He who would not wish to see a fool, must not only shut himself up alone, but must also break his looking-glass.-- N. Boileau

Here's the scenario...

Tom scraped the ceiling in the extra bedroom on Monday evening, so yesterday I worked in there, vacuuming, cleaning, on hands and knees scraping wet-then-dried kitty litter from the floor, mopping, etc.

The weather has been relatively nice...in the mid-70's...but it has been raining off and on all week, so it is really humid (like 90.99%). With that kind of humidity, no matter what you do that might be remotely physical, you WILL sweat...not perspire...SWEAT! So by the time I finish mopping the bedroom for the third time, I am drenched.

Monday, we had a call from our realtor that the termite inspection couldn't be completed at our flip house because insulation under the house was hanging down and had to be fixed before they could continue, so Tom planned on going over yesterday to do it himself.

So, after I finished in the bedroom, I planned to go to Lowes to pick up some wires to hold up insulation and a tyvek suit for Tom to wear so he didn't get his clothes all muddy when he crawled under the house. But, I was so drenched, I needed to take a shower.

I go into our bedroom and, of course, leave the door open because the house is now empty except for me and Goldie. No one here. No one expected here. I get undressed and go into the bathroom (which currently does not have a door) to turn on the shower and just before my hand touches the faucet, my cell phone rings.

As I leave the bathroom to walk into the bedroom to answer my phone, I reach up and grab a bath towel from the hook, pull the towel up in front of me with my left hand, attempting to cover the front of myself, and answer my cell phone with my right hand. It's Tom. During our conversation, I am leaning with my back up against the foot of my bed, left hand still holding the towel in front of me and right hand holding my cell phone.

Blah, blah, blah, we talk for several minutes, finally say good-bye, I close the phone with my right hand, walk back over to the dresser to lay it down, and still covering myself with the towel with my left hand, walk back into the bathroom and reach up to the hook and hang up the towel.

At that moment, I realized what I had done and I started to laugh out loud at how comical the whole scenario was! I was thinking to myself....Helllooo, you're here alone AND you cover yourself when the phone rings??? Are you thinking that someone can actually see through their phone, as if that's what is meant by having a "Camera Phone"??

Yeah, I know. It was stupid.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY APRIL 27, 2009...

Outside my window...it's cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. Most of the week will be like this.

Waiting…for the report from the home inspection last Friday.

Catching up on…organizing the office. Help! I'm drowning!

I am thinking...about my grandson, Zak's, 18th birthday today. Seems unbelievable.

I am thankful for...the motivation I felt this morning to actually start my Couch-2-5K again this morning. I don't know how I will do it the rest of the week because it's supposed to rain.

From the kitchen...pasta with Italian sausage, tomatoes and cream; ceasar salad and I have some very over-ripe bananas I need to use, so I think I'll make a chocolate banana cake.

I am wearing... my workout clothes from my run/walk, but I took off my running shoes and I'm wearing flip-flops.

I am creating... a way to finish the cement floor in the newly vacated extra bedroom.

I am going... to the church to work for a couple of hours this afternoon.

I am reading...I haven't finished Everyday Sacred, but I also haven't started anything new, either.

I am hoping...it doesn't rain all next weekend. Next weekend is Toad Suck Daze (an annual street festival here in Conway, Arkansas) and Tom and I are manning our church face-painting booth for 6 hours on Sunday.

I am remembering…how much my sons loved growing up near the beach. When they were little, we lived about 1/2 hour drive from Santa Cruz in northern California (and lived in Santa Cruz for a short while). When they were pre-teen and teenagers, we moved to Carlsbad (southern California) and lived about 10 minutes from the beach.

I am hearing...the trash truck pick up the recyclables.

Around the house...mostly just requires a little pick-up this morning.

One of my favorite things... is the trail where I do my run/walk. When I go consistently, I see the same people each time and we always smile, nod hello or say good morning.

A few plans for the rest of the week …Tom's going to scrape the ceiling in the spare bedroom this evening. I'm going to paint the walls and ceiling and figure out what to do about the floor. I also need to do some posts on my food blog.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...


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Happy 18th Birthday Zak!!

18 Years Old! This is a big deal! Do you feel any different today than you did yesterday?

Time flies, as the saying goes. I remember how your Dad told me that he and your Mom were pregnant. He stopped by my house one afternoon, I thought to talk to your Grandpa, and as he followed me around the kitchen making small talk, our conversation went something like this...

YOUR DAD: You feeling okay, Mom?

ME: Yeah, I might be a little tired, but I feel okay. Why?

YOUR DAD: You're looking a little old.

ME: Gee, thanks, Mike, I feel better already.

YOUR DAD: Old enough to be a Grandmother.

Yes, I cried!

Your Dad was the child that made me a mother. You were the child that made me a grandmother. Those events are precious in my life.

The things I remember...

• When we lived in Vista on Pruett Drive, I had a kitchen drawer where I kept pans and utensils that could take whatever you could dish out. Every time you came to our house, you headed for that drawer and pulled everything out of it onto the kitchen floor. Banging a cake pan or small pot with a spoon was your favorite past time. You always loved music.


• Did you start talking the day you were born? I think so. And you've never stopped. You have talked non-stop about anything and everything!


• And you loved simplifying your words, i.e., Oklahoma became "Homa Homa," Hobby Lobby translated to "Lobby Lobby," and WalMart was "Mall Mart."


• You would talk constantly, even when you went to bed. Grandpa and I knew you had finally fallen asleep when you stopped talking.


• When you were about three or four, I remember a few days when your parents took a trip somewhere and Grandpa and I babysat while they were away. Your parents were supposed to return on your Dad's birthday and I took you shopping with me so we could plan something special for him when he returned. We bought the cake and stuff for his birthday dinner, but I thought decorations would be kind of fun, too. In the party aisle at WalMart, I asked you what you thought your Daddy would like and you looked over all the plates and cups and napkins, grabbed a package of plates in one hand and a package of cups in another and said, "Spiderman, Grandma. Daddy loves Spiderman." We bought Spiderman everything. It made your Dad smile.


• Fast forward to a little older, like nine or ten when Grandpa and I took you camping on the Carson River at Fort Churchill. You brought your bike. At dusk, you asked if you could go ride your bike on the road around the fort, we said yes and off you went. About 15 minutes later, you came back rather excited, huffing and puffing, because you had peddled so fast. Back so soon? we asked. You related the incident when you were riding your bike along the road and a cottontail rabbit ran across the road in front of you. As you stopped, a coyote ran across the road chasing the rabbit and you thought, I'm getting outa here!, and you peddled back to camp for fear the coyote would lose interest in the rabbit and come after you!


• Was that the same camping trip when Grandpa gave you permission to pee on the campfire to put it out? And you did.


• Then there was the trip to Disneyworld, Epcot and your obsession with the Japanese soda. By the way, we were wrong. We should have been patient enough to wait for you to go back to the Japanese pavilion and buy more soda. It was vacation!


• Swimming, cliff jumping and kneeboarding at Greers Ferry Lake.

And on and on...I couldn't possibly list every single memory.

In the beat of a heart and the blink of an eye, you grew from this...


To this...



And when you grew from an infant, to a toddler, to a little boy, to a teenager, I don't know why I just couldn't see beyond that, even though I had already raised two babies who became men. I think I will just chalk it up to being a Grandma thing and let it go at that.

But some things never change. Like life and living it. So here are 10 Rules for Living. I didn't write them, but I wish I had. No matter. They are still applicable.

Ten Rules For Living
Author Unknown

1. You have received a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this time around.


2. You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called "Life." Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant or stupid.


3. There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error, experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately "works."


4. A lesson is repeated until it is learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.


5. Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.


6. "There" is no better than "here." When your "there" has become a "here" you will simply obtain another "there" that will, again, look better than "here."


7. Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects something you love or hate about yourself.


8. What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.


9. The answers to life's questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.


10. You will forget all this.

But, I didn't think that covered everything, so now here are a couple of my own.

1. Take every opportunity to travel. You'll regret it later if you don't.


2. You can do or be anything you desire, but no matter what you choose, it takes hard work.


3. Always stand up for what you believe in. Just remember, you will probably get a lot of flack for it.


4. There is nothing wrong with being nice. In fact, it often gets you further in this world than being mean and critical.


5. Get outside of your comfort zone. Try new things, even if you don't think you will like it.


6. Don't expect life to be fair. It never is, no matter how much you think it should be.


7. Karma's a bitch. All that you do will come back to you, good and bad.


8. You will find that most of the subjects you will study in college are useless, except for abnormal psychology, which you will mercilessly apply to dealing your family.


9. But, always remember, life's too short not to laugh.


10. Love without giving up who you are.


11. Always remember where ever you go, whatever you do, you are loved and treasured by your family and you will always have a soft place to fall.

Happy 18th Birthday Zak!

Big sisters are the crab grass in the lawn of life. ~ Charles M. Schulz

Well, Karen left for Las Vegas yesterday morning. Technically, it was morning...about 11:00 or so. She's not moving back to Vegas, but she does have a doctor's appointment there next week. After that, I think she will head to Kingman, Arizona to settle.

It wasn't a teary, emotional good-bye. She thanked me for "saving her life," she said. I don't feel like we really did that. Karen is a pretty resourceful person and I honestly believe she would have been able to land on her feet without our assistance. But, we made it a little easier for her. In any case, I think she was ready to move forward and make a life for herself. We were ready to have our house back to ourselves.

Tom expressed his relief in his typical smart-ass fashion. When he got home from work, he came in through the garage into the laundry room, took off his work clothes and boots, and walked nonchalantly through the kitchen, sporting a big smile, a twinkle in his eye, bare feet, bare chest and the back of his underwear resting about 2 inches below his butt crack. Real cute.

I have been cleaning out Karen's room since yesterday. There wasn't too much left, but there were some old boxes and other trash in the closet. Tom and I will be removing the furniture to the garage on Sunday afternoon so I can scrape the ceiling, paint the walls, mop the floor, paint the bed frame, etc.

During the closet cleaning, I came across a little ceramic crock with cigarette butts in it. Karen had apparently been using it as an ash tray. Finding it validated Tom and my suspicions that Karen had been smoking in the house, even though we had asked her to please smoke outside. Tom had come home a couple of times and said, "Pee-ew, it smells like cigarettes in here!" And one night, sometime in the middle of the night, I woke up and thought I smelled cigarette smoke, but I didn't get out of bed to check. We both tried to write off our suspicions to just exhaled smoke from Karen coming inside after having a cigarette outside and kind of leaving a trail of smoke behind her as she exhaled. Our suspicions were correct. We really did smell cigarette smoke and she had been smoking in the house. What a disappointment.

Moving on. The house is so quiet. I like it. And I'm excited to completely re-do the bedroom and have someplace nice, comfortable and private for Chris to sleep when he comes back in a few weeks to help Tom out again.

Speaking of Chris. I know he's been waiting for me to post the photographs of his new tattoo. Well, actually it is a tattoo addition. Many years ago, Chris got a tattoo of a frog on the outside of his right calf. All of Chris' tattoos have some very personal significance to him, but I don't know about the frog. Anyway, it was just a plain, green frog, nothing else, kinda looking like it had just attached itself to the side of his calf. He really likes a tattoo artist here, Ryan Cook @ Primal Urge, and had been thinking about having Ryan put some bamboo or leaves around the frog. Chris stopped to talk to Ryan one afternoon and Ryan asked him to just look up some stuff on the internet that he thought he might like, which Chris did that evening. When he found some pictures he liked, he asked Tom to draw something up for him to give to Ryan and this is what Tom came up with...



Kinda cool, huh?

So, Chris took the drawing to Ryan and his lonely little frog now looks like this...



How about a close-up...



The frog is no longer just green either. Ryan gave him some color. Chris really loves it.

Our plans for tomorrow are just goin' up to the boat, baby. I'm packing a lunch, we're putting bottled water in a cooler and we are going up to the lake so Tom can work on his sailboat (it's okay, he doesn't consider that "work"). I'm taking a book and some towels and I'm going lay down on the bow and read. Our first real day at the lake for this season. Just a long, warm, leisurely day. I think we deserve it.

It is our choices ... that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.--J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets)

FOR TODAY APRIL 20, 2009 ...

Outside my window...after a weekend of heavy rain and thunderstorms, the sun is shining and we are headed for a wonderful warming trend. It should be in the low 80's by the end of the week and over the weekend. Hooray! Hooray!

Waiting…for Karen to start getting organized and pack for her move to Arizona. Tom and I have decided to completely re-do the room after she leaves on Wednesday or Thursday: scrape the popcorn texture from the ceiling, paint the walls and remove the leftover carpet from the closet. I first thought I would wash the oak bed frame with a white stain, but I'm also toying with the idea to doing a crackle finish.

Catching up on…bookkeeping today.

I am thinking...about a phone call I just got from Tom. He was listening to NPR and heard about a group people who have organized to rid schools of dodgeball (because kids feel targeted and humiliated), musical chairs (because the kids who don't get a chair feel like losers), jump rope with ropes (they want "pretend" jump rope because the ropes are too dangerous) and tag without touch (because of the chance of inappropriate touch). One of the guests on the program called the movement "The Wussification of America." I would have to agree.

I am thankful for...our pastor, Tammy, and all of the very complicated, interesting discussions we have when I am supposed to be working at the church.

From the kitchen...boy, I haven't given it much thought this morning. I don't know what we will have for dinner. I made WAAYYYY too much orzo pasta salad yesterday, so whatever we have, we will be having orzo pasta salad with it. I also found a recipe for a "lite" chocolate cake. I might make that today.

I am wearing... a white sweat shirt, green cotton pants and flip flops.

I am creating... ideas for the room Karen will leave vacant.

I am reading...Everyday Sacred by Sue Bender. I'm having a hard time getting through it. It's rather disjointed. I may just set it aside and move on to the new book I bought last week, The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs.

I am hoping...to finish the church newsletter this afternoon so I can print it tomorrow. I'm a little ahead of schedule, so I'm not feeling any pressure at all.

I am remembering…how energetic I used to feel when I was younger. I'd like to still feel like that.

I am hearing...the birds singing outside, the hum of my laptop, and my fingers clicking on the keys.

Around the house...it's quiet. That's all, just quiet.

One of my favorite things... is feeling rested when I get up in the morning. That's how I feel this morning.

A few plans for the rest of the week …get the church newsletter ready for mailing, buy four different colors of paint for my Adirondack chairs, buy lobster tails for Karen's farewell dinner, start back painting the trim Tom has already installed.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... but this isn't the one...



This is our dog, Goldie. She is a 7-year-old Golden Retriever, but we've only owned her for a year. Her previous owner used her as a breeder female and Goldie was bred and had puppies every single heat cycle since she was just under a year old. She spent every minute of every day in a kennel, with little or no human contact or interaction, except when she was fed and her puppies removed. The only vaccinations she got was rabies, because that's the minimum state standard in order to sell her puppies. Her nails were probably an inch long (and we're still trying to cut them back every week so that the quick recedes and we can get them to a reasonable length), she has what our veterinarian calls "flat feet" because she hardly ever walked and probably never ran (her paws don't have the arched toes like other dogs), her coat was filthy because I suspect she hadn't been bathed in years (it took three baths here at home plus a final bath at the vet's to finally get her clean) and she tested positive for deadly heart worm (which was $1,500 and three months worth of poisonous treatment). Goldie cowered from everything, including our presence. It has taken a year for her to feel comfortable just walking around the yard and lying anywhere else besides on the patio, curled up in a ball with her back against the house. We noticed when we planted the garden last Saturday (tomatoes, zucchini, basil, lavender, parsley and dill) that she had been lying in the hay that we used as garden ground cover over the winter. Sunday morning after it stopped raining, Tom and I took a walk over to the garden to make sure the new plants had fared alright in the pouring rain. As we approach the edge of the garden, Tom called Goldie over to his side, but rather than obey she decided to be a little playful. She ran passed him, into the garden and laid down in front of him...on top of the newly planted basil. So... the picture thought I am sharing today...VOILA! Fenced garden...



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Happy Blogoversary to Me!

I can hardly believe it has been two years since I started this blog...April 18, 2007.

What started as a blog to chronicle my desire and progress to become a casual runner became an outlet more for my inside world than my outside, physical world. I kind of let it all hang out, so to speak. Sometimes it was a good thing. Sometimes not so good. But, it has always been an outlet for me; a way to explore how I feel about things in my life, people in my life and simply life in general.

I have shared my struggle with my weight, a challenge I continue to lose because I eat too much, sometimes drink too much and for the life of me cannot find the motivation to participate in any sort of continuous exercise. Maybe that will come this next year.

I have shared my feelings about and my relationship with Tom, addressing just about everything but the sex (yes, even in our sixties), which is just about the only thing I will not share because my kids, grandkids and my dear Aunt Sally read this blog.

I have shared my love and my relationships with my sons, Mike and Chris, my daughters-in-law, Kathy and Kelly, and my grandkids (in order of age), Zak, Jacob, Thomas, Hagan, Lily and Zoey. Sometimes they may have laughed with me and other times been angry with me.

I have shared our continuous home remodeling project, still in progress. And I have shared the growing comfort I feel living in this house as we transform it into something that belongs to us and not the previous owner. I can honestly say, I feel better about living in this house than almost any other house we've owned in the 40 years Tom and I have been together.

I shared my disappointment and anger at the sexism and misogyny in the political process and our country, and, yes, that Hillary is not our President. But, I have also shared my acknowledgment of what an awesome achievement is was that Barack Obama became our President.

I shared my confusion, questions and sometimes disbelief in the behavior, morals (or lack of them), thought processes (or lack thereof) of our society, along with my admiration of some of the kindnesses, dignities and achievements of my fellow citizens.

I have bored my readers with continual remunerations about my likes, dislikes, the weather, my garden, my former job, my church and my grandchildren's accomplishments. And, to all of you who have hung around to read each word, make comments and send emails, I am so grateful.

So what have I learned these past two years?

First of all, this blog is first and foremost for me. If I have offended anyone with my comments or rantings, I apologize. But I will continue to write because it is MY blog. I accept full responsibility for my behavior, my thoughts, my feelings and my words.

Second, my life is not really all that interesting. I'm glad I have the Simple Woman's Daybook, Some Things Friday, Wordless Wednesday and other miscellaneous meme's as mediums to lean on and through which I can share my ideas, my feelings and my musings since I might otherwise not have much to say in between my lightening bolt thoughts.

Finally, it's okay with me that I'm not that interesting or special. What I've learned is that having the most or the best stuff, or working for the best company, or making the most money, or having the most accomplished children, or having the cutest and smartest grandchildren, or being the most educated, or the most knowledgeable, or the most charming, or the funniest, or the thinnest is not important. There will always be someone richer, smarter, thinner, funnier, more accomplished than I am. That's okay. I am finally completely comfortable with being ordinary. As a matter of fact, it's a relief because I no longer feel like I have anything to prove or anything to hide or keep secret.

Considering everything...where I've been, what I've done, what I've accomplished, where I've failed...I've been pretty lucky and I really do love my life. I agree with a comment left by Terri @ A Daily Obsession, I am so very blessed!

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

I know that I mentioned in my last post on Monday that I was pretty wiped out after having Easter dinner at our house. My OCD is really starting to take it's toll on me. It took until yesterday for me to start feeling rested. This growing old thing really sucks sometimes.

Mike and Kathy called Easter Sunday and we had the opportunity to talk with each of the kids on the phone. I only cried a little.

Chris is leaving this afternoon. He's really anxious to get home and be with his family, particularly since Kelly's birthday is tomorrow, but this morning he is finishing up a small job for the son of our friend and former pastor. Chris has worked really hard this week and he has helped Tom so much.

Talking to Mike and his family on the phone Sunday and having Chris here for a week has been kind of a double-edged sword. On one hand, it is really great to talk with Mike and his family and spend time with Chris, even though I know he misses Kelly and the kids very much. On the other hand, it makes me so aware of how much I miss seeing and spending time with my kids and grandkids. It makes me aware of how much I am missing, so I am sitting here with tears rolling down my cheeks just writing about it.

But what alternatives are there now? I don't know. This is what we've chosen. If we'd known back then what we know now, would we have made the same choices? Hard to say. We attempted to make a change back in 2001 when we moved to the Lake Tahoe area near Mike and Kathy. Tom and I both had good jobs there, but the sale of our home in Arkansas fell through. If the sale had been completed, we would have purchased a condo there and probably would still be there. But, it didn't happen that way.

Two and a half years ago when we put our old house back on the market, we considered moving to Savannah near Chris and Kelly, but the risks were too great. At the time, we were hoping to pay for a house outright with the equity from our home sale, but homes prices there were climbing. We didn't want a big mortgage because we weren't (and still aren't) ready to retire and we didn't know, at our ages, how we would fare in the job market and Tom was afraid of starting a business over again from the ground up. It was a hard choice.

What if...what if...what if...

So, here we are...a 14 hour, one long day's, drive one way to Savannah and almost a 30 hour, 2-1/2 day's drive, one way to Reno. If we're lucky, because it's closer, we visit Savannah maybe twice a year and Reno, because it's further, maybe once a year. We don't take vacations to Florida any more, except for 2 years ago over Christmas and New Years ~ not the best time to do that, I might add. We just travel to one place or the other. How do you balance it? Or, I should say, how do you balance it and not feel guilty? What do other older people, who are also parents and grandparents, do? I have no idea.

Some days I just want to do for me and Tom. I'm jealous because both of my sons have visited New York. I've never been and I've always wanted to go, but we've always made a different choice. I've always wanted to drive up the New England coast in the fall, but we never have. I've always wanted to take an RV and visit all the different national parks, but there's never any time left. And, on top of it all, I feel guilty for even thinking about doing those things because it would mean passing up an opportunity to see my kids and grandkids.

Okay, so I'm a little down in the dumps. I think I might be giving too much. Ya think?

The only pressure I'm under is the pressure I've put on myself. ~ Mark Messier

I'm tired this morning. I'm so tired that I had to go back and correct the word "tired" three times because I spelled it wrong.

Laying in bed last night after everyone had left, I told Tom I didn't think I wanted to do another holiday dinner. He said, "You just don't want to do another holiday dinner like you always do." He's right. I always over-do. Three appetizers, main course with at least two side dishes and great dessert. We filled and ran the dishwasher THREE times yesterday, plus I washed countless pots and pans. I'm craving simple. Something like an antipasto tray, then spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. Simple, filling, delicious...and I actually get to sit down and visit.

I had so much to do for our Easter dinner yesterday that I cooked and prepped all day Saturday and Sunday. I had to make a list for myself of everything I had to do each day and when it came down to putting everything on the table, I forgot the dinner rolls that I had slipped into the oven to warm up about 20 minutes before we sat down for dinner. Tom discovered them when he started picking everything up after we had finished dessert. I had turned both ovens off and walked away, not even remembering that a dozen rolls were warming. When it was all said and done, we sent food home with Tom's parents and we still have two refrigerators full of leftovers.

I think the next meal I serve to guests will be a KISS meal...Keep It Simple Stupid!

FOR TODAY APRIL 13, 2009...

Outside my window...It's cloudy and cool. It poured rain yesterday and the temperature didn't get above 55 degrees. Today maybe it will reach 63 degrees.

Waiting…for the weather to warm up and stay that way.

Catching up on…everything I let slide while I prepared for Easter dinner.

I am thinking...I really need to accomplish something in this house besides vacuuming and dusting. I need to get back to painting walls and trim.

I am thankful for...the prayer stone Tammy gave out to everyone as we left church yesterday. I'm going to put mine on the kitchen window sill where I know I will see it many times during the day. Sometimes I just need a tangible reminder to take a moment; take a deep breath and just be silent, still and grateful.

From the kitchen...leftovers. I need to go out this morning and find a manual meat grinder (Target? WalMart?). We have a lot of lamb leftover from dinner yesterday and Chris suggested I grind it up and make gyros for dinner. Great idea!

I am wearing... old fashioned ugly ole sweats and slippers! The kind of thing I put on when I'm feeling incredibly lazy and unmotivated.

I am creating... not much at the moment.

I am reading...still working on Every Day Sacred.

I am hoping...to go to Reno this summer to go to Zak's graduation.

I am remembering…two birthdays this month and three more next month! Whew!

I am hearing...the birds singing outside.

Around the house...is the wonderful early morning quiet!

One of my favorite things... is this time of day. I am definitely a morning person.

A few plans for the rest of the week …I would really like to buy some really good paint to paint my Adirondack chairs.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... I am sooooo ready...



To read more Daybook posts or learn how to participate, visit The Simple Woman’s Daybook

None is more impoverished than the one who has no gratitude. ~ Fred De Witt Van Amburgh

We had severe weather through Arkansas last night. Here in central Arkansas it was mostly heavy thunderstorms ~ thunder, lightening, heavy rain, wind. The town of Mena in western Arkansas was not so lucky. The weather through their small town was so severe it developed tornadoes. Three people are dead. Homes and businesses were destroyed. There is devastation throughout the town. And, I was getting annoyed because the television station kept breaking into Hell's Kitchen to give severe weather updates and I didn't get to see the end to find out who was kicked off. How petty and self-involved is that?

Actually, I am ashamed to have responded like that, and I am so grateful that we didn't experience the deadly weather that roared through Mena.

There was also damage reported from El Paso, Arkansas, which is just a couple of miles from where we used to live in the rural part of the county, so I'm sure they had really severe weather there, too. I haven't talked to my friend and former neighbor, Lana, yet this morning so I don't know how bad it got out there.

This morning, we may get a little more rain, but the storm has blown through with just a few clouds remaining, and the skies should be sunny later this afternoon.

My son, Chris, arrived here day before yesterday and already I can see the difference in Tom. He's in a much better mood; not so solemn. With Chris here to help Tom get caught up, the pressure on him is not quite as overwhelming. They may pretty well catch up before Chris leaves for home next week. We were lucky that he was available to help out right now, since he just finished a kitchen remodeling job and hadn't found anything else yet.

My son, Mike, has had to leave his family, too, to find work. He is working on a job in northern California for the week and will drive home for the weekend to spend time with his family. He will do that for the duration of the job, which is about a month.

I don't know why Tom is so busy. It doesn't really make sense. His work should be slow, too. But, he is swamped. He's getting calls from places in the state where he's never worked before this. It seems like all the other stair builders in the state have disappeared and Tom is the only one left. It has just got to be a fluke and I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am for that. But, it also makes me so sad to see my sons and daughters-in-law having to struggle so hard to make it through this economic disaster. The whole thing makes me so mad and I want to yell and scream and blame somebody...but there are too many to blame and it is pointless to waste my energy on all that.

On to more positive things. Tom's mom and dad are coming over for Easter dinner on Sunday. We are having leg of lamb. My mother-in-law is bringing her own mint jelly. This is our menu...



Not too elaborate, but tasty just the same. No matter what your belief, where you go or what your plans, I hope all of you have a warm, loving, safe, fun and blessed Easter.

UPDATE: Someone left a comment earlier with a link that required a download. I have deleted that comment and will continue to delete all comments with dangerous links that could harm my readers' computers. Over and out.

Journalism is organized gossip. ~ Edward Eggleston

I don't know Mr. Eggleston, but I'm right there with him.

Is anyone else as sick as I am of paparazzi and jail booking photos plastered all over the mainstream media outlets?

Case in point, the ShamWow guy and the prostitute...



Ask me if I care.

Terri, do you care?

No.

Prayer is not an old woman's idle amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument of action. ~ Gandhi

We had a wonderful weekend. The musical, The Color Purple, was simply amazing. This clip is from the Tony Awards and once you get through Oprah's introduction (about a minute and 20 seconds), you will see the song, Hell No, performed by the character Sophia and then the whole cast finishes with the song The Color Purple.



I laughed and cried throughout the musical, as did nearly everyone around me. When tears were rolling down my cheeks, I could also hear sniffles from all sides. I would love to see this again.

Our dinner at McEwan's on Monroe was wonderful; food, atmosphere, service. Both of us started with Saffron Lobster Risotto (lobster, green peas, fresh grated parmesan topped with micro-greens). For our salad course, we both chose the Warm Wild Mushroom Salad (roasted mushrooms, spring mix, spiced walnuts, gorgonzola cheese, walnut balsamic vinaigrette, all set on a drizzle of balsamic reduction). My main course was the Grilled Duck Breast with the Pomegranate Syrup and Malbec Buerre Rouge,
Lyonnaise Potatoes and Sauteed Green Beans. It was simply perfect. Tom chose Grilled Rack of Lamb with a Chipotle Cherry Glaze, Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Maple Pecan Butter, and Grilled Asparagus. I tasted Tom's lamb and it was delicious, too. I've only eaten lamb a couple of times since we moved here. I just can't seem to get good lamb. It's usually really gamey tasting. But, yesterday on the way home we stopped at Fresh Market and Tom showed me the racks of lamb they had. We might try them.

I will be posting a little more about our dinner on my food blog, Terri's Table, later today. Stop by and see the photos!

But, for today, since it is Monday...

FOR TODAY APRIL 6, 2009 ...

Outside my window...the sun is shining, but it's a pretty cool 45 degrees. It was supposed to freeze last night, but it didn't. And it's supposed to freeze again tonight, but I hope it doesn't. We've put the philodendrons back in the garage for a couple of days, covered the berries and the newly sprouted herbs. That's the best we can do. We won't be able to save the azaleas and wisteria. I guess we can only hope it doesn't get as cold as they think it will.

Waiting…for a great idea to hit me for Easter. Should we have everyone for brunch, lunch or dinner? I hadn't really thought about it until Tom talked to his mom yesterday. I suppose now I will actually have to think about what to do.

Catching up on…laundry.

I am thinking...about the bump on my forehead. Every time I touch my forehead, which, I've come to realize, is quite a bit, I touch the sore little bump on my forehead right between my eyes. How did I get the little bump? Saturday I got up in the middle of night in the hotel room to go to the bathroom. I didn't turn on any lights. The bathroom was dark, so I fumbled around trying to orient myself and when I felt the toilet I situated myself in front of it, bent over forward a little to sit down and Bonk! I hit my head on the corner of the handle of the bathroom door I failed to close.

I am thankful for...a soft, warm bed at night. I slept better last night than I had in days. It felt so good.

From the kitchen...since we had something special for dinner Saturday night and we tried to re-create Saturday's risotto dish using shrimp instead of lobster (it was almost as good, but not quite), I think we will go with something simple, but delicious tonight: Beef Stroganoff, Noodles and a vegetable (to be determined when I get to the store this afternoon).

I am wearing... my pajamas still: black top and purple, green, pink and black plaid bottoms. And slippers.

I am creating... a list of quotes that I like. I am a quote collector. I love a quote that makes me stop and think, if only for a moment.

I am going... the church (to do some paperwork for Tammy), the store, then pick up Goldie from boarding over the weekend.

I am reading...Everyday Sacred by Sue Bender, her inward journey to discover the sacred in her everyday life in the Bay Area. It's the follow-up to her first book, Plain and Simple.

I am hoping...to figure out what we will do for vacation this year, if anything.

I am remembering…all the musicals and plays we took our kids to when they were younger. I'd love to take my grandkids to performances like that, but we live too far away.

I am hearing...my neighbor, Rob, working on the fence.

Around the house...there is unpacking to do, since I didn't do it yesterday after we got home.

One of my favorite things... by far is Fresh Market in Little Rock. I live in a gastronomically challenged part of the country. Our local grocery stores (all four of them ~ two Krogers and two WalMarts ~ carry mostly bare bone staples. I buy a lot of my spices and ingredients for cooking online. Since Fresh Market has opened, we've been able to purchase things like sushi grade tuna, fresh clams and mussels, head-on shrimp and soft shell crabs, and most of their produce is organic, but their prices are competitive with our local markets. How lucky is that?

A few plans for the rest of the week …iron the beautiful white fabric Tammy found to cover and decorate the church alter for Easter, a trip to Sam's club for staples in bulk, plan and shop for whatever we decide to do for Easter, draw out a plan to redesign the stuff in our home office (an extra bedroom), vacuum and dust (the pollen is thick and on everything this time of year) and do laundry, laundry, laundry.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...



...this is my first grandson, Zak. The picture was taken in November 1994. He was the little boy that made me a grandmother for the first time. This month he will be 18 years old! Holy Cow!

Based on The Simple Woman’s Daybook

Some Things Friday for April 3, 2009

Whew, it's been a long time since I've done one these, so let's get started...

Some Things I Love...

1. Have I told you lately how much I love my husband? I know, I know. You're getting pretty sick of hearing it. You're thinking, Can't this woman come up with anything else? Well, yes, actually, I can. I love my sons, too. They are completely different from each other, but each is quite lovable just the same. I love my daughters-in-law, even though we don't always see eye-to-eye on everything and they, too, are completely different from me and from each other. But, with my sons and daughters-in-law as parents to my 6 wonderful, completely different grandkids, I know they are loved and well cared for. What more can a parent or grandparent ask?

2. I love this spring weather. I love the sunshine. I love the budding trees and vines. Even my water lilies in the pond are developing leaves.

3. I love sushi, which is what we are having for dinner tonight. Once again, I bet we will be the only people at the sushi bar. Go figure.

4. Since I quit my job, I love having more free time to do some of things I've been putting off for a while. This week, I've been just catching up on stuff, but watch out next week!

5. A good massage and a pedicure. Which reminds me, I think I need to treat myself.

Some Things I Hate...

1. Emptying the shredder bin. Not because it is difficult. On the contrary, it's easy to do...just pull out the bin, put a trash bag over the top of it and turn it upside down, at which time half of the bin will empty out the sides of the trash bag onto the carpet and I will have to vacuum up all the little shreds. I HATE emptying the shredder bin!

2. My AT&T telephone bill! I literally have to comb the freakin' bill every single month and call them and ask that they remove unauthorized charges! One month it's $9.95; another month it's $4.95; this month it's only $1.00, but, jeez, could they get it right just ONCE!

3. I hate it when Tom pretends that he's listening to me, but he really isn't, and I can tell he's not even hearing a word I say because all he says is, Uh huh, and all the while his eyes are literally glued to the television screen. Then when I oh so rationally and reasonably bring the ignoring-me-thing to his attention, he acts like he's just been jolted out of a coma, says What?, then denies he wasn't listening to me. Dude, you're not convincing!

4. Photographs of celebrities with captions mocking them for their imperfections. Maybe some of these photographers ought to have their photos taken in bathing suits or running shorts to show off their beer bellies, cellulite and hairy backs. Com'on folks. We're human! We're not meant to be perfect!

5. Media coverage of Michelle Obama's clothing choices. Okay, almost 700,000 people unemployed vs. Mrs. Obama's clothes. You tell me what's more important.

Some Things I Just Don't Get...

1. People who accumulate all those little packages of soy sauce, duck sauce, ketchup and such when they get take out (sorry, Chris).

2. A Virginia middle school has banned touching. You know, I really do get the idea of banning or discouraging inappropriate touching, but for crying out loud, banning touch altogether? Remember the 13-year-old girl suspended at another school for hugging her friend? Maybe it's just me, but I think we are teaching our children how to be more socially distant from each other.

3. Doggie necklaces that cost more than all my jewelry put together.

This necklace cost $3.2 million, and frankly, it doesn't make the dog look any cuter.

4. I recently read an article about a Rasmussen poll which reports that nearly a third of Americans under the age of 40 believe The Colbert Report and The Daily Show are alternative news sources. It doesn't matter to me if people watch the programs. What bothers me is that these people consider it news. Hint: it's on Comedy Central...it's comedic commentary, not news. Although, I have to say that the mainstream media pretty much lost it's unbiased journalistic credibility during the last election.

5. Why do I always wind up in the line behind the person who didn't realize the item she selected cost $1.99, but she thought it cost $1.89 and now she doesn't want it anymore; or the person who picked up the only piece of fruit without a sticker on it and the cashier makes someone else run over to the produce section and play match-the-apple; or the person who didn't realize they had spent $150 on groceries and only came to the store with $100 and the person now has to figure out which grocery items she wants to take off (and of course she takes off the fresh fruit, the vegetables, the whole grain bread and the milk, but keeps the frozen pizza, cookies and candy bars).

Well, now that I've got that off my chest, it's time to get to work on reorganizing our home office. Wish me luck!

An inability to stay quiet is one of the most conspicuous failings of mankind. ~ Walter Bagehot

I love silence. I love it when everything is quiet. Early morning is about the only time it's quiet around the house. No television. No barking or yelping dog. No human to animal conversation. Just quiet. I can hear the birds singing outside. The pump in the pond just started and I can hear the water. Goldie is laying on the floor behind me sleeping. Everything is still and quiet and my soul is rejuvenating.

I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon finishing up the church newsletter and printing 650 copies. In between printing, I started redesigning a prayer card for Tammy. The office at the church is also calm and quiet and even though I got home later than I had anticipated, I still felt like I had enough energy left to cook dinner anyway. Very different from the physical therapy clinic, where the radio noise was constant and Boss could never stop talking and had to talk loudly to be heard over the radio. By the end of those days that I worked there, I just wanted to scream, "SHUT UP!!" but I never did. I was always exhausted when I got home from the clinic. It feels so good now to have some energy left at the end of the day.

We are making another trip to Memphis this weekend. We have three more performances left of our season tickets for the Orpheum Theatre. Saturday night we will see The Color Purple.

I would almost bet you that I will be reduced to a weeping mess. I will take lots of kleenex.

The next performance in May is Fiddler on the Roof, with Topol in the lead role as Tevya...



Our final performance of the season, Wicked, is on the 4th of July...



We couldn't have picked a better season to have season tickets.

Our plan is to take Goldie to the vet's Saturday morning and leave for Memphis shortly after that. The drive is only 2 to 2-1/2 hours and we should arrive in plenty of time to freshen up, change for dinner and the theatre and still have some time to window shop and people watch beforehand.

Well, all of a sudden, it has started pouring outside. We're having a little thunder, a little lightening and it sounds like there may even be a little hail mixed in. I don't mind the rain at all, especially since we moved to this house. Unlike our house in the country, all of our utilities here are underground. In the country, we'd lose power with just about any extreme weather...rain, wind, lightening, heat...it didn't take much to blow something somewhere between our house and a power station. We haven't lost power once since we moved here 2-1/2 years ago, so I can cook, bake, do laundry, blog, whatever, without fear of getting in the middle of something and losing electricity. Ah, the convenience of living in the "city." Oh, shut up! It was a joke.

Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them. ~ Oscar Wilde

I was reading a post on another blog about cookbooks. I think the question was, "What is your favorite cookbook and why?"

That would be a hard question for me to answer, but my first thought was The Joy of Cooking. Tom's Aunt Lib gave it to us as a wedding gift, as she did for all the newly marrieds in the family. You always knew you were getting The Joy of Cooking from Aunt Lib and a silver butter dish from Aunt Peg.

Since Tom and I have been married 40 years, my book is old...really old. My edition was printed in 1967. It is stained and the cover has separated from the spine...

but this is the cookbook that literally taught me how to cook. I learned to make Hollandaise Sauce from this book. I learned to cook "real" rice from this book, not the instant rice my mom used to make. I learned how to prepare artichokes for steaming. I learned about garnish and presentation. I still refer to it occasionally.

I also have another cookbook that is really special to me. Chris and Kelly gave it to me for Christmas one year, I think. It's called True Grits, Tall Tails and Recipes from the New South. It was assembled by the Junior League of Atlanta.



I love this book not only for it's recipes (although the recipe for Tiramisu uses cream cheese instead of mascarpone, which just drives me nuts!), but I love the stories of the families. One story in particular that stands out is the story written by Carmen Deedy about Chicken Wings. As she tells it, when she lived in Cuba as a little girl with her family, food often times was scarce, but her father was able to secure a chicken for them occasionally. Her mother would cook the bird, which would shrink to the size of a quail and when it came time to serve the bird for dinner, her father, Papi, would always ask for the chicken wings, insisting that they were the tastiest part of the bird. Carmen and her sister would be served a thigh and a drumstick. Carmen didn't realize until many years later after they had emigrated to Decatur, Georgia, that her father had, in fact, only eaten the chicken wings so his children would have enough to eat.

That story always makes me think about when my kids were growing up, all the times I gave them my strawberries or my cookie or my piece of cake, or even that extra piece of chicken because I loved seeing my kids enjoy it more than I enjoyed it myself. I never understood how a parent could sit in front of a child and devour something they knew their child adored without at the very least sharing it with them. But, I saw many parents do just that.

Maybe what I did wasn't the best thing to do. In some ways, it may have devalued my needs and wants and conveyed to my kids that their needs and wants were more important than mine or Tom's. Or maybe, if I was lucky, it taught them that the sacrifice of something tangible for another person can bring you as much pleasure as if you had consumed it yourself.

In any case, you know, I relate to Carmen Deedy's dad. As a parent, you just want your children grow strong, be happy and enjoy whatever life has to offer them. You do the very best you can with what you know at the time and just hope and pray for the best. Fortunately, I think my kids turned out just fine, although I think they did so in spite of me rather than because of me. But, I'm hoping the extra strawberries had a little bit to do with it.