a very happy new year!

I don't make New Year's resolutions, do you?  I think every day is a chance to make a resolution, set a goal, become a new and/or better you, or start a new life. But I have recently decided that I'm going to try (my very best) to post something here at least once a week from here on out. "Try" being the operative word here.

So what's new? 

The holidays are over.  I love the holidays, but I'm always relieved when it's over.  Although I must say, now that my children are grown, the holidays have become so much more relaxed.  More of a time to reflect, to appreciate time. Time to cook and bake, time to spend with my family, time to relax and just be.  The trip to Paris earlier this fall was part of my gift to my daughters, so Christmas was even more low key than it has been for many years, and I think that really contributed to the relaxed and easy feeling we all had this year.  I've decided that giving the girls an "experience" instead of a new blouse or shoes or jewelry is the way to go. Although I certainly won't be able to take them to Paris every year, I think they would both agree that they remember we have been to see "The Nutcracker Suite" every year since they were really little waaaay more than any "'thing" they've received on Christmas.  It might require a little more creativity on my part, but I think (hope) they'll remember it longer.

Another nice thing that happened this year was that while some in my family have been doing it for a while, this year we all contributed to our favorite charities instead of sending gifts.  We decided that we all have enough stuff. Too much stuff. No one needs any more stuff.  It was so nice opening all the envelopes and seeing where the contributions went.  And I learned a lot about some organizations I hadn't heard of before.

New Years was low key as well.  I did my annual 108 sun salutations in the morning, had a lovely brunch with my fellow yogis, went to a matinee movie, then spent the evening laying on the couch while snacking (finished off all those holiday treats!), reading, and catching a few episodes from the first season of "Parenthood" (which I have a love/hate relationship with - it's about a close knit family that reminds me of my own family in California, and while it reminds me of all the great things about being part of a big, close knit family, it also makes me so homesick and heart broken to be so far away from them.  So I spent much of the time watching with tears in my eyes.) Then I cried a little when I saw Dave Clark.  We watched the ball drop, called our children, then went to bed.  Not much different than most other nights, really.  Except for the weeping.

Our weather has been so mild that this was what my Lady Banks looked like on New Years Day (this is not my actual rose, but it looked like this.  I haven't taken a picture of mine, and if we wait for me to do that I may not post for another month!):

I am off to work now, but I will really be trying to get into a regular posting schedule.  Wish me luck! Hope you are all having a wonderful day.

My new favorite hang out...



There have been some pretty exciting goings-on around this old town lately.  We've got a Whole Foods coming! There are rumors of a Trader Joe's as well, but TJ's still doesn't show us on their website, so that remains a rumor at this point.  But while we wait for that we have a new store, right here in my 'hood.  They specialize in locally grown/produced foods, including locally caught seafood, and locally produced eggs, poultry and meat, as well as organic, vegetarian, and vegan foods.  They have a deli and a bakery, too.  It's locally owned and smaller than the big chain stores.  Sometimes that means higher prices, but in this case, because most everything they buy and sell is local, many times their prices on produce are lower than the chain grocery stores.  It opened about 2 months ago and so far it's been wildly popular and has become something of a neighborhood hangout. Love that.  And the best part is...it's about 4 blocks away, so I can ride my bike to get groceries.  Something I've always wanted to do, but with the closest grocery store about 5 or 6 miles down the busiest street in town (the one without bike lanes!), I've never been able to do that before.  It is so much fun to go to the grocery store now!

Nothing fancy, just fresh local stuff.

Just like I get at the Farmer's Market.

Apples from the mountains of NC!

Did I mention they have a bakery?

And home-made Gelato?

Locally brewed beer.  They also have coffee, that while it's not locally grown, it is from a local roaster that uses organic, fair trade beans.  My favorite kind.

Mmmmm...local honey.

Don't look Janet!

While I don't personally eat Blue Crabs, they're pretty popular around here.

So, while you may not think a new grocery store is big news in your neck of the woods we are thrilled with our new neighbors!

More interesting stuff coming up, but I can't tell anyone just yet! (and no, I'm not having a baby :))

Party!

I know I won't have time to post today for Jane's (Small But Charming) Flower Party, so I posted this last night:

Just a few Mums and Daisies from the backyard, along with some Sweet Potato Vine, that I picked on Saturday morning for the breakfast table.

And then there's this...a gratuitous photo of Jack:

Nope, blindness doesn't stop him much.  He can still find his way to food every time!

Have a great Halloween y'all!  I am so looking forward to giving out candy to the kids tonight!

Time flies, whether you're having fun or not.

I remember my grandmother saying that. And truer words were never spoken.

I've been pretty busy. And lucky.  Very, very lucky. Oh, and blessed. Honored beyond belief. Let me back up.  I have a very, very beautiful and wonderful friend who has been my dear friend for 20 years.  We both have two daughters - her oldest and my youngest are the same age and went to school together through 5th grade and were friends, too.  They went to different schools after that, but remained friends. And Susan and I became stronger friends as the years went by.  I've always said two things about her: one was that if I should ever end up in heaven (highly unlikely!) it would be because she went first and told everybody to let me in, and the other is that, while I'm not big into "soulmates", I do think if there is such a thing, she is mine.  One of the things she and I used to talk about was taking our girls on a never-to-be-forgotten, once-in-a-lifetime trip to Paris, but it was just a fantasy.  Last year her father died after a long, productive and mostly happy life.  Susan had always been close to her Dad, and she misses him terribly. I miss him.  He was a good man.  On the first anniversary of his death I received a card from Susan, in the mail, and in the card was a check.  I still cry thinking about it, but she said that all of his life her dad, a wealthy man, had given 10% of his earnings to someone or something he believed in, and she said she decided, when she started getting her inheritance, that she would do the same thing.  So she sent me the money to take my girls to Paris, because she believed in me.  Yep, I cried.  I still cry every time I think of that. Can't begin to imagine what I did to deserve her in my life, but I am so happy she is.

So, we went to Paris! We got an apartment in the heart of Paris, in the Marais district.  We saw the Tour de Eiffel, the Tulleries, Versaille, Notre Dame, everything.  Everything we could fit into 8 days.  And it was beautiful.  The funniest thing that happened? I've mentioned before that my youngest daughter has many tattoos. Many. Apparently not very many people in France have tattoos.  Certainly not the women.  So Lovey #2 was the center of attention, everywhere we went.  People would stop her in the street and grab her arm to look at them and say things in very excited French.  The day we went to the Louvre - you know, where they have all that beautiful art? - Lovey #1 and I were taking pictures of Venus de Milo.  I stopped to see where #2 was.  I noticed a big group of people in the center of the hall, all talking excitedly.  And then I see this tiny little blonde girl in the middle of the group.  It was #2, and all the other people were tourists lining up to have their pictures taken with her! In the Louvre, people!

We found a VEGAN bistro just two blocks from our apartment and ate there often!



There may be more stories of France to come, but for now I'm tired.  And there are some other stories to tell, too!  Lots of fun and exciting things going on around here.  Time does, indeed, fly, whether you're having fun or not.  I'm having fun.  Hope you are.



Earthquakes? Hurricanes? What??

Today, at work, we were discussing this possibly impending Hurrican Irene, that is at this moment anyway, heading right for us here in Wilmington.  I mentioned that while not wishing for either one of them, if I had to endure one or the other I would prefer an earthquake.  Earthquakes - and as a former Californian, I've been through many - are relatively fast, usually over before you're quite sure that it's even an earthquake.  I realize that in many parts of the world earthquakes can be completely devastating, and I'm not making light of that, but there is something to be said for getting it over with quickly.  A hurricane - and in the 20 years I've been in NC, I've seen plenty of those, too - on the other hand, takes it sweet ass time coming around, making everyone uneasy, questioning "is it coming?" and "will it miss us?" Once it gets here it takes it's time leaving. Twelve to 24 hours later it disappears, leaving behind 20 or so inches of rain, which floods even the houses that are higher than  the flood plain (mine), trees uprooted or many branches lighter than before (and many of those have gone through someone's roof or window, or fallen on their cars), and yards a mess.  The roads are unpassable for days until the crews come and chain saw thru all the debris in the street, which stays on the side of the road, 6 or 8 feet high, for weeks.  And no power.  Usually for several days, maybe a week.  And it's incredibly hot after a hurricane, but there's no AC. I once told my sister, when she called to check and see if we were alright, that the only danger we were in was dying of boredom.

Any way - in the words of Ellen Degeneres: "my point - and I do have one!" - so I mentioned at work that I'd rather endure an earthquake than another hurricane, and guess what?  We had an earthquake!  No more than 10 minutes after I said that. Looks like we're still getting the earthquake, though.  Humph...

*The quake was centered in Virginia, so we only got a tiny little shudder.  Kind of like when a big truck goes by and makes the ground shake a little.  But to hear people in Wilmington tell it - we all almost died from the buildings falling all around us.  And they'd all still rather have a hurricane.

**I really do hope no one in VA - or anywhere else - was injured or suffered any loss from the quake today or from Irene.

You asked for it...

Someone has asked me to post pictures of two of the things I accomplished while I was unemployed, so here they are:

I painted the front door!  The minute I finished, I thought to myself "why the hell didn't I do this sooner?"  I LOVE it.  And I know why I didn't do it sooner. Because we've talked about replacing this door a million times.  But you know what?  It might be forever before we get around to doing that (we do, after all, have a "to-do" list a mile long and replacing the door was towards the bottom of the list).  So I thought why live with a door color I hate while waiting? So I changed it.  And I love it. Yay.

From the outside, obviously.  Looks so good with the light grey siding.

If I'm at home the door is usually open (there's a glass storm door), and I LOVE the way it looks on the inside, too.  Green is my favorite color and there is at least a bit of it in every room, so the door fits right in!

Oooohhh...bad photo.  Sorry! I also made some slipcovers for the living room chairs.  It's an off-white linen and I was pretty happy with how they came out.  If only the (black and tan) cat didn't like them so much!  But they're washable. 

Had a great weekend, full of bike rides, yoga classes and brunch with a dear friend I haven't seen in weeks.  I hope yours was wonderful as well.  There are a few other things I might get to next week.  My new work schedule being what it is, I'll probably only be able to post on weekends now.  Til then - have a happy week!

Hey!*

*FYI - "Hey!" is how we say hello in this part of the country!



You may have noticed I've been gone for a while.  A really long while this time.  I've given some thought to just not writing a blog anymore.  I guess we all (or nearly all) think about just stopping after a while.  Honestly, what's left to say? I originally started doing this for two reasons: I found that a lot of bloggers didn't respond to my comments and someone mentioned that it was because I didn't have a blog myself.  I don't know if that's true or not, but after having a blog I always got responses, so who knows? It gave me a way to become "friends" with those bloggers whose voices and outlook I found entertaining and could relate to, and I've really enjoyed that aspect of blogging.  But mostly, I started it to enable my family, all of whom are 3,000 miles away, to see what was going on in my little corner of the world.  To be honest, after the initial few posts, I'm not sure any of them even read the blog! So...I don't know what will happen.  I do know I didn't want anyone who did read the blog to wonder "what the hell ever happened to her?"

So here's a quick update:

In my last post I mentioned that I'd lost my job.  Oddly, I really didn't worry.  From the moment it happened I knew it was just as it was supposed to be and that I would be okay.  I heard someone else describe it as a "feeling of just floating along" and I thought that's a perfect description of how I felt.  Like I was floating in a pool.  I had to exert enough energy to not flounder and drown, but I was perfectly capable of staying afloat with just a minimal amount of work. It wasn't scary.  Mostly it was pleasant and that sort of quiet you get when your ears are underwater, inside my head. Lots of friends offered help and leads and love. I spent an hour or two each day looking for work, sending out resumes, etc., and the the rest of the day was mine.  I got so much accomplished, although that wasn't even my goal.  It just happened. For maybe the first time in my life I really just went with the flow and trusted. I felt incredible. Incredibly happy, too.

Peace.

And then...three weeks later, I was offered a job. Although it isn't my dream job, it will pay the bills.  It is with another movie-related company, and those are inherently tenuous.  And while I can appreciate the yogic message - everything in life is tenuous, everything changes, try not to become attached to the idea that your life will ever stay the same, etc. - I do hope to retire one day, and I'll need a bit more security in the next 10 years in order to achieve that.  Even yogis are allowed to do some basic planning for life!  I love the woman I work for and the other women I work with - we are a fun group.  I will argue with anyone who says working with, or for, another woman isn't just as, or more, enjoyable than working with, or for, a man!  This is my third job working with all women and I've always liked those jobs the best of any I've ever had. I enjoy the work I'm doing, but I'll continue to keep my eyes open and see what happens.  I stay very busy with this job, which is another reason I'm considering giving up the blog.  I might feel differently come winter, but right now, I get home from a long day at work and if I don't have a yoga class to go to,  all I want to do is go out in my garden and enjoy a glass of wine while listening to a little Lyle Lovitt (and his Large Band!) or maybe some jazz and see/smell/taste/feel all of this:

One day's harvest - 42 tomatoes.  Thank you compost!

And a gratuitous photo of Jack!  That's how his eyes actually look now that he's blind.  Freaks some people out.  He still hasn't figured out he's handicapped, though. What a love.

I haven't missed reading any of your blogs, although I have little time to comment these days.  I don't know where we'll go from here.  Maybe nowhere. Then again, in the words of Buzz Lightyear, maybe to infinity and beyond.  Hahaha...I crack myself up sometimes.