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Saturday, July 31, 2010

Purple-ness Part 2




Purple-ness

A study in purple....in my garden and beyond






*Burp*


It's standard
for me to get contracts a year in advance
for judging foods
However
this past week
I just received the full contract
for the next 2 days
and
read it through
OH
MY
GOD
!
Apparently I can plan on over 450 entries
a BBQ contest
and
I'm to handle a media interviews at 11pm
for the local newscast
On the upside, they will
feed me dinner
(as if I'll be wanting dinner?)
Guess this means I'll be bringing
my elastic pants
and a big bottle
of
Tums




Friday, July 30, 2010

The Wilding


Sometimes
even I get tired
of
being pampered and spoiled
It's like
something happens
inside
All my muscles
scream for release
and start to take
on a life of their own
Wes calls it
''The Wilding''
It's not like being bi-polar
its more like a restlessness
that I allow to take over
Think of it as horse
who takes off on a dead run
around and around
exhausting itself
before being led to a carriage
and
allowing itself to stand docile
while it's being hitched
When ''The Wilding'' happens
I can't help myself
All I want to do
is
drive my motorcycle too fast
bungee jump
sky dive
invest my heart in terrible friendships
spend lavish amounts of money
and
basically thrash around
for awhile
until the feeling
subsides




Wednesday, July 28, 2010

An Unexpected Moment

Sometimes
When you are just driving along
thinking about other things
not looking
at your surroundings
the universe calls out to you
and says
''PAY ATTENTION''
(and I'm so glad I did)








Monday, July 26, 2010

Waterworks

Up until a year ago
I rarely cried
In fact
My mother recently admitted
she would spank me longer and harder
than my siblings
because I refused to give in to tears
even as a child
In fact
Wes had seen me cry
maybe about half a dozen times
in our 28 years
So
why all the waterworks now
?
I guess I've finally figured out
after all this time
it's okay to cry
it doesn't make you weak
or silly
and
there is such relief
in
allowing your deepest emotions
to
bubble to the surface
and pour onto your
cheeks



Sunday, July 25, 2010

Vanilla


There are hazards to marrying someone
who is 10 years younger
impulsive, quick, spirited
and
very very
different than yourself
Basically for the past 28 years
Wes
has been awakened
by me
in the middle of the night
asking a question
and expecting a full conversation
Seeing me roll my eyes
when we go to an ice cream shoppe
with 8,000 flavors
and he picks vanilla
and me saying out loud
''you are KILLING ME''
In his clothing
He loves plain, solid colors
which makes me oh-so-crazy
He quietly fixes things
that
I toss down in frustration
and
while he's not quick to give an opinion
or to laugh
or talk
I cannot imagine
how tough
it must be to live
with me
also
(but let's not mention that part, okay?)


Friday, July 23, 2010

Giving Up



Is giving in
actually
giving
up
?
Lately I've been reminded of the legendary
Native American Chief Joseph
who, on his last battle
which ended in defeat
(again)
said
''I will fight no more, forever''
He said this for the greater good
to protect his people
He put aside his own feelings
to
ensure their safety and future happiness
That is what a true leader does
but
I often wonder
what was really going through his mind
and I also wonder
if
losing himself
was worth the
sacrifice
?

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Nirvana, Edited


Part of the problem
of
living a life of extraordinary privilege
working in an awesome environment
or
having a fantastic relationship
is
when it's gone or altered
even slightly
to be something less than it was
it
can never be recreated exactly again
I think of it like a balloon
that
has been blown up full
and beautiful
and
then deflated
Obviously
The balloon can't
go back to what it originally
was
and everything following after
is never
ever
the same


Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Monday, July 19, 2010

Strawblueberry Shortcake



** Mix sliced strawberries and blueberries together with sugar
** Whip some heavy cream, sugar and vanilla until peaks form

Buttermilk Pound Cake

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1-1/2 cups white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.Grease a loaf pan.
Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

2.In a large bowl, beat butter with sugar. Mix in the eggs, one at time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the lemon and the vanilla extracts. Gently mix in flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Pour batter into the prepared pan.

3.Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes. Do not open oven door until after 45 minutes. When cake begins to pull away from the side of the pan it is done. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Summer....again.


It's summertime again in the Pacific Northwest
It reminds me again exactly
why I live here
I can't think of anywhere
else
I'd rather be than here
this
time of year
And so......
my blog posts for the Summer
will be kind of hit and miss
as I inhale
fields of mint
and clover
and fresh hay
and make my way to the beach
and just
absorb


Sunday, July 11, 2010

Mint Julep Recipe





Tammy's Mint Julep (non alcoholic)


2 cans frozen limeade concentrate
1 can frozen lemonade concentrate (not pink!)
1 capful mint extract
green food coloring , few drops


Mix above together and then add 9 cans of water.
Garnish with maraschino cherries, mint leaves, lime and lemon slices as desired.
A big splash of alcohol works well, too.


I came up with this recipe after having something similar at Disneyland's Blue Bayou Restaurant many years ago. Always refreshing in the summer.

The Women's Locker Room

I swim nearly every day at our local indoor pool
I swim laps back an forth for about an hour, but the real exercise comes in the form of trying to maneuver around the etiquette of the locker room.

I've broken down my observations into age categories

Age 0-9 Doesn't care who sees them naked. Have to force them to slow down just to get their suits onto them. Jumps, skips, and stares at others. Beware of questions from this set. They are brutally honest and inquisitive

Age 10-20 Would wear a parka and mud boots into the showers if possible. Typically hunched over. No eye contact. Furtive glances into the mirrors to make sure they are as hideous looking as they inwardly thought they were (and they aren't)

Age 21-32 This set runs around nude even when it's unnecessary. Shaves, exfoliates, lotions, plucks eyebrows, puts on makeup and talks on cell phone all in the buff.
As well they should. Well, most anyway.

Age 33-64 Covered with a towel or robe. Will typically use the private showers and dressing stalls. Tries to carry on normal conversation while getting ready for their crazy busy days. The only exception will be the gals who have had breast augmentation. Those particular ladies parade around showing off to the ones who aren't quite as perky. Waits to the last minute to get dressed. There's no way she's covering her girls until she has to.

Age 65-99 Gloriously uninhibited. Has no problem having full conversations standing bare with just flip flops on their gnarled little feet. Stands in the way of everyone else and doesn't move aside, even when asked.
Just pretty happy to be there. Standing.


Since I've never been in a men's locker room (well, except for that time in the Oakland Raider locker room with John Matusak, et al. in 1980....but that's another blog.....)
I can't really say what men are like in theirs.
I can imagine there is a lot of towel snapping and horrible, bad jokes.
But then again...Maybe I've just been jaded by the Porky's movies.
Nope, I don't have a clue about the male locker room etiquette.
But I'm willing to learn!


Saturday, July 10, 2010

Tick Tock


Giving the gift
of your time
is
a lot more important
than giving folks
baubles or trinkets
because
simply talking to someone
or sitting there
(and not talking)
tells them
that
they matter to you
I believe people crave
mattering to someone else
a lot more
than they let
on




Friday, July 9, 2010

A Life Lesson


The most wealthiest of people
you know
the ones with a
gazillion dollars in the bank
find out
quite fast
after they have bought everything
they ever desired
travelled as much as they could fathom
bought the home(s) they always wanted
helped the charities they believed in the most
and
enjoyed the finest everything
money could buy
that
at the end of the day
they need to
seek out human connections
friends and loved ones
to experience a
feeling of completeness
which
cannot be purchased
and
they learn right away
what the poorest of the poor
already knew






Worth a read...very funny

http://www.27bslash6.com/missy.html

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Mouths of Babes



My son is home for a week
His first words to me
were
''I'll be there in a minute, hold your horses!"
and
''you don't look so hot''
Nice to see him too
He's gotten so tall
apparently had a huge growth spurt
the past 7 months
my head tucks comfortably
well below his armpit
This is NOT a good place
to be in
100 degree weather, by the way
And
I really struggled to appreciate
the
"I miss you, Mom''
noogies
But I'm glad he's home
even temporarily
because
having him near
actually
having both my kids
in the same place
means
my heart is full
once again


Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Is Loyalty Overrated?


I don't get it
Why does it feel like
in a relationship
only one partner
(namely me)
seems to be the primary
caretaker
?
When is is all right
for the other to just skate along
knowing that
their significant other
or friend
(namely me)
will handle literally all
the
work and labor
of maintaining
and nurturing
the bond
?
And when is it all right
to finally call it quits
and
only take care of yourself
?





Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Time Flies


Today my son will be coming home to visit
for a week
He hasn't been here since December
I will have him sleep in his old room
but
his room no longer has
a huge outdoor mural of
trees and a stream
nor does it have neon beer signs
or pictures of his friends
or
climbing and scuba gear displayed
like art work on huge hooks
Now his room is painted
a soft sage green
and looks decidedly
like it came from the vintage Paris catalog
where
I got the inspiration
His old room has been decorated
like this
since he moved out
but
every time he visits
and
he walks through those doors
I can see
the dismay and the disappointment
in his face
because coming home
in his mind
anyway
means everything should have stayed exactly the same
(even his parents)
as the day he stepped out of those doors
and began his life
as an
adult




Monday, July 5, 2010

Actual Conversations....Really.





Wes has been off work the better part of 2.5 weeks.
That's 6 years in dog life
or 12 years in my life.
These have been actual conversations around our house
as I sidestep him in an effort to go about my daily business
And while he's not deliberately a funny guy...I still have to laugh.
Or I'd kill him in his sleep.



Him "Why don't you fold OUR toilet paper into cute origami shapes like the hotel does?"
Me: "This way, even your ass gets pampered when its on vacation"


On the side of the road, Day 7 of the trip:
Him: "We are bad ass bikers. Please don't do those ballet moves next to your bike. I know your leg is numb and it helps, but damn that's just embarrassing"


Him: "What are you doing?"
Me: "I have a book open, I'm lying on the sofa and I have my reading glasses on"
Him: "and?"
Me: "It's a pretty safe assumption to think I may be reading"

Him: "Hey, that Circus of Olay is on television"
Me: "Don't you mean the Cirque de Soleil?"
Him: "That's what I said"

Him: "Come look at this!!"
Me (busy): "What is it? Is it important?"
Him: "No"
(Repeat this exchange about 3 dozen times a day)

Him: "Supposed to get to 99 degrees tomorrow"
Me: "I know. You said that 4 times in the last 15 minutes"
Him: "Just making sure you know you're going to be hot and miserable tomorrow"
Me: "Thanks."

Him "Wow, my headache is gone and I've got all this energy. What did you give me to take?"
Me: "Midol"
Him: "My cramps are gone too"

On the trip:
Me: "They don't have salads at this biker bar".
Him: "You ride a 1300. For God's sake....have the meat and beer"



Now can you understand why I'm thinking his retirement may not be the best thing ever?

Yeah.


Saturday, July 3, 2010

One step forward.....

Everyday
I try to do something that challenges me
makes me uncomfortable
or
flat out scares me
and
I've noticed that when
I take on an extra hard task
all I want is
to be
surrounded by those things
that bring me comfort
like
familiar music
soft fabrics that move
books I love
hot tea
and the
sweetest Scottish Terrier
alive
Mad Maggie McTavish
(aka ''The Moo'')
I guess even adults are like the tot
who ventures out of her mother's arms
to explore the world
then
retreats back when it all
gets to be
too much