Endings

It's the end of the year and the football season.  We'll spend the next few days with non-stop football games.  I half watch them and occasionally get involved if it's a team I love. The sports season almost completed has been less than satisfying for me, but I can hope for better in the coming year.  

We'll see the new year in with a few close friends and plan for a fresh start.  Too much uncertainty makes my resolutions vague, but I can strive for personal improvement.  2014 will be a good year, as good as we make it!

Peace on Earth...or my little corner of Earth.

Today I choose joy!

Christmas morning has just arrived and I am ready to go to bed.  I needed some quiet time to reflect and mentally settle my mind for sleep.  It's been a very very busy few days.   I love the season, I love the crowds in the stores, I love the music, and of course I love seeing the little ones with anticipation in their eyes.  As I watched them this evening proudly wearing festive holiday dresses and shirts, an overwhelming sense of sadness settled in my heart.  It has been so long since ours were children and now even the grandchildren are all nearing adulthood.  Oh my, how did this happen?  It is the order of life as it should be.  Oh but I do miss preparation for the little ones' Christmas.

A few minutes of quiet solitude and I am at peace.  I'm not in the throws of exhaustion as I remember this time in past years.  Yesterday was very busy, yet I was able to pace my activities and enjoy some special time with my 93 year old stepfather.  We had a Christmas Eve tradition of  shopping.  I always went with him to find that special gift my mother might have on her wish list.  We only missed two or three seasons out of 33 years of their marriage.  Today I sat with him and wrote out checks inserting them in cards for him to sign.  Afterward he commented that it was much easier to shop this way.  We laughed and his memory sparked some rare clarity.  I can equate the joy from those minutes to the same joy of children at Christmas. 

Tonight I was fretting over some little things I failed to purchase.  I'll survive and so will everyone else without those little things.  In a few hours, family and friends will arrive for a Christmas dinner and more will come later for dessert.  If I could carry a tune, I might just make a joyful noise.  I don't think others in the house would appreciate awakening to that!

Festive

Finally it is done!  Every gift has been purchased, wrapped and now resides under the Christmas Tree!  It's been a year when the "perfect gift" didn't jump out for anyone on my list.  I bought a few things at the Nutcracker Market in Houston, unsure if I would give them as Christmas gifts or simply pass along to the intended recipient.  A couple of those items are included in as a part of the Christmas bounty, one sits in the bag to be delivered tomorrow, and others were presented immediately.

I miss my big basement...the dining room table has been the holiday work area this year. A reminder that the ironing board was the right height for gift wrapping helped a little. Still, collections to be wrapped have remained stacked on the table for the last week, along with ribbon, wrapping paper and trims.  As I clear the table and move the ironing board back to its hanger in the laundry room, I vow to slim down my ribbon collection.  Well, that really means I won't buy any more ribbon this year.  

Can you tell which one is properly assembled?

There are times my ribbon collection is handy.

Some fun little containers purchased at Nutcracker Market were perfect to package several tiny gifts together for a nice ensemble.  I tinkered with the boxes all week in an attempt to figure out the mechanics of closing them.  Little tabs appeared to have purpose and slots seemed to be the right shape to receive them, but try as I might, the maneuver escaped me.  As I assembled the third one, an accidental fold, and voila it all became clear!  This project is now complete.
The time has come to prepare my table for it's intended purpose.  I'll start cooking tomorrow morning...but for now, I think I'll sleep.

Sin

I usually avoid writing about political flap.  It is the Christmas season and I am mindful of the day when we celebrate the birth of the savior we believe to be the Son of God.  As Christians, our faith is centered on this one person who walked the earth preaching love and forgiveness.  He died by the vile method of crucifixion about three decades after birth, but returned alive just three days later.  That's the basic tenet of all denominations of Christianity.  All  believe that salvation or eternal life will be achieved only through faith in this man born to a virgin and resurrected after death.

A recent interview with a reality show celebrity with devout Christian belief, has caused outrage from almost everyone, whether they watch his show or not.  It sickens me that our season of joy has been so stirred by outrage over comments he made regarding sin and what sinners cannot expect to inherit.  I have studied closely the teachings to which he refers (my grandmother was of his same denomination) and wish he had followed with additional truths I find in the Bible. Not one of us is without sin, but all sins are forgiven with acceptance of the gift of grace.  Jesus taught that we must not judge one another. It is the trust of God to judge.

At our house, we have enjoyed watching the show from time to time.  The outrage by one group labeled as sinners has been vehement and the network has taken action against the patriarch of the clan.  While I do not claim to know if any one person is going to heaven or hell at the end of this life, I have read in my Bible "for by grace you have been saved, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast".  Ephesians 2:8 (NKJV).

Somehow I find a certain outrage over the condemnation of this devout man, when another sect would call us "infidels" for Christian faith.  It is branded as intolerance to be concerned that some among that sect believe it is their mission to remove infidels from the earth.

Cheers

Yesterday was the annual President's Luncheon for the Women's Golf Association.  Since I just became eligible to play with the ladies on the golf course, there are many I didn't know...and perhaps a few I might not care to know (mind you that opinion is not my own, but a bit of advice offered unsolicited).

Scheduled starting time was 12 Noon and I walked in at 11:55 only to be the last to arrive.  Must remind myself, this group arrives early and I must follow that lead if I want to choose my seat in the future.  Other gatherings I have attended have been outdoors, a pool house barbeque and a picnic, so seating had little relevance.  This time I was positioned with my back to the people I knew best.  You might say I was squarely in the middle of the Catholic Ladies group.  Just across from me was a disheveled irreverent woman wearing red sparkly reindeer antlers.  By the time our lunch was served I had learned that she would need to leave soon to pick up her brother as he arrived at the airport.  OK, holiday arrival of a relative no big story.  She explained that her sibling had "no useful brain matter", having purchased his plane ticket after arriving at the airport, then complaining loudly at the price! After all, he had long ago taken a vow of poverty and all that goes with priesthood. Even though he is president of a prestigious Catholic University in the North, he finds little ability to navigate the most mundane daily tasks. He prefers to bless those that see to those banal requirements on his behalf.  She was clearly looking forward to his visit despite any shortcomings.  My other companions discussed the services provided to the poor and underpriviledged by the local church.  I was offered advice for assisting my aging Papa and dealing with Ol' Abner's ailments.  A couple of them only live here in the winter months, going to a cooler climate when the summer heat comes. 

The food was good and the wine cheered my spirits. We toasted the outgoing President and toasted again to the incoming officer.  I think I'll join the group for a round of golf next week.  

Shocking!

To offer a cliche, when it rains it pours.  After spending most of a day staring at totes and boxes filled with Christmas decorations.  I unplugged the lights on the naked tree and went to bed. The next morning I went to the dark utility room to fill the dogs dish. The light switch did not respond with illumination.  Backing into the kitchen and flipping switches revealed the overhead lights and the pantry light were dead.  Thinking circuit breakers were probably to blame, I whined to Ol' Abner as he was testing his sleeping chair fully clothed. (This tactic made perfect sense because I was barefoot wearing pajamas).  He re-flipped the switches and a few others. Some lights and electrical appliances were fully functional while others that seemed to be on the same circuit were powerless.  After making the usual rounds and flipping circuit breakers, he pulled out his handy tester thingy and went around the house beeping and chirping.   He finally concluded that the light fixture in the pantry was mal-functioning and had shorted out the rest of the lights as well as the plug for the cable box.  The last plug made the situation urgent. Football games must be watched in real time.   A trip to the hardware store, after opening the garage door by hand, and the light fixture was replaced but power to it was not!  In the midst of his storm of activity, I was carefully finishing the tree decorating and Papa sat quietly in his chair, commenting from time to time that electricity was something he didn't have as he grew up.

A heavy duty electric extension cord from the dining room revived the dormant cable box and television.  The mantle and tree are adorned.  Old world Santas and reindeer reside in the kitchen and the stockings are ready for filling.  That's about as much as I plan to do this year. The electrician came today.  A wire had been crossed at some point in the past and a switch designed to turn a light and ceiling fan on independently had been combined, for unknown reasons.  He corrected the installation and voila, everything worked perfectly again with the bonus that I can turn on the ceiling fan and light in the living room with two different switches!

Christmas Tree...it's a start!

I prefer to be completely over Autumn before I begin my Christmas decorating.  The first full weekend in December is usually the time I start pulling out the Yuletide festive items.  It took me awhile but I found many of them in the attic...and some I have not found yet!  

From the Attic

I spent the better part of two days first staring at this batch of boxed decorations, then unloading a few at a time.  My first goal was to get the already erected Christmas Tree decorated.  Every one of these totes had to be opened and unloaded before I found my hand carved ornaments from the years we were in the Ozarks.

So here they are, and if I was more adept at blogging and arranging my photos and posts these views would not be so strung out on the page.  Maybe one day I will master this, but for now the tree is up and the ornaments are on it along with other handmade decorations from the last few years.  Now what to do with the remainder of the contents of all those totes.  

I still haven't found the items used in my new mantle decor purchased last year.  It was rather expensive and my plan was to use it for many years.  First, I must discover it's hiding place. It may be time to go over to the off site storage facility and begin moving those boxes around.

It's up and decorated!

Maybe not, It's cold out there!

Deep Breaths

We returned home on Saturday from the plains bringing Pappy along with us.  It's his third day here and he is finally finding his chair without  direction, the bathroom is a destination he can navigate without too much help and when it's bedtime he strolls to the end of the hall where his familiar pictures hang.  We stocked up on his choice foods soon after our arrival at home and his routine continues.  At 93, routine is a must.  Habit kicks in when memory fails.  Physically his health is stellar, mentally he struggles.  Always though, he is cheerful and grateful for our assistance.  

Ol' Abner is struggling physically.  Breathing takes more and more effort.  He cannot walk around outside without the ever present oxygen tank on his shoulder.  Frustration makes him short tempered, then remorseful for his angry outbursts.  He knows I don't take it personally but my stress shows I guess when I see him in distress.

Today he turned in the information to be contacted for an evaluation of lung transplant candidacy.  It was a step that confirms the decline in his lung function.  While we are both hopeful, apprehension about the path ahead cannot be avoided.

Flatlander

We are at Sister's house for the Thanksgiving holiday.  One of my favorite things about her house has always been sitting on the back veranda watching the sun rise in the distance.  A beautiful nighttime view of the city lights on the horizon was a treat for my eyes.  No more!  The cotton field that backed their property is no longer a field but a developing sub-division.  Oh my! My holiday may be ruined.   In the name of progress cities must grow and bring new residents, but I still suffer from the "Not in My Backyard!" slogan...and I'll pass it along to Sister.  Sunrise over the rooftop behind was no thrill at all.

Not a Fan of Chaos

No matter how busy the day planned may be, I must have a few minutes to sit and contemplate my own existence.  Without those minutes my day is pretty much chaos.  In a few minutes I will start the pre-travel ritual.  When I pack, I have a routine that always gets me where I am going with all the things I need.  Ol' Abner, in earlier days, found this very frustrating.  He always packed the night before and preferred to roll out of bed and travel.  Men can do that, I can not! Today, he has learned to relax until he sees me go into "out the door" mode.  Our departures are much more peaceful and on-time now. 

Not exactly newsworthy

It's cold outside, very cold for these hills.  My warm jammies feel so good and my bed was a nice nest this morning when the four legged critter decided twas time to awaken.  She likes to eat at five and again at five.  That has been her schedule since we discontinued the three per day feedings when she advanced from puppy chow.  Ol' Abner usually is awake in time for her breakfast, even though he crawls into his sleeping chair, turns on the TV and proceeds to snore away.  For some reason this morning, she seemed to think he would benefit from additional time between the sheets.  It didn't change her plan that breakfast was due, so here I sit with a warm cup of brew and a dog sleeping on my feet.

This would have been a great day to sleep late.  I was up well after midnight washing sheets for the room where Pappy will sleep while he is here and catching up on recorded episodes of some of my favorite shows.  The paper is out on the sidewalk and I'm wondering why we didn't teach this Laborador Retriever to retrieve the newspaper.  Oh well, I think someone told me not so long ago (referring to herself) "Suck it Up, Buttercup"!  I guess I'll suck it up and go retrieve my own daily news.

A Wandering Mind

Trivial memories float into my mind at the strangest times.  Today is the 50th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination.  With the news coverage, each story provokes a unique trail of memories for me.  On the front page of the Austin newspaper a story highlighted the impact of the news as it soaked in within the Texas Capitol.  One storyline caught my eye: "The excitement was such that Superintendent Irby Carruth announced that Austin schools would close at 2:30 p.m. so students could see the motorcade". (Austin American-Statesman) The story itself was not remarkable, but the superintendent's name jumped out at me.  

Years after the Dallas tragedy, one of my college roommates came back from a visit to her hometown to announce that her parent's close friend had recently remarried and she had an opportunity to be charmed by the new wife.  Superintendent Irby Carruth was that friend.  The new Mrs. Carruth was none other than my favorite high school English teacher.  Even more exciting, she remembered me! Now there's a happy memory in the midst of all this sadness! 

Always a Texan

A few months ago I visited Seattle for the first time.  I loved every minute of my time there and understand why it's one of the favorite cities for living.  That's a tough thing for any Texan to admit.  At the same time I was in town, a young friend was being recruited as a new employee by one of the big companies based there.  We texted our locations and activities but never actually connected in person.  Still, we had a sense of sharing the trip.

Young friend was there on a lark...or so we thought.  Why not enjoy a few days in the beautiful exciting city and allow one of the most successful American enterprises a chance to wine and dine you?  She and her family were perfectly happy living in San Antonio.  True, however, to the theory of a "test drive", the ensuing offer was so very attractive that they found themselves moving to Seattle just over a month later.

We enjoyed dinner with young friend, her mother and her daughter tonight.  She is leading a team of recruiters to raid Texas for quality talent.  She has an understanding of the difficulty in choosing to leave the Lone Star State, but believes the opportunities she accepted will be inviting to a few fine ambitious Texans.  She accepted delivery of cowboy hats for the recruiters to wear during the presentations.  She can get away with it, she's from here!

Changing Scene

Home improvements seem to be the present fashion in our neighborhood.  A new pool has been completed across the street and the fence of it's house is properly upgraded.  Next door a retaining wall is in progress to hold river rock to replace the drought damaged grass in the front yard.  Drought tolerant succulents and shrubs will be added to soften the look.  On the street behind us the retaining walls are complete and plantings for winter are being added atop a healthy supply of mulch and additional topsoil.  We seem to be stirring up more commotion than most.  Our house boasts a new steel roof and a rather large garage is rising above concrete behind us.  It has been fun to watch and I know the extra space will certainly provide some relief to our cramped household.  Stone setters are working to give the garage a cohesive appearance with the house.  It's coming together nicely but the slope to the garage door on the house side is going to be much steeper than I expected...why am I the only one surprised?  I will occupy my thoughts with the shrubs and flowers that will need to be planted around the building!

Right now I just want to envision the pretty neighborhood when all this digging and pounding and rumbling ends!

In Focus

It's amazing how a cloudy, misty, dreary day spent moping inside the house can bring life back into focus.  A planned tee-off on my favorite course was postponed, then cancelled due to a light intermittent rain.  The ringing phone brought unwelcome news of a young friend's illness. Ol' Abner's grumpiness was only exceeded by my own unrest.  Frustration over my surrender to sugar cravings, over and over and over again, cursing holiday treats and a new phobia of the scales topped off my morning!  A quick listen to an on-line inspiration from my favorite clergy and my day shifted into focus.  

Plans are in place to deliver a meal to friends preparing for a Wednesday morning surgery and meet family visiting from out of town to support them.  I must mail photo discs from a recent event and get something done with my shaggy nails.  Laundry must be caught up and bags packed for a trip South.  I'll leave Wednesday to spend a night with a much loved cousin. Dancing Girl and Guitar Man will return the same day to Houston from a weeklong visit with daughter.  Thursday, we'll have a fun girls day at the Nutcracker Market.  Ol' Abner assures me he can take himself to the dentist, and daughter-in-law says she knows others can be there for those in need while I am absent.  My Thursday golf buddy thinks it may rain that day and we can catch up next week.  

My spirit is revived and I've had no sugar since noon.  It's a start!

Quiet Please

I'm feeling a sense of unrest.  Much needs to be accomplished in the coming weeks, yet I have no control over most of the events occurring.  Planning isn't coming naturally and other players seem to be absent.  Changing dates for travel and additional events inserted amid current happenings are making my brain feel like crawling mush!  A busy holiday season is erupting all around and I have the urge to hide inside my house with the lights turned off.  

Season of.....

These are the months of comfort food indulgence spiked with occasional binges of pure junk!  Maybe that's why Halloween is such fun.  Dress to hide the lumps of flab and you can be right in style, or if working out has allowed for success...sport that sexy new physique.  Either way, it's fun to see the creative and not-so-imaginative costumes on All-Hallows-Eve.

Creative?  and a black widow

Anyone recognize this one?

Poison Ivy with Grim Ghoull

Two Old Men disguised as Scary Old Men

Batman and Anybody's Guess

Only recognizable costume here is
A Sharpie...

Staying warm in a bear suit!

Don't Fight City Hall!

Our search for a home in the Texas hills was lengthened by the requirement that a large outbuilding or place to build same existed on the property.  We settled on a small home in the community we always dreamed of inhabiting with a lot large enough for the additional building.
Prior to purchase, we visited the city planning and development office, reviewed homeowner association requirements and even visited with some of our potential neighbors already sporting similar facilities on their homestead.  We happily made our purchase and son came with his big toys to remove unwanted trees and dig out large boulders in order to level the majority of the back part of the property.  I had a mental plan, Ol' Abner had another!  Little did we know, the city had much more detailed requirements than first thought.  Our major stumbling block was the requirement for an engineered slab design!  Sounds simple enough, but barn builders, garage builders, shop builders do not work with an engineered slab.  We were finally told those are used primarily for the heavy duty, multi-level commercial construction!  A large part of our budgeted funds were depleted in an attempt to get plans and designs to suit the city powers.  Guitar Man got involved after about a year of frustration.  He brought in an engineer co-worker who designed the slab.  Guitar Man drew up the site plan set to scale per city requirements.  It finally began to take a visible shape at that point.  Ol' Abner decided to revisit the first builder we had attempted to hire, the one who refused to deal with city hall. With plans in hand, he encountered a willingness to deal. 

Day 2-Crushed Granite fill is in!

Day 1-Man and Dog checking progress

Wise Words

Bits of wisdom shared by mentors from my youth have stayed with me throughout my life.  I have surpassed the age some of those people lived and aspire to reach the term of life that others reached.  At times I find those same words spouting forth almost involuntarily from my mouth when it seemed my thoughts were private.  Today I think I'll just put some of them out there as they come to me.

• Better to spend your dollars at the grocery store than a doctor's office
• Self-reliant children are the best evidence of good parenting
• If you do not understand the need for government, look at a parking lot covered with snow as cars park
• There is a time and a season for all things, not always recognized until it has passed
• You cannot unscramble an egg
• Any experience is only as important as the memories that thrive from it
• Don't sweat the small stuff, and afterward it's all just small stuff (yes I was told this long before it became a best selling book)
• Somewhere in every family, there is a renegade
• Small children and dogs are the best judges of character at first impression
• Be loyal to your personal convictions and you will never regret your actions
• Value learning or be taught the lessons anyway
• ...to be continued

Long Awaited

It looks like Ol' Abner's garage may actually get built.  The building permit has been issued, the electric connection for construction has been set and approved.  Yesterday the workers showed up unexpectedly to deliver equipment to begin work.  Anticipated start date was Tuesday, but apparently they will be here this morning to begin the process.  Ol' Abner and a friend were out and about most of the day at building supply stores, hardware stores and piddling around in the back yard.  He hasn't said so, but I think he is excited.

Laughter in the Evening

Last week we joined Hardtime Man and Spoiled Rot'n Girl for dinner at one of our mutually favorite restaurants.  Grumpy Man was here helping Ol' Abner with some manual labor and came along to hear the tales from their recent trip.  They usually spend late summer and early autumn down on the gulf coast, fishing, boating, swimming, golfing and riding motorcycles on back roads.  Their routine was changed this year for many reasons.  They left the boat at home and planned to fish from the docks while spending days enjoying balmy weather on dry land.  Posts from the coast on social media were filled with tales of rain and chilly days.  Movie reviews and photos posted of Rot'n eating ice cream with a less than welcome pose were the usual missive.  The rains arrived just as our travelers settled into their temporary digs, and apparently continued throughout most days of the stay.  A backdoor message warning that home would soon be on the horizon  arrived a couple of months earlier than expected.

We talked and laughed over our Italian dinner, then occupied the table long after the wait staff was ready to turn the table. The dairy dessert stop a few blocks up the street was a logical progression for five people unwilling to part.  Despite the luxury of the new "camper", long days of listening to the rain had them both suffering from "cabin fever"  incumbent with boredom and frustration.  As we were regaled with stories of three elderly ladies in the care of our friends, Grumpy Man was ever so grateful for his own mother, still active and self sufficient in her late seventies. Hardtime Man's aunt is bedridden and suffers dementia from her nursing home.  His mother is well served in an assisted living facility, and Rot'n looks in on her mother living just three doors down in the hometown.  Both mothers are on the verge of needing a higher level of care.  Antics of telephone calls never made  amid complaints that she cannot get in touch with family, service providers and even the telephone company make Rot'n throw up her hands and walk away from her mother.  Hardtime's mother always feels the need to make a trip to the emergency room when he is a half day's drive away.  This time was no exception, but she called other family members urging them to keep her "ailment and care" a secret from her son.  The next morning she called to fill him in on all the details.  Their badly needed respite had turned into a soggy series of wet sand in unspeakable places, but the telling of the tales gave us all a light hearted release with the sharing of experiences.

Oh how we missed our frequent outings with these friends.  It's good to have them back in the area!

Paper No More

After so many years of moving at the whim of a corporate regime, Ol Abner became quite a talented wallpaper hanger.  With limited time to make a move, we often overlooked cosmetic deficits in a potential home.  If the furniture would fit and the kids could stash their stuff out of sight, we could look past wallpaper that looked like old men's pajamas.  Before we even moved in I was usually checking out wallpaper sample books to pour over for each room.  He knew a couple of weekends would be spent painting and papering, sometimes in a rush before new flooring was installed.   Before he assumed the role of paper-hanger,  I tackled a couple of simple papering projects with a modicum of success.

One newly-finished house we bought  had what looked like grandma's housecoat on the master bathroom wall.  My frugal spouse refused to change out brand new wall paper, thus I lived with it for several years.  When he was traveling I found a sale and bought new paper after a reasonable time of suffering the ugly environment,  Dancing girl dropped by one evening and after a glass of wine, we concluded we could remove the offensive paper and replace it with a fresh new covering in one evening.  

Just as we began to coax the old paper off the wall, Ol' Abner called.  We usually chatted five or ten minutes each evening when he was away.  It didn't take long to catch up on most day's events.  This particular evening, he suggested I call him back when my guest left.  Now he knew it always took the two of us several hours to "catch up" on any day's  events.  I told him it would probably be late, and he assured me he had enough paper work to do that he'd be awake for some time.  I hung up the phone and we went back to work.  Forty five minutes later he called. Paper work was done and he was sure I  had just forgotten to call him.  No, but I was willing to chat as my friend steamed the walls.  Mind you he didn't know she was slaving in our bathroom. He again told me to call when we were through with our visit.   His calls became closer and closer together, to the point that he was totally disrupting our progress.  A project that could have been completed by midnight stretched into the wee hours and we had to leave the medicine cabinets for him to re-install.  Every time he called we would sit down where the phone cord would reach and have another glass of wine. If something was of great importance, he never did get around to that point in any of those conversations.  He was never fond of that wallpaper, but it really was lovely.

He remarked recently that he is so glad that wallpapered walls are no longer in vogue. I do hope it hasn't taken him fourteen years to notice we aren't buying wallpaper.

Return of the Natives

How do I cope with that awful moment when the bathroom scales show a sad truth!  The five pounds I struggled to lose last spring have returned and brought along fifteen close friends.  I should've known Saturday when I donned a pair of long jeans not worn all summer.  They were more than just a little snug.  I blithely concluded the dryer had snapped the denim fabric a little tight and would soon adjust back to my "voluptuous curves".  Since I do know better than to step on scales wearing heavy denim, I avoided the weighing until this morning.  There they were; glaring at me with wicked condemnation!

Just when I am in the mood to bake Autumn favorites and curl up with a blanket and a good book, I find myself planning the trip to the gym and counting calories.  Why does pie always have more of the creeping little bundles of energy than the crisp apple?  Who ever determined that calories were "measurements of energy"?  Why don't I feel particularly energetic after I devour half a loaf of freshly baked pumpkin bread?   I fear these questions have no good answers.  Hmmm, the dog seems to be getting a little chunky, too.  Maybe we better go for a walk!

Punkins

My taste buds are feeling the need for fall flavors, specifically for autumn spices.  I love the taste of cinnamon and nutmeg.  Sage and celery added to cornbread makes a wonderful side dish for poultry or pork.  Perhaps its these first cool days after a long hot summer that spurs the desire for cold weather foods.  Even the restaurants are beginning to push foods reminiscent of cooler seasons.

For me the ultimate Autumn food would be pumpkin.  Ol' Abner refers to them as "gourds" and despises even the smell.  Oh woe is me.  I indulge in anything pumpkin as the season progresses.  Pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin flavored coffee, pumpkin roll, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin soup and of course a pumpkin smoothie to start my day.  One of my favorite caterers offered an autumn cooking class a decade or two ago and I still pull those recipes out when I feel this welcome urge.  She used the entire pumpkin. The pulp, the seeds and the rind were all valued in preparation of her treats.  A meatloaf or beef stew baked in a pumpkin hull infused a richness never found before.  Large pumpkins became serving vessels for punches and soups.  Tiny pie pumpkins held yummy dips in a lovely setting on the appetizer table.  We tossed the seeds in sweet or savory spices and baked them.The resulting goodies added crunch to almost any recipe and provided a quick snack food to add to trail mixes or use as a topping.

I even love the color of pumpkin.  The soft orange exudes comfort.  (I refuse to compare it to the "burnt orange" celebrated in this neighborhood) I love it's soft warmth.   Maybe this is a childhood indulgence. Early memories of my grandmother bring to mind a sometimes endearment she used for me.  She would pat her lap and say "Come here Punkin'" signaling that I could sit and rock til sleep just magically happened.  Maybe pumpkins are magical, even after midnight!

Handicap

Deciding to learn a new sport at age 63 might not be the wisest decision I've ever made, only a little wiser than waiting til I'm 64.  I took golf lessons for a month and felt as though I was equipped (at least mentally) to have a good time on the course.  Immediately thereafter, I loaded my clubs in the car and traveled to another city, citing a wealth of golf courses and a nearby location of Top Golf.  Three weeks later I came home for a weekend and brought my still zippered golf bag home to stay.  

Catching up at home, then aging into the next year with a busy holiday weekend to justify the fun, required a couple of lazy days to recover.  A morning on the driving range made me wonder if I should start all over.  Deer grazing near the 100 yard flag weren't the least intimidated by my flying balls.  I joined the Women's Golf Association while taking my lessons, but until I can establish my handicap I will be considered only a "social member".  That means I can eat and drink with the crowd of ladies, but they won't play with me.  

In an effort to stop being left off the playground, I convinced Ol' Abner to play a few rounds with me so my scores can be recorded at the club house.  A couple of rounds this week nearly killed us both.  My drives are pretty straight but I'm not getting much distance.  He's hitting further than he thinks and we spent several minutes on most holes looking for a ball that was actually within an easy stroke from the green.  I didn't hit mine far enough to wonder where they were, but at least I stayed out of the sand traps and creeks.  I wonder if there is a limit to how big a handicap can be??

Driven

My method of auto shopping is totally different from Ol' Abner's.  He reads all the auto magazine articles and researches consumer reports in magazines and on-line.  He asks his friends and then goes to the lots when sales people aren't around to look at sticker prices.  He does the old-fashioned-check-the newspaper-for-ads method and then decides the prices are way too high.  I look first at color.  When I notice a new color or new version of a classic color, it catches my eye often.  Common colors don't interest  me.  Driving a white car has always been anathema. Nevertheless the rich pearl white that appeared a few years ago, only available on some luxury models, was a color I found very appealing.

After my recent "check engine" experience while at daughter's house, Ol' Abner has been seriously kicking tires again.  He keeps directing me to some brands I've never tried...or wanted to try!  Some of them do come in rather nice colors, but they are paired with the ugliest interior colors.  I'm not having it!

I still like my like my car just fine, and that color is no longer available.  A couple of lengthy road trips are in the near future.  I feel his sense of urgency to replace my good gas mileage with another economical but comfy ride.  Now how does he know what meets his standard of comfort if he hasn't even driven one?

Home Sweet Home

Gee, August is almost gone and we are fully into the "dog days of summer".  I lost the month of August in the pleasant suburb near Dallas.  My days were filled with driving to and from the ice rink, shopping centers, pharmacy, grocery stores and physician offices for scheduled appointments.  The preschool frenzy is still a fact of life and a recovering surgical patient makes the chaos complete.  The calm of my little house on the lake is like a breath of fresh air.  

Ol' Abner was certainly ready for me to be here.  He's even accompanied me to the grocery store and to the hairdresser to pick up products ordered.  The dog stays close by whenever I sit for any reason.  Maybe my absence was noticed!

Just another Quiet Week

Daughter is well on the road to recovery, but the road is still long.  She keeps telling me the knee is already more stable than the last replacement.  The fact that the other knee is functioning certainly affects the general mobility she is enjoying.  She has managed to go up the stairs since that first night home.  I have little doubt that sleeping in her own bed as opposed to the chaise lounge sofa in the den certainly affords better rest, thus speeding her recovery along. 

My presence was a planned portion of the process this time instead of a sudden decision when the needs of home, Son In Law's work and children's schedules just could not be accomplished on their own.  Their friends have furnished evening meals since the return from the hospital and we have all indulged in delicious dinners...always with dessert, usually sufficient in portion to enjoy for lunch the following day.  My duties have involved transportation, a little laundry, and answering the door for physical therapists, home nurses and picking up prescriptions as needed.  Checking inventories of staple food items and refilling as needed take me back to those days of daily depletion of a gallon or more of milk.

School will start in just over two weeks.  Skating schedules must be kept up and revised for the beginning of school.  Older granddaughter has a job and is also accumulating drive hours to qualify for her driving test.  I ride along as she deftly navigates the busy streets to the shopping center where she is employed.  When she is out with friends I wait up for her and make sure the house is all secured after her arrival.  Eye exams, dermatologist appointments and other preschool events are the places we must go these days.  A couple of seeming complications have involved unplanned doctor visits for daughter, but those hurdles seem to have been managed.

This brief history seems rather unremarkable, but true to form, I must inject a crisis of my own.  My car chose (I know cars don't really make choices but it would seem so) this very hot week to kill itself.  I backed out of a parking space and a strange message about "fail safe mode" flashed just before it died.  At restart the display included the "check engine" light.  I followed Ol' Abner's recommendation to add some techron to the gas tank.  This seems to happen every year a month or so after summer fuel blends have been initiated.  It did seem to fix it for a couple of days, and then the dreaded light returned.  After a day or so of panic and planned despair, I finally took the car to the local dealership for advice.  Meanwhile Ol' Abner was trying to decide whether to pull funds from savings to purchase my new car, or bite the bullet and take on payments!  He asked the hated question "Ruling out the Escalade, what kind of car would you like to have now?"  He wasn't surprised by the answer that I don't want a new one, but gently explained that it  might be time. On arrival at the dealership, the service writer listened to my sad history and went inside to check on a recall.  It seems  a known defect had caused my car's pain and the manufacturer would correct it at no cost to me.  The technician checked everything over on my car and declared it in fine health once the correction had been completed.  Now I have a little more time to think about what I might want to drive in the future.

What Families Do

I am camped at daughter's house this week and will be here indefinitely.  I am so very thankful that our lifestyle at present allows me this flexibility.  Memories abound of an accident I suffered over thirty years ago.  Ol' Abner called Mammy and Papa in the middle of the night requesting that they come from West Texas to Houston "NOW".  Our children were two and seven at the time and Ol' Abner (not so old then) was in an understandable panic at the thought of dealing with a major ankle fracture requiring surgery for me while caring for two young children.  It was the busy holiday season and he was totally intimidated by the hectic social, shopping, school, and work schedules.  My parents, a few years into retirement then, scrambled out of bed in the middle of the night, gathered together loose change to purchase enough gasoline to make the eight hour drive.  After that dilemma, we convinced them that cash might be the best option, but a credit card for back up might be wise in an emergency.  They were there in the hospital room when I awoke from surgery and stayed until the New Year.  It wasn't the last time they came to help us through a traumatic event, usually the result of a broken bone.  I do so miss my mother, but I am ever grateful to be able to offer some assistance to my daughter's already self-reliant family.

Optimism

I feel as though I'm moving in slow motion this morning.  My head feels a little foggy and the beginning of a headache greeted me as I awoke.  I slogged around and finally took an anti-inflammatory medication to stave off the headache symptoms.  A review of my finger and toe nails forced me to face the reality that it's probably time to renew my grooming. The sky is cloudy outside...OK, that must be the source of my malaise!  I know we still crave rain in Texas, but rain seldom makes me smile.  I love sunshine and warmth...lots of warmth.

Packing a month's worth of clothing, toiletries and other necessities should be my agenda for today.  I can prepare to travel quickly though and I want to enjoy my home time today...now where IS that sun?  I think I'll go get a manicure and pedicure and maybe the sun will be out by the time I'm done!

This can't be SLEEP

Last week I went to  a local laboratory to sleep publicly overnight.  That thought in itself was rather intimidating.  An infrared camera recording my every twist, turn, and snort in the night isn't my perception of good times.  I arrived sans face cream, hair product or lotions on my scaly body per instructions.  I completed a thick volume of paper questionnaires and readied myself for bed. Wires and electrodes were attached to every muscle in my body, or so it felt.  It would be an exaggeration to say over 600 electrodes were placed, but certainly enough were in place to monitor my every move or twitch.  The technician happily snapped a photo when I mentioned my probable likeness to a "Frankenstein type character", then continued to apply more bits of paste with electrodes inserted.  When the trussing was completed, further insult  involved insertion of fat tubes into my nostrils to force air down my throat.  I was rendered speechless with cold air expelling uncomfortably from my face.  One would think this process would be enough for anyone ever.  Oh no, I returned as instructed for a second round last night.  Even though I knew what to expect this time, it was no less uncomfortable and certainly no kin to restful. How can this be a sleep study, when very little of that actually happens.  The technician assured me I slept quite a lot last night.  I guess she should know, but for some reason I arrived home wanting nothing more than to fall into my own bed.  Two hours later I had to get up to meet another commitment, but I assure you I will sleep well tonight.  There won't be a camera anywhere nearby to capture the experience, and I will awake without the dreaded PASTE in my hair!

Can you match the other ends?

Let the wiring begin

Emerging Skills

Golf is the most frustrating and satisfying process I've ever attempted to master.  I came off the driving range this morning with my arms aching after hitting two large buckets of balls.  With three lessons behind me, I have learned to swing everything except my putter. That comes next week.  In fact, I will have two lessons next week with the final one involving an actual round of golf.  It's been frustrating being stuck on the driving range, but my training wheels will finally be removed and I'll be on my own on the course, probably before I'm ready.  I rode with Ol' Abner earlier this week as he played a round of golf on the more difficult of the two courses in our little community.  My drives will not reach the distance he sends that little ball into the air anytime soon.  The hole he reached and sank into with four strokes will likely require nine or more before I can claim success.

The beauty of the course is relaxing when riding along as a passenger in the cart, and some of the slopes are downright breathtaking (as in knuckle-clinching kind of taking away my breath). I am anxious to test my emerging skills.  Today's practice elevated my ability to curse to a new level.  It's never been a talent nurtured, yet the words seem to slip involuntarily from my lips at times.

One of the few straight level fairways on
Highland Lakes Golf course.

Second Home

     Son and Daughter In Law love to ride their motorcycles to remote parks and outposts to gather with friends and family.  When they travel on the bikes, it's difficult to haul the gear needed for camping.  Someone must usually come along with a trailer to bring tents and other supplies to the destination.  Even more inconvenient is DIL's aversion to public shower facilities.  I fully understand this concept, so I was quite happy when I was invited for a tour of the new accommodations.  

     For several months they have tossed around a choice of purchasing a heavy duty truck to store in their already parking-challenged driveway.  A camper strong enough to haul both motorcycles in it's "garage" with all the other amenities required, would surely need the power of such a vehicle.  DIL wasn't willing to give up the parking space in the garage where her vintage mustang lives, and the motorcycles fill the other side.  The driveway in front of the garage is large enough to park her daily driver and Son's pickup, but the two big gas guzzlers fill that space amply.

     A solution was discovered when a sturdy lightweight, tongue pull, "toy hauler" was located in an RV dealership just a couple of cities to the north.  Further bonus included a bathroom with separate shower, toilet and sink.  It will sleep six (two of whom must be midgets, I think) and includes a propane refrigerator and freezer, indoor and outdoor speakers for the sound system, and a rear area (garage) that folds down as a ramp to load motorcycles.  Best feature though: It can be pulled behind the SUV that DIL drives now.

Ol' Abner went with Son to pick it up after the kids had gone prior to make their choice and arrange to pay for it.  DIL decided she just couldn't wait and joined them on the trip.  I'm thinking much will be learned in the weeks to come.  Discovery that two locks are included on each door and if both are not fully engaged, the doors will open at high speed.  It only took three episodes of flapping doors to find the second lock on each door.  Furthermore, DIL and Ol' Abner suggested that son might want to travel at a lower speed than usual until he was a bit more familiar with it's capability.  He quickly pointed out the 75MPH speed limit sign and told them it was clear he was doing just fine!  

They spent the remainder of the holiday weekend shopping for "housewares and linens" for their new vacation home!

Best Day!

Independence Day is my most loved holiday.  The waving flags, patriotic music, food choices in Red, White and Blue, outdoor meals, parades, and of course the fireworks at the end of the day.  This year I added a bit of shopping to the score.  Thinking it might be fun to catch a matinee movie with little interest for Ol' Abner, I strolled over to my neighbors house to recruit a companion.  She had seen same flick the night before but invited me along on a quick run to the big Swedish Box to take advantage of a big July 4th sale.  Intrigued with the Scandinavian take on our independence, I agreed.  We found a huge crowd at the store where the ample parking is never totally full and had to grab what appeared to be the last empty parking place.  Who knew shopping was a major Fourth of July event?  Festive Signs with red, white and blue specials...and bath towels at 99 cents.  With her pool almost ready for action, neighbor needed those for sure.  We finished our shopping, enjoyed an burger, fries and shake.  Heavy lake bound traffic slowed our return home, but we were here in plenty of time for the afternoon fun.

I had missed the morning parade in our little town, but vowed not to let THAT happen again.  Dancing Girl and Guitar Man expected all three of their kids for the weekend, and we were anxious to see them.
Oldest Son entertained us with a "deer feeding" event, but I'll have to talk about that later. (too many photos for this post).  As they arrived at the lake memories of all our children when they were much younger at this very lake made us all a bit sentimental.

Youngest Son with wife and of course, the youngest grand

These kids are so hard to please.
Give them a lollipop+ride on the golf cart=All Smiles!

After a few refreshing summer beverages, burgers, and chips, we made our way to the park to await the fireworks display.  This was the first up close and personal fireworks show for some of the the little people.  A perfect vantage point was necessary.  We found it just across a little ravine from the stands set up for release of the sparks.

As the sun set over the hills




Anticipation
mounted among the little folks and the not so little folks.

A few sparklers across the campground

Sitting on blankets expecting the show to start any minute!

 It was worth the wait!

Where to Go!

Everyone is traveling this month!  Everyone except me, that is!  I should probably be satisfied with short journeys around hill country and sprints through the capitol city we love so much.  While the views from these distractions are nice, the travel bug hasn't been squashed for me.  Hope to make a road trip to the West coast is slowly shrinking.  July is completely full with commitments and August just confirmed as full.  September was planned as a trip to the Ozarks and I still hope that will bear fruit.  All the teasers in my e-mail for bottom dollar flights and cruises for only a few dollars, are reminding me how precious my time may be.  Ol' Abner is sometimes interested when I show him the information, but seldom is he willing to follow through when the deadline arrives.

Medical tests and procedures seem to usurp more and more of our time.  We are learning the joys of aging!  I will enjoy a trip to San Antonio next week with Dancing Girl.  Her daughter is moving to Seattle and must be there following the upcoming weekend.  Because we really wanted to enjoy her company this holiday weekend, it was an easy choice to volunteer to supervise the movers loading her family's belongings.  Dancing Girl offered, and I offered to accompany her.  We promised ourselves a few days of eating out and drinking in!  I fear the sight of her daughter's empty house may bring reality crashing in.  We will need to hurry back to the peace and quiet of the lake to relieve newfound stress!

Next Lesson

My golf game is suffering!  You may wonder how a game not yet played can be in distress. PG (Professional Golfer) told me to be able to consistently hit the ball where I want it to go and we will schedule my next lesson.  My plan was to practice the process on the driving range four to five times this week. Every morning has been dedicated to something else and tomorrow will be no different.  Afternoons have reached high ninety or 100 plus degree temperatures.  I just had an epiphany!  Does any golfer EVER reach that point when the ball consistently goes where it's expected.  I hear too many expletives coming from other players to think that is the case...hmm.  Maybe I'll go ahead and call to schedule that next lesson for Tuesday morning.  I work better with a firm deadline. Besides, I can get three in a row straight down the range with a little air under them from time to time.  I'm calling PG tomorrow as soon as Ol' Abner is finished at the hospital!

Warming

Hill Country is absolutely beautiful this summer.  Today was very hot, but I love the feel of warmth on my face in the early morning and the heat later in the day.  As frustrating as my timing became, I still reveled in the summer heat.  My plan to go smack some golf balls at the driving range was derailed when Ol' Abner awoke and reminded me of morning errands we needed to run.  My thoughts had included them for a bit later, but off we went.  A stop at his favorite breakfast taco spot derailed my resolution to eat a light diet today.  As temperatures climbed, we traveled to the big warehouse store in my favorite shopping triangle, made our purchases and headed down the freeway toward home.  Seemed a waste to me that all my shops were bypassed.  Ol' Abner exited and turned back a few exits up the road and I thought maybe my shops weren't to be neglected, but alas, he was going back to the sporting goods store where he always needs something. Plants needed water when we returned home and again, I enjoyed the warm breeze my husband references as a "blast furnace"!  I finished a few housekeeping tasks, folded some laundry and considered an afternoon nap (as in lazy hazy days of summer)  The dog lay in the afternoon sun outside...she gets it.  Ol' Abner took a nap.  We left the house again to meet friends for an evening meal.  Hardtime Man will be the same age as Ol' Abner tomorrow.  We celebrated tonight at our favorite Italian Restaurant.  As we drove across the Ranch Road leading to our rendezvous, I noticed the beauty of the drive through the hills.  The sun, low in the sky, cast shadows and highlights on the landscape.  I wish everyone could view this as I do.  It's the place in the world that makes me love the heat!

One Step at a Time

I'm getting ready for a busy weekend.  Daughter and her family are coming tomorrow and leaving early Sunday.  Son and DIL are off on a motorcycle ride and rally with overnight campout.  Their air conditioner has taken a cue from ours and died just as they are planning to leave town.  My golf practice continues, even though I'm not yet allowed to leave the driving range or use any club other than the 7 iron.  Hardtime Man and Rot'n Girl have been a little out of the action as he recovers from surgery on his lip.  It was more involved than expected and he was pretty quiet for a couple of days. Dancing Girl and Guitar Man are still reeling from the knowledge that their middle child and only daughter will be moving to Seattle in a few short weeks.  I have medical testing scheduled for this afternoon and more tests late next week.  My little doc thinks the best way to stay healthy lies in pro-active diagnostics and preventive care.  My little mind finds all this poking and prodding and examining just a bit dramatic, but I'll go along.  Ol' Abner's next exam has been moved up from four months to next week and Daughter is probably facing repeat of one of her knee replacements at the end of next month.  So how does all that make this weekend busy?  Sheets must be washed, we will let the A/C repairman in at Son's house.  Meals will be planned and we do have Hardtime Man's birthday on Wednesday.  The lawn must be mowed and edged and the little mama bird raising her flock on the back porch should be ready to teach them to take wing soon.  Cooking on the grill has been a little dicey lately with the patio inhabitants acting territorial.  Meals for a crowd always come together when the grill is flaming.  If this missive seems rambling and disconnected, it's because my mind is on that same aimless stumble.  Focus! Focus, Daisy Mae! Plant your feet firmly on the ground and move forward with purpose!  OK...I can do this.

Sing it!

Ol Abner's class reunion was a great success. We began the weekend on Friday night with a backyard jam session at a friend's home.  I had no idea such musical talent lurked within the ranks of his schoolmates.  Tunes from the sixties through current day pop sounds with a little country twang were included.  A Cowboy Poet entertained us when the singers were done.  Our host had advised that we could each bring the beverage of our choice and a finger food if we wanted. This gang provided fruits, veggies, chips and dips, meatballs, small sandwiches, salsas, baked delights and even a little beef jerky.As the sun dropped behind the fence, the music played on and the conversation and laughter continued.  We loved this opening for a delightful weekend and so hope it's the beginning of a tradition.  Next year's main event will be at the Frazier Pavilion on the Texas Tech campus and I do hope we can kick off the reunion with the same kind of joyful noise.