YOUNG LOVE, OR WHATEVER....

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I have been going through boxes and albums of pictures for the past year, and why I've been doing it.  I've been re-living memories... things I thought I would never forget, but, after seeing some of these pictures, I had.  So, I thought I would force HUSBAND to remember these things too, whether he liked it or not, but, (sadly for me!) he remembers way more than I do.  I'm not happy about this fact.  Women are supposed to be the "remember-ers", not men.  NOT so in my marriage, it seems.  He probably remembers the band we saw at Magic Music in Waco in 1973.

HUSBAND and I grew up in the same small town and have loved each other since 5th grade, so he says.  I remember 7th grade, but whatever!!  He can win that argument!  This past weekend I attended a beautiful, sweet wedding of a young couple who where together in high school also.  It made me smile.  And think.

Just tonight I found these pictures, taken in one of those little photo booths at Six Flags in Arlington... I got chill bumps.  I'm pretty sure the year was 1972, and I was a junior in high school, he was a senior.  But I'm sure HUSBAND will correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't remember WHAT the deal was with the hat.  I'm sure it was cute at the time. Hum. I remember the shirt I was wearing, and I remember the beads HUSBAND was wearing - like it was yesterday.  I remember standing in long lines for rides, and making out!  :-)

And being very happy.

THREE THINGS - UPDATED!

The past 4 days have been wonderful.  I was worried about it when I wrote the last post.  Wasn't sure I was up to it.  I'm a homebody right now (and really aways have been, but....).  I tend to whine a lot, and feel sorry for myself WAY too much.  Sometimes I'm just really pathetic.

But, I puffed out my chest, and took it all on this past week, with the encouragement of Husband and Daughter, and friends.  I was able to spend time with those wonderful friends, and celebrate two memorable occasions....

#1  - The first was spending time with these girls......

I'll write more about these three another time, but just know that I LOVE these girls more than I can say. They each have a charm I gave them a little over a year ago, a milagro, which means love and joy.  They are amazing young women - have been friends since before kindergarten.  One of them is getting married next October, to a young man we also love! (Thank goodness for him!!)  I can go on and on about them, but I'll stop! I just love them so much!

#2  - The other thing I was fortunate enough to be a part of was a wedding of sweet, young friends, under this huge oak tree, at a beautiful park in East Austin.

This picture was after everything had been cleared away, but it was beautiful.  Enhanced by baseball games going on close by, a birthday party with a loud pineda bashing, jump-rope songs, etc.  It was an hour I will never forget - the sweetest wedding I have ever attended.  The couple has been together for 8 years.  An aunt of the groom officiated the wedding, and at the end, she respectfully said,  "By the power invested in me, by the Internet, for $30, I now pronounce you husband and wife."  It was priceless!  None of the 75 people present had a tearless eye!

#3  - And the third thing on my previous list, ironing.... I avoided as much as possible.  Nobody said to me, hey you needed to iron that.  So..... another lesson learned.

THREE THINGS

I have three things I have to do over the next three days.......

#1  A party with dear friends.  So excited.

#2  A wedding for sweet, young friends.  So excited.

#3  Ironing.  Shit.

Life.

OPTIONS

I was at the grocery store last night, needing eight things - I had a list.  Things I needed to make food for the football-watching guys who were coming to our house today.  It's THE BIG GAME in my world.  (Sadly, it didn't turn out as anticipated.)

I also needed to pick up some meds from the pharmacy.  I am at that pharmacy A LOT, believe me!  But, it was 6:30 on a Friday night.  I guess, a "heavy-traffic" time.  I was fifth in line at the pharmacy.  Four of us were humming elevator songs in our head, I'm sure, trying not to make eye contact with each other, just wanting to pick up our pharmaceuticals, go grab the chicken and the eggs and the toilet paper, and get ON WITH THE WEEKEND!

So, I really had time to study THIS.....

(I took this picture from my phone, discretely, for fear of being labeled a pervert!! )  What I really wanted to do was scream at everyone around, "People, come look at THIS!"

This display case is in front of the pharmacy at this particular store.  I mean RIGHT in front of the counter - attached to it.

AND IT'S LOCKED!  IT'S LOCKED!

I assume "they" think all the good stuff is in there, so they have to lock it up.

And FORCE PEOPLE TO WAIT IN LINE AND ASK FOR CONDOMS!  Or for YEAST INFECTION cream.  Or a pregnancy test. Or for A LUBRICANT.  Geez.

So,  again, here is what was in the case.......

Condoms, pregnancy tests, vaginal lubricant, yeast infection cream, bladder infection meds, condoms, condoms, condoms.  And condoms.   And you see that empty space?  I think that was for more condoms.  Sold out of that one.

  

Women's' products took up half the case.

Condoms took up half the case.  (That's a whole blog in itself!)

So, the most private, intimate parts of a person's life, and this store wants people who want and/or need these items to WAIT IN LINE AND HAVE A CLERK COME OUT AND UNLOCK THE CASE SO THEY CAN GET. WHAT. THEY. NEED.   While everyone else standing in line is watching!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Just wrong.

Most women wouldn't have a problem with asking, however.  They would just go up to the window,  no matter who was around, and tell the Pharmacist, "I need this pregnancy test you have locked up out here, so get the keys and get it for me!  Right now."

I'd like to watch a man go through the same process to buy condoms.

(Sidebar - And WHY are we locking up condoms???  Shouldn't they just be in a big bowl on the counter by the mints?  Again, a whole other blog!)

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The guy who loved the SEGWAY so much that he bought the SEGWAY company........
drove/steered/plowed his Segway off a cliff at his home yesterday.  He didn't survive.

I've been so bothered by this.

I can't make this up.....

"SEGWAY OWNER DIES IN SEGWAY CRASH"

I guess "crashed" is a questionable verb.  There wasn't another Segway involved.  Or any other vehicle.  He ran it off a cliff.

Just how sad is that.  I've thought about it all day.  How really sad.

And what does that mean for an equal thing happening to us, comparable to our own jobs.

Wow.  I just think we should think about this.  All of us.

If you're a cab driver, or a dog trainer, or a waitress... or a lawyer, teacher, nurse..?  What are the similar possibilities for death?  We need to stop worrying about cancer, or heart attacks.

I just can't stop thinking about it today.

And, what will Segway guy's obituary be?  What will it say?  How will his family say he died... "doing something he loved" ????  Just more things to think about.

So those are my thoughts for today.

Am I the only one who thinks about things like this???

MY TEAM LOST TODAY

I'm a HUGE football fan.  And a Longhorn fan.  And a Cowboy fan.  Correction, WAS a Cowboy fan.  (I'm a defector.)  

And I love winning.  When it comes to football, they have to WIN.  I hate losing.

The boys that play football need to be winning those games.  Isn't that the goal?

My teams suck this year.

The Cowboys...

...are just simply horrible.  We can't even sugar-coat it.  They stink.  And Tony, well....

Another team I LOVE to follow is the Tennessee Titans.  VINCE!  VINCE!  VINCE!

                                            

They stink, also.  Vince, what's up, man?????  Get your shit together!!!!

Then, there are the Houston Texans.............

Never been MY team of choice, but they are WINNIN' SOME GAMES!  They're scrappy!!  And they are fun to watch!!! 

So, as far as the NFL goes, I'm a Texan's fan now!  I like scrappy!  WINNERS!!!!

They play the Cowboys tomorrow.  Go Texans.  Please win.

BUT, my main team, (yes it's college), the Longhorns..... 

........LOST TODAY!!!

They didn't just lose, they also stunk.  They weren't good.  They were horrible, too.

As far as sports go for me, FOOTBALL IS IT!!  I hate that it just lasts from late August through early January.

It's not how you play the game in football.  It's whether or not you WIN the friggin' game!!!  WINNING is the goal.  Do whatever you have to do to WIN THE GAME!

I don't like basketball.  Or baseball.  Just give me more FOOTBALL.

And a team that WINS GAMES.  ALL of them.

We don't care if you're hurt, or had a death in the family, or your house burned down yesterday.  JUST WIN THE GAME!  Just win the game.

:-)

3 THINGS I SHOULDN'T DO WHEN I'VE HAD A BAD DAY

#1 - Call my mother.  (Ok, it WAS her birthday so I couldn't avoid it.)  She's 79.  She thinks she's 109.  I'm done with telling her she's not.

#2 - Answer the phone when my mother calls BACK to tell me something she forgot. Never good.

#3 - Answer the phone when my mother calls BACK AGAIN to tell me something she forgot.

And, as I told my friend DJ tonight, who texted me in the middle of these 3 things...... it was causing sharp chest pains!

AND, to add to my bad day, and the mother-calling thing, there was a FLY IN THE HOUSE.  Luci goes absolutely nuts when that happens.  Nothing is safe.  And I have an inadequate, not-functioning, flyswatter.  Plus, I didn't know who to hit with the flyswatter tonight.  I had options.

I got the fly OUT of the house, but Luci stared at the backdoor for an hour waiting for it to come back in.  NOW she's sleeping.  Right where I want to sleep.

Tomorrow will be better.  It's not my mother's birthday.

PRESCRIPTION DRUGS

Prescription drugs - we have a bunch of them on our bathroom counter, believe me.

But aside from that, I think some of the commercials for prescription drugs are pretty hilarious.  I mean, how many words, quickly said so that no one hears them, can they put into a commercial.  And they always show the beach, or the mountains, or somebody in a hammock, or throwing a football with some kids, or shopping in a cute little market holding flowers.  And, my favorite, the TWO bathtubs on the dock of a lake looking out to a mountain range. (The only time I've found one of those tubs outside, it had stagnate water and mosquitoes in it.)

So here are my TOP THREE favorite "passages" from these commercials.

(DISCLAIMER - So I don't piss anyone off, this is NOT meant to hurt anyone's  feelings. I know these are genuine, serious issues - believe me, I know.)

Ok, so anyway..........

THE TOP THREE STUPID THINGS PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES SAY IN THEIR ADS:

#3 - If you experience heart irregularity, you should stop taking this medication and call your doctor immediately.

#2 - If you are currently taking an antidepressant, and still feel depressed.......

And the #1 STUPID THING THAT PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES SAY IN THEIR ADS (and probably on everyone's list if they keep such lists, like I do), is.......

#1 - If you experience an erection lasting longer than four hours...............

I just think that if you, as the CEO of a multi-million dollar pharmaceutical company, have to say all these things, that you should probably have tested those drugs a little bit longer.  But, then again, where do you get all the test dummies???

I still get a few laughs every time I hear the ads.  I'm just sayin".

THE CATS AND MY DAY

I just know everyone wants to know about my cats, Pancho and Luci.

I've restrained myself from posting updates for a while.  A friend of mine told me that the most boring people she knows are people who talk about their pets all the time.

I haven't heard from her in a while.  I should call her.

ANYWAY...... HUSBAND and I had a day today.  Not horrible, but not a day at the beach, or at a mountain cabin, either.  So I was looking for any a diversion once we got home.

Here was Luci.  For fifteen minutes tonight.  She did this, and this, and this......

She wasn't understanding my day.  For fifteen minutes, did I mention, she stared at me.  Just like this.  So I thought of this.....

Same thought process.

But then after fifteen minutes, she did this........

And this.......

So how boring am I ?  I wore her out by doing NOTHING.

The whole time Pancho was doing this........

I need to mention that Luci is a female.

Pancho is a guy.

OK I CHANGED IT AGAIN

I changed the blog background..... I told you it might not last.  So the previous one lasted for 24 hours.  And you might not have seen it.  It was a definite faux pas.

I looked at it this afternoon and HATED IT.  It had globs of glitter on it.  And I hate glitter.

So now, I like this one.

Mellow.  

Thought provoking.

Elegant, yet casual.

Relaxing, yet exciting.

I'm full of shit.  But I like it for now.

NEW BACKGROUND

I got bored with my previous blog background.  I get bored easily.  I just don't always do anything about it.

And the previous background was starting to seem a little bit depressing to me, in addition to boring.  It lasted for a while with me, though.

So, today, during the boring Longhorn game, I tried out 8 different backgrounds.

Most were equally boring.  After three minutes.

This is what I found.  It's happy.  Maybe a little bit juvenile, but I don't care.  Right now.  It lasted on my "boring-meter" longer than three minutes. Until I get bored with it.

And the name of this not-yet-boring-to-me background is "Funky Chunky Fall".  I still can't figure that out.  Maybe the people who name blog backgrounds are the same people who write greeting cards for Hallmark. They're cynical.

So, here it is.  And it might change tomorrow.  Or tonight.  Or in fifteen minutes.

WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE A BIRTHDAY CAKE........

We've had THREE birthdays and an anniversary in our immediate family in the past 33 days.  Sucks.  Sorry, but it does!

Martha Stewart, or, as I like to refer to her, Martha, would have LOVED this grouping of significant events.

NOT ME.

The entire month of August is a HUGE, stress-filled, nail-biting, nightmare of a month for me.  And added to the family birthdays/anniversaries, it is also my most stressful month, workwise - I don't know why school doesn't start in October. What a more pleasant month!  I love October.

Anyway.....  I didn't make a birthday cake for MY birthday! (that's the only way I'd get one! But "they" know NOT to give me one, so...)

I didn't do a birthday cake for DAUGHTER'S birthday.  Soooooo glad she has wonderful friends (who aren't me!).

AND, I didn't make a birthday cake for HUSBAND'S birthday.  It never occurred to me to make him a birthday cake.  I don't know the last time I made him a birthday cake.  He might remember.  I'm pretty sure he does.  (But please, HUSBAND, don't tell everyone!)

I made great birthday cakes when "the kids" were young.  I'm going to send those pictures, soon, when I find them.

Soooo,  short story, WAY too long...... Here is what I did for HUSBAND'S birthday cake this year.  I made his favorite for dinner, King Ranch Casserole, or as WE like to call it "Mexican Chicken" (sounds less snooty).  And, since I didn't have birthday candles, since I don't make birthday cakes, I found something else.

Anyway......We had something to put some sort of candle on for HUSBAND'S birthday.........

And we laughed.  And we had a great evening.

Martha would not be happy with me, I'm sure.  But, surely, she would appreciate my determination.

I could write a whole book on "NOT Martha".

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HUSBAND!

Happy Birthday, honey!

Here's a little blast from the past...

This was a Jerry Jeff Walker concert, Soap Creek Saloon, April 1980.

(You and I were, obviously, looking at different things in this picture!)

It was 175 degrees in the building.

And the Lone Star was really cold.

And JJW's handlers had to keep putting him back on stage.  

And we were with good friends.

And we had SO much fun.

I remember that!

I like you more than cheese enchiladas!

xoxoxo

THINGS I WISH I HAD... THE SHORT LIST

There are a few things I wish I had.

The basic things, I've had.

The important things, I've had.

I've been lucky.  And I tell myself that every single day, when I wake up.  Even considering.

BUT, there are a couple of things (three) that are always are on my list of things I wish I had.

#1 - 10 MILLION DOLLARS, or more.  But that's on everyone's list.

#2 - Less body mass.  But that's on lots of lists also.

#3 - CLAVICLES.   These things......

I've never had them, even when I weighed 65 pounds.  I know.  I've looked at pictures.  Well, I know I HAVE them.  They just don't show up for me.  They stay hidden under the skin.  And I notice other women.  Some have them showing.  Some don't.  I just wish mine did.

They make every woman's neck look better.  They look younger.  Their necklaces look prettier.  And even their earrings.

And on men, well....

Yeah, well, it's been on my list for years and years.

I'll send my complete list of things I wish I had sometime soon.

But the top three will stay the same.

I ALMOST BECAME A DOG PERSON RECENTLY

I was rolling out our huge trash and recycling dumpsters to the street a few weeks ago, so the Angels of the City could swing by and pick up our shit, and haul it away for us.

I'm always SOOOOO appreciative and amazed that I don't have to haul it away myself.  I WISH I could give them all gifts, and second homes in Colorado, because there's NO ONE who deserves it more than those Trash/Recycling Angels.

But, anyway, here's what I'm trying to get to......  As I was putting the dumpsters out, a beautiful brown and white, highly active, enormously friendly, dog came bounding up to me, licked my feet, took a rub around my legs three times, and picked up a stick... basically saying, I don't know who you are but I'm ready to play and you better throw this for me.

I'm SO not a "dog person".  I'm a "cat person", big time.  But I think this dog was like a border collie/lab/poodle/cow mix. I'm just guessing.  And she stole my heart immediately.

Dogs do not like me.  Probably because I'm not a "DOG PERSON".  But this one did.  I'm sure she did.  And especially when I gave her water and rubbed her stomach and called her by her name (which was on her tag).  The only reason I know she was a she was because her very responsible owners had tags on her, with her name, and their phone number.  They even had an extra tag, for the person who sometimes takes care of her when they're out of town.

I could have probably figured out she was a she anyway.  But....

Husband was watching my amazing dog skills from the back door.  I could see he was impressed!

My wonderful friend, M, adopts special needs dogs - she loves dogs so much.  She has dogs who are blind, and have commitment issues, and ADD.   (She has a cat too, Spot. I think M wouldn't mind if Spot got run over by the Angels of the City truck though.  She's not a cat person.)  She would have been so proud of me!  She would have been proud of my dog skills.

My found dog's name was Abby.  And when I called her Abby, after holding her down long enough to read the tags, she licked my hand.  And looked at me, in the eyes.  I so wish I could have gotten to my camera, because I would love to put a picture of her here.  One that I could look back on as the dog I ALMOST had.

There's no double about it, if she hadn't been claimed, she was mine!!  Husband didn't have a say in it.

Her sweet owner came to claim her.  She asked me, on the phone, where I was keeping her.  I told her she was in the garage.  The owner said DON'T LET HER OUT.  Which I had already, definitely, processed.  Owner showed up with a leash in hand.  We gently let Abby out of the garage, just long enough to attach her to that leash, and then she bounded to the car, dragging Owner behind.

Husband asked me if I asked Owner what kind of dog she was.  I told him it never occurred to me to ask.  She was a dog.

But Abby was special to me.  And if I ever find her reincarnation again, that specific border collie/lab/poodle/cow mix, I'll adopt her.  On the spot.

And I'll become a dog person.  My cats will be ok with it, I think.  If I am.  And, again, Husband won't have a say in it.

GREAT BUMPER STICKER - GREAT CAUSE

I just love, love, love when I'm driving home from my but-I-have-a-degree-job, and see things like this......

One of my favorite bumper stickers.  I love the cause, the dedication, the motivation, the imagination, the creativity.  Sooooo much better than "Help Fight Breast Cancer".  Although, that gets the message across, too.

And, every time I see the ta-tas bumper sticker, I want to immediately donate money - pull over into a Starbucks parking lot, whip out the iphone, credit card.....

And I smile when I see it.  Even knowing that it's a horrific disease.  But, how can you NOT smile - at least anyone who has ta-tas.

And if everyone had my sense of strangeness, and if everyone donated just a dollar every time they saw the ta-tas bumper sticker.... well, that would be something.

Anyway, I love it.  And I'm getting my own ta-tas bumper sticker.

Unfortunately... where I work, I don't think I can put it on my car.  Because Big Brother monitors that parking lot.  And "ta-tas" would be considered inappropriate.  But I'm getting one, or several, anyway.

I like creative people.  And this is creative, and makes you pay attention.

Sort of like an Armstrong bumper sticker that would say "We like our balls".

Equal attention needs to be paid to ta-tas as balls.

Ta-tas UNITE!!

Anyway, I like their bumper sticker.

So, donate a couple of bucks for our ta-tas.  Wherever you choose to do it.

I like seeing the bumper sticker on my way home from my but-I-have-a-degree job.
I also like seeing a cute guy on a Harley.

HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO BLOG LATELY

Just to let you know why I haven't posted anything lately....  We're in Aruba, having a wonderful, sun-filled, moon-drenched, gloriously relaxing vacation.

Here is where we're staying......

And here is the view from our balcony..........

HEAVENLY!!

Hopefully, I'll find time to send more pictures soon!

Love to all!

REAL MEN OF SOUTH AUSTIN

I live in SOUTH Austin now.  After a billion years in CENTRAL Austin.  Husband and I started out in SOUTH Austin, and I truly feel like that's where I belong.  I'm not sure I was CENTRAL Austin material.  I like that these people crank up the grill at 4 in the morning.  And they love statues.  And the color red.

AND BECAUSE I LOVE STUFF LIKE THIS.........

I was at a red light at the notorious William Cannon / Manchaca intersection.  Many lives have been lost at this intersection, so I say a tiny prayer every single time I make it from one side to the other, alive.

Well, last weekend, as I was waiting my required 2 hours to get through that intersection, I saw THIS..........

I was 3 miles away, considering the intersection, and I did the best I could with my Blackberry camera.  I wish the picture was better.  But let me explain what you're seeing.......

The front guy, as you can tell by his body language, was a South Austin TOUGHGUY.  He had the muscled body (yes I noticed!), the appropriate amount of facial hair, the tattoos, the do-rag on his head.  And the don't mess with me bitch attitude.  You could just tell.  Problem was, he was on his girlfriend's PURPLE VESPA.  Not his Harley.  He was desperately trying to maintain his TOUGHGUY image, though.  I would not be alive today if he had seen me taking this picture, I'm pretty sure.

ANYWAY.......  He was fun to watch for the 2 hours I was at that intersection.

The second guy in the picture, was just sad and pathetic.  Here's the picture again. 

                                

First of all, he was BEHIND harley-guy-on-his-girlfriend's-purple-vespa, and I'm sure he knew that he paled in comparison.  I'm sure he was thinking, oh shit, I'm stuck at this 2 hour intersection behind this harley-guy-on-his-girlfriend's-purple-Vespa.  

And, second of all, he was on a BICYCLE.  On Manchaca.  In South Austin.  Without the rest of his group of bicycle buddies.  Bicycle people have to stay in packs in South Austin.  And they have to yell loudly at each other when they go through intersections like this.  Protect each other.  They just do.

And, third of all, he was WIPING SWEAT off his forehead.  No do-rag.  Bummer.  He probably noticed that harley-guy-on-his-girlfriend's-purple-Vespa in front of him was NOT wiping sweat, and why.  The do-rag.  And maybe the TOUGHGUY thing.

Again, the picture.....

                              

So hopefully, purple-vespa-girlfriend was nice to harley-guy-on-his-girlfriend's-purple-vespa and fully appreciated what battlefield he went through for her.  Who knows why he was on it.  I just refuse to accept that the purple Vespa was TOUGHGUY's.  Just not.

And hopefully bicycle-guy found his manhood and stapled them back on.  He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.  And, maybe, he might consider a do-rag.

I LOVE SOUTH AUSTIN.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ME!

Today, Aug. 3rd, is Husband's and my anniversary.  We've been married for 36 years.  I've said that over and over in my head all day long.  Fearing I'm sounding like my long-gone grandmother, but, it seems like just yesterday.  It really doesn't seem like it was just yesterday.  But it's been quick.

So, because I can, I'm going to share some (more) wedding pictures.

This was 1974.  We were both 19 years old.  But in OUR heads, we were 25.  And we knew everything.  Everything.

Husband and I planned every single detail of our wedding ourselves.  Our parents just knew that there was nothing they could do to stop us.  So they let us plan our life and smiled.

Here is Husband and BOTH mothers.  One of the FEW times these two women would EVER be in the same picture, believe me.  Let's just say, different personalities.
My mother is on the right, Husband's the left.  Our wedding "colors" were blue and yellow. Husband's mother wore winter green - in August.  I NEVER figured that out.  It was a beautiful dress and she was elegant, as always.  She had a presence about her.  She was a lovely woman.  But, still, winter green?  She passed away six months before her first grandchild was born.  I think about her everyday. And what about my mother's hair???  It was the 70's and BIG hair was in, and hers was big.  My mother did everything perfectly for the wedding.  The last time that ever happened.

My dad, on the other hand, couldn't have done anything wrong if he had tried.  If I had something to tell my parents in my life, I always told it to my dad first.  He'd tell me when I should tell my mother.  That included the night I got my engagement ring, and the day we decided on the wedding date, and the day I found out I'd been accepted to UT.  Daddy told me how to handle things, always.

I wish he was here now to tell me how to handle a few things.

I can't even imagine how hard it was for my hard-working, WW2 vet, dad to wear a tux with ruffles on the shirt!  He never said a word.  He was 49 in this picture.  He loved me more than anyone ever has, probably.  Except, maybe for Husband.

I'll just hurry on through this.....  more wedding pictures........
(Sidebar - This two-hour period of my life is the ONLY time I have EVER been this thin.  Just have to say that.)
And, golly, how handsome is Husband here!!

I haven't mentioned that this was a mixed marriage.  Southern Baptist and Methodist.  So, we had to have two ministers (or as my folks call 'em, Preachers).  The "Preacher" is on the left in this picture, and you can tell that he is thinking, oh, gee, why are you kneeling?  Get Up!  We don't kneel in this church.

Wedding over!  And we had 3 bottles of champagne iced down in the car!!!!!!

This is my brother with my mom.  He was 4 years older than me and he was DRUNK, big time, in this picture.  He dealt with things his own way.  My dad is walking behind.  My dad and brother both passed away 5 months apart, a few years ago.  I miss them both so much.

Our friends.  WHAT a picture.  Wow.

And all these guys agreed to wear ruffled shirts also.  They loved us.  They might have been drunk, also.  The 70's.  There was NO event that didn't involve alcohol.  Our "Preacher" made sure he told us the night before, that there could be NO alcohol at the wedding.  So, I feel pretty sure that all these guys planned ahead on that deal.

AND, we're off.  To a hotel in Ft. Worth for the night.  Then on to Red River, NM for our honeymoon. I love that Husband looks so intent on getting me IN THE CAR in this picture.  Protective.  We were thinking about the 3 bottles of champagne iced down in the back.  And other things.  We were so young.

We came back from the honeymoon to our tiny home in Austin, and went to college, and work.

And proceeded to grow up.

Happy Anniversary, Husband.  I love you.  Still.  So much.

MY HOROSCOPE PART 2

After finding this strange one from the Statesman last week (previous post).....

The very next day, this is what the Statesman had to say.....

You walk with confidence, smile with intrigue??????  This is the same paper that was just telling me, the previous day, that my life of mirrors was just an illusion!!  

So, did the Statesman people find different experts on different planets to write these????  Maybe on altering days???  I would think that a newspaper/magazine/kindergarten newsletter would use the same sources for "topic specific" information.  Wouldn't you?

So, to further my investigation into the weird, degenerate, sadly-cosmic horoscope world (wink wink!), Daughter also showed me the current Chronicle horoscope for my chunk of the year (if I choose to accept it!!).  

If I thought these two above were weird, well, .......

I don't even know what to say about this one.  And who is this Brezsny person?  I'd like to meet him (before he sues me!).  Seriously, "soul pit located in the tear duct of the eye"?  "Send my soul flying through my soul pit."  "Stored up tears"????  (I have NO stored up tears - I use them all!)  "Pour them down like rain"??????  Wow, really?  This one makes the Hall of Mirrors thing look like a Miley Cyrus song lyric.  

Soooooo, I think these horoscope-writer-people are just strange individuals, like me, who have too much to say, but have a better vocabulary than me.  They have no additional connection to the universe, no greater insight into our daily lives, no more of a cosmic glimpse of things to come, than we do.  I just hope that other Leos out there aren't going to worry too much about their crying, or their tear ducts, or their soul pit.  I'm going to be worrying/thinking/obsessing about those things enough for all of the Leos out there!  I'll keep the Leo people posted.

THIS is why I've never read horoscopes.  And, I've picked now to start.  Hum.

MY HOROSCOPE

I don't pay too much attention to horoscopes.  I think those people who write them are like the people who work for Hallmark and write greeting cards.  The horoscope people, however, are messing with people's lives.  They should know that, and I hope they take their job seriously - WAY more seriously than the Hallmark people, except maybe the sympathy card people, they should take it seriously.

I don't read the paper during the week.  I just don't have time.  But I do read it on the weekends.  And I usually like to read the horoscopes, ALL of them, because I think they are funny.  I like to pick my own out of the collection of twelve.  I don't always like the one they assign to me.

But TODAY, those horoscope writers really OUTDID themselves for the LEO month.  Here is what my horoscope said:

"There will be a funhouse effect on your day.  It's like you wait in line to enter a hall of mirrors.  And while you're inside trying to find your way out, you may wonder why anyone would pay for such an illusion."

I mean I couldn't even make up something like this!  Wow!  I have no idea what it means, but I've thought about it all day long.  I stayed away from mirrors though.  I don't think I brushed my hair until 4:00 this afternoon, and then I tried to avoid the mirror - just in case the mirror thing meant something.  You never know.

This is just deep, man, you know, I mean, like, really.  Like really!!??

Maybe I should be finding some message in this.  Do you think?  I could use a cosmic message in my life right now.  I just don't know.

I'm definitely going to read my horoscope tomorrow though.  Hopefully it will say something like "Your luck at the lottery is definitely improving", or "That home in the mountains is definitely in your future".

We'll see.  Still going to avoid mirrors for one more day.

HUSBAND'S MAN-CRUSH

Here's Husband and Willie a couple of weeks ago.  Story to follow........

I've mentioned Husband's love of Willie Nelson before.  He's been a Willie fan for a billion years.  Husband and I grew up in a small town seven miles up the road from where Willie grew up.  Willie was always a common, everyday, conversational topic while we were growing up.  Not to mention a reason for drinking Lone Star, tequila, playing pool, dancing, boating, water-skiing, drinking, playing pool, drinking, etc.  You get what I'm sayin'.  Small town Texas.

Then Willie started having these 4th of July Picnics in the 70's, damn him!  And, of course, what you did at these was drink, dance, get sun-burned, drink some more, dance some more.  And have a great time.  The 70's.  We had fun doing anything in the '70's.

One particular Picnic at Bryan/College Station in 1974 almost caused Husband to not be husband, however.  We were getting married in four weeks, and wedding invitations hadn't gone out yet.  (The internet wasn't around then to tell us that we were ALREADY two or three weeks late sending them out so it really didn't matter!)  Husband went to the Picnic with his buddies, anyway.  I stayed home and did the wedding invitations.  And cursed him for three days.  There were tales of drunken escapades while he was there, still to this day those tales exist, but I IGNORED them.  I don't think we talked for those next four weeks though - until the night before the wedding - when we both decided that we just needed to get married and get the hell out of small town Texas and on to the big city of Austin, then we'd work it all out.  Which we did.

Then the next summer, right before our one year anniversary, we did it again, in Liberty Hill, with life-long friends.  Well, let me tell you it was HELL.  HELL.  There were tears, yelling, broken fingers, yes, broken fingers, SUNBURNS, mud, mud, sunburns, torrential rains, and mud, and peyote-eating people sitting next to us who were having "visions".

We almost didn't make it to our one year anniversary, needless to say.  Even after we almost didn't make it to our wedding day either.  ALL because of Willie Picnics.  That was the beginning of my lack of enthusiasm for Willie Picnics.  I'm the kind of gal who likes to go camping if there is air conditioning.

Those 4th of July Picnics continued into the '80's, however.  And the '90's.  And are STILL going on, of course.  I stopped going to the Picnics many years ago because of the bad sunburn part.  And the long lines to the port-o-johns.  And the fact that there were port-o-johns NOT bathrooms.  And the mud.  And the too many people part.  And the drunk people stepping on your stuff, and the sober people stepping on your stuff, and the naked people who you never wanted to see naked and wish you hadn't, and mainly the sitting in the sun part, and the no ac part, and the long day part.  And there's no TV.

Husband loves ALL that stuff, though.  The stuff that turns me off about those Picnics.  And, luckily, he has friends and children who love it with him.  Wife bailed.

God love that Willie-man.  I love a guy who never gives up.  Willie's definitely one of those.  So is Husband.  Determination & dedication are his strongest assets right now, believe me. 

I have so many pictures of Willie picnics over the years but I haven't found them all yet.  This one is from ten years ago, July 4th, 2000, at South Park Meadows in Austin (long before it was a shopping center).  I love this picture.  I love cute Husband in it (in the middle), Son on the left, looking like oh shit they are so not playing my kind of music here.  And Husband's good, good friend on the right.  They had a great time, even Son.

Here are a few other pictures of this year's 4th of July Picnic at The Backyard.  Husband is lucky enough to have some wonderful friends in the music business who made sure that he was taken care of for the day.  Daughter did an even better job of taking care of Dad.  And she was awe-struck by what she was a part of.

Husband bought this hat in the '70's as well.  It's had a hiatus for many years (you can figure out why!) but he brought it out of retirement for this year's Picnic.  He texted me that he was a "camera magnet" with it on!!  I just said hum really?  I told him it looked like he hadn't shaved since the '70's either.  He had the fur trimmed up a week later!!

....and a few more pictures from this year's Picnic.  Husband likes these because you see the BACKS of everyone on stage, hence, he was BACKSTAGE!!!!

I plan to send out similar pictures of Husband and Willie next year.  That's my plan.

JEEZ, LUCI, ONCE AGAIN !

This cat!  What can I say.  She provides A LOT of writing material.

She's been pissed at me for a few days.  She has a new sleeping spot on the bed and I DON'T LIKE IT.  So I've kept pushing her off the bed, for three nights, all night long.  I'm getting maybe less sleep than she is, but I'm trying to teach her that she can't sleep there.

And if any of you have cats you know that you can't teach a cat anything?  So, well, that's my point.  I haven't slept.  She manages to sleep - anywhere she wants.  Even where I don't want her to sleep.  So who is learning the lesson here?  Urggghh.....

So today I was watching her.  She usually hates when she sees me taking her picture, usually chatters at me, which I assume means jeez mom just leave me alone!  But, today she was completely ignoring me, so it allowed me to take these pictures.  OK, I was WAY, WAY far on the other side of the room and she couldn't lunge at my face, but I got the pictures!!!

Every time I open the curtain on this window, she treats the wooden, Mexi-cat, as a real, living thing.  It freaks her out at first.  She stays as far away as she can, glancing at it occasionally when she thinks it might be moving toward her.....

Ignores it for a bit.....

Finally, she slowly scoots closer, realizing that, oh yeah it's not real ha ha duh!

Then, she hears me.  I'm glad she couldn't reach me!

(I need to wash the outside of this window, don't you think?  These pictures would have been way more impressive if that window was clean. Putting that on my to-do list right now.)

Anyway, she finally gives up......

She's still not talking to me today, though.  We'll see where she sleeps tonight.

Maybe I'll choose a different place to sleep.