Long Hollow

Blame it on the Moon

 

 

I'm not really blaming the moon for anything. It accompanied me on one of my morning walks this week and I just wanted to share the photos with you. I just thought it was a catchy title!

I slept in this morning. I've looked forward to it for days and it lived up to my expectations.

I'll be scrambling the rest of the weekend to "get stuff done", but it was totally worth it.

 

 

I spotted a small patch of bluebonnets Tuesday. By Thursday, I noticed them blooming all along Austin's roadsides, together with Indian Paintbrushes.

So it's official: Spring has arrived in Austin!

No photos yet, unfortunately. For some reason bluebonnets don't bloom in Long Hollow, but my big girl camera is going back in my bag in case I see a safe place to pull over when I'm out driving to snap some. 

 

 

After meeting every two weeks for two years ... supporting, critiquing, and encouraging each other ... my writing group has disbanded. Temporarily, we hope.

I admitted defeat in my battle for writing time last week, and stepped out of the group. I was the third of the original members to do so in just a few weeks because of the demands of our lives.

Then this past week a fourth announced she was pregnant with her first child. She knew she wouldn't be able to focus on her writing or give the group the attention it required for several months. 

It's bittersweet, to say the least, but I know we'll all still be there for one another... supporting, encouraging, and even critiquing each other's work. Just not in person every two weeks.

 

 

I got together with friends on Thursday night to celebrate my friend Karen's 54th birthday with dinner and a movie. She chose "The Muppets Most Wanted". 

I have nothing against the muppets, mind you, and love some of the characters, but it wouldn't have been my first choice by a long shot. I wasn't alone. We joked that our gift to Karen was watching it with her.

But I'll admit to the world that I loved it! So creative, and the supporting actors like Tina Fey were hilarious. It had us laughing out loud, probably scaring the little boy watching it with his dad a few rows in front of us. They were the only other ones in the theater with us.

Time to search for the other muppet movies on Netflix.

 

 

My mom is doing much better lately. She had so many changes in her life in such a short time that sent her reeling, but she's settling into a routine, learning to accept the realities she's been given.

I'm grateful she's so close and that the home where she's staying is, for the most part, full of people who truly care about the residents. 

Thank you to all my friends who took the time to send her a card or note to brighten her day.

It's the smallest things we do that often make the biggest difference in someone's life, isn't it?

Number 1: Laughing Hard Times into Wine

 

 

 

 

1. This is my new favorite quote:

“The woman had laughed the hard times into wine.”
-Ann Voskamp 

I'm not sure if it's possible to laugh hard times into wine, except theoretically, of course... but I love the imagery of it. Thanks to Jennifer at Ripplespeak for posting it. (And for all of her own beautiful words full of imagery and inspiration!)

 

 

 

2. I've had to spend a lot of time dealing with the Social Security Administration and other agencies lately, trying to get things straightened out for my mom. It can be pretty frustrating and confusing.

So when I was having trouble getting my mom's birth certificate last week at the Bureau of Vital Statistics, my son Daniel moved up to total Rock Star status with me when he provided the information and advice via text that I needed to help the Bureau employees figure out what to do in only one trip!

I forgave him any headaches he gave me when he was little.

 

 

3. Have you heard of Sundown Syndrome? I hadn't until my mom started showing signs of it. Sigh.

 

 

4. I just created a Nextdoor.com group for my neighborhood. It's kind of like Neighborhood Watch, only online.

"Nextdoor is the private social network for you, your neighbors and your community. It's the easiest way for you and your neighbors to talk online and make all of your lives better in the real world. And it's free." (from the website)

I heard about it in a real estate class and thought it would be perfect for my little area where walking next-door is a bit of a hike and the potential for wildfires is very, very real.

 

 

(photo from the Duluth Animal Hospital Facebook Page)

5.And last but not least, just in case I'm NOT the last person in the world to meet this adorable couple, I'm introducing you to Roo and Penny, best buddies who were both adopted by Alicia Williams of the Duluth Animal Hospital. Daniel introduced them to me. 

I have fallen totally head over heels, wanting to reach in and cuddle both of them, in love with them! 

If you're like me and can't get enough of their cuteness, go HERE to learn more about their stories.

God bless Alicia for saving them.

 

 

Joining with Nancy's...

 

Random 5 Friday

 

 

1. "Knock and the door will open."

One of my dearest friends dropped by to see me and my mom on Monday before we headed back to Austin. She gave me this cross made from driftwood gathered on a Galveston beach (where we spent many summers together!) 

She's such a gifted artist in all mediums. She's written a book on assemblage art and will soon be teaching a painting workshop. Find out more at Annie Lockhart.

 

2. For two days I've set my alarm for 5 am. I'm so behind on everything, and since morning is my most productive time (and it's usually taken up with puppy chores) I've meant to get up extra early and tackle some projects before the sun rises and I can see Belle staring at me through the French doors.

Instead, I've been resetting the alarm for 7. It's just hard to get up before the sun when everyone else in your house is snoozing, isn't it?

 

3. The kids and I have revisited the "Shrek" movies the past two nights. (That might be why I'm having trouble getting up.) We're skipping "Shrek 3", though. Once was enough for it.

 

4. Be careful when choosing your words.

I made the mistake of telling the nursing home my mom was allergic to eggs, when actually they just irritate her stomach.

Now they're balking at giving her the flu shot, even though I've assured them she gets a shot every single year and has never had a reaction. (I took her and Daddy last year, so I know from personal experience.)

I've also assured them she will probably die if she contracts the flu...given her age and severe asthma...which is why her doctors have always encouraged her to get one. And why I'll take her myself if they still refuse.

 

5. How would you like to win $50,000?

Keller Williams created this cool mobile app that lets you search for homes in your area (it's GPS based) or by entering a zip code to search in other areas. I love playing with it.

As if that wasn't enough, now if you download the app, you're not only entered for a chance to win $50,000, but you give me a chance to win $20,000! 

Go HERE to get my code and download the app. Thanks in advance!

 

 

 

Another year is right around the corner.

I'm hoping your journey through 2014 is one filled with laughter and light, and if there are any bumps in the road, you have plenty of help to get you through.

 

Linking with Nancy...

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

 

Random 5 Friday

 

1. Max can still run. Considering all the times over the past couple of years I thought the "early lameness" diagnosis was coming true, watching him disappear into the woods with Belle after a deer makes my heart soar!

 

2. After a year of posting an old piano on Craig's List, I finally sold it back in August. The woman asked if she could pick it up in a week or so because they were going on vacation.

I haven't heard a word since and she doesn't respond to my emails. So...can I sell it again? Anyone know the protocol on things like this?

 

3. Two years ago I started using minoxidil for my thinning hair. I blogged about it at the beginning, and then a year later with the results. I also published that post on Vibrant Nation, where it triggered conversations that are still going on today.

It makes me feel good knowing my post triggered that dialog, and possibly provided a solution, for other women who struggle with the same problem. 

 

4. Yesterday it was in the 80's here. This morning we woke to drizzly 40's that steadily dropped all day.

Brrrr! How do you people up north live with this for months and months?

 

5. I spent a lot of time looking up this week...

 

Random Five on Friday

 

1.

Do yellow wildflowers lining roadsides count as "Autumn Color"? (I love them whether they do or not!)

 

2.

This morning at an orientation at the Austin Board of Realtors, I won two door prizes in a row, first a bottle of wine and then a canvas bag that tells the world I'm a REALTOR©! 

Since I never, ever, ever win anything, you can imagine it felt like a miracle that my name was called twice in a row!

It was obviously my lucky day, so you better believe I stopped by a convenience store this afternoon and bought a lottery ticket.

Nada. Zip. Zero. Except a reminder that I should never, ever, ever waste my money on lottery tickets.

 

3.

I have my own, personalized "For Sale" sign! Now I just need a yard to plop it in...

 

4.

A girl ran into the back of my son's car today. Well, she ran her car into the back of his car. You know what I mean.

I'm so grateful he wasn't hurt and that he can still drive his car...and that his brother is our insurance agent so I don't have to do a thing about it!

 

5.

Night before last it rained...and rained...and rained.

Definitely an answer to prayers, but we still didn't get enough to fill our pond, much less Lake Travis. 

However, just a few miles away, in areas south and east of us, it continued to rain and rain and rain until creeks flooded and people had to be lifted from their rooftops. 

Feast or famine. Drought or flood. Will nature ever balance itself out? It must be going through menopause.

(More rain is projected for this coming week, so please keep those people in your prayers!)

 

Linking with...

Five Things on Friday...er, Saturday

 

1.

I am kicking myself every day that I didn't become a realtor years ago. And I haven't even made any money yet! (Call me!)

(Thanks to my sweet sister-in-law for the blingy name badge!)

 

2.

I believe juggling real estate, my blogs, photography, writing, and family responsibilities is going to be harder than I thought it was...at least at first...but I'm going to keep trying to do it, anyway.

 

3.

It's September, yet we're hitting triple digits every day, as if it were still summer! Consequently, my house smells like country dogs and my allergies are going crazy because of it.

4.

Our 'big' pond is now a marsh. We need rain.

 

 

This is the original creek bed. In a good year, the pond level is ten feet above the banks of the creekbed.

 

5.

We experienced a family tragedy this week, in the true sense of the word. It isn't my story to tell, other than a broken heart because people I love are suffering, so I'm not going to share details here.

But I will ask that you lift them in prayer.

Thank you.

 

Sadness flies on the wings of the morning and out of the heart of darkness comes the light. 

~Jean Giraudoux

Linking with Nancy's Random 5 Friday

Five on Friday: Give me peace for the moment...

 

1.

I had to report for jury duty on Monday. It was in the old Travis County Courthouse, which to me is what a courthouse and jury room should look like...straight out of an old Perry Mason episode.

It was a wonderful process. The judge was very passionate and took lots of time explaining the process to us. I didn't really want to get picked (I'm in the middle of the whole real estate license thing and need to start making money!) but I decided to just be honest and see what happened.

I didn't get picked. Maybe I was too honest.

I was relieved in a way...but by then I was involved and interested in the case, so I also felt rejected!

 

2.

But since I didn't get picked for jury duty, I was free to take the State Exam for real estate on Wednesday.

I passed! I barely crossed the line on one part, but what matters is I did cross it. Whew! Now the real education begins, so I kept the momentum going and signed with an agency yesterday. Training begins next week.

I'm ready to hit the ground running!

 

3a.

There's a dead deer lying half in, half out of our creek, with a huge chunk of its rear-end missing. I'll spare you the photo of it I took to send to Tom.

Well, I'm not sure how much of the deer is still down there, actually. For the past two days coyotes have been fighting over it all night, yapping and yapping and making our poor puppies feel obligated to bark at them from our back deck. 

I'm glad they don't feel obligated to run down there!

During the day, vultures circle round and round, so close to the house that I hear the whoosh-whoosh of their wings. They glide down under the trees to where the deer is (I can't see it from the house, thank goodness) and then I hear a lot more loud noises.

Of course, the puppies feel obligated to bark at them, too.

3b.

I've taken a lot of photos of "interesting" scat on our road lately (scat = poop). There's a great site I discovered where you can identify what animal it came from. I'll spare you those photos, too. You'll just have to trust me that we've had coyote and fox and owl...and something much larger...crossing our road lately.

...Which makes me very nervous for Max with his wobbly hips and legs, poor old puppy, what with the dead (full-sized antlered) deer down there by the creek .

 

4.

 

In honor of its 75th anniversary, our local electricity co-op is sponsoring a photography contest for members with the theme: My life in Central Texas.

 

I chose a photo of a morning walk with the puppies from several years ago, back when Belle really was a puppy and Frankie, our late guinea fowl, thought he was one, too. 

Click HERE to see my submission page. Voting begins on August 26th and I would appreciate yours...and your friends' vote, too! There are some cash prizes!

It was tough narrowing it down to one photo, and there were some size requirements, too. But I had fun going back through all of the memories with that funny little bird.

I'm posting most of them over on Confessions in three posts, starting with THIS ONE, if you feel like looking at tons of photos of a precocious guinea fowl.

Rest in peace, Frankie bird. I miss you peering in the window at me while I work.

 

5.

Do you get songs stuck in your head? I have one running right now, and I'm grateful for it.

It's "Help Me Find It" by Sidewalk Prophets. Here are some of the lyrics playing in my head...very reassuring and calming in these days when there are so many things going on and decisions need to be made...

 

If there's a road I should walk
Help me find it.

If I need to be still
Give me peace for the moment.

 

And here's the song itself, below. If you're feeling stressed and /or need help figuring out what direction to head, I recommend it!

I hope you have a wonderful Friday and a beautiful weekend!

(Linking up with Nancy at A Rural Journal's Random 5 Friday)

 

 

It's been a year. And what a year.

A year ago today, I whispered goodbye to this man and promised him I'd help keep an eye on his beloved wife.

 

 

It's hard to believe a whole year has gone by without him...until I stop and think of all that has happened in that time. So many changes.

Much happiness and laughter, but also much heartache, heartbreak, and many, many tears. 

So for today's Five Things on Friday, I'm sharing five things about Pop:

1. I can still hear his voice. I'm grateful for that.

2. When he picked me and Tom up from the airport years ago, he always had a couple of cold beers waiting in the car for us. Later, Pop and I both switched to wine about the same time, and he was quick to offer me a glass as soon as we arrived for a visit. Cheers, Pop.

3. His eyes twinkled more than anyone else's I've ever known. He was such a flirt!

4. Nothing got my husband moving on finishing projects around the house more than an impending visit from his dad. And if there was something he couldn't get to in time, Pop would take care of it.

5. He never let anything keep him from going to Mass each week. 

I love and miss you, Pop! I give thanks that you were in my life and honored to be among your daughters. 

He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. 

~Clarence Budington Kelland

 

 

 

Friday Randomness

 

 

1. Max can still run...when he's motivated. 

Can you see the deer standing in the middle of the road? What about the big grin on his face, laughing at the silly puppies who think they can catch him?  (Me, either, but I'm sure he is!)

2. Real Estate License Adventure Countdown: 5 classes down, 1 to go!

3. I met a fellow blogger at the winery this week! She's a twenty-something named Kendall who writes about travel and adventure at Go Here Do This. It's a great mix of inspiration, encouragement, and fun tips. (If you check it out, let her know I sent you!)

4. We're in the middle of a long stretch of triple digit days. Needless to say, my outdoor puppies are now indoor puppies...at least during the day. And so, needless to say, my house smells like outdoor puppies.

5. Look what I discovered blooming down near the creek...the Buttonbush!

 

"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it."

 – Confucius

Hope you have a great weekend! Thank you for stopping by!!

Linking up with Nancy at A Rural Journal

Five Things on Friday

 

I hate to wish time away, but this has been a long, tiring week, and I'm glad to be on the other side of it, with two more real estate classes behind me.

Four down, two to go. Then the BIG TEST.

 

 

I missed four morning walks in a row!

I felt like hugging this dirt road by Wednesday.

This cedar tree and oak tree are entwined from the base on up, reminding me of a couple in love walking through the woods.

I think these are the last of the mountain pinks growing along the road.

I'll miss them!

I don't know what these little wild wildflowers are...or were. I'm not sure what stage I'm seeing....

...but don't they remind you of Phyllis Diller?

(Thanks to all of you who are stopping by even though I haven't had time to make my rounds lately. I promise I'll reciprocate soon!  I hope you have a great weekend!)

Linking with Nancy's Random 5 Friday

Five Things on Friday

1.

I've captured Belle leaping three days in a row now. All I had to do was write about how I kept getting distracted at the last minute, and BOOM! now I stay focused.

It took about fifty years, but I've finally figured out how to manipulate myself. How do you trick, er, train yourself?

 

(I just said I've captured the photos...not that they were any good!)

 

2.

A scorpion stung Tom last night. In all the years we've lived here, through all of the rock moving and house construction, none of us has ever been stung until now, so all things considered, we've been pretty lucky...

...But I don't think Tom is feeling very lucky right now. 

 

3.

My son and his bride just bought their first house. It reminds me a lot of the first house Tom and I lived in as newlyweds...small, but just right. I'm so excited for them! And now my grandpuppy Josie will have her own yard!

 

4.

Last month I wrote a post about my dad for Generation Fabulous's Father's Day Bloghop. The writers behind SavvyDad.com spotted it on Huffington Post and approached me about using it on their website. Of course I said yes! The more I can brag about my awesome Daddy, the better, is my opinion!

If you hop over to SavvyDad to read it, be sure to stick around and read more stories about dads...or even offer your own. Their aim is to help promote good fatherhood practices.

 

5.

Have you heard of Malala Yousafzai? She's the 16-year-old who the Taliban shot in the head for speaking up about the educational rights of women. Of the moment she was shot, she says..."Weakness, fear, and hopelessness died; strength, power, and courage was born." She is an amazing young woman, a bright light shining in the darkness. I'd say she's destined for great things...but she's already achieved it.

I just listened to her speech to the UN Youth Assembly and urge you to listen to it HERE as well, if you haven't already. It's totally worth the sixteen minutes. 

 

Linking with Nancy's Random 5 Friday

 

 

Five Things on...Friday? (A Long Hollow Update)

1.

I kept forgetting today was Friday. It just felt like a Saturday. Does that happen to you?
Okay, now I'll get on with the update... 

 

2.

For the first time in two or three years, my crape myrtles are sprouting buds.

Except for snapping this photo, I'm trying to ignore them. I get this feeling that if I pay too much attention to them, they'll disappear. Fingers crossed they bloom!

 

3.

The mustang grapes are turning purple. One of these days I swear I'm going to learn how to make wine from them! (Alas, it won't be this year.)

4.

Baby American Beautyberries. I've been keeping an eye on them. They are the most beautiful berry, such a brilliant pink. And according to Wikipedia, they can be made into wine, too...

I'll keep you posted on their progress.

 

5.

Mountain Pinks are going crazy.

I love them, even though I can't make wine from them!

"None can have a healthy love for flowers unless he loves the wild ones."  
-  Forbes Watson 

 

Linking with Random 5 Friday

 

Five Things on Friday

1.

 

We stopped by the little pond on our walk this morning. I noticed that when the puppies waded in and drank from pond, drops of reflected sunshine splattered across the surface. It was magical!

 

2.

I did it. I registered for Real Estate School today. I scheduled the classes (which begin next week) around my work schedule. July is going to be tough.

My sister-in-law, who's been kicking real estate butt in Mesa, Arizona for the past couple of years, tried to get me to go into real estate last year, but it just didn't click with me at the time.

I think events over the past year helped prepare me for it, get my mind in the right spot, and now I'm really excited about this new career and grateful none of those doors I've been banging on have opened for me.

Dare I say it? I think I'll love it!

(I'm even more grateful I won't be filling out any more job applications....although I guess I better knock on wood about that.)

If I become scarce around here, it's because I'm studying! Wish me luck!

3.

For those who wanted to read the whole poem from my last post, here it is, from my grandmother to you...

(Just to clarify...she didn't write it, she just framed it and used it for reassurance, too.)

4.

Last night I attended a free screening of the new movie The Way Way Back through Gofobo. Have you heard of it? It's a promotion company for movies. I stumbled across it on another blog - I can't even remember which one - and signed up. All I had to do was complete a survey/review of the movie when I got home last night.

They warn you that they overbook and you need to get there early, so we did (I brought a friend)...but I didn't realize we'd have to wait in a line outside. You can tell the pros from the newbies like me - they bring chairs and books and food.

I'm not sure I would do it again, but it was still a fun evening, just spending time with my friend. On the way we stopped for Mexican food (and a Mexican martini)...they gave us free sunglasses in the theater...and while I expected more from the movie, considering the amazing cast, it was entertaining.

(And free.)

 

5.

I caught Phillip Phillips on the Today Show this morning. I don't watch American Idol, but now I wish I had watched the season he won. If I can find his CD on sale somewhere, I'm getting it, even though I don't normally buy CDs anymore, either.

I could listen to his songs over and over and over...

Not familiar with him? Listen to this...

 

 

{Remembering}

to link with

Random 5 Friday

Five Things on...Saturday

 

 1.

 

Do any of you still have your landlines?

I've been so tempted to cancel ours...but then I remember the agonizing two months we lived without it when we first moved into this house in the country, and how our cell phones only worked outside, up the hill a little bit.

How I would stand up there, sweating and swatting mosquitoes, when I needed to made a call. How I had to sneak calls to the telephone company when I was at work, pushed to tears of frustration trying to cut through the red tape. 

The telephone poles lining our road may be unsightly, but I'll tell you they were beautiful to my eyes when they first went up. I swore I'd never take my land line for granted, ever again.

So even though my iPhone works just fine inside the house now, I'm just a little hesitant to let go of that landline. 

Yet.

 2.

 

I won this beautiful Shabby Apple dress on a raffle over at Over 50, Feeling 40. I love the classic styling!

Thank you, Pam and Shabby Apple!

 3.

 

That's Tom's Aunt Marg in front of Gilley's Nightclub, circa 1987. Yes, the original Gilley's in "Pasa-get-down-dena"...where "Urban Cowboy" was filmed. (I wonder if John Travolta ever sat on that bench?)

Aunt Marg was visiting from Wisconsin, and of course we had to take her there. She even rode the mechanical bull! 

 

 

Tom and I met at Kenny Stabler's Diamondback Saloon, but we fell in love at Gilley's the very next night. He met me there to see the band Alabama. 

We danced. We talked. He seemed safe enough, so I gave him my phone number, and he kissed me goodbye in that horrible, pot-holed parking lot, next to my car. Our first real kiss.

Gilley's burned down a few years later, but word has it from Mickey Gilley's own mouth that he's going to rebuild a Gilley's nightclub in Pasadena. 

I loved Gilley's, horrible parking lot and all. It had a great dancefloor, and the club itself was large enough to lose someone you didn't want to dance with. After the movie, it became too commercialized, but it was still a fun place to go dancing.

So, true redneck Texan that I am, it warms my heart that it will rise again. As I told a friend, "If they build it, I will come."

 

4.

Our diocese is celebrating "A Fortnight of Freedom" to draw attention to the whittling away of religious freedom in our country, to the changes our federal government is mandating that force religious institutions, including the Catholic church who historically has been a pioneer in charitable health and education services, to go against their beliefs when providing those services. 

Religious liberty is being threatened, and it scares me. No matter what your beliefs about abortion or gay rights, it should scare you, too, that our government is slipping sideways into these areas and issuing mandates where they should keep their distance. Separation of church and state, remember? It works both ways.

And if we accept this without speaking up, if we consider it fair and reasonable, what's next? You know it won't stop there.

 

5.

On a happier, more hopeful note, we went to a wedding today.

I guess it should make me feel old that kids I've watched grow up are suddenly old enough to get married...but it doesn't. Weddings overflow in love, joy, and hope, and how can those ever do anything but make you feel young and hopeful yourself?

Congratulations, George and Danielle! May you always remember the love, joy, and hope you felt today! Thank you for sharing it with us.

 

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend! I'm off to ponder the full moon...

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!

 

Five Things on Friday

1.

Whew! I made it through May without a major random health issue.

Why is that surprising? Read "There's Something About May" to get the full story, but suffice it to say that I get a little paranoid beginning on May Day because in four of the past five Mays I've suffered from some weird, random illness or pain. 

Shingles...heart palpitations...

You'd be nervous, too!

I'm grateful I got a break this year.

2.

photo from HERE, courtesy of Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch

On May 10, twins Wasswa and Nakato were born in New Braunfels, Texas. They are the only living set of giraffe twins, and only the second documented case in the U.S.

They were born at the Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch, which isn't that far from me, so...

Why haven't I gone to see those precious babies yet?

To see them in all their (digital) cuteness, go HERE or HERE.

3.

I've been spending a lot of time filling out job applications, trying to match my eclectic work experience to each position. It's creative writing (nonfiction - I'm not making anything up!) but not the kind I'd like to be working on.

 

4.

Speaking of trying to find a job, I've taken a vow: I won't visit my hair stylist or buy any wine until I have a steady paycheck. 

(That should be enough incentive to keep me searching, don't you think?)

5. 

I've been attacked...by poison ivy. I'm careful to wear long pants on my morning walks through the woods, so I'm suspecting a sneak attack via Belle, aka Cuddle Puppy.

It's itchy and ugly, but it won't make me stop Belle from snuggling up against me, or from my morning walks through the woods, where the Mountain Pinks are now blooming...

 

 

Linking up with A Rural Journal's Random 5 Friday

 

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 Things on a Friday Night. And a Puppy.

 

1.

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

And then write a blog post about it.

 

2. 

 

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

 

3.

 

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

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

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

 

4.

 

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

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

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

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

It makes me so sad for them. 

 

5.

 

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

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

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

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

P.S.

 

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

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

I think I want a puppy.

Five Things on Friday

1.

 

Remember this old farmhouse? I pass it on my way to work at the winery.

It's weathered, but has wonderful stonework on and around it, a working windmill (at least it spins!) and outbuildings oozing in character. As far as I could tell it was abandoned, which made me sad, so I wrote about it HERE.

But guess what? I've been training a young woman whose family actually lives next door to it.

They own and operate a youth camp across the road, and as it turns out, they also own the old house and the surrounding property. She says their dream is to renovate it and convert it to a tea house/bed and breakfast.

Yay! I'm so glad. 

 

2. 

My house smells like dog. Old dirty, country dog, to be specific.

Thunderstorms rolled through last night, continuing into the morning, so we let Belle and Max be house dogs for awhile. They're restricted to the downstairs (concrete floor.) The laundry room has a rug, though, and I spread a light blanket out just at the bottom of the stairs. 

Tom didn't think that was enough. This morning I discovered he put some cushions from our old pop-up trailer down, then re-spread the blanket over them. 

And he says I'm the soft one.

Of course, Josie, the princess grandpuppy, slept upstairs on the couch. In my defense, she's relatively clean. She learned early on that if she got wet or rolled in the mud on her visits, that she wouldn't be allowed in the house.

My dogs would choose rolling in the mud over sleeping in the house. They're happiest outside...except during thunderstorms.

(Another round is on top of us now! We need the rain, but I sure hope we don't get the damaging hail folks farther west got last night!)

3. 

My daughter-in-law sent me the link to the wedding photographs last night. All 600+ of them. I spent two hours clicking on each and every one. And smiling. I wish I could afford to buy them all and share them with you!

 

 

4. 

Our loquat tree is dotted with fruit. It's the grandbaby of one that stood in the front yard of the house we lived in when each of our children were born, and where they spent the first few years of their lives...and the child of one that grew from a cutting in my parents' front yard, tempting neighborhood kids who passed on the nearby sidewalk.

 

 

It's the last of its line. A hard freeze killed the grandmother and I'm not sure what happened to the mother. But thanks to Daddy, they live on with us.

 

 5.

A squirrel mom took a liking to Tom's GMC truck and built a nest there for her babies.

We're just leaving them alone for now and praying they don't chew up any wires...or that the dogs don't chew up the truck trying to get to the squirrels, like they did on Tom's other truck.

Sigh.

That's life in the country.

Linking with

Random 5 Friday at A Rural Journal

 

 

Five Things on Friday

1.

I've spent the last two hours in shorts, relishing the sun on my skin and the brilliant, cloudless blue sky. Tom has the chainsaw out and is busy trimming branches in the woods in front of our house.

I'm dragging them down along the side porch and tossing them over the back railing. We'll later drag them from there over the hill into a new pile that we'll eventually burn once the burn ban is lifted. 

My arms and legs are all scratched up, and there are bits of bark and leaves stuck in my hair, but I don't care. I love working outside.

And to think yesterday I was wearing a winter coat...

 

2. 

Last night I enjoyed a delicious prime rib dinner for free, courtesy of a friend who invited me to be her date at one of those promotional things put on by financial advisors.

It was at one of our favorite restaurants, and besides the great food and getting to spend time with dear friends (two others joined us) I actually learned something about investments and retirement. Nothing I can use at the moment, of course, since I'm still trying to start a career and can't even think about retirement, but a girl can be optimistic, can't she?

Especially when enjoying a free prime rib dinner.

3.

My mother-in-law bought me flowers when she first arrived. My brain finally slowed down enough to take a photo of them yesterday. Some of them are starting to droop, but overall they're still beautiful. Thank you again, Mom! 

4.

I have terrible nails. I never wear polish, because I don't want to draw attention to them!

But the day before the Big Wedding, the mother-of-the-bride and I got together to go over the slideshow we presented at the rehearsal dinner, and she shared her Walmart stick-on French Tip fake nails with me. My manicure from earlier in the week was long gone, thanks to three days of washing dishes at the winery (Hello? What was I thinking?) so I was very grateful.

Oh, I felt so elegant, even though I had to relearn how to type and put on earrings and text and button my pants. They were a tad longer than my normal nails..."normal" meaning "on a good day are longer than my fingertips." 

Only three of the nails are left, so you can imagine how goofy my hands look now. 

 

5.

The last report I had from the honeymooners was this photo from Cinque Terre, one of my dream destinations. I'm so grateful for Instagram and Facebook.

Meanwhile, we're having fun with our grandpuppy, and she's having fun being a country dog. (I promise we're only spoiling her a little bit, Kirby!)

 

Linking with Friday Fragments and Random 5 Friday

No. 1 of 5 - Because I'm from Texas

 

1.

Well, I got me some cowboy boots.

You might recall, from my Birthday post, that some of my friends pitched in to give me a gift card to buy a pair because I kept entering contests on Facebook trying to win some.

I debated on whether to be practical and buy an iPad or groceries with the gift card, but this past week I came to my senses and used the card as they intended me to, to buy boots.

I'm a Texan, after all.

 

And because I'm a girl, I used what was left on the card for a mani/pedi. I felt very self-indulgent.

(Thank you again, sweet friends!)

 

2.

I was standing on the front porch after my morning walk, filling up the puppies' water bucket, when I heard this buzzing sound. Just three feet away from me, a tiny hummingbird was investigating our red birdhouse. He finally gave up and buzzed away, leaving me feeling very blessed. 

Some things just remain amazing, no matter how many times you see them, don't they?

 

3.

My son's wedding is getting ever closer, but I'm not nervous or anything. During my own wedding, I calmed myself down so much I was semi-comatose...sorta zombie-like, only without the killing... and barely remember it.

I hope that's not happening again...

 

4.

My professional tagline is "writer, blogger, photographer" but I often doubt the veracity of it, and this is why:

I have written a dozen blog posts this past week - in my head. You'll never read them because I've already forgotten half of them, and wouldn't have time to write them even if I did remember them. 

I have some great ideas for improving my books and stories, but haven't had time to actually sit and work on them, or start the new stories buzzing in my head, or edit the dozens of photos I've captured this past week of flowers and birds and trees and other visions of spring here in the Hollow, much less post them on sites where they can be purchased.

But I've decided to  keep the tagline and consider myself a writer, blogger, photographer on hiatus, because... 

"In the provinces of the mind, "what one believes to be true either is true or becomes true."

~Panda Express fortune

 

 

5.

What I believe:

(sign outside of our church "Garden of Eatin'")

Amen.

I hope you have a great week! 

Five Things

1.

What a week full of tragedy, heartbreak, and heroism. First the bombing in Boston and subsequent acts of unselfishness and goodness that proved only light can conquer darkness...and that there's plenty of light in Boston. We witnessed it in the behavior of all of its citizens.

Next, the explosion in West, Texas, so close to home, where even more were killed and injured than in Boston. I've driven through that little town on my way somewhere else so many times, stopping for kolaches or to let the kids get rid of energy. In a tiny rural community like that a tragedy like this touches every resident and my heart goes out to them.

Now the earthquake in China. The numbers keep growing of those whose heartbreak is broadcast to all of us via the media...which means we can all pray for them. A universal prayer chain. An image glowing with light in yet another moment of darkness.

 

2.

I love sending cards to friends, but often don't have them on hand or the time to run out and buy one. So I decided to create my own...from my photographs and favorite quotes. I posted them on FineArtAmerica.com and placed my order. It arrived this week in a great box. 

I'm sending this one to all of those affected in #1, as well as anyone else reading this who is suffering loss right now.

 

 

"Oh heart, if one should say to you that the soul perishes like the body, answer that the flower withers, but the seed remains."

~ Kahlil Gibran

 

3.

Without excusing their behavior, I feel those two young men who planted the Boston bombs were merely pawns played by some greater evil who is sitting back, laughing at how they held us hostage for awhile and probably planning their next move. I pray I've raised my kids to be strong enough not to fall for false flattery, that they may never be manipulated in that way. 

4.

Just home from work yesterday evening, wondering where to get started on things I needed to do, one glance out the kitchen window put everything else on hold. A hawk perched in a tree overlooking our big pond ("big" only in comparison to our "little" pond; it's just a wide spot in a mostly dry creek right now, but it does have water!) I popped the 70-300mm lens on my camera and snapped a few through the window. Then I snuck out the front door, tiptoed around the corner, and managed to snap a few more before he swooped down to the pond. 

"Do you mind?"

They aren't great photos - he was pretty far away - but they're good enough to help me remember and be grateful that I stepped out of "to-do's" and just enjoyed the moment and this beautiful, amazing world around us.

 

5.

We're winding down to the Big Wedding of my son and his beautiful bride-to-be. For a long time the wedding was a year away, and now suddenly it's almost here! How does that happen?

So please don't forget me if I continue to be AWOL from your blogs for awhile, and negligent of emails and Facebook posts. But as my mom pointed out, Tommy's wedding is one of those once-in-a-lifetime things. A time to forget about the world and to-do lists and worries about the future, and focus, instead, on love and family and today.

"Once in awhile, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale." 

 
--Anonymous 

Five Things on Friday

1. Last night I attended a funeral for the mother of one of my long-time, closest friends. Hers was one of the houses where we all congregrated, from middle school on up (I had my first kiss on the sidewalk in front of that house)... and now my friend opens up her home to all of us for get-togethers as well.

My - oh, I'll go ahead and use the word - 'old' classmates and I filled several rows, and even my mother tagged along with me. One of the guys got up and spoke about his memories - our memories - but I have to admit, when he said the words "forty years ago" and "back in the day", I cringed at the truth of it. We are old! Argh.

But we're also forever young, thanks to those memories. Rest in peace and thank you for putting up with us, Mrs. Stanley, and thanks for speaking for all of us, Randy.

2. I saw a news report about cicadas that said they only appear every 17 years. Well, if that's true, I want to know what the heck we have around here every single summer that does a perfect impersonation of a cicada!

3. Just when I decided I needed to give something up for lack of time, whether my blog or my book or photography, I had a request to purchase some photos, an idea for a{nother} children's book that wouldn't leave me alone, I passed to the next level on a paid online writing gig, and I got a lot of attention on my blog.

Murphy's Law, but in a good way for a change.

But I'm still trying to figure out how to do it all...

4. My girlfriends pitched in and gave me a gift card for my birthday for me to buy a pair of cowgirl boots to wear to the rehearsal dinner for my son's wedding.

(It's a Texas thing. I had a great pair of boots...but then had three kids. Now TG has a great pair of boots, and I have my mother's which are about a half size too small.)

Anyway, I'm in a quandary. I'm tempted to squeeze my foot into my mother's boots that night, and use the gift card to {mostly} pay for an iPad or Kindle or something like that. Several of my friends have written e-books, and I have them on my computer, but I have limited time at home in front of my computer. I can't even keep up with my book writing or photo editing, so their books are still unread, along with tons of blog posts and articles, because I can't read them on my iPhone.

I'm thinking if I got an iPad, I could tuck it in my purse and stay caught up with my friends' writings. Sure, I'd look cute in a pair of Heritage Westerns, with jeans tucked in or a cute summery dress, and two-stepping in wedges is kind of a challenge, but...

See the fix I'm in? 

If any of you has an iPad or a Kindle or other similar device, please share your input and help me with this decision before it drives me crazy!

5. I'm happy to report that I've had a couple of mouse-turd-free days since retrieving the last one from the back seat and tossing it into the woods. Fingers crossed they've decided my car isn't the luxury hotel they were hoping for!

P.S. The onion flowers are back!

(Yes, that's technically 6 things. But I had to share these - such simple elegance in our little bit of woods.)

Linking with

 {Random 5 Friday}

and

Friday Fragments

Five Things on Friday

 

1. "I'm off my game. I discovered a little mouse in my glove compartment this morning and didn't even think of taking its picture." That was my Facebook status on Wednesday.

Remember when I told you I discovered mouse turds all over my car Easter morning? Well, it became a morning ritual for me to clean up the mouse turds with duct tape every day after that, until Wednesday, when I pulled the hand sanitizer out of my glove box...and then noticed the tiny little mouse sitting in there. 

I'll tell you our whole Mouse Saga later (I've been holding out on you) but suffice it to say, for now, that (after screaming and screaming and screaming) I moved the (terrified) little mouse to the woods by the tail and haven't had any mouse turds in my car since then. Whew.

I did regret not taking its picture.

2. I upgraded my iphone to a 4. It's charging right now. I can't wait to play with the camera. I heard the 4S was better, but I figured, for $1 versus $50, I could make do with the 4.

3. I have eaten two Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs every day since Easter. I love those things. I barely even feel guilty about it.

4. After several days of crazy, stormy weather, including hail and tornado warnings, and more rain than we've gotten in the past 6 months, the sun finally came out today... and I felt like something heavy was lifted off of my chest.

I wish my mood wasn't so dependent on sunshine. I'd never make it in the northeast. 

5. Tomorrow is my 54th birthday!

 

Prairie Verbena scattered through a field like Easter eggs...much nicer than mouse turds scattered all over my car! 

 

Linked with

and 

Five Things on (Good) Friday

1. Today is Good Friday, the day Christians around the world stop and consider the fact that an innocent person deliberately gave their life for them, out of love, even though they didn't ask him to and they did nothing to deserve it. Very sobering. 

But leave it to my friend Jim "Suldog" Sullivan to make me laugh about it. Go HERE to read his post about Good Friday.

2. I'm not sure how it happened, but earlier this week my computer and I somehow miscommunicated, resulting in a whole file of photos vanishing. I spent hours researching how to recover them, tried a few things with no luck, and finally spent $17 on a program called FileJuicer that managed to retrieve jpeg copies of my files.

I lamented the loss on Facebook, where a photographer friend/neighbor of mine told me he could retrieve the files from my card, even though I had already reformatted it. I tried not to get my hopes up, but hallelujah! he did it! All of the RAW photos were once again on my card, plus he gave me a copy of the program he used: Rescue Pro by Sandisk. And all it cost me was a 12-pack of Budweiser!

I call him Saint Bruce now. (Check out his beautiful photography at Bruce Coville Photography. The photo on the main page is the view of Lake Travis from his house.)

This is one of the files he saved. Every time I leave Houston I see this message and vow to capture it "next time". I finally remembered (eyes always on the road, don't worry!) and then promptly lost the file. Thanks again for rescuing it, Bruce!

3. My birthday is only a week and a day away. Last year my friends and family surprised me with the gorgeous iMac in front of me right now, telling me to use it to finish my book.

Well, I haven't, and I feel guilty.

4. Macy's put their Keurig coffeemakers on sale... almost half price, with a rebate! Since my old one kept bleeding all over my counter, I decided it was a sign I should get one. Happy birthday to me!

So far I'm loving it. I splurged and bought the little filter you can put your own coffee into. I drink way too much coffee to afford using those fancy k-cups all the time. They're only for company and emergencies!

5. I get to see 2/3 of my kids this weekend. 1/3 has tests next week and worried she wouldn't study if she came home. Sigh. But good decision. I guess.

Since half of the 2/3 is here already (plus my grandpuppy!) I'm finishing this up so I can go spend time with him. I hope you have a beautiful Easter weekend!

 

The outdoor Stations of the Cross at my church was finished enough for a group of us to make our way around this afternoon. Such a beautiful place. Easter blessings to all of you!

Five Things on Friday...oops...I mean, Saturday.

 

 

Prologue:  I meant to post this yesterday but never had a chance. I was on the road at sunrise, spent several hours in the Houston Medical Center while Mama had a (scheduled) nuclear stress test, then met a group of high school friends for a night of catching up, mostly on a dance floor. (You know you're getting old when your knees, feet, and back are sore and stiff after a night of dancing! Totally worth it, though. I think it just means I need to dance more often.)

(P.S. Will those of you who pray say a few for me? I can't divulge why, but God knows. Thank you!)

(P.S.S. Linking with A Rural Journal and Friday Fragments)

1. Hallelujah! I finished The Hunger Games trilogy. Now I can get back to my regular programming.

2. A glance at my closet will reveal a dozen pairs of jeans, three pairs of black dress pants, a handful of dresses, and a whole rack of screen print tees commemorating soccer tournaments, high school one-act plays, company parties, concerts, my kids' colleges, and my fire-fighting training that I rarely wear but can't part with.

Am I the only one that saves all of those shirts?

3. If you use Google Reader, then you probably know it's going away in July. My photographer/blogger friend Lisa Gordon tipped me off about Feedly to replace it. I tried it and love it! It synced perfectly with Google Reader - so easy! And now I can organize the blogs and sites I follow much easier. Thank you, Lisa!

4. We didn't get any snow or ice this past winter, but we did get a lot of drab browns and grays, so I'm relishing the signs of spring all around us. 

I shared more photos of spring in the Hollow on my photography blog HERE.

5. I don't watch much television and can barely tolerate reality shows, but I will do almost anything to spend time with my kids. And that's how I came to watch Toddlers & Tiaras last week, to spend time with TG. It was fun - we laughed a lot and she put up with my running commentary about how it represented everything wrong with the world. 

Today (maybe yesterday...my days are blurring together) she sent me this video. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

 

Five Things on a Friday Night (when I should have been dancing)

 

 

1. My crape myrtles are budding! I'm really surprised because we haven't had much rain and the poor things haven't bloomed in two or three years now. I wasn't even sure they were still alive. I've got my fingers crossed they've somehow established themselves enough to give me some summer color later on.

2. I had a chance to go dancing with friends tonight. Instead, here I am editing photos and working on a blog post. Not that I don't love blogging, but...well, I love, love, love dancing!

So why am I blogging instead of dancing, you ask? Tom didn't want to go, and it was a bit of a drive...and I have to work tomorrow...so I was debating whether or not I should go. Trying to be a grown-up.

In the meantime, I went shopping for shoes to wear at my son's wedding. I should have gone prepared to meet my friends when I finished up, just in case, because shopping took longer than I expected (of course!) and by the time I got home, it was really too late to eat dinner, change clothes, and go back out.

Sigh and dang it.

Which just goes to show what I always tell my kids...if you don't make a decision, the decision is usually made for you. 

3. On Monday I had brunch with the sister and mother of a friend I've known since 2nd grade, Todd. They were traveling through a neighboring town and asked if I wanted to meet them. Of course!! 

 

That's me on the left. Beside me is Mrs. Scruggs - would you believe she's 81? She says 80 is the new 40. I love it! Across from us are Darlene and ... ah, I can't remember her husband's name!

(I'm sure my memory is directly affected by my lack of dancing lately!)

4. Jon Bon Jovi is coming to Austin in concert next month. For some reason, I wasn't that interested in him when I was younger and Bon Jovi first made it big. But now, I would love, love, love to see him, more than Eric Clapton or others who have been here recently. Love his music and his hair. Isn't that weird? Of course, I don't have money for tickets to see anyone. But if I did, now you know who I'd spend it to see!

5. In case you've been living in a closet with no access to a television, I'm please to inform you we have a new Pope! As a Catholic, I'm very hopeful about it. From all accounts, Pope Francis is a very humble, simple, but intelligent and courageous man.

I believe those are the qualities of a great leader of any institution, but especially for a church.

I hope you have a fantastic weekend. If you get the chance to do something you love, don't be wishy-washy and waste time trying to be practical like me - just go do it, for Pete's sake!

 

Linking up with

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

Five Things on Friday

1. This made me smile yesterday. Can you see the sign on the wall in the photo above? The table in the teacher's lunchroom at the high school was covered with platters of cinnamon rolls while on the wall beside it is a chart promoting healthy teachers. (No, I couldn't resist them, but I only ate half of one. Compromise. YUM!)

2. Guests arrived by helicopter at the winery last weekend. It landed right beside the vineyard. We all turned into little kids, like we'd never seen one before - everyone ran out to the patio and had their iPhones pointed its direction. (Murphy's Law: I didn't have my Nikon that day.)

3. There's something about filling out job applications, about having to condense all of my eclectic experience into one page and trying to match it to whatever job I'm trying to get, seeing that all of those classes I've taken over the past 30 years only add up to 61 hours, not 72 like I thought...well, it just deflates me. 

4. I'm going to a wedding shower tomorrow for my future daughter-in-law. I realized I haven't been to a shower of any kind in decades, and never as the mother of the groom. I have no idea what to wear!

5. Almost forty years ago I taught my boyfriend's fourteen-year-old sister how to drive a stick-shift. Not long after that, my boyfriend and I broke up and I didn't see his sister again. But recently we reconnected on Facebook and we're having dinner tonight! She's in town visiting her daughter. I love how so many of those strands of our lives never totally go away.

Hope you've had a great Friday!

 

Linking up with Ms. 4444's

 

 

 

 

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!

Five Things (A Day Late)

 

I intended to post this last night. You know, "Five Things on Friday" - that catchy alliteration thing.

Instead, I went dancing. 

So here are my "Five Things on Friday, on Saturday":

 

1. Did you watch the Grammies? I did this year for the first time in ages. So I was even more jealous that my kids got to see the grammy-winning band "Fun." in Austin two nights later! (Is it okay to be jealous of your kids?)

2. I was raised Baptist, but converted to Catholicism more than 15 years ago after about 15 years of contemplation about it. Pope Benedict XVI's decision to resign earlier this week came as a huge surprise. However, I respect him for stepping down if he feels he isn't physically able to do the job anymore.  It's unusual, as far as tradition goes, but I'm not worried about the Church and don't anticipate huge changes.

3. I received another "sorry, you aren't our choice for this job" email.  It was for an administrative assistant position that didn't pay much. I replied with my thanks for letting me know, and asked if they could tell me why I wasn't chosen, in case it was something I could change and increase my odds with the next application. I was told the "chosen one" has a bachelor's degree and more years of clerical, accounts payable, and customer service experience... which tells me they must be at least as old as I am, but they're still scrambling to find a job and are forced to resort to low-paying positions, despite years of experience and a bachelor's degree.  Which means I'm screwed in the job department, if that's my competition. (No, I'm not giving up. Just whining.)

4. THE WEDDING is coming up fast! I need to find a good mother-son song for the reception. Any suggestions?

5. I came across a fortune cookie fortune in my purse. I have no idea where it came from, but I love what it says: "In the providence of the mind, what one believes to be true either is true or becomes true." Do you agree or disagree?

I hope you've had a wonderful Saturday!  

 

 

Five Mexican Jays, keeping an eye on the Hollow

 

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Thank you!