Long Hollow

On Hearts

 

Man has made many machines, complex and cunning, but which of them indeed rivals the workings of his heart?

~Pablo Casals

 

I had just stepped into the last house on a property tour when it happened: my heart seemed to turn a somersault, I nearly passed out, and the pounding started ...as in, my heart started pounding in my chest like I had somehow trapped a hard rock drummer inside of it. 

It had happened once before, almost 10 years ago (Heart Beats, Heart POUNDS) but follow up tests revealed nothing wrong with my heart, and I hadn't had another episode since that first one, which hit in the middle of the night. It only lasted about 30 minutes and stopped as quickly as it started, so of course, that's what I expected this time. So I gave my feedback on the property to the host agent, got in my car, and drove home, expecting the pounding to stop before I could walk in my front door.

Well, it didn't. So an hour and a half later, I was strapped on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance in my doctor's office's parking lot with my heart still racing and pounding, about to be transported to the hospital. At one point they clocked it at 177 beats/minute. My neck, back, and shoulders ached from the pressure.  

The paramedics had given me an empty syringe which I had been blowing into every few minutes for the past 20 minutes or so - like trying to blow up a stubborn balloon. Just as they were taking one last set of readings before pulling out of the parking lot, I blew into it and immediately felt relief. The paramedic said he saw my heart rate drop down to 90 beats per minute.

After waiting a few minutes to be sure my heart was going to behave itself, I was relieved that I was able to climb out of the ambulance and go home. A trip to the hospital as a patient in an ambulance isn't something I want to add to my 61 x 61 list (61 new experiences by my 61st birthday), if I can help it!

I've since seen the cardiologist, who diagnosed the pounding as SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia) based on the EKG my doctor took in the middle of the episode. It's an electrical malfunction, where the nerve signal gets stuck in a smaller, easier loop in the cartilage where the four heart chambers connect. For some reason I don't completely understand, the strain of blowing into a tough syringe, or a balloon, or even making yourself cough hard can reset it back onto the correct pathway and normal heartbeats. If that doesn't work, and the episodes are frequent, there is medication and a procedure called an ablation that can be done. 

I'm praying mine is just a random thing, possibly brought on by a few weeks of steady allergy and cold medicine (thank you, Cedar Fever!) combined by I'm-not-sure-how-many cups of coffee a day I had been drinking. Now I'm paying attention to how much coffee I'm drinking each day, and I'm also making sure I work out regularly and get enough sleep, since stress can play a part in it (although I didn't feel unusually stressed out either time it has happened.) 

Getting older is a blessing, but it can also be tricky and full of surprises! 

[A]ccept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields....

~Khalil Gibran, The Prophet, 1923

I counted a number of 'sweets' that day.  I didn't pass out, wreck, and hurt anyone...my doctor's office was very responsive and helpful...the paramedics were so knowledgeable...I didn't have to be transported... my husband and kids were on standby ready to help and meet me wherever I ended up.

But there have been many others this past month, including...

 

 

Lots of playdates with my grandson, supplemented by Facetime in between our visits

He calls me BiBi now!

 

 

I formed a corporation for my business (Shallue Property Group, Inc. - sounds so official!)

 

 

Sharing some beautiful sunrises on my daily walks with Belle (she turned 10 this month!)

 

 

My old Hyundai Elantra is going strong, even though she is also now 10, and has over 220,000 miles on her.

 

 

Steady business, closings, referrals from friends and past clients, and listings with multiple offers

 

 

Taking breaks to tap dance and play my drums (when no one is home!)

 

 

Still finding heart rocks along my path and friends sharing photos of the hearts they find with me

 

 

My kids bathing Belle for me when she rolled in poop on our morning walk 

 

 

The rose bush planted in my mom's honor at her nursing home is still alive, growing and blooming

 

A motivating book and set of question cards from our leadership at the Associate Leadership Council retreat, and a belated Christmas gift from my daughter... one of my favorite movies 

 

 

Wine in the mail (a gift from clients)

 

 

Feeling snow on my face and finding a dusting of it still on everything the next morning (unfortunately there wasn't enough for a snowman)

 

I also lost a classmate this month, and two friends lost their brothers. I'm getting more intentional about connecting with my friends and family, even if it's just a quick phone call or text, so they know they are important to me. Time goes by so fast, and when we are busy, it's easy to put off the things that matter the most. Don't wait!

I hope, no matter what is going on in your life, you keep a lookout for the 'sweets' in every situation. Believe me, you'll find them if you look for them, expecting to find them.

Happy Valentine's Month! I'm grateful for you!

 

 

Heart & me—
Fragile
and strong
Broken
and whole
Loving,
and loving.
~Terri Guillemets

 

 

A Post-Florida / Pre-Grandbaby "Sweet" and "First" Update...

"My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."

~Jack Layton

 

 

When I headed to Florida with Tom last weekend, weather forecasts indicated we could be meeting up with a mini-hurricane.

Ever-hopeful, I packed my swim suit and sunscreen, but I was mentally prepared for a week of rain. It didn't affect my desire to go, because my main purpose was to spend time with some of Tom's brothers, my sister-in-law, niece and nephews, and especially my amazing, spunky mother-in-law.

I wanted to help celebrate her 85th birthday. 

 

 

Fortunately, I was able to celebrate Mom AND spend a few hours at the beach with my niece and nephews, because the mini-hurricane fizzled into a sub-tropical storm that somehow missed us. We had a little rain during the week, but a whole lot more sunshine.

 

 

We even did a little fishing at "Pop's Pier", one of Tom's dad's favorite spots. By a "little fishing", I mean we only caught a few little fish and fed squid to the nibblers, but there was a great breeze blowing and we made some memories. I think Pop would still be proud. 

 

 

Tom's little brother helped me acquire 2 new 'firsts' for my 60 by 60 list that day:

    15. I baited a hook for the first time... and probably last time! Ugh!

    16. I finally stopped at the Old Chimney on Pensacola's Scenic Bluffs, after passing it by on every trip to and from Pensacola Beach and Pop's Pier for the past twenty years,. 

 

 

Flying home yesterday, I was fortunate to get a window seat and experience another unexpected sweet! and "first"...

    17. Viewing a rainbow from above!

 

 

A few other 'sweet!s' from Florida, plus more firsts and sweet!s from April and May...

 

My son using  some of his vacation days to take care of Belle so I could go to Florida

One of my buyers closing on her property. (I hate to miss closings, but at that stage in the transaction, I only play a supporting role.)

A colleague helping with the final walk-through (thank you, Amanda!) and another colleague showing property to other buyers (thank you, Melissa!) 

Winning at 3-13 (a rummy-type card game) more games than on any other trip

Getting a contract on a listing (being able to work from Florida!)

Attending early Mass with Mom on her birthday, and the priest singing happy birthday to her afterward in the foyer, with everyone joining in

Celebrating Mother's Day at Toulouse in the Domain; eating Trout Almondine for the first time 

A college graduation party for the daughter of clients at Waller Creek Boathouse on Lady Bird Lake. It was my first time there, as well as my first time seeing the Forever Bicycles sculpture in person. 

 

 

Holding the last meeting of our Pastoral Council at the Highland Lakes Grille to thank our retiring priest for his service (bittersweet)

 

 

Sleeping with the windows open

Our HVAC system fixed after several days without it.

Dinner and the movie "The Book Club" with friends

Viewing a new home with a glassed in room on the third floor ensuring amazing views of Lake Travis and the hill country

 

 

Alamo Drafthouse with my kids to see  "A Quiet Place" and "Solo"

How happy the birds are when I finally remember to fill up the feeder

A kitchen still sporting vintage tile 

 

 

The call of Chuck-Wills-Widow at dusk

Two baby showers for friends' daughters who I've known for more than half of their lives... and one gave birth yesterday!

Winning $50 worth of continuing education for a class by Abby Vasek for exuding the most confidence in this photo

 

 

Meeting clients in person for the first time who have been living out of the country 

Mornings with Belle

 

Watching one cardinal feed another one. I'm not sure if it was a husband/wife or mama/child, but it was sweet!

Visiting a new neighbor's house-in-progress (he's also the builder, and the son of a past client)

 

 

A crescent moon playing peek-a-boo with a blanket of clouds

Another Keller Williams RED Day (Renew, Energize, Donate) - this year at SAFE, a shelter for abused women and children. I helped out in a classroom of 4 and 5 year olds, while others helped rebuild a playground and work on other much-needed projects (no photos allowed of the kids - just the goofy grownups)

 

 

Spotting a pink heart on the back of a caterpillar

 

 

A reunion of dear friends / past co-workers from my DuPont chemical plant days

 

 

And last but not least... the first sighting of the Mountain Pinks this morning! A sure sign that summer has arrived (in case the consistent high 90's temperatures hadn't convinced us yet)

 

 

I hope you are keeping your eyes open for the sweet!s in your life, which aren't just the blessings you're given, but also those you give to others. They are often the sweetest. 

 

"I think, what has this day brought me, and what have I given it?"

~Henry Moore

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy birthday, Belle! (and other sweet!s)

 

 

Eight years ago, while we were mourning the loss of our sweet Charly, a litter of puppies was born in east Texas.  Whether the mom was a pure-bred who had a wild fling with a stray, or she was a mixed breed stray herself, we'll never know. 

We do know that a few weeks later a little black and brown bundle of cuteness wandered up to a home near Tyler, Texas. Unfortunately, the home belonged to a single mom living on a teacher's salary who could barely afford the horses and handful of stray dogs and cats she already owned.

Fortunately, she was determined to find a home for the cute puppy. Otherwise she would have to send it to a shelter... and there were no 'no-kill' shelters in Tyler, Texas. 

Her son posted its photo on a Facebook page for University of Texas students. Our daughter spotted it and sent it to me. It wasn't the first photo she had sent me, but by then, our resolve against getting another dog had been cracked by our German Shepherd/Great Dane Max's obvious despondency over Charly's absence.

He was so lonely! He just dragged his feet on our morning walks, ignoring Frankie the guinea fowl, and spent most of his time sleeping.

Seeing him like that just broke my heart!

We gave in, deciding Max needed a puppy, and after several phone calls with the puppy's foster mother, Tom and I arranged to meet her at a Dairy Queen in a little town outside of Waco. 

She called the puppy 'Thibodeaux'.

Um, no. To me, that just wasn't a fit. So as we drove down the highway, I ran name after name through my mind, trying to find just the right one.

At the Bell County line, it came to me  - "Belle". My Belle of Long Hollow.

Max gave his full approval, to the name and the puppy.

 

 

We'll be celebrating Belle's birthday on Sunday, probably with an extra walk and maybe some popcorn. She loves popcorn.

Somehow eight years have passed, as well as Max and Frankie. Once again, we've decided we won't get another dog.

I think Belle's okay with that; she's an inside dog now and very content. Besides, I don't think our allergies or our iRobot could handle a second dog in the house!

But "never say never", right? I know each one of our critters has been a gift from God, delivered just when we needed it.  Who knows who we'll meet up the road?

 

 

"Dogs' lives are too short. Their only fault, really."

~Agnes Sligh Turnbull

 

And now for a few more sweet!s I've collected since Christmas...

A motivating all-day leadership mastermind in Houston for all of the Keller Williams Realty Agent Leadership Councils in our region

Spotting a "sun-heart" in my sunlight photo taken on the trip home from Houston afterward (this is cropped quite a bit so you can see it) 

 

(Yes, I know it also looks a bit like a lima bean)

 

All of the "Friend-versary" videos popping up on Facebook 

Allergy medicines that keep my cedar fever under control

Belle snuggling in her puppy beds all over the house

 

 

Walks with Belle on gorgeous, frosty, golden mornings, and the view of mist rising from Lake Travis 

Getting a contract on one of my listings in 9 days

 

Seeing the latest Star Wars movie, "The Last Jedi", with my son... flashing back to seeing the very first one 40+ years ago ... feeling I had come full circle.

Spending a day helping a friend celebrate her birthday in one of her favorite places... Magnolia Market in Waco ... and seeing another longtime friend for the first time in years. 

 

A friend's new home almost complete on the lot I helped her buy a year ago

Audible, so I can "read" books in my car when I have no time at home

My oldest decorating his Christmas tree with his childhood ornaments that used to hang on mine

 

My photo book of my Italy trip delivered to my doorstep

Friends recommending me, bringing me new buyer and seller clients

Warm temperatures returning after three days below freezing

A warm bowl of Hoppin' John on a cold New Year's Day

 

Spotting a huge owl on my morning walk and hearing it whistle

A successful surgery for someone I love (but please keep them in your prayers as they recover) 

And of course, plenty of heart rocks... 

 

(Can you think of any sweet!s in your own life? Share them in the comments!)

 We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.

~Thornton Wilder

 

There is a Bridge: Love, Music, and Earthly Angels

 

A friend shared this on Facebook yesterday. 

It was so moving, so glorious, and such a beautiful illustration of Love, that I knew right away I wanted to share it with all of you, as well. 

Searching for it on You Tube just now, I discovered it's actually 5 years old, so perhaps you've already seen it. 

But if you haven't, please watch it through to the very end... which is only 5 minutes. 

You won't be sorry. 

 Naomi Feil, founder of Validation therapy, shares a breakthrough moment of communication with Gladys Wilson, a woman who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2000 and was virtually non-verbal.

 More info: www.memorybridge.org

 

 

Love is so powerful and each of us can do so much if we allow it to work through us.

Merry Christmas!

The Power of a Wheat Penny

Like my Daddy, and his daddy before him, I have a coin collection. My coins aren't categorized into small blue books like theirs, though. Mine -all wheat pennies - jingle around in an old bourbon bottle.

 

This doesn't look like much of a collection after fifty years, does it?

 

I'm not sure when or why I became enamored of wheat pennies. Maybe because they stopped being minted the year before I was born. Maybe because, as far as old coins go, they weren't that rare when I started.

 

Whatever the reason, I'm sure it was Daddy who introduced me to them and contributed the majority of them to my collection. Daddy had an eye for coins. He gave me every wheat penny he found, and his excitement at finding one in his change was contagious. I scoured every penny I came across for years, searching for those two stalks of wheat.

 

For some reason, whether lack of time (kids? life?) or lack of luck finding them, I stopped. 

But earlier this week, on a day when my heart was feeling pretty heavy and wheat pennies were the last thing on my mind, I was reaching for my computer bag on the backseat when I spotted one resting alone, wheat-side up, smack dab in the middle of the rear floorboard hump of my car.

I think somehow Daddy put it there for me, encouraging me to hang in there, reminding me that he always believed in me, and always will. 

Thank you, Daddy.

 

 

 

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

 

Monday: finding out your kids survived their road trip, despite hitting a deer and encountering icy conditions; the knowledge that you did your best, even if things don't work out as well as you hoped; finding a wheat penny and feeling your daddy nearby

Tuesday: your mom agreeing to get out of bed, at least for a little while; meeting a new client in person; not having an accident in terrible stop-and-go traffic; a fun photo shoot with photogenic siblings

Wednesday: puppy kisses; continually learning; being able to offer support when loved ones lose their daddies

 

Thursday: free food and drinks, music, and a chance to catch up up with a sweet friend while touring beautiful new subdivisions; sunsets in the hill country; a Google City Expert event downtown with your son and daughter-in-law, where you get to sample some of the food, drink, and fun several Austin businesses have to offer

 

 

Friday: a Thanksgiving pot-luck gathering with your colleagues and time to visit with friends; clients ready to make an offer; still being able to talk to your mom about things weighing on your heart

Saturday: rain, rain, and more rain, but none of the dangerous thunderstorms that were predicted; watching yet another Wes Anderson movie with your son

Sunday: waking to sunshine and clear blue skies; the trickle of a little waterfall; a cousin who visits your mom and brings her gifts; a sliver moon floating on a sunset

 

 

Monday: watching the sun set treetops ablaze with golden morning light; forgiving yourself for not finishing your blog post on Sunday, as you intended; crossing a huge, dusty to-do off of your list

What was the sweetest moment of your past week? I hope this next one overflows with them for you.

Sometimes the poorest man leaves his children the richest inheritance.

~Ruth E. Renkel

In Homage to Robin and El Capitan

I was 19, living alone in my first apartment, relishing the solitude and the freedom of having my own space. Many nights I sat on a second-hand loveseat watching my very own television, bought via the Sears Easy Payment Plan.

Thanks to my sister, who worked in the Sears credit department, I was building my credit, $13 at a time, each and every month.

"Mork and Mindy" was one of my favorite shows. That's how long Robin Williams has been making me laugh. So hearing that he gave in to his demons today brought me great sadness.

Years and years and years ago, I almost gave into those same demons who steal the reality of hope away. Afterward, I could see what a selfish act suicide truly is. 

When you're eighteen, it's sometimes tough to believe things can get better. When you're 63, you've already survived so much, you should know better. 

However, lest I start becoming too judgemental, I remember "There, but for the grace of God..." I remember to be grateful for the chance to see it that way. Grateful for a second chance to live and love life.

But dang it. Robin Williams.

My kids know him through Mrs. Doubtfire and Disney cartoons and Hook. He's been making them laugh their entire lives. At 63, he still had so much living and giving yet to do. 

With a heart already missing the craziness of Robin Williams in this world, I also learned this evening that a treasure of my childhood may be destroyed.

The old Capitan Theater, built in 1949, has been languishing for years, waiting for an investor to restore it to its previous glory. I remember elegant velvet loveseats, carpeted stairways, ornate murals and decorations.

I can still see a young Elvis Presley dancing on the screen ... can still hear him singing "Viva Las Vegas" straight to the five-year-old me.

But peeking through the glass front doors in recent years revealed years of neglect. It once sat in the center of town, close to the newspaper office and the post office and City Hall, but now gathers dust on the outskirts of a town that continually boards up building in favor of bigger, better, and newer, rather than trying to preserve its history. The ornate old post office was left behind years ago.

And yet I still held on to hope that someone would come along and fix up the old theater. Instead, according to a story in the local newspaper, it's been sold to a chemical company and expected to be destroyed.

However, despite what Robin Williams obviously felt in his last minutes or hours, because of my own experience I believe there's always hope as long as there's breath. It's too late for Robin, but I'm holding out hope for El Capitan. 

Holding out hope that the city realizes its history is a treasure and starts to treat it as such.

But may you rest in peace, Robin. Thank you for decades of belly-aching laughter and heart-aching movies.

Perhaps you were just afraid you'd become a dusty relic, and decided to make your exit while the neon lights still shone.

 

 

A Saturday Morning at Austin's Franklin Barbecue

On the surface, getting up extra early on a Saturday morning to wait in line four hours for lunch doesn't sound very appealing, especially when the weather is kind of chilly and drippy.

But I did it this past Saturday anyway, just to experience Franklin Barbecue for myself. I'm on a continual quest to discover all the gems Austin has to offer, and from all reports, this sounded like one.

So I met my sons, daughter-in-law, her sister, and two of their friends in Franklin's parking lot down on 11th Street in east Austin at 8 am. I forgot a chair, but fortunately they came prepared with chairs, mimosa ingredients, and the game Uno.

Drinking mimosas and playing Uno with my grown kids would be enough fun for me anytime and anywhere, but doing it in a downtown Austin parking lot where you can watch people and make new friends and eventually eat your fill of delicious barbecue...well, that's my kind of Saturday morning.

Four hours is also plenty of time to take lots of iPhone photos, too...

 

Our little group is just this side of the building...in front of all the UT orange.

 

 

The females in our group.

 

The line.

 

 My boys playing Uno. My oldest gave me his chair and his jacket. What a sweetheart!

 

 Meet Kenzie. She was so good the whole time.

 

 

If you saw the movie "The Help" then you know what this means.

 

 

Another group played horseshoes instead of Uno.

 

 My oldest and his love. Getting close to the door!

 

We made it inside!

 

 So close. We were drooling by this time.

 

Now that's a pile of meat! Sausage, brisket, pork ribs, a beef rib, smoked turkey, and pulled pork. 

Add bread and sauce and that's a meal, right?

 

Franklin Barbecue is good about communicating with the people in line about when they can expect to be served. And they give samples.

They also go down the line getting a guesstimate of what each group is going to order so they can figure out who the last person is who will be served...that's the Last Man Standing. That way the latecomers don't stand in line for hours only to be told at the last minute "Sorry! We ran out!"

Good business!

That was a sweet Saturday morning, for sure. Here are some other sweet!s from the past week...

 

Monday: turning on the television just in time to catch an amazing lip sync battle between Jimmy Fallon and Paul Rudd

Tuesday: baby goats; touring new homes with a friend/colleague; hearing from old friends

Wednesday: rainy days; the return of blue skies, in time for a glorious sunset

 

 

Thursday: hearing a hawk and watching it fly in a cloudless blue sky; your mom receiving cards and letters from your friends to boost her spirits

Friday: somehow reining in your temper when people haven't done what they said they were going to do; showing your mom her birth certificate; getting an iPad on sale; watching "Ghostbusters" with your daughter 

Saturday: spending the morning with 3/4 of your kids, drinking mimosas and playing Uno; Franklin Barbecue, especially when you are really, really hungry; picking up good clients while on phone duty; watching "Ghostbusters 2"** with your daughter

Sunday: Texas Independence Day; Mass with your husband; helping a friend with an open house 

 

 

Monday: watching your mom play dominoes with Margarite, Jewel, and Lila Sue; your son vacuuming the dog hair from the laundry room without being asked; the sound of thunder, lightning, and rain outside your window, when there's a warm fire nearby

 

**Have you ever watched "Ghostbusters 2"?

All I had really remembered about it was the baby being kidnapped by the evil guy, which freaked me out because Daniel was a baby when it first came out.

Apparently baby-kidnapping was a going theme in the late 80's because that's also what happened in "Willow". What the heck??

Anyway, this time what struck me was its overall message that love and good-will toward one another can conquer evil. 

I wish they could have conveyed it without kidnapping a baby, but oh, well.

 

 

“I hope that real love and truth are stronger in the end than any evil or misfortune in the world.”

 

― Charles Dickens

 

 

Five Things

 

 

1. Last year I took my kids to see The Hobbit  right before Christmas. We loved it so much, we decided to make it a Christmas tradition by seeing Part 2, "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug", last night. 

Our consensus? It sucked...and I don't use that word often or lightly. I was so disappointed. I'll wait to see Part 3 on Netflix. Or I'll just skip it and read the book again.

On the up side, I spent an evening with my kids and got my movie popcorn fix!

 

2. Someone plugged my name and number into a zillion auto insurance online quote searches. We've been inundated with phone calls today.

Who would hate me that much?

 

3. I love that Pope Frances tweets, photo bombs, and was a bar bouncer once upon a time. Besides all the other stuff there is to love about him, of course.

 

4. Five of my high school classmates passed away in 2013. One would be too many, but five? We're only 54, for goodness sake. We've pinky-sworn to be careful and take care of ourselves and do all within our power to keep the number zero in 2014. 

 

5. Last week I wore two jackets, a hat, and gloves on my morning walks. Today I was in shorts and a tank top.

Crazy Texas weather.

 

 Joining Nancy at A Rural Journal

 

The Sweet Sound of Rain

When it rains, you grow.

~ On a local church sign

 

I woke to the sound of rain Sunday morning.

Such a sweet sound when you live near a lake that now resembles a creek after months...well, years...of too much sunshine and too little precipitation.

Tonight the frogs living near our pond are singing in celebration. Another sweet sound.

The rain has slowed for now, allowing the half moon to come out and smile on us tonight, but more rain is expected to continue off and on for the next several days. 

I admit if we're going to have too much of something, I would rather have too much sunshine, but I realize that to be healthy, whether you're human or the Earth, you need some of each. 

Many a man curses the rain that falls upon his head, and knows not that it brings abundance to drive away the hunger. 

~Saint Basil

 

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

Monday: working out before letting your day get away from you; pink and blue variegated sunrise skies; brisk mornings and frisky puppies; discovering Asian Fusion; warm Turtle brownies, courtesy of your daughter

Tuesday: your husband making an old, dirty rug you love look brand new with a pressure washer; a sale from your etsy shop; free lunches; property tours; a friend calling to check on you  

Wednesday: discussing marketing strategies with your son; photo shoots; getting to see a dear friend while she's in town, meeting her colleagues, and finally (sort of) riding a mechanical bull

Thursday: making new connections; chipping away in all to-do areas; a check in your mailbox; being able to talk to your mom at least once every day

Friday: new buds on your crape myrtles; learning something new and making new friends every day; making time to work on your children's story for the first time in a couple of months

Saturday: free training; your son's friend arriving just in time to help carry groceries into the house; joining your writing group at an ice cream parlor to celebrate meeting our writing goals; watching "Cactus Flower" while making cyclops cookies with your son 

Sunday: waking to the sound of rain; being able to wish your son a happy 25th birthday in person; your son wanting to help a stray dog; being able to make someone happy with simple gifts like fried chicken tenders you only make once or twice a year on special occasions; making it to a writer's group meeting for the first time in ages; watching Galaxy Quest with your son 

Monday: yellow and purple wildflowers decorating the roadsides; a second day of rain; the healthy birth of a brand-new niece; getting to know members of your church better through a Bible study; capturing the sight of a frog hopping in your car headlights

What sweet!s did you collect this week? I hope all of you have a balance of whatever you need to help you grow!

'Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears?
What if a thousand sleepless nights
Are what it takes to know You're near?
What if trials of this life
Are Your mercies in disguise?
 

~ Laura Mixon Story

 

 

Five Things...

 

1.

Monday evening I went wading in Lake Travis. I had my camera and was shooting a fun multi-generational family while they ran and played and laughed. I took way too many photos and couldn't help editing as many as possible to share with them, to help them remember the fun they had that day with their parents/grandparents and sister/aunt visiting from Guatamala. You can see a lot of the photos in "Generations".

2.

I saw the movie "Mud" last night with some friends. I hadn't heard much about it, but it stars Matthew McConaughey, and one of my friends is madly in love with him. So I see a lot of Matthew movies.

In my opinion, this is one of his best. I enjoyed the movie so much that I wish it was based on a book so I could read it. 

3.

For Christmas my oldest gave me and Tom gift certificates for massages. 

But between working weekends at the winery and weekdays subbing in the schools as much as possible, I didn't have time for a massage.

Until today. I figured I should take advantage of this unemployed time off, even though I'd rather be working.

Oh, it felt so good! Sitting at this computer typing and editing photos takes its toll on my neck and back, and you can only imagine what staying on your feet for six or seven hours in a restaurant will do to you.

Thank you, Tommy!

If you live anywhere near Austin, or plan to visit, I recommend making an appointment with Ruth Ann Blackwell! 

4.

INSECT WARNING!

Tom called me down to the laundry room earlier this week. When he does that, I know to bring my camera. Look who decided to visit us.

Since tarantulas aren't any help when it comes to laundry - in fact, they can be a downright hindrance - Tom escorted it back outside.

 

By the way, the herding above didn't work. It went skittering into the shelves. That's when I left and I'm not sure how Tom ended up catching it.

(At least I think he caught it....)

The other night this toad decided to visit us upstairs. Isn't he handsome? I mean, for a toad?

 

We can't figure out how these critters are getting inside, but I'd rather have a tarantula and a toad than those little mice who took such a liking to us. Ugh.

 

5.

Today is Flag Day, commemorating the day the American flag was adopted in 1777. 

I swear I recently took a photo of the little faded flag flying on my parents' porch to post, but it's lost in a maze of files in my computer.

It's just one of those small ones on a wooden stick . They have it tucked into the metal porch supports and keep it up all year. I like that.

So instead of the flag, and since by the time I publish this it won't be Flag Day anymore, here's an old red Ford truck I spotted today. Not quite Old Glory, but an American icon at least.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

 

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!

Adventures in Hyundai-land (No autographs, please)

When you have a husband who can do just about anything, you don't spend much time waiting for your car to be serviced or repaired. He prefers doing it himself to save money.

But sometimes that husband ends up with too many cars and projects that need his immediate attention, or your car requires something that takes special equipment, like an alignment...which is how I ended up in a nearby Hyundai dealership's waiting room Monday afternoon.

I didn't mind. There was a Keurig coffeemaker nearby, wi-fi available, and I brought my bag of goodies: a photography magazine, papers to critique, a blank notebook, and snacks.

As usual, the mechanic found some other things that needed attention. He actually carried the cabin air filter out to me, to show me how nasty it was. "I think something was living in this," he said. 

Do you remember the little mouse I found in my glovebox? Well, now I know where that little toot was nesting!

But the most exciting part started about halfway through my wait. A large video camera captured a customer walking in the door, over and over and over. A commercial was being filmed, right before my eyes!

I snuck this photo. I didn't want to look like a total geek, but, I mean, how often do you get to see something like that?

(Why, yes I do live a sheltered life.)

 

 

That's not the best part, though.

See the man with glasses up there? That's the Director. About an hour later, he approached me and asked if I'd like to be in a commercial. Well, specifically to 'volunteer' to be in a commercial.

Well, heck yeah I would!

I signed the requisite papers and then waited while they "set up the shot". (That's film lingo for those of you not in the "Biz".)

Soon, there I was pulling a car I pretended was mine into the service bay, the Director and his camera crew on my left. I climbed out as gracefully as possible (which probably wasn't too graceful), smiled and shook hands with the service rep, exchanged some fake conversation about my pretend car, and then "CUT!"

We did it three or four times, standing in different spots, and then my spot in the limelight was over. The camera crew moved off to film another volunteer vignette.

My non-speaking two seconds on the tube will be part of a Grand Opening commercial for the Round Rock Hyundai Dealership - unless it gets cut because of the lack of gracefulness I mentioned. I have no idea when it will air, but I guess I need to start watching more television so I don't miss it!

Now I can cross "starring in a commercial" off my Bucket List - right after I write it on there.

 

By the way, thank you for the sweet comments I've received about yesterday's glum post. I went to bed reminding myself  to "Be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) and early this morning I woke with the sweetest sense of peace in my soul.

On my walk with the pups, my heart swelled in gratitude for the blue sky and birdsong all around me, and even for the wet dog hair left clinging to my hand after scratching Max because I know one day I'll miss it, as yucky as it is, because I won't have that stinky, goofy country dog to cuddle anymore.

My friend Shirley posted this in reply to my post on Facebook, and it is so very true. I hope if there are any worries or disappointments weighing on your heart, it helps you hang on.

"Joy comes in the morning."

~ Psalms 30:5 

Thank you, Shirley, and all of you again...

 

Movies (and other sweet!s)

The past few days have been a blur between working at the winery, job applications, taking care of the puppies, a little bit of writing...and watching movies.

I've watched four since Friday night and I'll be watching another one in just a few minutes. I'm not sure if I've ever watched that many in such a short time, but if I have, it was a long, long time ago. 

But TG has been hanging out with me this weekend because we had someone quit at the last minute at the winery and thank goodness my sweet girl agreed to help us out at a special dinner last night.

She had as much serving experience as I had when I started - none! But she caught on fast and having her there made the night seem more like fun and less like work. 

Sweet, right?

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

Wednesday: happy dogs on a morning walk; fields of Texas thistle and Mexican hats growing in dry pond bottoms; finishing the editing of a photo shoot 

Thursday: your customer loving the photos you took of her family; Daddy-Long-Legs; moths the size of hummingbirds

Friday: wishing your mother-in-law a happy 80th birthday, even if it's via the telephone; spinach quesadillas and Happy Hour frozen margaritas; giggling through "Night at the Roxbury" and "Saturday Night Fever" with your daughter

Saturday: hearing that your dear friend is better and will probably be released from the hospital that day; making it through a 13-hour workday, and teaming up with your daughter for the second half; sampling roasted duck and shrimp croquettes; staying up late after work to watch "Napoleon Dynamite" with your daughter even though you're both exhausted; Napoleon Dynamite's dance routine; baby grapes

Sunday: waking to the sound of rain; visiting with friends at church; time to publish flower photos on your photography blog before heading to work; finally watching all of "Cool Runnings" after years of only catching the end

 

Wishing you a week blurry with sweet! moments!

(I'd love to hear about some of yours from this past week! Please share them in the comments.)

 

Five Things from La-La Land

Linking with A Rural Journal's Random 5 Friday 

 

1. 

 

This card, full of words of love and encouragement and inspiration, waited for me in the mailbox earlier this week, a precious gift from my friend Rae. 

How could I not share them with you, because the words are true for all of us, aren't they? Take a minute to read them and believe them. You are very special.

Thank you again, sweet Rae!

 

2.

In a previous life, Jeannie was my kids' high school Spanish teacher. A few years ago she retired to follow her dream of becoming a missionary in Honduras through SAMSUSA.org.

I subscribe to her newsletters and in today's I found this note that made me really stop and think. I thought it was worth sharing with you, too...

 

Dear Mission Partners,

I’ve been thinking a lot about what we pray for. I hear so many people resolve their problems and say, Oh, if God would just.....let me pass the exam, give me the dream job I want.... everything would be good and I could handle it from there. We want Him to hand our desires to us and back off. We want the control back. We think we know what’s best for us. When he doesn’t answer our prayer we feel abandoned. God doesn’t care.

We often never consider that He has other plans for us, probably much better plans that we have concocted to solve our problems and make us happy. Usually he makes us wait for His plans and the waiting is very hard when we see our solution just within our grasp. The solution is so obvious! Why won’t He just give it to us?

His plans are so much more comprehensive than our solutions. We don’t see His huge map. Like Sara with Abraham, we tire of waiting and substitute our plans for His. But the true solution is His. What we have done in the meantime may only complicate things.

I’m pretty clear on what I want. I work toward it and pray I am in line with what He wants. But I am praying that His Will, not mine, be done. I am praying to be obedient. Because I know He’s in control. And I have found his plans to be much better than mine. For His Sake,

Jeannie 

Jeannie does amazing work there with the poverty-stricken, transporting children to doctor's visits, among tons of other things. If you're interested in donating to support her mission, send me an email and I'll send you hers.

 

3.

"If you're lost and alone...or you're sinking like a stone...carry on.
May your past be the sound of your feet upon the ground. Carry on."

~ Fun

Speaking of inspiring and energizing things, Fun. was on the Today Show this morning. This song has been in my head all day. (I'm not complaining!)

 

 

4.

It rained all day today, and I didn't mind a bit because I had no where to go. That's one of the good things about not having a real job beyond writing and a fledgling photography company. (The bad thing about it is the lack of a paycheck, of course.)

Anyway, rain makes me pensive, so I flipped through a few of the journals where I noted details of our lives for about twenty-five years. 

There were some tough times, I'll tell you, but one thing I noticed was how I always ended with a positive note...using words like 'faith' and 'prayer' and 'blessings'. I remember some of those times vividly, the ache and the worry and the fogginess of the road ahead of us.

I love seeing it from this perspective, how the paths opened up and the sun came out again. I was reminded again that God has a plan, that he's got our backs, which is a helpful reminder right now when the road ahead has gone all foggy again.

Tom says I live in La-La Land, where there's always a silver lining and everything is hunky-dory. He says it like it's a bad thing.

But if we've prayed for God's guidance and truly trust him, how can we not think everything is hunky-dory, even if we can't see it from where we're standing at the moment?

 

 

5.

The proof of that hit home when I read through my notes written during my oldest son's heartwrenching high school years...and compare them to the joy and love I see on his face in the short video below of The. Most. Beautiful. Wedding. Ever. Amen. by amazing videographer Adam Grumbo. (I can't wait for the full video!) 

My prayers of so long ago have been answered. My mother-tears were not in vain.

(It takes a minute to buffer, so take my advice -  go grab a tissue while it loads...)

 

Five - ish Things on Friday

 

1. Today is my friend Debbie's birthday. I couldn't find the photo I wanted to post, the one of us dressed up like beauty queens, acting silly in her bedroom back in 1973. I've turned my house upside down and still can't find that photo anywhere! I used to be so organized...

That summer I was at Debbie's house more than my own. She lived right around the corner. We'd spend hours listening to her "Bread" album, watching and re-enacting "Ultraman" episodes, and talking on the phone to everyone we knew. Oh, those were the days.

Now forty years later, we're still friends. Even though there have been spaces in our friendship, this past year when my parents were having such a rough time, Debbie let me know she was there to pick up groceries or run them to the doctor or whatever they needed. Her mother volunteered, too. They both still live right around the corner. What peace of mind it gave me to know she was just a phone call from me and a few minutes from my parents. 

Friends like Debbie are such a blessing, so even though her card will be late (sigh) and I can't find that photo, I'm wishing her a beautiful birthday and a year full of her own blessings. She deserves them.

 

And I'll post this photo, probably taken at her birthday party forty years ago. That's her on the back row in the dark pink shirt. I'm the one with my chin in my hand.

I'm blessed to still be friends with almost all of those kids, and in my mind, that's still what they look like. 

 

2. I'm reading The Hunger Games series right now. It's a real page-turner...I'm already into the second book of the trilogy and that usually takes me months, not weeks. In fact, it's all I can do not to just blow off this post, settle on the couch, and read! 

But there's a see-saw love triangle that's driving me crazy. I'm sure there's a point, but it's making the story drag for me. Have you read it? Did you feel that way or is it just me?

 

 

3. I've been blogging for almost 5 years now! That's hard for me to believe. Along the way I've met so many fantastic writers and photographers, and made lasting friendships with people I've never even met in person. (Yes, that's possible!)

In general, bloggers are thoughtful, supportive, and generous, and I have two great examples: 

~Through a recent Valentine's Day Blog Hop, I met Vicki at LoNg OvErduE/BooK ReNewaL. She hosted a giveaway in honor of Valentine's Day and I actually won!  This beautiful Shappy Fabric pin she made from denim and silk arrived in my mail box early this week. (Did I mention most bloggers - except for me - are creative and talented, too?)

 

 

~Knowing I'm a wanna be drummer, my friend Bill ("A Few Clowns Short") sent me a link to a funny video: Mr. Bean playing the drums. It's hilarious!

~Thanks to another blogger/writer friend, Walker (A Woman's Page), I'm privileged to be a member of GenFab, a group "...for bloggers of a certain age looking for support, encouragement, information, blogging tips, and community." Many of these women have intimidating credentials and accomplishments, but on our Facebook page, we're all just "women of a certain age" who aren't finished yet, eager to help each other on our journeys. 

4. I watched two awesome movies this week, in the name of education. "A Man For All Seasons", about the struggle between Sir Thomas More and King Henry VIII which resulted in More's execution, won the 1966 Academy Award for Best Movie. It's so inspiring, learning about this man who stayed true to his conscience, even to death, and in these days of political corruption and rubbery conviction, I think it should be required viewing for all politicians.

The second movie was "Something the Lord Made", an HBO movie starring Mos Def and Alan Rickman about Vivien Thomas, a black man without a degree who partnered with a white doctor to invent bypass surgery, but didn't get credit for his work until years later. It's a very uplifting, inspiring movie as well. 

The students had to pay attention to characterization and conflict and all of that literary stuff while they watched, and even turn in a paper at the end, but I was pretty much able to just sit and enjoy the movies and get paid for it! I love being a substitute teacher!

5. Besides the funny drum video I mentioned in #3, two other friends (one of them a blogger!) sent me priceless videos this week. One will get its own post tomorrow, but I'll share the other here.

This will be me in thirty years, God willing. Be sure you watch it till the end. I dare you not to dance while you're watching! 

                                                

 

 So kids, the lesson for today is...

Don't stop dancing as long as the music is playing.

~me

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

Linking up 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.

My Pencils are Sharp Enough

 

I slept a full eight hours last night. And I cleaned my bathroom this afternoon. Two things I haven't done in a long, long time. That's about all I've accomplished today, but I'm okay with it. It's my day off and I've relished it.

Middle son, Daniel, is home for the weekend, mostly because it was time for him to do laundry again, but I think he also enjoys the break from the city and helping his dad with projects around the house. 

He's picking up pizza right now. After we eat, he'll be heading back home. Well, to his other home. I feel I didn't get to see him very much on this visit. The weekends go by so fast when you only get one day off. But I'm grateful for all the days I've been able to work lately while waiting for that Perfect Job to show up and sweep me off my feet.

I've let my writing motivation slip a little - it seems to be proportional to the amount of free time I have. For some reason it takes me so long just to get started that unless I have a big chunk of time, I make no real progress. I just keep reinventing the wheel. I've got to learn to jump right in and get moving no matter how little time I have. 

As Ze Frank says below, I need to realize my pencils are sharp enough and just start writing.

 

 

 

Discovering Ze Frank on my friend Walker's blog was sweet! Here are a few other sweet! moments from the past week...

Monday: getting paid to watch wonderful National Geographic videos; a whiff of wild onions in the woods; 80 degree temps in February; discovering The Louise Log

Tuesday: a cardinal singing to you and posing for a few photos; your puppy's overflowing joy at your return from work; your mom's recent bloodwork and health screenings revealing no major issues

 

Wednesday: an email from a friend letting you know you received two Posts of the Week from Hilary at The Smitten Image; getting two Posts of the Week from Hilary!; the gift of rain in a drought

Thursday: seeing your future daughter-in-law in her wedding dress; visiting eclectic Austin shops with your daughter; not getting stuck in traffic; crying over mother/son dance songs and finally finding the perfect one

Friday: that first sip of coffee in the morning; discovering someone you've known for a long time attended your elementary school at the same time you did; an afternoon walk with your goofy puppies; plump robins; working on your book

Saturday: fitting in a work-out before, um, work; warm February afternoons; hamburgers fresh off the grill; a sweet love story movie with your husband and son, instead of the usual shoot-em-up; another episode of old Dark Shadows with your son

Sunday: eight hours of sleep; coffee on the back porch; visiting with friends after church; a clean bathroom; veggie pizza

 

What were some of your sweet! moments this week?

I'm planning on watching the Academy Awards tonight. Are you? 

I haven't watched them in years, but tonight I'm going to settle on the couch with some popcorn and see all the good movies I've missed. I'm rooting for Silver Linings Playbook, but that's because it's the only one I've seen. Who/what are you rooting for?

Even if your favorite movie doesn't win, I hope you have a week overflowing in sweet!

 

Five Things on Friday

 

 

1. Our property is dotted with small iron crosses, marking the resting places of so many precious furry or feathered or scaly loved ones we've been blessed to know. I miss them all. The one above is Charly's and Frankie's.

 

2. I will never get rich monetarily through my blog, but the friendships I've formed because of it are priceless. I've met so many supportive, encouraging, talented friends, and two of them have recently published books. I didn't hesitate to buy them because they are both wonderful, evocative writers, and I feel confident touting them here even though I haven't had time to read either one.  

Love Always Wags Its Tail, by Kathy H. Porter, is a collection of short essays about the dogs in her life. Wolf Pascoe shares what it's like being an anesthesiologist in Breathing for Two.

Follow the links to their blogs and you'll find information about the books. (I received no monetary compensation for these shout-outs - only friendship and support for my own writing.)

 

3. The next time you go out to eat and the place is packed and you start to get irritated because you feel your waiter is ignoring you, please take a deep breath, realize you are not the only customer in the place and that he/she can only do so much at one time, and please, please, please remember your manners. Thank you.

(Oh. And if the website suggests reservations, either make a reservation or don't get upset if you can't be seated. Especially if you're bringing 7 of your friends.) 

 

4. Back at the beginning of January, I decided I would start getting up at 4:30 a.m. instead of 5:30 a.m. so I would have time to work out and/or write before heading to work, if someone happened to call me out. (That's the life of a substitute teacher - you have to be flexible!)

Well, I finally did it. Once. This week. Yay, me!

 

5. For the past week or so, I've spent hours tormenting myself, listening to one You Tube video after another of potential songs for the mother/son dance at the upcoming wedding.

I just sat here at my computer and cried and cried. It was beautiful agony, I tell you, reliving those mom memories. But here's one that made me laugh, even though I wouldn't do this myself..

(Actually, that theme from the Ninja Turtles brings back so many memories, I almost started crying in this one, too!)

 

Nancy at A Rural Journal inspired me to start my Five Things on Friday, although I mutilated her better-alliterated version, 5 Facts Friday, so I encourage you to read hers and add your own if you're so inclined! And I remembered Mrs. 4444 has a regular Friday Fragments hop, so I'll be linking up there, too. It's a great way to tie up all those loose ends from the week!

Hope you have a great weekend!

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.

 

 

 

Taking a quick break to share this with you...

I'm writing. For the second day in a row!

Actually making a little progress, too, once I managed to ignore the voices inside my head who kept telling me to give it up, just quit, that it wasn't any good.

After staring at the screen and out the window and at the screen again, I finally said "Who cares?" and started typing. 

(Those first words after a few days away from my book are always the toughest. I need to stop staying away for days at a time.)

As if the voices weren't distraction enough, for some reason, I keep finding myself scrolling around on Facebook, but it's not toally a bad thing, because I came across the video below that a friend posted. (Thank you, Gina!)

It made me laugh so hard I just had to share it here with you. Ah, the memories.

And now back to my book...

(No, really. I mean it!)

(Well, maybe I'll watch it one more time.)

 

 

Dark Shadows of the Soul (and Popcorn for Dinner Twice in One Week!)

Ah, Barnabas.

Almost every day, circa 1969-1970, I rushed home from school and plopped down in front of the TV, just in time to see what you and the rest of the cursed Collins family was up against in the next episode of Dark Shadows. Daddy joined me as often as his shift schedule allowed. We'd sit on the edge of our seats, grateful the sun was shining outside to counter the dark suspense on the screen.

I lost track of you after you scared me half to death in House of Dark Shadows. Perhaps it was a mistake on my part to sit on the very first row of the theater during a movie consisting mostly of blood. (Maybe there was more to the movie, such as plot and dialogue, but blood - lots and lots of blood - is all I remember, flowing right after the very beginning when a little boy follows his ball down into a crypt.) But those were the only seats left for me and my five friends.

The series was in black and white, the movie in full living (and dying... get it?) color. Just too much for my 11ish-year-old self.

But last weekend I gave you another chance and you won me back. 

Giving in to the eleven-year-old inside of me, I decided to ignore to-do lists last Sunday and go see the new Dark Shadows movie. I can't resist a Johnny Depp movie and I had already been clued that it was more funny than scary. Sure, I'm 53 now, but I like scary movies even less than I did when I was eleven. (No way was I going to traumatize myself again for you, Barnabas!)

TG and Daniel tagged along with me. Daniel had watched a few of the old episodes with me via Netflix, and enjoyed them, but TG knew nothing about it at all.

I don't care if it got a Rotten Tomato award or not... I absolutely loved it! And I think my kids enjoyed it just as much as I did. 

It made me laugh out loud, paying homage to the darkness and original story of the television series with tongue firmly in cheek. And it stayed true to the campy '70s era... macrame, hippies and hitchhikers, and even Alice Cooper has a cameo.

There's some blood, alas, but I guess you have to expect a little in a vampire movie. Johnny Depp was so good in it, I forgave him those scenes. Michelle Pfeiffer was great, too.

If you enjoyed the series as much as I did, I think you'll like it. 

Continuing the "Dark Shadows of the Soul" theme, later in the week I jumped at the chance to watch the new Jack Black movie "Bernie."  For one thing, it meant I got to have popcorn for dinner twice in one week!

"Bernie" tells the true story of Bernie Tiede, a mortician in Carthage, Texas in the late '90s who befriends an unpopular, mean and stingy rich widow, kills her, and covers it up while spending her money to help the townspeople.

Everyone absolutely adores Bernie, because he's so caring and generous, so when the murder is finally discovered, the townspeople defend him. It gets so bad that the DA (gorgeous Matthew) succeeds in getting the trial moved to another small town, just to keep it fair. 

Jack Black, Matthew McConaughey, and Shirley MacLaine are fantastic. And despite the dark subject, it's hilarious. I watched it with a native of Carthage... her regular hoots of laughter testified to the accurate portrayals of East Texans. 

I believe this one has a limited distribution - we saw it at the local 'artsy' theater - but if it comes around near you, I recommend it, too. 

Now I'm craving popcorn again... any movies you've seen lately you'd recommend?

 

What Electrifies You?

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

I answered...

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

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

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

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

 

Walking the Walk

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

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

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

 photo from WalkingtheWalk.org

 

Indie Friendlie 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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!

 

Ben's Story... When the Fantasy Ends and Heaven Begins

Ben Breedlove, an Austin teenager, died Christmas night. 

I didn't know him personally; in fact, I had never heard of him until this week. 

But after watching the videos below, I know I won't forget him or his sweet smile.

Ben had a heart condition called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy; according to his videos, he had cheated death three times. The first time, when he was 4, he says he saw a bright light and felt a peace he never forgot. The second time...

...well, Ben tells it much better than I can. I urge you to watch these - the total time is less than 8 minutes, but if you're like me, it will be 8 minutes you'll carry with you the rest of your life, whether you remember the name Ben Breedlove or not.

(You can read Ben's obituary HERE.)

What's Halloween without a few Zombies?

It just doesn't feel like Halloween to me.

We live a mile down a dirt road. There are no small children living nearby, and even if they did, their parents would skip our house and head for a real neighborhood in town where the little goblins can trick-or-treat door-to-door, collecting a lot more loot in less time with no driving.

That's what we always did.

So I have no Halloween candy stashed in a cupboard for tonight. No Jack-o-lanterns grinning on our front porch or ghosts dangling from the tree branches.

Tom and I didn't even dress up this year; I worked Saturday night, the traditional Halloween party night. Tonight we'll be working on projects. 

But Daniel showed me this video last week and, in honor of Halloween, I'm sharing it with you. If you're a movie buff or a Christopher Walken fan or just enjoy a good spoof, I think you'll enjoy it. Otherwise, you'll probably go, "Huh? I don't get it." 

I cracked up. That tells you a little bit about my sense of humor.

Whether you watch it or not, dress up or not, go trick-or-treating with little goblins or not, I hope you have a Happy Halloween!

 

"I hope." ~ Red, Shawshank Redemption

"Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things,

and no good thing ever dies."

~ Andy Dufresne, Shawshank Redemption

I've seen Shawshank Redemption a zillion times.  And last night I had two zillion things to do. So when TG started watching it, I tried to ignore it and focus on what I needed to do.

Along about the second half, I quit trying. Instead, I poured a glass of wine, plopped into the recliner beside her and forgot about my to-do's. This is why:

1. She'll be heading back to school soon and there won't be many more opportunities just to hang out at home like that, watching a movie together. Especially with the boys gone!

2. I love the movie.

3. That's all it took. I didn't need a #3.

I wasn't trying to analyze why I love Shawshank Redemption last night while I watched. But I kept thinking about it today and had to gather the thoughts, of course. Here they are (spoiler alert, in case there's actually someone who hasn't seen this movie!):

Hope... Andy holds on to hope despite life's best efforts to smash it out of him. Talk about bad luck! His hope is contagious; he and Red get to begin their lives over at middle-age because they dared to hope and believe that one day it would be possible. According to the movie - and I believe it whole-heartedly - it's never too late to live out a dream.

Integrity... I love how the movie illustrates what integrity is - the twist on how the criminals can have more integrity than the warden or the guards. And I love how Andy holds on tight to his integrity and inspires others to rise higher than they thought possible, to be better than they thought possible. To find the good in themselves.

Justice... Good overcomes evil, justice prevails and hope is justified.

Nothing says it better than Red at the end...

"I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain.

I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand.

I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams.

I hope."

 

When work doesn't feel like work.... and Saturday's "Sweet!" Report

Never, ever did I dream of being a waitress. And yet, here I am, spending a Saturday dressed in black, small apron neatly tied around my waist, order pad in hand...

Life is so funny.

I've stumbled into a job that feels like a hobby.

Don't get me wrong... I work at it!  I sweat from being on the move the whole time... besides waiting tables, I also bus and wipe them, clean windows, do laundry. I even cleaned a toilet one day. And electronic cash registers can be tricky, especially when you have split tickets. So much to learn!

But I'm not complaining. For some reason, I love it! Mostly the learning and social parts, but even the cleaning.

How could I not? After a drive through the hill country, I arrive at this... (taken through my windshield, but I think you can get the feel of it.)

And then there are the random samplings of smoked duck, fresh polenta, chocolate torte and tastes of estate wines...

How did I get so lucky?

It's not a full time job, but it's a wonderful weekend break, even if you're working there. Dining there would be even better.  I urge you to visit if you're in the area: Flat Creek Estate. (You won't regret it - people have actually told me they were tempted to lick their plates. It's that good!)

And now for a few of my Sweet! moments of the week...

Monday: a red-tailed hawk swooping silently above your head; soft mornings; chocolate cake for dinner; calling a friend you haven't talked to in a year to wish her a happy birthday

Tuesday: revising two chapters of your book; Mexican hats beginning to blossom again when you thought they were all dead.

Wednesday: discovering a new purple blossom along the road; a call from your oldest son; grilling chicken breasts to perfection, despite forgetting about them a couple of times.

Thursday: Belle lying calm and still enough to rub her tummy (in other words, without her twisting and kicking and gnawing affectionately on your arm.); revising another chapter in your book and finally getting around to posting photos of the old truck you took weeks ago.

Friday: HP x 2 (Harry Potter and Half Price Books with your kids!)

Saturday: a soft morning breeze blowing down the deck; work that doesn't feel like work; fresh polenta, carne guisada, and watermelon from the chef's garden; a good ending to a movie when you keep expecting something to go wrong.

 

I hope you had a week packed full of sweet moments!

"The End" of an Era (and my Friday Favorite Photo)

This is the book that was the beginning of the end.

Each evening for years and years, Daniel, TG and I would huddle around a book on the couch, taking the adventure together, a chapter at a time. I would read out loud, relishing the warmth of my two little ones cuddled up against me.  

Tommy had broken away on his own when he discovered the Goosebumps series in 3rd grade, devouring them one after another as fast as he could. Speed is addictive: he couldn't slow back down to our pace, savoring bites of the story, a little every day.

TG, Daniel and I were usually each reading something else as well on our own. But every night we'd come together for a special book. We'd take turns choosing it. This is when I introduced them to the Lord of the Rings, Call of the Wild, Black Beauty, Tarzan, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, the Wizard of Oz series... 

And then Daniel won a drawing in the school book fair. He got to pick any book he wanted, up to $15 value. We hadn't heard of the one above, but it looked promising. It had a cute cover, interesting-enough story line, and the kid on the front even looked a little like Daniel to me.

I didn't expect much from it, but I hadn't gotten through the first chapter before I felt jealous of the writing. The kids were irritated when I would stop reading in the middle of a critical scene to comment on some gem of a phrase or description. 

That, plus they didn't want to wait 24 hours to know what happened next. It was mutiny on the couch. What could I do?

They drew straws to see who got to read it first. Within a couple of days all three kids had finished it and I finally got my turn. I'm sure I was through it within a day or two, also.

There was no going back after that. We tried to rendezvous over a book a few more times, but they'd had their taste of independence: our Reading Hour fizzled to an end.

All because of Harry Potter.

With each new HP book, the scenario repeated itself... drawing straws, all-night reading sessions, keeping your lips sealed until everyone had read the book. (You could hear the sigh of relief after I closed the book - I was always last.)

Meanwhile, my kids grew and grew and grew. HP movies were made and we'd dutifully buy our tickets and watch them, but we were never satisfied. Admittedly, I always enjoyed them because I've never been able to remember details of books as well as my kids - they're harsh critics, let me tell you! I raised a fine litter of critical reader-geeks!

With that in mind, we didn't rush to be the first in line to see the final HP movie. It was one excuse, at least. Can you guess my other excuse? I hated to say goodbye. 

Yes, the book was finished long ago. I shed my tears back then, said goodbye to the characters, but I knew this movie was really the final goodbye to that era - an era of faces buried deep into books and kids who were shorter than me... of long summer days full of discussions about plot and character, good and evil. 

But I couldn't resist any longer - today I sat with my two twenty-something-year-old kids who'd known Harry and company half their lives... who'd grown up with Harry and Hermione and Ron... munching tons of popcorn and Milk Duds, reliving the last decade while watching the end unfold before me... the end of an era.

(Guess what we did after the movie? Dropped into Half-Price Books, of course!)

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

And now, my Friday Favorite Photo, totally unrelated to Harry Potter. My crape myrtle is getting closer and closer to blossoming... I feared it had changed its mind due to lack of rain, but then I noticed this bud... I think it's going to make it!

 Hope you had a wonderful, magical Friday!

 

 

 

Just Three Things (and a Friday Favorite Photo)

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

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

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

First...

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

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

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

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

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

Second...

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

Third...

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

Here's the link: Noreen Update.

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

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

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

 

 

 

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!

 

Indie Friendlie

If you're interested in film - especially independent film - pay attention...

One of my creative friends, Byron Tully, is part of a new project,"Indie Friendlie", a weekly television program "created to give independent filmmakers an outlet for their work to be seen and for the public to learn about them", according to the website, http://indiefriendlie.com/.

The show is for those filmmakers who work on a shoestring without the benefit of an advertising budget or marketing campaign - it's an opportunity to give them the publicity they need and expose the rest of us to talent we wouldn't otherwise know about.

Tully and his Indie Friendlie partner, Weatherford Bradley, both have years of experience in the film industry and are using that experience now to help other creative filmmakers. 

The show will begin airing on May 1 in a very limited area. Go to the website to find out where and how you might be able to see it wherever you are. (Click HERE.)

While they've shot several episodes, they're at the tough part: fund raising for post production - all the editing, graphics, and music to polish them up for broadcast.

If you feel this is something you can help with, take a look at their Kickstarter page to find out how. (Click HERE.)

Here's a short video with more information... 

 

Indie Friendlie Promo from Indie Friendlie on Vimeo.

Way to go, Tully! Good luck!!

Weekend Arrivals

After a rowdy, adventurous beginning, Spring Break opted to slow things down with a hammock-napping final weekend. (Just a figure of speech - our hammock met its demise, with the help of Belle, last spring or so. I need to remind Tom to put that on his Craig's List, um, list.)

So we didn't actually nap in the hammock, but we did rock on the porches, play lazy ping-pong, take lots of walks with the dogs, and watch tons of movies. A perfect weekend! (I've listed all the movies we watched at the bottom, if you're interested.)

Besides Daniel and TG, look what else made an appearance in the Hollow this weekend...

Crape Myrtle buds, colorful promises...

...beautiful Blue Gilia...

...the kids' collections of porcelain, handpainted Easter Eggs, treasured gifts from my mother ...she didn't paint them, but for more than 21 years tracked down artists who would...

...and the Super Moon, like a bright orange cherry smack dab on top of this perfect weekend (more super moon photos HERE at Confessions.)

And now, the movies...

Thursday night , we watched "Zombieland" ... definitely not for weak stomachs (it's about zombies, after all) but creative and my kind of goofy-funny spoof ... which is why I can't figure out why it triggered the first nightmare I've had in years!

Friday night I snoozed through "Lord of War", a depressing Nicholas Cage movie. (He's an arms dealer, depressing enough, but I felt the end had a mixed message.)

We watched a few gems though. Have you seen "City Island" with Andy Garcia? According to IMDb it came out in 2009, but I don't remember hearing anything about it. I thought it was sweet and funny. We watched that Saturday night, then I stayed up with Daniel and TG to watch Kurt Russell battle "The Thing" (TG had never seen it.)

Okay, I confess I snoozed a little through it, too, but stayed wide awake all the way through the next feature (a triple feature night!) - "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" with Neil Patrick Harris. (Among other things, this is what I love about my kids, how they introduce me to funny stuff I'd never know about without them!)

If you haven't yet seen Dr. Horrible - and you like creative, slightly silly stuff - you need to watch it. It's short, only about 45 minutes. In fact, it's so short, we sat through it one more time Sunday night, after watching "Time Bandits". (Dr. Horrible is much better and a third as long. No offense, Time Bandits groupies.)

 

 

My Cup of Tea

Growing up in Texas, my memories of tea don't involve delicate cups and saucers, but instead revolve around Mama's fresh brewed sweet tea, served ice cold in tall jelly glasses.

The only thing I drank hot from a cup was coffee or hot chocolate, and any knowledge of "tea time" came from one of my favorite scenes in "Mary Poppins", when Julie Andrews pours while teetering around Uncle Albert's floating table (If you don't know what the heck I'm talking about, do yourself a favor and watch the clip at the bottom of this post.) 

Anyway, despite my inexperience, I've always had a weakness for vintage china and teapots: the delicate artwork, the originality, the shapes. And thanks to friends and relatives, I've accumulated a wonderful collection. I have music box teapots, silver teapots, and novelty teapots, china sets handed down from grandmothers, and (bless her!) Tom's mom's collection of teacups. Or, at least I think they're tea cups. How can you tell the difference between tea cups and coffee cups? Oh, well, they're pretty and unusual and that's all that matters to me.

Here are a few others, treasured heirlooms, not because they're worth anything monetarily (they probably aren't!) but because of their connections to people I love...

my wedding china, and yes, I've used it...

But as much as I admire them, this is what I prefer for my coffee... it's pretty, but the important thing is, it's BIG!

Here are few other things on my Cup of Tea list besides tea cups, teapots and coffee:

• time with friends and family (especially Tom and the kids!)
• dancing
• the beach (all seasons, all weather, all times of the day or night)
• reading and writing
• rocking on my porch, watching the birds
• walking the dogs
• watching movies
• scratching things off of my to-do list...

...and that's what I'm planning to do today. In fact, I'll probably fit all of the above in today, except for the beach. But maybe I can slip down to the lake for a bit - that should be on my list, too, anyway.

So, tell me ... what's on your Cup of Tea list?

Oh, I almost forgot this one ... as promised, here's the laughing/tea scene from "Mary Poppins" - it's definitely on my Cup of Tea list! If you can watch this without at least one chuckle ... well, I'd be very disappointed in you, and we might not even be friends anymore! So just don't tell me - I'd hate to lose you.

 

This is my contribution to Jillsy Girl's Prompt Me! (Did you guess the prompt is "My Cup of Tea"?) Jump on the Blog Hop Below, or just click on the images to see the other contributions.

 

"I don't want to work. I just want to bang on the drum all day." - Todd Rundgren

I spend a lot of time on things I enjoy ... walking through the Hollow, writing, photography, running, dancing, watching movies, reading, connecting with friends ... 

But there's one thing I do purely for fun. 

 

It benefits no one but myself. It's not something I can do with anyone else, like walking or dancing or watching Glee.  

It's not part of any goal or dream, like writing or photography. I don't harbor any fantasies of ever being any good - much less playing in a band one day! I'm starting to wonder if I can even improve at all!

 

Although it would seem to have some health benefits (it can be a pretty good workout and it's a great stress reliever!) they're canceled out by the racket that I'm sure is damaging my ears (and yes, mom, I wear ear plugs.) 

I don't learn anything from playing them.

No, wait. I do learn something.

 

I learn that even if I don't get any better, even if I can't multi-task while banging the drums, even if no one benefits from the time I spend on that little black stool, it's okay. 

It's okay to play just for the fun of it.

 

 

This is my contribution to Focus 52, a creative project sponsored by Jan at twoscoopz. This week the word is Play. Easy one for me! Banging the drums is pure play for me - I've tried, but can't think of any other motive with which to justify the time!

Click on the link HERE to check out the other contributions, but first (just for fun!) take a look at this great video sent to me by my friend George. I only hope to be this good one day. But if I never am, that's okay, too... (will someone send me some blue drumsticks?)

 

Pink Skies, Random Thoughts

Pink clouds, pink skies have greeted my ascension to the dirt road the past two mornings ... a nice change from the woolen grays and mist that have been waiting up there for me lately.

I've noticed that a pink sky or one filled with clouds that look dipped in pink-orange paint lighten my heart and make me feel like anything at all is possible that day, and even if the day doesn't turn out quite as great as I thought it would, the memory of that sunrise gets me through it.

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

 

"The King's Speech" is an awesome movie! If I had ten thumbs, they'd all be UP! You'd think a movie about a speech therapist and his patient would be boring, but this one kept me hooked the whole time.

There are no glitches in the screenplay whatsoever - it flows so smoothly you forget it's a movie! The acting , photography, dialogue, everything ... flawless!  

Add a pre-movie dinner with dear friends, a bag of fresh movie popcorn and a few pieces of chocolate, and you've got yourself one fantastic Wednesday night!

Well, I had myself one fantastic Wednesday night, anyway...

 

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Hubby's having surgery for a deviated septum tomorrow morning - the result of his accident back in '98 wherein his face was split open and this amazing plastic surgeon welded his nose back together.

We're hoping the surgery helps with Tom's headaches. Please say a prayer for him.

 

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

 

Life is unfair. I already knew this, of course, but I had a fresh course in the lesson today. Briefly... a couple of years ago a dump truck slammed into my sister's car. I mean slammed, as in he wasn't paying attention and didn't see that she'd had to stop and he didn't apply any brakes at all.

Miraculously and thankfully, she wasn't hurt. But instead of checking to see if she was okay or apologizing, he immediately started trying to squirm out of the blame - his business was at risk, after all.

Well, thank goodness witnesses were around and he had to pay for the damages, etc.

His trial finally came around today, but the prosecutor (a volunteer! have you ever heard of that?) didn't present the accident report or bring up the fact that the driver's insurance had paid for my sister's car. He didn't have any evidence ready at all - he just used my sister's photographs!

To the jury it was a "he said - she said" case, so I can't really blame them for finding the guy not guilty, I guess. But shame on the driver and shame on the prosecutor. And let this be a warning to all of you in Houston that thanks to the prosecutor and the jury, this guy is still out on the road. It makes me wonder how many other cases go through the court system like this, where a volunteer prosecutor doesn't feel a case is worth the time it takes to do it right.

 

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

 

Remember Mam-ma's piano?

It turns out my mother isn't that eager to get rid of it - she just wants it out of her livingroom, but didn't want to impose on anyone by asking us to move it back into Mam-ma's room. (deep sigh.)

So next time we're there, we're moving it. And I've asked my mom to make a list of everything else she would like done - I think I've convinced her we'd love to do whatever we can and help out however we can and it would make us happy and we won't feel imposed upon at all.

But I might have to come out with a "you never let me...!" to get my way. (It always worked when I was growing up!)

 

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

 

Okay, what the heck is up with mascara these days? Is it just me? I have tried every brand, every type (within my budget, that is) and no matter how much they proclaim not to clump or flake, I can't find one single tube of mascara that doesn't do one or the other or both. This latest one I bought makes me look like Liza Minnelli, for goodness sake, it's so thick and clumpy, despite promises on the package to do neither. Any suggestions out there? 

 

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

 

Today is my sweet friend Darla's birthday - Darla, my Secret Santa from last year, deserving star of "Late Love is from Heaven" and gracious hostess of my best birthday party ever, and I missed celebrating with her tonight because of another obligation I had to fulfill - attending a city council meeting, of all things.

Yes, instead of toasting my friend with a yummy margarita, I was sitting in a small room listening to small town politicians twist facts, but at least ultimately (thanks to an important clear-headed few and the democratic process) the vote went our way, which made me feel a teensy bit better about missing the celebration.  

And the margarita.

But just a teensy bit.

Happy birthday, Darla! I'll celebrate with you soon! (When you're over 50, it's okay to keep celebrating all year long...)

 

 ************************************

 

And now here are a couple of videos I feel the need to share. The first is "Phoenix Burn" by Alpha Rev, a group from Austin. It's just the lyrics set to music - I couldn't find a real video. Sorry! But the song has been haunting me for a few weeks - thank goodness it always lifts me up! But I love these lines: 

I wanna push through the undiscovered
Find my answers, leave them uncovered
I wanna speak out what I believe in
That love will heal us, give us our freedom
I wanna see what's on the horizon
Change directions, stop the fightin
I need to find a way of letting it go
When everything falls apart...

 

 

And this is one Tom just showed to me - it's a single dad and his daughter. Guaranteed to put a smile on your face! 

It's Christmas Eve-Eve

Up until today, I've managed to miss out on all of that holiday stress that's hitting so many people.

We're not really doing gifts, so I haven't worried about that. Lord knows we don't need all the calories from fresh baked cookies, so I haven't started baking yet (we'd eat them all, and I'd have to bake more and more and more...) I haven't had time to work on Christmas cards, so I gave myself permission to procrastinate on those, too.

But now my time's up. There are zillions of things I want to do and zillions of things I need to do, and I've barely touched any of them!!

Even though there aren't many gifts, they still need to be wrapped. And it's now or never for the cookies and cards. I had big productive plans today, but they turned into a crumbly mess, so I did what any card-carrying procrastinator would do in such a situation -  just swept them all onto tomorrow. 

Because 2/3 of the kids are here now, and the third is on his way. That's all I wanted for Christmas, and I'm getting my gift early.

Daniel is grilling chicken while I play here at the computer. After dinner, my top priority is watching "The Jerk" with the kids. I discovered quite by accident the other day that Daniel wasn't familiar with some of the key scenes! How have I been so lax in my parental duties?! So I'm making up for it tonight. (Besides, I'll have better luck getting them to watch "The Jerk" with me than "It's a Wonderful Life", and that's what it's all about, you know, being with them.)

After the movie, if there's time, I'll finish up the Christmas cards, so tomorrow, I'll just need to hit the grocery store, bake cookies, mail the cards (the post office will be open, right?), wrap gifts ... and finally, attend Mass, where I'll be reminded that all I really needed to do was give thanks and not dwell on all of this stressful stuff.

So Peace and Merry Christmas Eve-Eve to you! I'm including this video, A Social Network Christmas, in case you haven't seen it yet ... hope you enjoy it as much as I did! (Where do these people find time to do things like this?)

 

 

 

I Love Boxing and other confessions

I love boxing.

There. I said it.

I'm a pacifist - I hate arguments, much less fighting, but for some very strange reason, I've always loved watching professional boxing matches. When I was little, I watched every match that came on TV. My favorites were Cassius Clay and his alter ego, Mohammed Ali, as well as Sugar Ray Leonard.

Now here's another confession. Tom and I discovered tonight that we have two copies of Cinderella Man for some reason, but neither of us remembered watching it.

Turns out, we hadn't. So we did. And oh my gosh, I love this movie! Have you seen it? Of course you have, because it's been out for ages! 

But bear with me because I just saw it for the first time. It's my new favorite Russell Crowe movie, knocking Gladiator to second place.

I love it because it gives me hope - Tom and I are broke, but this reminded me how bad things got for people during the Depression...at least some people. I think my relatives were already pretty broke and they were farmers, so they tightened up a little, but it wasn't such a drastic difference.

And yes, I realize this is just a movie, and I'm sure it's dramatized, but it's based on a true story, and I appreciated how Jim Braddock and his wife stuck together, didn't let the bad times drive them apart. They held on, stayed optimistic, did what they could to make it through each and every day.

I also appreciate what a wonderful screenplay this was, written by Cliff Hollingsworth; I had heard of Max Baer (remember Jethro from the Beverly Hillbillies? He was Max Baer's son, and I was a champion at Trivial Pursuit back in the '80's) but I had never heard of Jim Braddock. The screenwriter counted on this and led me down several realistic paths even though I know the usual tricks of the trade, so I was biting my nails, wondering how it was going to end.

And then there was the boxing - I had forgotten how much I like boxing matches. They never show them on TV anymore, at least not regular TV, and I couldn't tell you who the champs are today. I'm still stuck in the 60's and 70's. But tonight I questioned myself...why the heck do I like to watch guys pounding on each other in front of an audience so much? It just doesn't make sense...but I do. There you have it.

Is there anyone else out there who is a pacifist at heart, but enjoys watching a good round of boxing? Let me know, and also let me know what you think about this movie, if you've seen it (and of course you have!)

Gettin' my squint on...

Tom and I did it. We finally dressed up for Halloween after so many party-pooper years.

Now, mind you, we didn't spend a lot of forethought on these costumes...

But today I was grateful that I'm a procrastinating hoarder; I was afraid I had thrown away the shoe box full of Halloween makeup, a collection gathered over two decades, now that our nest is empty. But I scrounged around and found it in my storage room, on top of the glue sticks and beside the crayons. (Cleaning out that storage room is on one of my to-do lists lying around here. I'm glad I haven't gotten to it, either!) 

So with a copy of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly on the counter beside me as a model, I grew myself a black beard, mustache and matching heavy eyebrows with black creme colour, donned a western shirt my grandmother made me in the '80's (still hanging in my closet), pulled on my skinny jeans, some Rocket Dog boots, the serape/pancho from yesterday's post, one of Tom's hats, added a good squint, and Whoa! I was the spitting image of Clint Eastwood. Sort of. With blonde hair.

But it's pretty dang close, don't you think? (I'm clean out of cigars, so I chewed on a pencil. 'Cause I'm a writer. Get it?)

Tom just had to dive into his closet and scrounge a bit in one of the kids' rooms for a whip (the kids may be mostly gone, but not all of their stuff) and Holy Ancient History! he turned into Indiana Jones!

So, dressed (warmly) as two of Hollywood's most famous leading men, we ventured out into the dark to a Halloween Party in the woods, where we took a "haunted" hike up the hill, visited with other characters, ate lots of chocolate and then slipped away part way through Paranormal Activity because, it turns out, Clint Eastwood doesn't like scary movies. Who knew? 

Happy Halloween from Indy and Clint, everyone!

(You know, squinting is harder than it looks!)

So...what will you be for Halloween?

Do you still dress up for Halloween? 

On our first Halloween together, Tom and I dressed as Frankenstein (Tom, of course) and a little girl from the village (me) for a co-worker's party. His was a recycled costume from a previous Halloween, but he went all out...he even had platform shoes to make him tower above me. EEEK!!!

My costume was just what I wore for high school Senior Kid Day...yawn...

Another year, for another party, we dressed as devils. Not so cute. No pictures, thank goodness. But we made a comeback another year as Indiana Jones (me) and a native (Tom). No pictures that year, either....we had kids by then. 

We always scrounged for costumes, recycling old clothes. Too cheap and too lazy to rent anything for one night.

We haven't dressed up in years. Just the idea of trying to think of something kind of tires me out!

I'm trying to remember the last time I donned some sort of costume for Halloween...I think it was when I manned the city library booth at the elementary school Fall Festival. I threw on a sombrero and serape (garage sale find and vacation souvenir, respectively), and that was that.

I was so hot! No, not sexy hot, but sweaty hot...imagine wearing a wool blanket in a gym full of excited little kids. See?

Gosh, that was over a decade ago! 

We've been invited to a Halloween party in the woods this weekend - costume optional. I'm trying to decide if we're going to dig around in the dress-up box for alter egos or just be party-poopers.

 It's supposed to be chilly tonight - maybe I'll go find that serape. I could throw on a cowboy hat, some jeans and boots, and squint like Clint Eastwood...

If you're like me, still trying to decide, take a look at this hilarious video, sent to me by my costume-creative friend above, Kim...

 

Something's wrong here...

Our oldest, Tommy, and his girlfriend, Kirby, came in last night. We had a fun evening - spent some time talking on the front porch... Tom fixed fajitas... Tommy mixed up some "Red-Headed Bitch" margaritas (the mix was one of Kirby's graduation gifts) that tasted a lot like cherry sno-cones... and then we watched a movie (The Men Who Stare at Goats... it was entertaining, but I'm glad I didn't pay full price at the theater to see it.)

But then today...I'm not sure how this happened, but it's a beautiful Saturday and the kids are all off tubing the San Marcos River while Tom and I are left at home puppy-sitting  and doing chores!

We made sure the pups had a fun day, anyway.

Breakfast (our grandpuppy Josie, Belle, Max)

Taking a break in the shade (Max and neighbor Haley, Belle and Josie)

Playing at the "water-park"

A tired walk home

If the time ever comes, I think we'll make good grandparents.

 

 

It's Wednesday Eve!

It's only Tuesday, but it feels like this week is lasting forever! Just when I thought I had everything all organized in my head, a schedule figured out, a game plan in place on how to tackle my to-do lists AND my book AND get some sleep (AND have some fun!), life reminded me that survival is all about flexibility. Glass balls shatter when they slip out of place - rubber ones bounce.

I am going to bounce, baby. I'm not giving up that easily!

But I am so happy that tomorrow is Wednesday. It's going to be jam-packed, but I will get to bed on time - that's a promise to myself.

Thursday will be another busy day, but it will be Weekend-Eve... the day before I get to see all my kids (actually they're kind of iffy on it, still, but I'm staying positive and hopeful.)

I'll still have some work to do around here (and don't tell them, but I think their Daddy has some projects he needs help with) but I'm hoping to fit in some funny movies, walks on the property... maybe I'll get lucky and it'll cool down enough for ping-pong or just hanging out on the porch, talking.

What would really be fun is to make a funny video like the one below - I discovered it on my friend Juana's blog. It's her nephew, his wife and their teenage girls - they have a whole series of them on You Tube!

My kids would never do this, and especially not with me and Tom. The closest thing I have is a video of TG and Daniel's energetic lip sync performance to Livin' La Vida Loca several years ago (move over, Ricky Martin!) complete with costume changes, dancing, you name it. It's hilarious, but unfortunately, I can't show it to you here, much less post it on You Tube. Another one of those promises. In fact, I have to keep the tape highly guarded - there have been threats to its life!

But I can show you this one by the Longostatikz. I'm not even related to them and I think it's funny! (Click here to see more of the Longostatikz on Juana's blog, or check them out on You Tube!)

Happy Wednesday Eve!

 

<

Belated Friday Favorites...

This day has just been a repeat of the whole week, trying to cram as much in as possible. And without revealing too much (I'm saving it for another post), I'll just quote Bert in "Mary Poppins": "Wind's in the east, mist comin' in. Like something is brewin' about to begin... " That's how my life is feeling these days. Exciting. Ominous. Confusing. Exhausting. Hopeful. Depressing.

I refuse to let it bring me down, though. I'm keeping the faith and even now, right this minute, I have a smile on my face.

Back to this day, though. There were the Pre-Work things... then there was Work... then after work the Girl and I finished up our Sorority List Scavenger Hunt; I think we finally scratched the last items off of the list. I didn't stay in college long enough to join a sorority, and I probably wouldn't have anyway, but I keep an open mind about them and can see the positive aspects of being a member. Then there are times I have to just bite my tongue, play along and remind myself I'm not the one paying for it.

Anyway, despite the frantic searching and long hours we've spent chasing bargains, I've enjoyed this time with the Girl. When you're with someone you love, it really doesn't matter what you're doing, right? It's all about spending that time, having those conversations, sharing the private jokes.

I made a bee-line for the bathroom and the refrigerator when we got home, in that order, then she and I carried our plates downstairs to watch a movie with Tom: Kiss-Ass. It's one Daniel recommended at Walmart last week, but I really didn't have an interest in watching it until Tom told me he thought I'd like it. He already watched it once, but liked it enough to sit through it again.

And he was right - I did like it! It's a cross between Mystery Men and Kill Bill. Yeah, a strange combination, but it has innocence woven through the violence. Definitely violence, and I could have done without so much, but the screenplay is tight, the world it creates and the characters living in it are believable, original and sympathetic... I enjoyed it!

And that's my excuse for posting my Friday Favorite Photos on Saturday morning. I was busy with Life.

But here they are now... ("they" because I can never pick just one!)

First, this one of Belle. She hops through the tall grass, springing around like Christopher Robbin's Tigger, but it's so hard to capture it with my camera. She's so fast! This was close, this one of her standing up like a prairie dog, looking over the top of the grass toward Max...

Then there's this one of Max, with the big grin on his face. He's still limping big-time, poor puppy, but this week he's been so frisky and happy, and whatever is making him limp doesn't keep him from running and playing with Belle and Haley. It warms my heart when I see him smile like this, and makes me feel we did the right thing getting him a puppy...

I finally captured another shot of a butterfly! We have them darting around, but they won't stay in one spot long enough to get a picture. This one acquiesced; I didn't have my zoom, so it's not a great photograph, but I'm still happy about it!

And of course, this one of me and Daniel is a favorite of the week. It's not very good of either of us, but that's not the main thing. What it reminds me of is a weekend with Daniel, hanging out, watching movies, walking the dogs, just talking. Priceless.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend full of beautiful moments, frozen or not!

 

Truths

I've been busy all afternoon, taming the piles of laundry and bills that were taking over the house. I'd much rather have spent the afternoon writing or watching movies with the kids or taking the dogs for a walk, but even procrastinators have limits of what they can ignore.

Tom is laid out flat on our bed - he pulled something in his back during a team-building exercise for work on Friday: bowling! Thank goodness his back waited until the end of his last game to rebel. At least he had a little fun!

I thought I'd take a break from bills and laundry to share this, though. I'm not sure who originally wrote it -  my friend Cliff emailed it to me... he's kept me laughing since our first DuPont days - but I thought it was too funny and true not to pass on. Hope you enjoy it!

 

                                            TRUTHS FOR MATURE ADULTS
 
- I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
- Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realise you're wrong.
- I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
- There is great need for a sarcasm font.
- How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? (actually, if you're not sure, watch the video I included below.)
- Was learning cursive really necessary?
- Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighbourhood.
- Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
- I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
- Bad decisions make good stories.
- You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
- Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection... again.
- I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this - ever.
- I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voice mail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
- I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
- I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
- I disagree with Kay Jewellers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.
- I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
- Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realise I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.
- I would rather try to carry 10 over-loaded plastic bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.
- The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.
- I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
- Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
- Is it just me or do high school kids get dumber and dumber every year?
- There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.
- As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate bicyclists.
- Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.
- Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

Now, for those of you who don't know how to fold a fitted sheet... watch and learn! 

While I was on vacation...

Just as I suspected, I spent several hours catching up on e-mails last night. (Or trying to, at least. I was behind before I even left for vacation last week.)

Two of them really stood out - enough that I decided to share them here, before I start boring everyone with vacation pictures and stories.

The first was from my friend Jeannie (Spanish teacher turned Honduran missionary)... her latest newsletter. I intended to create a page for all of her newsletters, but just haven't gotten around to it yet. Nevertheless, please take the time to read it here: Download Jeannie's July 2010 newsletter. The work she is doing, and witnessing others doing, is amazing and inspiring. 

The second was from a friend whose sister-in-law, a neonatal nurse named Lorna Scott, has been nominated to be Mitchum's Hardest Working Person in America. He included a short video about her, inviting us to vote for her. I'm including the video here, but invite you to go here and vote for her by clicking the 'thumbs up' symbol under the video. (I can't imagine taking care of babies this small! What a blessing to them and to their parents that Lorna can and does.)

It's Memorial Day

Like many other Americans, I've been zipping around this weekend, celebrating graduations and friendships. This afternoon I'll be relaxing lakeside and sipping on a frozen margarita. But over it all, I'm trying to keep in mind the Big Reason for this holiday - remembering those who gave their lives to keep our country free, or to aid other countries in their quest for freedom, and those who currently serve, putting their lives at risk for the same reason.

A friend of mine posted this video on Facebook. I felt it was a good visual reminder of what Memorial Day really means. Please take a few minutes to watch it and say a prayer of thanks with me. 

Goodbye to LOST

 

It's sad - very sad - but I made sure I left my parents' house by 1:30 this afternoon so I could be home in time to watch the whole LOST finale. 

My son Tommy doesn't understand our fascination with LOST - he says it's silly, that they never answer any questions, just keep creating more, and I can't argue with him. I've said the same thing myself. 

So why am I so hooked?

Well, for one thing, I'm a geek. I'm a sucker for the mysteries, the allusions, the symbolism. I'm a Lord of the Rings, Narnia, Ender's Game fanatic. Add Sawyer's cute dimples and shirtless scenes, and there you go. 

But here I am at the end of the series, and I'm so disappointed. The last 30 minutes were like a flush of a toilet. Like the writers just got tired and said to hell with it all, we can't fix it.

But I forgive them. It's just a television show, after all. They gave me so many hours of entertainment, kept me on the edge of my seat, had me wondering what the heck was going on - for years now - so I'll cut 'em some slack. 

Because when it's all said and done, they gave me characters - characters that were layered, layered, layered. Characters that were believable because they were so flawed. That's what's kept me coming back every week, waiting to see what happened. Despite their weaknesses, they learned to pull the best out of themselves. They loved each other, they connected, they believed in each other. They learned to believe in themselves. To forgive themselves.

It's been a lesson in writing...  a lesson in characterization, story and plot. 

But more than that, it's been a lesson in life.

Loose Ends, Apologies and Clarifications

I owe my kids an apology. I implied in XOXO Nina Barbara that they were slackers in the Mother's Day department. I didn't intend to, but nonetheless, reading back over it now, I understand why my sweet Tommy slipped a pressed flower into the card he sent me with a note explaining "I couldn't let Nicole out-do me, so here's a flower."

It's a pretty little flower, but the gesture was totally unnecessary; he, Daniel and the Girl chipped in for something I've been yearning for ... another pair of Chaco sandals. I splurged on a pair in Gruene two years ago (our anniversary served as the excuse that time) and have practically worn them out. Chaco Flips don't look like anything special, but they fit and support these old aching feet of mine perfectly ... and match my wardrobe! If you have plantar fasciitis, you need to try a pair. Trust me.

Thank you, sweet kids!

I also felt, after writing yesterday's post  about the hospital time warp, that I should mention all of the wonderful caretakers we met there ... the nurse who scrounged up a pair of scrubs pants to make my dear one more comfortable ... the emergency room doctor who thought outside the box when test results weren't fitting together ... the admitting surgeon who did all he could to avoid surgery, covered all the bases and seemed reluctant to let us go without knowing for sure what it was ... the "mother nurse" who came by to visit, to answer questions and put my dear one at ease about the potential surgery and ended up inspiring both of us with her story: she suffered a stroke several years ago - wasn't supposed to even be able to walk again - and decided life was too short to not go after a passion. She took a class in making jewelry and started a business.  Scrambling for a name for her new business, the perfect one hit her: MySCAL (My Second Chance at Life). She wore an example - a beautiful fused glass pin. 

Some other loose ends ...

*At the Texas Music Awards in Marshall last weekend the Shake Russell Trio won Vocal Group of the Year. I still believe Shake should have also won Entertainer of the Year, but I'm happy the group was at least recognized. Click here to see all of the recipients.

*My sister sent me this link about Guinea Fowl after my last post about Frankie and his strange behavior. If you're a Frankie fan, you should read it. It turns out, they mate for life and can die of broken hearts. Poor Frankie.

*Don't forget BlogHer has these fantastic give-aways where, just by commenting on a post, you're entered into a random drawing for hundreds of dollars in gift cards. I have one on my reviews/contest blog right now! Click here and tell me who in your life is the yin to your yang for a chance at a $100 Visa gift card. The contest ends June 3.

*As if taking care of my family, working, blogging, writing a book and practicing my drums weren't enough to fill my spare time, I've joined a Flickr group - "The Blog Camp 365 in 2010 Project."

What that means is I'm taking photographs, playing around with the editing, and uploading one to the group page every day. Oh, and I'm looking at everyone else's photos, commenting on them and learning tons and tons about photography while I'm at it. I'm trying to figure out how to add a link to my "One-A-Days" on this blog, but for some reason, I just haven't had time to do it yet. Keep an eye out for it, but in the meantime, I'll just post a few of mine here ... 

  

 

*The latest edition of my missionary friend Jeannie's newsletter arrived this week. In it she writes "...without electricity I eat cold food, take cold showers, have no internet or TV - in short, nothing in my house works but my cell phone, which I keep charged up, just in case. I also shower at night if I have electricity, to avoid a possible cold shower in the morning if there's no power. I've learned to do things at a slower pace and to adjust to a life with uncertainty." She goes on to say "... we're in what's called a false winter here. That means the weather is acting like the rainy season, even though it's a month early. Farmers have to decide whether to plant now or at the traditional time. They're both risky, but they have to make a decision. Many are out of food provisions for the year and an early start means they will have food sooner, if the rain keeps on. If it doesn't, the newly sprouted corn will dry up and die and they will lose this year's crop..."

I've tried getting her to convert her newsletter into a blog format, but she has too many she needs to mail it to. Plus, she's kinda busy ... So I'm trying to figure out a way to post her newsletter on my blog, just to help get the word out about her work. Keep an eye out for it, too!

*And last but not least, I spotted this on the news this week - a 94-year-old woman earned her college degree. That means there's still hope for me!

     

I Will Not Think About Food Today

I will not think about food today.

I will not think about the crunchy, dry-roasted peanuts I always have mid-morning ... or the healthy salmon salad and triscuits I'd probably have for lunch ... the Sweet 'n Salty Almond granola bar ... the sweet Clementine oranges ... the almonds  ... the banana ... the slice of cheese ... the steak, chicken or pork chops Tom would grill for dinner ...

That's what was already running through my head on my morning walk with the critters. I tried hard to switch my brain over to my surroundings - to the sunlight stretching from one horizon to the next over my head, leaving the Hollow bathed in soft light ... to the clear blue sky above, tattooed with a half moon ... to the new reddish-orange wildflowers joining the ranks of the yellows, whites and purples ... 

I've probably said it before, perhaps even in another season, but right now, today, this is my favorite time of year. Cool mornings that require a light jacket and warm afternoons that remind you of beaches. Clear skies, sunshine, soft breezes.

But even in the midst of this beauty, my stomach already started grumbling and my mind turned back to food and what I won't be able to eat today.

I'm not good with not eating. I eat all day long, every two or three hours. I keep a bag of almonds with me because when my hunger pangs hit, they hit hard. I feel sick. I need to eat right then, and that's all I can think about.

No, I'm not looking forward to today, this day of preparation before my Happy 50th Birthday Colonoscopy. The test itself doesn't worry me. I'm grateful for this technology, for the chance to catch a potential problem. It's this not eating bit and the "internal cleansing" that I dread with every pore of my being.

Today, when thoughts of food pop into my head and my stomach feels like it's turning on itself, I'll try to think instead of all the people in the world, way too many, who never have enough to eat, who would be grateful for the broth I'll be having for lunch, and I'll say a prayer for them.

Tonight, when I'm catching up on all of my bathroom reading, wink-wink, I'll also spend some time thinking and praying for my friends who are at this minute fighting colon cancer; I'll give thanks for the advances in medicine that help catch and treat cancer before it gets a good toehold, and for our health insurance that makes it affordable.

I'll also give thanks for friends who are helping me laugh about the whole thing. Mary reminded me about Dave Barry's classic, "A Journey into My Colon - and Yours" and Kim shared the clip below. Think of me as you're laughing ... (and if you're over 50 but haven't had your colonoscopy yet, schedule it now!!)

Have I mentioned that I'm hungry?

A Two out of Three, Lazy Weekend

I needed a weekend like this with days that weren't overfilled, but not so open that I simply drifted through the hours, finding myself on the other side with nothing whatsoever done. 

The weather the past few days has been perfect, just what I hope to find in heaven - blue skies ... temperatures warm enough for shorts but not for sweat, and dropping enough to need a light jacket once the sun goes down. 

Daniel came home this weekend; it was time to do laundry, but I think he also just likes being home for a change ... playing with the puppies, reading in the hammock. I picked him up Friday afternoon and on the way home, we made a quick run into Target to get the "Crazy Heart" DVD. So you know what we did when we got home ... (I love that movie ... it was just as good the second time.)

This past week I started getting up at 4 AM again to work on my book; I gave up trying to squeeze more time out of the day anywhere else. Consequently, I slept later Saturday morning than I have in months. I cannot describe how wonderful that felt. The only thing on my agenda was taking the Girl shopping - almost always a fun way to spend the day if I'm not rushed for time and we manage to find what we need on clearance racks. I'm blessed with frugal kids who know how to sniff out the bargains and sales and know their way around a discount store. 

We had time to stop for an early Mexican food dinner and later she introduced me to Yo-Yo's frozen yogurt: first you get a taste of everything in these teensy sample cups, then fill a large cup with the cheesecake- and strawberry-flavored yogurt (we agree they're the best), topped with chunks of real cheesecake and mini-chocolate and caramel candies. Decadent, but so good!

Six hours later, both of us exhausted, I dropped her back off at her dorm. She had found what she needed, more or less, and I had found what I didn't really need but couldn't pass up because it was so cheap!

Back home, I settled down to watch the last half of Avatar with Daniel and Tom, but started snoozing before it was even over. I guess I hadn't quite caught up on my sleep.

Sunday was late Mass and the grocery store and planting color - calla lilies not far from the pond ... a deep pink blooming miniature rose bush, pink periwinkles and geraniums in the bed at the top of the walkway. (I'm a lazy gardener - I dig a hole and plop them in with a prayer and a can of water - but I hope these live. Periwinkles and roses remind me of my grandmothers; geraniums remind me of my mother. I even went back to the calla lilies today with the watering can.)

Sunday was also a little dose of "Flight of the Conchords" with Daniel - one of those shows you need to share with someone who enjoys it as much as you do. I only watch it when Daniel's home. Tom just doesn't appreciate how funny it is!

This morning, the alarm went off again at 4 AM - another Monday so soon? I rolled out of bed, trying not to disturb Tom, and stepped out of the bedroom. Moonlight splashed across the living room floor, rewarding my determination and dedication. It was almost as if the moon was cheering me on, encouraging me, giving me a pat on the back for sticking to it. Not a bad way to start a Monday after all. Even if it's starting at 4 AM.

Scavenger Hunt!

Back when I was in junior high, no slumber party was complete without a scavenger hunt, when you divided up into teams going door to door through the neighborhood gathering up things like safety pins and matchboxes from Taco Bueno. The first team to gather everything on the list won.

One specific scavenger hunt stands out in my mind ...

 ... It was Colleen Walker's slumber party. My team was working our way down Grant Street, I believe, when our knock on one door was answered by Quentin from Dark Shadows. I swear it was Quentin. It looked just like him, sideburns and all. 

 

 

We all gasped and took a step back. He just gazed at us; we were entranced. One of us gathered up the nerve to ask him for a bobby pin. (Probably not me - I was numb from fear. I believe this was shortly after a group of us sat on the front row of the theater watching House of Dark Shadows, the movie based on the scary soap - still one of the scariest movies of all times to me ... mostly because I can't remember anything about it except lots of blood and being scared!)

Anyway, Quentin just slowly shook his head "no" and we wasted no more time (after all, we wanted to win!) - we ran off to the next house for the bobby pin, probably screaming all the way, because that would make it more fun.

Well, now you get to participate in that scavenger hunt fun - without the fear of meeting up with Quentin from Dark Shadows! You also get a chance to win $100 Visa gift card from BlogHer!

Here's how it works:

1. Go to this link (click here and let me know if it doesn't work! You might have to register with BlogHer, but it's free!)
2. BlogHer will present a fact, along with links to two different BlogHer profiles (mine is one of them!)
3. Visit each profile, find out who the fact belongs to and then move along to the next question.
4. When you finish the entire form, you will be entered to win one of 10 $100 Visa Gift Cards.

Good luck and have fun!