want to know "how" I'm coping? watch my hair "change"

my hair, has long been the barometer of what's going on in my life. If I'm a little "out of sorts" - it shows in my hair. change in style, change in color, change in length. while others may turn anorexic to gain control of their lives ... I change my hair. so I have made 3 cuts (5+", 4", 3") and probably about 4 colorings as well (nuances rather than significant). Whether it be good changes, confusing or anxious changes ..... it usually shows up in my "do". IF SOMEHOW, I don't "feel" a new do will do the trick- I paint a wall. AND- I am getting ready to do that in the next few days!

at first light

Feeling little kitty in the curve of my back, I took my "wake up stretch" slow & long. I peeked at the clock over my Xmas body pillow.
and I remembered .... it wasn't all that long ago when I would have received my first birthday greeting of the day BEFORE 6am. I miss you mom.

saved by the weather delay .....

The weather has been somewhat precarious since our arrival here. Each day has forecasted or delivered conditions that have shaped our plans for the day.

TODAY ... mother nature was on our side! She allowed us to stay at the Living Desert as long as we wanted, by holding off the rain showers. It wasn't until we headed toward the exit gate, that we actually felt more than 1 raindrop at a time. And even when we arrived at our lunch destination ... they backed off until I got Pa safely tucked inside. By our departure, we had an azure umbrella overhead, & the fresh, clean smells a rainfall brings (I love it).

I'm sad that I missed out on the rainy days at home ... but these past few days spent with the Capt & Pa have been relaxing (and encouraging on Pa's part) .... AND I look forward to returning to our cottage tomorrow.... checking on my blueberry bush, catching up with the neighbors, filling my watering cans from our rain barrel, cuddling my kitty kats, & singing with the gals.

travlin' with a couple of trucker appetites ....

I know this because ... I have been witness (and accomplice) to it. With SirBil up & about a lot more than usual over these past 3 days- his appetite is well earned. NO NAPS makes a big difference on his endurance (in a mighty good way). We are putting our heads together to figure out what we can find/do/set up/? to make "being mobile" something he can look forward to. It's too easy to just sit a bit longer (then fall asleep), rather than head upstairs to get the newspaper, even tho he wants to read it. It's too convenient to wait on getting the mail cuz he's a little tired (then fall asleep again) ... afterall, it will STILL be in the box tomorrow right?! It's also agreed by all that being 88, brings with it the priviledge to do pretty much everything & anything he wants to do, whenever he wants to do it .... but with that "right"- comes immobility that will actually do him harm. Does he know that? yes. Does he agree? I'm not sure.

I for one- want to go "out" doing or enjoying something I love, rather than waste away. I would rather LIVE a shorter life, than merely EXIST for a longer one. But that's me.

ATYPICAL label reader

My husband ... who shall remain nameless .... reads labels, I just didn't know why until this morning. It became evident when he spent 10 minutes reading the ingredients of a container of trail mix I'd purchased ... noting it's oddities and multitude of wasted calories. This is easy for me to ignore, as I only read labels BEFORE I make a purchase. I could not, however, overlook the fact that upon completion of his "study session", he returned to the table with a danish in hand. His THIRD danish. As if this isn't ludicrous enough ... he read the label while stuffing it in his mouth, & in between chomps stated that it could be flamable !(pyrophosphate)

THIS IS WHY I LAUGH EVERY DAY!!

sandyland lush couture

This year's trip has been eventful with it's record breaking sandstorm & getting to see one of my fav artists at the Follies. AND ALL memorable events should be documented with something special ... yah? SO- this was my choice. A very practical(?), adorable(!), chorus pink purse to go with the zebra print wallet I got here last year!!!!! Lush Couture; a must see it to believe it store! EVEN the inside is puuurdy.

I like sands between my toes, not my eyelids!

The day started like this .... dede-lightfully clear & sunny.

by 10:30- the 3 Irwins had showered, finished a leisurely breakfast, & planned out the first half of the day. The guys took off for the air museum, with the Princess lagging behind to check out the grounds for kodak moments, & take a stroll through a couple of nearby shops. I lollygagged a bit- since time was plentiful & the weather was lovely. I have a love affair with palm trees against a carpet of sky, so there were a few of those shots ... since there are probably a hundred trees JUST on this property! Eventually I made my way to a craft store and wandered about drooling- much like the Captain would be doing if he were in a candy store. When I came out- the wind had kicked up to a wow factor of 5, so I & a few thousand leaves attempted to shuffle across the parking lot. I huddled momentarily behind another building & waited for a lull, while hatching a new plan- in case there was none! In the meantime, I snapped a few more pics! The majestic palms were NOW a swayin' due to 50mph gusts.
Now- the Capt & Pa noticed a breeze when departing the museum- but it wasn't until they got closer that they experienced what had been going on my neck of the woods for over an hour.

By the time they got back- a LOT had taken place in the blocks around our resort. There must have been a lot of insurance companies contacted today!! We headed out to survey some of the damages & to have LINNER (lunch for dinner), only to find a LOT of downtown area without power .... closing down numerous blocks of the city. The wind continues to ebb & flow even now after sunset. The dawn may bring some rude awakenings :o(

YAY, then NAY, then pretty darn yay again ....

OFF we went, only 10 minutes behind our "pretend" schedule in the cool, cool, cool of the coastal morning- for our annual trek to Palm Springs. As the story goes- when Betty & Bill purchased this timeshare property, it was in anticipation of being DONE with the holidays, & getting out of the gloomy, Bay Area, January weather .... and into the sunshine of the high desert. And it worked for a lot of years. ENTER a move to the central coast and .... uh ... hmmm .... not so gloomy, & going toward (often) not so sunny!! WHAT'S wrong with this picture?!! AT ANY RATE .... the first 1/2 of the drive is somewhat scenic .... & I love the first FULL view of the ocean. It takes my breath away (still- even every day at home). And I'm clicking away pictures- but nothing does it justice ... perhaps because the windows are a wee bit dirty (and I let the Captain know he is ruining my foto diary of the day!) LOW & BEHOLD, not near close enough to our destination, but WAAAAY too soon ... we get to the "less desirable" route of our journey. Towns with 3-13 times the population of our oceanside community ... landscaped with tumbleweeds and rocks. NOT my cup of tea ... but a whole lotta people must feel differently! I find them neither scenic nor interesting and, rather oddly, even though it is in the 50's ....looking hot & dry. barren. endless. void of color. The one exception is when we near our destination and drive through the wind farms. There is something facinating about the little communities of design. And I locked on the baby ones that were being instructed by a senior member of the group. Given the time of day- it must have been the pep talk held at the end of the work schedule (and gear up for tomorrow's predicted winds)FINALLY a little healthy growth starts showing up and I can see Palm Springs in the distance. As we cruise through town ... I glance at the thermometer. Um, that's a nice way to end the travel. Mild, comfortable temp :o) And we got here safely. DAY #1- successful.

Honesty is a good policy, communication is the best.

I agree that lying is not the answer.
I also feel that full & total honesty can be hurtful & unnecessary.
I choose communication instead. And it should be a mandatory class beginning in elementary school! Many of us claim to "talk" to each other .... but we often fall short of the communication mark. Listening is part of real communication. For me, that's the most difficult element. If I listened more (or correctly), I could respond better. More informed. More appropriately. More honestly. More timely. More .... better. Sometimes, instead of fully listening, I am forming my response, or the next point I want to make ... and I'm working on not doing that. I believe, that if the "communication" or dialog starts when a concern or topic first surfaces ... the need for defenses is less evident.
The Captain & I met in 1996 and less than a year later- we knew we had something special. As a couple, mature in age & having been thru failed marriages, we both were somewhat set in our ways... and cautious. I have to say that he is the most consistant person I have ever met. By this, I don't mean predictable ... I mean his attitude & feelings about life are solid & unwaivering. We fell into an emotional rhythmn quickly and trust has never been an issue. BUT- we have our own form of communication that has evolved (and improved) over the years, and we still put effort into it on a regular basis. We have a banter between us. We laugh at ourselves. We love fully & completely. And we know that communication is a major key to our success.

snails & puppy dog tails

If one was to look up the definition of a "boy" in the dicitionary .... you would see a picture of my grandson Anthony. From the missing teeth, to the bruised shins, to the newly "glued shut"

boo-boo on his chin ... he IS 100% boy!! He will tell you a story to get out of being in trouble, he will tell you the heartfelt reason he did something that got him into hot water, he argues with his little sister, wrestles with his dog & his daddy, avoids cleaning up his room, brushes only the fronts of his teeth, and goes a hundred miles an hour from the time he wakes. BUT- he is ALSO a cuddly & loving little guy when he is with me. He tells me he loves me more than once a day, he makes me laugh, he crawls into bed with me if I'm not ready to get up yet, he snuggles up with me in my chair to watch a movie at night, he uses my bubble bath to create clouds for the 2 dozen duckies he gets out of my cupboard in the bathroom. ......

and he's thoughtful. Knowing we were coming for a visit.... he dressed in the most recent Tshirt we sent him, along with his Hawaiian fishook necklace from that same trip, and had his ukulele tucked under his arm. He was in charge of making the card to tuck PaPa Bill's gift card into ...

WELL DONE LITTLE MAN!!

EVERYBODY loves jewels ....

BUT- AT THE RISK of being booted from the "female society", I have to admit ... I DO have enough of them (more than I truly need).

HOWEVER- there is a far more rare & valuable rose by the same name that I could NEVER get enough of .... my neighbor, Jules. TODAY we celebrate HER.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY !

Happy Birthday to a cherished young lady!!

We look forward to your calls & even more so to the visits, because we know how busy your life is. May 2012 be the best year to date & that MANY of your wishes come true!

We love you. XOXO

and then she was gone

I remember this day .....

like it was yesterday. The smiles you see here were MORE than genuine, and MORE than just for the event of the day. You could count on them anytime we were together. She was more of a soul sister than a mother-in-law .... and certainly NOT your average mother-in-law by any sense of the word. She was a young soul. Given more time ... she would have been supporting an ankle tatoo by now! She's been gone over 4 years & I still morn her, I still miss her, I still agonize over the fact that she never made it here with us as her permanent residence. I think of her often & am surrounded by much to remind me of the loves & laughter we shared ! And today .... I am wishing her a Happy #87 Birthday. There is a lavendar rose on your imaginary cake mom Betty!!!

from high atop my sunny lanai

THIS is my SKYE MeeWee ... personalized for the way I feel TODAY- and at this moment ....

I am perched upon my bistro chair, up to the bistro table, having a bistro-ish cup of coffee and relaxing ...... ah, so this is what it feels like?! It's been "non-retired" around here of late, what with Sirbil still in the hospital & the holiday decluttering & paint projects underfoot. Celebration Chorus is back in rehearsals, and travel plans are at bay (with a BIG question mark depending on Pa's health status) BUT RIGHT NOW .... I'm trying to leave all of that on the back burner for a few more minutes. A few hundred seconds for me, the blue sky, the warm sunshine and some waves that are just a bit bigger than norm. SO- as "Kenny" as a youngster used to tell his mom ..... just 5 more minutes!!

in the blink of an eye .... more or less

It was only a few weeks ago that a friend and I were talking about how quickly things can change. Literally in the blink of an eye one's life can be altered in significant ways. I suppose it could be in a positive way .... winning the lottery or such, but those are not what I refer to. Though the results were not life threatening and the recovery is moving along with little complication

.... recent instances of those likity-split occurances have reminded me how fragile life is and how quickly our routines or lifestyles can change. It's been an eye opening few days and I hope the memories of it rears it's unsightly little head on a regular basis to remind me (that much more) of how simple it is for an incident to turn our lives inside out. As the boo-boos mend (thankfully) .... I will watch my own P's & Q's as well!!

I can't have it all (I guess) ... where would I put it, & what would I have to look forward to?

or so I keep telling myself.
Don't get me wrong. I am thankful for all that I have. Relative to many, I have absolutely NOTHING to complain about. But ....
Christmas was not as planned. With all that was happening, all the distractions, there was no tree, a few community events were passed up, half our seasonal movies went unviewed, and the biggest disappointment .... no grandkids to liven up the household. Considering we had food on our table & a sturdy roof over our heads, I feel guilty that I even consider it shortchanged .... but it was my expectations that are really to blame. Since the time has already been lost, I am making an effort to get over my feelings of a less than cheery holiday .... knowing I REALLY am blessed with so much in my life. AND .... there is always next time. Let us not turn this into a bah humbug!!

rocky road - dessert or desperation

Let me begin by wishing all who pass by my ponderings .... I hope there has been a time or two when something I have posted made you smile, made you cry, or made you ponder in your own way.
THAT BEING SAID .... I begin this new year thinking of what has been a blessing, & that which is not so- and the words "rocky road" came to mind. As ice cream ... yummy, as a descriptive for every day living .... not so yummy. (although less fattening) Argue-ably there has been far more ice cream than potholes ... but the latter tends to stick in our thoughts. Those days move on MUCH slower , leaving a deeper imprint in our memory. BUT- rather than walk you through 365 days ... I shall pick only two. Yesterday, the pot holes were more like sink holes ... with Pa in the hospital, collapsed lung, prognosis bleak'ish. Today it was a bowl of ice cream on a warm, sunny day- as the meds & a problem free procedure turned things around.
What a difference a day makes!