Perusing Bandcamp for new music and ran across this band… really like them.
Karen and I recently started watching Damages. Season one is now complete and we have moved on to Season two. Wow. This show rocks. So far I can honestly say it’s one of the best television shows I’ve ever watched. From writing to directing to acting to cinematography… stellar. Glenn Close absolutely rocks as Patty Hewes, the terrible, vulnerable, brilliant, angry, sliding right on the edge of total psycho attorney who rules the NY legal scene. She is powerful, ruthless, and relentless. You’d expect nothing less of Glenn Close. She is amazing. The rest of the cast, however, is equally good. Ted Danson, Michael Nouri, Rose Byrne, Tate Donovan, Anastasia Griffith, Zeljko Ivanek, Timothy Olyphant, William Hurt… just to name a few. They would have to be for this to work. The story line is engrossing, the writing moving it along as it dips here and there unexpectedly. It kept us guessing who done it until the end. We thought we knew… but… maybe. We ended up changing our minds a couple of times. Talking it through, wondering. That’s good writing.
This is good. Really good. Watch it. If you love intrigue, murder mysteries, great filming, and fine fine television, you should check it out.
Ever have a thought, something you think you want or need to do, and if you don’t do it right away you forget what it was. That was me today. I had this great idea for a blog post. It was right there, bam, all shiny and ready for me to wax on about whatever it was. Now… nada. I got nothin’. I can’t remember an inkling of what it was. Sad.
I’m a geek. I admit it. I love all the little techie gadgets (yes I have an iPhone, a Kindle, a laptop, a desk top, external hard drives, digital cameras, and wifi enabled dvd players and tv). I do. I like getting something new and figuring it out. I also love all things art… painting, sculpture, photography, film, music. And yes, in college I took loads of liberal arts classes… philosophy, english, psychology (of course), sociology, religion, history, etc., etc. I’m one of those creative types. Or at least I think I am.
So along with this I like film, as I mentioned, and I like to get the inside scoop on it occasionally. So when I saw this documentary on PBS called “These Amazing Shadows” I had to check it out. Problem was it was on late and I couldn’t finish it. Luckily there’s now such a thing as streaming Netflix and they, YES!, had it available. For anyone who loves film this is a great little documentary about the National Registry of Film connected with the Library of Congress, how it came about, what it is, how they pick the films, etc. Got me interested enough to go to the website of the Library of Congress and check out the list. It’s pretty good, and not at all what you would think. Well, partially what you would think, but not completely. There are some very cool entries on the list. Documentaries, home movies, shorts, newsreels, etc. As well as films that are famous and you would know. Very cool.
So if you love film and have a bit of time this one is worth viewing.
Today is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. I was looking up quotes by him and was so inspired. Here we are, so many years after that tragic day, and his words still ring true. Whether you agree with him or not, and really how could you not when all he really cared about, talked about, was striving for, and preached about were the principles of doing the right thing, equality for all, peace between nations and our fellow men and women, and love. Love being the chief message. Love instead of hate, peace instead of war, freedom instead of constraint and imprisonment, solving problems via understanding and communication instead of through violence. A spectacular man.
Here are some of my most favorite of the quotes I found…
At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals.
Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think. - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.
― Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches
People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other. ― Martin Luther King Jr.
ATRA…
It’s cycle ten, people. Can’t believe it. 19 months since this all started and only just over nine months to go. I saw my oncologist today. The every three month visit. I had a couple of concerns as my liver counts had been elevated for awhile. My GP even ordered an ultrasound last week to make sure everything was ok. The results came in last Thirsday and it was good. But the numbers were still high… She thought it might be my chemo meds, but since my cholesterol was also good on the lowered cholesterol med, and I’m on an eating plan and working out again, she decided to take me off the cholesterol meds completely to see what happens there. I’ll be tested in late March to see if I can stay off of them. It’s also less taxing on my liver to be off them.
So today… Met with my oncologist. My numbers, CBC and Metabolic panel, were all good. Even my liver numbers, save one, we’re all back in the normal. The one that wasn’t was barely elevated over high. And this was me…. Sigh…. Relief. My doc allayed all my anxiety, which always rears it’s head in a big way right before I have the quarterly. To say I get anxious doesn’t fully describe it… I’m usually afraid of the what if. Not rational, but true none the less. This is when Ativan is my friend. That and hearing him say everything is great and I’m doing fantastic. Yes brother… Thank you!
So here I am… Cycle 10. Two to go. Entering the realm of taking 9 ATRA a day for 15 days on top of the weekly shot and the daily 6MP I’m already taking. Headache… Here we go. Tylenol and staying hydrated… Both become my good friends. And before you think I’m complaining… I’m certainly not. ATRA saved my life… Along with hardcore chemo, the love of my honey, family and friends, and fantastic medical staff. So there’s no complaining out of me. Zip.
What there is… There’s a huge sense of being grateful, being alive, being blessed with more love from family and friends than I can measure. Life, this life.. My life… It’s beautiful. And I am thankful for it, and for the ATRA I start taking today.
Cycle 10, people…. I’m in the last several months of maintenance now. This life is a wonderful miracle and I am more fortunate than is possible to express. So ATRA… Let’s go!
I have a high aesthetic. Meaning that I have an extreme sense of the beautiful. I don’t want to say that I can judge for others what is beautiful, but for myself I see beauty everywhere. I used to say I saw photographs in everything, which is true since that’s my medium, but really it’s more than that. My view of the world is filtered through my sense of beauty. And before all my friends and family start thinking to themselves about whether or not I’m judging how they look… that’s not it at all, and no, I’m not looking at you that way. Other than, I suppose, to see your inner beauty, which I do, but that’s a topic for another day. I’m talking about the world… people don’t factor in unless it’s a mass of them in a space and that particular scene is beautiful to me. Or a couple holding hands walking through the park. Beautiful. But again, I’m talking about space, architecture, nature, form, light, design, intention. I mean grace of movement, melody, warmth, a point of view.
Is this making sense?
I’ve never attempted to articulate this before, but yesterday I was looking at our living room. Simple. We both appreciate art, in many forms, and it’s evident in our space. The furniture is even sort of funky, which is part of it. We are eclectic, because we always get something because we love it, not because it’s what we should have to go with whatever else we have. We figure if we love something it will fit into the whole of what our place is. The vibe. We also believe in not having too much “stuff” so we try to keep things non-cluttered. It’s a balance of taste and style and funk and having our space feel a certain way. So I was looking at it and found myself thinking and feeling that a certain aesthetic sense fills it. It fills me. Anytime we go anywhere I see photographs. Not the usual panorama, though sometimes that’s so, but usually a part of something, the form of something, the way the light hits a particular thing. I notice. And I’m glad I do. It’s what happened yesterday as a certain winter light shone in through our living room window and hit part of a lamp. That’s all. Just a little light filtering in and hitting a part of lamp. It was stunningly beautiful.
I never get too busy to notice, never too rushed to notice, because even when I am busy or rushed I still notice as my eyes pass something. It’s wonderful. At least I feel as though it’s wonderful. I feel lucky to have this thing inside that naturally lets me see the larger, deeper, subtler things in life. The way a leaf blows across the street, the barking of a distant dog that sounds happy, the passing shapes in clouds, the shadows made by the rising of the sun. I sometimes feel these things so much I cry. Cry from a place of joy for having seen something so stunning. It used to embarrass me, but it no longer does. I feel privileged, and I wish more people stopped quietly and said to themselves…wow… that is beautiful. Whatever that may be. I think the world would be a better and more joyous place. How could it not be. It brings connection with things, connection with the larger world, makes a person feel small and a part of something bigger all at the same time. It brings a sense of peace, that things are as they should be for a moment, these brief snippets of time. It’s freeing in a way.
I feel fortunate, lucky, privileged, to see the world through these eyes… these eyes that see beauty in the smallest things all around me. And my hope is that you see it too…
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 18,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 7 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.
It’s Friday morning. Karen has the day off, yay!, and is sleeping in. It was a rough night… the dogs restless, for whatever reason. We had to let them out a couple of times. My honey got the duty last night so she deserves a good sleep in. I’m trying to be quiet out here, Weston sleeping next to me on our little sofa, freshly brewed Earl Grey, all the lights are still off.
There’s something about these mornings… everything still. I love this time.
I have always been a person who likes my quiet alone time. No input, no talking, no one around. When I lived alone I could spend entire weekends just staying in my apartment, hibernating, reading, watching TV, surfing the net. I never felt alone or sad that I was. I enjoyed it. I had a busy life so getting those weekends to myself once in a while was a lovely thing. Living in my head and my heart. Regenerating my soul.
I still love time to myself. I don’t get whole weekends anymore, and you won’t hear me complaining about it as the trade off now is spectacular, but I still like my time. Luckily for me my honey gets it. She doesn’t get offended when I say I need some down time. When I say I need to have stillness… quiet. Like now…
or not….
We had such a great two days over at the kid’s house. A really lovely Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Pierogi making and toy building and a walk and elf set up on Christmas Eve. Such a nice day. Karen makes a mean pierogi… or several of them. So good. A new Christmas Eve tradition is born. From now on every Christmas Eve we will be clamoring for pierogi. Yum. After a walk, and food, and after the young gent went to bed we all went into elf mode. Building toys and setting out his wagon and enormous zebra, later named Zeus. The kids put together his easel. All while Christmas music played.
Christmas day Karen and I opened our gifts to each other, and the gifts from Mom for the pups (they loved them… or, more accurately, Weston took to both of them and Riley hasn’t seen much of either since… LOL) while enjoying a quick cup of coffee. We had to get it all done and then get dressed and head over to the kid’s house so we’d be there before the little guy was up and able to look at the tree. We didn’t make it before he was up, but he hadn’t looked at the tree yet. When that little man wakes up he thinks of only one thing… food. He loves him some oatmeal and applesauce!
So he looked at the tree and the gifts and was overwhelmed. In a good way. We all opened, he opened some of his, and we enjoyed some cinnamon rolls. Then Martin made us lunch (pizza) using his new bread maker. He makes some mean pizza dough and we made some yummy pizzas. Then a walk (the young man rode in his new wagon part of the way and pushed it part of the way and cared less about it part of the way). The walk was followed by more present opening for him, he got an unusually high number of presents… go figure. It was fun.
After a full day Sebastian had a little dinner, played a little more, and then went up for his bath and bed. Meanwhile the turkey was cooked (it had been started earlier in the day) and Karen and I set about getting the rest of the stuff ready. The kids came back down and the table was set, the food laid out, the wine uncorked, and there we were… turkey dinner for the four of us with most of the trimmings. A quiet really nice dinner. We followed that up with a rousing game of Mad Gab, a game we’d gotten for them for Christmas. It was totally fun. At one point Mary and I were laughing so hard we were crying. Good fun!
It was a beautiful Christmas this year. Relaxed, fun, totally great. As Mary said… it’s why we all moved to the same place. So we could enjoy stuff like this while still getting to sleep in our own beds at night. The best of both worlds.
Here we are… In another waiting room. Lordy… We have both been to the dentist, the eye doctor, had our physicals, been to my regular appointments, and now we are at the ankle & foot doctor for Karen’s last, hopefully, follow up on he heel break/bad ankle sprain. We have blitzed the health scene here I tell ya. Whoa nelly!
The result… New glasses for both of us, cleaner teeth, and poked and prodded all around.
Now.. 2012… LOL
We went out a couple of nights ago in search of Candlestick Lane in Urbana. A friend, thanks Ann!, told us about it. We were trying to conjure up some Christmas spirit. Ann had an idea where it was in past years so we went out.. pups in the car, homemade hot chocolate in our to go mugs, and a keen eye all led us in the right direction. Yes, we found it. It’s not huge, but it’s cool. Apparently, after a little research on it, it’s been there since the 1960′s. Every year they do a lighting ceremony… a processional where they light one house at a time until it’s all glowing beautifully. We missed that, but we didn’t miss the lane. We drove through like three or four times. We tried to get a shot on my phone, which I’ll include here, but it didn’t do it justice. We thought we should go back over, park the car, take one of the good cameras, and walk down to try and get some shots. We’ll see. So busy right now, with Christmas coming up this weekend, so we might not make it back over. But, we found it, and it was kinda cool. Yay for Christmas lights. We are so funny, we don’t like putting them up at our house, but we love love love looking at them. Ho ho ho!
Karen and I decided the other day that she would take a day off during the week and we would go somewhere. Our original plan was to head to Indianapolis for a couple of days, spend the night, that sort of thing. The dilemma… the pups. We wanted to take them, and could have, but then what would we do with them when we wanted to go in somewhere or have dinner out or any myriad of other things that don’t allow dogs. We couldn’t leave them in a hotel room and we wouldn’t leave them in the car, so there you go. Dilemma. And subsequent change of plan… day trips. Ah ha!
So Sunday we just sort of drove around locally. Didn’t really go anywhere overly cool, just sort of checking some places out. We did this with the dogs. They like to ride along.
Monday we got up, got a tad bit of coffee, waited for the radon guys to fix our leaky boot, and then headed to the train. Ah the train. I love it. We were lame to wait until the last minute so our tickets were more. Yes, they have so many at different price ranges just like the airline and if you wait too long the cheaper tickets sell out and you are left paying more. Though really, c’mon… $52 for two one way to Chicago wasn’t terrible. We have paid half that, but we weren’t too flummoxed by it. Flummoxed… I love that word.
Drive to the train station, park in the 10 hour parking, hop on the train, get off in two and half hours after reading and listening to music and looking at the passing scenery and there you are… Union Station in the Second City. Chicago. I do love it there.
We have been to Chicago a few times now… before we moved to the midwest once, for two weeks over Christmas and New Years when the kids got married there. That was our first time… we loved it then, and still. We have only ever been downtown. And this time was no exception.
One glitch… we didn’t have a plan. We didn’t really decide until Monday morning that we were going for sure, hence the last minute ticket buying and such. And we didn’t really talk about what we wanted to do or where we wanted to go beforehand or on the train ride there. So there we were, Union Station, smack in the middle of the city, and had no idea what we were doing. Pretty funny… and, kind of fun. No agenda.
So we walked… and walked… and walked some more. We originally headed toward a restaurant some friends recommended, The Artists Cafe, on Michigan Avenue down across from Millennium Park and the Art Museum. We were starving so that seemed like a great place to begin. It would have been, only before we got there we passed another place. There were people sitting in the window who had enormous burgers that happened to catch my honey’s eye. Needless to say all thought of the Artists Cafe was out the window and in we went for burgers. They were good. Aside from the rather vocal and potty mouthed man sitting next to us, it was all good. And to be honest, we didn’t really care about the vocal potty mouthed man either. He wasn’t loud, so we could tune him out as he lit into his lady companion for… who knows what. Just a little extra flavor in the big city.
From there we walked to Macy’s to check out the window displays. They were pretty cool this year. I liked them. A sort of magical fantasy theme thing. Then we ran across the Christkindlmarket and wandered there for a bit. Every ornament you could possible think of, strudel, schnitzel, some strange drink served in a tiny boot… and crowded. Cool. We bought nothing, but we experienced it.
After that we decided we’d wander over toward the river and see if we could find some hot chocolate and chai. We did. A nice way to warm up and charge the phone (another word for map nowadays). We sat in there for awhile, got warm again, purchased our return train tickets from the Amtrak app on my phone, and then wandered along the river back toward the park. Millennium Park at night is gorgeous. Especially this time of year. Skating in the city rink, reflections of christmas lights along with city lights in The Bean, the faces all lit up, trees with lights in them, people everywhere, music playing, the Pritzker all gorgeous. Beautiful. We spent a bit of time down there just hanging out and looking at the sights before walking back toward Union Station.
Most of the day we walked, I took photographs, we talked, we hung out together. Nothing major. We figure we walked somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 or 7 miles. We had some good food. We looked at some cool stuff. We enjoyed both the train ride going and coming home. But mostly, honestly, we just enjoyed spending the day alone together. It’s truly our favorite thing. Being together and having an adventure. There is nothing better than that. Than days like our day in Chicago.
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Karen and I always talk about how we believe the people in our lives are it. Nothing, material and otherwise, compares. Riches mean nothing without having people you love and who love you. It’s the only thing that’s important. Period. The end.
If you think about the most important events in your life, they always involve the people you love. Traveling to new places is best when shared because you aren’t just seeing something, you’re experiencing it with someone. Buying things, though perhaps providing a brief level of happiness and excitement, a sort of rush, ends up just being stuff you own. Stuff you have around you. But events, dinners, days in the park, watching a movie and digging into the shared bowl of popcorn, walking, playing games, chatting over coffee… all these things involve people. When I look on my life to this point there’s not one thing I have that I couldn’t live without… not one. But the people… that’s a different animal, pun intended, all together. The only things I ache for are more time with people I love. More time. The only thing I’m greedy about is time… and wanting more of it.
I was looking for quotes today as I always try to put one inside the Christmas cards we send, and I came upon this little gem from Mother Teresa…
If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. ~ Mother Teresa
It seems, not too surprisingly, that Mother knows what it’s all about… Here’s to peace…
Weston thinks he deserves to have all of my attention… He probably does.
Dry… oh, yes… I need water!
When a person thinks about moving to the midwest it’s obvious to dread the humidity of the summer and the freezing cold of the winter. What’s not so obvious is how chapped your lips get or how dry your skin becomes. It’s not something you would think about really. But, it’s exactly what happens.
We wake in the morning and we can hardly talk because our mouths are so dry. We drink more water here, out of necessity, than we ever did in Oregon. Rainforest to prairie, big difference. I put my hand to my forehead, partial thinker pose, and get distracted by the flaky nature of my skin. It’s not appealing.
We will adjust, I’m sure. Lotion, creams, water, mineral oil. Whatever it takes. That’s what we will do in the surprising dry climate of the Midwest.
Now… I’m parched… where did I put that glass of water…
It’s rare for a movie to make you laugh and cry alternately in an effective, non-fabricated way. The Help was able to do just that.
I don’t like being led through a film. Or at least feel like I’m being led. You know the type I mean. When you feel like, oh, this is where I’m supposed to cry, oh now… yes now I’m supposed to laugh. They never feel organic. And though sometimes they can still be enjoyable, I never get that wow, what a fantastic experience I just had kind of feeling. It’s more like… well, that was sweet, or that was cute. The Help is neither sweet nor cute, and that’s such a refreshing thing in todays movie scene.
I loved this movie. It’s poignant without being sappy, funny without being cheesy, heartfelt without being foolishly sentimental. It will make you laugh, feel heart break and triumph, cry, and leave you with a feeling of hope that things can and do get better. That though victory and change may happen in a small and slow way, they do happen.
Good art, no matter the form, makes a person think about the world in a deeper more meaningful way. Forcing you to examine personal opinions and boundaries, encouraging you to think about things in new and different ways than you had before. Good art offers discovery, hope, and changes of mind at the same time it wins and breaks our hearts. The film The Help, without question, is good art.
This just made me cry… Though I am really enjoying and loving my life here in Illinois, Oregon will always be my home.
I have been mulling over what to write for my Thanksgiving blog this year. So much mulling that Thanksgiving came and went without so much as a peep from this girl. But today, sitting here with the rain coming down and the weather turned cold I thought I might just dive in.
Thanksgiving. A holiday that, though initially maybe not traditionally about this, has become mostly about people eating, watching football, and most importantly pausing to give thanks to anything, everything, and everyone that people might pause to give thanks to. It’s a holiday about family and friends. A holiday about the people in our lives. Breaking bread (and don’t we all wish we could break it with Stan M? LOL An inside joke… and I digress), telling tales, laughing, loving, crying, and getting really full.
I think I’m still full from the meal we had on Thanksgiving over at the kid’s place. It was a lovely day. Spending time playing with the little man, helping to make what turned out to be a fantastic meal (my help consisted of making the green bean casserole… just empty cans into dish, but hey… I helped… and it was damn good baby!), hanging out with my honey, Mary, Martin, the little dude, and also Raya, Alex, and Tavish. We ate, chatted, played with the two little lads, and then after those lads went to bed we played games, drank tea, laughed. I will not reveal anything about things discussed during those games other than to use a couple of tell-tale phrases… Pam and skid marks. All other secrets are better left hidden. To be sure, it was a grand good day.
What I want to say here I think is that Thanksgiving should be a state of mind, not a one day a year kind of deal. Don’t get me wrong… I’m not saying do away with the turkey, fixin’s, football, game playing, and all of that. Let’s keep the day and on that day doubly send out those vibes of many thanks. I guess what I’m saying is we should strive to be thankful every day. All days. Always. It’s tough when the day is dark and dreary and work is a pain and people in one way or another are suffering. But it’s a great thing to still, in the face of all of that, pause during the day and say to yourself, if you don’t say it aloud, I’m thankful for… I’m grateful for… I’m happy I have this person or that thing or that dog or cat in my life…
So today I decided I’m going to say it out loud…
I am so grateful, thankful, lucky, fill in any other and all other words to express gratitude, thanks, and praise all rolled into one, for my honey. I will cry writing this, but I am in awe of your presence in my life. I say this over and over… but I have no idea what I did to have this happen. Whatever it was, thank you, thank you, thank you. You are light, laughter, air, grace, beauty, imagination, wonder, art, and all my wishes fulfilled. It’s been over eight and a half years and I love you more with each passing minute. I can’t believe it’s possible to love someone this much and tomorrow it will be more, but that’s what happens… every day. You get me. And I’m not easy. But, you get me. You understand me I think better than I do. Know where I’m at before I know I’m there. You are joy walking, my little sage in disguise. You bring light with you everywhere, and I am so blessed that your light gets to shine on me every day. I love you my love… more than this much.
I’m blessed also to have the best Mom ever. I don’t know what to say about her other than to say she is also grace walking. My Mom has been through some stuff, and I’ve seen her handle it all with so much class and grace. Maybe not always with a smile, but nearly always. People tell me I have a great smile, and I always say I got it from my Mom. It’s true. To say you’re my friend as well… bonus. It’s not everyone who can say they just like hanging out with their Mom. I can. I do. I love you so very much and every day I know how lucky I am to have you in my life. To have had you in my life through everything. We are separated this year. Me moving away to another state. We’ve never been this far apart and even though we are both dealing with it pretty well I think I miss you. I miss you but also know you’re right here with me. As I am right there with you. It’s that kind of bond. The kind big love makes.
Kev… You are my champion, my defender, my buddy, my partner in crime, my big little brother. To say we are peas in a pod is putting it mildly. We have seen a lot you and I. Been through a lot and always been there for each other. Always. Sometimes when life hasn’t been as kind as it could be to us we were all we had. Or at least it seemed that way. Kev and I against the world. I love that big lug of a guy. Fort building, mini bike riding, pool playing, adventure making, fighting each other and defending each other against others. I am grateful for you. For your friendship, your noble ideals, your loyalty, your laugh, your grin, and the best hugs given by any human on the planet. You are an amazing man. And thank goodness, you are my brother.
Mary… I never had my own children, I didn’t want any actually, until I met your Mom and by then it was, we felt, a little late in life for us. But lucky me, I didn’t just get a life with your Mom, I got a life with you. And you, my step-daughter, are amazing. I have never said these things to you, but I am so very happy and lucky to have you in my life. I am so very proud of you. Funny, fun, so very smart, silly, clear minded, stubborn, tough, with high expectations and a loyalty stronger than steel, you are fantastic. I am also so very grateful for the little man, our Sebastian. And you, Mary, are a fantastic Mom. I watch you with him and think to myself… wow, she’s doing this or that just right. Teaching him to swim, teaching him to be in the world, teaching him to grow up and be an amazing man. You are a great Mom Mary. And I am grateful every day that I get to be around you, be around your son, be in your life. Thank you for letting me be a part of things, for not just being my partner’s daughter, but mine as well. Thank you… and I love you very much.
Martin… No greater son-in-law could a mother in law have. You are a gentleman… and gentle man. I love how you treat Mary. How you make a home with her. How you are as a father. I love watching you with Sebastian, talking to him, playing with him. I love how you take care of your family. All that, and you make me think and laugh. You are easy to be around. Easy to be with. And that, my son-in-law is a gift. As you are a gift to me.
And what would this blog post be without a mention of our pups… Weston and Riley. Every day I get joy from them. Exasperating, sometimes annoying, loud, hyper, needy… but always loving. Always loyal. Always affectionate. Always there with a snuggle. Funny little creatures that have totally stolen our hearts. We adore them. Are in love with our dogs. I sometimes say it’s a sad state of affairs, loving dogs this much. But it isn’t. It’s a glad, happy, wonderful, grateful state of affairs. Unconditional mutual admiration and adoration.
I can’t go on to list everyone I should… to say thank you to everyone I love. If I did this blog would be much longer than anyone would probably want to read, or have the attention span for. I will just say this… to my family and friends, old and new, I am blessed. I have the gold standard of people in my life. Each one of you brings something to my life that is cherished, noticed, and appreciated by me. I couldn’t be luckier to know and call you friends and family. I don’t say it enough, maybe don’t even talk to some of you enough, but I think of you often. I can’t begin to express how deep my appreciation and love go. It’s deep. It’s endless. My life is a beautiful tapestry of people, woven together by thread upon thread of shared life experiences and stories. I love you guys. I’m so very lucky to have you. And I hope with all that I am that I’ve been and continue to be as good a friend, sister, daughter, niece, aunt, grand-daughter, cousin, sister-in-law, and all around person as you all have been to me. I’m lucky. Lucky. Lucky. So fortunate. And so very thankful for each and every one of you.
And there it is… my none Thanksgiving Day thanksgiving. Thanksgiving has come, but not gone.
I walked out into the backyard this afternoon to throw the ball a little for the boy. He’s been restless today. Sometimes he gets like that. Usually chewing on a bully (which I gave him) or throwing the ball a couple of times in the house (which I did), or letting him sit on my lap and petting him (also did) work to assuage his anxiousness. Not today. He is sort of a high strung anxious little guy sometimes. So outside I went, in my lounge pants (AKA pajama bottoms) that I’m still wearing. Yes, the advantages of Karen and I working from home is the ability to stay dressed down for the day. Until we have to go out in public that is, but that’s a topic for another day. Back to Alfie… or more accurately, Weston. I was kind of desperate to have him quit bugging me. I love him, but having him come up to me and nudge my hand, or bark at me, or whatever over and over today was getting on my nerves. So out into the backyard, in my lounge pants, I went. I threw the ball for him a few times. Riley also got in on the action a little… in all ways actually. She chewed on the bully, tugged on her brown thing (formerly a stuffed monkey, now just the brown thing), chased Weston’s ball in the house, and got her own lap sitting complete with a pet or two. She was also in on the outside ball throwing action. We also just took them for a short walk around a couple of blocks… not in our lounge pants (Karen had to get out of the house and off the phone for 30 minutes… it’s a bad one today for her)… but again, I digress. So while we were outside, the dogs and I that is, in the backyard (me in my lounge pants), I noticed Alfie. He was laying near the back steps. Poor guy. I picked him up and found, for the third or fourth time since he’s been a part of the family, that he was soaking wet. Weston, who has taken a particular shine to Alfie, carries him around sometimes. Sometimes that means he carries Alfie outside. And sometimes he gets distracted by a squirrel, drops Alfie, and forgets to bring him back in the house. If we notice Alfie out there at night, which we have in the past when we take the pups out for their last constitution before bed, we tell Weston to get Alfie and bring him in, which he does. Pretty cute actually. I say… “Weston, go get Alfie. Get him. Good boy!” and he does. He will go get him. But today, Alfie’s fate was not of the warm and dry kind. He was soaking. Forgotten yesterday by Weston outside and left to weather the storm on his own. Poor Alfie.
After I saw Alfie I brought him in, of course, and propped him up on the kitchen counter to dry. It’s his normal drying spot. Seems to work. Weston will miss him until Alfie re-joins the fold, but it has to be done.
And speaking of Weston missing him… this is interesting. Weston has never really taken any particular interest in any one toy. He loves chasing and catching the ball the most and will occasionally carry around the Mailman or the Hedgehog. Both of which have stayed in tact, a sure sign he likes them as he hasn’t chewed the stuffing out of them. But that’s about it… he will carry one around for awhile and then put it down, forgotten for quite a long time until the next time he picks one up and carries it around. Alfie is different. We picked up Alfie, and his co-hort Squiggy, when we stopped at Praireland Feeds (where we buy the pup’s food) on my birthday weekend as we headed out of town. I noticed this little bin of stuffed things and thought the pups needed a little treat for the trip so I picked up a red and green one. The naming of them happened after we got home from the weekend. Weston took a particular liking to red, later named Alfie. He started carrying him around everywhere. He brought him to bed with him, something he’s never done with anything other than a bully stick before (which we don’t let him have in bed by the way), carried him outside when he went out to do his business, brought him downstairs to the media room when we went down to watch TV at night, and had him with him when he took his naps. He has never done this and it’s kind of cute. He and Alfie have become fast fast friends. Squiggy gets a tad bit of attention, but he’s usually a meager substitute for Alfie when Alfie is out of commission, like he is today.
Weston will be happy when Alfie dries off and is dropped back on the floor. I’m sure he and his little buddy will be stuck like glue again, until the next time he’s left outside and gets showered on.
Meet Alfie…
It’s been such a busy time. We went to San Jose for Don’s 80th birthday weekend before last. We spent time with family and had an excellent time. So nice to be a part of that clan. I’m lucky. I have my side of the family, but I also have Karen’s. Lucky. They love me, I love them. It’s spectacular…. as they are. Thank you for a wonderful long weekend. I can’t tell you how much being a part of the family means to me.
Then there was the short, but wonderful, time with my Mom and my brother, Kevin. I love them so much. It’s just good to be around them. And what’s more, they didn’t just visit…. they raked, repaired, updated, fixed, and tweaked stuff around our new house, and the kid’s. Wonderful. I know the pups also loved seeing them. After Karen and I the pups love their grandma Julia and Uncle Kevin the best. It was so great having them here. Kev getting to see our house for the first time, Mom and he hanging out with us… nice. I have said it before, and will say it again… I have the best Mom… and the best brother. It was hard to say our see you laters when I dropped them off at Midway on Thursday. Bittersweet. I loved having them here, and was sad to see them leave. It snowed after I dropped them off…
Great time with family all around. I am reminded, once again, how very lucky I am. How much all of the people in my life mean to me. Family and friends alike. Every day I say thank you. Every day. I am blessed. I know it. Which makes me, I think, doubly blessed.
I guess there is no question…
We are on the train, the Saluki Northbound, making our way toward Chicago. The first leg of our journey to San Jose. Train travel rocks. I’m a fan.
The weather turned cold and wet in Illinois today. A 25 degree drop in temperature from where we were at yesterday. That’s Illinois. T-shirts yesterday, fleece jackets today. Too funny. I think it’s raining in San Jose today as well. Hopefully the weather improves in both places so that we can enjoy some nice California weather and Mom and Kev can have the same here as they dog sit/house sit for us and the kids.
Next stop for us… Union Station. Two hours and twenty minutes away. Then… Lunch!
Every once in awhile I get a hankering to mix things up here at the Think Tank. Today I changed the blog theme I use. I like this one. I realize some people have more of a problem with the white writing on the black background, but I’m going to test it out for a time. Have no fear, if I’m not a total fan I won’t leave it this way. I’ll change it again. And to be honest, I will probably change it again at some point again in the future. That’s what happens to a blogger who gets restless.
