“I have a feeling my guardian angel looks like this often.”
Given that I will be traveling cross-country in less than a month, I felt it was prudent to take advantage of the $50 off coupon for the map and software update for my nav system in my Ford. I dutifully paid for, and quickly received the DVD’s to plug into my system. I read the instructions, following the onscreen prompts carefully. Nowhere did they say it would take the better part of TWO HOURS to update this crazy thing! And…it distinctly says, “Do not turn off your engine while updating.” I used up an 1/8th of a tank of gas while contributing much more carbon to the ozone layer than I am comfortable with. (Ok, I drive a Ford Expedition. I guess I’m TOO comfortable…I get, like, 6 gallons to the mile or something like that when I’m hauling TOW-Wanda.)
“The Day The World Changed”
The day the world was forever changed. There are moments in life when something so monumentally shifts that it will be forever burned into our hearts and minds. We remember where we were, what we were doing, who we were with. JFK, Martin Luther King, Bobby Kennedy…all engraved within us.
September 11th dawned a typical Colorado blue blaster day. I met my friend, Sue, for breakfast at the Wild Rose Bakery in Glenwood Springs. When she walked in, she asked if I had heard the news. Something about an airplane hitting one of the Twin Towers. We both pictured a small plane, perhaps a medical emergency resulting in an errant course. No one could possibly imagine a commercial flight being flown purposefully into occupied buildings, let alone two and a third driven to the ground. It wasn’t in our database. When we realized something serious was happening, Sue and I decided to go home and watch TV. We stayed there for days, weeks, months…stunned. We walked out into the streets and held each other. We offered comfort and were comforted. The world got a group hug. I remember such shock the first time I heard of a crime being committed after 9/11. Didn’t they realize we were mourning the results of heinous behavior? How DARE they!
“Happy Birthday, Mr. Virgo!”
He loved to celebrate my birthday but hated to celebrate his. He said it was just another day. His family didn’t make a big deal out of birthdays. He only had 62 of them. I got to celebrate seven with him. I was his last. His last love. His last best friend. His last partner in crime. His last birthday buddy. I am not sad. I smile when I feel the rich sweetness of his memory wash over me. But…I miss him like crazy.
“Cough. Sniffle. Wheeze.”
I had so much fun camping last weekend with the Sisters on the Fly. One of our participants had a “little cold”. I got home late Sunday night. By Monday evening, I had a tickle in my throat and a polite little cough. And now? Now I can’t breathe through my nose, I ache all over, my nose is running like a sugar tree, I’m coughing my head off, and I have a fever. AND I’m feeling pretty darned sorry for myself, to boot because it’s Mr. Virgo’s birthday and I don’t have anyone to sing to or to have bring me chicken soup. But, as they say, misery loves company. There are now five of us from the trip that are sick with the same thing. Total bummer. However, it is forcing me to stop and get some rest. So, I suppose that’s the upside.
“Scales Lie”
Well, they tell you the truth about gravitational pull, plus or minus a bit unless you have an expensive scale. But your typical bathroom model is going to eat you for lunch and spit you out if you go near it. We have long, long ago been indoctrinated that the number you see on this magic box is directly and irrevocably tied to your worth in the world. We’ve been told that less is more. That thin is in. That boys don’t go out with fat girls. That fat girls are somehow “less than” their thin, willowy counterparts. I’ve got news for you…just in case you are reading this and you are under oh, say…55 years old. Other than for health reasons, you are perfect with your curves and your comfy tummy. The other day, a dear friend of mine made a comment how good I looked. In his well meaning way, he said, “You’ve lost a ton of weight.” which to full figured women translates to “You were looking really bad…I’m SO glad you got a grip on that tire you were carrying around!” Why do we DO that to ourselves? Why do we let others do it to us? I will tell you what he was noticing though. I went to Victoria’s Secret and got fitted for the absolutely PERFECT bra and now the girls get the attention and not my beautiful hips!
Condensing my kitchen into two dishpack boxes today. Three sets of dishes that were gifts from Mr. Virgo have to come with me. My Kitchenaid mixer and my uber fancy coffee grinder made the cut. My knives and specialty tools must be included. Holy pressure cooker, Batman…this isn’t easy! :-/
“Sunflowers on Storm King”
“Tractor Pull at Thresher Days”