Reach out and touch someone...

Today while I was grocery shopping, my cell phone rang. It was my little sister in California calling on her way to work. She does this every so often, just to chat and it's such a wonderful thing.

You see, Lil' Sis and I went for 15 yrs. without talking to one another. If you asked us why we would go so long without communication, I doubt either of us would have an adequate answer for that question. So I guess you could say it's beside the point. The real triumph is, we now relish phone conversations about everything from our family, our jobs and everything from home decorating to topics as mundane as what we cooked for dinner the other night. As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a Good thing!"

As I was driving home from the grocery store, I began to marvel at this technology which provides me the opportunity to stay in close contact with my sisters far away in California. For the price of my monthly cell phone bill, I can talk to them whenever and for as long as I wish. I remembered when this wasn't always the case, that the cost of a phone call could impact your phone bill to the point it could make a serious dent in your checkbook. So a lot of times connections, important connections, we're never made.

When I was 10 yrs. old my mother moved to Chicago with my Step-Dad and Step-Sisters. I moved back in with my dad, step-mother and little brother and sister. Over the course of the 6 yrs. my mother lived back East, I saw her twice. Once when I went to visit for the summer and once when she came out to California and took me shopping and out to dinner. Communication during those 6 yrs. was severely limited. She wrote letters every one in a while and I wrote even less. She would call me on my birthday and maybe Christmas, but I can't really remember. Milestones which were important to a young girl going through Jr. High and High School went by without regard. I'm not complaining, just explaining... It just 'Is, what it Is.' Or, in this case, 'Was, what it was.'

So here's what got me wondering... How different might life have been if I'd grown up in the era of cell phones? I wonder if the accessibility would have made us closer. My relationship with my mother has always been strained and it may be in part to our lack of communication over the years. On the other hand, I'm curious if to know if teens today, faced with a similar situation, might find the convenience of a cell-phone relationship with a far-away parent less of a connection and more of an intrusion... Not that it makes a difference but it just got me pondering.

Valentine

Note: I hate calling it V-day because it sounds like a disease.

So yesterday was Valentine's Day and I thought to myself, "Here I sit just perusing Facebook and bopping around on the web, why not post something on the long forgotten blog?" So here I am.... Posting, that is.

Valentine's day for our family is mostly understated. There's never a BIG romantic dinner out, sometimes roses but not always, usually a card from that guy I sleep with every night and Chicken Rolls.

Chicken Rolls? Yes, Chicken Rolls, the most time consuming, dirty dish inducing, recipe in my repertoire, which of course makes it the family favorite. So, I show my undying affection for those I love each and every Valentine's Day by slaving away in the kitchen. I should add it's also the one day out of the entire year in which I set the table with crystal, china and linens. 'Cause it's nice to be classy at least one day out of the year.

Now I wouldn't say my family has come to expect their favorite meal and all it's fanciness and you know why? Because every single year I manage to convince them it's just not happening because I have any number of other things on my plate (on my plate! see how I did that?) And every year they look at me with a mild expression which scarcely manages to hide their disappointment and say, "That's okay Mom, I (we) understand." It's always a joy to witness the fist pumps when they realize I've come through, despite the scheduling conflicts.

But you know something... This whole fancy dinner thing is getting SO much harder to pull off now that we're each running in a different direction. With a soon to be 18 and 21 yr. old in the house and me with an ever changing schedule at the shop, it's a wonder I can manage a 'Family Dinner' at least one day out of the week, which has always been a huge priority until recently.

I have to say that last night lacked the luster our Valentine's Dinners normally hold as 'Computer Boy' had to work until 9:00. So there were only the three of us and a wrapped up plate in the fridge, which tends to lose a little bit of it's flavor when it's reheated in the microwave and the only one at the table at 9:30pm is your mom watching you eat. Kudos to the boy for not complaining.

Maybe next year when he's away at college we'll go out for one of those fancy restaurant meals and I can forgo the Chicken Roll kitchen massacre. Oh wait, that's right, we won't have any money for things like that when he's in college... Hellloooooo, Chicken Rolls.

The Boomerang Story

So we were at the beach last week and the resident teens allowed me to sit in on their pow-wow... They were playing the 'psychic' game (trying to guess what playing card the other person was holding from the deck of 52, yeah... it was rainy, they were bored!) Anyway, Chloe guessed the card on the first try, quite by accident I might add. So that's when I told her, "Pack up your briefcase and go home!" Not literally of course, because that would be mean but she looked at me quizzically and said, "Huh?"

So I told her the boomerang story, which I'll share with you now... And who knows, maybe YOU'LL have a brand new euphemism!

True Story:
My husband and my father-in-law used to design and build their own boomerangs. And on a side note, their picture once hung in the Smithsonian Museum of Air & Space in Washington D.C.... Really! I kid you not... Of course the picture had like a hundred other people in it because it was taken at a boomerang throwing competition on the Mall in D.C. (I know we're such geeks, keep it to yourself though.)

Anywho, they (husband and his dad) got really good at throwing boomerangs. By good I mean, they could throw them out a good long distance and they would come back relatively near to where they were standing when they threw them. Hey, it's not as easy as you might think.

Well, my father-in-law would tell his co-workers about the boomerangs he was creating and they kept hounding him to bring one in to work sometime and give them a demonstration. So one day 'Dad' showed up with a boomerang in his briefcase. At the end of the business day he led a group of men out to the large field alongside the building where they worked. You can just imagine the men eager with anticipation to see this handmade item, hewed out of Lexan, in Ol' Jerry's basement, actually take flight. So Dad set his briefcase on the grass, carefully lifted the lid and withdrew his mighty handmade boomerang. Without saying a word he drew back his arm and flung the boomerang into the air with all he had. The boomerang whizzed through the air in a high arc, spinning in circles as it made its way around the field. And then, something magical happened... The boomerang came back to the spot where Dad's briefcase lay open on the grass. It hung in the air spinning for a brief moment and then dropped squarely into the briefcase, the centrifugal force left within it, just strong enough to bring the lid of the briefcase down on top of it.

Dad's co-workers were agog! They'd never seen anything like it and Dad, knowing they'd never see anything like it EVER again, because even HE didn't believe it... Without a word, closed up his briefcase and went home.

The Teens loved hearing this tale and I think the retelling of it even made me cool among them for a while.

So the other night my son and I were watching a movie together. In the movie, one of the characters carries in a box of 'Krispy Kreme' donuts. Now there are few things in life my son loves more than Krispy Kreme... His computer maybe, but that's about it. But I digress... Anyway, he turns to me with drool dripping off his lower lip and says, "Oh man how I wish I had some Krispy Kreme donuts right now." Unbeknownst to him, I had purchased some KKD's the day before for an event at the shop. And yes, there were a few left over which I had brought home. So I looked at him and said, "They're over there on the counter." Just the fact that there were donuts on the counter at all was a minor miracle but the fact that they were Krispy Kreme's was in fact equivalent to the parting of the red sea because I just don't buy KKD's on any kind of a regular basis.

So my son sees the box... Looks at me with a smile bigger than the whole outdoors and says, "No Way!!!... Pack up your briefcase and go home!"

Overcoming Narcissism

While out in California I had the opportunity to spend time with my dad's wife. "D" is a very nice lady who I had the opportunity to host at my home some 15 yrs. or so ago. However, 15 yrs. is a long time to have gone without one on one time with someone and sometimes it's just not that easy to fall into the simple give and take conversation with someone whom you're not very familiar. Heap on top of that, meeting your sister for the first time in 18 yrs. and having your family along for the ride and well, there's just a lot of personal stress involved.

So yesterday, I received a call from "D" asking if I was mad at her or if I'd heard something about her that made me change my opinion of her..........

WHAT?

Okay, so this is where it gets weird and because you, dear internet, have only the most minimal of grasps as to just how insane my extended family is, this post will probably only make sense to just me.

A few days following the somewhat awkward visit at the home of my little sister, "D' called my other sister 'Deb' (who she's NEVER met) in order to ask her if for some reason I was angry with her, "D". I was out shopping with my daughter at the time the phone call was received but my husband was there and realized the sort of questions my sister 'Deb' was fielding and asked to speak with "D", because he's just awesome like that. Following roughly an hour long conversation "D's" feelings were soothed and she seemed to understand that I held no animosity towards her.

A week and half later we settled in back home and I decided to send cards to the family to thank them for their hospitality. I sent one to my dad and "D", once again assuring "D" that all was right with our world and if anything I was distracted by the overwhelming emotion of it all.... Meeting my little sister, meeting my little sisters family, my family meeting her family, seeing my dad, viewing old family photos, memories good & bad... Needless to say, I was caught up in my own head and I guess, I wasn't very good at making conversation.... which I guess, can be misconstrued as "Alright, I'll sit with you but I'm not going to like it.".... I guess?

So yeah, yesterday "D" called me and once AGAIN asked if I was angry with her... Had I heard something about her?... Did I not like her anymore? An hour and a half later and I think I've FINALLY convinced her, after several apologies, that she did nothing wrong and I am to blame for the lack of communication. "D" told me she wanted to hug me as we sat there together, in my little sisters house, sort of staring out into space, at a loss for words or meaningful conversation. And now, all I can think about is how much I wish she had. I really needed a hug right then, even though I didn't know it at the time, I was just too disconnected with thoughts and memories.

It's so sad really, the chance to bond with a special person, a golden opportunity missed. All because of my narcissistic tendency to dwell in my head and not in the moment... And "D's" narcissism over whether or not she was liked.

I must take note and learn because it was such a waste of precious time and opportunity.

High - 'Anything Can Happen Day'... How could I have forgotten the Peacocks?

Seriously, how could I forget 'Peacock Day?'...
Whenever we vacation we have a family tradition... It's called 'Anything Can Happen Day'... The rules are:

1. Get in the car and drive.
2. See what happens.

Yep, that's about it and its never failed us yet.

We actually had 2 'Anything Can Happen Days' on this trip. The first was a drive DOWN the coast. That was the day we discovered Crystal Cove State Park. The second was a drive UP the coast (not to be confused with our LONG drive up the coast to Carmel/Monterey.)

Sarah and I wanted to show the boys some of the sights we happened upon during our drive along the coast last year. Unfortunately, I forgot that we didn't stay on PCH (Pacific Coast Hwy.) that entire trip... At one point we branched off to Beach Blvd. which ran along the ocean and we took in some incredible sights in Long Beach. However, miss Beach Blvd. and PCH takes you into some neighborhoods where the term 'incredible' has a whole different meaning. Needless to say, the guys were NOT impressed.

Eventually I acquiesced and 'allowed' the GPS to point the way to Palos Verdes. We were getting hungry so my husband broke the other rule and that way to allow the GPS to point us to a restaurant. I forgave him because the restaurant was in a quaint little mall and I'm always up for shopping at quaint little malls. The bonus was the restaurant looked over an ice skating rink where we watched adorable little girls practice their spins and jumps (little jumps, but hey, even Kristi Yamaguchi had to start somewhere.)

Anywho, following lunch we got back on track with 'Anything Can Happen Day' when I forked over $2 to step into a machine that simulated a hurricane.... Having my hair blown into a tangled mess? Not something I'd normally be up for BUT, it WAS (say it with me now) 'Anything Can Happen Day.'

So we shopped around a bit and eventually found the cutest little toy store that soaked us for a $20 gizmo for my niece & nephew. But as we were leaving the store we noted a sign out front hawking a book about the 'Wild Peacocks of Palos Verdes.' I urged my daughter to go back in and find out more... yeah, okay, I HAD to go with her. What we discovered was there are hundreds of wild peacocks which were brought to the area YEARS ago, long before multi-billion-dollar houses littered the hillsides... Back when some foreign sheik owned all the land and determined it was MUCH too quiet up in those hills, so he shipped in a bunch of peacocks (notoriously noisy birds... beautiful but noisy.)

So the owners of the shop pointed us to a street called Strawberry Lane, which was quiet a bit further away then we had anticipated but thanks to the GPS we were able to find it.

At first we thought the lead was going to be a disappointing one but then "LOOK!" Nature Girl shouted from the back seat. "There's a peacock right there!" And as I slowed the van eventually we started seeing them everywhere! Some of the peacocks were quite bold and ventured right up to the van hoping for a handout but we were fresh out of breadcrumbs... Well, not quite, there were those stale 'Cheeze-its' in the back but we thought better... It simply wouldn't do to return the rental car with peacock dents all over it.

It really was an amazing sight though to see peacocks just lazing in peoples yards, hanging out on their driveways, sitting on their fence posts... And OH, what yards, driveways & fence posts. Nature Girl says she's decided where she wants to live when she leaves home............ Um yeah, good luck with that!

Since I was driving the following pictures are courtesy of my husband. So if you consider these less than stellar shots?.... It's his fault.


Anything Can Happen Day?... It was a real HIGH!

High-Low - California Vacation 2010

Hello?....
I said, Hello?...
Is this thing still on?

Allow me to just clear some of the dust here and let's get reacquainted, shall we?

A long time ago, a dear friend of mine shared with me a family game they used to play each night at dinner. The game was called 'HIGH-LOW'... Perhaps you've heard of it?

The object of 'HIGH-LOW' is for each member of the family to take turns sharing both the HIGH of their day and the LOW. It's a genius way of staying connected and understanding what each person might be either celebrating or grappling with. Since it's been such a LONG time since I've written, I thought possibly, my own personal game of HIGH-LOW might help put things in a kind of perspective.

I'm rather rusty at this whole writing thing and I have to admit my feeble memory makes it difficult for me to compartmentalize ALL of the circumstances which have occurred in the last... Oh how long has it been? 6 months, 8 months? So instead I'll start with a recent event of which the details are still fairly clear... Our California Vacation.

So, here we go... The HIGH-LOW of our 2010 California Vacation:

HIGH - Seeing my little sister Dena (10 yrs. my junior) for the first time in what we finally determined to be, 18 years. For reasons still not entirely clear, my sister and I became estranged roughly 16 yrs. ago. We hadn't communicated at all since this past September. In fact, it wasn't until I saw my niece (Dena's daughter) singing at a school concert on YouTube that it even occurred to me we needed to rectify this situation. So I reached out and there was my dear little sister waiting with open heart and open arms to bring us close again.

LOW - Gaining obscene amounts of weight partly due to the nervousness of seeing my sister, her kids, my dad, his wife and my new brother-in-law, who my sister married just weeks before our visit.

This picture perfectly illustrates both my high and low, hugging my dear sister whilst the camera does little to hide my weight gain and road weariness.

HIGH - The California Coast.... Seeing sights so beautiful it literally brought tears to my eyes. Even though I was born in California, I was raised in what is known as the High Desert... In the High Desert, everything is brown, there aren't a lot of trees and not a lot of color... Therefore the memories of my youth are hued in sepia tone gloom. However, along the coastal regions there are a rainbow of colors everywhere you look. Flowers in brilliant Purple, Blue, Yellow and Orange. Succulents in soft greens and lavenders. The succulents grow wild right out of the face of the rock walls.

The Pacific Ocean and how it's colors change under the light of different weather conditions... Steel gray on an overcast day. Bright Blue under the Laguna sunshine. Clear Azure along the dizzying cliffs of Hwy. 1. It was all breathtaking and inspiring to my Art loving heart.
The view of CA. Hwy. 1 out the rental car front window - I'm glad my husband was driving for this part of the trip... Scary!

Julia Pfeiffer State Beach... I only remember this because I kept referring to it as
'Julia Roberts/Michele Pfeiffer State Beach'

Currently my favoritist spot in the whole world - China Cove at Point Lobos State Park

This picture reminds me of the 'Not enough hours in the day - LOW'... Because I could've walked this beach for hours on end searching for sea glass with my daughter.

LOW - Not enough hours in a day! Seriously, how can one see EVERYTHING there is to see with only 24 hours and at least 6 hours of that has to be devoted to sleep. It's just not fair!

HIGH - Time spent with my family. Sure the quarters were close.... 2 weeks of 4 people in the same hotel room.... But that night that we spent laughing until we could barely breathe, wiping tears from our eyes, all because of the way 'Nature Girl' talks when she's wearing her retainer... Well, it's a priceless memory, I'll always hold dear.I like to call this pic 'Man on Vacation!' - Taken at China Cove

A BEAUTIFUL shot of my favorite 'Nature Girl'

Computer Boy got bitten by the photography bug.

LOW - This trip was so great, I'm running out of lows.

HIGH - That evening at the laundromat with my sister Debbie.
Doing laundry a high, you say? OH YES!
Firstly, one can complete 3 loads of vacation laundry in one fell swoop at a laundromat. Secondly, it's pure one on one joy, if one does said vacation laundry with a sister one seldom gets the opportunity to talk with for longer than 20 minutes at a time. At a laundromat you're given an uninterrupted period of time to broach the deeper, more meaningful topics and finally get the chance to tell your sister how incredibly proud you are of her on a bench outside the facility. You know, it's kind of a metaphor... As the laundry got clean and fresh, so to did my relationship with my sister.

LOW - Coming home... Okay, not too much of a low... It's nice to be sleeping in my own bed again, without having to hug the edge of the mattress because my daughter is in the midst of her nightly imitation of Leonardo deVinci's - Vitruvian Man. The downside however is coming home means getting back to the grind... Getting re-acclimated to East Coast Time, Grocery Shopping, Making dinners, Doing Laundry without the laundromat or my sister. It means facing my continuing struggle to determine what my place is in this world... Hey, it's easy to forget about heady stuff like that when you're primary focus is, "What's the GPS say?"... "Are my camera batteries charged?" or "Where should we go for dinner?"For you East Coast people... Yes, it's July and Yes, I'm wearing a sweater because I'm sorry to admit to you that while you were toasting your buns at 105 degrees, we were attempting to stay warm with 60 degree temps.... Sorry, but I had to brag!

So for now my primary focus is, What's my place in the world and I wonder what I should fix for dinner tonight? But maybe getting back to blogging will help me figure it all out.

To Give Is Divine!

My husband and I debated back and forth for weeks, months actually. The kids both wanted laptops... Nay, NEEDED laptops... But 'that much money' as a Christmas gift... For BOTH of our offspring seemed, well, OVER indulgent!

The boy, well, his laptop was well into antique stage... I guess we got him that for Christmas something like 5 maybe 6 years ago. Surely it belongs in some museum somewhere and the noises it had been making every time he used it, led us to believe it just might give up the ghost at any moment.

The girl, well, like most 2nd children she survived on hand-me-downs or just had to do without. MY laptop became her recent 'dumping' ground for ALL those photos she takes and my hard drive was beginning to groan with the strain of it all.

It wasn't an easy decision for my husband who kept mumbling phrases like, "Wish MY parents had been 'rich' when I was growing up!"... "Laptop bags cost WHAT? I'm not spending ANOTHER penny, this Christmas is just getting outrageous!" (or something to that effect and that's when I had to set him straight by telling him, "Listen, either you go through with this gift, giving it with a generous heart or DON'T bother GIVING it at ALL!"... At which point he acquiesced and never made another derogatory statement.)

Christmas eve morning arrived (the day we give our gifts to one another before venturing off to spend time with family) and we went through our usual routine of the youngest handing out her gifts first, then my son and then my husband and I exchanging gifts back and forth, whilst giving the kids a gift here and there. It was a very generous Christmas indeed and the kids just assumed that the videos, tickets to a show, various clothing items and books culminated this years Christmas 'take'... They were completely flummoxed by the large box my husband and I pulled out from the back of the tree at the end, a box that listed both of their names on the 'To:' portion of the tag. Once they got the tape loosened from the box and made their way through the piles of paper filler inside, they discovered 2 laptop bags. That's when my husband said, "For Someday." My daughter says she immediately thought, "Maybe I'll get a laptop for my birthday" which is in April. My son says he thought possibly the laptops had been ordered but not yet arrived. But then 'Dad' said, "Or you could go look in my office."

The ensuing clamor as both kids jumped to their feet and raced up the stairs left both my husband and I laughing. Especially when we heard my daughter yell to her brother, "No fair, your legs are longer!" Her brother politely stood at the top of the stairs, stepped back and said, "After you." There was a long pause once they entered the office and my husband and I both yelled up, "Hey, open 'em up down here please!" They both came down the stairs much more carefully then they'd climbed them, both cradling their still wrapped gifts.

My husband and I watched as our two wonderful kids opened their laptops with mile wide smiles upon their faces and that's when my daughter looked up and said, "I'm gonna cry." And then, this daughter of mine who isn't one who is easily moved to tears... Her eyes begin to fill up which in turn made my eyes fill up... And all that doubt my husband and I had regarding 'Over Indulgence' went right out the window because we knew how truly grateful our kids really were for the gifts they'd received... We've been thanked dozens of times by both of them in the last few days... And another really big advantage... I can use MY laptop again, without having to kick someone off of it... Well, except for maybe my husband.

26 Years

26 years ago today I experienced one of the sweetest moments of my life.

Marrying the man I love? Well yes, THAT was a very sweet moment, unfortunately it took place during one of the most awkward weddings of all time... Seriously, imagine 'Hadfield's & McCoy's' or 'The Sharks & The Jets' or even 'Israel & Palestine' all coming together to sit down at the same table and 'try' to pretend to at least 'get along.'

My god, I have NO idea why we didn't just elope. My father & step-father always hated eachother since that day when my dad nearly tossed my step-father out the 4th story courthouse window when I was 10 yrs. old. My mother hated my father and evidenced this fact by loading up on so many 'happy pills' she barely functioned for formal photographs. Then, of course Everyone from the family I was marrying into hated my step-monster after all the turmoil she caused... But you know, we all had to be nice to keep the peace.

So yeah, the wedding? It pretty much sucked!

But the sweetest moment, the one I will forever cherish in my heart, was that moment just before I walked down the aisle on my father's arm and he turned to me, with tears in his eyes and said, "I just want you to know, I think you're marrying a good man and I'm very proud of you." It didn't really matter what the rest of the day had in store... The fact that my father shared this sentiment with me, following what was the most tumultuous period of my life, having fallen in love with a man who my step-monster did everything in her power to break apart, well THAT meant EVERYTHING!

And that part about me marrying a 'Good Man'... Well, my father couldn't have been more correct.

For Uncle Bill

You fought so hard for so long... Rest in Peace.

We're Bachelors Baby!

For some time I've listened to my Mother-in-law, Sister-in-law and my husband sit around and talk about how great it would be to visit New England. When my husband was young his family spent 13 summers on the Cape and seldom is the time when we're all together that someone doesn't bring up some aspect of those summer vacations with their cousins. In fact, when my husband and I were dating, we'd sometimes walk from my house, across the street, to the elementary school. We'd sit in the warm sand beneath the playground swings and he would tell me about those wonderful summers on Horse Neck Beach in Massachusetts. My husband would woo me with tales of swimming, fishing, running his little boat into hidden coves and blueberry picking.

After we were married he did take me on that trip to Massachusetts for a family reunion. Unfortunately, our trip coincided with one of the hottest, muggiest, most inhospitable summers in New England's history. Our accommodations consisted of a run down, moldy beach house where the only method of bathing consisted of an outdoor shower with three flimsy walls and a nasty shower curtain, all situated on a cement pad, which allowed every manner of bug, access to the water around your feet.

As fo our bedroom, it was situated in a screened porch so that when it rained, our beds could've passed for the steerage level of the Titanic. Accomodations aside, nothing compared to the horror of blueberry picking. The very same past-time which my husband spoke of with such longing was, for me, one of the most miserable 2 hours of my life. I remember standing in a grove, on what was the hottest, muggiest, most soul crushing day in New England's history. As I clutched my pail tightly between clenched fingers, I stifled screams as gigantic beetles dive bombed all around me. The sound of their approach was equal to WWII Kamikaze pilots. So as not to appear the major whimp I truly was, I kept my screams to myself and repeated the following mantra in my head: "Just pick your bucket of berries and get the HELL out!"... "Just pick your bucket of berries and get the HELL out!" And no, I haven't been blueberry picking or anywhere near the Cape since.

So back to my husband and In-laws. A month or so ago I planted the seed and told my husband that he and my daughter should take a trip together somewhere. I thought it would be a wonderful bonding opportunity. After a lot of thought on his part (before he makes ANY decision he has to spin it around in his brain for a while.... a Loooonnnnggg while.) and a bit of discussion on mine, we thought it would be a wonderful idea for his mom and sister to be a part of the trip. And since there's been years of romanticizing about New England, it seems the perfect destination for them all.

So this week, thanks to a LOT of nudging on my part, my husband, daughter, Mother-in-law and Sister-in-law are off on a New England Vacation. It took a LOT of prodding on my part because... DAMN, this group would've NEVER made it as far as the Delaware border without my persistent "Go Already!" So that, along with my mad skillz at internet searches and hotel booking gave them the incentive.

They're of course, wondering why I might seem so desparate to send them off on vacation without me? I'll tell you why, because for a glorious week my son and I get to 'Bach It' (as in bachelors.) There are no demands to meet and since it's just the two of us? No food planning other than, "Which fast-food franchise should we patronize today?" So, in the spirit of 'Bachelorhood' I leave you with these:

Driving to the Walking Park

Sounds a bit insane, I know... But yes, our family has taken to driving 5 miles up the road so we can walk. But why not walk in your own neighborhood? Meh! Been there, done that. It's just so much of the same ol' same ol'. Whereas the 'Walking Park' is 300 acres of parkland. It has a nicely paved trail that winds for just under 3 miles around trees, marsh, basketball and tennis courts and a playground for the younger set. There's an area called the 'Freedom Trail' that winds through the woods which I find very pleasant. It's difficult to walk in the woods around our neighborhood because they're part of the golf course and unless I want to risk having my skull caved in by some Moe who fancies himself the next Tiger Woods, the only time I can walk the course is long after the sun has set. So, the Walking Park it is.

The park is brand spankin' new and in some areas, still a work in progress. It can get pretty crowded but that's the fun of going there. There are all walks of life and all shapes and sizes. It's nice to see people doing something good for themselves and it feels nice to be doing something good for me.... But driving somewhere so you can walk?... Crazy, I know.

Here's a pic of the trail I found online but when we head out for our walk tonight (and I know we will) I'll try to capture something a bit more interesting with my camera.

The Sweet Taste of Lime

What's that you say? Lime isn't sweet, it's sour? Not the Lime I'm referring to. I'm talking about Lime as in Michelle from House of Lime. Whilst heading south for a trip to the beach, Michelle stopped by the ol' treehouse for a visit and I can attest to the fact she's anything but sour. No, she's bright, sweet, tangy and a real pleasure to be with. I'd say she's a bit of a tart but that's just me trying to be funny.

Anyhow, it's an interesting thing when bloggers meet. I had the opportunity to meet 'Lime' face-to-face last summer. We had a lovely lunch at a nearby eatery where it would be safe for either of us to make a hasty exit should they find themselves face to face with crazy. Fortunately, Lime wasn't just normal, she was lovely, fun to be around, good natured and best of all, neglected to detect the crazy in me... Which is odd, because by my account, I didn't do a very good job of hiding it. So imagine my surprise when she contacted me last week to let me know she'd be passing through town again.

So Wednesday night, two bloggers came together once again but this time Lime got to meet the whole family for dinner at the actual 'Treehouse'. Since my husband wasn't sure what to expect, unbeknownst to me, he logged on to my computer, found my blog roll and spent some time familiarizing himself with 'The House of Lime.' Which added quite an element of surprise to our dinner conversation.

Fun huh? Bloggers getting together for an actual face to face. Or as Lime's daughter like's to refer to us 'Freaks in a Box' makin' it real... Even more fun is when blogger friends bear gifts.

Look! She gifted each family member with a pair of tie-dyed tube socks... Now THAT'S a really special splash of Lime!

Mister Harumph!

I want to get a puppy.

There, I said it. I want to get a puppy! What? I have my reasons. Our lab Anna, you see, is getting up there in years. She's getting gimpy. Hey, don't look at me like that! It's not like I'm looking to replace her... NO SIREE! What I'd like to do is introduce some youthful exuberance into her life. I also worry that someday (hopefully many years from now) when she eventually leaves us for that big giant field in the sky, where she can run completely unleased to her hearts content, yeah, that place up there known as doggie heaven... Well, I know the void she leaves will be unbearable. I purpose another dog might be able to fill a small space in that void. Not only that, but I think a new pup will add a whole new element of love to our lives.

I want this new family member to be a small puppy for a few reasons.

1. I believe Anna will be more accepting of a pup. She's an alpha-female when she gets around other dogs and I definitly want another female. If she can establish herself as the alpha-female with a pup, who isn't old enough to challenge that, then I feel the transition will go much more smoothly.
2. Puppies are easier to train. Anna had the bad habit of running away when we got her at 10 months old from the SPCA and whatever traumas she encountered before she came to us, created a deep neurosis in her we've never been able to break through. With a new pup we can be fully responsible for any traumas we create.
   
3. I'm home, I've got time, energy and patience enough to do the whole pup training thing.
4. The kids really want a pup (yeah, I know... Big surprise.)
   
5. Puppies are so damn cute!

Enter my husband, Mr. Harumph! "Why would you want to introduce an unknown factor into this house?" "Who knows what kind of damage a puppy will do?" "What, who, why, where?"

We had a family meeting in where we discussed all the possibilities we could think of which might make for this being a good or a bad decision. I've spoken with our cousin who is the 'Canine Specialist' in the family. I've been doing some reading on integrating a new pet into a family with an elder dog... And I've got a call into our vet to get her opinion and to ask if she could keep her eyes open for any lab/retriever pups that might need a good home. We're not AKC people. We're save a mutt people. We just like to be sure the mutt is of a breed mix we've found to be the most amiable to our lifestyle.

Mr. Harumph! hasn't really given his approval. He just gave the same answer he gave me when we got our first dogs (2 lab/spaniel mix puppies from the pound... I should note we were there looking for one adult dog.) and that answer was, "Well, I guess it's up to you... but you know how I feel.... harumph!" I hate when he does that because it always leaves me feeling that tinge of guilt and anytime there's a tinge of guilt associated with any of my decisions, I can never feel 100% good about them. Besides, I think he gives me that answer just so he can reserve the right to say, "I told you so." whenever he sees fit.

Mr. Harumph, ineed!

Sinister Snow People

When my son was a very wee lad, his dad decided to create a very special surprise for him. It was a snowy evening, one of the first my son would remember, though not quite the way my husband intended him to remember it. You see, my husband had the wonderful idea to create a snowman for his son, not just any snowman, a SURPRISE snowman!

While my son played away in the family room, my husband spent a good half-hour on the deck creating a 5 1/2 foot tall snowman. He gave it gum ball seed eyes, a carrot nose, a large smile, twigs for arms and a jaunty hat. He placed his creation just outside our kitchen window. When his surprise was completed, he had me carry Zak over to the kitchen window as he stood outside and pointed out the new friend. The problem? Dad didn't anticipate, actually neither of us anticipated the reaction we received because when Zak saw Dad's surprise, he screamed in terror and not so much flew into my arms but launched his entire body over my shoulder and nearly down my back. I think he cried for the next hour and it was days before he would go anywhere near the kitchen window again, despite the fact we took him outside to show him the stranger was simply made of snow.

Did Dad's surprise have a lasting effect? You bet, our son was afraid of windows at night for at least the next 7-10 years. His greatest fear is still home invasion. My guess this all has something to do with the gift his dad created for him when he was small. Poor Dad, how could he have known?

Tonight, my daughter tried to get him back with THIS surprise:


Isn't she lovely? I think it's a she.


Did my daughter manage to scare her Dad? Well no, but he DID have a good laugh and we were sure to put my son at ease before we led him over to the window.

The Thanksgiving Tablecloth

There are several things about Thanksgiving we love... The gathering of family, the delicious food, (each family member having a favorite which Mom makes especially for them, my favorite being the butternut squash.) and sharing Christmas gift giving ideas... And we all look forward to the Thanksgiving Tablecloth.

The tradition began in 2000. I think i read about it in Family Fun magazine. It's a tablecloth you CAN write on. The idea being that each family member writes down what they're thankful for. Some family members add poetic verse, some draw pictures, some add silly comments and some just add a "Ditto" (I'm lookin' at you son... He doesn't like to write much. Everything he does write is generated on a computer screen.)

It's so enjoyable to spend a brief period before the table gets set to take time to read the many messages from years past and then take some time to reflect on what we have to be thankful for over the current year. All of the messages are precious, but the ones that really grab my heart, are those my Father-in-law added before he passed away 4 years ago.

This was the first year my 5 yr. old niece was here with us and old enough to add her own mark to the tablecloth... A picture, of Ariel... of course.

When it came time for dinner she especially worried that her dad might slop food on her picture.

The tradition continues.

Little Time for Blogging

I've at last taken the time to load pictures into my laptop in order to illustrate a few of the things that kept me so busy throughout the month of October... Laying around for the last few days holding my throbbing head in despair ultimately left me bored enough to blog about my accomplishments BEFORE I got sick... Because daytime t.v. really, REALLY SUCKS and if it weren't for the Discovery Channel, I'd have to say the same for night-time television.

Anyway, in early October I was busy planning hostessing a luncheon following the Memorial Service for my husbands Aunt Carol. She passed away in February but was being interred at Arlington National Cemetery. Aunt Carol was to be the second Aunt in my husbands family to be buried at Arlington. She served as a WAC in WWII and a drill Sergeant. Family came into town at my Mother-in-law's, from as far away as Washington state. There were cousins from Florida, Virginia, New Jersey and friends from Ohio paying respects to Aunt Carol and a life well lived. I volunteered for not only the role of planning the luncheon but was also tapped as photographer for the day. Here are some pics of the service at Arlington:

Amid the rush of 27 people waiting to be fed, I managed to get one pic of the buffet table which I had fretted over getting beautifully laid out to honor Aunt Carol, who always agreed with me that it was totally worth it to splurge on the more expensive paper napkins. While we were down in the D.C. area for an extended period and since there was family visiting from out of town, we of course, had to visit the District. My daughter got this beautiful shot of the capitol that day.

On top of the planning for the Memorial I've also been busy with another project. Our small town has an event known as 'The Festival of Trees'. Last year I was on the planning and decorating committee and because I'm a glutton for punishment or just really bad at saying No, I'm heading up the decorating committee for this years event. The way it works is, local businesses purchase and (sometimes) decorate a tree. This year the trees will be on display at different locations throughout Main St. for a 4 week period. During which time a silent auction takes place. In mid-December a large Christmas party will take place on Main St. with a visit from Santa, Carolers & Free Horse drawn buggy rides. At that time the trees will be awarded to the highest bidders at auction. I had the bright idea that this might be an opportunity to showcase my paper art skills and have volunteered to do a 'Paper Treehouse Christmas Tree'... I've been working on ornaments in my 'Free (ha! ha!) Time' and have completed roughly 25 so far. However, this is what my studio looked like in early October:

Since October is also the month of my birthday my husband put hours of time and labor into creating a studio space in which I could be more organized and have not only miles of table space to work with but also proper lighting. It's difficult to tell from the pictures above just how dark the cave is in which I normally work because I had to use the flash on my camera so you could actually SEE the space. That would explain the number of lamps on my desk top.

Anyway, following a few weeks of studio upheaval and a lot of time invested in some serious organization, I'd like to show you my NEW studio space:

18 Feet of Table Top

Loads of Storage underneath.

And also Above.

And just look at all that beautiful light... This pic was taken without flash.

My husband is a genius and I, I'm SO fortunate and spoiled to be married to a man with carpentry skills. Now I just wish I felt good enough to get up off this couch and create something in my new studio.