First time Dot held her and Boyfriend got to see her.
December 26, 2006 at 1:00 p.m. our lives changed forever!!!! OMG, we were both petrified when we arrived near Baton Rouge, Louisiana (a mere 250 mile drive!) to behold our Bella.
She is so tiny, it is staggering to think of caring for her. When she barks, she sounds like a squeaky toy. She nearly mews. When she bends in her food dish to get a bite, her hind end comes up in the air; she looks like she is performing in a circus doing a handstand! She is very expressive with her paws. Tim was certain last night he had already taught her to shake hands!
We have been watching the Dog Whisperer's DVD so we will know how to properly train her. Sad to see how we have done it all wrong with every dog we had.
She has definitely bonded to both of us. She loves being curled up in our necks. She finds TT's unshaved holiday face very interesting to lick. Her tongue is as smooth as a baby's bottom, so I am sure he feels like sandpaper to her! Fun to hear him giggle!
I made the little papoose today, because I had errands to run and she cannot bear to be in a basket, cage or bag (Dot got me a fancy designer doggie carrier purse for Christmas!). As soon as I pop her in the papoose, she snuggles in and stops squeaking/mewing!
While I was getting my manicure, she curled up in the papoose, stuck her head inside and slept!
Puppy love. . . she definitely has grabbed our heartstrings!
So, did you all have a Merry Christmas? More on that later!
P.S. After having her for a couple of days, I have decided she is too fancy for a simple name, so am calling her by her full given name, Isabella! She likes it better, too!
Traditions can anchor us to the joyful memories of past family gatherings. I shared our tree trimmings. Tomorrow we will all have stockings. Yes, that's right, the four of us adults have to have stockings hung by the armoire with care. . . filled to overflowing! TT and I since becoming Catholic have been going to the 4:00p.m. Mass. Our Bishop is officiates that service and we would not miss being in his nurturing presence.
My Christmas brunch is a tradition. Every year, I may add something new, but there are certain foods that must be on the table.
Tonight, the table is set and much has been prepared for tomorrow's feast. The traditional dishes are:
Holiday Strata- a breakfast casserole of french bread cubes, milk, eggs, cheese, sausage and spices. Baked it becomes a crusty, cheesy delight, the breakfast version of a great macaroni and cheese. I hope my family does not notice the veggie/soy sausage! I am making exception to my vegetarian, no-dairy lifestyle for Christmas Day, but I just cannot eat dead rotting animal. My eldest sister actually introduced our family to the Breakfast Strata. Over the years, we had many happy gatherings at her home. So this anchors me to my childhood.
Cranberry Kuchen with fresh Whipped Cream- An orange flavored single layer "cake" topped with cranberries cooked in sugar and orange juice, then baked. Oh my, it is a tangy, delicious morning sweet.
Texas Caviar- moving to the lunch side of brunch is this great salsa type dip for tortilla chips made of black eyed peas, chopped tomatoes, avocados, green onions, white corn, cilantra, red wine vinegar and more.
Fresh Fruit Tray- lovely assortment of fruits. This year, I am adding Devonshire Cream as a slightly sweet dip. I'll let you know if that makes it to the "Traditions" list or not. Devonshire Cream is something else my eldest sister made for me, served with scones and tea, of course.
Veggie Tray- I may be the only one who eats brocoli, cauliflower, carrots and celery on Christmas Day, but I have to have something out of the garden daily. I am adding red, yellow, orange and green peppers for color and a store-bought (horrors!) Ranch Dip to the platter tomorrow. Maybe the Ranch will help more of the veggies to be eaten.
Mimosas- A client gave me a lovely bottle of champagne and I have freshy, pulpy orange juice or cranberry juice to top off the stemmed glass of sparkly.
Asssorted homebaked cookies, fudges and candies- Ha! This year, they are all from my caring friends/clients. With "The Move Out of Salon", I hardly have had time to sleep, much less bake.
Pumpkin Pie with fresh Whipped Cream- usually a mere leftover from Christmas Eve dinner, this year I baked the pie just for Brunch. I made one for Thanksgiving and Boyfriend loved it. TT has always bragged on my Pumpkin Pie so when Boy loved it, TT and I decided he was a keeper! More later on his other attributes.
Assorted crackers, cheese balls, dips- again a cheese ball and homemade pepper jelly over creamed cheese were gifts.
Hot Coffee with fresh whipped cream- that is a yummy, fun tradition. Feels so luxurious to plop that cream into the steamy cup and watch it slowly melt.
Hot Tea- my sister has been a tea drinker for years. I have just begun to love the ritual of tea. I usually have a pot both morning and evening. Herbal only, as I am caffeine intolerant.
Lemon Water- Nothing can be plain on Christmas morning, not even the water!
The Kids will arrive at 11:00. We will probably take four hours (or more) to leisurely eat, talk, laugh, and open gifts. We open everything ONE AT A TIME! Every gift has a story.
That is another tradition. . .
Merry Christmas to all!
Last night, with the help of TT, Dot, Boyfriend, Assistant and Friend, I am moved out of the old salon. All my "stuff" is at the new salon, waiting for me to organize. I start work again January 2.
The last few weeks were so tough that I felt no sadness moving out. I will miss my close friends a lot. And I will miss the general comraderie I felt with the whole staff. Sadly enough, I am thankful to be away from Owner. He made sure he was as unloveable as possible. Funny, he had said, "You want to leave hating me." I didn't want to.
I still don't. I just feel very, very sorry for him. Always the victim. And always the hero. In his eyes. For the sake of Christian ethic, I won't put into print how he is seen. His hold over his staff is fear. He really showed his colors with my co-worker who got kicked out because after offering him a five-week notice, he demanded she sign a nine-week contract or leave.
That move lost him five weeks of rent and his respect level plummeted into sub-zero.
I don't give up on people very easily. Most of the time, I could see the good in him and even focus on it. I don't believe he premeditatively injures people. He just does. His acid, sarcastic, sexist remarks sting deeply. He laughs and thinks he is so funny. He only amuses himself.
After ten years, I had to admit that he just is not going to change. And the environment was just too toxic. I have to work hard. And I am going to have to work for many years. So why set myself up for unneccessary stress?
Onward to New Salon! New Owner (R from now on!) took all of his staff, including Assistant and me and our spice (plural for spouse??)to a resort. We stayed in elegant condos, had a beautiful "Evening in Tuscany" themed dinner and open bar and brunch the following morning. Our cost? Tipping the valet attendants!!
On top of that, R read the most touching meditation to us from the Old Testament and a devotional about knowing the Blessings that are from God. Dot, Assistant and I were very teary. R knows how to nurture. He understands his power as the owner, that he is like a father and his troups need his affirmations, his blessing, his enthusiasm, his compassion, his leadership.
He still loves doing hair. The salon is a huge part of his life, like it is for the rest of us. He even says, when he has been able to solve a problem for us, "Who's your daddy???" What love.
I know who my Daddy is. He has undergirded me all my life. He led me to Old Salon and blessed my socks off there. And now, He has led me on to New Salon. I feel like my weary and very lonely soul will be healed by being in the company of this caring leadership.
Hope burns very bright in my heart.
I read tomorrow Hebrews 10:5-10. Thanks be to God for all.
I want my mommy and daddy to come pick me up.
I had to take a photo of a photo 'cause I do not know how to transfer a photo from an email to Picaso, but here she is. We pick her up a couple days after Christmas. Hopefully, we will have most the salon work/painting/move complete so I will have a few days with her before I have to return to work.
We are so excited to have a new baby in our family. She is a Teacup Shih Tzu. As of this photo, she is about 7 weeks old. She will weigh 5 pounds at full adult.
We are naming her Isabella Antoinette.
Isabella is Spanish for consecrated to God.
Antoinette is Latin for priceless.
We are calling her "Bella".
Can you believe it? Hehehehe. She is just too cute.
Decorating the tree is always a time of reflection for me. We do not have a "designer" tree! Nearly every ornament has a story.
The angel is from my parent's collection. My favorite Christmas carol was "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" and I loved this little tutu clad angel. (Now my favorite is "O Holy Night".)
My eldest sister gave me the egg manger scene when she was in college and I was a single digit! I loved everything she did for me. Not only did she give me really cool gifts, but she always wrote me letters. Can you imagine how special that made me feel? I am in awe that forty some years later, I still have this fragile treasure.
Someone close to our Dot nicknamed her "Peanut", so when we saw this little guy at a craft show, we added him to her ornament collection. I love that she lets us keep him and his brother. When Dot was taking care of Mother, we all learned that Mother's first husband called her "Peanut", too. That made these little guys even more dear!
When Dot was four, I was trying to tough it out in my miserable first marriage. We were so poor, it was stupid. Of course, he could drink every night. . . Anyway, we made these clothspin soldiers and angels to adorn our straggly tree. Remember, Dot and I both love a craft project, so it was a fun endeavor. I look at them with gratitude for how God has bountifully provided for us compared to those meager days.
The snowman and angel were made by Mother's industrious hands. The craft is called "rug hooking", kind of using fabric to "paint" a picture. Mother loved sewing and handling fabrics (see where Dot and I get it?), so this was a delight for her. She used to love telling me she had become the "Happy Hooker"! It was funny because she was a very moral and proper woman. I don't think I ever heard her say a cuss word.
The skinny Santa and Mrs. Santa were also from my parent's ornaments. I always loved them because both my parents were slender and they acted jovial about Christmas!
The beautiful cross is from my middle sister. She and I share in Catholic faith. As our priest said last week, Christmas is really more about welcoming Him everyday into our lives and rejoicing that one day, He will return. So we celebrate not only His birth, but the joy of His life in and around us.
One of my Dot's many talents is playing the piano. She also is a fabby ballet dancer, ballroom dancer, knits, sews, cooks and gives the best natural manicure in town. I stand at the tree and remember her recitals and the times she would bounce into my room, "Mommy, come here, I want to dance for you." Her beauty would make me cry.
Do you love the fishy hairdresser?!! And next to her, the paintbrush teddy bear? How thankful we have been for the simple service talents God gave us to provide for us and our family. Through our clients, our lives have been full of the kindest, smartest, most helpful people. Hard for Tim to have the door closed to his profession. He was one heck of a painter and hard worker. What he does today, he still does with all his heart. That's just who he is.
When we lived in Michigan (until I was 14), we had a oil furnace with the registers in the floor. Mother would set these angel chimes so that every time the furnace turned on, we would hear the sweet chimes.
Mother loved beautiful china, glassware, table linens. She just did not like to cook!! On some vacation, she found these Christmas dishes. Apparently they were quite costly. Always an at-home mom, she was extremely thrifty and respectful of my father's hard work as an accountant. So, she passed the dishes up. Daddy was forever telling her, "If you like it, just buy it because I don't want to hear you kicking yourself for months because you didn't!!" Like Tim, he was very generous. Seems Daddy bought them on the sly! It was a glorious production bringing these beauties to the table each year.
When the wrapping paper is tossed and the dishes are in the dishwasher, Christmas is about love. The love of the Father for His children and the love of His children for each other. And so, the dressing of our tree anchors my heart to that love.
Merry Christmas, dear blogger friends!
No, I have not dropped off the face of the earth! I am a horrible blogger friend as I have not visited anyone for a month.
What have I been doing?
1) Working a million hours a week. We are so slammed, it is wonderful, but I am tired at night.
2) Getting ready for Christmas, tree, shopping, wrapping, and all.
3) Trying to put together my decor for the new salon room, which I will be there working on January 2!!
4) Making a place and plans for our new puppy who will arrive December 27!!! (More on her later!)
5) Still going to spinal decompression appointments every morning around 7:45. The good news is, it is working!
6) Eating vegetarian and no dairy or eggs. Lost nine pounds in the nine weeks since I stopped smoking and stopped abusing alcohol!!!!
7) Enjoying feeling HAPPY since I listened to Tim and got on this hormone lotion from the health food store!!
8) Thankful for the privaledge to be a reader at our church once a month! I still shake before I go up there!
So, dear friends, I have not forgotten you. I just am a bit out of fuel by the time I get home! I hope you all are happy and healthy!
You just never know what will set me off these days! Got up Friday morning after Thanksgiving and it was a beaut of a day. Clear, blue skies, breezy and balmy. I was planning on knitting and resting. . .
TT likes the house all closed up. I hate it. I love the curtains OPEN and the windows OPEN. Well, when I started slinging curtains and windows, I saw. . . I mean I really saw. . . IT.
Where does dirt come from? I mean, black nasty dirt? I was so shocked to really see how dirty my window treatments were. My white curtains looked like they had gone for a ten mile trek over the Pensacola News Journal. They were disgusting.
Now, in our back room, the Family Room, we only have twenty-two windows and a sliding glass door. Yeah, so with the white shears and the red burlappy over curtains, there is fabric for twenty four windows. (The math is not working because half the windows are in the library wing of the room and they have bamboo blinds that I painted barnyard red!)
Add to that pile of fabric the curtains in TT's den, in the front parlor and my bathroom. . . as you can imagine, I washed all day long.
TT vacuumed. The kind of move-all-the-furniture vacuuming. The water from our Rainbow vacuum looked like a furry mud puddle!
Amazing how good the house feels and how clean the window treatments are. They are nearly sparkling.
The other part of "clean" is sad. I had to give Biscuit back to Daughter. I love that cat and have had the joy of taking care of her for a year. But my lungs/sinuses have been letting me know loud and clear that her dander and hair are toxic to them. After coughing all night since letting her back inside, I had to concede.
I am fifty years old and I cried over losing the daily pleasure of her company. My heart just hurt. TT was so good to her. He would sit with her out on the porch on the nights when the neighbor's (demon) cats came into our yard and attacked her. I mean, he would sit there a couple of HOURS!
So, our house is clean. And frightfully quiet.
P.S. I am already researching teacup dogs that do not shed. I just don't like life without a pet. (And we cannot have an outside cat because of the demon cats across the street.) Any suggestions?
I am making red beans and rice, collard greens and salad for our friends after church today.
Read newspaper. Full of bad news for Florida between insurance and taxes. We all are concerned.
My daughter has a saying that if your troubles can be solved with more money, you don't really have any problems.
Haven't been blogging much. Checked out Dollface, Pup and then 4D's. I haven't stopped crying.
I have only been blogging eleven months. Sometime's 4D's content was over the top for me, but I could never get past his heart. He is a good, good man. Gifted writer and story teller. Simply silly sense of humor that sends me into shoulder shaking giggles!
It wasn't til Jax took over his blog for a bit that the picture came together. This is not a man that hopes his daughter loves and respects him. She carries him in her heart, she adores him. Caz adores him. They all get each other, love each other, fight for each other. It is a beautiful portrait.
Now I have them in my own heart. TT and I sit around and talk (all good!!) about the three of them, laugh over their quips and quotes and quirks. They are our friends. Just haven't gotten to break bread together yet.
How would I be feeling if my baby was facing such a major surgery and if the result of it meant she had to put her passion on the shelf? I am sure 4D would take her place on that surgery table if he could.
Love. As his heart burst with joy and pride in her magnificent victories, it now breaks in agony as she faces this operation.
He does not weep alone.
But I have a place to take my tears. To the throne of grace and mercy. And the Father of all Fathers will be present, He will protect Jax, He will comfort 4D and Caz, He will guide the hands of the surgeons, He will heal and she will rise again.
And our mourning will be turned to rejoicing.
I must be so hormonal. Or have a huge sinus infection.
Have had a dull headache for two weeks. Poor TT. He can't say anything right. Everything gets under my skin.
I have a painful corn 'tween my baby and next toe. Now, before you fall off your chair laughing at me, take a thumbtack and stick it 'tween your toes and walk like that for a month and see if you don't get a bit pissy over it!
TT was supposed to buy me corn removers last week. . . they never made it home. Limp, limp, limp. I am sure that helps my back heal.
My homeowner's insurance went from $800 a year to $4900 a year. No typo. That is nearly five THOUSAND dollars. No, we do not live in a mansion. Honestly, we are in a borderline neighborhood. . . could slide into the dumps or could continue fixing up. Nice our present governor urged us to vote in tomorrow's elections so our next governor would continue preventing insurance fraud. Grrrrrrr, I have HAD it with shrubbery in the capitols.
In shopping for a new insurance company, the first question they ask, "Do you have a swimming pool?"
You know where this is going. I feel like a moron. Invited all of you to our initiating pool party next summer. I don't have egg on my face (now that I am vegan), I have dirt on my face!!! From digging a hole so I can hide my embarrassed self.
This whole money thing is getting me down. I just can't make it fast enough.
So, today, I went shopping! Seriously, I don't know what happened to any tops with sleeves but my closet is full of tank tops. Ah-hem, it is getting cold here! So, I found a few things. TT, my ever present enabler, "Hattigrace, clothing is an investment to you, it is absolutely a tool for your profession."
WHAT did I do to deserve someone so sweet? Of course, he has always been like that, so no small wonder we have no retirement. My part is coming up with the latest HAVE TO to spend money on. Like that horrible above ground swimming pool that TT just hauled out to the road to be picked up by the trash so it would not count against us when the new insurance inspector pays us a visit.
And the thing I am struggling with the most is for ten years I have worked at this salon. For ten years the owner has been an arrogant, sarcastic, money-grubbing short-man's-personality. We have butted heads a million times. So I accept he is who he is and I do not want to be subjected to his ways any longer.
In preparing to move, I pray for the new salon and for the old one. Last week, the owner of the old one went on a retreat with his daughter. He came home changed. Have actually had two conversations with him that he did not utter one sarcastic, caustic, demeaning word.
Now I am leaving. And he begins a beautiful change. The place will never be the same. His effect on those girls lives will be amazing. I wish I could be there to see it. Too bad. I have given my word.
And of course, the move is costing me. Way more than I imagined. The new people are great, don't get me wrong. But see, I have created another HAVE TO cause. Another place to pour out a few thousand dollars.
I did not want to be poor and old. Old is bad enough, but poor, too?
So, phooey. That is just how I feel. Man, I need an endorphin high. And a prayer high. I am just in this miserable faithless low. I will come out. Because the Father's hand will pull me out. At least I am sipping tea and not smoking. Sober. Sometimes it hurts.
I bet you bloggers are lined up for miles to read this encouraging post!
TT and I were supposed to go to a party on Saturday night. We got our favorite punk threads on and we get a knock at the door. Drat, there she was, the old bat. Why does his granny always show up at the wrong time?
To make matters worse, TT drops me and takes HER to the party. My friends called me the next day, said how she was bragging on him being a Gulf Power executive (!!!!) and that he always shows up the "first of the month to CHECK up on me." Yea, right.
What really made me mad is they said they thought I looked a little like her. Good thing we were on the phone. I don't usually get violent, but them's fighting words.
So, what did you all do on Saturday night?!
My daughter says I am a mountain climber, that I am not happy unless I am tackling a huge task. Hmmmmm, is she right?
Let's see.
I am moving my business during the holidays. I haven't moved salons for ten years.
I am in the middle of twenty back decompression therapy treatments. I go at 7:45 a.m. five days a week. (It seems to be working, thank God- literally!)
Five and one half weeks ago, I stopped smoking. I also stopped abusing alcohol. I have a couple a couple times a week, at the very most. I am not coughing as much and my wino tummy is significantly reduced!
I have reconnected with my first love, my Lord and Savior and am learning to live from a loving Christ-centered perspective, instead of wandering around aimlessly and fearfully.
I just found out our homeowner's insurance will increase to $4900 a year. Two years ago, it was $795 a year. I will begin the fight to find a more reasonable rate.
So, doesn't it seem about time for me to take on a new project? Why not go VEGAN right before the holidays?!
Okay, this is what happened. I go into the breakroom and one of my friends is reading the SKINNY BITCH book. She and I share enthusiasm for eating like Peter Rabbit. I read a couple of lines and chortle over the sarcastic humor of the authors and decide some more such amusement would help my stress level.
Oi. I was not prepared. Chapter Four, "The Dead, Rotting, Decomposing Flesh Diet" shook me up. Chapter Six, "You Are What You Eat" knocked the air out of me. And Chapter Nine, "Have No Faith: Governmental Agencies Don't Give a Shit About Your Health" finished me off. (BTW, for those in Europe, you don't have the same issues. You don't have the animal cruelty and pesticide and preservative problems we have in our "progressive" U. S. society!)
So, the cover was simply a front. Using my vanity, the authors hoodwinked me into the true intent of their book, which was to save my life.
"Hey, TT, I am reading this great, funny book. Wanna read it after me?"
"Sure HG. I always love to read what you read."
I love my husband. Next day.
"I stayed up half the night reading. HG, I have to tell you, I cried over Chapter Six, 'You Are What You Eat.' I feel so bad I ever ate one hamburger or one chicken wing. We live in a barbaric country and I have been a part of it."
He has been a beef addict. Any time he came up missing, all I had to do was drive to Wendy's and there he was, salivating over his ninety-nine cent piece of a dead cow.
See why I love him? What a heart. This is as big as me quitting smoking and not getting loopy every night.
So, I went to the health food store today and bought every soy and veggie meat substitute I could find. Y'all please pray for his taste buds. He is really being a great sport.
And we have both been cheese addicts, ice cream nuts, eggies, the whole dairy bit. (Chapter Five, "The Dairy Disaster")
I have eaten vegan before. I got really thin. Not sick looking. Yeah, I was the Bitch, the Skinny Bitch!! It was fun. I could eat mountains of the approved foods and not gain an ounce and felt GREAT!!!
But this was a lot to throw at TT, right before the holidays. Hey, I get tired of climbing mountains alone!
This one is for you 4D!!
We had so much fun doing the whole punk/goth thing. First of all, TT amazed me he would let me cut him in a mohawk!
He said shopping at WalMart was quite the experience with that style. Apparently, men, women and children LOVE the mohawk action!
Dot was a go-go gal. She made her own dress. She has in ingenious design sense, just like my mother.
What made the night so much fun was that TT was a total HIT!! I love costume parties. I only hope the birthday girl ha as much fun as we did!
Saturday night was a wedding. TT and I had so much fun. Here I am, smoke free, only having a drink (or three!) at times of celebration! This was such a special night. The wedding was one of the most touching ceremonies ever. They wrote their vows. I doubt there was one dry eye.
Then, they broke lose at the reception. Major rock, rap, metal music. Lotsa love and laughter as all the stylists partied together.
We spent much of Sunday afternoon talking about how much fun we had. Doesn't he look handsome?
This is the new salon owner. He is the kindest man, next to TT of course. TT is not breathing fire, just the lights/flash issue! Dot was her usual dazzling self.
Okay, I am having a problem. This coming Saturday, TT and I are going to a friend's 30th birthday celebration. It is a ROCKER costume party! Help!! I am not a rocker. I like punk more. I was thinking about doing TT's hair into a fauxhawk and maybe black eyeliner on him, heavy cross necklace, jeans and his Doc Martins and his usual black tshirt with the sleeves rolled up. . . whatcha think?
Me, I have black lace mit/gloves, lots of black chokers/heavy crosses. Black tank, tight ripped jeans, black Doc Martin-like shoes. . . hair spiked on top, close on sides a la Rod Stewart.
I don't want to spend money on costuming. Very tight right now.
Help!!!!
(Photo looks coral, but in real life, it is PINK!!)
Pink has never been my favorite color. It is my daughter's, my assistant's, and Breast Cancer Awareness'!!
So much in this world is pink. Chi Blowdriers and Flat Irons and Wahl Clippers. . . now if Chi would just come out with pink brushes. The red brush next to the pink drier is a bit much.
Pink and brown, pink and grey (our next salon!), pink and black, pink and white. . . all nice soothing combinations. But pink and RED? Where are my sunglasses?!
I wish someone out there would come out with limey green or aqua for the color of their cause. Or what about a lovely copper brown? But somehow, those colors don't have the same punch as PINK!
So, this is one of my cool clients. She has had me cut her hair in every imaginable shape and has sported just about every color, too. I have to say, the above look tops the list.
What sort of pink things have you bought lately? Can't wait to hear from 4D and Pup on this one!!
Front Row: TT and Boyfriend Back Row: Dot, Hattigrace, TT's brother and TT's mom
This is the last photo for TT's birthday post. Our friend M was standing on the counter entertaining us. . . ah, it was one fun night.
TT is the eldest of twelve children. One died shortly after birth. Brother that attended party is 45. So, TT's mom had twelve babies in fifteen years!! And look how great she looks, at 78! She loves God, always has. She laughs a lot, and gives even more. She is forever cooking and taking it to lonely people.
We all thanked her for having TT!!
TT's sixtieth birthday is today. We celebrated yesterday. We have decided, at the prompting of one certain Dot, to adopt a retired greyhound. The day was clear, cool and breezy. We had the top down on the PT Cruiser and drove out to the country to the Greyhound Rescue Center.
After looking at several dogs, we settled on sweet Caleco, who we have already nicknamed Callie. She is two years old, very sweet and shy. I am a bit nervous, but I think it is another one of those faith things. TT will be taking her for her twice daily ten minute walks, so will be good for him and good for her.
We left the Rescue Center and drove by this tiny airfield to see this plane landing.
Long story short (I am sure TT will post the long tale on this one!), TT got a free ride in this 1942 Stearman biplane!!! What a dream come true for him. I said that had to be his birthday gift from God, because I never could have made THAT happen!!! All he could say is "WOW WOW WOW WOW!" He is still smiling!!
He had told me for his birthday he just wanted to go out to eat with me, Dot and Boyfriend. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I did not believe him. D and B offered their house, so we have been lying and scheming for weeks to pull off a surprise!!
Thinking he was going to their house for dinner the night before his birthday, he seemed oblivious to the tension of the night! Boyfriend said, "Hey TT, you gotta come out back and see my new firepit!" At that, about a dozen of our dearest friends shouted out, "SURPRISE!!"
Then, Boyfriend said, "Hey TT, turn around, we have another surprise for you!" And TT turned to see his mom coming down the steps! She lives in Orlando. They are very close. TT's brother flew her in for the party.
So, they hugged and cried. Then, Boyfriend said, "TT, just when you think there couldn't be any more surprises, look again!!!" Then, I cried. TT's brother, the one who's wife died this spring, came down the stairs! I had asked him, but he declined because of work and such. At the last minute, he DROVE all the way from Orlando. What a gift!!
Dot and Bebop (TT's mom) had cooked all day, making lasagna, a fabby salad, pies, cookies and such. It was quite a celebration. We laughed and hugged all night! I am so proud of Dot for pulling off such a wonderful event.
Okay, I had another photo that neither Picasa nor blogslip will post, so I will have to do a PS later!!
At any rate, it was a fabulous celebration, thanks to the love of family and friends.
Happy Sixtieth Birthday, TT!
There is something about pearls. TT and I went to the theatre, and I layered on the pearls. Wore a shirred black v-necked top over a breezy black chiffon skirt and Nine West black kitten heels(big owie on the back!). Dot said, "Mom, you look really nice!" She even sounded a titch green.
I don't like just one plain strand. Makes me feel like Barbara Bush. I never could understand why she did not listen to the stylists and cover that grey and spice it up a bit. You know, back in the day when she looked like the President's mother? Now they match. She most likely was very secure and felt no need for all that vanity.
Call me shallow, but vanity is my life. I work in front of a mirror and am backed by countless trend tutoring publications. Vogue, Lucky, Cosmo, InStyle, W. . . to name a few.
Fashion is so cyclical. Just a few years ago, I was chortling over hang-ons that insisted on wearing a BOB! Now it is the hottest "new" trend going. I have been predicting the return of Caucasion afros! Don't laugh!!!!
But pearls. The timeless feminine statement of elegance and a touch of vulnerability. Why else would Jesus say, ". . . the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it."? (Mt 13)
Fabulous multi-generational connection. We can don our grandmother's strand, our mother's strand, spice it up with today's version, swish into a room and . . .
. . . you finish the sentence!!!
I wasn't going to do it. I was going to keep my mouth shut and not say a word on this blog.
But, I have to share it. This has been the very best week of my life. I started a new blog about various destructive habits I wanted to quit.
All I know is this. God must be very serious about the keeping of His temple, because He has let me know, in no uncertain terms that He is ecstatic about my new choices!!!! I had THE biggest week of my career. Not only was it financially the best, I had so much fun.
I have been stupid happy all week. TT wouldn't know, because I have dropped into bed in exhaustion when I get home! I have also been real quiet about my changes. Like, I did not want to say anything even to him. I needed to heed the Voice I was hearing and obey and not have a big discussion about it.
From the doldrums of my September 11 post to today feels like a journey out of Hell. One of the joys has been helping a friend totally reorganize her home. It would be like if I had moved into my mother's home after she died, but tried to fit my stuff around her stuff. Oi. My friends have been through a heartwrenching couple of years and now she is ready to make all these changes.
She said we looked scarey with bandanas wrapped around our noses to protect us from the dust. Then her daughter found us real dust masks! Breathing got easier. We have laughed until we cry over the "treasures" we found.
I turn into a machine with projects like this.
Trash.
Save.
Trash.
Save.
Now their bedroom is their own. Their office is their own. And today after church, their dining room will be ready.
It IS more blessed to give than to recieve! I gave God my bad habits. I gave my friend my time and organizing energies. . . and I have peace and joy! What an exchange.
I love the economy of the Lord.
I missed something along the way that could have saved me a lot of anguished hand-wringing. I thought I still had a decision to make about whether I was going to move to the new salon.
For weeks, I have been making mental lists of the strengths and weaknesses of both salons. I felt like that song, "torn between two lovers. . ." because I have a heart attachment to both salons. I have a very hard time saying good bye.
I am also, much to my embarrassment, a very fearful person. I am scared to death "something" will happen and I will fail to keep home and hearth together. I am the back-up plan. So my age scares me, the economy scares me, a new place scares me. Good Lord, I sound afraid of my own shadow!
Last night, we had a porch meeting between my daughter and I. She is never confrontive with me. Until now.
"Mom, to R (owner of new salon) and his staff, you have given your word that you want to move. How can you go back on it?"
"Mom, this is a pattern of yours. You go gung-ho into something new, find something wrong with it and back out."
"It took you TEN years to go to London and see your BEST friend. Every year you would say 'this summer we are going' and then you'd back out. Thank God you went when you did because now she has moved back to the States."
"You would not have gone to Costa Rica if I hadn't forced the issue."
It was hard to listen to. But I had to. Her face was flushed with passion. She loves me. It was an honest, courageous moment for her.
"Dot, why do you want me to make the move, outside of keeping my word?"
"Because I want to see you work in a professional, beautiful environment under the leadership of a man who respects you, has compassion for you, listens to you, likes you. I want you to see you can still grow more, get even more busy, and learn more. I want to see you give this wonderful salon atmosphere to your clients, where they are greeted with a beverage choice in a beautiful stemmed glass. I want to see you blossom."
You would have thought I melted on the spot. I am stubborn.
An hour later, our friends F and S were over. We were discussing things spiritual and we read the Sept 14 devotion . "For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life." The meditation was in praise of Father, Son and Holy Spirit for the plan of salvation and the mercy He has to us fallen creatures.
As I read the devotion aloud to TT and our friends, tears jumped into my eyes because what I was seeing is the Father gave His word, oral and in His Son, and to their own hurt, KEPT their word.
At that very point, keeping my word became an issue of FAITH and the fear melted. My stubborn streak is from fear.
At 9:37 p.m. I texted my Dot, "It's all about faith. I will come with you, my dear daughter. I will keep my word without fear, because He has kept His word to me. My future is in His hands."
All night, I dreamt of decorating options and woke ready to order my new chairs and go to the paint store! My peace and joy have returned.
Thank you Dot.
No sooner had I clicked "Publish Post" below did my phone ring and ring and ring. Had some good talks/listens with a couple of very dear friends. Seems I have been sending out a "Do Not Disturb" vibe. Hmmm.
Been going to a devotions website every morning and I feel my spirit growing from the nurture of His Word. From Tuesdays's reading, I realized my need to find an avenue to give of myself, give something back to the community that houses, feeds and clothes us as an expression of gratitude to the One who has given me favor. Once I get through this move quandry, I will find a place to serve, at least once a month.
Began reading "Crossing the Tiber" by Steven Ray which is the story of his journey from the Protestant to the Catholic Church. Absolutely fascinating. Fifteen hundred years of history that gets overlooked . . . And this because a friend of mine is on her own journey to Catholicism. She inspired me to return to my passion to study.
Tomorrow night, TT and I are hosting her and her husband for a casual dinner and deep discussion of faith issues. I can hardly wait!
My back screamed hard today. I now have an appointment October 6 with a neurosurgeon. He has a fabby reputation here. I long to live pain free and be able to resume walking for exercise.
To those who pray for us, please don't stop. I have only crawled out of the pit. Have a long way to go to be strong and faithful. To those who send love and good wishes, keep sending them!
What is wrong with me?
Anxious, agitated, restless, lonely, scared. . . unsettling.
I feel empty spiritually. I wish I got more phone calls from friends (especially now that I have a new Treo 650 Smartphone!) and then I had this disturbing thought.
I used to call on God a lot. I had conversations with Him off and on all day and night. Now, the only time I talk to Him is when I want something or am scared about something. Oh, I still pray for my friends and give thanks for my food.
But I don't commune with Him like a trusted confidante. So, if I don't call Him, why would He motivate others to call me? And what do I have to give? Where has that strong faith gone? It seems to have evaporated like the morning dew under the blaze of the noon sun.
I have this fear of being a judgemental zealot, obnoxious and self-righteous, loathing of sinner's sinfulness. So, I have distanced myself from the Bible, from Christian music, from prayer, really from Him. I am not happy in this state. Empty, shallow with nothing to offer those suffering around me.
I fail at loving TT. I am impatient and selfish, hiding away in my office, over my lappy or my dumb (!!) phone or my organizing projects. How lonely he must be. We used to have these great times of spiritual communion where together we would marvel at the faithfulness and love of God.
We both are shut down, discouraged, disgruntled and self-medicated. Him with food and TV, me with projects and alcohol.
O God, help me return to You, help me find You again, help me love You the tender way I once did. I am so bored with being in my own company.
So, why would anyone else seek me out?
My body arrived back from Costa Rica Monday night, midnight.
The rest of me is just starting to accept being home. I love deeply, get hurt deeply, according to the findings of a "fruity" personality test. (A pineapple fire-monkey. . . now that is a Costa Rica combination!) So, as I fell in love with Paris, I have left part of my heart in Centroamerica. I understand Lofty Perch's yearnings to return.
We stayed in a 7000 square foot, six bedroom/six bath villa in Manuelo Antonio which is in the rainforest mountains right on the Pacific Ocean. Two beautiful worlds collided into one utopia. Our host and hostess are clients of mine, friends of ours and generous beyond words. Their place is staffed with the most fabby chef, Roger, and three of the dearest girls who kept the house spotless and our laundry fresh.
There were a total of eight guests, TT and I, Dot and Boyfriend and two other couples. We gathered around the huge almond wood table three times a day to be nourished by Roger's culinary creativity and joyful conversations.
We all went on a Butterfly tour in a two level, tent shaped screened area, filled with rainforest plants, flowers, a stream, park benches and hundreds of butterflies. If you were wearing a blue shirt, all the blue butterflies would take turns landing on you. It was delightfully magical. Had I been five years old, I know I would have been sure I was a fairy princess! We actually got to see butterflies hatched out of the cocoons.
Dot, Boyfriend and another guest went on the Canopy Tour, flying through the forest on high wires. I was glad I did not know until they were safe at home that they only had one wire. What good is a safety line if everything is attached to one wire?!
Those three also took the coveted Rain Forest Horseback Tour. My heart longed to go. I love horses. I love how they smell, how the straw and hay smells, even how their pooey smells (they only eat grain!!). I anguished and debated. As the tour guide bounced up the mountain road to collect his customers, I sadly waved good-bye and blew Dot a kiss. Good-bye to my dream. Ah, I have a high-heels heart, but an Earth Shoes back. And I have a horseriders heart, but a motor scooter back. I could not risk my future by foolishly ignoring my feeble disc.
So, TT and I and another couple, J and M, went on the Mangrove Tour. It was a boat ride into the canals in the Mangroves. We were visited by monkeys. One even preened into the mirror of my Arbonne tres chic compact (ah, it pays to be vain and carry cosmetics into the wild!) They would jump onto the roof of our boat and play peeky-booh with us! We all laughed like children.
Another phenomenon was the "Jesus Christ" Lizard. Not his technical name of course, but nicknamed because he can walk (really run) on water. TT said, "This has been quite a trip. We have had five encounters with Jesus Christ!" (He did not mean that with disrespect.)
TT was quite the hit. Overcoming his fear of flying has been a wonderful accomplishment. On the last leg of our journey, from San Jose airport to Manuelo Antonio we had to squeeze into this tiny Cessna Caravan with a ten inch aisle. How TT ever made it, or any of the other men, I don't know. The pilot looked back on his can of sardines and said, "We have very bad weather ahead of us, so we are going to TRY to make it through, but we may have to turn around." GREAT!
Back to TT. He is not the type to try to be center stage. But his humor does that for him. One conversation over lunch was about how our host had built a huge facility for battered women. He also taught them Bible studies and helped established job placement help and such.
TT turned to me and said, "Sounds like a Betty Crocker bake off."
"Whaaaaaat?!!!", I hissed in exasperation, as I was actually listening to our host.
"You know, all those battered women!" TT grins.
While we were on the Mangrove Tour, we were going down one canal where the trees sit on root systems that extend out above the water by ten feet. They kind of look like monsters. The monkeys run up and down the exposed roots with amazing speed.
Our new friend J, sitting behind TT in the boat, tapped TT's shoulder.
"Hey, TT, I wonder just where we are?"
"Looks to me like we are in a Root Canal!"
I suppose we all stopped laughing when we were on our way back from the tour and had to cross the "Oh My God" bridge. It is named that because that is what everyone says when they see it and have to cross it. You cannot even imagine how shakey, how many holes. . . and as our guide was quick to point out, it is very high over deep water and very hungry crocodiles! Thankfully, we made it.
A bunch of us went to a Salsa Club one night. TT was sweet to allow me to dance with many Costa Ricans. They all shook his hand, "Gracias Senor." And TT and I danced and Dot and Boyfriend danced with us. It was so much fun!
My eyes miss the lush forest, the brilliant joyful flowers, the dreamy Pacific. My taste buds miss the fresh caught fish, the red beans and rice for breakfast, salads and fruits. (Though, not entirely true as TT has been upping the ante on his cooking and has determined to become a Roger in the kitchen! He has been doing a great job!) My ears miss the sounds of the forest, the birds, the geccos, the rain dancing on the giant forest leaves and splattering into the pool. My body misses the restfulness of a laid back culture, savoring the simple, making the most of each moment. My heart misses daily meals with my whole family and new, but dear friends.
So, I am going to go have a bite of pineapple, and as TT said, sit on our front porch and cry!
My hair had grown out. Time to refresh the cut. Decided to go even shorter.
Whatcha think? I call this my Rocker-Bob!
Today is our 22nd anniversery. Nice if I had a piccy of TT and me together. Will get those in Costa Rica. We leave Wednesday 6:15 a.m. Return Sunday.
I can hardly believe we get to have such an amazing vacation. Sweeter still because Dot and Boyfriend are coming with us. All tickets paid for. I hate debt. Nice to go and have bills paid.
Had the biggest week of my career yet. It feels so fabby to still be growing in my profession at age FIFTY!!!! Wow. And so many of my clients are in college. How cool is that?
I have been a bit out of the loop. Not visiting all of you the way I normally do. Please know I love you all. Just been so busy with all the changes that are to come. Lots of planning. . . my back has been bad with all this stress. Makes me mad I cannot seem to find peace in this change.
In the past ten years, I have been at one salon and lived in four houses. I am not committed fully to the move. Want to know it will really be right for me before I formally announce it. Where I have been has been a very good place. I have loads of friends there.
I may be scarce for a week or so. I love all of you and will be back as a faithful, regular blogger friend, very soon! Wish us Bon Voyage!
Atlanta. Home of the Braves, Buckhead and Best shopping!
TT drove me to Montgomery Friday night. L and I left TT and her husband M to do movies and dining out while we journeyed to Atlanta for shopping and a visit with her (our) friends J and M.
With my back suffering so, we went to the Walking Store in Lennox and found three pairs of Earth shoes with Negative Heel Technology. My back instantly felt so much better.
We were close to exiting when Express called my name. I bought the new skinny jeans in black, brown and deep blue. Skinny cargo pants in black and brown and great tops and a cool jacket.
On to an amazing accessory store for belts and bags and then off to J and M's for dinner. It turned so cool while we were sitting on their deck that we actually needed BLANKETS!!!! Can you believe it?
After a fine lunch Sunday, L and I headed back to Montgomery. Then TT and I pulled into Pcola about 10 Sunday night.
Unpacked, headed to bed and up for a very busy Monday, including cutting two of the youngest stylists hair at the salon. What a compliment!!
Back to the normal grind tomorrow! Hope you all had a fabby weekend!
Usually the thought of lines brings to mind the impatience we feel while being behind scads of people . . .
for a Latte
making a bank deposit or cashing a check
getting our drivers license
trying to mail off our taxes in the afternoon of April 15
buying gas before or after a hurricane
Walmart on a Saturday afternoon
buying tickets for a concert
buying shoes at a Dillards 75% off sale
I try to avoid lines like the plague. Or, I multi-task. I have been known to pull out my knitting at long traffic delays. Phone calls are good. Most likely my favorite is to clean out my purse/wallet, of course if I have a place to dispose of the unmentionable items I usually find at the bottom of my bag. Eeeewwww, and I thought I was a clean person?!
But there is another type of line I find fascinating.
Like have you ever driven through the line between sunny and rainy? Isn't that magical?
I understand somewhere in north Kentucky, there is a line between sweet tea and plain brewed tea. Too far north, you have to add sugar to the icey beverage and just hope enough of it manages to dissolve to satisfy your sweet tooth!
Farther east, there is the line between "you-all" and "yous guys". And "soda" and "pop". Now in the deep, deep south is another line you cross and all sodas are called "coke"!
"Y'aaaalllll, I wanna coke. No, not a Coke coke, I wanna 7-Up coke." And that's the same place that when what you have said is not understood, the standard quiery is, "Dew-waaaaa???" When I first moved to North Carolina from Michigan, I went home from my first day at East Hendersonville High School and asked Mother, "WHAT is a dew-waa?" We had certainly crossed a big line with that move!
What about the line between like and love. . .
hope and discouragement
joy and sorrow
hatred and love
trust and distrust?
Some lines use up a lot of our time as we have to wait to spend our money. Other lines are boundaries between two realities, allowing us new experiences.
Then there are the lines in our hearts. Invisible yet nearly cavernous. To cross bitter waters to living waters can take time. Seems the only vehical that carries me over is mercy/forgiveness.
I'm there!
So, why would anyone reject or do her wrong?
TT and I lived next door to these dear kids when we were at Country Estate. We loved Saturday mornings when we used to awaken to the sound of them riding their bikes in our driveway. We miss them so. What a privaledge to have their company for 23 hours this weekend.
After they played the piano, hauled out all the stuffed animals and toys and books I have in a set of shelves for my future grandbabies, baths and snack, I sang them the lullaby I sang Dot every night. They just melted into the covers.
"Good night, my love, God bless my daughter-love, pleasant dreams of Jesus in your heart. Good night, my love, God bless my daughter-love. . . pleasant dreams. . . of. . . Jesus. . . in. . . your. . . heart. . . Good night!"
Took them to church this morning. They were perfect! Catholic Church is a task for some adults, but they were great with all the standing, sitting, kneeling, singing, giving money, shaking hands during the peace, going to altar during the Eucharist, and listening! Can't wait for grandbabies.
Have always loved the girl-child, but the man-child really captured my heart. He informed me he did NOT like my new haircut, liked it long better! Long hair is a male thing, huh?
We came home after lunch and they brought us rolly-pollies, snails and rusty nails from our yard! They surely simplify the perspective of life.
I should have had more children. So, I wait to be a grammy.
