Life is Meant To Be Party

Miss Jeni's bridal shower had a Mardi Gras theme...

Complete with a colorful champagne punch...

And an ample supply of nibbles.

All this creativity and skill was provided by her future sister-in-law.

We played games (including bridal pictionary) and
then did the old-school ritual of collecting bows
from packages to make the bride a hat. Lovely, isn't it?

Here's the happy couple. Don't they make a stunning pair?

Higher Ground

It's so refreshing to see a couple!

The youngest daughter and her fiancee' are so in sync. One finishes the others thoughts and they move effortlessly together like a well-rehearsed dance team. Don't be fooled into thinking this is a new relationship--they have been exclusive for about 7 years now.

It does my heart good to see the genuine care and concern they have for one another. The little touch on the arm, the hand at the small of her back to guide her up a staircase or through a doorway--these are small gestures that speak volumes.

The future son-in-law arrived home from his IT job and immediately embraces me with a bear hug. I saw him last when he and Miss Jeni helped me prepare the city-girl daughter for the move to Virginia, about a year ago.

After a brief catch-up conversation, we head to the outskirts of Austin. There's a special place that he and Miss Jeni go that provides the most spectacular view of the city. We race against time to catch the sunset.

We arrive with just 10 minutes to spare. After climbing a multitude of rock stairs, I'm encouraged to climb down a series of rock ledges to the ultimate spot.

I decline.

At 50, I have learned the hard way that some things just aren't worth the risk.
When I was in my 20's I would have thought nothing of it. Not now, though. I'm not quite as daring as I once was...

The view is amazing! Lake Austin stretches forever in both directions and the city is an oasis in the distance. I catch the sun as it slips over the horizon.

I can see the two of them below me 30 feet or so. It makes me anxious, but I try not to let on.

Miss Jeni climbs back up, borrows my camera and takes pictures from their vantage point.

I can't wait to share the pictures, but haven't located a mini USB cable to upload the photos.

Marriage is An Outdated Concept

I'm packing up to head to Austin in the wee hours. My youngest has a bridal shower Saturday.

And no, my husband is not driving me to the airport. Is that something a husband should do?? My husband is appalled that I should suggest it.

I cleaned the refrigerator today and planned enough meals so he wouldn't worry the neighbors and his mother while I was gone. I can drive myself the 23 miles to the airport, but... what is a partner for, really???

It's a woman thing, I guess.

I'm waiting on the last load of clothes in the washer and he's fast asleep on the couch. Will he know when I have left?

Were it not for the remaining 4 weeks I have to reach my degree, I'm not sure I would come back.

Does it matter??

Well, the city-girl daughter has re-acquainted herself with tennis and there is a match April 10.
I am anxious to see how she fairs. She will do wonderfully. I will take pictures and share them, I promise.

I Think I Can. I Think I Can.

So I'm 72 hours without nicotine. I'm trying to deal with this 35 year addiction from a psychological approach. So far, so good.

The city girl daughter is cheering me on. She says she wants me to figure it all out so I can tell her how to do it. Isn't that typical of our children??

After making fun of my choice of footwear for some time, she has finally succumbed. She (at least) realized the importance of comfort while she is working.

Hint: Hers are the black... mine are the brown.

Face it, kids are always looking to their parents for direction and / or guidance.

I remember when she confronted me with her first dose of life's disappointments. She was so angry I hadn't warned her. I was blatantly honest when I explained that, had I been privy to a roadmap to life, I would have used it myself.

I remind her (and the youngest daughter) that we need to be ever mindful of the curveballs of life. These are the very ones that have a tendency to hit us square on--in the pit of the stomach, when we least suspect it-- and take the very wind out of our sails.


Doesn't mean we can't recover. Just means we have to be on our toes, so we're better equipped to bounce back, after the inital jolt (or shock).


I'm a firm believer in the fact that we all are limited only by our own thoughts. If you think you can do it, then you can do it. You know, the power of positive thinking and all that stuff.


So I'm hanging in there. Haven't missed a cigarette yet. And I'm hoping for the best.

So, won't you cheer me on?

I'm looking for Version 2

He was quick-witted and often risque. But once you started reading his posts, you inevitably came back for more. It was nothing short of an addiction.

Now, I'm waiting to read his obit. It is my understanding he wrote it some time back, when he learned his days were limited.

I'm trying to not be sad (but my eyes keep welling up).

He was the very reason I started blogging. I came across his blog while doing tech support for a cable company. I emailed him and let him know he had inspired me to start my own.

I will miss him.

But it looks as if my pal Ol Hoss may get another chance, though. Always plotting and planning, he was one step ahead of all of us:

I want to live my next life backwards:

You start out dead and get that out of the way. Then you wake up in a nursing home and start feeling better each day. Then you get kicked out for being too healthy. Enjoy your retirement and collect your pension.

Then when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day. You work 40 years until you're too young to work. You get ready for high school: drink alcohol, party, and you're generally promiscuous.

Then you go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, and you have no responsibilities. Then you become a baby.

You spend your last nine months floating peacefully in luxury, in spa-like conditions: central heating, room service on tap, and then....You finish off as an orgasm.

Making Tracks

You should see the all the paw prints, going every which way!

It's up to 24 degrees now. JB and the city girl daughter have both gone to work, leaving me with all the animals.



So now we know why they have all the energy to romp through the house like a herd of buffalo after dark.

Blue, on the other hand, just moves from one place to another, waiting for that fabulous four-letter word: RIDE.

No ride today, I'm afraid. With the snow slowly melting away, I'm devoting my energies to completing assignments...

And I have a new (eight-week) class that starts this evening!

Thank You Mother Nature!

What is it about snow that is so calming to watch?

I made a last-minute store run for necessities and the snow began falling on the drive back home. I watched as it fell diagonally at the windshield, trying hard not to be mesmerized by the patterns whirling right in front of me as I drove.

Once inside the warmth of our home, I was safe to enjoy the view from our many kitchen windows as I prepared a dinner of corned beef and cabbage with lots of carrots and onions. JB made his famous cornbread.

School is cancelled tomorrow! A reprieve--at last.

I'm worse than a teenager in high school, I know. But I promise I will make good use of the extra time.

But for now, I think I'll grab that over-sized afghan the city-girl daughter made for me and pile up with her on the couch to watch a movie.