Long Hollow

My Tiny Taste of BlogHer Food 2013

 

I am not a food blogger.

Oh, I may write about my Cyclops Cookies, Tom's better-than-Hooter's hot wings, and yummy sushi from Eddie V's, but they're mingled with my stories about dogs and mice and dancing and friendship.

I'll never be a niche blogger of any kind, because I could never make up my mind. Well, I do have my photography blog, but it's still all over the place, subject-wise. 

So when BlogHer announced it was holding the BlogHer Food 2013 conference in Austin, I was more disappointed than excited. I've been wanting to go to a regular BlogHer conference ever since I heard about them, but they're always held in exotic far-off lands, like New York City, Los Angeles, and, later this summer, Chicago. 

Even if I could afford the cost of the conference, the travel expenses make it impossible.

(Dang it, why didn't they send the food bloggers to Chicago and have the Big Deal in Austin?)

But BlogHer must have sensed my discontent. They actually opened up the closing party to outsiders like me for next to nothing.  And because the closing party included live music, dancing, barbecue and one free drink at Stubbs BBQ downtown on a Saturday night...well, I couldn't pass up a bargain like that and the chance to get at least a taste of BlogHer Food 2013.

It wasn't until I was trying to figure out what to wear that it hit me: I was going to a party where I didn't know a soul and everyone else had been hanging out together all weekend.

Blah! But I decided to go anyway. I mean, I'd already bought the ticket. There was a plate of barbecue waiting at Stubbs with my name on it. I couldn't just abandon it.

So I went. It helped that there were several nametags waiting for other outsiders on the table where I checked in.

Until that night, I'd only seen four bloggers in person, period. I wasn't sure what I expected the food bloggers to look like, but I'll just say they didn't fit into any niche as far as appearance goes. No standard gender, age, size, or even taste in clothing. That helped me feel more comfortable right away.

I traded my drink ticket for a frozen strawberry sangria concoction, filled a plate with barbecue, and found an empty spot on a picnic table near a blonde lady who looked about my age.

I don't remember her name or where she was from, but we had a good conversation over the loud music. This had been her first BlogHer conference and she said all the freebies really balanced the cost of it all.

She left and young girl named Kayla who worked for one of the vendors sat down to eat. We had a good conversation, too, about trying to find jobs (she recently graduated) then she went back to work filling cookies with ice cream, and I wandered over to the photo booth where I met Sarah, who worked for the photo booth company sponsored by Ninja Kitchen.

When she found out I was from Austin and didn't know anyone (I tell my story to everyone I meet, of course) she wrote on a chalkboard and joined me in my photos.

I thought she was just feeling sorry for me, but when all of the photos were posted online, I saw quite a few people in photos by themselves.

I guess it was that Austin connection, after all, and not (just) pity!

The awesome music of The Grooves, an Austin cover band, lured me closer to the area near the stage. Small groups of ladies had finally started dancing so I just joined in.

(Would you believe I used to be shy? I know. It's hard for me to believe it, too.)

As much as I love dancing, I confess the highlight of my night was seeing Pioneer Woman. Yes, Ree Drummond, herself, stood just inches from me at one point. And my camera joined all the others snapping away while she was telling jokes onstage.

For you non-bloggers, PW is the Queen of the Bloggers, and not just food blogging! She has it all down: Home-schooling, Home and Beauty, Entertainment, Photography, Life on a Ranch in the Middle of Oklahoma Nowhere.

She's written a couple of cookbooks, a children's book, and a memoir. Probably a lot of other stuff, too. How the heck does she do it??? Yes, I'm terribly jealous, and that's what makes her a blogging Rock Star!

Finally, the last song was sung and danced to, I grabbed another bottle of water (They were free, thank goodness. Dancing on a hot, humid Texas night under the stars = sweat!) and headed to my car. 

While I waited at an intersection, I chatted with a couple of Pedi-Cab drivers. And they agreed to have their picture taken even though I wasn't a potential customer.

 

(This one got distracted by an actual customer, but I took his photo anyway.)

I love Austin. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Sons, Sunday mornings, and other sweet!s

I'm not proud to admit this, but I missed church this morning because of the rain. 

Right about the time Daniel and I were going to head out the door (Tom was still snoozing!) - already running late because we had to let the terrified dogs into the laundry room - the break in the unexpected morning storm disappeared and sheets of rain pelted the Hollow sideways like a firehose aimed right at us. 

I pictured myself trying to scramble up our rock pathway in my heels and knew an umbrella would be no match for that storm.  I'd be soaked in seconds even if I remained standing.

If I didn't have to go to work right after church...if we weren't already running ten or fifteen minutes late...

Anyway...instead of getting soaked, we went out on the deck with cups of coffee, gave thanks for the much-needed rain, and watched a little bird zip and flip and twirl through the air to catch tiny moths that drifted up from the ground.

I tried to capture his acrobatics with my camera, but no luck. Thank goodness he had mercy on me and posed on Tom's truck for a few seconds.

 

Anyone know what he is? We decided to just call him a Variegated Brown Moth-Eater. It sounded official enough.

Here are some other sweet! moments from my past week...

Sunday: fireflies; late-night chocolate chip pancakes, courtesy of your daughter; catching new things in Galaxy Quest that make you and your daughter laugh even though you've seen it a million times already

Monday: your son and husband making it back from Florida, safe and sound; being in the right place at the right time to be asked to (volunteer to) be in a commercial; Chuy's tortilla soup; not having a problem with eating in a restaurant alone; a stack of books from your mother-in-law, because she knows you love books

Tuesday: a friend who tries to get you a job, even if she's unsuccessful; virtual hugs when you're having a tough day; the right verse in your email to soothe your disappointment 

 

 

Wednesday: waking up with a sense of peace after a dark day; watching your old puppy swim; a field of yellow

Thursday: one last cut and color with your stylist until you find a real job; a hug from your baby girl; getting up the nerve to apply for a job even when you know it's a long shot

 

Friday: a request to photograph a fun family; progress on your children's book; delicate wildflowers on your morning walk

 

Saturday: a morning at Laguna Gloria; great critiques; a swan, swimming and posing for you; a sweet card from a dear friend; your son fast-forwarding through parts of the Matrix so you can watch the awesome fight at the end before you have to leave; going somewhere even though you don't know a soul there; meeting new friends; dancing at Stubbs BBQ; seeing Pioneer Woman in person!

 

 

Sunday: spotting a blog friend's daughter on the Today show, singing at Princess Madeleine of Sweden's wedding; sitting on a covered porch during a thunderstorm with your son; a blue sky after a thunderstorm; a beef quesadilla for lunch before work, thanks to your son; a dog that imitates a meerkat; perfect guacamole...and you made it!

 

I hope your past week was full of sweet! moments, but you find more in the week ahead! Share them with me here!

Longhorns and other sweet!s

 

 

Yesterday I helped a friend celebrate her son Ryan's graduation from the University of Texas. 

We enjoyed beer, barbecue, and a cake decorated like Big Bertha, the large drum wheeled around at halftime performances, because Ryan was on the Big Bertha team for the Longhorn Band.

I got to see all of my kids and spend time with friends in a beautifully landscaped backyard close enough to campus to see the fireworks through the trees at the end of the ceremony. 

It was a very sweet! day!

(We watched the ceremony itself on television in the air-conditioned comfort of the house, and I'm glad because summer has officially arrived in Austin, Texas. Whew! That was sweet!, too!)

Here are some others from the last half of the week. (I'm trying to stay on track now!)

Wednesday: being able to wish your husband a happy birthday; chocolate torte

Thursday: getting a parking spot downtown when you need it; hanging out in a genealogy library; dinner with your son; the floppy ears on German Shepherd puppies; attending a panel on writing with your son

 

Friday: a call from a dear friend; Panda Express fortunes that come true; bumping into a friend in Walmart; the smell of warm brownies; the taste of warm brownies 

Saturday: celebrating a friend's son's graduation from the University of Texas; Rudy's Barbecue; getting to see all of your kids  

 

Sunday: your friend sneaking into Mass even later than you; a bee buzzing up to a Texas Thistle just as you snap the photo, even if it makes you jump; spotting a Green Heron in a tree down the creek

 

I hope you've had a week full of sweet! moments. If you find yourself getting down, start looking for them. They're there, just waiting to be noticed, and it's one of the best ways to climb out of the dumps! (The absolute best is helping someone else, of course.)

What was one of the sweetest moments of your past week?

Five Things on a Friday Night. And a Puppy.

 

1.

You know you're getting old when, instead of taking friends up on an invitation to listen to live music on a Friday night after work, you walk your friend's dogs, eat dinner alone at Panda Express, pick up a few things at Walmart, and make brownies for your friend's son's college graduation party on Saturday.

And then write a blog post about it.

 

2. 

 

Nothing smells better than brownies baking in the oven. Amen.

 

3.

 

The fortune in my cookie at Panda Express read: "A pleasant surprise is in store for you." Sure enough, within the hour, I was standing in the check-out line at Walmart when a familiar voice said, "Barbara?"

It was the former high school librarian who I loved working with as a substitute assistant and who loved having my son as her aide. I haven't seen her in ages.

It truly was a very, very, very pleasant surprise. (But how did Panda Express know? It's almost creepy!)

 

4.

 

One of the feral cats that adopted my parents has disappeared. They believe it died.

When I was there for Mother's Day, it had tucked itself into a tight spot between the house and the deck. It was too wild for them to catch. Daddy just made sure it had food and water nearby, but it had no appetite.

They had enjoyed watching that cat sleep on the deck (and try to catch birds at the feeder and bath - sometimes successfully) for over a year.

She was a pretty little thing, and they forgave her for trying to kill (and succeeding in killing) the birds, and scaring the squirrels away.

It makes me so sad for them. 

 

5.

 

I attended a Writer's League of Texas panel on magazine writing last night. Four writers shared their experiences: Sarah Bird, Chuck Eddy, Alicia Dennis, and Michael Hall.

In a nutshell I learned that magazine writing used to be a great gig, but that it's getting harder and harder to make a living at it because so many magazines have folded, so much is online now, and there are tons of writers doing it for next-to-nothing...or nothing, period. 

The writers were all really interesting and funny, and still all actively writing for publications, including People and Texas Monthly, but overall it was kind of sad and bittersweet.

So don't you think it's ironic that I want to do it even more after listening to them talk about it?

P.S.

 

Before the magazine panel, Daniel and I ate at Opal Divine's. This little Mini-Max and his mom sat near us, and, oh! he stole my heart!

I'm going to post more street photos on Confessions, but had to share Augie with you here, too.

I think I want a puppy.

Mother's Day and A Sweet Confession

Here it is, my confession: I've fallen out of the habit of looking for those sweet! moments in every day. It hasn't been too much of a problem until now, what with The Wedding and Mother's Day and all, because they overflowed in sweetness.

But today. Ah, today. A Monday by any other name would still be a Monday, if you know what I mean. So even though the calendar said it was Tuesday, once I stepped into the winery this morning, I knew it was really a Monday, with all of its Murphy's Law madness. 

Nothing big. Just one little thing after another that kept me a little grumpy all day, and now here I sit with brain freeze, needing to pay bills and finish laundry, wanting to work on my book, but overwhelmed with...everything.

I just want to climb in bed and forget about today.

That's what happens when I stop really paying attention to the sweet!s. 

So for my peace of mind I need to walk backward through the day with open eyes and find those sweet!s I was too blind to notice earlier.

...First of all, after writing that first part I took a break out on the porch swing, letting the evening breeze ruffle my hair, imagining it filtering into my brain and cleaning out the cobwebs.

A cedar tree creaked in the wind, the leaves rustled, my wind chimes played in harmony with the evening songbirds. Belle and Max lay nearby, eyes open, just listening with me. 

No matter what else happened today, that was all pretty sweet!

But my day began with a sunrise walk with my life-loving puppies. Besides all of the yellow flowers, prairie verbena, and Indian Blankets that are blooming right now, the cactus are dotted with delicate yellow flowers that should have reminded me that sweet! moments can transform the thorniest of days.

 

And then there was Mother's Day.

Over the weekend, I saw all three of my kids, plus my mom. Not all at the same time, but I'm grateful for what I can get!

Friday night my oldest came to see us, bearing gifts from their honeymoon adventures in Italy. He brought me a bottle of wine from one of the vineyards they visited in Tuscany and this gorgeous bracelet from Venice made of Murano glass beads.

 

I always regretted not buying some of that beautiful glass on my own trip in 1976. 

 

Thank you, Tommy and Kirby! (How did they know?)

I stayed up later than I intended, listening to Tommy's stories from Italy, making him look at my old Italy photos from '76, laughing over funny videos, and watching (dozing through) an episode of Game of Thrones, but it was worth losing a few hours of sleep.

Saturday morning I dropped groceries off for TG who was in the middle of finals (and got a quick hug) then picked up my middle one for a road trip to Houston to spend Mother's Day with my mom.

We celebrated with lots of family over lunch on Sunday at an Italian restaurant. 

(I forgot to get one of Mama with the grandkids until she was already in the car. But I love it!)

Daniel gave me an updated version of my absolute favorite cookbook - Cooking Texas Style. I ordered mine out of Country Living magazine back in 1983. Its pages are smudged and worn from use.

This latest version is not only cleaner, but it has all of my old favorites, plus a bunch of new recipes I can't wait to try!

 

Thank you, Daniel!

And now, the Squirrel.

Every time I drive to Houston I pass this huge squirrel at the Berdoll Pecan & Gift Company outside of Bastrop...and I always wish I had stopped and gotten a photo of it. 

Okay, with it.

So this time I did.

 

And bless his heart, Daniel agreed to be in the photo with me since there was a couple who could take the photo for us.

I am one lucky mom!

Here are a few other sweet!s from the past few weeks that I actually did jot down, but I don't think I officially posted...

Seeing an owl swoop past at dusk; the Hoary Bat; fireflies; finally watching the Hunger Games movie with your son; getting a score of 26 in a game of 3-13 with your mother-in-law; a mani-pedi; your own cowgirl boots courtesy of your sweet friends; hummingbirds; a friend's help on the centerpieces for your son's rehearsal dinner; dancing at your son's wedding; YOUR SON'S WEDDING!; photo-booth pictures; keeping up with the honeymoon via Instagram and Facebook; chocolate-covered strawberries; spending a week with your grandpuppy; a free prime rib dinner with friends; wildflowers lining the road

I hope you pay attention to the sweet!s in your week! I'm going to make sure I do!

 

 

Birthday Cards and other sweet!s

Does anyone read blog posts in the middle of the night? It seems it's the only time I finally get to post, after finishing up the higher priority items on my to-do lists. 

BlogHer is asking for nominations for their Voices of the Year, in the categories of Heart, Humor, Inspiration, and OpEd. I had thought about nominating myself (that's what you do when you get older - you quit waiting on other people to toot your horn - you just do it yourself!) but to be honest, I can't think of a post that might have a chance of winning, so I'll probably just wait until next year.

I'm not putting myself down...it's just that I don't post about controversial stuff. And I don't cuss. Or have small children. I'm not an alcoholic or drug addict who had an abortion at 18.

I'm not complaining - I know I'm blessed. But those seem to be the criteria in the posts with the highest ratings, along with alcoholism, drug abuse, and abortions.

 I have too many other things on my plate to worry about. Namely, a wedding (my son's) and finding a job which is more than a job, but a career. And writing a book. And...

Okay, I'll stop and get on with this post, which is about birthday cards and other sweet!s of the past week.

 

Next year for my birthday, I'm going to go to Barton Springs Pool and wear a bucket on my head.

 

 

This is the card my son gave me. Inside it says: "It's your birthday, so take it easy. Relax. Wear a bucket on your head. Whatever."

 And he wrote: "Do you want to go to Barton Springs and wear a bucket on your head?

If I had said yes, he would have cringed, but I know he would have gone along with me, and my other two kids as well. As I've already said once in this post, I'm blessed. (Of course, they would have pretended they didn't know me, but that's understandable.)

My friend Tamara (Tamara, Tamara, Tamara!) sent me a card that proves she knows me very well...

 

 

And here are some other sweet!s of the week...

Monday: antelope horn blooming; spotting a rabbit's tail on a morning walk; a hug from an old co-worker/friend; reminiscing with a friend about your kids and old times

Tuesday: Russian accents; meeting a Headhunter who promised to critique your resume; a blog friend requesting to buy a series of your photos

Wednesday: a walk in the rain with your pups during a drought; homemade chicken soup and a fire in a fireplace on a cold, rainy day in a vineyard

 

Thursday: wildflowers bordering a Texas highway (they were beautiful, but I had to wait to take the photo when I was stopped at a red light, where they were more sparse); standing by your friend when she says goodbye to her mother; sharing memories of your childhood with people you still call friends; an evening with your parents

 

Friday: coffee and reading the newspaper at the kitchen table with your dad; sneaking a photo of your dad with your phone; new growth in an old neighborhood; red-winged blackbirds; splashes of primroses on a roadside that remind you of your wedding 30 years agoan afternoon with your daughter and seeing both of your sons

 

Saturday: time for a walk with your puppies before work; two elderly people finding love again; patches of bluebonnets; going to bed earlier than you expected 

Sunday: waking early enough to go to early Mass; the joy on your puppies' faces when you take them for a walk; baby turtles; your writing group liking your latest story; getting a lot of stuff done on your day off

I hope you have a fantastic week, full of sweet! moments! I'll leave you with one of my favorite photos...the red-winged blackbirds ignoring the kitties in my parents' backyard to meet at the birdbath...

 

 

Birthdays, Austin Adventures, and other Sweet!s

Once you reach a certain age, numbers become surreal. They change (faster and faster and faster) but you feel the same.

Wasn't it only yesterday I was cage dancing in honor of my 50th birthday? 

Way back in my thirties and forties, I set some goals for myself. By my 50th birthday, I planned to have graduated with at least a bachelor's degree and have a book published. There was also some vague notion that I would be able to play something that resembled music on my drums.

As that birthday approached, I cut myself some slack and extended the deadline to my 55th birthday. Surely that would be enough time to accomplish at least one of those goals.

Well, here I am at 54, and I know if the good Lord lets me reach my 55th birthday, odds are it's going to be without a degree or a published book, and my drumming will most likely continue to be a lot of loud noise that makes me happy...and everyone else want to plug their ears.

At first I thought about extending the deadline for those goals to 60. Instead, I'm tossing deadlines aside. Period. There are still dreams I'd like to see come true, but life is hard enough without the extra pressure we put on ourselves.

So more than ever, my goal for this year is just to take life as it comes, day by day, and do the best I can.

If I never get any closer to realizing those dreams than where I'm standing today, I'm okay with that. It's a good place, no, it's a great place to be.

I am truly blessed.

Yesterday my kids joined me as tour guides for a day of Austin Adventures. Despite living in the area for almost 20 years, there are so many "Austin" things I've never experienced.

We only made a dent in the list, but it was a great day, starting with brunch at Cherrywood Coffeehouse with my oldest, Tommy, and Andrew, a longtime friend of Tommy's from high school and college days...plus Andrew's beautiful wife and two precious kids. 

I believe birthdays are for experiencing 'firsts', so I ordered a smoked crayfish omelette...my first time to eat crayfish. And it was yummy!

From there we picked up my other two kids and headed for the eclectic shops lining South Congress. Costumes, art, antiques, and lots of interesting junk.  

There were also street musicians and food trailers! Oh, so many food trailers!

Still full from brunch, I settled on a 24 Carrot cupcake from the Hey Cupcake! trailer and shared it with the kids.

(Great timing! My future daughter-in-law was across the street at Home Slice with her best friend, on a break from wedding errands, so I even got to see her, which was like getting more cream cheese icing on my cupcake!)

From there we went to the highest spot in Austin - Mount Bonnell. By the time you drive there, it's only a few flights of stone steps to the top, where you get a gorgeous view of Lake Austin in one direction and the Austin skyline in the other. 

 

It's not exactly mountain-climbing. But my kids zoomed ahead of me and I was out of breath by the time I joined them at the top.

I have an old, old, old postcard that features a photograph of the state capital from Mount Bonnell and wanted to reproduce it. So you can imagine how disappointed I was that someone had the gall to build something mostly blocking the capital from view. Sigh.

You can barely see the tip of the capital peeking up, but the University of Texas Tower is standing proud and unobstructed at least, there on the left.

 

When I saw that I was testing the patience of my kids with all of the photos of us that I asked strangers to take and the amazing views, we headed to our last stop: Rainey Street, a historic dictrict recently converted to a strip of bars and restaurants.

I was ready for something to eat and drink, but I confess the biggest draw for me to Rainey Street was Geraldine, a guinea fowl who lives in the area. She's been in the news, trying to warn people of her existence so she doesn't get run over. She even has her own Facebook page.

So you can imagine my excitement when, as soon as we pulled into a parking space, Daniel said "Hey, there's a guinea fowl pecking at the tires."

In a flash I was scrambling out of the car, telling her how pretty she was and snapping photos. Yes, I was star struck. Oh, if we had only known about her back when Frankie was alive. They would have made a beautiful couple!

 

I caught up to my kids and we headed into Craft Pride, where there's a mind-boggling selection of craft beers. My taste for beer is slowly recovering from the initial menopausal shock from a few years ago. I'm not sure if that's good or bad, but it was fun sitting on the patio behind the bar, sipping on a beer and talking to my kids.

(That just seems so weird.)

After that, we wandered down the street, trying to decide where to eat. We picked the Javelina Bar, because Tommy had been there before. The food was great! (So were the Bloody Mary's. Hey, it was my birthday, and I had a designated driver!)

I have to thank my wonderful kids again for helping me celebrate my birthday. I've always had lots of fun with them, whether it was visiting the playground at McDonald's or the Natural Science Museum in Houston or the zoo, and it's still awesome to spend so much time with them.

If I never accomplish a single thing in my life, it's okay with me, because I played a part in bringing those three into this world. And that's something special. In a good way. 

And then, would you believe the fun  and celebrations continued today?  I met some of my local Deer Park Divas at Jack Allen's Kitchen for an amazing brunch. (I swear I've gained 10 pounds this weekend!)

Gwen made a Red Velvet Cake and Darla solicited contributions for a gift card for me to buy some cowboy - er, cowgirl - boots. I've been trying and trying to win some through contests on Facebook, with no success. I think they felt sorry for me.

My friends are so sneaky and amazing and I love them all.

As I said, I am blessed. Amen.

And now for the official "Sweet!" list from the past week...

 

Monday: listening to the writings of 4th graders; the silky soft fur of a bunny rabbit; taking a break on a small terrace beside a little pond with your husband, listening to the birds sing above you and the trickle of a small waterfall

Tuesday: finishing a long walk with your puppies just before the rain begins; enjoying the sight, sound, and smell of a spring shower from the shelter of your porch; fewer mice turds in your car, indicating the party might be moving somewhere else; a day of much-needed heavy rain

Wednesday: recovering from your fright long enough to remove the little mouse hiding in your glove box and place it in the woods; gumbo with grilled shrimp and smoked duck for lunch on a rainy day; two days in a row of customers with British-y accents; no damage from the high winds that kept you awake the night before

Thursday: no more mouse poop in your car!; gathering with friends for a movie and dinner, especially when it's in honor of your birthday; movies starring Billy Crystal and Bette Midler

 

Friday: picking up your new $1 iPhone from the post office; amazing magic tricks performed by a high school student; {bittersweet} getting off work early enough to attend a friend's funeral

Saturday: your 54th birthday; brunch with your son and his friend; seeing your son's childhood friends all grown up, with kids of their own; exploring Austin with your kids as tour guides; the view of Austin from Mount Bonnell; Hey Cupcake; meeting Geraldine the Rainey Street Guinea Fowl

Sunday: pancakes after Mass; continuing your birthday celebration with sweet friends, a delicious brunch buffet, Bloody Mary's, and Red Velvet Cake; friends who pool funds together to get you something you couldn't afford to get yourself; Polish pottery; helping a friend celebrate her book release (Susie Kralovansky's "There Was a Tall Texan Who Swallowed A Flea"); an afternoon walk in warm sunshine with your puppies

 

 

I hope you all had a week full of sweet! moments! If you don't think you did, pay more attention! I swear, they're there!

 

 

Linking with

A Little Sister, a Shower, and a Salt Lick

I taught her how to drive a stick-shift - she caught on fast, much faster than my kids years later - and when her brother broke up with me, she wrote me poems to soothe my broken heart. She was barely a teenager back then, two years younger than me, and so in our split-high-school district, we never even attended the same school, so our lives went separate ways.

But score another one for Facebook! We recently reconnected. So when she came to Austin to visit her daughter this weekend, we made plans to meet up again for the first time in decades.

In a cool little restaurant within walking distance of her daughter's apartment (Fabi and Rosi) we sped through the years over wine and yummy food. The hours went way too fast. 

It meant missing a writing contest deadline and getting up at 5 a.m. yesterday morning to get my part of my future daughter-in-law's bridal shower ready, but it was totally worth it. Those are the moments that make life sweet!, and you have to grab them while you can.

Here are a few more sweet! moments from the past week...

 

 

Monday: writing before work; realizing you can still work geometry problems; a roaring wind on a sunny day; getting hooked by a good book

Tuesday: soft birdsong on your morning walk; a friend calling you with a job tip; your son's wedding invitation waiting for you in the mail; playing your drums after work

Wednesday: a puppy waiting patiently and hopefully outside the door for you to step outside and cuddle with her; devoting time to your book two days in a row; a long overdue hair cut and re-blonding; quick hugs from your daughter; remembering to pay some bills before they're late

 

 

Thursday: friends who make adorable favors for your future daughter-in-law's bridal shower; clearance racks; your husband still awake to help carry groceries into the house and help put them away at 10:30 pm

Friday: time to run before work; a refresher course in World Geography; starting the second book in the Hunger Games series, while getting paid; catching-up decades over dinner with an old boyfriend's little sister; experiencing another eclectic Austin restaurant

 

 

Saturday: a bridal shower for your future daughter-in-law; a Saturday night at the Salt Lick with your kids and great friends

 

 

Sunday: sleeping in and going to late Mass; the stories on CBS Sunday Morning

 

I don't watch much television, but CBS Sunday Morning is one show I try not to miss. This morning they featured the story of El Paso student Mitchell Marcus. Perhaps you've already heard it, but if you haven't, do yourself a favor and watch this video till the end. 

I hope you have a week filled with sweet! moments...and may we all be like this high school student and make life sweet! for someone else.

A Sweet Saturday Morning

 

My kids will be here today. 

That was the first thought that crossed my mind when I woke up this morning. And I awoke without the usual pre-waking symphony of dueling alarm clocks. 

The sun had already made itself at home in the Hollow. Belle sat patiently outside the door, staring, waiting for a sign of movement. So before I started the coffee, I stepped onto the doorstep to tell her and Max good morning.

That's when I noticed the box from Shutterfly resting in the grass beside the front walk. I thought it was an odd place for FedEx to leave it, then ding! I realized it hadn't been left there - the wiggly puppy in front of me had moved it there.

As soon as I picked it up, she tried to melt into the front porch, hoping to disappear. But the box was in one piece -  no harm to the cards - so I just gently reminded her to leave boxes alone and scratched her ear. I also informed her, in a sweet voice, of course, that if the cards had been damaged she would be eating the cheapest dog food ever for at least a year. 

Whew! 

Now I'm off to decorate my tree, bake cookies, address Christmas cards, wrap a few gifts, clean house... perhaps fit a game of ping-pong in there. (One can hope!)

Later this evening I plan to watch Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. I can't wait! I'm tempted to set an alarm so I don't forget!

I remember watching it every year when I was little. It's always been one of my favorites, and I'm so glad it's going to be back on television. I hope my kids agree to watch it with me.

Did any of you watch it, too?

It's been a sweet morning and promises to be a sweet day, overall. I wish the same for each one of you.

Here are a few other sweet! moments from the past week...

 

 

Monday: Happy Hour and the Austin Trail of Lights with your kids and their friends on a cold night; spinning under the giant Christmas tree at the end of it

Tuesday: snuggled under the covers, hearing your husband toss another log in the woodburning stove to keep you warm before he leaves for work; Texas weather - wearing shorts in December, after a frosty morning; your husband's project at work complete enough that he gets to come home for more than just a few hours of sleep

Wednesday: pink mornings; pajama day in a kindergarten class; reading to 5-year-olds; meeting deadlines; a husband's great attitude when yet another thing goes wrong for him

Thursday:  a live performance by Drew Womack while you do lunchroom duty in an elementary school; a Facebook friend request from your daughter for Christmas

Friday: snooze alarms; Christmas bonuses; seeing friends in the grocery store; Christmas cards and paychecks in the mailbox; surprise packages

Saturday: a morning with no alarms buzzing; finding your Christmas cards on the doorstep, but your puppy didn't destroy them; a great blue heron flying right outside your window where you sit typing your sweet! list; that great blue heron landing in a tree close to the house and staying long enough for you to grab your zoom lens and tripod and snap some photos

 

Every morning while the coffee brews, I glance at my email on my phone, always hoping for a job offer or a photo or jewelry sale. No such luck this morning, but I came across this Quiet Moment of the Day which seemed to speak right to me. Right away I knew I wanted to share it with you. Wishing you all a very merry, very blessed Christmas! And remember...

Take the time. Don’t be forever dashing. Try sauntering.

The word saunter has an
instructive background. It’s from the French Sainte Terre, Holy Land, and refers to the easy pace taken by the pilgrims who were enjoying the trip itself as well as relishing the goal. 

 
Life itself is a holy land, and deserves to be enjoyed en route.

~Joseph Gallagher

 

Why I Love "The Hobbit"

 

 

He was five, snuggled up close beside me on the loveseat for our ritual bedtime story, sucking his thumb.

"Are you sure?" I asked him. "There aren't any pictures in this book. Just a lot of words."

He nodded, so I opened the worn paperback and began reading...

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."

Every night I'd quiz him on what we had read the time before, worried he was too young to understand, but he always knew every answer and wanted to continue.  Middle Earth had come alive for him, so night after night, chapter by chapter, we journeyed through it together. 

It was my second, maybe third, visit. My brother had introduced me to Tolkien and his hobbits almost two decades earlier and I became obsessed, buying ceramic statues of Bilbo and Gandalf, pewter wizards, and tiny castles. I had dragon bookends and calendars depicting beautiful Middle Earth-inspired artwork. I embraced my nerdiness.

It was the artwork that hooked my young son. He wanted to learn more about that beautiful, adventurous world.

I traveled there again with my younger two, and many years later we watched the Lord of the Rings movies together. So when I heard about The Hobbit movie, I crossed my fingers they would all agree to see it with me, once again journeying together into Middle Earth.

And they did. This past Sunday evening, my Christmas wish came true.

 

 

But sitting in that theater I got much more than my Christmas wish. Watching the movie, I was reminded of why I became a Tolkien nerd so many years ago and still want to share it with my kids.

There's the obvious...the adventure, the magic, the intricate world he draws us into. His genius still amazes me.

There's the theme of good versus evil...with good victorious, of course. And the characters, who forge friendships by focusing on commonalities rather than differences, a great lesson for all of us.

There's Bilbo's story itself, how he ventures out of his comfort zone and discovers strengths he never knew he possessed. Now I can identify with Bilbo even more. Like me, he is middle-aged, settled, comfortable, and doesn't believe there is anything special about himself ... but he sets out on an adventure anyway.

He sticks with it even when others doubt him, determined to help the dwarves even though he doesn't really know them. Compassion is the key to his bravery and loyalty. As Gandalf says...

  “I found it is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk, that keeps the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love.” 

When you boil it all down, the elves and the magic and the battles between good and evil, that single message is what you're left with. It's the reason I love The Hobbit, and why I wanted my kids to know it and love it, too. Because even the smallest of us, the seemingly least remarkable, is capable of kindness and love to one another. And I do believe that is the greatest power of all.

 

 

 

Blurry Days and Short Lists

Confession time: My tree is still bare.

Also, and much worse, I'm guilty of only haphazardly noting my sweet!s this week. The days just melted into each other. I jotted a few on random pieces of paper around the house, but most never got past the good intentions stage and the memory is gone.

Why is it that simple little joys are so easily taken for granted and forgotten? 

But I've managed to dredge my memory and have come up with a few. I hope you're doing a better job than I am! In times like these, marred with tragedy and sadness, I believe the sweet! moments in our life are truly gifts, acting as lights in the darkness, helping us move forward. 

 

Monday: finally creating a Facebook page for your photography website 

Tuesday: watching a documentary about the survivors of the Dust Bowl with high school students, and being inspired by the survivors' resilience and hope; a piece of your genealogy puzzle slipped into place, thanks to a cousin's research

Wednesday: fitting in a morning walk with your frisky puppies before work

Thursday: frosty mornings; wood-burning stoves; a full day to work on your book

Friday: bumping into friends at the grocery store; picking out toys for your church Giving Tree; joining with your nation in prayer after a tragedy 

Saturday: feeling better after two weeks with a cold; wrapping presents; small Christmas parties with friends

 

 

 

Sunday: wearing a goofy Santa hat; the magic of Christmas glowing on children's faces when they talk to Santa; traveling to Middle Earth with your kids, via the Hobbit movie; Austin's 6th street at dusk in December; writing groups

This week I'll submit 10 pages of my book to be critiqued for February's conference... I'm going to experience Austin's Trail of Lights for the first time... my tree will get decorated... and I'll keep track of the sweet! moments that light up my life. 

Whatever the week holds for you, don't forget to breathe and pay attention. Here's to brighter days for all of us! 

 

Mastering the Fine Art of Procrastination

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

It's all John Lubbock's fault that my Christmas decorations still languish in boxes piled in the middle of the living room.

Instead of spending Friday writing, cleaning, decorating, and all of the other "ing"s I've neglected, I jumped in my car and drove across town to have lunch with my brother's high school girlfriend because I decided I would regret not seeing her more than I would regret not freeing those poor decorations.

Vickie  had always been really sweet to me and I hadn't seen her in almost 40 years. We recently connected on Facebook after she stopped by to see my parents, and I couldn't pass up the chance to see her in person.

And then John's words were all the encouragement I needed Saturday to spend the day in old Georgetown, shopping resale and antique stores with friends, and then heading to a friend's Christmas party that night, where I caught up with people I rarely get to see and danced to awesome live music.

Sunday was full with church and work. I didn't even need John to talk me into just watching a movie with Tom and the middle son, who came home for a quick visit (mostly to do laundry, but that's okay with me!) last night instead of scratching things off of a list.

So here I am on Monday again, but wouldn't you know, I picked up a cold somewhere in all my running around over the past couple of weeks, so today, I'm taking it slow and easy, minute to minute.

First I slept late, then took a long walk with the puppies, bundled up against the brisk breeze. Winter came back to see us last night and is sticking around today, with highs in the 40's, even with full sunshine. The last few days have been warm and gray, and I'm relishing this change despite my stuffy head and chest.

So today the decorations might make it out of the box...but they might not. I might work on Christmas cards, or my book, or photographs, or laundry...or I might just head off on another walk with the puppies, or curl up with a book and a cup of hot tea on the couch, or doze off, watching an old movie. 

I guess I need to ask myself what I "shall wish on the morrow" that I had done. But whatever I do today, I refuse to stress about anything. The sun is shining and it's a glorious day.

And here are a few sweet! moments from the past week:

 

Monday: remembering the day you became a mother; celebrating your oldest son's birthday with Mexican food and margaritas; catching up on email - almost;  Christmas lights twinkling in a city park

Tuesday: a safe road trip to your parents' house; a sweet friend dropping in to visit, bringing Subway sandwiches; the view from the 30th floor in the Houston Medical Center on a stormy day; friends thinking of you for photography gigs

Wednesday: nurses who care about their patients and doctors who make house calls; getting a Post of the Week from Hilary at the Smitten Image; a call from your son

Thursday: your dad taking his blood sugar and blood pressure and meds first thing in the morning without you nagging him; neighbors who rake your parents' yard without being asked; arriving home after a few days away; an afternoon walk with your puppies

 

 

Friday: seeing a dear friend's face for the first time in almost 40 years; blowing off to-do's to watch a movie with your sweetie

 

 

Saturday: spending the day with friends exploring resale and antique shops; Reuben sandwiches; finding an old picnic basket marked $3; dancing with new and old...er, I mean, longtime...friends to the music of Andrew Venson, Soulman Sam Evans, and company; word from your oldest that he survived the half marathon obstacle course he ran that morning

 

 

(I love old picnic baskets!!!)

 

Sunday: kneeling to pray between your husband and son; French onion soup when you're sick with a cold; steaks hot off the grill, courtesy of your son

Monday: sleeping in when you're sick, a walk with your puppies on a glorious winter day, and a wide open, unscheduled day ahead of you

Belle is leaping through the grass!

 

Here's to a week full of good health and sweet! moments for all of us!

 

Transitions

My Uncle Bobby passed away this week. Daddy's younger brother.

Like Daddy and the other men in his family, Uncle Bobby had suffered from heart and vascular problems for years, but it was a slow battle with cancer that took him away. He was a sweet man. In my heart I will always see him smiling, ready to laugh about something. 

That's him in the photo below, wearing my sister's wig, flanked by his son, Jeff, and yours truly, the Tomboy in ripped jeans. 

 

I'm grateful that I got to speak to Uncle Bobby a few times recently and assure him of my love and prayers. He called often to check on Daddy after his surgery. I'm glad they got to speak to each other, too.

Jeff stopped by my parents' house on my mom's birthday with a satchel full of old photo albums he'd found at his parents' house that had belonged to our aunt and grandmother. We opened them and stepped back into the years when we were oblivious to time.

When you're young, you can't imagine standing where your parents stand. You never dream that someday you'll be one of those pillars holding up the family, trying to help make decisions about things you had been happily oblivious to just months before.

 

 

Now time is tick, tick, ticking in my head. I feel the weight of it on my shoulders. I see, more than I ever did when I first became a mother, that circle of life, and I know that one day my kids will be taking my place as the pillars. 

But I remind myself that, if my kids are as blessed with oblivion as I have been, that time is still years away, and that I need to live each of these days, these years, to the fullest, just as my parents still do, to the best of their abilities.

I can't let the tick-ticking or the weight on my shoulders keep me from noticing blessings like cool old red trucks on display along the highway...

 

I pass Timeless Texas Classics on my way to and from Houston. Usually I travel too early or too late, and it's locked up. The old cars are tucked safely to bed up near the building.

But this past Wednesday the gate was open and these beauties were lined up close to the road. They smiled and waved at me, but I drove on by, in a hurry and too caught up in all I needed to do once I got home.

Then I realized the gift of the moment and made a U-turn. I spent several minutes walking up and down, snapping their photos, relishing that bit of suspended time.

Old cars and trucks make me smile - especially old trucks painted cherry red like the beauty above. And when you're a pillar - no, especially when you're a pillar - you need to do things that make you smile.

 

It really made me smile to hang out with a bunch of twenty-somethings that same night in honor of my soon-to-be daughter-in-law's 25th birthday. 

 

 

 

It was a little over six years ago when Tommy went to a friend's cousin's high school graduation party and fell in love. It's hard to believe Kirby was just eighteen when we first met her (and fell in love with her, too.)  

I love that all of my kids are living in Austin now, close enough to wish them happy birthdays in person.

 

Despite the challenges of the past few months, I'm still loving this season of my life.

I haven't been dancing as much as I'd like, but I can still dance. I can still walk down my dirt road and climb hills with my sweetie and puppies. I can hop in the car and meet friends for dinner... when we have time.

Time is the biggest challenge.

I haven't had time to finish my photography website or post new samples to sites where I can sell my photos or a dozen other things I need to do for my business, but this afternoon I get to photograph a beautiful family for the second year in a row. Last year the weather didn't cooperate and we had to take a few shots inside, so this year I'm going prepared with lights I borrowed from a friend, and I've been brushing up on how-to's of indoor portraits. Just in case.

I can still learn.

I'm also preparing for my writer's group meeting tomorrow evening. Thursday I was gloriously stranded at home alone for hours because Tom's car is out of commission and he needed mine to get to work so I spent them working on my children's book. Despite all that time, I barely eked out one short chapter, but I also overhauled my outline and fine tuned previous chapters, things I couldn't have done without several undistracted hours.

The next few chapters should come easier, and that's good, because I'm holding on to my goal of finishing my book by December 19, so I can submit it for critique before February's conference.

 

I hope whatever season of life you're in right now, you live it to its fullest. Let's make a pact not to waste a single moment of this sacred time we've been given... and especially the time we have with our loved ones.

 

 

Nothing in the world is permanent, and we're foolish when we ask anything to last, but surely we're still more foolish not to take delight in it while we have it.

~ W. Somerset Maugham

 

Rhythm and Routines, Detours and Diversions

 

I had finally found a daily rhythm of morning pages, photography, writing, and blogging, all balanced between dog care and house care and working out and sleeping and Breaking Bad and pastoral council duties and trying to spread the news about our upcoming high school reunion and hanging out with my hubby and helping my kids and filling out job applications.

And then... kids moved home. We went on vacation. A cow showed up in our "back yard".

I haven't even tried to get back into a rhythm or routine yet, just keep bouncing wildly from one activity/project to another in my own pinball machine world until I finally run out of steam around midnight, feeling like I haven't accomplished much of anything. 

But I remember that what I love about life are the surprises and detours and diversions, like kids and vacations and cows.

So when my dear friend Tamara emailed that she would be in town this week and how about meeting for lunch at the Oasis,  of course I said yes. 

I can be smart that way.

Spending time with friends is one of my favorite diversions.

 

 

Years ago, the Oasis was just a restaurant perched on a hill overlooking Lake Travis. It had an outdoor area with a dance floor. I watched Rotel and the Hot Tomatoes perform there once.

Then it burned down.

This was my first visit back since it was rebuilt and HOLY COW! it's not just a restaurant with a dance floor anymore. It's a little village, filled with restaurants and unique art and gift shops and photography galleries and wine bars. We were there almost 5 hours, talking and browsing the shops after we finished eating.

 

 

We pretty much had the place to ourselves, which I liked, but I bet it's a hoppin' place at night! I'm ready to find out!

 

Almonds and other sweet!s of the week

He was dirty and carried a cardboard sign ever closer to my car that said something like "Homeless Need a Job Hungry God Bless." 

I focused on the "hungry" and rolled down my window. My son was with me, so I felt safe.

"Would you like some almonds?" I asked, holding out a snack-sized ziplock bag full of them. I always have almonds with me to ward off hunger pains in a healthy way when I'm out running errands or on a trip. I hate being hungry.

"That would be great," he answered, taking them from me. "Thank you."

The light changed. I moved forward slowly, but he walked faster toward the intersection where his backpack rested. I saw him drop his sign, but then we were past, continuing our journey.

I couldn't see what happened next in his. I like to think he dropped to the grass and ate some almonds, that he really was grateful for them and not just begging for drug or alcohol money.

I also like to think another car came by with a legitimate job offer for him and that he took it and turned his life around and then helped another corner person get moving in the right direction.

It doesn't hurt to think big.

 

Saturday: seeing a photography friend you met while at work again; talking about writing with other writers; finally hearing Duck Soup; dancing; summer nights on a hill above a lake

Sunday: watching babies and little kids in church; helping a dear friend celebrate her birthday; a call from your son; watching a movie with your sweetie

Monday: a call from a friend, even though it was mostly full of sad news; a walk at dusk 

Tuesday: a glimpse of the Great Blue Heron and your duck family; watching your old puppy swim

Wednesday: being addressed as 'Young Lady' at the grocery store; a clean house; your husband alerting you to a painted bunting; forgetting all of your to-do's to just watch the birds at your feeder 

Thursday: watching a baby duck grow day by day; relaxed hours playing catch-up with a dear friend; joining a bunch of crazy middle-aged women for a midnight movie

Friday: getting to sleep in after a late night out; iced coffee on a hot summer day; $400 in free jewelry; pink clouds; sangria on a summer night

Saturday: a road trip with your son (double sweet!... going to see your parents!); an in-person hug from your sister; eating at a Mexican food restaurant you've been going to for almost 50 years

Sunday: the sound of rain; your daddy's bacon, eggs and biscuits for breakfast; someone stopping to see if you need help when you stop on the side of the road to take photos of old trucks; having almonds in your car to give to someone in need

 

I'm not sure how they end up out of work and hungry, possibly homeless, these corner people who stand near intersections holding signs and taking almonds or spare change from open windows.

Did they drop out of school, like me? Are they habitual liars, to others and themselves, to the point that their families had to distance themselves? Do they even have families, a mother or father whose heart aches with worry and helplessness? Did one mistake lead to another and another until the weight of that burden crushed the possibility of any other chances or hope for better, and their only relief is from drugs or alcohol? Has misplaced pride bound them in its chains?

It's easy to jump to conclusions. To judge.

But I think it's a better use of time to smile and share your almonds, to say a prayer for the corner people and then one of thanks for all of your own blessings, like a job and home and family, and to vow never to take them for granted. 

Because for all of us, life can change in an instant.

Just another good reason to keep track of the sweet! moments in each day... and to carry extra almonds in your car.

 

A Photography, Writing, Duck Soup, Fajitas, and Birthday Cake Weekend

Several months ago, on a slow Saturday at the winery bistro, I waited on a man and his wife. The man had a Nikon, so of course I started asking him a jillion questions and talking photography.

Their son had gotten married that weekend, so I gave him my email address and he sent me the link to the photos he took (fantastic!) and some websites to check out for posting pics, etc. 

Well, this past Saturday Steve (that's his name) dropped in for lunch and a photography shoot. He sat by a window and was able to snap images of some hummingbirds that never stay put long enough for me to grab my camera and capture.

It was a busier Saturday than the first so we didn't get to talk shop as much, but it was still fun seeing him in person again.

Isn't it amazing how friendships are born?

From work I drove straight to my writing critique group meeting. I finished my latest chapter too late for everyone to critique this time (the key thing is I finished it!), but I benefit just from meeting with these women and sharing critiques of their works.

Three of the members were pitching their works-in-progress at the Writer's League of America conference and couldn't make the meeting; before we left we heard via phone that all three had been asked to submit chapters to agents! I'm in good company, that's for sure. (I hope they let me keep meeting with them!)

From there, I headed to a concert-in-progress by Duck Soup. Our school's previous band director, Les Huff, is a member and I had yet to hear him play in this band. I finally made it!

The place was packed and I had fun listening, snapping a few photos, and dancing in place from the sidelines, but even more fun when I met up with Les' wife and made it out to the dance floor during the last set.

That's Les on the end. Don't let all the gray hair and bald heads fool you... these guys can rock!

Here's a better one of Les. Notice the trumpet at his feet? Multi-talented! 

The dance floor was packed, with all ages represented...

(I'm not going to say where they were playing because this restaurant, previously one of my favorites and one I've given tons of free publicity in the past, has decided to put a minimum tab of $50 on all outside seats during these concerts. So I won't be eating there anymore or mentioning them on my website.)

Sunday after Mass Tom and I drove to a friend's house to help her celebrate her birthday, which was actually today (happy birthday, Leslie!)

Fajitas, birthday cake, and friendship - the perfect ending to a beautiful weekend.

(Today Tom and I went hunting snakes - but I'll save that for another post.)

Hope your weekend was filled with music, friendship, and things that bring a smile to your face!

 

 

Kids, grandpuppies, and other sweets of the week

Nothing perks you up after a long night working a rehearsal dinner than being greeted by a bunch of kids you love, plus your grandpuppy, when your aching feet finally carry you into the house.

In my case this happened Friday night, close to midnight, and the kids included my son, his fiance, her sister, and the sister's friend.

The grandpuppy was sweet Josie, and since the kids all went tubing down the San Marcos River the next day (picking up my other two babies along the way for some sibling time) I probably saw more of Josie than anyone else this weekend.

But that's okay... it wasn't by much and I'll take what I can get! And what I got was lots of hanging out, talking, laughing, and a glowing heart from knowing all my babies were having fun together. 

My kind of weekend!

And now for a few more sweet! moments of my week...

Sunday: a call from a forever friend, and the time to talk to her; standing in the glow of the full moon on a summer night

Monday: an up-close glimpse of the neighborhood hawk couple; a forecast of rain when the ponds are drying up so fast you can almost see it happening

(unfortunately, no rain fell... still praying!)

Tuesday: overcoming all the hurdles that sprung up on the way to your day's goal; friends who take time to help you with your resume and job applications; dinner with 2/3 of your kids

Wednesday: spotting a heron couple; your husband home safe after working 16 hours through the night; lounging and swimming with friends in a backyard straight out of Home and Garden magazine; watching two precious fawns place chase on a golf course green (even though you're still kicking yourself for forgetting to grab your camera on the way out the door)

Thursday: discovering you actually captured one of yesterday's herons in your camera when you didn't think you were fast enough; a friend wanting to buy some of your beach photos

Friday: watching a red-tailed hawk fly across a pond; discovering new wildflowers popping up; vanilla bean cheesecake; couples in love; your oldest and his love waiting up to visit with you when you stumble home from work just before midnight

(buttonbush)

Saturday: a hug from your oldest first thing in the morning; listening to published authors share what they've learned; lots of in-store coupons for things you need at the grocery store; finally getting to meet with your critique group in person after having to miss several meetings; sitting around the table, talking and laughing with kids you've watched grow into adults

Sunday: a morning walk with look-alike puppies in small, medium, and large; visiting with friends after Mass; looking through a bridal magazine with your future daughter-in-law; watching an action movie with your son and his sweetie

Extra sweet!... I remembered to snap a photo of the kids before they left. 

 

 

I hope you had a week overflowing in sweet! moments and this next week remember to look for more!

Super Moon and other Sweet!s of the Week

I've already jumped onto the Weekend Express, but I'm taking advantage of a pit stop to post my Saturday Sweet! List from the past week before I get whisked into the next one...

 

Saturday: catching the Super Moon low on the horizon; waking to the sound of unexpected rain

(Not the best capture, but enough to trigger my memory of standing on my friend Nancy's back porch watching it rise in the sky over the pasture.) 

Sunday: Mass with dear friends in a beautiful historic church; sunlight streaming through stained glass windows; barbecue chicken plates benefiting a volunteer fire department; a quick visit with your son, future daughter-in-law, and grandpuppy; Gruene, Texas, even for just a quick stop

Monday: an omelette made with fresh veggies from a friend's garden; new tires on your car; spending time with your baby girl 

Tuesday: your husband bringing you flowers; finishing tasks that weighed on your mind

(from a yucca plant that was knocked over in the thunder storm)

Wednesday: soft raindrops on a morning walk; box turtles resting near a pond; sleeping dogs; friends responding to a prayer request; grilled cheese sandwiches a la Tom

Thursday: an unexpected paid work day (cha-ching!); second graders; Ocean Week in an elementary school; storm clouds making way for sunshine long enough to walk your puppies

Friday: gathering with friends and 1/3 of your kids for dinner, even if the band (and dancing) is rained out; sunsets and storm clouds over a lake; rainbows

 

Hope you all had a wonderful week and the next one is even better. And in case my Mother's Day post runs a few days late, Happy Mother's Day to all of you who have experienced the joy and heartbreak of motherhood, whether you ever gave birth or not.

Here's a flower for you...

(the onions are blooming!) 

Mary Poppins and other Sweet!s of the week

I would lie on the wooden floor for hours... or at least it seemed like hours... listening to my Mary Poppins soundtrack album, over and over. Asthma held my lungs hostage - each breath was a major accomplishment - so lying there listening to "Step in Time" and "Feed the Birds" was about all I could do and the songs are ingrained in my memory.

It was, and still is, my favorite Disney movie. I don't remember the first time I saw it, but I remember going back as a teen with my sister, imagining strange looks from everyone else in line because we were the only ones who didn't have someone under the age of 5 with us.

Thanks to the miracle of recorded movies a la Beta, VHS, and DVD, I've watched it hundreds of times, with and without my children at various ages.

And that's why my heart skipped a beat when my dear friends let me know they were taking me to the stage performance for my birthday. 

We went Thursday night, first stopping for dinner at Hyde Park Grill. The stage production is a teensy bit different than the movie, but I could still sing along with most of the songs and the sets and actors' performances were amazing. 

A very sweet! night, thanks to some very sweet friends. Thank you Mary Kay, Karen, and Conni! 

Conni's not pictured... she's going Sunday with her twenty-something daughter, but we made sure to get her one of these bracelets! We've formed a new club!

Now I'm already halfway through a sweet! weekend. Two-thirds of the kids are home for the second weekend in a row, just because they wanted to. I like that.

And as if those aren't enough, here are a few other sweet! moments from the past week...

 

Sunday: Easter Mass; all the kids home; dinner with friends; watching kids on an Easter egg hunt; a call from your mama

Monday: new flowers popping up; watching your puppies hunt for lizards and swim in the creek 

Tuesday: shampoos by Clint (bittersweet... he's retiring from shampoos); a new cut and color by Michael; Panda Express fortune cookie fortunes

Wednesday: kids of all ages blowing bubbles; taking photos of a sweet friend and her family

Thursday: shoes on your feet and insect spray close by when you spot a 6-inch centipede swishing across your kitchen floor; the imaginations of 4th graders; watching kids swinging and playing a rowdy game of kickball on a school playground; dinner and Mary Poppins with dear friends

Friday: Friday the 13ths; spending the day with your sweetie; watching another episode of "The Game of Thrones" with 2/3 of your kids; discovering you won a "Post of the Week" from Hilary at The Smitten Image (Thanks again, Hilary!)

Saturday: spring mornings; your son and his dad working together on his "new" car

I hope you've all had a week full of sweets and the next one plain overflows with them!

 

Adding to my collection...

I started substitute teaching again.

Three years ago I started a (mostly) full-time job and, except for Voting Day and a couple of quick visits to talk about writing to students, I didn't step a foot into the schools during that time.

I missed it, and I'm so grateful the district accepted me as a sub again. Over the past few weeks I've reviewed color patterns... read Peter Rabbit aloud for the first time in more than a decade, as well as voiced a part in the last act of Othello...  watched a stage performance of "The Emperor's New Clothes"... enjoyed a documentary hosted by Peter Jennings about the 50's and early 60's (three times!)... learned about the dangers of drinking and drugs from Hollywood Henderson via VHS... and overheard some heartbreaking home life stories.

I'm not going to be the popular sub... at least not at the high school... because I don't care if the kids like me or not. I'm there to follow the teacher's directions, period. And, if possible, get the kids to learn something while they're under my watch.

After raising three kids and subbing for 15 years (plus one year on the payroll as the elementary school librarian) I'm on to all, or at least most, of the tricks. But I still have a soft heart and those kids can be really tricky. I'm sure they're going to pull one over one me every once in a while because they can also be interesting, considerate and funny.

I'm hoping to sub as much as I can until summer vacation starts. Unlike other jobs I've had in my life, this one gives me a good feeling, like I've actually done something positive with my time. It's also a great source of material for my children's book!

And, of course, the main reason I'm taking time away from my book for anything else is we need the money. I'm just grateful that I've been able to gather a flexible collection of jobs I enjoy:

1. Writer
2. Photographer (Art and Portrait)
3. Blogger
4. Book Reviewer
5. Substitute teacher
6. Winery Bistro waiter
7. Independent Silpada Representative
8. Substitute church secretary
9. Personal historian (although I haven't made much progress on this one!)

I feel like I've forgotten one or two...

Oh, well. It's hard to focus when this is what's going on around me...

So gorgeous! The world is exploding in color!

I pulled over to take this on my commute to #5 yesterday. And to sigh.

There was an art show going on around the estate, so during some down time, I grabbed my camera and walked around...

This was my favorite, by Shakti Sarkin. I didn't go home with it, though. The price? $1350. 

Made me wish I could add 'artist' to my list.

Here are a few other pieces that caught my eye...

I believe the art will hang around for a month. But we also have a new permanent addition to the Bistro. A pizza oven!

You can see Chef Sean is happy about it...

...but this is going to be sooooo detrimental to my waistline...

I love pizza.

I love my jobs.

If you miss me on Facebook or FlickR or in the comments section of your blog, now you know why! (Thanks for missing me, Patti!)

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!

"Girl...We SO Crazy" (a Diva weekend in Long Hollow)

 

This tiny naked baby, arms opened wide for a hug, sits on my kitchen window sill, a sweet reminder that just two weeks ago my kitchen was overflowing in love and friendship and hugs from women who have known me almost forever.

 

 

 

The baby came hidden in an authentic King Cake, carted all the way from Louisiana (along with some genuine boudin sausages) by my friend Sandy.

I'm not sure who found the baby in their piece of cake, but I love that they plopped him down where I would spot him and be reminded of them every day.

The Diva weekend started on a Friday night, two weeks ago tomorrow, when half of the women braved my dirt road in the dark of night just to get together with friends they've known since high school. 

The rest rolled in on Saturday.

The beauty of these get-togethers, though, is that we weren't all friends in high school. It took a few decades, but we're grabbing this chance to connect in ways that are impossible when you're a teenager. 

I didn't start snapping photos until Saturday morning, though, when some of us ventured out on a walk to wake up my husband who had escaped to his tent across the creek soon after grilling us a delicious fajita dinner the night before.

 

 

What a sweetheart! 

We thought about jumping in on him, then realized he might be as naked as that King Cake baby, so we just talked to him through the canvas, instead. 

 

Look! I wasn't the only one swinging a big camera that weekend! 

 

 

I love this one of Rae and Max, just chillin' by the creek...

Max and Belle love Rae - she always brings them treats. 

This time she brought puppy Valentines, of course...

After a morning spent hanging out on the porch talking and eating more fajitas, we piled into SUVs and headed to Flat Creek Estate for a wine tasting and tour. 

It was fun being a customer for a change!

We even talked Chef Sean into posing for a photo...

Back at the house, we continued the celebration of our friendship with tons of food, including the King Cake below...

...and a toast (I knew that one day all of those souvenir shot glasses I collected would come in handy!)

And that's why I feel this photo says it all...

I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let’s face it: Friends make life a lot more fun.

~ Charles R. Swindoll

It's already Saturday? (Sweet!)

I'm in a calm spot between a busy week and a busier weekend. We've been blessed with spring-like weather, lately, and I admit I'm ready for it to just stick around. Wildflowers haven't yet ventured our way, but we're being serenaded by birds and frogs and a running creek. Storm clouds and sunshine are taking turns painting the canvas above us.

Middle son is home this weekend which called for a celebration: pizza, wine, and a Netflix double-feature last night (I finally got up the nerve to watch "Interview with a Vampire"! Plus another movie that was pretty good but I can't recall the name. Guess it wasn't that good.)

Even though it was a busy week, I remembered to keep track of my sweet moments. Hope you did, too!

Saturday: a morning walk with girlfriends and dogs to wake your husband in his tent across the creek; fresh kolaches; a sunshine-filled afternoon with friends in a vineyard; kitchen counters overflowing with BBQ, King Cake and tons of other food; a house full of your longtime friends...dancing, laughing, talking; toasting your friendship with shots of Patron followed by cinnamon-sprinkled orange slices

 

 

Sunday: a road trip with a friend with hours to catch up on your lives; being part of a circle of support for a friend mourning her husband; snapping photos of an alligator (from a safe distance); dinner with view of the water; sharing a beautiful sunset with friends; hugs from your parents

 

 

Monday: breakfast by your Daddy, hours of unrushed time with your parents; a quick visit with your sister; missing traffic on your way home

Tuesday: sunshine breaking through morning fog; the wisdom of Winnie-the-Pooh 

Wednesday: Grand Prize on a SheWrites giveaway; a quick visit with your daughter; a phone call from a sweet friend you haven't talked to in a while; sitting on the porch swing on a summer-in-winter evening with your sweetie

Thursday: a puppy's face at the door, first thing in the morning; getting your run out of the way before the sun comes up; a walk along a running creek at dusk with your sweetie, and capturing a photo of the first star of the evening

 

 

Friday: dramatic storm clouds; wind whispering in your ears; pizza, wine and movies with your sweetie and middle son

Saturday: sleeping in before the rush of a busy weekend begins

Hope you've had a week full of sweet moments, too!

Ripped Apart and other Sweet!s of the Week

A collection of colorful bags and pieces of luggage grows beside me. Today's the day I take TG back to campus to start the spring semester. Wasn't it just a few days ago that we carried all of those bags down from the car?

Christmas break went by so fast. At the beginning of it I had two kids at home; soon it will be just me and Tom again. Sweet, yet bittersweet.

Sweet because, luckily, Tom and I enjoy being together - we easily fall back into our pre-kids selves. Bittersweet because I enjoy having the kids around, too, and not only for all the help they give us with dishes, dog care, laundry... although I do miss that, too.

This might have been the last long break TG spends with us. By this time next year, she'll be living in an apartment, probably working near campus through the break, coming home for a weekend every now and then. Sigh.

I'll take it a semester at a time, though, and right now I just pray this one will be the best ever for her.

Well, while I wait for her to finish packing, I'll tell you a little about my day yesterday, spent in the World of Writers.

I finally made it to a meeting of the Austin Chapter of the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators) held at BookPeople, a wonderful independent book store in downtown Austin. I don't think I've every met a friendlier group of strangers in my life - the support and encouragement was palpable!

I sat in the only open chair I spotted,  After introductions, I discovered the woman beside me, as well as the two directly behind me, all live just a few miles from me and are eager to form a writer's critique group.Talk about serendipity!

The first session of the meeting was a presentation by author Brian Yansky on plot, character and structure of your story. Some of it was knew to me... some I already know but don't necessarily put into practice... and that's why I need reminders like this, especially from successful authors who are willing to share what has worked for them. Judging by the others who were scribbling notes, I'm not the only one!

Next, a few of us went to the third floor for the open critique group... the part I had been most eager for! I passed out copies of my first two pages, cleared my throat, took a deep breath and read out loud while they followed along.

When I finished, I could see they were hesitant, not sure if I wanted brutal honesty or encouraging pats-on-the-back.

"Rip it apart!" I told them. I've read too many books lately that began with seeds of great stories, but because of neglected pruning, had grown into huge distracting messes. I don't want mine to end up that way!

So with my blessing they ripped it apart, so to speak. Some of what they mentioned I had already wondered about myself, but needed another opinion... which is why I was eager for the critique group. Other things were surprises, and so even more helpful.

A critique can be painful if you take it personally, but I look at it as a really good workout... tough to get through but so invigorating and energizing when it's all over... and the only way to get stronger.

We took turns reading and critiquing, everyone offering concrete constructive comments. Writer heaven!

After a quick break (I walked to Whole Foods and enjoyed a cup of tomato basil soup at a small table outside, great for people-watching!) we gathered on the third floor again. Two of the members had attended a recent Story Masters Workshop where they took pages and pages of notes, all of which they shared with us. 

Spending a day with such a great group of talented writers (many published authors in the group) who encourage and support each other... very sweet!

And now for some other sweet! moments of the past week... 

 

Monday: a fire in the woodburning stove on a cold, rainy day; cedar pollen that's been attacking your nose and making you want to scratch our your eyes washed from the air by the rain; finally meeting a previously only 'online' friend in person; loose ends neatly tied up; joining a writer's group, at long last, to help you with your book 

Tuesday: the moment when dark clouds break apart to reveal blue sky; frogs singing in the distance, grateful for the recent rain; watching "The 10th Kingdom" with your daughter; cell phones that allow you to talk to your mom and your dear friend, despite the miles between you

 

 

Wednesday: $300 worth of free jewelry, thanks to your party!; a Post of the Week award from Hilary for one of your photography posts; that sparkling-clean-teeth feeling you get after a trip to the dentist; a jingle-jangle in your pocket for stuff you didn't want anymore anyway  

Thursday: getting word that a sweet kid you know was found before you even knew he was missing; scratching things off of your list; finally fulfilling a months-old promise to a friend

Friday: a "Happy Anniversary" first thing in the morning from you sweetie before you even realize it's Friday the 13th; puppies stretched out comfy and warm on the laundry room floor on a below-freezing morning; shopping with your baby girl; getting $17 for from a local resale shop for things you were going to toss out; any Ryan Reynolds movie

Saturday: a day spent with writers; getting honest feedback and suggestions on your children's book-in-progress; tomato and basil soup outdoors on a gorgeous day; a walk at dusk beside a running brook; home-brewed beer; watching Harry Potter movies with your daughter

Sunday: a friend thinking of you when a job comes open; watching more Harry Potter movies with your daughter; a call from your mom

What were some of your sweet! moments in the past week? (I know you can come up with at least one!) Please share them here!

Friday the 13th

Up late last night, writing and coming through on a months-old promise of photos to a sweet friend.

Reset alarm, later, later. Finally staggered out of bed at 6am to kiss Tom before he hit the road.

"Happy Anniversary!" he tells me.

My sleepy brain scrambles for the meaning behind his words. Through the fog, it hits me... Today must be a Friday the 13th, just like the day we got married almost 30 years ago.

And he remembered.

That's just one reason I love him.

 

It was a beautiful Friday the 13th for me. I hope it was for you, too!

Kids, Jewelry, Birthdays, Weddings and other (belated) Sweet!s

A rumble of thunder and whisper of rain woke me in the night. It continues today, another steady, soaking rain falling from a colorless sky. We've had enough rain in the past few weeks that I almost take it for granted, despite the months of drought.

Almost, but not quite. Waking to the sound of rain is still a sweet sound, especially when I can roll over, snuggle deeper into my covers, and go back to sleep.

I would also almost start complaining about the soggy weather... the mud that gets tracked in, the slippery roads... despite those months of drought, but in between our frequent rainy days, we've had warm days with crisp blue skies (Saturday) and cool days with skies of rainless clouds (yesterday.)

I love it when things balance out that way! Very sweet!

Yes, I realize I'm running late with this post. I've been keeping up with my sweet!s this week... but my photos, not so much.

Well, I've been taking plenty, but all of them from the past week were still stashed on my camera until last night. I didn't have a chance until now to tidy my sweet! list and glance through my photos - it was one of those on-the-run weekends that I love, but that leave me breathless!

First, Daniel came home for a visit this weekend. His face is always a sweet sight, but I hadn't seen him since last year, when he moved out to his own place just after Christmas!

So you can imagine how happy I was to see him!

We spent Friday evening talking and watching a movie, just hanging out and relaxing. I was hosting my own Silpada jewelry party (one of my other "hats") the next afternoon, but thought I would have plenty of time Saturday morning to get everything done.

But after letting myself sleep in and then mentally comparing what I had left to do with how much time I had in which to do it, I realized I was wrong!

My kids were lifesavers, though, bless them... they pitched in and helped me pack up the last of our Christmas decorations away, tidy up the house in preparation and followed whatever other orders I barked at them. Such sweet kids!

Consequently, it was a relaxed open house. And what a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon... sitting around a table, sipping wine, munching on yummy snacks, talking to friends and looking at beautiful jewelry!

Tom and I headed out right after the party to help my dear friend Darla celebrate her birthday at Z'Tejas. (It was my first time there, and oh my gosh, it was soooo good! Great twists on traditional Tex Mex... I got the Wild Mushroom Enchiladas.)

(Again, my kids were lifesavers... they helped clean up from the party for me! I just hope Daniel will come home again some day... I don't think he was counting on all the extra chores!) 

Just getting together with these longtime friends from high school is a sweet way to spend a Saturday night, but we were joined by a face none of us had seen since graduation day. We reconnected with Wayne via Facebook and discovered he'd been living in the Austin area for the past fifteen years or so, too. We've probably passed him on the highway a zillion times...

After church Sunday morning, I met my future daughter-in-law in town for another day of wedding venue sightseeing. There are so many possibilities, it's mind-boggling! I'm glad I'm just a tag along and not the one having to make the decision!

I can have fun snapping photos...

And now for my belated list of Sweet! moments from the past week...

Monday: walking at sunrise; checking out wedding venues with your son, his future bride and her family (photos HERE and HERE); one of your blog posts listed on Pioneer Woman's sidebar links

Tuesday: frost sparkling in the caliche road like tiny diamonds; working on your book for hours, even if it doesn't feel like you made much progress

Wednesday: almost getting caught up on your email; a friend pinning a link to your blog on Pinterest; not burning the chicken legs on the grill even though you were distracted with writing; catching a movie with friends; extra-sweet... the movie starred George Clooney and was set in Hawaii ("The Descendants")

Thursday: the excitement and joy of puppies on a morning walk; words flowing onto the page without effort, for a change; a phone call from your sister; your kids helping you take down the Christmas decorations

Friday: fresh morning sunlight; bumping into a friend at the grocery store; the Epiphany; photos of your husband's aunt ziplining in Costa Rica in honor of her 74th birthday!; the sight of your middle son for the first time in two weeks

Saturday: your kids pitching in to get your house ready for your jewelry party; finding out one of your photos was chosen for FlickR's Explore; friends gathered around your table, chatting; a friend putting in an order for jewelry even though she sells it herself, just in hopes you have a good party; celebrating a dear friend's birthday and reconnecting with a friend from long ago

Sunday: kneeling and praying next to your sweetie in church; checking out more wedding venues with your future daughter-in-law; hearing from your oldest, letting you know he made it safely to Arizona for a business trip

(Monday: I didn't plan to add Monday on here, but first thing this morning, I received a message from a friend I've been praying for that he's met 'someone'. It made me smile, inside and out, so I had to add it here.)

I hope you had tons of sweet moments this past week, too. I confess, there are days when I have to think really hard to find one, but I always manage to... and often it triggers recollection of a few more. If you haven't tried it yet, I encourage you to!

 

A Birthday, a Graduation and Texas Heaven...

We let Max sleep inside the past two nights. Belle, too, of course, although it was more for Max's sake than hers. They have a large dog house, nestled up against the house and the hill, protected from the elements, but even though temperatures were just in the low forties Sunday night, it was bone-chilling damp and he's an old dog with sore joints.

So I found an old comforter and Daniel spread it in on the floor of the laundry room. Comfy cozy and warm.

Then yesterday morning I discovered Max isn't the only one with old achy, slow-moving bones and joints. The winter chill seems to be affecting my computer, too! (You thought I was going to say it was me, didn't you?)

Tom asked me to scan and email him some documents for our health insurance... would you believe it took me over 40 minutes to scan three photos!

Forty minutes to scan 3 photos!!

My old computer was moving so slow I knew I had to do something, so instead of finishing up the editing of my last photo shoot, as I'd planned, plus catching up on my blog reading, blog writing, book writing, personal history transcribing, etc. etc, I went down the list of installed programs, files and folders with a virtual pair of scissors, Googling the ones I wasn't sure about and getting rid of everything I didn't absolutely need.

Six hours and a couple of defrags later, I gained 3% of my free space back. It was still as slow as ever, but I still felt like I had accomplished something, like that feeling you get when you finally clean out your kitchen junk drawer.

You know, if you keep a computer long enough, and your entire family uses it, it essentially does resemble a junk drawer or storage closet... a repository of all kinds of odds and ends no one needs or uses anymore.

Anyway, I also finished up the editing of my last photo shoot and emailed them to my friend/client so she could get her Christmas cards ordered, although I had to stay up really late to finish it. It was worth it just to help her out... and also for that awesome feeling of finishing something!

It's a rare thing for me; I hope to get more acquainted with it!

The only thing I accomplished this past weekend was spending lots of time with friends and family... even though it means I'm behind on everything else, it was another awesome feeling! 

First came the celebration of my first baby Tommy's 26th birthday. It was just like his birthday parties in the old days: lots of pizza... ice cream cake... singing Happy Birthday off-key... kids sleeping over, staying up all night playing video games and watching movies...

...except this time the "kids" were drinking wine and beer, not just soda. My how time flies!

Me and my sweet boy.

After working at the Bistro Saturday, I rushed home, changed clothes and met Daniel and Tom downtown for Daniel's friend Austin's graduation from UT...

Here, let me zoom in a little more.

See how happy he is?

Afterwards, we joined Austin's parents and some of the boys' friends at Asti (above) for a scrumptious Italian dinner. We arrived a little early, so I filled the time strolling down the street, snapping photos.

Look, someone knitted scarfs for the street posts! (To see more of these scarves, plus other night street scenes, go HERE.)

 

 

Sunday night Tom and I went to our church Christmas party. I look forward to it every year... we get yummy Rudy's Bar-B-Q and a wide open dance floor.

My idea of Texas heaven!

With the busy weekend, I neglected to check and charge my camera battery before we left. Of course it died before I could get any photos of the great dancers, but I did manage to get this one.

I want one of these shirts!

I smudged their name tags to protect the innocent. (You're welcome, Joan and Sherry!)

It was a wonderful weekend, and I think I appreciated it even more because through it all I was praying for a friend who underwent surgery for cancer on Friday, a friend who lost his mother on Saturday, a high school classmate who died on Friday, and fellow parishioners who rushed from the Christmas party Sunday evening when they got word their house was on fire. It burned to the ground; they didn't just lose all of their belongings, but also their dog. Just breaks my heart. Please say a prayer for each of them.

So I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too... but mostly I hope you didn't take a single second of it for granted. 

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.

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

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!

A little more to the right, please...

Normally, there's no way I'd be praying for a tropical storm to head our way, especially on a weekend, but extreme circumstances call for extreme prayer!

(Forty-plus days of 100+ degree temps and the driest 7-month span on record qualifies as extreme circumstances, doesn't it? Thought so.)

I believe in the power of teamwork, so that's why I'm asking all of you to join me in praying, focusing, concentrating, meditating or, if nothing else, just keeping your fingers crossed that Tropical Storm Don veers a little more to the right.

See the "TX" down there, just to the right of the white stripe?

Well, that's about where I am, here in Long Hollow, and I really, really want Long Hollow to be on the left side of the projected path.

See, if Don changes his travel plans and heads for Dallas instead of El Paso, more of Texas (including Long Hollow) has a chance at the good soaking rain he'll be scooping out of the Gulf of Mexico and slinging over his left shoulder.

So if it's not too much to ask... PRAY! FOCUS! CONCENTRATE!!

Thank you!!

 

Saturday's "Sweet!"s on Sunday

Years and years ago, I worked weekends, the natural consequence of rotating twelve hour shifts. First one weekend of nights, then one weekend of days and finally! two weekends free.

I hated it. Once I quit, I never, ever wanted to tie up my weekends like that again, but here I am, twenty years later, trying out another weekend job.

And so far, surprise! I'm really enjoying it!

Isn't it funny how time can make such a difference?

Of course, now I'm working just six to seven hours, not twelve. 

With twelve hour shifts, there's no time for anything but work, eat, sleep. Now I still have time in the morning to walk, workout or go to Sunday Mass, and in the evening there's time to write, watch a movie, or meet friends for dinner and dancing, which is exactly what I did last night.

Plus, once my other job completely dries up, I'll have big chunks of time during the week to write and work on developing my business in a quiet, empty house.

But my enjoyment despite exhaustion, throbbing feet and aching back is such a mystery to me that I've tried to analyze it. This is what I figured out..

...I like being around people. I like helping them and making sure they're happy. I also enjoy staying busy, being part of a team, moving as opposed to sitting still, and working with upbeat, interesting, diverse characters. It helps to be in a beautiful place where I can sample wonderful food and wine (only so I can share my opinion with our customers, of course.)

Have you guessed? I'm working in a winery restaurant. It's like traveling to Tuscany every day (and the closest I'll get to the real thing for a long time, that's for sure!)

I don't think of it as a career, not the end of my road. But I think I'll enjoy the scenery along this section of it.

Speaking of roads, I treated myself to some Panda Express Orange Chicken this week and listen to this fortune in my cookie...

"Your road to glory will be rocky, but fulfilling."

Fulfilling. Can we ask for more? I hope this one comes true.

I love Panda Express fortunes!

Here's another one I got that day (a two-cookie visit!)...

"Chances of glamour and excitement are coming to you."

Well, I won't hold my breath on that one, but I'll keep you posted!

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

And now, here are my sweet! moments of the week. I hope I'm never too busy to take notice of these!

Saturday: sun, water, friends, mimosas, photography, margaritas, barbecue, sunsets, wine (don't judge me - I was with my girlfriends!)

Sunday: listening to your parents' stories in their own words and capturing those words in their own voices

Monday: switching radio stations just in time to hear one of your favorite songs (in my case, Ted Nugent's Stranglehold. Oh, those drums in the beginning!)

Tuesday: watching a great blue heron fly in a circle around you just so you can snap some photos (I'm sure that's what it was doing!); finding out the little green bird you saw last week was a female painted bunting!; helping your son plan his trip to Germany (next best thing to planning a trip for yourself!)

Wednesday: spotting a roadrunner in a tree (alas, no time for a photo); a tiny fawn skittering across the road to safety in front of you (alas... no camera); finally installing the Photoshop Elements your friends gave you for your birthday 2 months ago, despite missing all these great shots

Thursday: a call from a sweet friend; helping your son shop for a new suit; Panda Express fortunes

Friday:  new yellow and white flowers popping up in the woods and along the road, despite the drought; a sweet puppy staring in through the French doors in the hopes of catching a glimpse of you; making it through the first day of a new job without totally blowing it

Saturday: sharing a wonderful meal, a dance floor and a subtle, yet striking, Texas Hill Country sunset with friends

Hope you've had a wonderful weekend! And if you go out to eat, don't forget to tell your waiter thank you and cut 'em some slack! They might just be in training!

 

The (Only) Good Thing About a Drought

 

Because of the drought, the University of Texas is turning off their fountains to save water.

I'm glad I didn't procrastinate any longer than I did on Daniel's photo shoot. He would have looked funny sitting there in front of a stone dry Littlefield Fountain.

Imagine this one without the water shooting up... wouldn't it have looked like he was about to be run over by that, um, whatever it is?

Look out, Daniel!!!

 

I added the one below just because I like it.

I bet he was thinking, Surely she's almost through snapping photos...

I'd love to be standing in that fountain right now...

Well, I guess not right now, since they've turned them off.

But you know what I mean.

Okay, you've probably guessed that's not the good thing about a drought I was going to mention. It was just an excuse to post more photos of Daniel.

Plus I'm craving water.

No, the good thing I was going to mention about a drought is that it gives you a chance to clean all the silt out of your pond when it dries up.

That's what we did this past weekend.

(I use "we" lightly - I did a little bit more than snap photos, but not a whole lot more. As you can see, "we" is mostly Daniel and Tom.)

Belle helped, too.

I'm not sure what she did to help, but I'm sure it was very helpful. I believe she mostly stood in this teensy bit of water - all that's left on our property - trying to catch the last few minnows left alive.

Don't judge. Their days are numbered anyway in this heat, even if we do get a few drops of rain.

Check out the temperature  - this was in the shade on the front porch, around 4pm.

(Poor minnows.)

So now you know how Tom spent his Father's Day, in between checking on the brisket he smoked for dinner.

(It's okay. He takes naps on Mother's Day.)

I'm contributing this to Jillsy's June Water Challenge. It's definitely "water-challenged" don't you think?

Rising Up, Grateful (plus some "Sweet!" moments and a belated Friday Favorite Photo)

Do you ever have those mornings when you're so mentally drained or physically tired you just want to pull the covers up over your head and skip that day altogether?

I do. Not often anymore, but I still do every once in a while.

On those mornings I remind myself that each and every day, good or bad, is a gift from God. We give educational and "tough-love" gifts to our kids, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised when some of the ones he gives us aren't all sunlight and butterflies.

I think back to my own words in a previous post I wrote (click HERE) and pray that God will direct my footsteps. I pray he'll keep me out of my own way... keep me from tripping myself up.

If I'm here, there must be a reason and I need to stop overthinking everything. I need to trust, have faith and give thanks.

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn’t learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn’t learn a little, at least we didn’t get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn’t die; so, let us all be thankful.

Prince Siddhartha Gautama Buddha

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

Now to my Saturday Sweet! moments of the past week...

Saturday: hot Texas sunshine, cold water of Lake Travis, wind in my face

Sunday: group hug with dear friends, in prayer over too many tragic community stories

Monday: ping-pong on the porch; homemade vanilla ice cream; floating in a backyard pool and yakking with friends

Tuesday: word that your son has an upcoming interview for the job he really wants

Wednesday: watching your twenty-something son try on new running shoes, remembering the days in Pay-Less when they were all small, testing out new shoes by running down the aisles and jumping up and down

Thursday: blue skies, dry roads and an air-conditioned car when there are dozens of errands to run 

Friday: a few hours of unexpected (paid) work; figuring out something on your own; recovering what you thought was lost forever (see below...)

In yesterday's post, I shot a virtual arrow of distress out into Internet-world, asking for help. Only two people responded at all. Even though they didn't have concrete answers, I appreciated their support and suggestions (thank you, Deb and Liz!)

It made me wonder... Is anyone else out there? Do they just not care? Or is everyone else just as ignorant as I am about these things?

The latter made me feel better, so I went with that. (see my Update below!)

The good news is, I figured it out by myself. At least partly ... maybe temporarily ... but at least enough to recover the lost photos and save them onto my computer. It took a few hours and I'm not finished yet. Today I need to figure out a better system. 

Here's what I did...

I unplugged the external hard drive, waited awhile, plugged it back in, and then, barely breathing, checked the folder. My heart soared to see those precious photos back again. From now on, I'm going to keep my external hard drive unplugged unless I need it, although I couldn't find information about that written anywhere.

Live and learn... I'm just grateful I had a chance at a re-do on this one.

Update: Since I posted this, I discovered my sweet sister Brenda sent out emails to several professional photographer friends, asking if they could help. And another friend, Shirley, let me know she said a prayer but didn't comment because she didn't have any advice.

It just shows that things aren't always how they appear to be. My apologies and gratitude to both of you and anyone else who is trying to find an answer for me. 

And now, thanks to my oldest son, part of the puzzle is solved: The mystery photo of the two girls is one of his, from a semester he spent in Costa Rica. Now how it jumped from that folder (also on my external hard drive) to this latest one is still a mystery...

Anyway, here's my belated Friday Favorite Photo, recently recovered... a reminder of a wonderful day on the lake with friends (possibly my one and only day on the lake this summer) as well as a reminder that even on choppy, turbulent days, some bit of beauty, light or peace can be found.

Wishing you sweet moments on this Saturday!

 

Rambling on a Monday in May

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.  

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

 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.

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

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

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

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".) 

 

The moon, my honey and Los Lonely Boys...

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.

Shake-in' it up ... Deep in the Hollow with Shake Russell. Again!

Music is a puppeteer pulling my strings, making me laugh, cry, sing, dance. There are songs that whisk me into the past, songs that soothe my fears, songs that lift my spirits, songs that inspire me, encourage me, give me hope.

I'm just a feather blown this way and that by the melodies and words.

Saturday night I was lucky enough to have two singer/songwriter/musicians in my house who have written the kind of songs that reach into me, wrap themselves around my soul and become a part of me.

Shake Russell's songs have been a part of me since the '70's when I heard Deep in the West for the first time. He has been writing and performing for four decades ...a true musical living legend, but still alive and well and just as wonderful as ever.

Regretfully, I've only just discovered Michael Hearne, although he's been busy writing and performing those soul-stirring songs almost just as long, it seems.

There's just something extra special about listening to their music in our own home, surrounded by friends and family who feel the same way about their music. After listening to the Shake Russell Trio in the comfort of our living room last year, how could we resist doing it again? Michael joining them this year was a sweet surprise.  

And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares that infest the day
Shall fold their tents like the Arabs
And as silently steal away.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Day Is Done

 

THE Shake Russell, singing in MY living room!

Michael Hearne and Doug Floyd

Mike Roberts

Shake and Michael

Mike, Michael, Shake and Doug

Sitting on the front row, just two feet from the band, is amazing - but it limits you on photos. Thank goodness many of our guests brought their own cameras and have shared their photos with me.

One guest, Lexie, went a step further, playing around with the photos on picjoke.com (I had never even heard of it!) This is just one example, but it's my favorite...

Isn't this amazing? Thank you, Lexie!

Book'em Danno!

 

What do you get when you mix a Hootenanny with a 50th birthday party?

A Hawaii-Hootenanny 5-0!

And Saturday night Tom and I were lucky enough to attend one for Liane,

Ms. Hootenanny, herself.

What's a Hootenanny? Here's the official description from its Meet-Up site:

"These open jam sessions are open to all musicians at our outdoor woodsy stage. We keep it mainly acoustic, but we can hookup to some amps occasionally. We do our thing every Friday night and have a great time playing and enjoying newcomer talent. Not much of an audience yet, but we like it just fine! The core band is Linton Mancilla. Our style is a mixture of many, so we can play along with your songs, whatever they may be. We usually have guitar players, a keyboard setup, a mandolin player, a flautist, and some type of percussion (no trap sets yet please!) We start at about 7:00, and people just gradually show up. If this would interest you, please call for directions and such. We are on myspace, search for Linton Mancilla, and at www.sonicbids.com/LintonMancilla"

Ever wonder what a Texas-style Luau would be like?

Come along with me and I'll show you...

You have Big John frying catfish.

Eric grilling salmon.

Cute couples dressing Island-style.

Party decorations. Ahem.

Arrival of the Birthday Girl.

Cupcakes by Karen, Queen of Desserts

Friends, Family and Food

Surfing...

Boots and fancy jeans...

Instruments and musicians waiting patiently for...

Music.

And the full moon watching over it all.

The end.

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!)

Going Greek and Meeting Bacon

As a college drop-out, I had no personal experience with sororities - just my fraternity of chemical plant technicians ... a fraternity of hardhats and steel-toed boots, you could say.

So I confess to a case of the jitters this past Friday night as I headed downtown for a Wine and Cheese Social. I would be meeting other moms with daughters in TG's sorority. I had worried over what to wear... jeans or dress slacks? What does "modern casual" mean, anyway? I opted for nice jeans and heels, with a dressy blouse and more jewelry than I normally wear. But I just knew I'd stick out, that my social deficiencies would be obvious.

With relief, I noticed I hit the halfway mark between the most dressy and the most casual. And I believe I blended in with the rest of them quite well. I met some of TG's friends and their moms, then she and I drifted out by the pool and had a good chat, all by ourselves. That was the best part.

She's a doll. A smart one.

I'm a lucky mom.

That was Friday night, just the beginning of a Mom/Daughter Weekend...

The next morning, after coffee and danishes in the sorority house, and a fun non-buying shopping excursion at the Domain, we nabbed Daniel from his apartment and headed to downtown Austin. In a Living Social-newbie frenzy back at Christmas, I had bought three half-price meals at Mongolian Grille ("$20 worth of food for $10"!), and they were about to expire.  We couldn't let that happen...

We ate our money's worth for sure, but I think we walked it off afterwards. First we headed in the direction of an Art Festival we'd heard about, but made a U-turn at the $8 per person entry price. Instead, we meandered through downtown, finding plenty of free art and interesting things to see everywhere we looked.

Santa, for instance...

Wall art...

 

Our feet (reflected)...

(Note to self: even out your britches before snapping next time.)

 

A herd of segway tourists...

 

And Bacon...

I'm so glad TG spotted her! I walked right on past, oblivious. But at the mention of a baby pig, I hurried back, introduced myself to Matthew (Bacon's daddy), snapped a zillion photos, asked a half-zillion questions (she's one month old; she'll only get a few inches bigger; when she needs to go potty, she lets him know by pulling on a rope attached to a bell with her mouth ... and she's only a month old!)

...and then begged to hold that sweet baby pig. Matthew's friend offered to take some photos...

Isn't she precious?

Tempting. Very tempting.

I reluctantly handed Bacon back to Matthew and we finished up our walk and dropped Daniel back home. The Mom/Daughter weekend finished up at a boutique, where we munched on quesadillas and taquitos from a nearby restaurant while ogling clothes we couldn't afford, which was actually fun because few of the others bought anything, either. And we got goody bags. Goody bags make everything fun, but then, it was fun just hanging out with TG a little longer.

I made it home in time to watch a movie with Tom - Stone of Destiny, which apparently got a Rotten Tomato award, but I liked it. It's based on a true story, I think more than most "based on a true story" movies are.

Sunday was a 'try to catch up' day, but we managed to squeeze in a game of ping-pong. I let Tom beat me this time - just so he won't get tired of playing, of course.

(Not really. Now I feel guilty. He beat me fair and square. I'll get him next time...)

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too!

P.S. Please continue to keep my sister Brenda in your prayers as she recovers from her hip surgery, as well as my parents who are caring for her. She's already had to battle a stomach virus and now she's back in the hospital with a bladder infection. Thank you in advance!

 

By Rizzy

TG and I spent a morning together last week running errands. (It's kind of weird how even errands can be fun now, if my kids are with me. It sure didn't feel that way very often when they were small... )

We took time for a quick lunch, then had one more stop to make near campus before I dropped her off and headed back home.

A man sat outside the door of the store, handing out slips of paper. I took the one he offered me, said thank you, and flashed a perfunctory smile. Colorful characters like that are common in the area, dotting the sidewalks and streets, and it's not unusual for them to be passing out flyers or tracts, promoting concerts, products or ideologies.  

Believing it held nothing to interest me, I tucked the paper in my purse without a single glance; my mind was on my daughter and the afternoon ahead of me, and I forgot about it.

As we left the store, the man offered another slip of paper. No thanks, we already have one, I told him, with another one of those polite "thanks, but I'm not interested" smiles.

That night, digging through my purse, I came across the paper and read these words.

HIGHER

Eagle flies

Open skies

Pale moonlight

Taking flight

Overseas

Feel the breeze

Colors fade

Life is made

Spread my wings

Spirit sings

Love has come

Nothing undone

All is seen

Love's wind I lean

Take me higher

Burdens lighter

Above the clouds

Your love shrouds

In Your peace

Is sweet release

Your child takes flight

In Truth is light

Your beauty gleams

Give me strength to fulfill my dreams.

 

Ah, man. This is what he was passing out? I had carried this treasure around with me all day without even looking at it, and I had passed up the chance for more, or to ask the zillion questions now popping up in my mind, like "are you Rizzy?", or to even say thank you and really mean it?

The poem is full of inspiration for me, just the kinds of words I need right now ... so I'll go ahead and say it, late as it is ...

Thank you, Rizzy. 

 

 

 

 

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? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Austin Marathon Moments - a personal perspective

My legs ache so bad!. This is one of the worst cases of shin splints I've had in ages!

No, I didn't run in the Austin Marathon. But I did run/walk 28 zig-zagging, uphill/downhill blocks in record time, camera bag ricocheting around my body, trying to reach the finish line in time to see my oldest baby son victoriously cross it after running the Half.

I didn't make it.

I'm not sure who that is in the photo above, but I know it's not my son. He doesn't usually wear sports bras. (But congratulations to whoever you are, anyway! Way to go!)

I staggered up, sweating more than the runners, about ten minutes after Tommy crossed. I'm glad he had his cell phone so I could find him...

A few minutes later, I spotted Kirby (the pretty redhead) just after she crossed.

 

That's right! ... I ran (okay, walked/ran) 28 blocks just to take pictures of my son and his girlfriend and tell them congratulations. I am Mom!

 

A bit of Marathon Mayhem, Austin-style...

 

The champs together, already discussing next year's half-marathon...

 

Look at these medals ... aren't they beautiful?

 

After walking back 28 blocks to our car (parked at Daniel's apartment), we met Tommy and Kirby at Trudy's for a celebratory dinner and Mexican Martini toast. They clean up pretty nice, don't you think?

 

I'm thinking I might join them in the half marathon next year. I mean, these people make it look pretty easy, don't they?

 

And you're entertained along the way...

 

But then, there are the hills (oh, my aching shin splints...)

 

Well, I have some time to think about it. But you know, if I'm going to be sore the day after, I'd rather be able to say it's from running it rather than running to it.

We took our time walking back, coming upon the full marathon runners as they made their way across the University of Texas campus. A few stood out. There was the blind runner, using his cane to check his path - how inspirational is that? And then there was this one, who just, well, stood out...

 

Now we know what Santa does in the off-season...

If we weren't planning to meet Tommy and Kirby for the celebration lunch, we would have rested for awhile near these guys and just listened to the music. They were really good!

 

I first spotted this sculpture of wild mustangs fifteen years ago, when I chauffered Tommy and other fifth graders to the college for a career project. I've passed it several times since and wished I could take a photo, but either didn't have my camera or the time. Sunday I had both.

See? No time limit on wishes...

 

We passed some other interesting houses, graffiti, wall art, along our trek back to Daniel's apartment. (The day was just full of adventure!) Check Confessions tomorrow for those (as well as a few others I took downtown.)

If you've run a marathon or half-marathon, tell me about it. Help me decide if I should give it a try or not.

(This is my contribution to week 7 of focus52 sponsored by Jan at twoscoopz. Click HERE to see the other contributions to the prompt "Close Up".)

 

 

 

 

 

Broken Spoke, at last

He stood on the edge of the dance floor, toes tapping, body bouncing to the beat, feet shuffling, preparing for take-off.

I recognized those signs: he wanted to dance.

I recognized the signs because I was doing the same thing next to our table, 20 feet away. Tom had turned me down on this song (Too fast!) and so I thought, What the heck? So what if this tall dark cowboy is 20 years younger than me? I'm 50, dammit! This is a good song and I want to dance!

(Okay, okay, 51, but if you're over 50, you know what I mean. Just a few years ago I wouldn't have had the nerve to ask a stranger to dance like that, but now, who cares? There's no time to waste!)

I made my move, hoping he didn't twirl off with someone else before I got there.

(Funny. I realize now I never thought of rejection. Just preemption. See above explanation about life after 50.) 

Do you want to dance?

Sure!

I realize now it might have been embarrassing if he had said "no" - but he didn't, thank goodness! He grabbed my hand and my waist and we were off. I expected a fast polka and had to readjust my step to his really fast two-step, but it was a smooth transition, and soon he was even spinning me around...

...which was tricky, because we were at Austin's legendary Broken Spoke on a dance floor that might comfortably provide for 10 couples - but there were at least 50 all vying for space. At times it was more like a session of bumper cars than dancing.

Despite the crowd, Tom and I danced quite a bit (they weren't all fast songs) - we did our best to break in his my Christmas shoes, fulfilling my wish for a night of dancing.

It was also a night with friends, eating, talking, and catching up, and scratching something off of my Austin Bucket List: dancing at the Broken Spoke.

But neither one of us has any desire to go back. And not just because of the tiny, overpacked dance floor. The place just seems to be trying to cash in on its legend. The band (Bobby Flores) was pretty good, but the service in the restaurant was terrible, the chicken fried steak was far from the best I've ever eaten, and this is the first dance hall I've ever been to that didn't provide water for free: $2 for a bottle, take it or leave it.

I took it then refilled it in the ladies' restroom.

But at least now I can say I've been to the Broken Spoke. I just wish I could have said it twenty or thirty years ago, before it became another Texas caricature. (It reminds me of Gilley's after Urban Cowboy, except at least Gilley's still had a large dance floor!)

Still on my Austin Bucket List ... La Zona Rosa, Austin Music Hall, Cedar Street, Stubbs BBQ, Cactus Cafe, Cedar Street, Continental Club, the Hole in the Wall, Mount Bonnell, Salt Lick BBQ, The Blanton Museum,  the UT Tower, the Elisabet Ney Museum ...

Wow, I better get busy! Tom?

Meanwhile, here are more scenes from the night...

Dance lessons, anyone?

Class of '77 rocks! (er, two-steps!)

 

Time to say goodnight...

 

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!

 

 

 

A "What You Touch is Gold" weekend

We're coming off of a quiet, lie-low weekend. Tom and I both felt the need to stick close to home. I don't know about you, but as much as I enjoy getting out with my friends, dancing, eating, shopping... there are times when I just want to burrow into my cave, hide the entrance, and have some down time.

This was one of those weekends. Tom and I burrowed, going for walks, playing ping-pong, and tackling projects during the day (I cleaned bathrooms and my "library" - fun stuff like that)  and then relaxing and watching movies at night ... "Gattica" (great science fiction) and "The Madness of King George" (historical fiction.) Both from the '90's. Both really good! Jude Law, Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Helen Mirren, Nigel Hawthorne... it was a star-studded weekend! 

I never realized we missed so many good movies in the '90's. Grown-up movies, anyway. I think we were busy watching what the kids wanted to watch... "The Mummy", "Mystery Men"... I enjoyed those, too, but wow, how did I miss so many others?

But the big news of the weekend is... Tom fixed my lens!

Need proof?  I took this of him cleaning up his tools at my junky little work area (he found the instructions on the internet)... the very first photo with my refurbished lens...

I swear, this man can do anything he puts his mind to, especially if it's going to save him some money! Even after almost 30 years, he still amazes me. 

...now, I admit I had to nudge him a little to fix it. I planned to see my friend Amory Castro's play on Sunday, and I wanted to be ready to take photos if the chance arose... not impossible with my zoom, but a tad awkward. I didn't have to nudge too often or too hard, though. I didn't have to go into an all-out nag over it, thank goodness.

(But I was prepared to.)

The play, "What You Touch is Gold", was wonderful. I knew it would be - heck, the reading was wonderful!

I've always been too shy to be an actor, so it always amazes me how someone can step out on a stage and transform into a different person altogether.

It takes a great script, of course, one with believable characters, action and dialogue, and this play had all of those. The actors were amazing; even though this was all they had to work with - two tables, a ladder, and a branch -

 

- once the play began, instead of these simple props, I saw a kitchen, a meadow, a craft store, a dining room... pretty much a small town, right there in front of me!

How do they do that?

I forgot to take photos during the play - too swept away by the story! But I managed to corral Amory (on the right) and Erica Heidepriem, who played the part of Charlotte. for a couple of shots when it was over.

 

No way to get the rest of the cast - as you can see in the background of this one, they were already busy striking the set. Ah, show business...

(Open your eyes, Amory! You're a successful playwright!! Congratulations!)

Don't worry - it's not too late to see the play yourself! There are still two more performances of "What You Touch is Gold" at the Salvage Vanguard Theater - Jan 26th at 7:00pm and Jan 30th at 7:30pm.

 

 

 

 

Goodbye, weekend! I'll miss you!

The sun came out for the first time in days today. I made sure I slipped outside to feel its warmth on my skin. I've heard it's only visiting for a couple of days, then it's off again ... a gypsy sun, just popping in and out... so I didn't want to miss it!

I wish it had paid a visit this weekend. Instead, a cold misty rain hung around, which wouldn't have been bad if it had been a slow weekend close to home, one spent watching movies, reading, writing, keeping the fire going in the wood-burning stove...

But it wasn't. We had plans. Places to go. Things to do. And we didn't let that rain stop us, either, by golly!

Friday night Tom learned why I'm in love with Eddie V - and I think he might have fallen in love himself! We met my friend Tamara and her husband Rod there, just like my first rendezvous with Eddie V (it's a "where", not a "who", in case you're wondering), and again, for several hours I was in Taste Bud Heaven. The best part was getting to spend time with Tamara and Rod, though, and having Tom finally be able to enjoy their company as well.

Saturday evening we ignored the rain again and headed downtown to meet up with some of my former high school classmates and even some alumni I didn't know! Many of them traveled from the Houston area in the yucky weather for the gathering at Fado's, where lots of talking, laughing, reminiscing, eating, drinking, and listening of music ensued... specifically music by the band Mysterious Ways, a U2 tribute band, befitting an Irish Pub. 

The part for my versatile lens didn't arrive in time, so I did the best I could with my zoom... mostly photos of the band...

(I was playing around with the settings and got this one somehow - I think it's kind of creepy and cool at the same time!)

 

 

...and this one of me and my 9th grade boyfriend, Larry...

But before you get any ideas, look at this... you'll see Larry got around that night...

Sunday was my day-before-empty-nest day (see my last post), totally focused on TG... church, shopping, eating, delivering, hugging, and saying goodbye... for now. I refused to worry or stress about anything else except enjoying the time with her and helping her get a good start on the semester.

So far, I'm sticking with my resolution... what about you?

...I said hey, hey, hey, don't let another moment pass away...

 

 

Today I also thought about the impact Martin Luther King, Jr. made on our country. He was a man, just like any other... he had his faults, his sins... but that only shows that each of us is capable of more than we thought possible, too. These are some of his quotes that I call my favorites... they apply today as much as they did then.

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. 

He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.
He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it. 

Never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal. 

Means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. 

Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend. 

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. 

A Twirling Good Time

I experienced another dream come true Friday night, one I had given up on long ago, and I owe it all to a tall, bearded stranger in a red sweater.

No, it wasn't Santa. This tall stranger's name was Phil (or Bill...the music was loud and my hearing isn't what it used to be!) Phil/Bill needed someone to dance with, and I just happened to be at the right place at the right time, on the edge of the empty dance floor, probably tapping my foot as I studied the drummer of this amazing rocking, funky, blues-y band, Seventh Sun.

(No photos because of the camera fiasco last week; I didn't feel like lugging around my zoom lens. But click on their name to check out the website and hear a sample of their music. The photo below is from their website.)

Tom and I were at a company Christmas party - an annual event hosted by one of Tom's old bosses, Al. It's a reunion for Tom...he gets to reconnect with past coworkers from his first job in Austin, at a small engineering company.

Al knows how to throw a party...there's always a lot of food, but best of all, a live band, usually Relentless Jones;  one of the ex-coworkers is a member.

They're great, but for some reason they weren't available this year, so we were introduced to Seventh Sun. No compaints! They're a relatively new band, but they were awesome!

So back to my dream..

On countless Saturday nights, years ago when I was single, I would stand wistful on the edge of various dancefloors, envious of the women twirling round and round and round. My boyfriend was a solid two-stepper, but not a 'twirler'. Same with Tom, and since I expected him to be my main dance partner for the rest of my life, I let go of that twirling dream.

I've also never been very good at jitterbugs or 'swings', so last night when Phil/Bill swung me around, I apologized and told him I just wasn't good at it.

"You're a good dancer! Just don't step out so far and you'll be able to twirl."

Twirl? Did he say 'twirl'? So I tried it.

And I twirled.

And twirled. 

And twirled.

Round and round and round I went (I felt like a ballerina!) then he pulled me back, twirled himself around, twirled me around some more, and then we slid smoothly back into a quick two-step.

Sigh.

Dream come true.

Obviously, there are no expiration dates on dreams.

 

 

 

Rocking in the Hangar - a Christmas tradition

I didn't see my camera hit the concrete; it all happened way too fast...the oh-crap look on Tom's face, the metallic clunk that made me wince. By the time my eyes caught up to it, it already lay still and naked on the hangar floor, staring up at me, the lens skidding several feet away.

Tom had been holding it for me, the strap hooked over one shoulder. Somehow, in the process of goodbye hugs and handshakes with friends who were leaving the party early, the strap slipped off and he couldn't catch it in time.

I think that's what happened anyway. Tom was so upset about it, I didn't ask many questions. I was just relieved that the only damage is a small nick in the lens body, possibly a super glue fix. The camera itself is fine and I was just grateful I was using my basic lens, not my more expensive zoom lens.

If the lens can't be fixed...oh, well. 

No, I'm serious! I just wasn't that upset about it. It surprised me - if you read my blog much, you know I love that camera and I'm obsessed with taking photos - but it's just a thing. It took me a few minutes to convince Tom to quit worrying about it and just enjoy the evening.

Because we were at the annual Vernon Hangar Christmas party, listening to an awesome band and much too busy talking, eating, drinking, dancing, and laughing. No room for worrying about a thing, even if the thing was my camera.

Tommy's sweet girlfriend Kirby offered to let me borrow her Canon Rebel; I took her up on it for a few shots (one of her with her grandmother and one with her aunt), but then I was happy to just let her be in charge of snapping the memories. I know she'll share.

Tall propane heaters chased the chill from the hangar where the band, Soulution, mesmerized us with their musical talent and got us dancing...also good for chasing the chill away.

Besides the music from the band, we were also entertained by the Vernon's daughter Sierra singing everything from Lady Gaga to Christmas carols, and eventually even Kirby gave in to her uncles' and aunts' pleading (she's the Vernon's niece) and performed for us. Oh, my gosh, she has an amazing voice! Too much talent for one family - not fair! 

Perhaps it was because those two had the gumption to sing in front of the crowd, I'm not sure, but guess what? I made my public debut on the drums!

I was terrible, I know, but the point is, I actually played in front of People! They all told me how good I was, but I think it's only because I wasn't as terrible as they expected me to be. Even Tom said he was impressed (I've never even played in front of him!)

The drummer had let two others take turns on his drums, and I just couldn't resist taking a turn myself. I sat down, picked up the sticks and banged away. Such a sense of freedom and fun! I just kept drumming and drumming and drumming and they had to come and pry the sticks out of my hands and pull me away!

No, not really, but I did take a much longer turn than the others, I think; I finally came out of the spell and released the sticks of my own volition. The drummer questioned me about my drumming experience and offered me some tips. Yeah, that's right...I was talking "drums" with a real live professional drummer.

The night flew by. Before we knew it, it was 3 a.m. Clocks always seem to spin faster when you're having fun, don't they?

Thanks again to the Vernons for hosting another wonderful, rocking Christmas Celebration in the Hangar!

And now here are some of the highlights I captured before the camera catastrophe...

Hostess Rachel - this woman knows how to throw a party!

Me and my friend Kim - I haven't seen her in well over a year. Maybe two! She slipped off to the other side of the lake and got married. It was so good getting to see her again and finally meet her husband!

Tommy and Kirby in the best seats in the house...an OV-1 Mohawk.

Soulution! 

(Heads up to those of you in the Austin area - this band really, truly rocks! You can find them at Cedar Street, Maggie Mae's and other spots, playing both covers and original work. We listened to their CD today, all original music - I love it! I have a feeling Tom and I will be going to see them again soon.) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little of this, a little of that...

...makes a great pot of chili!

A cold front dropped in for a visit this weekend and has decided to stick around for a few days, so Tom and I took advantage of it tonight and made our first pot of Winter 2010 Chili.

We made a great team - he browned the meat and chopped onions...I added the tomatoes and seasonings and came back periodically for tastings (and adjustments) while he kept an eye on it. He knows I'm not good at the "keeping an eye on it" stage - I get distracted by too many other things, like laundry, loading the dishwasher, cleaning off my desk, decorating the tree (as you can see, the only common theme on my tree is sappy sentimentality...)

We made way too much chili for just the two of us, and we'll be sick of it by the time we finish it all, but, man oh man, it hit the spot tonight!

A little of this and a little of that makes great chili...and also a great weekend!

We started off right, with friends, music under the stars, and a bonfire. Hootenanny!

We have fun even if it's just a handful of us out there, but Friday night there was a real crowd - so many talented musicians playing all kinds of music, and enough others in the audience that Tom and I didn't feel alone. Thanks again to Jim and Liane for hosting this every week.

Saturday Tom and I took advantage of a day at home to scratch things off of our dusty to-do lists...but we threw in a walk with the dogs and a game of ping-pong (I won!), and a movie, because, after all, it was Saturday!

Sunday after Mass I needed to run into town to the bank...to the grocery store...to Goodwill to drop off boxes I've been moving from room to room for months... Normally I would procrastinate, but I knew if I didn't just go, I'd end up having to go late one night this week (NO!) or I'd be late to the infamous St. Mary's Adult Christmas Party, where we get to visit with friends, and enjoy Rudy's Barbecue (sigh), complementary "adult" beverages, and a dance floor almost all to ourselves... 

When was the last time you did the Hokey-Pokey?

I've known Mary, on the left, for years, but I just discovered that in a previous life she interviewed Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, and other celebrities while working at a radio station years ago in California. People are full of surprises (and I love that about people!)

 

My friend Karen didn't realize when I encouraged her to come to the dance even though her husband was out of town that I had ulterior motives...getting her to fill in on dancing with me when Tom pooped out. I think this was taken right after her first "chicken dance".

We never get to spend time with these two anymore...Tom D. helped us build our house (we couldn't have done it without him!) and I loved subbing for Berniece's English and theater classes in my other life...she is an amazing teacher!

And this couple is proof that you should never give up on love popping up where you least expect it (and they're also the best dancers, although I couldn't catch a good one of him flipping her.) 

A little of this, a little of that...works with chili and weekends!

 

 

 

Separation Anxiety

Who's going to cook me dinner?

Tom just looked at me and smiled.

Are you going to cook up some casseroles, label them with the days of the week and freeze them for me?

He laughed.
I think he thought I was joking.

Well, sure...I was...a little bit... 

He's off, away on his own for a few days, as of yesterday morning, visiting his parents, his brother, and his brother's family. If I could afford to take a few days off from work, I'd be with him. We haven't seen his parents since last Thanksgiving! How did this year slip by us so fast?

I stayed so busy yesterday, though, it didn't fully hit me he was gone until I came home from dinner out with friends to this empty house. And it wasn't just because I had to feed the dogs! (Normally, he has night duty.)  

After rushing through my morning chores, I spent a few hours in a movie theater with 2/3 of my kids - a noon showing of the latest Harry Potter movie - munching popcorn and trying to remember the storyline of the book it's based upon. It's been years since I read it. I got totally hooked with the first book; Daniel won a drawing at his school's book fair and he picked it as his prize, based on the cover. 

I read a chapter of it to these 2/3's every evening...and couldn't wait for the next one. By the second or third book in the series, my kids were too impatient...couldn't wait until evening for me to read...couldn't take just a chapter at a time. They took turns devouring the book in one, maybe two days. 

I'm pretty sure that was the end of our nightly readings. Sigh. Dang you, Harry and J.K. Rowling.

But thank you, too, for that magical world, wonderful characters, and makes-me-so-jealous writing.

I'm not sure why we even go to see the movies. It doesn't matter how well made they are - they just can't and don't come close to the experience of reading the books, and we usually end up annoying all of the patrons around us with our whispered commentary. 

Yes, I'll warn you next time we go so you don't have to listen to us. 

After delivering the 2/3's back to campus (discussing the movie the whole way, and ultimately deciding we need to produce our own) I headed to the bank, the grocery store, home again...unloaded groceries, patted dogs, changed clothes, and jumped back in the car to meet friends for dinner at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse. 

I let Tom take my camera with him to Florida...a tough decision, let me tell you. (I think it even surprised him! But I reasoned that he would be seeing his parents - I would be seeing autumn leaves, colorful weeds and wrestling dogs. It was really a no-brainer and I'm ashamed I even had to think about it.)

So, I couldn't take any photos last night of our group! But I can describe it to you...

Six of us sat outside at a rectangular table, enjoying steak, shrimp, elk, yummy rolls, sauteed mushrooms and more. I sat between Rod and Tamara, and across from us were Robert, Roy and Darla. (That's when I first really felt Tom's absence!)  A nice breeze blew in from the lake...it bordered on being too cool without a jacket, but overhead heaters cycled on and off, keeping the chill away. 

Above us the shy full moon hid behind gauzy clouds.

And if that wasn't enough for a beautiful evening, just a few feet away, Drew Womack sang to us - he's another one of those musician, singer-songwriters oozing with talent that has stepped over the edge of stardom once or twice, but not as far as I think he should go, and I don't understand why.

He has an amazing voice... click HERE to hear for yourself, and check out the video down below that I found of him singing at Steiner Ranch Steakhouse back in January. He's much better in person, of course, but it gives you idea of his talent.

Thank you, friends, for a wonderful Saturday night. It would have been a long, lonely evening here at the house without Tom...eating a sandwich, listening to CD's, typing away at the computer.

Um, by the way, what are y'all doing tonight?