POP!!!

TT, our two realtors, (J and Dot) and me!!
Pop the cork! We closed on Country Estate. Money is in the bank. My debt is gone.

We have decided to look into putting a POOL into our back yard!

Okay, so when are we gonna have a Bloggers Reunion? You all have lived through my agonies, so can you come and celebrate with us?

fun

Our weekend was FUN!
Sixty people, mostly in one huge cabin.
Men, women, children.
Lots of great food.
Fabulous weather.
Adventures Unlimited, indeed!
A river to canoe, kayak or tube down.
Low ropes games that built relationships and team work.
No outside world contact.
Campfire complete with guitar, singing and s'mores.
Golf cart for impaired folks, like me!
Water guns.
Twister game.
Continental breakfasts on the porch overlooking the river.
Quiet sleepers upstairs, snorers downstairs (I got booted to the lower level - oi, how embarrassing!)
Poker games.
Massage appointments after the strenuous exercise.
French braiding for anyone with enough hair! (I found my place quickly and loved it!)
No petty arguments!
Rest and food for the soul.
We came back smiling and counting the days til next Memorial Day, as this is an annual event that apparently we will be invited to again!

I did not think I was THAT much of a woodsy gal, but found the sweat, sun and worldly solitude more refreshing than I could ever have imagined.

hair

Here it is, my newest cut!! Was feeling kinda drug down with so much hair. It grows like a weed, so by fall, I will have more. Watcha think? Do you love my glasses? Why couldn't I feel they were crooked? See my happy smile? My dot took my photo. She is such a joy. No matter how dreary life is, she always makes me happy.

We are going to Adventures Unlimited for Memorial Day weekend. Dot invited us. She has gone for about five years and why did she include us this year, for the first time? Makes us feel so special. She goes with a lovely, huge family. AU is all about being outdoors, canooing, ropes, all that stuff that is not for my back.

I am taking my knitting, my camera, my TT and gonna rest and chill. You all have a wonderous Memorial Day. Remember to thank God for the courageous men and women who gave their lives so we can have all the freedoms to fail, flounder and flourish without federal flailing. We have so much here. Love you all! :>)

tag?

Back to normal. It is so cool to have Lappy back and be in touch again.

TT and I took daughter to Olive Garden last night. Had a lovely visit. Discussed "TRIP" at great length. No one makes me laugh like Dot does!!

At Dot's suggestion, and with my check card (!!!), we went to store for the new PAMA, the Pomegranate liqueur. It is the drink of the stars as you get all your anti-oxidants with your refreshing beverage! (hic)

So, we journeyed to Boyfriend's house and the four of us toasted and chatted and chuckled for hours.

TT is working on Country Estate. I went to Mass and lunch alone. It is a beautiful, sunny, breezy day.

And then, 4D tags me. Now, I don't really know about this, what I am supposed to do. So, I am filling in the blanks and tagging a couple other people to do the same? Is that it?





I AM: trying to see the bright side of life

I WANT: to be a nicer, gentler, less STRESSED, less high-strung person

I HATE: tools that don't work right and meanspiritedness and outright, on purpose lies

I LOVE: God and the Catholic faith and all the grace of Jesus Christ for loving me in spite of all my failings, my husband, my daughter, my sisters/family, my front porch and all the lovely, crazy gatherings, conversations and parties it has witnessed, having a talent that supports TT and I, TT's warpy sense of humor, being outside

I MISS: my mother and I miss TT being strong

I FEAR: losing my daughter and TT and my mind/health

I HEAR: fibers in my pillow, so I have to sleep with it under top of my head only

I WONDER: how I appear to the people around me

I REGRET: not saving money when I was younger

I AM NOT: very nice sometimes

I DANCE: at church to peppy songs AND after a few reds or vodkas!

I SING: at church(was in choir at one time), in my car and when I am alone

I AM NOT ALWAYS: cheerful, hopeful or helpful

I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: knit, sew, do hair, hold babies, great drinks

I WRITE: to try to be more honest with myself- amazes me anyone cares to read it

I CONFUSE: myself (thanks 4D!)

I NEED: someone to boss me around

I SHOULD:be better to my body and to TT

I START: lots of projects that I don't finish

I FINISH: TT's sentences

Okay, TT, Lofty Perch, Puppy and Buffy, tag, yer it!!

scroll

TT home. Lappy back. Scroll down to May 2 for New Orleans post!! FINALLY.

1000

Talked to TT tonight. There were over one thousand people at sister-in-law's memorial service. She is so loved. Funeral is 10 a.m. tomorrow.

TT is very emotional. As eldest of 12 and uncle to 50+, there are so many that love him and he oft does not feel deserving of their affection. He has never been one to stay in touch, call, write, visit. They hang on his attentions. He marvels, wonders and regrets his lack of communication with them all.

As much as I love time alone, I felt lonely today. The quiet was too quiet.

TT's computer stopped working for a few hours, then magically resurfaced. Thank God!

Daughter gave me a lovely pot of tulips for Mother's Day. She and I attended a pool party with dear friends. It was a restful, fun day.

Lappy still in surgery. Back doing better. Missing "real" writing, that magical moment on the front porch with the spring breeze clearing the cobwebs of business out of my brain.

And I miss TT.

departed

My sister in law died tonight. We are so sad. She was a great woman of faith. She leaves behind four wonderful children and a husband beyond dreams, TT's youngest brother. We have cried bucketloads. She fought on every front - medical, nutritional and spiritual. We grieve.

update

Last night, I decided to brave TT's dinasour and do a heartfelt post. Got it nearly done and the ^$#*&^#%^ computer locked up and shut down. Got madder than %$#(*&&^%&*$##%^&^ and poured a little vodka and kept company with TT and Biscuit. The nerve of that quirky computer to lose my post!

Lappy came back Monday night. I just got New Orleans photos downloaded and she went into spasms. Had to send her back to surgery.

I pray it is not another three weeks to get her back. The good news is Best Buy has not charged me a dime. But I miss being out there with you all.

I am a natural born historian. With blogging I see life so differently. I find new value, humor, insight in the daily dailies, thinking about them as a possible post. So without Lappy, I feel very handicapped.

Good news is my back is SO much better. I visit the chiropractor three times a week, his massage therapist twice. The hot water bottle and icepack have become my best bed-pals (after TT, of course!). I feel hope that I will not be a cripple.

And I haven't said anything, but we are four weeks into a contract on Country Estate, to close near the end of May. What a relief to have her nearly sold.

I have a new haircut. Will show you that after N.O. post. Not drastic, just a fresher version!

I miss you all!

fit

I am having a little temper tantrum.

I do not have my lappy and thus cannot post photos. In spite of 4D's admonition to be patient with TT's miserably quirky computer, I find I am not able to get past it to feel the least bit creative.

Hence, I will not be posting about the TRIP until after May 22 when my beloved lappy comes home. We got great photos of the excursion, so I do not want to do a post without them.

I am very grouchy about not being able to sit on my porch with a glass of red and the spring breeze to post and visit all my dear blogger friends! While I knew that was a lovely part of my life, I did not realize until now what a lifeline it is.

I hope you don't forget me while I am pouting and panting for my lappy!

trip

It was a trip. In all senses of the word. Gather eight women from age 27 to 65 in one vehical, in one condo, with one key. . .

Those were the only "ones". With eight women were countless unspoken expectations, hopes, weaknesses, appetites, interests, tolerances and energy levels.

We had never braved this together before. Our friendships were from ten years to nine months. The limo ride to was a blast. We were like school children, preparing for a field trip. It was a stretch Navigator, so we had lots of room, lots of mimosas and bloody marys, music and laughs.


















As we neared New Orleans, my daughter's tears mirrored my own as we faced the beginning of the Hurricane Katrina devastation. Miles of houses and apartment buildings that crumbled under Katrina's bullying power.

Our leader who is from the Big Easy gave us the verbage of the before and after, mile upon mile. How heartwrenching it must be for her to see her birthplace ravaged, maybe beyond repair.

Our accomodations were as grand as our transportation. We were high above the city and oh, so comfy.


We went to Jazz Fest Friday afternoon. My back/leg was screaming in pain, so I had to be in a wheelchair. I cannot tell you what it did to my soul to burden my friends with pushing me around. It was frightening to be so helpless. I sat in the Gospel Tent and cried as I listened to songs of hope, praying for a miracle.

We dined that night at a lovely place dear to S's heart.

Sleep came easy. I was exhausted.

Saturday morning, I awoke to squeals and giggles. M was showing her favorite new lingerie, Hanky Panky to all the women. She is so with it, so trendy. I know her husband must say prayers of thanks every night for being married to such a loving, contempory gal.

S and her local friend (who graciously allowed us to stay in her castle, I mean condo) went on to Jazz Fest. The rest decided to shop on Magazine Street. Walking was such a challange to me. My daughter and I split off, went at my snail's pace, into Funky Monkey (where she found a groovy skirt for $5!), Shoe Nami and many other cool boutiques.

We had a lovely lunch outside. The wind was blowing, so soon we had gritty faces, and who knows what landed in our food!

At lunch, J and S textmessaged us from the Fest and we decided to catch a cab! We arrived in time to get in place for David Matthews band!!! My tender daughter wheeled me through the dirt forever to get us there. She is not the workhorse type, so it was a love labor, believe me.



J and B joined us and we had beer, cuban sandwiches and a long drink of fabulous music. S and L were able to find us. Long story short, after dinners and drama and driving, we all landed in our beds for a good night's sleep.

Sunday, we headed to the Quarter, S and I attended the last half of Mass at the Cathedral, joined the others at Cafe Du Monde, then began shopping. Of course, my body objected, so I spent an hour or two at MarketPlaceCafe, listening to jazz with a glass of red and an icepack on L5.

Lunch there and then a long trip through the Ninth Ward and much more, surveying what seemed like endless destruction. Much of New Orleans is a ghost town. What withstood the storm flourishes. The signs in many of the damaged areas that said, "we are coming back" were stirring glimpses at the courage and resiliency of a unique people group.

I learned a lot. I learned what TT must feel like in his weakened state from all his health devastions. I learned that while Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis were a hard blow to our city, that they were but a mosquito bite compared to the rage of Katrina. I learned what I am thinking in my head and feeling in my heart does not always get rightly communicated through my mouth or actions, and if that is the case with me, most likely it is the case with all humans.

We traveled to a storm site, had our own storms, and like the storm cycle, had sunshine and clear skies before and hopefully they will return after.