Long Hollow

I Blame LinkedIn

Instead of exercising this morning before heading to work, I made the mistake of clicking on my LinkedIn profile when I got on the computer to pay some bills. By the time I finished updating it, I was scrambling to make it to work on time.

So as soon as I stepped in the door this evening after work, I changed into my work-out clothes, determined to keep up my routine. But I was starving. First I would eat, then I would work out.

But I couldn't work out right after eating, could I? So I cleaned off my desk and sat down to finish paying bills until enough time had passed that I wouldn't puke when I jumped rope.

Money on my brain, or rather the lack thereof, I couldn't resist clicking on the email from LinkedIn telling me about jobs I might like. 

Well, I didn't like any of those, but I kept clicking and found one that actually did appeal to me and matched my experience and skills. So I clicked on "apply", which took me to a window requesting my resume.

Uh-oh. Updating my resume had been on my to-do list...or I should say, it's been ignored on my to-do list. It immediately moved up in priority.

I spent the next thirty minutes...hour...who knows how long, tidying it up to match the job, then finished applying.

Time to work out. No, it was late. I would just pay bills and get in bed early so I could wake up early enough to work out.

Oh, but first, I needed to print out one of my critique group member's submission for the next meeting in case I got called to substitute teach in the morning. I like to do my critiques during my long break periods. Too cheap to use new paper, I decided to clean out my file cabinet and find some paper I could recycle.

So I headed into the bedroom where the file cabinet is and noticed the basket of towels on the bed waiting to be folded. I remembered I had clothes in the washer and dryer, so I turned on "Dancing with the Stars" for ten minutes while I folded, then moved the loads around downstairs.

But instead of folding the next basket of clothes I pulled from the dryer (just Tom's work clothes - wrinkling wouldn't hurt them) I thought I better get back to paying bills.

Back on the computer, a quick glance at Facebook reminded me I wanted to submit one of my blog posts to BlogHer's Voices of the Year.

I'm getting very audacious in my old age! Perhaps I've read this enough times to believe it:

"Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers, why not gather your own bouquet?"

- from P.S. I Love You on my bathroom wall

 

But which post should I submit? I started scrolling through my posts until I came to The Artist. That would do. I filled in the nomination page then shared my audaciousness on the GenerationFabulous Facebook page, which is full of supportive women, but I've been neglectful of my own support for them lately, so I spent some time reading over a few posts and voting for their submissions as well. 

Finally! Time to pay those bills. Except, gosh, couldn't this whole crazy scenario make a great blog post? Especially if I mention the Painted Bunting I spotted out the bathroom window while I was flossing my teeth, in between eating dinner and sitting down to pay bills the first time? The one I captured in my camera when I left mid-floss to sneak out the back door and creep up on via the side porch?

And that's why I never seem to get anything done. I blame it all on LinkedIn. Now excuse me, but I really need to finish flossing, pay those bills and get in bed.

Oh, but first...

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

My coffee pot is wounded. I discovered a pool of black coffee seeping out from under it this week and panicked, thinking it was actually dead. I do have some of those individual coffee bags, but they just aren't the same as fresh brewed coffee.

But I tightened some tiny screws on a flange, and made a pot, keeping an eye on it. No obvious leaks. Just seepage. So if I immediately put the whole pot in a carafe, I'm okay. For now.

Then...I missed a chance to go dancing Friday night because I didn't pay attention to my calendar. And my middle son came home this weekend, but I didn't get to spend much time with him because I had to work. 

Also, I've missed two critique group meetings now because even though I've gotten up early and worked on my book a few times, I'm tearing it apart at the seams, then putting it back together, not really moving it forward. I have nothing to submit to the group for critique. Plus I haven't had time to critique anyone else's work because I've been working so much...

...which, of course, is a blessing. 

Here are a few other sweet! moments I noticed this past week, despite the bumps in the road...

Monday: wintery mornings that turn into spring days; brunch with a friend from your old neighborhood; bringing your youngest home for a few days over spring break; a check waiting in the mailbox

Tuesday: managing to wake up well before the sun to work on your book; making it through a crazy busy on-your-feet-running-for-hours kind of day at work without making any customers angry; collapsing in front of the television after work with your baby girl, even if it's to watch three episodes of Toddlers & Tiaras

Wednesday: spotting a pair of Mallard ducks on your morning walk; a vineyard in early spring; a crescent moon smiling at you on a night drive home

Thursday: sleeping in; a slow, lazy day; a text from your daughter letting your old puppy take the lead on a morning walk; reflective walks

Friday: making friends with other women in the shoe department when you shop for shoes for your son's wedding; making a little progress on your to-do list; the song of mourning doves

Saturday: your son coming to visit and making you a deluxe chicken and veggie quesadilla for lunch; working with a great team; chocolate torte; the night wind whipping down your porch and playing with your hair

Sunday: kneeling between your husband and son at Mass; remembering to wear your green shamrock beads to work on St. Patrick's Day; a grumpy customer becoming a happy customer; celebrating St. Patrick's Day with good conversation, corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, Irish soda bread, and Irish beer, thanks to good friends; your baby girl making it home safe and sound from the coast

 

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, here's a little Irish blessing for you...

May God give you...

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

 

(my favorite kind of rainbow!)

Cat-Friend versus Dog-Friend

I am a dog and cat person. For some reason, that seems to be a rare thing.

I love my puppies and their unconditional love and joy of life, but I also love cat personalities...their sauciness and independence and supposed indifference to anything but themselves. I love how they purr and stretch and give you sandpaper kisses, despite themselves...then bite you and run away.

Cats keep you on your toes!

If it weren't for a promise I made to our allergy doctor years ago not to replace my aging Siamese, Char, when she passed away, I know I'd have several cats lounging in patches of sunlight in my house, shedding on and shredding the sides of my couch, and leaving hairballs on my new comforter. 

So this video my friend Hilary at The Smitten Image sent me literally made me double up in laughter...something I haven't done in a long time!

Of course I had to share it with you, because laughter is the best medicine, and I care about you! Whether you love cats or hate them, grab a kleenex and prepare for a good teary-eyed breath-gasping belly-laugh...

You're welcome. (Thanks again, Hilary!)

 

 

 

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!

Another Random Analogy, Kids!

Do you iron?

I don't. I mean, I can, but I haven't in a long, long time. 

My husband will vouch for that. He stopped buying shirts with wrinkle-inclined collars and button panels when it became clear he'd have to iron them himself.

"I buried a lot of my ironing in the back yard." ~ Phyllis Diller

But yesterday I had no choice. We go through a lot of white napkins at the winery bistro where I work and they come out of the dryer a mess of wrinkles.

I knew I couldn't just bury them, so there I stood beside the board, elbow up high, working that hot iron back and forth across a white cloth napkin. I pressed and pushed and pressed and pushed, but no luck. The wrinkles would not go away.

Then a faint memory stirred. Ah, yes. Steam. I found the magic button, and poof! the wrinkles vanished with just a fraction of my previous effort.

I fell into a rhythm, back and forth, back and forth, thumb on steam button. One napkin after another wrinkle-free, folded, and ready for tables. My mind wandered. I had forgotten about that part of ironing, too, how it's so conducive to thinking about any- and everything.  

And this is what my thoughts brought back to me from their journey abroad...

The napkins are like us, starting out all neat and tidy and folded just right. Then we head out into the world. We can't help but be affected, usually ending up used and dirty. We make changes, clean ourselves up, only to realize that, if we take a hard look at ourselves, our hearts are still all wrinkled. We can work and work and work, but our own effort just isn't enough. We need help.

We need steam, and I believe it comes in the form of the Holy Spirit. We just have to ask for help and it swoops in and smooths things out. The trick is we have to acknowledge the wrinkles and want to get rid of them.

Today is the first day of Lent and that's what it's all about, taking a good honest look at your heart, your soul, your life, seeing the wrinkles, recognizing we need help with the toughest ones, and depending on the Holy Spirit to help us.

Yes, that's how my brain works sometimes. Do you see now why my kids hate my analogies? I'm way out of practice now. You should have heard the ones I came up with when they were teenagers.

But for those of you who read all the way through this, I have something to lighten things up: "How to Survive Lent 2013 or What We Gave Up". I may be Catholic, but I still have a sense of humor. 

So...are you giving anything up for Lent? If not, here's my back-up question...do you iron?

"My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint."

~ Erma Bombeck

We don't iron these colored ones. I hope you can't tell. I don't want to have to start, even if ironing is conducive to random analogical thinking.

(P.S. Update on the comment problem: I apologize if you've tried to leave a comment, but didn't see it. Typepad has a new, obviously over-agressive, spam blocker system, and all comments are being dumped into my spam folder. I even discovered some of my recent replies in there! I've notified Typepad and hope it's resolved soon. In the meantime, thank you for commenting. They're there - you just don't see them! And since I'm not getting email notifications, you're not receiving my replies.)

 

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.)

 

 

Dead Turkeys and Different Opinions (and a Frankie Flashback)

Last week Tom discovered a dead turkey down near our little pond. There were no signs of violence or obvious cause of death. We suppose it died of natural causes. I'm sure that happens occasionally in nature, doesn't it?

Well, Belle was with him that day. We're not sure if she acted alone, or if Max was the culprit, or it was teamwork, but that dead turkey somehow made its way up to our front porch. It was waiting for us when we came home from a birthday party that night, resting on one side of a doggy bed.

"No dead animals on the porch!" I told them, shaking my finger at the carcass. Then Tom scooped it onto a shovel (which we keep nearby for this reason!) and tossed it off the porch, into the woods.

The next morning it was back. Obviously, from a dog's perspective, a porch is a perfectly logical place to store a dead turkey.

But I don't share that view, and I'm the boss. We didn't have time to dispose of it again until that evening because of church and work, but this time, I scooped it up and carried it far into the woods, fussing at the dogs the whole way. Then (wearing gloves and continuing my tirade) I shook out the blankets and swept the feathers off of the porch. 

Just a difference of opinion... but mine won.

So far.

 

I didn't take a photo of the turkey. Even I draw the line somewhere. But its feathers were beautiful, stinky as they were. The black and white pattern reminded me of my Frankie's feathers, so, well, I couldn't resist. I'm grateful I didn't see the turkey while it was alive, or its death would have reminded me too, too much of Frankie.

Time truly is a balm to a broken heart. I can see the feathers or look at photos of his funny face, and instead of crying, I smile at the memories and the joy he brought me during the short time we had together.

Okay, maybe I cry a little. I still miss my Frankie bird.

 

Dinner Theater (starring Max)

I sit on the back deck, glass of red wine in my hand, rocking back and forth, back and forth. Tom has to work late, so I'm covering the evening meal for him. 

Max is stretched out in front of his food bowl. Belle is just a few feet away near hers. The sun has dropped below the trees, leaving a smudge of pink on their tips. From there the sky deepens to a rich blue with only tiny wisps of cloud marring the perfection.

The air pulses with the beat of the cicadas, a back and forth, up and down, see-sawing song that drowns out everything else.

But Max somehow hears something else through the din and he's up on his feet in one fluid movement, despite his dysplasiatic knees and hips, bounding to the end of the deck in Tigger fashion, barking, barking, barking, assisted by his sidekick Belle, who isn't quite sure what they're barking at, but she's got his back, nonetheless. 

I praise his ferocity and courage. Satisfied I'm convinced he protected me from imminent danger, he stops barking and wanders back down the deck to eat, but bending down to the bowl hurts his elbows, so I set down my glass and hold the bowl up off the ground for him, braced against my knees, ignoring the pain in my lower back until he finishes the last morsel. 

That's the least I could do for someone who just saved my life, isn't it?

Ah, sweet Max.

 

 

 

Aren't you through yet, Mom?

Just one more, Maxey, I promise. Now smile!

 

Okay, how's this?

Good boy!

The Great U2 Mystery

Yesterday morning, I was all set to listen to U2 while I ran on the treadmill. I've kept their Achtung, Baby! down there for several years for when the U2 running mood hits me. (I also keep some Ted Nugent, John Mellencamp, and Dixie Chicks handy - my running moods are pretty eclectic!)

(It's kind of funny... I didn't appreciate U2 until I approached my fifties. That seems so strange to me because I love their music now... to me, it's so passionate and energizing.) 

Anyway, that's what I needed yesterday morning, but when I opened the case, it was empty!

I searched through the loose cds piled on the shelf - no luck. I looked through the other cds upstairs. No luck. 

I scratched my head. Why did my U2 cds keep disappearing?  My absolute favorite one - The Best of 1990-2000 - went missing years ago. I keep the case, still hoping it will turn up someday, maybe under a couch cushion or someone's bed, perhaps. 

But now Achtung, too? What was going on? Was this some personal vendetta against me and U2?

I called Tom, texted all of my kids, in hopes that someone saw something, spotted it somewhere, remembered removing it from the player...

No luck.

Thank goodness I still had Joshua Tree to appease my U2 running mood, but the whole time I ran I wondered about Achtung and the great U2 CD Mystery...

When Tom came home later that evening, it only took him a couple of minutes to find it, of course. Show-off. Someone (possibly even me) had placed it in a clear cd case. It was sitting right there on the shelf near the others.

I would be mad at him if I wasn't so grateful. (Thank you, baby! Now can you find the other one?)

Welcoming 2012 (and other sweet!s of the week)

This first day of January has just drifted by. I haven't accomplished much of anything beyond a little after-party straightening and a walk with the puppies. Just reading about everything I did last New Year's Day makes me tired!

But I feel as if I'm drifting in a calm spot between two rapids in a river. We need days like that, don't we? Days where we just lean back in our inner tube, dangle our hands in the cold water, gaze at the sky above... where we progress so slowly, we have time to notice the details in the scenery along the shore...

Anyway...

How did you welcome 2012? Did you dress up and hit the town? Cuddle under a blanket watching the ball drop on television? Gather with friends in someone's kitchen?

Part of me loves the idea of dressing up all glittery and heading downtown with masses of people to celebrate the new year. The other part prefers to dress in jeans and spend the last bits of the old year and the first of the new surrounded by good friends in my own home, sipping red wine and cheap champagne.

That part of me is bigger and stronger than the first part, and that's why almost every year for the past 7 years, Tom and I have decided at the last minute to throw our own New Year's Eve party. (It might also be because we're never invited anywhere... but I try not to think about that!)

Yesterday my feet, aching after seven straight busy, busy hours at the Bistro, were grateful we made that decision again so they could spend part of the evening propped on the coffee table in their own living room, listening to live music, courtesy of Michael Clay and Jim Linton. They didn't even mind dancing a little.  

I didn't begin the new year eating healthy or taking time to run like I did last year, but each day is a new beginning, right? A chance to do what you neglected to do the day before. A fresh page in your book. And the story is yours to write.

That's pretty sweet.

Here are some other sweet!s...

Saturday: a road trip with all three of your kids for the first time in years; singing Christmas carols; attending Christmas Eve Mass with your babies in the church where all three were baptized, two went to preschool and one celebrated his First Communion  

Sunday: Christmas; waking in your parents' home on Christmas morning for the first time since you were 18; bacon, eggs, and biscuits with plum jam, made with love by your Daddy; your niece's peppermint cupcakes; the rain stopping for your drive home; watching old Dark Shadows episodes with your son

Monday: sleeping in; running on a country road under a brilliant blue December sky; surprising a family of Mallard ducks on a little pond (not so sweet - didn't get a photo!); finally starting your Christmas cards; watching your son cook dinner with his dad while you work at the computer

Tuesday: getting back to work on your book; clean windows; a text message letting you know your son is going to propose to the love of his life; a phone call letting you know your son proposed to the love of his life and she said YES!; your middle son packing up, preparing to move out into his own place again (bittersweet)

Wednesday: a warm jacket on a frosty morning; finally mailing your Christmas cards; an impromptu lesson from the postmaster on how to detect counterfeit bills; a paycheck waiting for you in the mailbox

Thursday: surprising the family of Mallard ducks on the little pond again - and getting a photo before they could fly away!; a donation in your tip jar; stopping in the aisles to visit with people you know at the grocery store

Friday: looking back on a busy day, feeling you accomplished a lot; a movie with your sweetie

Saturday: coming home late from work to a home all decorated for your New Year's Eve party, thanks to your daughter; welcoming the New Year with dear friends and live music in your own livingroom; two new photo shoot proposals

Sunday: starting the day with eggs, bacon and toast; a walk in the afternoon sunshine; listening to your daughter and her friend laugh about their New Year's Eve adventures

What were some of the sweetest moments of your week? Please share!

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

A few more sweet!s from our "Welcome 2012" party...

~ smiles and laughter ~

~ dancing ~

~ more smiles and laughter ~

Wishing tons of smiles, laughter, fun, and friendship for all of you in 2012!

 

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!

 

Belle, The Circus Dog (Favorite Friday Photos)

I've mentioned before how acrobatic my little Belle is, that I thought she must be descended from circus dogs... 

Now I believe it more than ever! 

Would you believe she has learned to stand and walk just on her hands, er, front paws?

(Where's Ellen's number?)

Nah, not really. It's April Fool's Day, remember? This is the best I could come up with. It's a real, untouched photo alright, but this is just the goofy way she runs... I keep expecting her to flip all the way over!

But the focus52 prompt this week is "silly" and right away I thought of my sweet, silly Belle, who bounds like Tigger when she runs, who makes me laugh every day, who radiates joy with every fiber of her being. 

She loves dirt the way Max loves water!

She might just be the goofiest dog I've ever owned - and that's saying a lot!

One thing's for sure... it's a dog's life around here...

But I don't mind.

In honor of April's Fool's Day, here are a few of my favorite 'fool' quotes...

A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool. ~ William Shakespeare

He who hesitates is a damned fool. ~ Mae West

Showing off is the fool's idea of glory. ~ Bruce Lee

The wise man does at once what the fool does finally. ~ Niccolo Machiavelli

Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it. ~ Henry David Thoreau

Happy April Fool's Day!

"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?)

 

Cool TV and other Random Thursday Thoughts

I remember when MTV first aired. (That's how old I am.)

I would just watch and watch and watch, one music video after another, mesmerized. Even when I was forced to leave the room for some reason - to eat or sleep or take a potty break, for instance- I would keep it on just to hear the music. 

When I was pregnant with my firstborn, we bought a foreclosed house and moved. We opted not to connect to cable in our new home; Tom was a returning college student, so we were down to a single income and wanted to save money where we could - we were about to become a family! And all that stuff they showed on cable - lord have mercy, we didn't want our kids watching that!

I missed those music videos, though, so you can imagine how excited I was when Tom recently discovered Cool TV! It's just like the old-time MTV, airing one music video after another, including some of the old ones we watched almost 30 years ago - except it's on network television! It's free! 

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

The next best thing to having your own work published or promoted is seeing your friends succeed, and this weekend I get to witness the work of my friend Amory Casto come alive on the stage of Salvage Vanguard Theater. Yay! Congratulations, Amory!

Check out the promo... and if you're in the Austin area, come see it!

Small town love isn't as simple as it should be. Charlotte is a quiet girl, who wants nothing more than to simply love and be loved by her boyfriend Gabe, a recent jailbird who wants nothing more than to walk a straight line. Charlotte soon discovers that he has returned a different man than the one she fell in love with. Heartache turns to fear when she decides one day to meet Finley, a wondering optimist in an open field.

Tickets are $12 and can be reserved online at www.hydeparktheatre.org. Once on the HPT website, click on "See full Long Fringe schedule". Scroll down the page--What You Touch is Gold is second from the bottom. Then reserve them tickets!! (All tickets must be paid for in cash/check at the box office before the show)

What You Touch Is Gold, a new play
Written & Produced by Amory Elizabeth Casto
Directed by Lindsey Sikes

Starring:
Erica Heidepriem
William Buchanan
Dane Seth Hurlburt
Megan Minto
Alexander Hilary
and Charles Devany

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

My eyes are itching. Click HERE to find out why.

Damn juniper, cedar, whatever you want to call it...

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

The past few mornings our walks have swung down to our pond. We've had a visitor lately and I'm trying to capture him/her with my camera. But it is just too dang sly and fast for me...

Can you see it hiding from me in the weeds? When I took this, it was in the gray of dawn and I was standing pretty far away. I could barely spot its eye through the weeds and just hoped when I snapped the shot that I was capturing something in the frame.

Here... I'll zoom in a little more for you...

About this time, Belle and Max spotted it and headed closer. The jig was up and the heron decided to scram... I started snapping and, considering I was yelling "No Belle! No Max!", and it was still dark, and I was moving and still pretty far away, these didn't turn out half bad...

Dang heron. I'll get a good photo of you yet...

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

If you had ten extra free hours a week, what would you do with them?

Thanks to the economy I've had to wrestle with this issue this past week (much better than having to wrestle with the issue of No Job At All, that's for sure!)

This is what I've packed into my two extra hours per day:

• slept longer
• banged on my drums
• made a little progress on my book
• caught up on laundry
• kept my desk cleaned off
• took longer walks with the puppies
• wrote a Confessions post for the first time in weeks

And that's it. But that looks like a lot to me. Right now I'm kind of enjoying that extra time and I'll try to remember this tingly feeling when I take a look at my paycheck tomorrow...

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

All this time I thought I had a Facebook page, and it turns out it was just some sort of Insights Page. (Why?) Anyway, now I have a Real Facebook page, so if you're on Facebook, and you're so inclined, look me up! (Long Hollow website)

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

I came across this video on Recommended Daily Dose and it cracked me up because I love ridiculous stuff like this. I had to share it in honor of my friend Mary Kay, even though she never reads my blog. She's a huge Josh Groban fan (he touched her hand once at a concert and she didn't wash it for a week! She's also in love with Matthew McConaughey, but that's another story...)

Happy Thursday!

 

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!

 

<

Tom's Back Therapy

It's only been two weeks since Tom hurt his back bowling. It had gotten better, but I'm pretty sure he stretched Dr. Oz's advice a bit far Saturday...

A few hours later, he was back in bed, lying on a heating pad. (can you hear me sighing?)

I only have time for a quick post this morning - I feel like I'm staggering off of a wild rollercoaster ride straight into a whitewater rafting adventure - what a jam-packed weekend! It was a great weekend, though, totally worth the exhaustion and baggy, saggy bloodshot eyes and mental fog hitting me now. More on it later. Happy Monday!

 

 

Tom Gets a Little Help ... (well, "help" might not be the right word ... )

Max wants to get in on the fun, since Dad's not yelling ...

  

 Belle is fascinated by shovels and pick-axes! Makes it tough to do any digging!

 



  
 (In case you're wondering ... yes, Tom somehow managed to get the crape myrtles planted, despite all the "help"!)

Busted!

When Mama's away, the boys will play!

Look what I discovered in the house Friday afternoon when I got home from work ...

 
And Tom says I'm the softy in the family...

Kissin' and a' huggin' with Fred

While blog-hopping this morning, I fell into a time warp. Jan of Jan's Daily Dish posted a link to a song she says her dad used to sing to her (with a warning that anyone under 55 might not want to click on it!)..."If I knew you were coming I'd've baked a cake..."

I'm still just a spring chicken of 50, but I took a chance and clicked anyway...and that's when I went swirling back in time (imagine me flailing my arms, surrounded by spirals of black and white, like they used to use on those old sci-fi shows)...landing in the middle of my livingroom of the early 60's.  There are dining room chairs sitting in a row with one in front and somehow I've convinced a few of my friends (probably Janet, Linda, Ricky, Sandy...) to put on a skit based on one of my favorite songs. I still wonder how I managed to talk them into it...you'll wonder the same thing, if you listen to it.

Taggin' Along and Catchin' Up

My friend Darla's daughter finished up two weeks of summer camp in East Texas today. Another friend, Patti, offered to let her spend last night at her lakehouse near the camp so she wouldn't have to make such a long drive first thing this morning. Darla invited me to go along just for fun.

Heck, yes! Road trip!

Never mind that I'm always complaining about not having enough time in the day to get everything done and that I'm quick to use "no time" as an excuse that the laundry is piling up or the refrigerator is empty or my book isn't written.  Life's just too short to pass up a chance for a change of scenery...hours yakking with dear friends...sipping margaritas as the sun sets on a beautiful lake...witnessing first hand the reunion between a mother and daughter who have been separated for two weeks...and, to be honest, catching a glimpse of what a real "Parent Trap" camp looks like.

So what if I'm sitting at the end of another "not much accomplished" weekend - I have no regrets at all. For one thing, at the end of last week I zoomed around getting things done just so I could go without too much guilt - I was whooped! I needed a break!

 Here's a quick update of the end of last week... 

Thursday...our anniversary. We had a wonderful dinner at Outback Steakhouse (free, thanks to a gift card someone special gave us.) And even though my car was supposed to be my our anniversary gift, he surprised me with a Windberg print of an old barn he discovered on Craig's List (I've been a fan for thirty years) and a beautiful, sweet card - a good thing, because of the video he sent me via email earlier in the week, entitled "The Perfect Marriage" (see it below.)

 My gift to him? I settled on only one card instead of buying three like I usually do and I'm not taking a class this semester. (I know...pretty lame...but he really is impossible to shop for! And these things really do make him happy!)

Friday...TG's last day at work. Our bosses took us both to lunch at a new place in town (new for all of us, anyway.) I'm going to miss having her nearby all day long.

After dinner we shopped - I think we scoured every clearance rack in Kohl's and finished up just before the lights went out - and laughed till we cried listening to comedy channels on my free-for-now XM Radio. It's hard to believe that this time next week she'll be settling into life as a college freshman, and Tom and I will really and truly be empty-nesters!

Below...a taste of lake life with dear friends...a sign from the camp (I want one for my house!)...the "funny" email Tom sent me...

  

Weird Al + the Doors + Craig's List = Funny

    Something fun for a Saturday morning - dedicated to all of those Craig-Listers, especially Darla and my sweet Tom, who might be headed out to gather up new treasure...

"Craving Pizza" and other perks of my job

    Like any job, mine can get tedious - coming up with fresh new names can strain anyone's creativity and then staring at a computer screen for hours and hours, screening the potential new names for trademark hits, puts a definite strain on your eyes and your "sitting" muscles.

    But learning something new is always exciting to me, and I've had the opportunity to learn something new almost every day since October, when I started this gig.

    However, one of the real perks has been working with creative people like Ricky Russ, who built the new NameStormers website and edited the videos that either he or I filmed. This one for Pizza Cravers by Doritos (a name NameStormers came up with) is brand-spanking new and definitely my favorite video to date. He gets all the credit and my thanks for making me laugh!

The Battle Continues: Barbara vs. Green Screen, 1-1

    I was attacked by a Chroma-Pop Green Screen at work today - it popped me in the eye! It hurt enough that I applied ice, worried about walking into Kendall's graduation tomorrow night with a black eye.

    I was trying to fold it up to put it away in its neat little carrying case. According to the video on the website, this is a very simple procedure and only takes seconds. Two or three moves, and this 7' x 5' rectangle becomes a compact circle that slips right in to the bag.

    I've done it before, but it took more than a few seconds or a few moves...it took a lot of patience and calm, cool, confident determination. I was all out of patience and calm today, and somehow this screen sensed it - somehow it knew that my chi was off balance. It made its move while I was weak.

    It soothes my pride a little to know I'm not the only one out there who has struggled to fold these. Just watch this video to get an idea of my morning...

A Man and His...Bird?

    Tom and I are trying to slow down a little. We've been hitting the trails on our property the last couple of days, taking advantage of the sunshine and sub-100 degree temperatures while they both last. This evening, Charly, Max and Frankie all went with us, but yesterday the dogs wimped out and just Frankie tagged along. He came trotting up when we called and tagged along close behind Tom, making sure we didn't get out of his sight. It seems so strange, and yet so normal.

    We waded through Mexican hats and under an arching tunnel of lush green grapevine that cover the land bridge to get to the other side of the creek, then took a trail down to the little pond. It's my favorite place - a quiet green oasis, draped in ferns. No water runs down the upper creek, dropping as a miniature waterfall into the pond right now, although it does happen, and when it does, you couldn't imagine such a little waterfall could make so much noise - even on our back deck I've closed my eyes and could easily imagine I was sitting next to the gulf shore, listening to the surf. But it's still glorious when it's quiet. I envision myself...someday...sitting there on a little bench under the trees next to the pond, listening to the waterfall (this is a dream, after all!), typing away on a laptop.

 

 

 

Can you find the guinea in the pictures below?

 

Frankie - An Afternoon at the Guinea Spa

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

Ah, much better! 

Today's Debate: Are Squirrels Evil?

    My friend Scott Gray sent this to me after reading about our adventure with the squirrel yesterday. Makes you wonder...

#%!# Squirrels!

First clue: TG heard a scratching sound in the attic above her bathroom.

Tom grabbed a ladder and climbed on the roof. Sure enough, a squirrel came shooting out of a teensy one inch gap in a seam up there, surprising the you-know-what out of him.

Armed with screening and I don't know what else, Tom patched it up, then climbed up into the attic from the inside to make sure there wasn't a nest or anything.

Thank goodness, this squirrel was flying solo.

 

    I helped by taking pictures. Frankie helped by flying up into a tree and squawking at Tom.

  

 

Revenge of the Cedars

    People around here badmouth the cedar trees (technically a type of juniper, but we call them cedar - don't ask me why, because I don't know!) They are looked down on because they spread fast and drink up all the water. They gang up on oak trees and anything else that has roots and leaves. Don't get me wrong...I actually have a soft spot for cedars. The smell reminds me of going to my grandparent's cabin near Lake Medina near San Antonio when I was little, and the old trees with thick trunks are beautiful (to me, anyway.)

    But right now I don't like them so much. There is so much cedar pollen in the air, thanks to the otherwise perfect weather (sunshine, mid-70's, breezy) that I'm wishing someone would take some steel wool to my eyes and SCRATCH!! I'm taking antihistamine every way I can - orally, nasally, and ...eye-fully? With eye drops...you know what I mean.

    Maybe they're just trying to get revenge for all the trash talk and weeding out of their kind that goes on, but, come on! they're not doing their cause any good. Here are a couple of pictures I found of cedar pollen explosions - I never have my camera when I see one myself. The first one is in Arizona (by digital_house - I believe in giving credit) and the second one is in New Jersey (by Benny Bishop). I never realized other people were suffering just like we are. It doesn't make me feel any better.

 

    While I'm on the subject of revenge, here's a cartoon I cut out of this week's Parade magazine that really made me laugh...

Flight of the Conchords and Extreme Cookies and Cream

    

     It's only Wednesday, but these last few days have been so long and hectic that Sunday seems like years ago. That's when I took my own advice about slowing down... I spent a few hours with Daniel doing nothing but laugh at his new Flight of the Conchords Season 1 DVD (his birthday present) and eat ice cream cake (which should be named Extreme Cookies and Cream because there's not really any cake involved - just neopolitan ice cream, Oreos, chocolate syrup, and Cool Whip.)

     Okay, that's not exactly true...the part about doing nothing else, anyway (the cake part is true)...we'd watch an episode, then I'd get up and "accomplish" something...laundry, cleaning off my desk, or something...then we'd watch another one. It's the closest I can come to being a couch potato. But we watched six or seven episodes over the weekend, and by the last one Sunday night, I knew I'd be going through withdrawals...they are so funny! It makes me wish I had HBO. I'm going to miss Bret and Jermaine.

Where did that hand come from?

     After all these years, after all the zillions of times I've looked at that photo of my dad in my bedroom of 1970, I have NEVER noticed that there is a hand coming out of the closet! There's something about seeing photographs on this blog that makes me look at them as if for the first time - unfortunately, it's usually after I hit the PUBLISH NOW button. I tried to go back and crop out the hand, but this old computer was too tired and froze up on me. By then, I thought, what the heck...it's very intriguing...I suppose at some time I knew who that was in my closet and why they were there, but that tidbit of knowledge was displaced in my brain long ago. I'll have to make some phone calls today and see if anyone remembers...

    In the meantime, it's good for a laugh. 

To the Sea...

Why I need this weekend in Port Aransas...

 

   

This is another reason...

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

Hope your weekend is full of friends and joy and fun...

A full nest and Goodbye, good riddance to Hurricane Ike

     Ike has come and gone, leaving a mess in his wake, but not creating nearly as much havoc as he could have. My family is fine...sweaty and sticky from the power outage, but safe.

     I'm happy to report my parents' old house weathered the storm with no damage - even the carport is still standing, although it's relatively new, thanks to some other storm. Ditto on Donnie's house. Brenda had some water in one bathroom, but they're not sure how it got in - the roof is untouched, although a tornado left it's signature dangerously close, twisting and splintering one tree and leaving it to die on the neighbor's carport. 

     I've been mesmerized by the televised scenes of destruction Ike did manage to paint on his way through the Galveston/Houston area. It reminds me of the aftermath of Alicia. When she hit in 1983, Tom and I lived in League City. We stayed up all night listening to the wind roar, wondering what the bumps and crashes could mean. Tom took advantage of the calm in the eye of the storm to try to patch up our damaged roof. The next day we walked through the neighborhood and drove to the bay, seeing crumpled houses, splintered trees, downed power lines, and washed up boats.

    Even though we're miles away and are feeling no physical effects from this storm, it's comforting to have all my "babies" here at home with us for the first time in months. This afternoon we gathered around the computer, watching funny videos on youtube...it reminded me of the days I would read to them  huddled around me on the couch.

     It was good to laugh after the hours of worry. Here's one Tommy showed us...Usher's "Love in this Club" perfomed by the Showbiz Pizza Band...hope it makes you laugh, too...