Things I Wish I Could Still Do

There's no time like the present to look to the past. With that thought in mind, I'm going back to some thoughts  from a long ago post about things I wish I could still do.

It occurred to me recently that there a lot of things that I have been able to do at some point in my life that I don't or can't do anymore. This is sadly not a complete list, but includes a few of the things that are probably now in the past for me:

The splits-Not a lot of call for this in everyday life, but it would sure be nice to still have that kind of flexibility.

Roller skate-I could, I'm sure, still roller skate, but I had the opportunity a couple of weeks ago and chose not to, mostly because I've broken my tail bone three times and that is the way I always seem to fall, and I would surely fall. 

Drive over the speed limit-Without feeling guilty.

Hand stands and cartwheels-Again not much call for these, but still fun things to do.

Ski the blacks-I guess I could still do this, but I refer back to the broken tail bone thing above. I'll stick to the greens and blues...with lots of breaks for a hot toddy. 

Leap tall buildings in a single bound-Okay, I could never actually do this, but it would be nice to have the confidence of youth that makes us feel like we could.

Stay up all night-Or at least get by on only six hours or so. I am pretty fond of a good eight hours.

Water ski-I actually could and would still do this, but no one with a boat and all the equipment has made me an offer for a while.

Drink coffee after 2 p.m.-Don't want to threaten that good eight hours.

They say life is about trade offs, and back when I could do the splits, ski the blacks and stay up all night I didn't have any grandchildren.

A Surprise Package From Far Away

5,180.1 Miles

That's how far the package I got in the mail from my friend Betty at A Glimpse Into Midlife traveled to get to me. Betty is a wonderful blogger and a great friend. Her's was one of the first blogs I ever read, before I really even had a clue about blogging. What a wonderful thing that a friendship can grow between two people with that much distance between them. Because most people are so honest and forthright on their blogs, I sometimes think we know our blog friends as well or better than those that we share a face-to-face friendship with. It turned out that Betty and I both had the idea of sending one another a gift at the same time and our gifts apparently crossed in the mail.

Betty sent me some beautiful handcrafted items from her town, Filadelfia, Paraguay.

There was a beautiful handwoven mat. I know just where I am going to put it.

And this handmade Christmas tree ornament. I have a special affinity for tree ornaments and enjoy collecting them from all over the world. How did Betty know this?

And this cute little souvenir from her town. I think this might become a tree ornament also.

Thank you so much, Betty, for your friendship and thoughtfulness.

Six Word Saturday

I am glad Thanksgiving is over.

I don't mean this in a bad way at all. I had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends. I shopped for, cooked and cleaned up after (all with lots of help) a big meal for a lot of people. Shopping, cooking and cleaning are not, not, not, a part of my regular routine . It was fun and now it's over. It's good to  have a good thing behind you. And, best of all, now I get to eat leftovers.

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Thanksgiving

A Thanksgiving MeMe from  Nessa who said this:

I looked around for a Thanksgiving MeMe and I didn’t like any of them exactly the way I found them, so I did some turkey style carving and loaded my plate with what I wanted.

1. Where?

At my house for the first time in many, many years We usually go to my brother's where there  is a group of 25 or so. They had to be out of town this year so we will be at my house with a smaller group. Word about my cooking must have gotten around.

2. What?

Pretty much the traditional meal....turkey, dressing, mashed potatos, sweet potatos, green beans, cranberry sauce, corn casserole and lots of pies. There may be some extras that  those who have heard about my cooking but decided to come anyway bring for their own self-protection.

3. Who?

There will be 10 for dinner, my youngest daughter and her family, my cousin and his family and Doc and I. There will be 8 more for dessert, my son and his family and my oldest daughter and her family, and 2 for a glass of wine on the way off to their dinner that I didn't cook. 

4. When?

Dinner at 3 p.m. and dessert at 4:30 or 5 until it is all gone.

5. How?

That is the question I have been asking myself.

Thanks to Nessa for this fun MeMe.

The truth about my cooking is that I can cook, I just don't do it very often these days, so I just have to get my head in the game and it will all be great. And, if I do say so myself, I make the BEST pies, from scratch, crust and all. I wish I could share of piece with all of you.

Happy Thanksgiving

End Of Life Is Inevitable, But There Are Lots Of Ways To Look At It

My friend's son died last week. He was only 43 and his death was unexpected and a dreadful shock. My friend is a woman with strong faith and she has firm beliefs regarding the spiritual aspects of death. Our conversations after her son's death and my thinking  and reading this week were more about  how we think about the end of life, both that of a loved one and our own. Talking about the end of a life is not fun or popular, but it is inevitably talked and written about, even sometimes with humor.

Life does not cease to be funny when people die

any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.

 George Bernard Shaw

Grief can't be shared. Everyone carries it alone,

his own burden, his own way.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Health nuts are going to feel silly someday,

lying in  hospitals dying of nothing

Redd Foxx

A man's dying is more the survivors affair than his own.

Thomas Mann

They say such nice things about people at their funerals

that it makes me  sad to realize that

I'm going to miss mine by just a few days.

Garrison Keillor

.....grief makes an hour ten.

William Shakespeare

Everyone wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.

Joe Lewis

We all have to die someday if we live long enough.

Dave Farber

And for bloggers

If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live,

 I wouldn't brood. I'd type faster.

Isaac Asimov

Six Word Saturday

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 Never trust a dog named Dodger

or

All is well that ends well

I've posted in the last couple of weeks about how Doc and I have adopted and fallen in love with a litte mutt named Dodger. Our "perfect" little guy has shown his not so perfect side.....he is an escape artist. Our now Artful Dodger staged his own escape Thursday night  by jumping on a table in the garage, hitting a garage door opener with his paw and taking off as quickly as a pickpocket. No, I don't think he knew what he was doing. I think it was a fluke and an oversight on our part leaving the opener on the table, but he was gone.

After alerting the neighbors,who were very nice to us help look for him,  and driving around for hours calling his name,  to no avail, we spent a long, sleepless, anxious and lonely night.  He has a chip and a rabies tag, so I held out hope. Friday morning, after hours of contacting all the places you can contact to find a lost dog, we got a call from our vet that they had gotten a call from the local humane society and he was there. I had tried to call there all morning, but they don't answer phones until 11 a.m.  Someone had found him and taken him there Thursday night. . We are a happy family today.

Artful Dodger

Random Dozen #1

I'm joining Linda's Random Dozen for the first time today. You can check out Linda's blog here

1. If you could master one sport what would it be?
I would like to be able to play tennis better and I would like to be able to understand all the rules of soccer better.

2. When you make a purchase, do you go with your gut instinct, or do you do research to make and informed decision?
I'm pretty much an impulse buyer, so that doesn't leave a lot of time for research. I'm that way with everything from shoes and ear rings to cars and houses.

3.There is an old kids' game that says you can find out what your movie star name would be by using your middle name as your first name and the name of the street you grew up on as your last. What is your movie star name?
Jean Wheeling

 4. Would you rather give up your favorite music or your favorite food?
I wish I could answer this differently, but I would probably give up a favorite song before I'd give up a favorite food.

5. There are two types of banana preferences. One is pristine yellow, almost to the point of being green; the other is spotty and more ripe. Which is your preference?
Definitely the pristine yellow ones, unless I was going to make banana bread.

6. Your favorite tree is?

Weeping Willow, or Aspen. We have about a dozen Aspen trees in our yard, and they are beautiful in the fall when their leaves are golden and in the winter when they are bare and snow covered.

7. On a scale of 1-10, how tech savvy are you?
I'm pretty low on that scale, probably 2 or 3, but I'm here and learning.

8. Has H1N1 touched your family?
Thankfully, no.

9. Are you an analytical person, or do you just accept things the way they are without questioning or scrutinizing?
At work I'm analytical. Otherwise, I think I need to worry less and analyze more.

10. Is your personality more like that of a dog, cat, or Koala?
Probably more like a dog. Dogs are pretty open about their feelings and wants. Cats are more inscrutable.
I don't know much about Koalas.

11. Do you keep in touch with friends you made years ago?
Not near as much as I wish I had. I have lost track of some friends I was very close to at one time.

12. You are checking out at a grocery store. In the express lane, there are more people than the regular lanes, but of course, their load is less than those in the regular lanes. Which lane do you choose (assuming you qualify for the express lane) and why?

I always use self-check out.

Career Path-Not or I Think I'll Just Keep The Job I Have

I've had my current job for over 11 years and there are days (weeks and months) when I think I need a change, something different and maybe part time. I'm not even sure how to go about looking for a job in today's world, but I'm pretty sure a resume  is involved and that's where I run into trouble. My career path (or lack therof) has zigged and zagged such that my resume would probably only zig-zag its way to someone's trash.

My first job, other than babysitting, was when I was 14. I opened mail for a newspaper columnist, Troy Gordon. He wrote a humor column for the Tulsa World, so he, in turn, got some pretty funny mail. Not a bad first job.

When I was 16 I worked after school in the stationery department of a fancy department store. My favorite part of that job was getting to go to the store's hoity-toity tea room during my dinner break.

Then came college and a journalism degree. That got me a job at a newspaper with stellar assignments like writing obituaries and covering school board meetings in Norman, OK.

Then came Motherhood, my most important and most lasting job, but not exactly a resume filler. Over the next 15 or so years, I had several part-time jobs in several cities. I taught pre-school (loved it) for a few years. I did some free lance writing for local publications. I worked as an assistant producer for a radio talk show, which was one of the most fun jobs I ever had. I did some modeling and taught a class at a junior college called "Poise for the Professional Woman". (I hated that name). I wrote feature stories and a weekly column for the Daily Oklahoman in Oklahoma City.

After some life changes (divorce) and some additional schooling, I went to work full-time for the first time in years as a paralegal. After a few years I decided I needed something more lucrative and worked for a factory rep firm that sold furniture to hotels and hospitals. I was a dismal failure at that job, but to this day I can identify the manufacturer of the fabric on a chair in a hotel room.

A couple of zigs and zags after that I began my current job in financial services.

Since I have no clue how to put all the above into a coherent resume, I guess I will keep the job I have until I get the courage to call myself "retired".

Sundays in my City

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We woke up to a lot of white in my city this morning. There is nothing more quiet and peaceful than an early morning walk in the snow. We have 6-8 inches now with a foot predicted by the end of the day.

There is snow

and more snow

I missed the best picture, me falling and sliding down a hill on my bum.

There will be chili for dinner tonight.

Six Word Saturday

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I wish blogging wasn't so addictive.

Becoming One Of "Those People"

Yes, it's true, Doc is becoming one of those people. You know those people, the ones that get a dog and treat it like the child they never had, even though they have had a couple of kids. We have only had Dodger for a few  days and Doc has already checked out every veterinarian, pet supply store and dog groomer in the area. They have gone together to the dog park, the regular park, the donut shop, the pet store to get "fitted" for a collar and just out and about because "he looks like he wants to go for a ride."  Dodger is pretty good at looking like he wants to go for a ride....every time he sees Doc open the door to his truck he jumps up into the front seat.

I , of course, have been a perfectly sane and reasonable dog owner (or as our neighboring city, The Rebublic of Boulder,  changed their municipal code to say, dog guardian). I have only hand fed him a few times, and only if he seemed reluctant to eat. I have only bought a few dozen toys for him, and I only take him in the car with me if it involves a necessary dog guardian task.

Oh, and I have planned a couple of play dates for him, mostly to meet the grandkids, and a neighbor dog or two.  He still has two more grandkids to meet, but so far he has been a champ-gentle  with the little ones and playful with the older ones.

So, I just have to shake my head at Doc and his silliness. I"ll let them have their fun....I have to go check the internet for doggy seatbelts.

Sunsets and Faces

Sunsets like this

Make me wish I was a better photographer.

So do faces like this

and this

One Lovely Blog Award

Thank you so much to delicious Alix at Casa Hice for bestowing the One Lovely Blog award on  Living Consciously. I am so pleased to receive it and especially to receive it from Alix. Her blog should be read by everybody. She is sometimes funny, sometimes touching and always interesting and honest.

If I had the computer skills to create an award I would create the Thank You For Making Me Feel Like One Of  The Cool Kids" award and bestow it on Alix. Instead, I will just say thank you and quote Alix in regard to the award.

"It's lovely, you're lovely and there can never be too much of that!"

I'm As Corny As Kansas In August......I'm In Love With A Wonderful Guy

Yes, it's true, I'm in love, and he is truly a wonderful guy. Though a bit of a mutt, he is a very handsome, friendly and full of life one year old.  He told the people at the shelter that his name is Dodger, so I guess, we'll stick with that. He has had a pretty sketchy life for his first year, but seems to have retained a positive spirit through it all and is ready to share all he has to offer in a forever home.

As I was driving home from the shelter after meeting and falling in love with Dodger, the old song from South Pacific, "I'm In Love With A Wonderful Guy", came on the radio.

I'm as corny as Kansas in August

High as a flag on the 4th of July

If you'll excuse the expression I use

I'm in love with a wonderful guy

I am in a conventional dither

with a conventional star in my eye

And you will note there's a lump in my throat

When I speak of that wonderful guy

Corny, I know, but it was exactly how I felt after meeting Dodger.

Dodger has to spend one more night at the shelter so he can have his little boy parts tampered with first thing tomorrow. Doc will pick him up before I come home from work. Needless to say, I can't wait. I'm sure there will be surprises, both good and bad, as with any new member of a family, especially a canine member. But for now, I'm in love with a wonderful guy, and I can't wait to get him home.

I'm Ready to Shop, But It's Just Too Soon

I heard the first Christmas television ad of the year last night. At least it was the first that actually penetrated my psyche. It did make me feel like I should start my Christmas shopping, but I can't just yet. It is a little too soon. I am not one of those people who can do my shopping for Christmas in October or November and get everything wrapped and put away in the closet to wait for the big day. Nope, once I start I can't stop. I have to wait until I barely have time to get it all done, just sliding under the wire around Christmas Eve.

 If I did start now, or if I had started in October, I could probably have it all done and ready to go by the first of December and be set to sit back with a cup of egg nog and enjoy the season. I could do they that, but I know I wouldn't. I have tried it before and it just didn't work. I am not a particularly good shopper or a very smart shopper. I don't really like to shop, for anything. I am an impulse shopper and the spirit of the season just keeps those impulses snapping no matter what I have already bought.

I will have a list of things that are needed and wanted by a family that is struggling this year, and this year there are many struggling. I will get that done first, and that may be the best shopping of all.

Six Word Saturday

Happy 40th anniversary to Sesame Street

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A Beautiful Wedding, A Fun Trip and Technical Difficulties At Home

I arrived home from a beautiful wedding and a very fun trip to a computer that wasn't working. A very technically gifted young man came yesterday and got my computer working and then last night and this morning Blogger was only working part time for me. Then my pictures wouldn't download with the program
I normally use, so when I got them downloaded I couldn't do any editing (thus the head in the bottom of my first picture ). 
I think I have almost everything back in working order for now, including myself after my first day back at work today.

Here are some pictures of the wedding and the setting.

I left in the middle of a snow storm that left 24 inches of snow at our house, enjoyed a few days in the sun and came home to almost all of the snow melted. It is going to be 75 degrees tomorrow. I have no complaints.