And it's Friday....all day

So...how many of you all will watch the Oscars Sunday?  How many will watch it to the end?  Since it starts at practically 4pm that's a lot of glitz, glam, and filler where I from.  I'll watch to see the dresses and if Ellen is major hilarious--and she will be-- and then I'll watch until my brain starts shrinking in my head and  move on.
 IMO, those shows last way longer than they need to or is even good for you.  That many commercials simply cannot be good for your health.  That's way too much time to hit the refrigerator and scrounge.  Shuddddup....you know you do.
And since I know they hand out a bunch of Oscars at a lunch prior to the actual show, I'm thinking let's add more to that group.  I don't care about editing or best short whatever.  Let's just nail the big stuff and go home.  (Oops...I think my old is showing.)
 Sad news around our house.  Senora Maria (mopper extraordinairre) is on her way to Mexico for her brothers funeral and burial.  What little of her family is still there is in Zacatecas, and she's one of six kids.  Her brother (62) died from alcoholism and after being declared brain dead was removed from life support.  He lived in Hotlanta and she went there two weeks ago to say goodbye.  Man...the disease of alcoholism wins again.  I honestly don't know anybody who hasn't been affected by it in some way.

What will you be doing this weekend while the warmer weather hangs around?  Will you be doing yard work or just chillin'?  Sunday night is supposed to be 22 degrees around here so I know what I'll be doing.  Brrrr.

Sorry....I couldn't resist.

                                                  

 

Woo hoo!

Today I am grateful.  I'm so grateful I could burst.  I didn't mention that Tuesday I had my annual diagnostic mammogram but I did.  Due to some issues, I often get a mammo and then a sono to be sure all is well.  Scary stuff.  I pray my way through it every year.  This year, I got the same mammo tech (Sangita) and Radiologist I've had in the past.  Yay for continuity.  By now we are old pals.  Then the same gal (Kim) came out to tell me whether I got to have a sonogram, more views, go home, or if I'd drawn the ultimate black bean.  When she threw me the go home card, a rush of gratitude hit me and has been with me since.

So, that said, here's what I'm grateful for today.

1) FB so I can see my son wherever he is and keep up with friends
2) Sunshine
3) an old stubborn hound dog that makes me laugh every day
4) my neighbors
5) Nashville last night and Scandal tonight
6) KERA (public television)
7) a healthy body that works
8) food, shelter, clothes
9) all five senses
10) great books
11) people who get it
12) my husband who makes me laugh my head off
13) my daffodils that return every year at this time
14) hand cream
Today I know it's not what I have but how grateful I am that matters. 

Wednesday

Technical difficulties kept me from posting yesterday.  It was one of my favorite people's birthday--Hudson-- and I could not get the picture I wanted to add, to sit upright.  Yes, I rotated it about a million times...it was a save as issue that I still don't get...and don't really care.  Anywho, happy happy to the cutest eight year old boy I know.  Here is one with him and his GoGo at his party about to have cake.  I'm thinking it might have been a swim party at the Y since it 1) looks like the Y and 2) I see wet hair.  (Just call me Sherlock) 

This is an alert for all Scandal watchers that we are back in bidness' tomorrow night at nine and from the preview I saw, Mellie has been eating small children again, as she is just as nasty as ever.  Man, I have missed her-- and Silas-- and all their back stabbing and intrigue.  I never know what is coming on that show and often it scares the pants off of me. It's also fun to watch them try to hide Kerry Washington's baby bump underneath coats, behind chairs, a big purse, etc.  Here's one from tomorrow night.

I may have lost Downton but I've got Scandal back and soon, Call the Midwife.  Oh, life is GOOD!

Tough decisions...

I am in a world of hurt.  Not sure which way to go.  It's a real high class problem  I admit, but it's weighing heavy on me as I type.  I'm in the middle of a good book--right at a potential cliff hanger--AND I need to re-stream last night's Downton to be sure I got it all.  (I'm fuzzy in a couple of areas and I need to watch it again.)  Now, add to that a movie I got from the UP Library and seriously, I am in a real kerfuffle. 

I can easily punt the library DVD.  Done and done.  Now for the hard part.  I think I'll just read in blocks of time, and then enjoy DA.  Otherwise, this whole day is going to disappear with zero to show for it except my satisfied smile.

Now, from last night, I have some real questions.  What's up with Blake and the Prince of Wales mistress?  What was he referring to about following orders?  And is the tennant farmer going to end up blackmailing Lady Edith to keep the baby's parentage a secret?   Or, will Lady Edith simply return with the baby and let all hell break loose?   Tom told her to essentially "do what feels right" though he had no idea about the baby.

Lastly, I loved Bates getting to use some of his prison skills but the scene where they concoct the plan was awful.  Lord Grantham is dumb as mud and such a sissy pants.  The whole idea of having the guy who cheated at cards be invited back to play cards, was just preposterous.  Yes, they needed time to search his room but wouldn't he wonder why he'd been invited back, especially in view of the fact that he had the PoW (Prince of Wales) letter?  Guess his greed got the better of him.

 I LOVED the look on Bate's face when he handed the PoW's note to Lord Grantham.  Man....you gotta love a bad boy.   

Hawk Patrol

My hawk count continues and I've counted two more in less than twenty four hours.  One was last night over by White Rock, sitting in a tree looking regal, while the latest was this morning, as I went out to get the paper.  I could see him a block over, high in a leafless tree, hunting for breakfast. 

Back during the ice and snow, I was out one afternoon and saw one land, grab a dead pigeon (car v pigeon) from the middle of the street on Park Lane, and try to flap...flap..flap...fly off with it.... before he got run over.  He made it to the grassy side of the sidewalk before dropping that enormous pigeon and he came within a cat's whisker of getting run over himself.  All of this during a brief red light, right in front of my car.  It was a real Nat Geo moment.

I never noticed wildlife around our house as a kid.  Yes, I saw the Mockingbirds and Blue jays but it never occurred to me there was anything else besides the usual squirrels.  Now I look.  Now I notice.  That might be a commentary on my age, too, but this is the stuff of life for me these days.  I love that my life has slowed down now and I take the time to look.  For if you look, you WILL see. 
                                                         

           

U P Library

I am late to blog today but I've been busy having fun.  One of my most favorite stops today was at the University Park library.  I love that place and it has the cosiest glass enclosed room with a fireplace area where you can curl up and read.  I could stay forever if they just had a restaurant.  Not to worry.  There are several nearby.  I guess now I just need a bed.

Today's big discovery was their online books for your Nook, Ipad, etc.  Shoooot.  I didn't know they had that... and you can bet I'll be using that feature even though I actually still love holding a real book.  But, I'm all about the convenience factor these days so now all I have to do is get set up. 

A guy in his scrubs was there and asked about getting set up, and I over heard.  He saw me mouth whaaaaat? and motioned me over to the conversation.  (We are now BFF's, BTW.)  This discovery is purrrrrfect timing for a Spring read-a-thon and the lady behind the desk could not have been nicer.  All in all, a real puck in the net for me today. 

I tried getting on from home but as I suspected, I may have to have a pin set up by the library, in order to get in.  After that, it's movie, magazine, and book city.  My tax dollars at work for something I actually enjoy. That's a first. 
                                                                                                                         

Hello, Snow

Lots going on today.  One of my favorite people is here from out of town and I got to spend yesterday morning with her.  Will see her again today.  I got Sis a new toy yesterday--a Kong--and stuffed one of the puppy cookie/bars down inside, with a little protruding as a come on.  That was the last I saw of her yesterday afternoon and that was the point.  Yay, cookie toys.
                                                              

Benji and Andrea arrived in Copper Mountain yesterday and wasted no time hitting the slopes.  As kids, Brian and Benji skied Copper many times and one of their favorite things to do was ski a trail through the trees.  Benji commented yesterday he's not quite as fearless as he used to be and I had to howl.  Yep.  Age will do that to ya.  He said he went with Andrea down a Black Diamond run and HATED it and Andrea's ready for a double Black Diamond today.  When Benji said he "now understands why you (me) like the greens...Nowadays I like to cruise and chill and enjoy the scenery...plus, we (he and Andrea) can chat while we ski", I had a full circle moment.  Cue the Lion King music.

Even funnier is they had dinner last nite with one of Benji camp counselors from his first year at Cheley, when Benji was ten.  Benji FB the guy knowing he lived nearby and found out he was part of the Copper Ski patrol, and had been for fifteen years.  Small world.

Life continues to just be darn good.  Lots of laughs (if you look for them) and fun around every corner.  Gotta run.  More tomorrow.

Those are NOT bracelets

Sometimes things change.  Sometimes some people outgrow a certain regime and take off their handcuffs--the ones they've always hated-- but worn forever because they didn't think they could take them off. Now they know they can and it feels so good and so healthy.

When you take yours off, those who are still in handcuffs don't like it.  They don't like it at all.  They want you to wear yours just like they are.  Because they are in denial, they believe those handcuffs are really bracelets, and want you to put yours right back on right now.  Not only can they not conceive of taking off theirs, but how dare you take off yours. Who do you think you are?  We always wear our bracelets.  Those bracelets represent our rules, our uniformity, and your conformity.  That's what WE DO.  We don't care if you don't like them, or our rules.  That's just too bad.  You don't have a voice here.   And don't go thinking you do.  Who said you you could take them off?

Those handcuffs represent not ever having been permitted to have a self.  Never having a self meant you never grew up into a healthy person emotionally because you never found out who you were.  Ever vigilant, you became a people pleaser and always determined which way the wind was blowing before having an opinion.  A lot like cattle, it was important to follow the herd.  Early on you knew something wasn't right-- but just not exactly what.  Other people told you you were bad or wrong if you didn't follow the herd, or worse yet shamed you for speaking up at all.  That was so they could control you.


You see, you have to wear those handcuffs because if you don't, we can't cope.  Us.  The order givers.  We need you to just do what we tell you to do.  No vote, no choice, just orders issued that had better be followed or else. We can't do our own lives so we need to do everyone else's.  That's how we assure ourselves that we are important and needed, and allows us to avoid looking at ourselves.  The self we don't really have or know.  The one that feels like a fraud and we're afraid you might find out just how crappy we really do feel about ourselves.  The problem?  You already know.


The unspoken message here is don't grow, don't change, keep everything just like it is.  We have to be in control or we don't know how to cope. WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO OUR OWN LIVES.  And you scare us to death because you do.  You really do.

Chicken Little, you already know the sky is NOT falling.  You are simply enjoying the fruits of your hard work to outgrow your handcuffs.  Congratulations.  You have worked your butt off to get there, and good for you.  Now, don't EVER put on ANY handcuffs again, and make sure you don't try to handcuff anybody else. Remember: those are NOT bracelets.

Sitting in the in-between space

                                                        

 

Today I'm thinking about sitting in the space between where you've been and where you are headed.  You can look back and see the PAST way, way back there, vaguely, in the distance.  It's done.  It's over.  You've moved on.  Then I look at NOW and sit quietly watching, listening, pausing.  Many paths are before me.  Many options.  And I can sit in the in-between space and wait.

A path will be revealed to me.  Or, if I wait quietly, I will intuitively know which one is right for me to take.  Sitting patiently is the key.  Listening.  Watching.  Paying attention.

Others have walked my path, ahead of me.  Others will follow behind me.  None of us can know another's path, but we can walk together.....just accompanying each other.  The in-between space is a place for me to stop, rest, refuel, renew.  What's coming will come and when it does, I'll be ready.  I will have listened and will know where I'm going. 

                                                           

Spinach

This morning I knew I wanted to make soup for dinner--just not what kind.  Then I had a teenage flashback to the house my parents used to rent every summer in San Miguel, and the cook's cream of  fill in the blank soups.  I remember the carrot, the spinach, and the broccoli and all of them were out of this world.  Vegetables fresh from the market that morning, probably a pound of butter and cream, fresh herbs, and how can you possibly lose?

So with that in mind, today I made a fresh baby spinach soup.  Luckily I read the reviews where previous people had suggested how to take it from fish tank water bland, to damn good.  Done and done and it's the most beautiful fresh green color ever.  Not that nasty looking dark fatigue green of old frozen Birdseye spinach from your childhood....the kind that gagged you at the dinner table....and made your teeth feel weird afterwards like they'd been coated with something.  They had.  You weren't imagining things.  That was frozen spinach sliminess. 

I still momentarily freak when I see a big mound of cooked spinach out to dinner somewhere and I don't know how they've cooked it.  Did my mom teach you how to cook that because if so, I'm not eating it and if you really want to send me over the edge, mention a sliced hard boiled egg on top of that wad of sea kelp and I'm gone.  I'll be out the door in no time.

My worst nightmare....still.

Sunday

I just spoke with the hunters and they are on the way back with two does (and a nasty boar hog that they better have left right where they shot it, thank you very much.)  They are trying out a new deer processing place so I received a text from the boss man to go online and see what I wanted to order.  Most of it was pretty straightforward but I did need to find out what a Texas Twister was.  The lady I spoke with said they are her husband's favorite but are too hot for her.  She said they are a patty mix of pork, venison, spices, and are bacon wrapped---dangerous words to a Harris---so I passed on the information.
                                                   

My carnitas are doing their thing in my slow cooker so Sis and I are chillin' and reading the paper.  Since I've never made carnitas before, this is another one of my experiments.  Anyone who has been reading this blog for awhile knows about me and my experiments.  I can hear you laughing...don't think I can't... but if I don't try stuff then I never know if it would have worked or not, so sometimes I just have to go ahead and do it--whatever it is.  Curiosity may have killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back.  At least for me anyway.

For any newspaper readers today, I just read another VERY disturbing article about the presiding judge in a lawsuit against my family's company several years ago, that is now awaiting a ruling from the Texas Supreme Court.  Lorrrrrdy....  while this guy is NOT my most favorite person by a l-o-n-g stretch, he has really gotten himself in some serious trouble and while I don't much care what happens to him, I am sending prayers for his mom.  I'm sure she's petrified and worried sick about him, and as a mom, I can sure understand that. 

I haven't updated on mom lately simply because there's just not a lot to tell.  She's sort of hanging in a limbo plateau of Alzheimer's, that for the very life of me, I do not understand.  She can do zippo, nada, nothing for herself and yet when I go visit her, she still knows who I am.  Sometimes she can speak intelligibly--not often--but man, can she laugh.  Admittedly, I do try to tell her fun and funny stories about her great grands, her grands, and even Sis, but I can tell she doesn't laugh much the rest of the time.  I've spied on her.  I know.

How people just hang-- with this disease-- floors me.  My gut says mom isn't going anywhere anytime soon.  Knowing her, she's waiting for the Supreme Court ruling and that makes ME laugh. 

Oh, no you didn't

I think it's time I let Watch ABC know exactly how I feel about them cutting me out of next day viewing.  Prior to January 6th, anybody could watch.  Now you have to put in your cable company and apparently mine has not chosen to dance with them.  Ordinarily this would not be an issue but I intentionally missed Nashville the other nite knowing I could watch it Thursday.  The horror...I may never be quite right after this.  Reading the brief show update is just not the same as seeing it....and, no, I don't have a DVR so there ya go.

 Bite me, Watch ABC. 

                                            

Prince....

This afternoon is a Chai latte kind of day and I think they smell almost as good as they taste.  So, pull up an ottoman and throw a quilt over yourself and let's dish while we sip.

First up, I am thrilled to report that I have purchased myself two additional buckwheat hull filled neck wraps off Etsy.  The one that my friend made me is too deeelish for words so I decided to add to my collection.  I'm sure I could find them somewhere in Dallas but not anywhere I called, so I let my fingers do the walking.  The turquoise one will have lavender essential oil and the pink one will have lemon verbena--both two of my favorite smells--and they will hopefully arrive on Friday.  I plan to nuke and enjoy them all weekend.

The best is to nuke one right before bed and slip it under your covers, down by your feet.  Brush your teeth and then......drum roll....climb in bed.   You will just d-i-e.  Putting your Little Smokies on that warm bucky pillow will just send you off into the ethers. 

Now, as for a dinner menu I am unhappy to report that I am simply bust.  I have stuff to cook...it's just that nothing sounds good to me.  How can that be?  I may have to call an "every man for himself" dinner, and we'll just forage. 

Lastly, I did watch the halftime show of the Super Bowl after all (a repeat of Downton Abbey was still showing) and I absolutely LOVED Bruno Mars!!  The Red Hot Chili Peppers not so much. 
                                                             

 My most favorite of all Super Bowl halftimes was Miami's, seven years ago, and Prince.  OMG.  Prince, those chicks in the black leather trench coats wailing "Let's Go Crazy"..... and honey, I did.   I freaked.  It just does NOT get any cooler than Prince.  Even with a doo rag.                                                

      

Downton or Bruno ? No contest.

I am deeeelighted to report that yesterday's shower mishap is now history and my new rain head and shower sprayer have me thinking I am Oprah Winfrey.  Shooowee.  I could have stayed in there all morning.  My partner and I both got new replacement heads yesterday (independently of each other) and his won.  Same brand-- just fancier than what I got myself.  Can't wait to return mine today.

As a result, he is getting Game Day ribs as a thank you and they are resting in the refrigerator, post rub.  I plan to let them loll around for several hours before I get a crust on them with the grill.  Then comes the easy part.  In they go to a low and slow oven to just while away the afternoon.

On another note, here is a shot of last night's bride, Daley Harris (now Bennett) with her two sisters.  Gorgeous gals, all of them!!!  Congratulations Mrs. Bennett.    

I understand that the half time of the Super Bowl will coincide with Downton Abbey tonight so sorry Bruno Mars.  I have plans.
                                                             

                                   

What sprayer?

Jeepers.  This has been an interesting morning.  I had the bright idea of putting Sis in the shower with me because she needed a bath, and I figured it would be warmer in the shower, than in the kitchen sink.  All started off fine.  I used the sprayer to wet her down and then began to apply the puppy shampoo.  Suddenly the sprayer popped off from the shower head above, made a gushing sound and then d-i-ed, as water shot out from the connection at the top.  I'm talking a geyser here.  Spew city.

Sis and I both jumped a mile and despite my best efforts, I could not save the sprayer and furthermore, I no longer cared.  I had a soapy dog, water spewing everywhere from where the sprayer used to be, and a trickle coming from the actual shower head. 

What to do?  I picked up Sis, held her under the largest part of the spray and rinsed that bad girl off completely and then I flipped her over to rinse her belly.  She looked daggers at me and I swear I heard her cuss under her breath. 

Once done and the hand off complete to her towel covered dad, I looked around my shower floor.  A dead sprayer hose lay on the floor, with dog fur and dirt from her paws.....guess it's just the price you pay for a clean, warm dog.  Maybe next time we'll try this.  Ahhhhh.