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Thursday
May062010

Transferring their spirit to our space

Sitting outside at the end of the day soaking up some D with my good friend, Buddy. Rocking in what obviously needs some sanding.

 

 

Bud is wondering what we are doing here.  After all, we picked and ate peas/isn't it time for dinner?

I'm sipping some wine.  He's sitting on wood chips, sniffing the air/I wonder what's on his radar.  As part Chihuahua, he's a Sun Seeker/pretty happy soaking up the end-of-the-day rays.

Here hoping to channel Aunt Lil and Uncle Mont.  Impossible to duplicate the acres and acres they were so dedicated to tend. 

Still, wondering what they would do with this substantially smaller space. 

Intensive flowers and vegetables, espaliered fruit trees on the fence? 

Some berries for sure.

Love.  Laughter.  Games. 

Bringing bocce ball into the mix. 

A long table to share food with friends. 

All in a space originally dedicated to hardscape.

Now Come to Life as a beautiful place to be by myself, with family and friends and, of course, the dogs. 

How great is that?  Hard to describe.

Wednesday
May052010

Student ready/teacher appears

I've had the book on my counter for months.  Today One More Person reminded me that I need to actually open it.  And I need to tell you about it, too.  

The book is Anticancer, A New Way of Life.  Kind of a bummer title, which is why I haven't opened it.  I'm much, much more informed now.

Follow the link to Amazon (above) where you'll find a short video by the author, David Servan-Schreiber, a scientist and doctor who was diagnosed with, and has beaten, brain cancer.  

Many thanks, Janet, for the reminder that ultimately helped me to dust off the book and begin reading it tonight. 

It appears to be a terrific resource for friends who are dealing with cancer as well as those of us who would like to steer clear of this disease. 

From Booklist

*Starred Review* If anyone has the cred, professional and street, to discuss cancer prevention and survival, it is Servan-Schreiber, clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, cofounder of Doctors Without Borders, and 15-year brain cancer survivor. That he chooses to talk about, even promote, certain environmental, dietary, and emotional adjustments one can make in one’s life that can mitigate suspected carcinogenic influences makes this a slightly controversial book. Typical of his demeanor, though, as researcher-teacher rather than practitioner, he addresses the controversy head-on, cautioning his critics to note that he does not promote these life adjustments in lieu of conventional medical interventions such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. He promotes them in addition to, as a support for, traditional treatments. He calls them anticancer practices. Stay away from white sugar and flour. Eat more cruciferous vegetables and dark-colored fruits. Get regular exercise, and take up yoga or some other form of meditation. These practices made for him a new way of life that he claims helped him beat cancer twice and, he believes, once and for all. This has been a best-seller in France and may well become a valuable resource about personal wars waged on cancer in this country, as well. --Donna Chavez

Also worth considering Health Journeys: For People with Cancer.  I sent this CD to my friend, Kathi, who has been listening to this each night before bed.  She, too, is fighting and succeeding. 

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586211161?ie=UTF8&tag=freshperspective&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1586211161">Health Journeys: For People with Cancer</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=freshperspective&l=as2&o=1&a=1586211161" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />
Tuesday
May042010

Lights, camera...I'm ready!

OMGosh, I couldn't help but order a copy of their book/link below.  Pretty impressive:  two terrific, talented women who not only know what they're doing but create incredibly artistic pictures for parents/grandparents and those of us who are waiting in the wings.

Sleeping Beauties: Newborns in Dreamland

 

Monday
May032010

To, for and from Kathi

Among other things, the beauty of a blog is that it has the potential to bring together kindred spirits as a community.  Connecting people who are willing to take time to think about, pray for and/or do whatever they can for others who happen to be experiencing what any of us could be addressing ourselves.  That’s where my friend, Kathi, comes in.  Kathi is dealing with ovarian and liver cancer.

Suzette spreads flower petals on the water/wherever she is/each day for Kathi.  Trish, knowing the impact cancer has, called to see if she could be helpful in any way.  Susan, who met Kathi once, made a prayer bracelet for her, cares deeply about her wellbeing.  There have been many calls related to connecting Kathi with the best that Stanford offers.  And there are many, many, many others who've shown their support.  Most have never met Kathi.  But care.  And want to share.  Thank you, all/this has meant so much to K and her family.

Here’s what’s been happening:

From K:  "I am feeling very well.  I hope that means that the chemo, the special tea, the distance healer, the Bella Ruth tapes and all the prayers and well wishes from friends are helping this to go into remission and fight those nasty cells and get them OUT of my body." 

"Thursday is my third chemo and I will meet with my doctor.  I don’t know how much he will be able to tell me but I will pass on what I hear.  Actually I am feeling pretty normal and I hope that is a good sign!"

"I do not love having to wear a wig.  It really took a lot of getting used to/thicker than my very fine hair but I am adjusting and I think once people get used to seeing me in it, it will be a shock when my real hair comes back.  May have to go to extensions!"

And finally, "Got a call this morning.  The latest CA 125 yesterday was 160/down from 2000 and 1000 10 days ago--great news!"

The BEST news!   Carry on, wonderful friend.  Know that you're supported by so many with very much care, concern and love. 

Please continue to pray for, think about and send healing thoughts to Kathi.  I know, without a doubt, that this has tremendous impact.  Thank you, everyone.

Sunday
May022010

Growing up green

Camera is MIA.  So until I borrow another, blogs will be a bit out of sync.  I'll catch up with the continuation of last Friday's work once I have a way to take progress pictures.

I've been thinking a lot about Gardens recently, particularly now that ours is making its way to Full Production Mode.  Radishes/check.  Lettuces of all varieties/yep.  Arugula/there, too.  Mustard Greens/love 'em.  Edible Flowers for salads/such a happy addition.  Swiss chard, a rainbow of colors/sautéed with garlic, simply the best.  Snap/sugar peas/excellent.  Once introduced, the dogs love them, too/how to defend against their foraging?  We have plenty to share. Could life be better?  I don't think so.

This was my very first garden.  Park Forest, Illinois.  Townhouses under construction.  Obviously not much of an inspiration on the green side of life.  I'm sure it got better as life progressed but I have no recollection of anything flowering in this, my first, home.

Fortunately, each summer we all piled into our station wagon and camped our way across the country to Bedford, NY, where my parents had grown up and where, thankfully, my Aunt Lil and Uncle Mont still lived.  

They were caretakers on one of the large estates/just blocks away from where Martha now lives.  My Uncle Mont worked in the garden, fields and forest.  My Aunt Lil spent time in "the Big House" arranging flowers and tidying up things.  And quite possibly making meals since she was quite a terrific cook.

Their/My Childhood Garden/had fields of daffodils planted under flowering fruit trees.  

Here is a picture of the Whitman's house, aka "the Big House." It may bear a certain resemblance to another home you know.

There were wonderful walled rose gardens with lovely fountains.

 

  

  

Cutting gardens for the main house and a greenhouse filled with exotic plants and flowers I hadn't see in Illinois.  Both my aunt and uncle were seed savers so much of what was sewn in the garden was germinated by the two.  As I look at these photos today, I am awestruck by the sheer size and scope of the work. Unbelievable, really. 

 

My uncle always warned against wandering too far from home because "there were Rackabeebobs in those hills."  I simply could not imagine how horrible a Rackabeebob experience would be/I stayed clear of the woods.

 

 

 

 

 

 

     

In addition to tending all the gardens, mowing meadows, taking care of miscellaneous animals and much, much more yet to be documented, Uncle Mont was also the family chauffer. 

Going to stay with Lil and Mont in their tiny gardener's cottage was nothing short of magical.  Snuggled in a window-seat-sized bed with pine scented pillows from Maine, listening to the night/country sounds. I could hardly wait for morning to arrive so that we could start our day.  A day that predictably ended with The Best fresh-from-the-garden fruits and vegetables, much music, games we could all play, dancing and lots of laughter.  Always, much laughter. 

Lillian and Mont Collins never had children of their own.  I was always pretty sure that I belonged with them.  So it was with great joy that, each summer for many, many years, I was able to go home to Bedford.

They, more than anyone else, helped me define what I wanted for my own children and for our grandchildren.

So here's to you, darling Aunt Lil and Uncle Mont! Your lives continue to impact others in ways even you, amazing duo that you were, couldn't begin to imagine.

Saturday
May012010

back on Monday

Thursday
Apr292010

Helping your garden grow. Almost anywhere.

OK, so you're a gardener or thinking about becoming one.  Now that the weather is finally warming up, you can't wait to get out into your garden.  Except that you may or may not actually have ground to cultivate.  And/or very little sun.  Not a problem.  There are ways around this seemingly insurmountable challenge.  Are these beans great or what?  Martin and Melanie's crop/see below. 

Years ago, my gardening instructor recommended growing tomatoes in gutters. As in the ones attached to your roof.  Since we don't get much rain during the summer months in California, this seemed like a plausible, if not Totally Entertaining, idea.  Dangling tomatoes. So easy to harvest.  Absolutely no doubt about when to clean the gutters before winter rains arrived.  I liked parts of this idea a lot.  Not surprisingly, Dave wasn’t keen on the concept at all.  I love that about him.

You can imagine my delight in discovering that our NYC friends, Martin and Melanie, had come close to my original vision: Creating a roof top garden just outside their second-floor studio.  The first two pictures were taken during winter/not exactly the height of production.  Still, I think it demonstrates just how resourceful one can be with little or no obvious ground to cultivate.

  

Here's how successful Gardening in Small Soil Spaces worked for M and M the following summer:

 

 

 

 

Very well!  Yummmmm/Great cook that you are, I can only imagine what you whipped up for dinner that night.  Do you share recipes?  Good.

Monday I want to tell you about taking your garden for a walk.  If you have kids/grandchildren/any child at heart in your life, I promise that you're going to enjoy this novel FP concept. 

So, get out there/go shopping for seeds and seedlings to plant in the ground, in pots, in window boxes or in Monday's ingenious idea. 

 

Wednesday
Apr282010

Live, learn, love, laugh

Even if you have already seen this short National Geographic video, who among us couldn't or wouldn't  benefit from enjoying these remarkable images again?  And again.  This is one of my all-time favorites.  Volume on.

If we get to come back as an animal, I think I want to be that goofy/grinning/amazingly adorable orangutan.  What about you?

Thanks so much, Mimi, for sharing this with me/perfect timing. 

Tuesday
Apr272010

Open WIDE

I learned the hard way.  “We’ll just remove a small filet from the roof of your mouth and suture it in place,” the periodontist cheerfully announced.  It sounded so easy. 

So straightforward.  So painless.  “Besides, you’ll be asleep.  You won’t feel a thing.”  Even better!  Wow, this was going to be a walk in the park.  It was. 

UNTIL I WOKE UP!  YIKES.  Not doing that again.  

I had obviously been far too casual about flossing.  Not any more.  I learned that two Small Additions could make a Big Difference in my daily routine AND, more importantly, I would earn Two Thumbs Up from both my hygienist and my dentist.  

One of my favorite tools, in addition to the Sonicare/or whatever electric toothbrush your dentist recommends/is the Oral-B Humming Bird Power Flosser, a small battery-operated device that vibrates as you move around your mouth between teeth.  It makes a tedious task much, much more palatable.  And easy.  It’s effortless to reach behind molars.  I now look forward to flossing, which says a lot about my life.

The other handy tool: a rubber tipped Gum Stimulator.  I carry one in my car to “trace around teeth” at traffic lights.  Verrrrry attractive.  But it seems to do a fine job stimulating my gums and keeping recession at bay.

Other online endorsements:

“The Hummingbird saves your fingers from strangulation, and the vibration makes the floss slip right through even the tightest spaces.”

“As a kid I would never floss because of the difficulty flossing presented, but if I had one of the Hummingbird flossers, I would have done it on a daily basis. Great product/too bad you can only buy it online now.”

“I have tight contacts and most floss gets stuck and shreds between my teeth.  The Hummingbird is the only flosser that gets between my teeth and doesn't come apart. I can't find the replacement heads or the flosser in the stores anymore, just those useless disposable ones. The Hummingbird is worth it even though I have to buy the replacement heads online now.”

For a relatively small investment, you, too, may be able to postpone or even eliminate the need to experience some mighty fine slicing and suturing.  I’m getting so excited that I think I’ll floss right now.

Monday
Apr262010

A holiday worth celebrating

As my darling hair colorist-friend noted, "Every day is Halloween."  For her.  And, as it turns out, for me as well.  She had on a "hint of sailor."  And I, a quasi-crazy mix of "scarf-as-skirt" with non-matching accessories.

"You look like you had fun getting dressed today!"  Yep.  With few exceptions, I have been wearing the same thing for the past six months.  This makes life exceptionally easy.   

"I like your, ah, look/style/outfit.  What do you call it?" someone inquired recently.  "I'm going with Ethnic Mix and Match."  Toss in a pair of leggings and a leotard, tee shirt, tank top or tunic and you're good to go.  Couldn't be easier.

For some, this would feel as ridiculous as Pearls and Polo would  for me/which I happen to love.  On other people.  

"The best part about ethnicity," noted my friend, Karen, "is that the look lies outside of the world of fashion/What's In or Out." 

It simply Is. There's no, IT'S SOOOOO YESTERDAY.  It never HAD its day.  And it's fun.  Moreover, Who Really Cares?  And should that matter to you?  I don't think so.  

My friend, Susan, recently remarked, "You came in an original.  Why go out a copy?"  I could not agree more.

And, Halloween is, after all, my favorite holiday.  You'll see if you stay in touch long enough.  

Sunday
Apr252010

Packed with possibilities

Do you like lugging laundry detergent home from the market?   What if a few of the products that you routinely purchase could be delivered directly to your doorstep on a regular basis?  A schedule defined by you.  What if, in addition to that, you received 15% off the everyday price?  And there was no charge for shipping.  Sounds too good to be true?   That's what I thought, too.  It took me some time and a certain amount of frustration to lock in links so that I could consistently access this opportunity.  When I did, I wanted to share this potentially valuable resource with you.

When ordering through Amazon’s Subscribe & Save, you automatically receive a new shipment of an item in intervals you select at a discount on their everyday price. They charge your credit card for each order only when the item is shipped, and you may cancel at any time.

Subscription orders are available in one-, two-, three-, and six-month intervals. You simply select the frequency with which you want to receive new orders, and they’ll send out the shipments automatically. You can change your subscription schedule online at any time.

Before they ship the next order, they’ll send you an e-mail letting you know that the process has begun, giving you time to make updates to your subscription as necessary.  There are no commitments. Cancel your subscription anytime, online, 24 hours a day. Use the "Manage Your Subscribe & Save Items" page, which can be found in Your Account.

Pretty good deal, don't you think?  I routinely print piles of pictures and was constantly running out of ink cartridges.  Not anymore.  It took a little fiddling to figure out a delivery frequency that fit my particular needs but that's easy enough to determine and to modify.

Their motto:  "Why keep running out?" is a good/green one.  Check it out: Subscribe & Save

Friday
Apr232010

Back to blogging Monday

Friday
Apr232010

Buddy doesn't either

6 PM PST:  “I feel a blog coming on.  I need to find my notebook.”  I began writing as I was trying to shower/get dressed/set the table/toss a salad/begin enjoying the evening with friends. 

Here’s what came to me/this is sort of tough to say but here goes:  I do not wear deodorant.  Well, not the brands/bottles you ordinarily find in the drug store or supermarket.  Something else.  Something I, along with many others, think is superior. 

Here’s why/no ordinary deodorant:  I’m a little/no, VERY sketched out about putting chemicals on my underarms.  Chemicals that block pores and are readily absorbed into my body.  Think about it.  I tried the early deodorant alternatives, crystal rocks, etc. which were somewhat scratchy and it turns out, as I recall, full of aluminum/not good.  Tom's had a tendency to cause underarm irritation.

Thanks to a friend's recommendation, I've switched.  Le Stick Deodorant - Unscented, 3 oz ( Multi-Pack) gets my vote.  From the manufacturer:  "Nature de France deodorants contain white, rose or green French clay, which has a unique ability to absorb odor and to gently protect the skin without any irritants or aluminum."  Until I find out that clay is problematic, I'm staying with Le Stick/available at many, but not all, health food stores.

It works perfectly well on an everyday basis, assuming you're not running marathons.  For special occasions that demand more, I might use something stronger.  Everyone’s different/some may require more product than others.  Educate yourself/do some research online before buying your next bottle.

And, if you’ve noticed that I’m, in fact, clearing rooms, could you let me know?  Thanks so much. 

Wednesday
Apr212010

Snore-Free Sleeping

Today’s exploration focuses on finding the perfect gift for the person who snores.

My mom sewed empty spools to the back of her pajamas as a not-so-gentle reminder to shift off her back to one side or the other.   

I’m not certain how her PJs made it through the laundry but she seemed to think that this strategy was extraordinarily helpful when she shared space on her various elder travel experiences.  I’m also not so sure how much sleep she actually got but her roommates were, I’m confident, pretty appreciative.  Once they stopped laughing.  Leaving thread on the spool could be an interesting/colorful addition. And you'd be set for whatever sewing emergencies surfaced.

As I sifted through various articles, I found several products that promised to stop/slow snoring and/or improve sleep.

Some were downright scary.  Others, strangely bizarre.  None looked like anything anyone I know would ever use. 

But a device that looked like a “watch” could be just the sleep accessory a guy might think was pretty cool.  It's taken me decades to locate the updated version of a device that Someone In Our Family used years ago with, I think, great success.  Until that device shorted out and gave a few less-than-friendly, larger-than-life shocks. From my vantage point/very sleep-deprived person/it was a pretty entertaining evening. We still laugh a lot about that incident.  I'm laughing right now just thinking about it.

Having been through sleep studies, several friends report great success using the ResMed machine.  You or someone you know might find this informative video helpful in understanding the disorder and the possible solutions:  Understand Sleep-Disordered Breathing. It could provide the necessary encouragement your favorite person needs to see a doctor, visit a clinic or simply strap on the ResMed breathing device that's already sitting on the night stand.

To those who’ve never lost sleep due to a snoring spouse, this device will sound a little sick and twisted.  The rest of you will love the link.  And the results.   Take a look at this device which appears to be an upgrade of the model Someone I Know used so successfully years ago.  I just ordered the new version/I’ll give you an update in a few weeks. 

Tuesday
Apr202010

One stop shopping

Cut.  Color.  Tattoo. 

Where else but Shypulski in downtown Menlo Park, CA., does one find this kind of creative combination? 

What would definitely be a painful and permanent procedure was applied in a matter of moments/by Bob.  And disappeared days later with a little rubbing alcohol.  In the interim, it was great fun.  Bob has my vote for Full Service Salon as well as the award for All-Round Great Guy.

I looked on Amazon.  Is there anything that they don't carry?  Apparently not. Mine, from Mandala Tattoos, is just one of many colorful temporary additions they offer.  The Henna selection looks pretty interesting, as well.

Mother's Day is just around the corner.

Monday
Apr192010

Birds of a feather

We are a family of bird lovers.  We've raised many varieties in small indoor aviaries.  Until recently.  When our cute little zebra finches went into an all out mating frenzy.  The result was not pretty.  

 

 

 

 

Note the white sediment at the edge of the adorable little nesting basket.  Guano.  The more birds you have, the more of this stuff accumulates. 

 

After the baby making frenzy, we had a lot of what is known to cover entire islands in the Pacific.  We began to wonder if this, too, could happen to us.  It's great for the garden but not for interior spaces.

 

So, other than Oscar, our lisping parrot, who will undoubtedly outlive us/sorry kids, we are feeling mighty fine about enjoying finches in the Great Outdoors.  What WAS I thinking?  The benefits of attracting feathered friends to your garden far outweighs the up-close-and-personal pleasure of having them as pets inside your home.  Trust me.  I know and appreciate the difference.

Fly free from dawn to dusk, wonderfully colorful, fun feathered friends.

Sunday
Apr182010

Who wants to be dead?

 Not me.  And I don't want any of my friends and/or family members to Meet Their Maker or Turn to Dust.  Or Whatever Happens Next.  Dave thinks that we have to make room for the next generation.  I'm thinking that I don't take up that much space.  I'm sticking around.

After she died, I took my mother's ashes back to Bedford in a box with her picture on it/my boys didn't like the fact that I had The Box, aka My Mom, sitting at the table with us for dinner one night before the trip.  A final farewell of sorts.  I was not about to risk sending Gwenn through the mail, so I stowed her in the overhead storage compartment on the airplane. And we were off for one last trip together.

That's my mom, Gwenn, on the far right.  Dad, on the far left.  I'm the one with the spiffy pink slippers.  The rest, neighbors/a really fun-loving lot.  Not. 

It was a bit of a surprise/to say the least/when, upon arriving at the cemetery, I opened the box and found that Gwenn was not in the state I was anticipating.  Excuse me, who tells you these things?  I was thinking ashes such as those regularly removed from fireplaces.  My mom was bits of bone.  Relatively large pieces when you're thinking "ashes to ashes/dust to dust."  She wanted us "to spread her ashes/not her bones/over my father's grave/if that really was my dad under there/that's definitely another day’s writing.  It was Not Pleasant having to scuff her into the ground.  Did she really imagine all the Stomping/Stamping/Trudging About that would be required to carry out her wish?  I think not.  Then again, she did have a good sense of humor.  She was the one who showed up at my school one day with a goat in the car as though he was a regular carpool member.

So here’s what I’ve recently learned.  I ABSOLUTELY KNOW that there's life after death.  Not necessarily the winged version that I saw illustrated in the books my parents read to me.  Something else. Something bigger.  Something better.  How do I know this to be true?  George.  He is definitely here.  And he died approximately eight years ago.  He was, among many other wonderful things, an electrician.  And he continues to turn on and off lights when his wife/my friend, Betty, is with me.  Most recently when we were in Hawaii together.

The lights were operating on their usual fixed evening electronic schedule the nights before Betty arrived and then once here, they continued to turn off in rooms where she or we were talking or working.  There was absolutely no consistency/no pattern. 

After she left for home, the lights went back to their normal, programmed settings.  It was remarkable.  And wonderful.  And so fitting for George who, incidentally, fixed Kathi’s dining room lighting.  More complicated than anticipated, George said that the job would require additional time.  He promised to return later.  And he did.  After he died.  The journey continues.  But not in the way any of us imagined it. 

I have days of stories to share about George and Betty.  Better, I think, that you hear directly from Betty: Traveling With George: An Out-of-This-World Experience.  It's a recounting of the days after George passed/a remarkable story about two kindred spirits.  One here.  One there. 

Oh, one last thing.  While Betty was in Hawaii a few weeks ago with several friends and me, we ate lunch at a local restaurant where guests set out little leftover jam containers for the geckos. 

Once home, we took a closer look at my photos.  There was a "G" on all my images.  Now even I had trouble with this, so Dave and I subsequently went back to the restaurant to check it out.  Nope, no etched/imprinted "G's" nor any logical reflective possibilities.  Gotta love that guy, George, who joked about wanting to be buried in a volcano.

Here’s to you, George.  Thanks for staying in touch and for reminding us that life does, in fact, go on.  And that we are far more than a box of bones.

                         

Friday
Apr162010

Celebrate, take a siesta or simply be

Have a wonderful, fun-/friend- and/or family-filled weekend.  Or simply a quiet few days by yourself. Whatever is necessary for restoration/rejuvenation. 

Take good care of yourself.

I'll see you again on Monday.

Thursday
Apr152010

Cruising around Croatia

With a smattering of Venice.  Obviously I didn’t have my camera set correctly/date-wise/as we definitely did not leap back and forth between the two locations.  But because I wanted to get this to press before tomorrow, I’m calling it done for the day. 

For those who’ve been to this part of the world, I hope that you enjoy the "return voyage" as much I did sorting through images to share.  If you haven’t been to either of these spots, summer’s just around the corner/exactly when we visited several years ago.  

Among other things, we found . . . incredible food, delightful little and longer walks, mouthwateringly fresh fish dishes, markets of all kinds, lovely churches, fannnnnntastic pizza, handmade papers to bring home to friends, fun window shopping at night, stacked salads!, many layers of paint worn by sun and salt air adjacent to vivid/freshly-painted doors, balconies burgeoning with flowers and plants, remarkable sculptures/carvings, far too much food/I’m getting REALLY hungry/fresh flowers lit by a full moon and those little battery-operated light cubes, funny looking bathing suits, a magical Croatian concert, many, many dogs/when I was missing mine, a scrumptious assortment of ice creams, delicate/hand-blown beads, stones worn by years of travel, cleverly designed curtains to keep out flies…  I hate to end on that note.  Particularly because, ravenous as I was after looking through the pictures, Dave prepared the Most Wonderful, Healthy/lots of fiber/FRESH/FANTASTIC dinner.  But that’s another blog.  Maybe Monday.

Oh, I brought a glue gun along/go figure/just in case I wanted to glue something to something else...which I did.  Yes, that's my lunch glued to a frame. 



Wednesday
Apr142010

Roots revisited

Dave stepped back to assess my attire. "You're getting more ethnic with age."  Yep.  "At eighty you're going to be totally tribal."  Pretty much.  I think I'm going back to my roots.  

Segue to Aunt Lil.  I knew that we were kindred spirits.  From the beginning, truth be told, I thought that she might have left me at the hospital and Gwenn took me home.  Gwenn was my official mother.  Aunt Lil was my unofficial mom.  More details on that front later.  Before there was "ethnic," Aunt Lil was apparently very much in touch with her tribal side. 

And, no, we were not a band of gypsies.  At least not that I knew about.  We were, however, a mysterious lot/that's definitely another blog.

My grandfather was not a gypsy either but he did travel around Europe in one of those Chariots-of-Fire-style wagons speaking to whoever would listen.

  

 

He is somewhere in the center of that group addressing the crowd.  A preacher.  Later, a horticulturist.  And eventually, my Grandpa. 

Fascinating, I think, that my other grandfather/not yet knowing that they'd eventually meet and become relatives/had come that day to hear my Grandpa Thompson speak.

I'm thinking that a trip to Scotland to retrace my roots could be pretty interesting.  Quite possibly even more colorful than my current "scarves as skirts" clothing concept.