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Have you entered the $100 Visa card giveaway yet?
The one sponsored by BlogHer and Purina where all you have to do is click on this link HERE to go to my review blog and leave me a comment telling me about a special moment you share with your dog or dogs each day? If you haven't, you're running out of time!
So go! Hurry! Do it now! The comments close tomorrow evening.
I hope you win! (Please share your comment here, too!)
Gratuitous photos of my cute puppies...
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...I slept in this morning, until the impatient sunlight pestered me awake.
...I walked with the dogs along a country road, safe and free.
...I'll spend time in the sunshine, share a bountiful meal, maybe play some ping-pong with my kids.
Thanks to you...
...I grew up in a country where I (mostly) make my own choices.
...I live in a land where my dreams are limited only by my own lack of creativity, ambition and drive.
...my children face a future where almost anything is possible.
...I'm free to live my life because you gave your own.
I promise I won't forget. I promise I won't take it for granted.
I promise your sacrifice won't be wasted on me.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.
~Gladys Bronwyn Stern
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My bougainvilla is blooming.
It might not seem like a big deal, but in this dry hollow where the wildflowers are fading, I longed for a blast of color.
I thought it was too late, thought I'd been too neglectful. The original blossoms were long gone; it wasn't dead, but it was down to mere green foliage. But I thought, what the heck? I can at least try!
So I moved it to a sunnier spot, remembered to water it every day.... and hoped.
Look what happened...
And now for this week's Sweet! moments...
Saturday: Witnessing the fireworks and excitement of a UT commencement - from an air-conditioned birds' eye view.
Sunday: Breakfast with friends...lunch with family. Out-of-town guests making it back home safely.
Monday: Still having your mom just a phone call away when you really, really need to talk.
Tuesday: A walk at dusk, the trees silhouetted against a salmon-pink sky, the wind whispering in my ear.
Wednesday: Marshmallow clouds full of silent lightning. Good customer service.
Thursday: Drinking coffee and yakking with your son at his kitchen table. A quiet place and a big chunk of time, just for writing.
Friday: Movie Night! Plus Friday is just Sweet! all by itself!
What were your Sweet! moments this week?
Hope you're having a Sweet! Saturday!
I'm off to enjoy the sun instead of complaining there's not any rain.
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Wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving.
~ Khalil Gibran
I rose early to see a loved one off on a tough adventure, with a prayer that their perseverance pays off... either that or that they learn to be flexible if things don't work out the way they want.
I've learned one of the keys to happiness is flexibility - no road stays straight and you have to learn to handle the curves. But wouldn't life be boring otherwise?
While the morning was still soft, I walked with the dogs to a small pond nestled in the hills. I wouldn't want to swim in its murky, brown-gold water, but for them, it's an oasis in this dry hollow. Tom told me our pond only has about 10 gallons of water left in it. Last time I wandered that way, I startled the the blue heron. I wonder if he's still hanging around? I doubt it.
We still have wildlife around though. Every day Max and Belle team up for a Bunny Chase. Thank goodness they never actually catch them. Yet, anyway.
This hillside pond is down by a third of its normal size, but it's still deep enough that a turtle dove out of sight before I could snap a good photo of it. I took a few shots of the dogs, but they mostly just wade in up to their chins and then just stand there, happy for the cool water seeping into their coats.
Not as exciting or rare as a turtle shot. See what I mean?
Until Belle gets out and wallows in the dirt.
I guess that's not so much exciting as just plain goofy. I've never seen a dog who loved dirt like she does. I swear she's part pig.
She just makes me laugh.
This past week was the tortoise and the hare for me, sprinting past but also seeming to take forever, full of emotional ups and down, highs and lows, questions, celebrations, tears, hugs and laughter.
It reminded me to take life one day at a time - one minute at a time if necessary, and to celebrate each and every one.
To be grateful. To stay flexible. To love and love and love.
I believe in love and its power to work miracles, don't you?
Now we've rolled around to another weekend. It's not going to be the one we planned but it's beginning to look like a good one, anyway. Daniel's home, and we'll spend time with friends and perhaps even get out on the lake before it completely dries up.
Oh, before I forget, here's my favorite photo of the week. On a walk last weekend, I spotted something yellow just off the road. I moved closer and discovered this...
...a small colony of tiny cactus, barely visible among the rocks, boasting gorgeous blooms that towered above the spiny bumps. Most of the other flowers have all faded away because of the drought, but here was this beautiful, wild splash of yellow.
In all the years we've lived here, I've never seen these. I guess it's possible they've popped up and I just didn't see them, but they are so bold I believe I couldn't have missed them. The cacti are small and easy to ignore, just blending in with the rocks.
It's amazing to me that they bloomed so brilliantly in conditions that challenged the other flowers. In fact, it seems things have to get pretty rough before we're blessed with the best this tiny, easily overlooked plant has to offer.
It's like that in our own lives - it's often during the worst of times or the biggest challenges that we discover hidden blooms, strengths or talents that have been dormant inside of us.
These little cacti remind me to be grateful for the rough times that force me to surprise myself with new blossoms... and that life itself is full of (wonderful) surprises!
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It's quiet in here... just the hum of an air conditioner and the soft, sporadic click, click, tap of computer keys... the three of us spread out in this spacious computer room each drifting in our own little world.
TG is home for the summer, taking a class at the local community college. We have an extra car for her to drive, but it's been a year and a half since she's sat behind a wheel, and her last experience ended with her lying in shattered glass, the car flipped on its side, strangers reaching in to help her out and a policeman giving her a ticket.
Understandably, she's a little nervous about slipping back into that driver's seat. We'll get some practice time in before turning her loose alone on these wild roads again. (Although I dread it - I don't think the air conditioning works in the van. I'm menopausal and hot-flashy and we're already hitting triple digits in the shade here! Where's my mist-fan?)
But for now, I'm Head Chauffeur, and I don't mind one bit! I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed this block of time away from home, sitting in a quiet room... empty hours of no distractions, no chores, no to-do lists... hours just waiting to be filled with writing.
My great-great grandfather's memoir sits nearby, along with the flashdrive containing my book-in-progress, waiting patiently for me to get back to work on it. I'm sure it's missed me as much as I've missed it!
So here I go, diving back into the past, moving a little closer to the end of this dream. Wish me luck and progress! I hope you've made progress on your dream today, too!
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It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold.
The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together. They were covered and protected, but the quills of each wounded the closest companion. After a while, they decided to distance themselves, and they began to die, alone and frozen.
So they had to make a choice: Either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the earth. Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds that were caused by their close relationships because the most important part was the heat that came from the others.
They were able to survive.
The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people,
but the one that forms when individuals learn to live with the imperfections
and admire the good qualities of others.
The Moral of the story:
LEARN TO LOVE THE PRICKS IN YOUR LIFE.
This was floating around Facebook yesterday. I loved it so much I had to post it here, too, just in case there were a handful of people who didn't catch it yet. I originally spotted it on the Texas Hill Country page - I'm not sure where it originated. I snagged the photo from the same page - not sure if it's a baby porcupine or hedgehog, but who cares? It's prickly and precious!
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I fidgeted in the swivel chair -- the 'good' chair, the teacher's chair -- twisting it back and forth by swinging my crossed leg up and down. Mostly unfamiliar faces stared back at me, except one or two I've known since their toddler-hood. But then, the whole high school felt unfamiliar. Odd, considering all the days I spent there not so long ago.
I spoke to the faces about writing, even though I know all of these kids could teach me a thing or two about writing. Ms. D taught my kids AP English and AP Literature, and I often subbed for her. She's very thorough.
But they listened politely and even asked a few questions.
Still, after ten years or so of annually reading my published essays to Ms. D's junior AP English class and giving them my tired tidbits of writing advice, I think it may be time to retire.
You see, Ms. D always introduces me as a 'published author' and while that's true, it's been a long, long time since I had anything published.
I'm not counting my newspaper articles. Those barely felt like writing - they weren't a part of me in the same way my essays are. (No offense to any newspaper writers out there.) And my blog - well, I just push a button! No approval but mine necessary.
Of course, it's been a long time since I actually submitted anything anywhere, and if you want to be published, it helps to submit your work. Your chances greatly improve!
It's just ... well ... I feel a little silly sitting up there hanging on to past glory. While reading A View from a Catwalk, it hit me I was just 31 when I wrote it, ready to set the world on fire with my writing.
Here I come, world!
That was 21 years ago! Wow. I discovered setting the world on fire with your writing is a lot harder than I thought, especially when you're just an above average writer at best (lots of rewrites requiring lots of time,) coming off of 13 years of shiftwork and your dream of being a stay-at-home mom with your three precious babies is coming true.
Along with Tom, they were the pot on the front burner that needed the most attention, and writing was pushed way to the back, right next to completing my college degree and hitting garage sales because we were now a broke, single-income family.
My most recently published essay is In the Aftermath of a Car Crash, about the head-on collision that nearly killed Tom back in 1998, and it was published eleven years ago in 2000.
Eleven years ago!
It's not that I haven't written since then. I was very disciplined the year following Tom's accident - with a published essay to show for it - until the computer hard drive crashed, imprisoning several short stories, the first few drafts of two books and ideas for more. (I wasn't quite as disciplined about backing up my work, unfortunately.)
Tom salvaged some of it, but I haven't had chunks of dedicated writing time like that since that year. We started on our house, the kids' schedules got busier... and whoosh! here I am sitting in front of a class reading something I wrote more than a decade ago, because I have nothing newer that's been published ... or even completed anything enough to submit anywhere.
Sounds like I've already retired, doesn't it?
But I'm not giving up on finishing and submitting my books or stories or screenplays someday. And I might not even give up my annual 'author' spotlight, if Ms. D asks me back again. Even if my credentials are getting dusty and my writing tips are ho-hum, I think I'm still very qualified to speak on never giving up on your dreams. I can vouch they keep pretty well on that backburner for a long, long time.
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Before I was fully awake this morning, I started the coffee brewing and switched on the television.
Up popped the devastation in Joplin, Missouri - that hospital with blown windows surrounded by mangled vehicles, toothpick trees and piles of rubbish ... the videos, the woman's voice praying "Help us, Jesus..."
After saying a prayer for all of those affected, I vowed never to complain about the weather here again.
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May is almost over and I'm feeling paranoid.
The past two Mays have given me belated birthday presents that I wouldn't re-gift to my worst enemy.
For my 50th birthday, May gave me a case of shingles which came with an MRI because of the headaches that heralded its arrival and steroid drops for my eyes so I wouldn't go blind.
Last year I guess May felt it had to top the previous one. First, it gave me the worst urinary tract infection of my life. (It was actually only my second ever, but the first one, thirty years ago, was so bad I took every precaution to avoid another.)
I thought that was it (thank you so much!), but then just a week or so later my heart went crazy, pounding and racing so hard and fast that it woke me up. I thought it was going to fly out of my chest! Follow up tests concluded it was SVT, or Supraventricular Tachycardia, basically an electrical short circuit in my heart that causes it to pound and race.
I haven't had another episode, or any other health scares, but then, May isn't over yet, is it? I'm just hoping this "Welcome to your 50's" initiation phase is over.
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My book review for A Jane Austen Education went live on BlogHer this evening (along with several others, if you want more than one opinion!)
I've been thinking about the book again today, mostly thinking it's a shame Jane Austen isn't required reading for everyone. Some people learn the lessons about life on their own that William Deresiewicz, the author, learned from the books, but I know quite a few people who have never learned them, such as the one he learned from Pride and Prejudice: we aren't born perfect and there are some lessons we have to learn on our own in order to grow. We can't learn them from other people. We have to experience our own failure.
I know this was certainly true for me when I was young (and maybe it's still true!). I wish it hadn't been - I wish I'd had the sense to take the advice of those older and more experienced than I was. I hope I have a teeny bit of that sense myself now.
Which reminds me... I saw a blurb on the news today that some state is considering holding parents responsible when their child gets a bad grade. Huh? Maybe I heard it wrong, but if it's true, don't they realize they're just giving parents more reason to do their kids' work for them or encourage them to cheat or that we'd be keeping kids from learning life lessons they need later on? Don't they realize no one is born perfect and everyone has a different path to follow? A different time line?
Where are these people coming from? Why do some people think their way is the only way?
Oops. Sorry.
Anyway, click HERE to read my review on BlogHer... and go read some Jane Austen!
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As far as Mondays go, this hasn't been a great one. Okay, it truly sucked in places (and I don't use that 's' word lightly.)
But I'm still keeping my eyes open for those Sweet! moments and keeping my feet moving forward, even though I don't know what's ahead of me.
These quotes help, so I'm going to add them here in case one of you needs a little 'faith reminder'. (I need them a lot - that's why I collect these quotes!)
"Suppose you plant a garden, and after a few days, you don't see results. Do you dig it up again? No, because you know that a lot of things are going on that you can't see. It's the same with God."
~ Charles Stanley, American Baptist preacher
"Patience with others is love, patience with self is hope, patience with God is faith."
~ADEL BESTAVROS Egyptian deacon and lawyer
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."
~Proverbs 3:5-6
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
~Jeremiah 29:11
"God often closes a door before opening a new one. Between those doors, don't worry. Wait, worship and watch! It's a test of faith. Colossians 4:3"
- Rick Warren
"Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted, in spite of your changing moods."
~C.S. Lewis
"Hope is wishing for something to come true. Faith is belief that it will come true. Believe that for every problem God gives you, He will also provide you with a solution."
Anyone know who said that? I love it!
But this is my favorite, and the one that truly keeps me going...
Everything works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out yet, it's not the end.
~Author Unknown
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And for me, this is proof of that nugget of truth... the path might be tough, but if you keep going, you just might get fireworks in your honor! (The last of my graduation photos, I promise. Here, anyway. I'll post the rest on "Confessions".)
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Back then...
He was short.
He loved Honey Nut Cheerios and Cyclops cookies.
He loved building things with Legos.
He loved books, making up stories, and playing 'what if...?'
He had a wild, wonderful imagination.
He could get lost in thought, observing and wondering about the world around him.
He loved learning.
He was funny.
He was sweet, sensitive, considerate and affectionate.
He had intense blue eyes that twinkled with mischief most of the time.
He loved his siblings.
He believed anything was possible.
Now...
Well, um, he's not short anymore.
Otherwise, I guess not much has changed.
Lucky me.
(Not!) The End.
I've gotten way behind on my blog and photography challenges, so this is my contribution to two...Jan's Focus 52 and Jillsy's May Challenge, "Childhood". Click the links or the image below to see the other contributions (and wish me luck winning a cool tripod from Jillsy!)
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Last night we heard our middle son's name called, watched as he walked across a stage in his cap, gown and stole, watched him shake hands and receive a piece of paper that essentially read "Congratulations! You did it!"
That's why I waited until today to post my Friday Favorite Photo...
Congratulations, Daniel!!! We're so proud of you!
I haven't forgotten to look for and record a Sweet! moment every day - I just haven't had time to post them every day, as I intended.
Instead, my new idea is to post them all on Saturday. Hope you'll pop in each week and share your own favorite Sweet! moments with me!
Here are a few of mine from this past week...
More photos later, but we're off to continue the celebration... Hope you're having a Sweet Saturday!
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Were there no fools, there would be no wise ones.
~ German Proverb
There are days I'm grateful for the gray skies and gathering storm clouds because a blue sky would be a slap in the face, mocking the gray I feel inside.
There are days I feel I know everything, and days I realize I am a fool and know nothing at all.
There are days when I feel like a kaleidoscope of gem-colored shards, pieced together into ever-changing, yet beautiful, intricate patterns, and days I feel like a blur of indistinct, unformed images.
There are days the earth beneath my feet feels solid and I see the path I should follow, and days when the way before me is dark and the ground seems to crumble and shift with each step.
There are days I need to stay wrapped in this melancholy cloud and just think... days my soul needs to feel the falling rain.
There are days I wonder what the point of it all is, and days I realize I don't need to know.
There are days I know I need to keep walking as long as I'm able and hope I'm heading in the right direction.
I am a flower quickly fading... here today and gone tomorrow...
~Casting Crowns
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Saturday night, a Texas moon smiling down on me and Tom by my side, I had one of those Aha! moments.
I realized I was finally experiencing Austin with all five senses in a way I hadn't yet in the nearly sixteen years we've lived here.
I could feel it in the just-cool-enough breeze blowing through the courtyard of Stubb's Bar-B-Q, taste it in my jalapeno brisket taco, hear it in the music of Willie Nelson's son, Lukas, and his band, Promise of the Real and then even more in Los Lonely Boys, those sons of San Angelo, see it in trees and old stone buildings bordering the courtyard and in the diversity of the other fans ... young, old, straight, gay, preppy, hippie, Austin Weird, every race and color imaginable ... and even smell it in the air, an intermittent wafting of barbecue with a hint of... is that marijuana?
Yeah, that's Austin.
Stubb's doesn't allow detachable lenses (discrimination!) and I don't own a point-and-shoot or an iPhone, so I don't have any photos from Saturday night, just these images impressed on my mind.
But here are some photos from the rest of the birthday boy's weekend...
A happy breakfast a la me and Daniel for the birthday boy
Walking with the boys, Kirby and...
...the goofy dogs.
The boys spotted this beetle (just like old times!) Anyone know what it is?
Ping-pong!!
Cheesecake!
A birthday wish...
...and a nap.
Not bad for #54.
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Oops! Oops! OOPS!
Halfway to my car, ready to head out for a full day of errands, it hit me: I didn't have my keys and the house was locked up tight.
OOPS!
What the hell happened to my OCD, that bully who forces me to check that my keys are in my purse over and over and over each time I leave the house until I finally get tired and just grip them in my hand when I pull the locked door to behind me to be satified I really have them?
I know that pest had been on my shoulder whispering in my ear when I checked every door and window, making sure they were all locked. It was even there after I loosened the bathroom window screen to let the beautiful moth out that has been trapped in the house for days, nagging me to make sure the screen was back in place tight, rather than just wedging it "good enough" like I wanted to.
It reminded me to grab the water bill, my checkbook, and my coffee carafe and mug, reading them to me off my mental checklist. Yep, that's it. You have everything...
Um, OCD, what about KEYS?!
Okay, I confess that "Oops!" isn't what flew out of my mouth when I realized my car keys were still sitting all by their lonesome on the counter and I was locked out of the house. (They were probably wondering why I'd run off and left them. Or were they laughing at me? That's more likely, isn't it? Damn smartass keys.)
Anyway, I can't write what I really said, but Tom knows ... he heard it all when I called him on my cell phone for help (I told you I had everything I needed except the keys.) I prayed he'd stashed a key outside somewhere. I knew I hadn't.
He hadn't either, dang it.
But...he had an idea. Following his suggestion, I tried breaking a pane out of a window with a metal pipe. I banged the hell out of it, the sound ricocheting through the Hollow and scaring the puppies.
Not a crack. Not a dent. Not a scratch.
That made us feel more secure, but didn't help me get in the house.
So guess what Tom did?
He drove home to rescue me - a 45 minute trip one way.
My Knight in Shining Armor. My Personal Cavalry.
My Tom.
sigh.
He unlocked the door, I ran to the bathroom (I'd had time to drink that whole carafe of coffee!), we each ate a slice of cheesecake (to make us feel better) then, keys in my hand and water bill in his, we kissed goodbye and went our separate ways.
But that's not the end of the story. On his way home tonight, he stopped and bought me a present. Five of them, in fact. Five copies of our housekey, now safely hidden in secure, mysterious spots you would never think of so don't try, and attached to every set of keys we own.
My Hero.
He still holds the keys to my heart, for sure.
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I'm going to spend this day celebrating Tom - we'll have the boys and Kirby here (TG is still mired in finals and studying, poor baby), eat pizza and cheesecake, go for walks with the puppies and (fingers crossed) play some ping-pong.
But this is Tom's day. I think he also mentioned finishing up work on the Suzuki so he could take it for a drive in the back roads (it's been over a year since he's driven it) or perhaps take the canoe on out while Lake Travis is still a lake.
It's a gorgeous day (thank you, God!) so whatever we do, we'll be outside.
Happy 54th birthday, sweetie. I'm grateful you're in my life and I hope to be able to celebrate at least 54 more birthdays with you!
Intense love does not measure… it just gives.
~ Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
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Yes, we've been married for 49 "Friday the 13th"s now, starting with our wedding day.
Tom is the one keeping count. This afternoon he greeted me with "Happy 49th Anniversary!"
I don't know how he does it - I can barely keep track of my age these days, but it makes me feel good that he does; it's easier to ignore him when he's grumpy and helps me overlook all of those empty Diet Coke cans and various tools left lying about.
Knowing you matter to someone else and they're glad you're in their life.... Sweet! #9
So we're celebrating tonight! I paid bills and he headed into the garage to start cleaning up in there.
Nah, just kidding.
Oh, we really did those things, but that's not the celebration. I just knew better than to procrastinate those bills. Now I've got to finish reading A Jane Austen Education
(Disclosure: I'm an Amazon Affiliate, so if you click on that link and buy the book from Amazon, I get a few pennies for my piggy bank.)
It's Friday, so here are my favorite photos of the week, for obvious reasons if you've been keeping up with the state of the Hollow...
Hope you've had a wonderful Friday the 13th!
P.S. I waited until I had permission to post this. It's another wonderful story - I hate to admit it, but better than mine - of why 13 has been given a bad rap and can actually be a lucky number...
When I first went to M.D.Anderson 34 years ago, the patient number they assigned me (which you keep forever) was 131313. I took one look and thought, "Oh, no, you don't... I won't take that number!" Then just as quick, I thought, "Wait a minute... are you going to be superstitious or are you going to trust in God." So I kept the number and although there has been a few bumps in the road, I'm still here enjoying life all these 34 years later. And what a wonderful life it has been; I can say that there are very few things on my Bucket List that I haven't achieved in those years. Also, through all these years, every time I check-in for all the multitude of tests each year, they all look at that 131313 and say, "Oh, my goodness, I would NEVER have accepted that number!" which gives me a chance to speak of God and faith. I would say that the number 13 (in triple no less) has NOT been unlucky for me. God is good.
Amen! Thank you for letting me share your story, MJ! (Anyone else have a good Lucky 13 story? I want to hear it!)
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Music is a puppeteer pulling my strings, making me laugh, cry, sing, dance. There are songs that whisk me into the past, songs that soothe my fears, songs that lift my spirits, songs that inspire me, encourage me, give me hope.
I'm just a feather blown this way and that by the melodies and words.
Saturday night I was lucky enough to have two singer/songwriter/musicians in my house who have written the kind of songs that reach into me, wrap themselves around my soul and become a part of me.
Shake Russell's songs have been a part of me since the '70's when I heard Deep in the West
Regretfully, I've only just discovered Michael Hearne, although he's been busy writing and performing those soul-stirring songs almost just as long, it seems.
There's just something extra special about listening to their music in our own home, surrounded by friends and family who feel the same way about their music. After listening to the Shake Russell Trio in the comfort of our living room last year, how could we resist doing it again? Michael joining them this year was a sweet surprise.
And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares that infest the day
Shall fold their tents like the Arabs
And as silently steal away.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Day Is Done
THE Shake Russell, singing in MY living room!
Michael Hearne and Doug Floyd
Mike Roberts
Shake and Michael
Mike, Michael, Shake and Doug
Sitting on the front row, just two feet from the band, is amazing - but it limits you on photos. Thank goodness many of our guests brought their own cameras and have shared their photos with me.
One guest, Lexie, went a step further, playing around with the photos on picjoke.com (I had never even heard of it!) This is just one example, but it's my favorite...
Isn't this amazing? Thank you, Lexie!
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Well, I guess I gave it away in the title.
Rain keeps flirting with us here in the Hollow. This morning the sky opened up full force - for about three seconds. But the faucet kept dripping... I felt drops on my head all during our walk. I carried an umbrella just in case the downpour returned, but never used it. The drops felt too good.
Now the weatherman is pointing to colorful splotches on the radar map, headed our way ... they represent, in his words, "drought-relieving rain."
In my words, answers to prayers.
Sweet!
I also have a P.S. for yesterday's rambling, whining post. I can't believe I forgot about this...
I found out my photograph of the anvil cloud (below) made it to Explore on FlickR. Definitely sweet!
Hope you have a day of answered prayers ... a day full of Sweet!
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Some days it's tough to think of a Sweet! and this is one of them.
I'm tired. It's way past my bedtime.
I've started a dozen things this evening but haven't finished a single one.
I have a deadline looming.
Tom's birthday is coming up and I'm not ready.
Facebook is acting up on loading pictures, the restaurant I wanted to reserve for after Daniel's graduation is already booked, and I found out my brother-in-law's 87-year-old mother is in the hospital with pneumonia. I know my sister Brenda is very worried.
But...
...I slept all night without waking a single time. (All of you other menopausal women can appreciate that one!)
...it rained again. Lots of thick drops, the kind that soak into the ground and do some good.
...Daniel and TG feel they did pretty good on their finals today.
...I took a break from work for a walk this afternoon and the wind and sun felt fabulous on my face.
...on our morning walk, Belle stayed sitting beside me when our neighbor drove past in his truck; I didn't have to pull her back by the collar to keep her from chasing him like I usually do.
...my oldest volunteered to help me find a restaurant for after graduation.
...Tom fixed my jumprope I've been using for 34 years that decided to come apart this morning.
All pretty Sweet!-worthy on their own, I guess.
Now I'm going to bed.
Hope you had at least one Sweet! today!
(This photo is technically an accident, but I really like it. One more Sweet!)
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Rumbles and growls .. pewter sky ... flashes of light ... puddles on glistening pavement ... wet caliche ... dogs cowering in the laundry room ... setting sun reaching through thick clouds, painting the Hollow golden.
It rained this afternoon.
Sweet!
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"Nothing happens unless first we dream." ~ Carl Sanburg
So true. But dreams are just seeds - they don't bloom without the right conditions and it's up to us to help them along. We have to water them. Plant them where they'll get enough sunshine.
I've been prodded several times just in the past few days to keep moving on my dreams - to nurture them.
But I already planned to use this day to further my (latest) dream, a personal history business, where I can use my love of writing and history and genealogy and general nosiness about people's lives to help them preserve their stories as legacy - and today I registered the name and secured the domain (I didn't even make up my mind on it until I was in the county tax office!)
The name I chose is...
"Memory to Legacy"
So...what do you think?
Huh? You don't like it? Well, there's no going back now, so please don't even tell me!
(Thank you to everyone who gave me feedback on some of my choices and gave me other ideas. It really helped. Please don't be mad if I didn't choose your favorite!This one isn't even my first pick!)
It's scary, this "going into business" for myself thing, especially since we're already pretty broke. But I feel I'm moving in a direction I'm supposed to (does that make sense?) so at this point, I'm not too worried. Next month when I'm trying to pay bills it might be different, but right now I feel very optimistic. Shake's words help: "...don't give them up for a small stack of green..." which to me means a another job I don't enjoy but that provides a steady paycheck.
While I was busy trying to figure out how to secure the domain and link it to my blog host, Tom was huffing and puffing, carrying even more bookshelves into my library. So that dream has moved even further along as well, bless my sweet husband's heart.
I'm hoping I'll have time to work on my book and photography during downtime on my business. The clock is ticking and I need to stop dawdling and get busy.
Okay, now for my Sweet!...
It's funny - now that I've started this Sweet! series, it's actually tough to pick just one to post a day. Making the final decision on a name felt really good. Plus, today, I got to see 2/3 of my kids - even had lunch and a great philosophical discussion with 1/3. A funny Mother's Day card from my oldest third arrived in the mail. And I found a penny on the floor just as I was handing over the paperwork for my name. (A great reminder of "In God We Trust")
All pretty Sweet!
But I'll stick to the dream theme for Sweet #5:
Moving a step (or two) closer along the path to your Dream.
What is your dream and what have you done lately to make it come true?
P.S. I received word today that someone who played a big part in our lives has Stage 4 cancer in their liver, colon and lungs, and just started chemo. Please, please keep this person in your prayers! Thank you!
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It didn't take me long to break my own Sweet! rule - I didn't post one yesterday. But I've forgiven myself and will just get back on track today with this one...
Listening to soulful music sung live and loud by the Shake Russell Trio and Michael Hearne right in my own livingroom, surrounded by music-loving friends.
Sweet!
Details coming on that later...
Today, quite appropriately for Mother's Day, but mostly because I'm plain tuckered out, the Word of the Day is Relax! I've spent the day hanging out with 1/3 of my kids, specifically Daniel whose finals are mostly over with so he could afford the time to come home this weekend.
The other two couldn't be here, but they called! (That's a bonus Sweet! for sure!)
Daniel's done a great job filling in for all of them, helping get the house back in order, watching a movie with me and just talking.
(Tom disappeared - we discovered him back in bed, snoozing away. I think he takes a nap every Mother's Day! I don't begrudge him, though, especially this year. He worked and cooked like a maniac yesterday, preparing for the home concert.)
I missed seeing my own mom, but enjoyed talking to her on the phone.
I'm sending good thoughts and virtual hugs to all of you mothers out there - and special prayers for those of you who have spent the day aching from the loss of a child or your own mother.
And now, something to make you smile and remind you that "motherhood" isn't necessarily something defined by genetics... (thanks for sending this to me, Rick!) ...
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My mother, a pony-riding, chin-up champion tomboy, grew up...
...to be one of the most beautiful women in the world, inside and out.
She's only 17 in the photo above.
I certainly didn't look this glamorous, elegant, or self-confident at 17.
I'm not sure I ever have!
She's a combination of strong, soft, tough, sweet, gutsy, generous, confident, sensitive, sharp, compassionate, independent, loyal and determined that makes the cast of Magnolia Steel look like a bunch of cry-babies.
It's no wonder she caught the eye of my handsome, shy highway patrolman Daddy.Did I mention she was smart, too? Smart enough to know a good thing when she saw it .
(And of course, he was that smart, too.)
She's the one who taught me you can do anything you put your mind to, or deal with whatever life plops in your lap.
(I want both of these dresses!)
No, that pretty little girl up there isn't me. That's my big sister, Brenda. I wouldn't show up for probably two more Easters.
But the little cowgirl in the next one is me.(I never have had my mom's sense of style. Hers comes through even in a watermelon shirt.)
Maybe I didn't inherit her sense of style, but I did inherit a passion for lifelong learning. Judging by the serious (annoyed?) look on her face, I bet she was studying for one of her college classes when I took the one below. (But my gosh, isn't she gorgeous?)
She taught me there are times to buckle down and be serious...
...but mostly she taught me that life, even with its ups and downs and its quirky sense of humor, is still fabulous.
She taught me to appreciate every single day the good Lord gives me on this earth.
She taught me that no matter what's going on your life, you can find something to laugh about...
...and a ready laugh is beauty's secret weapon, inside and out.
Happy Mother's Day, Mama! Thank you!
I've linked this post to Jillsy's latest blog hop, because I guess it's obvious I think my mom has always been a glamorous beauty. Check out the other Mom Tributes below, and feel free to add your own. You don't have to have a blog - a FlickR or Facebook photo will work, too.
Happy Mother's Day to all of you who have mothered someone at sometime in your life!
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Finding just what you've been looking for at a price you can afford on Craig's List.
Tom must have realized I was never going to give up on my dream of a library.
I'm sure he was just as tired of seeing dozens of boxes of books lining the downstairs walls as I was frustrated that all my books were still in boxes.
I think he also realized he would never have the time or money to build custom shelves from scratch, as he had planned.
Guess what he found on Craig's List this week?
It's just a start, but oh, isn't it a lovely start?
Eventually they'll go all the way to the ceiling and perhaps be painted white (they're all different types of wood), and if we can figure out how, I'd like to turn two stained glass windows we've had stored for ages into cabinet doors.
But even just as it is, I'm in book-lover heaven.
Finding just what you've been looking for at a price you can afford on Craig's List.
Sweet!
What treasures have you found on Craig's List, or at garage sales, or flea markets... ?
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Glancing up or back or out of a window just in time to see something that makes you forget what you're doing for a few moments and just sigh.
Passing our French doors yesterday morning, something on the edge of my vision caught my eye. I turned just as a Great Blue Heron glided past our house, following the line of the creek up the Hollow. I watched him until he disappeared beyond the trees.
Sweet!
He's not an uncommon sight around here, but seeing this huge bird flying silently never fails to amaze me and fill me with a sense of awe and wonder. He comes and goes suddenly and is gone just as fast, and I've given up trying to capture the moment in my camera - I'd rather just stand still and watch.
Have you experienced anything like this? What moments fill you with silent wonder?
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Frenzy is my word of the week, (where's my copy of Pearl Jam's song Just Breathe?) so please forgive me if this post seems a little harried and unorganized. If it jumps around a bit, it's just a reflection of my life right now, hopscotching from one project to the next in haphazard order.
Tom and I have two Major Events coming up this month - another Shake Russell home concert and Daniel's graduation - just the kind of matches we need to light fires under our butts and get us moving on projects we should have tackled months ago.
Why, oh why do we procrastinate?
You would be amazed by how much Tom and I can ignore around our house - he always has half a dozen projects in various stages going on simultaneously and after almost 30 years together, I've learned to ignore random tools and pieces of equipment left lying in odd places.
One reason I ignore it all is because, if he dares say anything about my own piles of unorganized junk or projects-in-progress, I have ammunition. We've learned to be very accepting of each other's idiosyncrasies.
When Major Events appear on the calendar, though, that helps us see our home from a visitor's point of view and YIKES, our priorities shift. I haven't even gotten to the 'cleaning' part - for some reason, I've got it in my head I need to sort through boxes, clean up my office-to-be, my closet, cabinets...
It's not that I think anyone will care, but I have to use this rare fever while I have it.
So, what I didn't do this past weekend:
What I did accomplish, outside of the normal routine:
Tom spent most of Saturday on a Habitat-for-Humanity type project. It's not HFH, but a similar program his company partners with a few times a year. He loves using his carpentry skills to help people.
On his way home he picked up a new (to us) elliptical trainer and stationary bike he found on Craig's List. We have our own little gym again, for less than the cost of a gym membership. Yay, Tom!
He's putting his Craig's List truck to good use!
On the Today Show this week, I found out about something that apparently everyone else already knows about - 1000 Awesome Things.
How did I miss this? Especially as a blogger? (If you, like me, have had your head in the ground lately and haven't heard about this, click on that link above and take a look - but then come back!)
Actually, what I want to know, is why didn't I think of this myself?
Even though I didn't, I'm going to blatantly steal borrow Neil Pasricha's premise and start looking on the bright side of things every day. Considering my current frenzied state, I think it will do me some good.
I also want to set a good example for my kids and prove to them that no matter how bad things get in a day, it's possible to find one little "sweet!" moment. I honestly believe that.
I apologize in advance because this means I might have two posts in a single day right here on Long Hollow, plus another one on Confessions. I forgive you if you don't always read them or comment, but I would like to hear about your "sweet!" moments too, if you have the time to share them. From here on out, I'll write them as separate posts and keep them in the Sweet! category so I can go back and remember little rays of sunshine on those dark days.
So here we go with Sweet #1 (drumroll please)...
... Getting an email from my son just to say he loves me - and to tell me he has no cavities. When your grown children take charge of their lives, it can be so hard to let go, especially in those health care areas. After years of intensive, organized, methodical mothering and worrying over their health - doctor and dentist check-ups, prescriptions, etc. - you watch them fly out of the nest to other regions with unknown doctors and dentists and you can only pray they continue to take care of themselves.
It took the suspicion of a cavity, but he did it. Sweet!
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I think I've mentioned this before - I'm a book addict. I have boxes and boxes of books stacked in the boys' rooms downstairs, waiting for the library Tom has promised me (and promised me... and promised me...)
(Okay, in his defense, he built this whole house ... even finished out my closet while he barely has a rod to hang his shirts on, so I understand a proper home for my beloved books isn't high on the priority list. Really I do. Sigh.)
Anyway, back to my addiction...
Books fill windowsills and mismatched bookshelves that are scattered around the house. Books are stacked on tables, fill cabinets... you get the picture. I just can't throw a book away or resist "adopting" a homeless one (for the right price, anyway.)
But I think I've also already mentioned that I don't take time to read anymore - not books, anyway. Not often. I have good intentions and dream of reading all of the books I adopt, but the reality is they sit waiting, neglected, while I spend my hours trying to make money and chase the dreams I've put off for so long.
I miss reading a good book. There's nothing like it, getting sucked into the pages, caught up in the lives of the characters, becoming oblivious to everything around you, laughing, crying, getting mad.
Growing up I spent hours reading, and when the kids were younger we shared dozens of books over the years, 30 minutes at a time, every single night. When they got older, summers would find me next to the pool with a book in my hand while they splashed around with their friends.
Now they're grown up and I'm too busy trying to make money.
And that's why I'm so grateful to BlogHer - they started a Book Club and asked for reviewers. Immediately, I raised my hand. Not only would I be sent a book (for free!) but I'd be paid to read and write a review. Not much, mind you, but any little bit was enough justification to me.
The first book I read for the Book Club, Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks, is a historical fiction, a genre I love, but it's been awhile since I read one I enjoyed this much. It was tough to put it down! It's about the first Native American to attend Harvard, although for me it was more of a coming-of-age story about a young girl named Bethia who befriends him.
If you're interested, click HERE to read my review and others on BlogHer. (But if you decide to buy it, please come back here and click on my link!)
Now (thanks to BlogHer) I'm reading a memoir - A Jane Austen Education, by William Deresiewicz. After my adventure with Caleb's Crossing, I was tempted to jump into another novel, but this one called to me for some reason, and I'm glad I picked it. Stay tuned for my review later this month.
Besides giving me an excuse to read, BlogHer also recently gave me a chance to try some new dog food (well, for Belle to try some new dog food) and to give readers a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card. I won't give any of the details away here, though ... if you're interested, click HERE to read my review on Purina Pro Plan Selects and see how to win.
Okay, I'll tell you this much - all you have to do is leave a comment on my review blog (not here) to be entered to win. (Although I love reading your comments, here, too!)
You'll also get to read a little about me and my dogs and see some cute pictures of them. And also find out how to increase your chances of winning!
Good luck, and I hope you're having a great week!
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"Osama has been killed!"
I didn't believe the words at first when I saw them posted on Facebook, just skimmed past them thinking it was some political joke or teaser.
Then I saw them again. And again. Behind me, my phone beeped - my son texting me with the news.
I turned on the television, saw the crowds cheering in the streets, and wondered why I didn't feel the same elation...
It's so surreal after all these years.
What is it I feel?
A sigh of relief for sure - he's just one of many terrorists, but he wielded the most power, did the most damage in recent history. I feel grateful to those who risked their lives to find him and happiness that Osama has been brought to justice for the sake of those whose lives he ripped apart.
I think what I'm feeling can be summed up as cautious optimism. It seems lately the militant leaders are losing their popularity in the middle east - maybe that's why we were finally able to find Osama. Maybe his death will give power and energy to the wave of democracy, to the people who are tired of the violence in their countries. I hope and pray instead of triggering terrorist acts against us, it serves as a warning and deterrent to any out there thinking of taking Osama's place in the terrorist world.
Because, again, we know he's just one of many. And there are still American soldiers dying in Afghanistan and other places around the world.
But today, I give thanks for a bit of justice in this crazy world and pray it soothes the hearts of Osama's many victims. I'm grateful for the determination and courage of our special forces, for this seed of optimism, cautious or not, they have planted in my heart.
I hope one day it can grow into full-bloomed elation that the wars are over and terrorists no longer wield power anywhere in the world.
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I'm a licensed REALTOR with Keller Williams Realty in Austin, Texas. If you, or someone you know, has a real estate need anywhere in the world, give me a call! Click the icon below to find out more.
For more information about my photography, go to Barbara Shallue Photography