; the sight of three spotted fawns lounging in the shade, waiting for their mamas (and the sight of their mamas joining them later, soothing your fear that the kids were abandoned!)

 Tuesday: stealing a few morning minutes to play your drums for the first time in months 

Wednesday: another sighting of the fawns, this time with their big brother (who keeps an eye on you as you walk by!)

Thursday: the quiet of a college computer lab when you need to write 

Friday: a perfect Reuben sandwich; more bargains at Goodwill; an afternoon with friends and my camera in an old Texas courthouse square full of eclectic shops and architecture.

Saturday: hummingbirds; an icy limoncella (or two) with friends on a hot Texas evening; Mary Kay's chicken enchiladas; selling some jewelry!

What were some of your sweet! moments this week? (You are keeping track, aren't you?)

 

Why, Thank You! (and my Friday Favorite Photo!)

Thank you to everyone who said a prayer, crossed their fingers or in some way tried to steer Tropical Storm Don more to the north, providing us with a better chance of rain to ease this drought.

However, I just saw this post by my weatherman on Facebook...

Dear Don,
Thanks for nothing.
Sincerely,
Central Texas.
p.s. Emily...we're counting on you.

It seems pretty official that Don left us in the dust. Literally.

But, I know God knows what he's doing, so I guess South Texas and Mexico needed the rain more than we did right now. Perhaps this "Emily" is the answer to our prayer, so please keep 'em coming!

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

Did you read my Face in the Mirror post a few days ago? 

When my my blogger friend Suldog read it, he was inspired to write his own Ode to his Face.

Hop over to his site and take a look HERE. (Warning - his version is definitely rated at least PG-13. Maybe even R.)

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. ~ Charles Caleb Colton

... and I'm sure that includes parody. So thank you, Jim!

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Glancing at my stats the other day, I noticed several hits from a site called Best Posts of the Week. It seems someone nominated my Week of Moons post on my photography blog as a 'best post'. 

 I have no idea who it was, but who ever you are, thank you!

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Last year I spent a few days with my creative friend Ann in Galveston. I fell in love with an antique frame she had turned into an earring holder.

A few months later I came across a different version of the idea in a magazine and alerted my friends to be on the lookout for old photo frames so I could make my own.

My friend Mary Kay, as usual, wasn't satisfied with just finding me a frame - she went on to create this wonderful earring holder/display for me, as well as two others to use for my jewelry business. 

One thing is obvious - I need more earrings!

No, that's not it. What's obvious is Mary Kay is amazing - and an amazing friend!

Thank you, Mary Kay!

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

I took the day off for some junking/photography fun today. Along with Mary Kay (see above), her friend Claudia visiting from Colorado and TG, I spent the day enjoying old Georgetown... 

...and kicking myself, because I can't even count the number of times I've been in Georgetown over the past 15 years for soccer games, college visits, doctor visits, eating out, visiting friends... and never took the time to explore the wonderful town square, full of eclectic shops and beautiful architecture. 

Thanks again to Mary Kay for finally getting me there and to Claudia for lunch at the Monument Cafe. It was a wonderful day.

 

Look at this bench made to look like a book, sitting outside of a bookstore - I LOVE it! That's Claudia and Mary Kay just a little ways down...

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

 

But that's not my favorite photo of the week. I picked this one of the purple flower because it's no longer there - the drought was too much for it.

But in this photo, it looks like it's dancing, doesn't it? It had fun - truly blossomed - while it was here.

(It's also posted HERE on my photography blog along with other flowers that defied the drought and bloomed anyway, at least for a little while.)

I also love this photo because it's such a tiny flower that you can't even see its beauty unless you get up this close - and that's such a great lesson about true beauty and paying attention, isn't it? It's often worth taking a closer look at things that it would be easy to ignore. 

Hope you had a wonderful Friday and didn't miss a thing!

 

 

Divas ... Then and Now

More than two weeks have already passed since my Deer Park Diva Weekend, but I'm just now getting the photos uploaded to Facebook and I've barely mentioned it on here.

(Or have I? I can't remember!)

But on these hectic, over-packed days I find myself in lately, I just have to flip a page in my mind to take myself back there beside Rae's pool, surrounded by ladies who have known me most of my life (plus a few Divas-in-Training) and ahhh, the stress just melts away in the warmth of the memory.

Friendship and sunshine. They can cure almost anything - or at least help you get through anything.

Who are the Divas? We're just girls, um, women who used to be girls who attended high school together. Many of us attended junior high and even elementary school together, too. Some are married to the guys who attended high school with the rest of us and that makes them honorary Divas.

We didn't necessarily hang around each other back then or share the same interests or hobbies or classes.

Some of us were best friends in junior high then drifted apart in the bigger sea of high school. 

 

Some became best friends in high school and have somehow hung on through all the ups and downs of the years. 

 

 

But the important thing is we're friends now, with so much in common, connected by bonds we never realized were there, more than thirty years after graduation.

In their faces, I see all the ages we've been. We didn't spend them all together - there have been gaps in our closeness during those times when our lives led in different directions.

But what a blessing that our paths have once again converged because when I look at these women, I also see survivors.  Divorce... deaths of children, husbands, siblings, parents... cancer... the fear of children at war overseas and children battling addiction...

You name it and one of us has lived through it.

I see women who keep going despite it all, who still find plenty to laugh about. Women who love life.

But Patti describes a Diva Weekend much better than I can...

 

Ode to the Deer Park Divas

So we’re all in our fifties, but none of us care

We’re all just so happy to have us all there.

We talk about husbands, the jobs that we’ve had,

We talk about kids, the good and the bad.

We drink margaritas and hang in Rae’s pool

And remember the days when we were all cool.

We play “who was....?” but mostly don’t know

Which makes us laugh harder at these brains that are slow.

We are 13 again as long as we’re together

And with a little luck, we’ll do this forever.

We’re sisters for life, let the story be told -

We’re the Deer Park Divas and we’ll never grow old!

~ Patti (Stringer) McPeek

Friends Forever!

The Problem with Fun Weekends...

 

You circle the date on the calendar. You count the days until you can leave. You just can't wait for that special date to arrive!

And then (you probably guessed it because it happens to you, too) ... the time flies and that special weekend is over way too fast. 

This was one to remember, though. I'd get an 'A' in "Uses time wisely" if I still got report cards... catching up with friends, visiting with my parents, hanging out by a pool, taking lots of photographs... that was my weekend. 

So today, even as I stepped back into the swift stream of life, I'm playing catch-up on everything else - laundry, photos, blogs (both writing and reading)...

That's another problem with fun weekends, all that catching up afterwards.

But I'll be back with more, soon...

Hostess Rae and me in the pool...Thank you again, Rae!!

 

 

 

 

A Sweet Saturday on a Diva Weekend

While you sit where ever you sit on Saturday mornings, reading this, I'm soaking my drought-dusty body in the cool water of a friend's backyard pool, frozen margarita in hand.

This is a Diva weekend, when girls I grew up with congregrate to catch up on each other's lives in a way that Facebook and emails just can't compare to... face-to-face with music, food and margaritas (or wine or soda or whatever...) and a whole weekend of talking, talking, talking.

It's purely therapeutic, of course. 

Here are a few of us last year, deep into one of our therapy sessions.

I hope you're have a sweet Diva weekend of your own!

Now for my Sweet!s of the Week:

Saturday: meeting a writing deadline (whew!)

Sunday: being able to pick up a phone and hear your Daddy's voice

Monday: a hug from your oldest child after a month of only calls or emails

Tuesday: being Chairperson of a committee full of go-getting, "tell me what I can do to help" people.

Wednesday: waking to the sweet sound of rain on the roof that went on and on and on...

Thursday: shopping with your daughter

Friday: finally meeting someone face-to-face who you've only known, up until that moment, through typed words and shared photographs

Saturday: floating in a sun-kissed swimming pool surrounded by friends who have known you forever (and still like you most of the time!)

 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you're having a wonderful weekend filled with love and friendship!

 

 

Just Three Things (and a Friday Favorite Photo)

I'll be traveling today, driving miles of highway in my air-conditioned car, singing along to the radio, probably dancing in my seat and drumming on the steering wheel, perhaps swerving off the road to capture something in my camera (because I can do that when I travel alone.)

(Don't worry, Mama I promise I'll be careful.)

But there are three things I want to share with you before I leave...

First...

Have you see the previews for Larry Crowne, that movie with Tom Hanks as a middle-aged college student and Julia Roberts as a teacher? I really want to see it because I've been an "older" student off and on for 20 years. (Currently "off" because we don't have the money right now.) I get the feeling Tom Hank's experience is a little different than mine has been, but I still want to see the movie, because, well, it's Tom and Julia.

Plus I haven't been to the movies in quite a while and I'm craving it. I enjoy watching movies here at home, but there's just something different about sitting there in a theater with that big screen in front of you, speakers blaring so loudly you (hallelujah!) can't hear the couple behind you talking.

Okay, actually I crave movie popcorn. But I really do want to see this movie.

I discovered two bloggers who might make that happen for me, and if not me, then maybe you. If you're interested in winning tickets to see Larry Crowne, then go to MidlifeBloggers or The Fifty Factor and follow their directions. Pretty much, you just have to leave a comment and later a winner will be picked by random selection. I hope it's me. Or you. (And if it's you, I hope you take me with you.)

Even if you're not interested, you should go read Joanna's blog post at The Fifty Factor that leads up to the giveaway. Hilarious!

Second...

This one is for all you movie-loving, screenwriting, film producing readers out there. A few months ago, my creative and multi-talented high school friend Byron Tully, along with his friend Weatherford Bradley, created Indie Friendlie, a site that showcases filmmakers and films who don't have the budgets or marketing departments to get them into theaters. There were a few glitches with the initial site, but I'm happy to report Indie Friendlie is back, even better than before! If you're a film lover of any kind, go check it out!

Third...

You need to go read this post by Gail at Louisiana Belle that I read yesterday. It's a wonderful post about graciousness, as in being gracious to someone even though you'd really rather throttle their neck, based on Gail's personal experience with a certain person. It teaches a great lesson, but besides that, it's an honest and funny post, one of those that will stay with me, especially when I want to throttle someone's neck.

Here's the link: Noreen Update.

Go check it out, but first, take a look at my Friday Favorite Photo of the week...

There are only a scattered few of these stubborn yellow flowers continuing to bloom against the odds. I don't know how long they can hold out, so I chose this photo of one especially bold bloom as my favorite of the week.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

 

 

 

Wining and Dining, Texas Style (my birthday part 2 - and my Friday/Saturday Favorite Photos)

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... !

Zippity-Do-Dah (my birthday, part 1)

I wanted to be Tarzan when I was little.

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!)

Back Home

I left my parents' house before lunchtime, fortified by a bacon and eggs breakfast a la Daddy.

(That seems odd to say "my parents" house, when it's my childhood home, the house where I can't turn around without bumping into half a dozen memories...)

It was tough to leave - I worry about my sister Brenda, recuperating from hip surgery, trying to do too much too soon on her own. I worry about my aging parents, who would do anything for their kids, including sacrificing sleep. Or a back. Or breathing.

But I have my job, deadlines, projects, bills, dogs, kids, a husband. I stayed as long as I could, but I needed to get home.

"You're the best sister ever!"

"No, you're the best sister ever!"

"Girls, don't argue!"

Brenda is gaining strength by the minute - she has always been bullheaded and determined - and I can't imagine anyone who has a titanium rod in their hip, who has moved back into their parents' home for an extended period of time, who is having to rely upon others for help with basic needs, who doesn't have insurance and who has Parkinson's disease on top of everything else... what was I saying?

Oh yeah, I can't imagine anyone else in that situation having a sweeter disposition than she does. We didn't nickname her Pollyanna for nothing.

It's a humbling experience for me, a perpetual whiner, let me tell you.

I'm grateful I had a chance to repay her at least a little for all of the sweet things she has done for me all of my life.

Brenda, will you take me to the swimming pool? To the beach? To Astroworld?

Brenda, I'm sorry for calling you so late, but I'm in the last chapter of The Amityville Horror and I'm scared. Can I spend the night with you and finish it there?

Brenda, I'm sorry for calling you at 2am, but I was cleaning my oven and cut my finger and I think I need to go to the emergency room! Will you drive the 20 miles between us and take me?

(She confessed during one of her middle-of-the-night calls to me for assistance this weekend that she's glad she was so nice to me! Heads up to all you siblings out there!)

I'm also grateful I could relieve my parents for once, after all they've done for me and my siblings. They've dealt with encephalitis, whooping cough, measles, mumps, chicken pox, dislocated hips and body casts, broken arms, broken legs, dislocated shoulders, asthma emergencies, oxygen tents, gun shot wounds, quadriplegia, knee surgeries, grandchild-care ... I'm sure I've left something out, but you get the picture...

Now I've jumped back into my own life - I had to stop by the grocery store even before coming home. I knew we were out of everything! Tomorrow it's back to my job, back to writing projects and deadlines for part-time jobs.  I have bills to pay, phone calls to make to straighten out insurance kinks of our own (giving thanks for having insurance at all!) and piles of laundry to conquer. That's as far as I've gotten on my to-do lists. That will be enough for tomorrow.

But I've taken time to catch up with Tom on his weekend adventures (they include replacing a starter on his truck and breaking a $400 part on his backhoe while trying to help a neighbor, poor guy!), give my puppies some hugs and kisses, and take a lot of pictures of peacocks! More on that one later.

I also took advantage of a long drive home to stop and, well, I didn't see any roses to smell, but I did see quite a few bluebonnets and other wildflowers to capture in my camera ... (Hope you had a wonderful weekend!)

(click on the image to make it larger)

 

 

 

Intersections and Good Rules

Every intersection in the road of life is an opportunity to make a decision.

 ~ Duke Ellington

"So you decided to leave in the morning?" Tom asked when he arrived home from work yesterday evening and I was still sitting at the computer.

"I don't know! I'm still trying to decide!"

He rolled his eyes.

I was heading to my mom's to see my sister Brenda and help my parents move furniture and whatever else needed to be done to prepare for her release from the hospital in a few days. I hoped to stay long enough to help them with the transition from hospital to home care following her hip surgery, so didn't plan to head out until this morning. More time with Tom, less traffic plus daylight driving. A no-brainer.

And then my friend Mark's brother died. Trey's memorial/celebration of life was scheduled for last night. I wanted so bad to be there for him, but realized it would be early evening before I could even get away from my house, making for a late evening arrival, possibly hitting two cities' worth of Friday night traffic jams. Tom couldn't go with me, and of course, he had concerns about me driving that late at night, worried about me getting tired.

It really wasn't practical to go.  Mark had already told me he understood if I couldn't make it.

But still...

Then my oldest son called, telling me he might stop by the house on his way into town - he and his girlfriend are running the Capital 10K on Sunday, but they would be staying in South Austin. He probably wouldn't come by ... but he might, and that's usually all this mother's heart needs to stay put, just that slim chance of laying eyes on him for a moment.

But still ... 

... Mark and Trey had been like little brothers to me. I'd take them on picnics out to the San Jacinto Monument ... I'd take Trey to the skateboard park, and while he zipped around on the concrete hills, I'd wait in my car, reading. I'd invite Mark to tag along with me to Galveston, when his older brother Chris, my boyfriend, had better things to do. 

Even after Chris and I broke up, Tom and I kept in touch with Mark and Trey. They came to our engagement party with their mom ... we took Trey camping ... Mark brought his dad to our house in Lago Vista shortly before his death. Once or twice a year I'd get phone calls from both Mark and Chris.

The last time I saw Mark and Trey was at Chris's funeral several years ago.

Since then, they had also lost their mother. She and I had remained very close - I knew she'd want me to be there for Mark now.

What to do? What to do?

And then I read it ... one of the quotes I keep taped near my computer:

If we are ever in doubt about what to do,
it is a good rule to ask ourselves what we shall wish on the morrow that we had done.

~ John Lubbock

Within an hour I was packed and on the road.

I arrived at the gathering a little before 11pm; the look on Mark's face when he saw me, and the hug he gave me, would have erased any lingering doubts. But I didn't have any once my suitcase was out - I knew if I didn't go, it would be a gnat of regret, bugging me forever.

But there's more...

The memorial/celebration was just that, a celebration of life - mostly Mark's friends and high school classmates reminiscing, laughing, and even dancing, and then meeting at I-Hop for a late night/early morning breakfast.

So it was very, very late by the time I pulled into my parents' driveway. Their empty driveway. Huh? Where could they be? A flash of guilt leftover from high school crossed my mind - surely they weren't out looking for me!

I told them I didn't know what time I'd be in ... I have my own key and Mama said she'd just leave the light on for me ... I'll be 52 in a couple of weeks, for goodness' sake!

I checked my phone, tucked deep in my purse. Sure enough, there was a voice message from my mom...

"Don't worry when you see the empty driveway - Brenda had a bad reaction to Ambien and we had to go to the hospital to calm her down. She's okay, but where are you, little girl? You should be home by now!"

Always a mom. Sigh...

I let myself in and they arrived home a few minutes later. After hugs and a quick catch-up (Brenda had called them, saying there were strange people in her room and that she had been kidnapped!), we all said goodnight.

Early this morning, my phone rang. It was Brenda...

"Barbara, I'm being held captive."

Oh, crap.

"You're just having a reaction to Ambien, Brenda. Mama and Daddy were up there last night, remember? You're okay. You're in the hospital."

"No, that's just what these people told them. I don't know where they have me. I just wanted to tell you I love you and I'm sorry it came to this. I have to go."

Click.

Oh, crap. Oh, crap.

I tried calling her back and couldn't get through.

Oh, crap.

I threw on my clothes; I wasn't even going to take the time to shower ... I needed to get up there, fast. Mama was still asleep, worn out from the night's adventure. Daddy was worried about Brenda, but didn't want to leave Mama.

Before I could leave, she called again.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I think, but I'll be better when family is here." She sounded so scared, so confused.

"I'm on my way."

Thank goodness, by the time I got there she was back to herself, and laughed about how it was a good thing she didn't know the numbers to the CIA or FBI (or Jack Bauer), or she would have called and reported her kidnapping to them, too!

And I thought, yeah, and it's a good thing I came in last night so I can be here for my sister this morning, and give my mom and dad a break.

No regrets.

(Update: Brenda has been released from the hospital several days earlier than expected. Maybe they were worried the FBI would be responding to a phone call or something... Nah, not really. She was just doing really good and now she's settled in here at my parents' house. Thanks to her church, she has a wheelchair, walker and potty chair to use until she's recovered. She has prescriptions for pain medicine, a blood thinner and antibiotics .. but no more Ambien! Please keep her and my parents in your prayers!)

 

A Father, a Son, a Sunrise - my Friday Favorite Photos

Backpacking for days in the semi-wilderness of Big Bend, just Tom and Daniel ...

That's how they've spent the past several spring breaks, except for one, sharing moonlight, sunlight, water and a tent ... and engraving memories in their hearts they can share forever.

Memories like this sunrise they witnessed from a cliff, waiting in the silent pre-dawn darkness for the first moment of its arrival...

 

Memories and experiences like this are father-son glue, bonding them forever, and I'm so grateful they've spent this time together - so grateful they want to spend time together. 

(Daniel's my son for sure - he took over 600 photos so I could experience their trip vicariously. He's such a sweet kid. I'll share more later. Happy Friday!)

 

 

 

Weary Travelers - Weary Mom (and Happy St. Patrick's Day!)

I've been home alone for the past few days, holding down the fort, while the rest of my bunch have been out having Spring Break fun.

I didn't begrudge them heading out for fun and adventure while I had to work - I take an annual Fall Break, an escape to the coast with girlfriends. And besides, I looked forward to a few days with the house all to myself. I always have illusions of unlimited time when I'm left alone ... time to conquer huge projects around here, relax on the front porch, go for long, leisurely walks with my "sweet" puppies.

I'll get all of those lists organized, fill up my photo albums, scan all of my mom's photos, finish drafts 1 AND 2 of my book, print out three years worth of photos, transfer VHS tapes to DVD, clean out the storage room, sell a bunch of crap on Craig's List, sort through file cabinets, desks, drawers...

You get the idea. For some reason, I think it's these people I live with that keep me from accomplishing all of this, but every time they leave me alone, I remember... it's that work versus free time thing.

And instead of more free time, I had less, because Tom wasn't here cooking dinner for me or feeding the dogs at night or unloading the dishwasher. I still had a full day's work, my writing, all of my chores, plus his. 

Man, I missed him.

And then there were the gypsy dogs...

Dang dogs.

But my weary travelers have found their way back home, grungy and stinky from wonderful adventures.

Tom and Daniel went backpacking in Big Bend (they saw a cougar!) and TG joined friends for a few days on the Alabama coast...

...while I tracked down mischievous, misbehaving gypsy dogs.

Oh, I know. I can't really complain. For the second weekend in a row, I spent time with good friends, went shopping in Salado and topped it all off with a night of dancing.

Last weekend it was with Rae and my high school friends (Deer Park Divas.) This weekend my friend Nancy came to stay for two nights. She was my first friend in Lago, and one of those who fits so right with you that they become more than friends ... so much so that when she had to move just a few years later, we stayed close anyway... despite our difference of opinion on school sports.

Friday evening was just playing catch-up over pinot noir and veggie quesadillas. Saturday was a road trip to Salado. Nancy's currently a middle school theater teacher (she has taught everything!) and was on a quest for props. We hit a few wonderful gift shops, but nothing within our budget. We kept searching and finally, on the highway, we hit gold: a flea market! She and I both walked away with treasure.

Hers was for her play; mine... well, I wasn't sure what I'd do with this vintage overnight case at first, but that didn't stop me. Now I've decided I'll use it on my desk... somehow. I'm sure it'll be great ... for something...

I snatched up this souvenir plate for two reasons: first, I collect vintage Texas souvenir plates; second, my grandmother grew up in Mexia (she pronounced it "Ma-hair".) So of course I couldn't pass up this gem. It'll just hang on a wall somewhere. I don't even try to fool myself that it can be useful in any way.

After our junking expedition, we cleaned ourselves up and headed back out to a 60th birthday party for our friend Cheryl's husband. I don't have a photo of Brian, but I do have this one of Cheryl, Mary Kay, me, Conni and Nancy .

Nancy and I skipped out early to meet our friend Rachel for a night of dancing - back to Graham Central Station where I celebrated my 50th birthday almost two years ago by dancing in a cage.

Of course, I made a bee-line for those cages and pulled Nancy and Rachel up with me. They're not 50 yet, but they're old enough.

So I can't really complain about my family abandoning me. I think I've packed enough fun into the past two weekends to qualify for one Spring Break.

No wonder I'm so tired...

Oh, before I forget...

An Irish Prayer

May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer. 

 

 

Fame is the Scentless Sunflower...

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? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cinnamon Toast and Puzzle Pieces

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!

 

 

 

Deepwater Reflections, thank you Rosa Parks, and a Wednesday Procrastination

When the sun stepped into the Hollow this morning, it found me gazing at a reflection of the surrounding autumn-dressed trees in a nearby pond. Tickled by the wind, the pond surface rippled and the reflection wavered...still unmistakably golden trees, but altered from the original by the elements. It hit me that this was a physical example of how our memories waver, touched by time. 

Last night I posted a series of photos on my photography site (here) like the one above, snapped over the weekend in my childhood neighborhood, Deepwater.

The photographs depict what is there now; but for me, even when I look at the photos, images of the past pop up like an overlay, wavering before me like the reflection on the pond. I guess that's the curse...and the blessing...of getting older.

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I also wanted to acknowledge that today is the 55th anniversary of the day Rosa Parks was just too worn out, too fed up, to play by silly rules any longer. According to the Wikipedia article I found, she wasn't the first to protest this way, but hers sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and major changes in how we view each other. It just took one more voice - proof that we shouldn't give up before we start, thinking it's not worth the effort, just because others have tried but failed.

Rosa also lost her job, though. Courage generally comes at a cost - that's why it takes courage to speak up or step out or fight back, because we know it's going to trigger change. We can hope for positive change, but usually at least a little bit of pain tags along.

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Also...today is Wednesday, specifically One Word Wednesday. Today's word is Stuffed, and I confess I'm still tossing that one around in my head. My One Word post might come out on Thursday this week! Stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

When we were young...

Young love, young bodies.

Before pregnancy and childbirth and knee surgeries and varicose veins.

Before car wrecks and hernias and headaches and heart stents.

When there was...

...enough money...

...enough energy...

...enough time for all of our dreams to come true.

 

Man, how time flies!

But, you know...

Our love might not be young.

(Our bodies certainly aren't. They've gone through all of the above, and more.

And survived.)

We might not have enough money or energy or time for all we want.

But somehow we do have...

...enough money...

...enough energy...

...enough time for the things that are important to us.

As well as enough wisdom to take life one day at a time...

...and be grateful for that day.

The funny thing is, I still feel the same inside...just as young, just as old...the very same person I was in these photos when I was 24...

...way back in 1983.

Pretty scary, huh?

My friend and former co-worker, Jim, posted these photos on Facebook today. They are from a camping trip to Canyon Lake my fellow shift members and I (and our families) took back in 1983.

Tom and I were two months away from our 1st wedding anniversary.

I have many photos from this same year, several from this same trip, but I'm familiar with the "me" I am in those.

Seeing these, however, is like seeing a "me" I had forgotten all about, and stepping back into memories I'd tucked away, memories of dear friends and fun times. 

Life goes on and sometimes you have to leave people and places behind, but seeing these photos reminds me that the ones who come close enough to leave an impression are never really gone...and if you're lucky, they wander back in a little ways down the road...

Thanks, Jim!

 

Flushing Toilets... Family... and other Gifts

Tom and I headed to Pasadena yesterday to celebrate my mother's 79th birthday.

This is what greeted us upon arrival at my childhood home...not a good omen...

The young plumber (Ryan) assured us it wasn't a big deal though. Whew!

Daddy and I watched him and chatted with him while he worked.

I'm sure he loved it! (Poor kid...)

Turns out I went to high school with Ryan's boss. We called him Doodle. Such a small, funny world! 

(That's him in the glasses...Galveston, February '76...ah, those were the days...)

Ryan couldn't fix the problem after all. (But he did promise to tell Doodle hi for me.)

Twenty-four hours later, after multiple calls to the city, my parents were told there's a break in the line and crews will be out tomorrow to work on it.

NOTE: If you have a flushing toilet, go hug it right now. Never, ever, take it for granted, ever, ever, ever again.

For your sakes, I'll say no more about that portion of the weekend...except to say, other than the toilet issue, I think my mother had a wonderful birthday.

My sister brought over enough desserts for an army...fresh apple cake, mystery pie, and brownies. 

My brother brought barbecue...brisket, chicken, sausage, plus all the sides. 

Tom and I ate.

Oh, and took pictures...

Mama and her babies...(Brenda and I both had to tickle him, but we got Donnie to smile!)

Mama and the representative grandchild, my niece Christin...

Mama and her sons-in-law, Ralph and Tom...

Mama and Daddy (Not even plugged up sewer lines can take away their smiles! They know what's important in life...)

Happy birthday again, Mama! I'm glad I was able to celebrate with you. 

And thank you to everyone who wished her a happy day!

 

A Not-So-Unproductive Weekend

I had big plans for this weekend.

BIG plans.

Number one on the list: getting caught up on my sleep.

Next, I planned to get caught up on my book. It only took me a few days to fall short of my 1500 words/day writing goal. Mostly because my body refused to put up with only 5 hours of sleep a night after just three days, the only way I could fit in writing time.

Traitor.

I also needed to conquer the mountain of laundry and then, the mountain of paperwork on my desk (including bills.) Next, I had blog posts to read and write (I hoped to get ahead for this week), photos to dig out and scan for our church directory, tons of emails to read and answer, brownies to make for a Saturday night get-together with friends, and finally, Mass and an Eagle Scout ceremony to attend on Sunday. (I had hoped to somehow squeeze in a trip to my friend's ranch south of San Antonio, either late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, but let that dream go early on.)

You've probably already guessed that I didn't get all of this done.

But I did do some of it, plus some I didn't have on any lists. I'm trying really hard to do a better job of focusing on the positive instead of the negative, so here's what I accomplished:

I slept a whole glorious eight hours two nights in a row (no alarm clock!)...watched Big Fish with Daniel and Tom (and cried again - love that movie!)...went for two wonderful, long walks...

 

...played ping-pong with Daniel...worked on my book (no comment on the number of words)...published two blog posts and read a few...demolished the mountains of laundry and paperwork...paid some bills...read some emails...made brownies.

Saturday night we spent several hours with friends in Wimberley...

...witnessed a glorious sunset...

...talked genealogy with Joe (it's so much fun to find other genealogy nuts!)...

...made it to Mass Sunday morning, and to bed Sunday night in time to get six hours of sleep before starting this new week.

Six is the magic number, I've discovered. As in "minimum amount I can have without turning into a brainless-zombie-witch."

We didn't make it to the Eagle Court of Honor - that's my biggest regret. This Boy Scout troop holds a special place in my heart, even though I don't really know the boys in it anymore. But I'm having to realize I can't do everything, can't be everywhere, and still make progress on my dream of writing this book...

...and when I look at my "Done" list, I see I actually accomplished quite a bit! The most important things, anyway...

So what did you accomplish this weekend? How do you prioritize your time?

I'm grateful for the time, wisdom, and opportunity to reconnect with friends from my past... for those who live close enough to see often...for Texas sunsets, guitars, bonfires, people who can sing...and ping-pong on autumn afternoons.

 

Pen-Pals, Paradise, and other wishes come true

Years ago, my grandparents had a little cabin near Lake Medina, in the hills west of San Antonio. As you can see from this photo of Grandad on the front steps, it wasn't much to look at...and "little" is an understatement...

But in my mind, a weekend at the cabin was a trip to Paradise! I remember the narrow, twisting roads leading to the cabin...remember one night the headlights catching a roadrunner crossing just in front of us...remember the heavenly smell of juniper.

To the best of my memory, inside the cabin there was a front room furnished with bunk beds, a sleeper sofa, and a coffee table where we played Chinese Checkers.

(I love Chinese Checkers!)

Adjacent to it, like the base of an "L", was a kitchen, including a small formica dining table. Grandmother and Granddad's bedroom took up the rest of the space, except for a closet that ran between it and the front room, with doors opening into both...my "secret passageway"...

Oh, the bathroom was right off the kitchen, too. Sort of. You had to step through the back door, follow a path a few feet to a small building. Yep, an honest-to-goodness outhouse.

I never had to go at night. Or if I did, I've blocked it from my memory. 

My grandparents loved to fish. I mean, loved to fish!! We'd spend hours down at the lake - mostly I swam and played on the shore. I've never been that crazy about fishing, but every once in a while I'd sit with a cane pole and try.

Later, they'd sit outside the cabin and clean the fish. I think we had fried catfish every night for dinner. Fine by me - I didn't like to fish, but I loved fried catfish. 

So why was this paradise to me if I didn't love to fish?

Well, I've mentioned the smell of the juniper. I loved it. And I loved the rocky ground, so handy for stacking into walls.

I love rock walls.

I was allowed to roam through the oak and juniper woods a little, and I discovered this old shack one day...probably an old deer blind. I would imagine it as a pioneer house in the wilderness, or an outlaw's hangout in the old West...or who knows what else I'd turn it into.

And if I could convince someone to come with me, I would head to the end of the street and hike through a small ravine, essentially a dry creek bed. In some places the walls rose 15 to 20 feet on either side, pitted with small holes - homes for wild animals.

I could hike there for hours, and would, if I could get any of the grownups to go with me.

I wished so much that I could live in a place like that...

It took more than twenty years, but my wish came true. I now live in a rocky, hilly land with twisty roads, surrounded by oak and juniper woods, and their heavenly smell that always takes me back to the cabin. There's a dry creek bed to wander along, but no old shacks falling apart nearby; I'm old enough to think that's a good thing. 

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Another thing I wished for about the same time were Pen-Pals. 

I loved writing letters, and I thought it would be the coolest thing ever to have friends in other countries to write to, and to get letters from, telling each other what life was like in our respective countries. Maybe even have a souvenir from another country arrive in the mail...

But try as I might, I never made any Pen-Pals outside of my country.

Until now, that is. Forty years later, that wish has come true. Almost every day, I "talk" to friends around the world, through my blog, FlickR, and Facebook. The world has become a much smaller place.

And guess what? A mysterious package arrived in the mail recently. Inside was this beautiful plate...

My friend Juana of Between USA and Spain sent it to me...a souvenir she picked up for me in Spain while she was visiting her family.

Each day she was there she blogged about what she was seeing and I loved traveling along with her. Back in 1976, I spent three days in Spain, mostly Madrid and Toledo. Juana told me she spent that summer in Madrid, and we've laughed, thinking how funny it would be if we had passed on a road somewhere.

Excitedly I dug out my pictures - maybe she would be in the background of one? But would you believe the only photos I have from those three days are of the Plaza de Toros and the Bullfighting museum...

...the Alcazar of Toledo and a view of the city...

...El Greco's masterpiece (The Burial of the Count of Orgaz), a donkey race, and some Flamenco dancers (including this one of our high school counselor JW doing the "bump" with one after their performance. JW died several years ago, so I'm grateful for photos like this one.)

I see all of the wonderful, beautiful sites from Juana's visit (and from TG's a few years ago) and wonder why I don't remember seeing all of those? I realize we were only in Spain three days, but surely, this wasn't all we saw?

My memories are foggy, though. Photos would help clear them up, but in my defense, it was the end of a month-long budget hop across Europe and I was probably down to my last roll of film. And...I know this is hard to believe...I was actually tired of taking photographs.

And...yes, I'll go ahead and admit it, a little burned-out on ancient cathedrals and gold-plated icons and masterpieces. 

But give me a break - I was only seventeen! I think the human mind can only absorb so many amazing historical sites before they all blur together.

Thank goodness Juana insists on Tom and I visiting her and her husband in Spain one day. She's even making a list of all the sites we need to see.

I just love Pen-Pals.

I've had other wishes come true...too many to list, really. But these two remind me that wishes sometimes take their time...they remind me not to give up, not to quit wishing on stars...

What about you? What wishes have come true for you, and which ones are you still waiting for?

Today I'm grateful for...

*Memories and old photographs that keep long-gone loved ones alive in my heart...

*Friendships - the ones that have lasted forever, the ones that have been rediscovered, and the new ones...all wishes come true...

*Digital cameras, cell phones, emails, Facebook, blogs, and FlickR - they keep me connected to these new and long-time friends and relatives in ways that wouldn't be possible otherwise...

 

 

 

Running Away... a Different Kind of Survivor Weekend

Last weekend I was surrounded by survivors... not the kind that sleep outside and eat bugs and face other challenges they take on voluntarily, but the real kind of survivors... the ones who encounter huge obstacles along their life road they didn't expect and don't want, but who keep going, head down during the toughest part, shoulders braced, forging on through it all, refusing to give in or give up... or lose one drop of their smiles, their laughter, their joie de vivre.

For the 11th consecutive year I ran away from home to the beach just as Texas summer turns to autumn - my favorite time of year because of the blue skies, mornings cool enough for jogging, days warm enough for bikinis, and water temperatures that soothe your sun-kissed skin... not too hot, not too cold.

It started out as an escape for me and my over-volunteering, stressed out Lago friends, as well as a way to stay connected to Nancy, who'd had to move away from our small town. We missed her! Over the years our numbers rose and fell, but the same core remained... me, Mary Kay, Conni, and Nancy... and except for one year when nearly 50 Lago women converged on this small coastal town, I'd say we averaged 10 women who regularly ran away to the coast.

Last year, believe it or not, we had trouble filling the spaces, so this year I opened it to my Deer Park Divas... my high school BFFs... and several of them jumped on the chance. The other core members invited their friends and family as well, and so that's how I ended up communing with almost 30 women.

I worried about being spread too thin, trying to spend time with each "group". I worried that the different "groups" wouldn't come together... 

The thing is, despite coming from different directions... despite their different ages and backgrounds... these women were able to find common ground: life, along with its trials and tribulations, its joys and wonders.

I was with women who had survived (or were in the midst of the battle): the too-soon loss of parents, siblings, husbands, and even children; breast cancer and Parkinson's; loved ones addicted to drugs or alcohol; abuse or serious illness of their children; unfaithful spouses; divorce; job lay-offs; destruction of their homes by fire. Some were caught in the suffocating squeeze between caring for children and caring for parents, or trying to create one family from two. Some were helping to raise their grandchildren.  

Ah, what a downer weekend, right? Wrong. You obviously don't know anything about women...

It was a weekend full of laughter, food, dancing, and yes, some heart-to-hearts... a very humbling experience for me, though... these women are my heroes.  So strong. So compassionate. So funny. The next time I start feeling wimpy and woe-is-me, whining over nothing, I'll think of them, the challenges they've overcome, and all of their laughter this weekend...

Ready? Here are a few scenes from the 11th Annual Port A Runaway

Thursday evening...water, sand, sun and a view...

Look where I am! Port A!

A sunset walk on the beach...

Watch for surprises and small gifts...

The sweet faces of friends...

Throughout the weekend, there was lots of talking (we're women!)... 

Hanging out on the beach, of course...

Dressing up and going out... first dinner near the water...

...and then dancing, on a dance floor we had (almost) all to ourselves...

...also some funny games (don't ask - trust me, you don't want to know!)...

But before we knew it, it was Sunday morning... time to clean up, pack up, gather all together once more to enjoy Mary Kay's gingerbread pancakes and a last mimosa, say our goodbyes, and head home. Until we run away again next year.

The question is, can we wait that long???

Guess we have to. Sigh. Thanks again for another beautiful weekend! Till next year...

Want to see more scenes from my weekend at the coast? Click HERE.

Morning on a diamond-studded beach - my Friday Favorite

A week ago (has it already been a week?) at about this exact time in the morning, I was walking along a near-deserted beach, camera in hand. I snapped at least a dozen shots of this one little bird - so you can imagine how many photos I have from 4 days spent there with dear friends. It's going to take some time to go through them all.

But this one caught my eye right away... the sparkles on the beach and in the waves remind me of diamonds... of luxury... and to me, there's nothing more luxurious than feeling I have all the time in the world... like there's no where I need to be other than a near-deserted beach on a perfect Texas autumn morning, camera in hand, snapping away at a little sea bird eating breakfast on a diamond-studded beach.

 

Want to see more images from my weekend on the coast? I'll be posting more here and on Confessions... soon. Like I said, I have a LOT of photos! Check back tomorrow...

Relaxation, Regret, and Rejection (and lots of "firsts")

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...

Meet the Walburg Boys (and a Saturday To-Do List)

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!)

Scenes from Walburg...