The Clock is Ticking...

We are quickly closing the books on 2012. For Haime and me, its been a year of blessings. As we look back on this year, we are thankful for our lives together; for our children (all 6 of them), our grandchildren (6 of them too), our parents (mom is the only one of this group who is still with us), and our siblings and their families. We are thankful for our health, our friends and our faith. We are thankful for the opportunities we have to travel, to explore, to entertain loved ones and mostly, to understand and acknowledge that all of our bounty comes from God. 

Neither Haime nor I would be considered particularly "religious." In fact, given some choices we've made in our independent earlier versions of ourselves, some might laugh at that suggestion for either of us. However, one of the great things about life is that it is ever evolving. Further, we ourselves continue to evolve. As we have both matured, so has our faith and our humble attempts to evolve into better and better versions of ourselves. I attend mass more frequently than does Haime, however, Haime has always had a much more personal relationship with God. As we look forward to 2013, our hopes, plans and wishes are more often inclusive of simple things like being more aware of the abundant gifts we are given and giving thanks for them.

One of the readings from mass this weekend was a road map for how to live our lives and the things we should strive to do in the coming year. It is taken from Col 3:12-17 and we believe that striving to follow it's message is a much better idea than making any resolutions for the New Year. 

Brothers and sisters:

Put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved,

heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,

bearing with one another and forgiving one another,

if one has a grievance against another;

as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.

And over all these put on love,

that is, the bond of perfection.

And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,

the peace into which you were also called in one body.

And be thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,

as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,

singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs

with gratitude in your hearts to God.

And whatever you do, in word or in deed,

do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,

giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Our wish for all of you, friends, family and readers, is for a year of good health, good friends, a loving family, good times, and good memory-making opportunities. 

Live Well, Love Much, and Laugh Often.

TTFN, 

Haime & Lois

It's the Hap...Happiest Season of All...

I'm not a big Will Ferrell fan but I'm also not a big fan of "slap stick" or the "stupid comedy" so prevalent today. (Geez, I sound like an old bitty...) I love comedy but I just can't get into the typical Will Ferrell (or Jim Carey for example) type of comedy. At any rate, I LOVE Will Ferrell's movie Elf. So, put yourself into the Elf mindset and say it with me..."Santa's coming, Santa's coming. I know him!"

I'm also a BIG fan of Christmas. I totally get into the whole thing. I decorate everything,
 (yes, including the bathrooms and laundry room). Even more than fall, (see my earlier posts), I love the smells, the sounds, the tinsel, the decorations, the lights, the palpable feelings of excitement and anticipation, and the thrill of the hunt. For me, the hunt is more than finding the perfect present for everyone, it's the hunt for finding the Spirit of Christmas in as many places as I can. It's the hunt for like-minded individuals who are bursting with the Spirit of Christmas and who, by just being around, spread their joy to the rest of us. It's the taking time to enjoy friends and family, just because you love them and want to be around them. It's attending Advent masses and retreats and getting your spiritual life in-order so "remembering the reason for the season" has deeper meaning every year. I love listening to Carter tell us what he wants Santa to bring him. I LOVE CHRISTMAS! One of my favorite things to do for Christmas, when my boys were growing up, was to attend their school Christmas programs. Whether they were part of the chorus, or played in the band, or had some part in one of the plays, school Christmas programs are too cool. They are one of life's constants and are not to be missed. This year was Carter's first Christmas program. His age group of children can only be described as perfect. When they came out in their reindeer antlers, (and reindeer tails), they stole the show. (Of course, this Nana might be a bit biased---NOT).

We celebrated Christmas Eve at my mom's with my 4 sisters and there families (except my niece, Sarah, who is still in the UK--we missed her). Most of us attended mass together beforehand then went to mom's for tamales, chili and all the fixin's. Today, Haime and I attended mass (again for me) and Reece and his girlfriend joined us. We met Chipper, Mallory and Carter at our house for breakfast and presents then everyone (my sisters and their families) came to our house for Christmas lunch. I love being around those I love for Christmas (and everytime we can arrange it). As we celebrate Christmas this year, we are ever mindful of the families who will not be together and we offer our prayers for them.


 From our family to yours, Haime and I wish you all a very Merry, Wonder-filled, Joyful Christmas.

Family. You gotta love 'em....right?

We celebrated our annual extended family Christmas today. These are my mom's siblings and their spouses and all of us, progeny. If my mom's generation is considered the P1 of this group, the genetic sample size is 5 then, add 3 spouses for a total of 8; my mom and one of her sisters are widows. I am, by definition, part of the P2 generation and there are 11 of us cousins + nearly that many spouses/significant others for about 19. The P3 generation numbers start to get a little more interesting, there are many more involvements here. We have biological children, step-children, spouses/significant others and legally separated but still involved relationships so the numbers here are closer to 40. The P4 generation is just getting started and has only one representative at this point. So, theoretically, we could have annual Christmas parties of  70, without breaking a sweat. Just to keep things particularly interesting, there are multiple cases where the P2 and P3 generations overlap...that is, there are representatives from P3 that are older than some in P2 and where the P4 generation is older than P3. Today, was a relatively small gathering with only about 31 attendees. Fortunately, each generation was represented. 

I actually love getting together for this annual function. I enjoy seeing my cousins and their children. It never ceases to amaze me how much older the "kids" are than what I envision them to be in my mind's eye. This is especially true if I haven't seen them in a couple of years. You know, we experience change ourselves and with our immediate family but, while we know intellectually that time marches on for all of us at the same rate, (no I'm not going to discuss some of the time continuum theories here); we forget that fact with people we don't see everyday. One case in point is Reagan, the second son of one of my cousins. Reagan graduated from college this past May, as did my son Reece. Intellectually, I know that they are the about the same age and both have started their adult careers. I even know that Reagan is on the "FREAKING BRILLIANT" end of the intellectual spectrum. I haven't seen Reagan in a couple of years. So, while my brain knew these the things about him, I was still amazed at the incredibly articulate, friendly and fun young man that I visited with today, especially since in my heart, he should be only about 12 years old. 

This cartoon doesn't particularly have any direct
relation to my post, I just like it.

The age range for our group is about 2 years to 80+ (my aunt Mary Louise would not like me to be more specific than that); and we are so blessed that we are close enough to enjoy cross-generational conversations. Don't misunderstand...this is family, so there is drama! People get their feelings hurt, or their panties bunched, or whatever; the important thing is that we mostly get over it. You all know that cartoon: "Our family tree has a bunch of nuts;" but, its family so you gotta love 'em...right? 

TTFN, 

Lois

Shared pain

I went to a funeral today for a man that I did not know particularly well. He and his wife are members of our church and his wife is a member of a church organization to which I belong. Additionally, I went to elementary and high school with one of his wife's sisters. It just seemed right today that I attend the funeral mass. During the homily, the priest talked about us being under two clouds today. The first, the cloud of grief for the family and friends of the man, Louis, whose funeral we were attending; the second cloud was a bigger cloud, one that engulfed the world as we mourn the horribly tragic slaughter of innocent children and adults at Sandy Hook elementary school yesterday. 

Louis, the priest went on, was a devoted husband, father and he was especially devoted to his only grandchild. Father Dennis, our priest, painted a picture of this devoted grandfather embracing all of the innocent children and comforting them with the knowledge that they are all surrounded by our Savior's love and light for all eternity.

Clearly I cannot give justice to the beautiful image painted for us, but I can tell you that there was not a dry eye in the place.

Hug your children a little tighter, whether they are babies or adults. Hug your friends, family members and be sure that all those you love, know that you love them. Pray for the families of those involved. Pray for all of us as we try and make sense of this nightmare.

A Horse of a Different Color

"A horse is a horse of course of course..." (please tell me that all of you recognize the opening words to the "Mr. Ed" theme from the early-mid-sixties.)  This post is really not about horses or any closely related equines, for that matter; rather, it is about twists of fate and dealing with change. So how, you might ask, does change have anything to do with a reference to an obscure memory for my childhood and specifically about horses?  Well, I'll tell you...I've helped people deal with changes in their lives for years. Professionally, my last job was in human resources. Let me just say, during certain parts of the year, the "career counseling" I did with people was all about dealing with change.

Its funny how we view things differently when we are directly involved. Haime and I moved with Chip and Reece to California from Texas several years ago when Haime accepted a promotion. It was a great decision for us all. The boys (at the time, men now...where the hell did the time go?) met some lifelong friends, Haime was very successful in his position and my career couldn't have been better. Mostly, we made some amazing and lifelong friends ourselves whom we miss everyday. When we told my family that we were moving, my parents were very supportive and never made us feel bad about our decision. Then...

Late last week we learned that Chip and Mallory might be relocating due to a job offer. WOW...suddenly the tables were turned. My first, (and honestly, my only real reaction) was one of pride. I was actually sort of surprised by that. I've written several times about how genuinely proud I am of our kids (whether by birth or marriage) and this felt like an expression of that. Haime and I talked about how often we'd travel to see them (OK, really we talked about seeing Carter), but we also talked about what an opportunity this might be for them. They have decided to stay put and continue working here which is great for us, but I'm also very sure that they will probably leave the area one day to pursue some career advancement. We remain very proud of them and the fact that others see what talent they have; I am also very proud of the fact that we can let them go, to pursue the path that is right for them.

Funny how being on the outside of changes around you, and looking in, is so very different than being more directly involved. You might even call it "a horse of a different color."

TTFN

Lois

Split second of fame...

We are happy to report that our Thanksgiving (week) was GREAT!

That is, for most of us it was great, Haime had a sinus infection and grumbled his way through most of week. Of course, to add insult to infection, he didn't get to play golf last week, then he learned that one of his  golfing buddies broke his leg (again), and will be out for an indeterminate amount of time. Poor Haime. He followed up the buzz-kill of Thanksgiving week by having a colonoscopy today. His is such an exciting life.

Speaking solely for myself then, I had a GREAT Thanksgiving. We generally have our Thanksgiving meal at lunch, as we did this year. All of my sisters and most of their families were gathered around the table(s) and, while there is usually some drama involved when families gather, we seemed to make it through the festivities with relatively little of that this year. The food was spectacular, the wine plentiful, (possibly the reason the drama was held to a minimum), and the company enjoyable. One of the highlights was getting to Skype my niece, Sarah, who is in Leeds, England. You just have to love technology!

Rather than participate in any "Black Friday" craziness, my sister Janet and I went to see Lincoln. Let me just say WOW! Haime and I used to go the the movies often but recently, we just don't seem to take the time or, we don't agree on which movies to see, or there are just none that either of us think are worth attending. This one is worth seeing, (possibly multiple times). If there are not multiple Oscar nominations for this flick, I will be very disappointed. Daniel Day-Lewis...INCREDIBLE. Of course the mid-nineteenth century insults are worth the price of admission on their own.

On Saturday, yep, you guessed it, I was bound for God's Country for the final regular season game for A&M's football team this year. We played MIZZOU and won...(WHOOP!). My sister Karen attended the game with me and we enjoyed the game, the cool weather and each other's company. Toward the end of the fourth quarter, my cell phone started going crazy with repeated "incoming text message" notifications. Then Karen's did the same. Of course, being a mom, my first thought was "uh-oh, what terrible thing has happened?" Well, as it turns out, Karen and I had our faces broadcast to the entire ESPN-watching world. My friend, Annette, took the pic the the left from her television screen and sent it to me later. So, if my split second of fame, (having my homely mug broadcast uninvited to your screen...(no I'm not smiling at the young man's pit...)) caused any of your televisions to instantaneously combust, blame ESPN. I have to admit, I thought it was kinda cool.  

TTFN

Lois

Counting Blessings...

For those of us fortunate enough to reside in the U.S., Thanksgiving Day is tomorrow. Thanksgiving is possibly my favorite holiday. To be honest, for years my joy over Thanksgiving came from the once a year chance to eat my mother's dressing. I'm not a big turkey fan, for me, its ALL about the dressing! In recent years, however, (possibly because since I'm closer to 80 than to 20), the joy I feel during this time of year is tied to the love I have for my family and friends. Unfortunately, my son Reece will not be with us tomorrow. While we will all miss seeing his devilish grin, he is safe and healthy and happy and will join us for a "late Thanksgiving" dinner next week...(we get dressing twice this year!) 

We are expecting a very full house tomorrow. Between my four sisters, their husbands and children, mom, Haime, my son Chipper and his wife Mallory and their son (the most amazing grandson in the world!), and me, we'll feed about 20ish. My niece, Sarah, will also be absent. She is in a "study abroad" program this semester. We are all very proud of her. I just don't think I would have had the self-confidence, courage and fortitude to live overseas by myself when I was 21. I am sure she can expect turkey and dressing when she comes home in a couple of months. (I may have to meet her at DFW and get in on the dressing in Dallas too!)

During Thanksgiving, we are called upon to count our blessings and to be thankful for all the gifts we have received. Of course we should never take for granted our health, employment, housing, etc, but I believe it is the people in our lives who are the truest blessings. I found this cartoon the other day and it just made me laugh. Riches are a common dream among many of us. We all have friends who work crazy hours at their jobs in the hopes of saving enough money to...

I know some people who play the lottery every day and spend more money on it as the jackpot dollars increase in the hopes of winning enough money to...

When I chose to retire at a relatively early age, the only riches I could count on are those listed to the right, above. You know, I'm fine with that. 

So to all of you viewers of this blog, thanks for taking a minute or two to read. You are a blessing to me. To my family and friends, (the regular reading of this blog is mandatory for them), you are my truest blessings. I love you each and all. 

Now, off to find the "stretchy pants" so I can be comfortable after attacking mom's dressing tomorrow.

TTFN, 

Lois

I'm with Sammy...

When I began driving, the speed limit on most Texas highways was 70 mph. Then, like most of the rest of the country, Texas responded to the gas shortages of the 1970s by lowering the limit to 55. In 1984, rocker Sammy Hagar released a song "I can't drive 55." Well, as the number of speeding tickets I have collected over the years will prove, I can't drive 55 either Sammy. 

Some of my friends will argue that driving at speeds over 55 mph results in much less efficient gas mileage and should, therefore be avoided. I'm sorry, while I agree with the issues of caring for our environment and conserving energy whenever and however we can, I just can't make myself drive under posted speed limits. I get frustrated with drivers who slow the rest of us down on highways by not maintaining proper speeds. I have posited the theory that slow driving actually causes more traffic accidents on major highways than does moderately higher speed. When on major highways, we expect other drivers to be travelling at the posted speed limits and, if they are not doing so, that they have the courtesy of driving in the "slow lane." 

When Haime and I first moved back to Texas from California, I worked for Austin ISD for two years and commuted approximately 56 miles each way everyday, (I refer to that as my time in Purgatory-on-earth). The traffic going into and out of Austin was the stuff that road-rage came from. I have driven the highways going into several major cities in several different parts of this country and assure you that I-35 around Austin is the worst. The problem is that there is really just one North-South route into the city. Fortunately, two things have happened. First, I got a job out of Austin and second, the SH-130 opened. SH-130 is a tollway that allows drivers to travel from I-10 (south of Austin and east of San Antonio) to I-35 (north of Georgetown).

Let me clarify. I like Austin. It is a very fun city with tons of great restaurants, eclectic shops, modern buildings, great parks and theater and is just a fun place to visit. It is not a fun place for commuters. In addition, I have family that live north of Austin and prior to SH-130 opening, I visited them only when absolutely necessary. Now with the opening of the tollway, I visit much more often (hee-hee-hee...maybe more than they'd like.) Anyway, for me, the cost of using the tollway is inconsequential when weighed against the frustration I felt when I had to rely on I-35.

Another fun benefit of using the SH-130 is the speed limit. For most of the route, the speed limit is 80 MPH and on the newest leg (the southernmost part), the limit is 85. Whoo-hoo! The biggest problem with the newly opened leg of the road is not the speed, rather, it is the wild hog population in the area. The road takes you through former ranch-land. Like many parts of the southern U.S., wild hog populations in the area are a problem for farmers and ranchers. Now, it seems, they are a problem for drivers as well. Fortunately, (or not), they are mostly nocturnal so daytime driving on the road has not been a problem.

I can tell you that today, as I drove to and from Round Rock to visit my sister Karen, I loved the drive. I was able to circumvent Austin and I assure you I did not drive 55...Sammy would have been proud.

TTFN

Lois

"Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs..."

I grew up, (OK, honestly, I probably haven't completely grown up---thank goodness, and Haime seems to be regressing), in the 70s. This was an interesting time for music. Styles of music were as varied as the genres  with which they were labeled. Many of the songs written during this time had war protests and social commentary themes while others were just fun. I've previously written how song titles sometimes just pop into my head when I see or experience things and yesterday was another one of those days.

I had an appointment with my G.P. doc scheduled for next week, actually, it was for Friday (yes, the day after Thanksgiving). I'm not a fan of doctor visits. Fortunately, I am basically in great health and since jumping on the "weight war" and "exercise" wagon, I think I'm getting healthier still. But, since I've passed the "50-year" mile marker, I'm trying to be an adult about some things so I started going to have an "annual screening" a couple of years ago...crap. Anyway, I found a G.P. that I just love. She is roughly my age, slightly overweight herself and has a GREAT personality. Her straight-forward and friendly manner and her honest "I know exactly what you mean" ways of listening, make her a perfect choice for me. She was actually a referral from a friend whose opinion I trust. I started seeing her when I was still working in San Antonio and she kept late office hours so it worked out great. On the down side, she has changed her office hours and is now only in the most convenient location on every-other Saturday. Most days she works at one of the hospitals through one of the universities in S.A.

A couple of months ago, I was sick with some type of bug. One of the negatives of seeing a G.P. who is only available two Saturdays per month, is that when you want to see her for some bug, you are basically outta luck. It has been my experience that bugs don't cooperate and present themselves only at the most inopportune times. I elected to let my body fight the bug on its own and fortunately it worked out just fine. It might have taken a little longer but I reasoned that my immune system needed to exercise itself anyway. However, I started thinking that this might be some sort of sign that I should find a G.P. that is more available. Then I got better so I didn't give it any more thought.

As part of the annual check-up, I report to the office about a week prior to my scheduled visit for blood work. In-so-doing, the report is back when I visit with the doc. So, off I went to see "Vampira." When I arrived to have a blood sample collected, the receptionist told me that they had no record of my appointment in the computer. I showed her my "don't-be-a-moron-and-forget-you-have-an-appointment" card on which the date and time clearly showed my appoint for Friday, November 23 at 8:00 AM; (I ask, what kind of masochist makes a Dr.'s appointment for the day after Thanksgiving AND schedules it for 8:00 AM? Actually, I reasoned that if I made such a ridiculous appointment, it would help me resist the extra dressing and pumpkin pie...at least I hoped it would). The nice receptionist apologized and said that not only did they not show my appointment in their system, the office was to be closed that day due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Well crap! (Holy smokes, that's two "craps" so far in this blog, can you tell I'm a bit peeved?)

So, now you see where the Five Man Electrical Band's 1971 hit "Signs" came from. Just in case you need some help remembering their contribution to the social commentary songs of the early 70s, here's the chorus:
                                         "Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs. 
                                          Blocking out the scenery, breaking my mind.
                                          Do this! Don't do that! Can't you read the signs."
I've decided to heed the signs this time and am currently on the hunt for a new, more conveniently located and more readily accessible G.P. Sometimes being an adult really stinks!

TTFN

Lois

The "Fall Love Fest" continues...

Let me begin this post with a very honest, humble and heart-filled thank you to all veterans and family members of veterans. THANK YOU for your unselfish service to our wonderful country. THANK YOU for your willingness to fight to defend our way of life; THANK YOU for your willingness to put the needs of all of us ahead of the personal needs of yourself and your loved ones; and THANK YOU for doing so with honor and dignity that is the envy of the entire world. 

  

By now you should be well aware that I LOVE fall/autumn! Haime and I are eagerly awaiting another bout of much cooler, (actual fall-like), weather which has been forecast to blow in this evening. Our trees are starting to drop leaves and the autumn smells are becoming more evident. One of the things I do not like about this time of year is the time-change. Don't get me wrong, I am one of the "don't mess with mother-nature" types who believes that we should not "change" the time at all. However, if you are going to "change" it, revert back to the model that was in place a couple of years ago when the "fall back" change happened in early October rather than this one of early November. With the delay, we are not given the luxury of a gradual adjustment to our days getting "dark earlier." Whose bright idea was that anyway? 

As Thanksgiving Day (one of our favorite holidays), gets closer, we are beginning to talk more frequently about our Blessings. Haime and I are well aware of how Blessed we are and are making a much more conscious effort to reflect on, and thank God for, all we have been given. Certainly our family tops that list. A couple of weeks ago a young cub scout came by selling "Trails End" popcorn for his pack's fundraiser. Haime and I were both reminded of our days supporting Chip and Reece in their cub/boy scout popcorn fundraising ventures. I know it sounds cliche' but, where the hell did the years go? The neighbor boy was in his uniform and we immediately noticed that he is representing the newest generation of scouts from the same pack that both Chip and Reece were in. It was such a bitter sweet memory. When our boys were that age, I was so caught up in trying to juggle family, work, various activities and commitments, that I now realize I probably missed a lot. I wish I had taken more time to just enjoy being with them rather than involving them in as many activities as I did. However, as we spend time with them now, we are both so proud of the wonderful men they have become, maybe we didn't do too bad as parents.  

Wurstfest, (a salute to sausage), is winding down in New Braunfels. This year, I attended with a college friend, mom and my sister Karen. We had a great time listening to the German music, eating potato pancakes and applesauce, schnitzel, sausage, strudel, sour kraut, turkey legs and drinking a beer (or two). One thing we did not do was participate in the "Chicken Dance." Maybe we are just "too cool" (OK, clearly that's not it), to "flap" our bent arm wings  and "peck" our beak fingers, but the appeal of joining in on the "Chicken Dance" has long gone. 

Our weekend also included a new spectator sport: Pumpkin Chunkin. It was held at a favorite winery and it was certainly a hoot. I think it would have been more entertaining however, if we had consumed a great deal more wine first. Following the Pumpkin Chunkin, we ventured over to a beer garden to watch A&M Beat the Hell Outta Alabama! WHOOP!!! It was so much fun watching the game with dozens of Aggies from all over the state who all found their way to the same place just to watch the game. We enjoyed great company, an awesome game (when it wasn't a nail-biter); some good food and beer (and aspirin and antacids) and ultimately cheered (after lots of praying and breath holding), our Aggies victory. 

Yep, the "Fall Love Fest" definitely continues.

TTFN

Lois

RIP 2012 Elections

Haime and I are "Fightin' Texas Aggies," me, by virtue of my heritage (and true maroon blood), and Haime, by association. My mom's family has had every American-born generation represented at Texas A&M since the 1920s. Of my immediate family, two of my sisters and I are former students from the 1980s, both my sons are former students and two of my nephews are current Texas Aggie students. I'm giving you this background in order to demonstrate how deeply connected to Texas A&M our family is. With all of that said (typed), I respectfully add my condolences to the family of Coach Darrell Royal. Coach Royal was the head football coach at the University of Texas (I have never typed it that way before, as we all know the grammatically correct way of referring to that school is tu...ask any Aggie), from 1957 to 1976 where he compiled a record of 167-47-5. He led the school to three national championships and remains the winningest coach in the schools history. In short, he was the bane of our existence as Aggies. Coach Royal passed away today at the age of 88, RIP Coach Royal.

Today also marks the beginning of healing for our country, I hope. After a very long bitter and bloody presidential campaign, what our country needs most is to put politics aside and remember that our neighbors and friends matter to us regardless of their politics. I am so disheartened by the division this campaigning has caused among so many and am more thankful than I can clearly express that it is over. One of my earliest politically-based memories is from the 1964 Presidential campaign. I was about 6 and remember asking my mom who she voted for in that election. She told me that whom a person votes for is a secret and that the voting was done in a "booth" so that no one could see who you marked your ballot for. When I asked why it was a secret, she told me that some people get very angry with others if they don't vote the way the mean people think they should. Wouldn't it be nice if we could turn back time (there I go channelling Cher's song again), so that the choices we make for our elected officials were personal and not the basis for drawing lines between ourselves and others? With the popular vote being so close in this election, I think the message is crystal clear, it should be the job of both sides of the aisle to figure out how to work together to bring the concerns of the PEOPLE of this nation to the forefront of the discussion. Its time to heal the chasm because as my friends in business will tell you, when a company is divided, it makes it most vulnerable to outside interference.

Congrats to our elected officials...now get to work!

TTFN

Lois

I Elect to Ignore Expectations

So apparently November is like "national-post-a-blog-everyday-month." WHAT? I didn't know when I started this thing that it came with built in expectations. I mean what if I did a "procrastinators" blog...I guess I'd eventually get around to writing something but certainly there would not be an expectation of a blog post a day for that. Then, what if I got hit by a bus...(why is it always a bus? Why couldn't it be a smart car? Either way, I think being hit by any sort of motorized vehicle would put a damper on my day.) At any rate, you should probably not expect to see a "blog-a-day" from me regardless of the expectations for such from the "blogger police." I'm just not interesting enough to come up with something worth writing about that often (or now, really.)

Tomorrow is FINALLY election day. GEEZ, this has been the longest, bloodiest, nastiest, most stomach turning, lie packed campaign from both candidates to date! I took advantage of early voting (in case I got hit by a bus and wasn't able to vote on the actual election day), so I could cancel Haime's vote. I've written about the fact that we are often at opposite ends of the spectrum on many things and politics is another example. I have to say though, this year, were the race not virtually tied, I would have mounted a campaign of my own to have "Daffy Duck" or "Miss Piggy" written in as a better choice than the ones we were given. I have been so appalled by the half-truths, mud slinging, fact twisting and blatant lies perpetuated by both sides during this election that I just want the whole thing to be over with! I am not alone. This past Sunday, the homily message was on tolerance, love and acceptance. The message was given by our deacon and he did an awesome job tying in the Gospel's message of loving our neighbors and our enemy's, with the need for healing our nation after this very divisive campaign. Good job Victor! I seldom engage in political discussions, and I will not do so here other than to say that I am very fearful that the division in our country that has been a result of this awful campaign will not heal.

TTFN

Lois

Saints and Souls

As I've written before, we are Catholics. Both of us are "cradle-to-grave" Catholics, although we are not as devout as our grandparents probably would have liked us to be. I mention this because we have celebrated All Saints Day (yesterday Nov. 1) and All Souls Day today. While All Saints Day is, I think, pretty well known and understood, All Souls Day is, as far as I know, pretty much a Catholic thing. What's the difference you ask? Well, Wikipedia gives this explanation:

                   

All Saints Day (in the Roman Catholic Church officially the Solemnity of All Saints and also called All Hallows or Hallowmas), often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity in honor of all the saints, known and unknown. In the Western calendar it is the day after Halloween and the day before All Souls' Day. In Western Christian theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. It is a national holiday in many historically Catholic countries. In the Catholic Church and many Anglican churches, the next day commemorates the departed faithful who have not been purified and reached heaven. Christians who celebrate All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day do so in the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual bond between those in purgatory (the 'Church Suffering'), those in heaven (the 'Church triumphant') and the living (the 'Church Militant'). Other Christian traditions define, remember and respond to the saints in different ways; for example, in the Methodist Church, the word "saints" refers to all Christians and therefore, on All Saints' Day, the Church Universal, as well as the deceased members of a local congregation, are honored and remembered."

At any rate, on the drive home from All Souls mass this evening, I was thinking about the difference in the two celebrations for me personally. You probably won't be surprised to learn that I personally know far more sinners than saints, probably because "it takes one to know one." So, while I know something about a few of the "beatified" Saints, (thank you 8 years of Catholic school), I really focus on the good people who have preceded me in death who, I believe are Saints themselves.

On my drive home tonight, however, I realized that of the two days, All Souls Day is the more personal for me. During our mass, the names of those in our parish who have died during the 12 months since the preceding All Soul's day are read and a friend/family member is invited to come forward and light a candle in memory. Tonight, I helped with the lighting and as family/friends came forward, I couldn't help but think about those friends and family that I had lost. While a big part of me still aches at the loss of some of them, I've had sort of gotten to that place where I truly believe they are in heaven. Mostly that belief gives me comfort.

TTFN

Lois 

Familie und Freunde sind ein Segen

We survived OKTOBERFEST!

                        

No, we didn't travel to Bavaria, (at least not this year but maybe in a couple). We held our (maybe first annual) OKTOBERFEST this year at Lois' mom's home. Amid German beer, mostly authentic German food, German "Oom papa" music and combo OKTOBERFEST/Texas A&M-tailgate tent, we partied the night away with family and friends. I've previously written about how blessed we are to have an amazing group of friends and family and Saturday night's festivities certainly did not lessen that feeling! While we did not have an exceptionally large crowd, (actually one of the smallest parties, in number, that we've ever hosted) each person there was an especially important person in our world.  

But I've gotten ahead of myself...

Saturday morning was perhaps the most awesome fall morning yet this year! The weather was "Chamber of Commerce" perfect. I met Chipper, Mallory and Carter downtown to walk through vendor booths and enjoy some small-town "trade day" activities. Carter obliged the adults by offering smiles and good humor until he saw the "Wiggle-Waggle Choo-Choo." At that point, he was a toddler on a mission! He was all about the train. Don't misunderstand, he was still very well behaved, however, he was very clear that his interest was on riding the train. So, after just a few stops to get a closer look at some of the offerings at the local artisan's booths, we were bound for the Choo-Choo. Mallory's mom, Lana, was with us as well. As us Grans watched Carter, we were both struck by the sheer joy on his face. Here was an example of what every child's life should be like...surrounded by loving, caring adults who would do anything in their power to make sure he is safe and happy.



My Great-grandparents and their brood.
My grandfather is third from the left in the back.



My mom's family is of German descent. My paternal grandfather's parents immigrated to the U.S. in about 1884 and settled between Shiner and Moulton, TX. They were farmers and raised a large family of children who, in turn, raised their children to put God first, family second-only-to-God, work hard, laugh much and enjoy life.  I mention this because a few of mom's cousins and one of her sisters joined us for this inaugural OKTOBERFEST celebration...what a hoot these folks are! As you can tell by the picture to the right, my grandpa had several brothers and sisters. Most of them had children of their own. My grandpa, though he wasn't the eldest of his siblings, had the first (OK, my grandma actually "Had" them, but you know what I mean) "grandchildren." Then, since there is obviously a pretty big gap between some of the older of my grandpa's siblings and some of the younger ones, we are one of those families with second and third generation off-spring that are relatively close in age. (WHAT???). ANYWAY, some of mom's cousins are mostly within 10+ years of me in age so I have always felt closer to them than other "second" cousins might. Now their children are the same general ages as my own and some of us are experiencing the joys of toddler grandchildren together. After spending time with them last night and listening and sharing stories (until the wee hours this morning with Aunt Mary Louise...), I just kept thinking about how happy and how proud Great-Grandma Mary and Great Grandpa Joseph would have been.

I'm going to use my "writer's privilege" and include a "shout out" (when your writing, should the term be "type out"?----hmmmm), to two friends that joined us. As you know from previous posts, I have four biological sisters. Unfortunately, two of them were unable to make it down for the "bier und brats." I haven't told you about my friend Annette. Annette and I have known each other for 48 years and have been the best kind of friends for as long. We've survived Catholic school, high school, weddings, births, deaths of dads and many miles together. Although we live relatively close to each other, we rarely have a chance to see each other and visit. Her children are younger than mine and she is still getting them through high school and college and working full-time herself. I am so lucky and so thankful to have her in my life. She is my sister in every way that matters. It was so good to see her and her hubby, Robert Saturday night as well.

I have three brother-in-laws but no biological brothers. My dad enjoyed being the only male in a house with 6 women. He was as spoiled by the female attention as any man could possibly be. While I was never lonely as a child, (with four younger sisters, how could I have been?) I always wondered what it would have been like to have had an older brother. Well, when I was studying for my master's degree, I found one. Dick and I met at UTSA while we were working on our MAs in Ed. Leadership. After he got used to the back-row-sitting-loud-mouthed-Aggie-full-on-native-Texan (and damn proud of it, thank you very much!) we began teaming some "group" projects in a couple of classes. We brought another friend into our team and the three of us forged into a formidable group. Dick and I became great friends. He and his wife Laura's children are around the same age as mine and we love spending time with them. He really is my brother and no family get-together is complete unless he and Laura are included. (I am totally serious, when I lived in California, mom and dad were sure to include them in the annual July 4th parties whether I came home for them or not!)   

There were other friends with us last night. Some were my mom's friends, others were my sister's, but all enriched our evening. The cold weather, other obligations, illness and other "life events" kept more friends and family from joining us but we are sure they'll be at the next Haime and Lois production. We feel truly blessed by the wonderful folks in our lives.

TTFN

Lois

Will I be Bored?

When I decided to retire, I announced my decision about 7 months prior to my actual "retirement date." I needed the time for Haime and I to get used to the idea and I hoped that my coworkers, many of whom were surrogate family, would be better able to plan for filling my space if they had sufficient notice. Although I had always told my friends and family about my plans to retire at as early an age as I could, as the magic date drew ever nearer, I began to wonder what my "next chapter" would entail. Would it be some type of hybrid version of my first 30 years in the work-world or would it be something else entirely? Would Haime and I be able to coexist and be happy together when we were in each other's company 24-7 or would one of us meet our demise at the hands of the other?

My biggest concern...will I be bored?

Boredom is my biggest enemy, it always has been.  I remember one especially rainy day of my childhood when we were trapped indoors; (I was never able to entertain myself for very long periods of time with dolls, books, coloring or other quiet "little girl" stereotypical activities); I entered into a gloomy, whiny funk to the point where my mom finally caved to my pleas and allowed me to go out and play in the puddles. I got drenched but I remember that as a particularly great rainy afternoon. Honestly, I'd rather have a root canal, (and I loathe going to the dentist for anything), than be bored.

I am very happy to report that retirement is AWESOME! Yes, I know, I've written that before but I want to be clear.

My official date of retirement was in early November but the last day that I reported to work was September 20, 2011. Even though I didn't choose that date, (it actually just coincided with the last day I had to report prior to being able to use my accrued vacation and personal leaves), it was particularly significant for me because it would have been my dad's 76th birthday. My dad also hated to be bored.  He retired four different times, each time he thought he'd be happy doing "just what I want to do, when I want to do it." He wasn't so he'd go back to work, always doing something slightly different but basically the same. Unlike my dad, I am very happy, so far, with my post-retirement life.

In the past year, I have made some progress on the never-ending list of projects that I want to get done around my house and around my mom's house.  I have travelled, built some furniture, started exercising again (with determination this time) and have actually embraced my battle of the bulge. I've also re-entered part of my "Suzie Homemaker" past...that is, I've made jelly (from grapes we grew), canned salsa (from veggies from our garden) and made sugar-free pumpkin pies from the pumpkin that I carved for Carter. OK, side note needed here about the pumpkin pies...

One of the local churches near us hosts a "pumpkin patch" every year as a fundraiser. Haime and I took Carter over there so he could choose a pumpkin for us...yes, it was really just an excuse for some cute "Kodak moments." Anyway, we took the selected pumpkin home, I carved it and lighted it with a small electric votive candle...CUTE, right? Well, another "side-effect" of my retirement (or maybe just my age), is that I am becoming more conscious about our environment and try hard to do things to embrace the "reduce, reuse, recycle" mentality. So, after the carving was done, I had a bowl of pumpkin (and pumpkin seeds and stringy pumpkin guts-yuck!). Well, one of the best things about fall is, in my humble opinion, pumpkin pie. I cooked the pumpkin (steamed for 2 hours and I'm really not sure it was done yet) and mashed it in a food processor and added lots of cinnamon and spice and (fake) sugar and tasted it...not impressed! I couldn't believe it, it tasted a lot like grass (the kind you plant in your yard, not the other kind that people might use for medicinal purposes or buy from some shady person on the street that comes in a baggy). So, I added more spices and pecans (another fall favorite) and some shaved BRIX chocolate and baked the pies (without shells, of course, so I could have pumpkin pies with as few carbohydrates as possible---brilliant right?) NO...DISASTER! The pies had absolutely no pumpkin flavor at all! They actually tasted like grass with pecans. I couldn't even taste any of the chocolate. I was so disappointed I nearly cried (OK, not really cried, but I was really disappointed that I didn't get any sugar free pumpkin pie).  

Now, back to the most amazing part of retirement...believe it or not, Haime and I are both still alive and actually we are both very happy being retired together and I have not been bored...yet!

TTFN:  

Lois

Nature and Stuff

Haime and Aggie adding to the "Halloween" decor

Thank goodness, fall is slowly making her way to our little piece of the world. For those in much cooler climes, you probably can't share our enthusiasm for cooler days (mid-80s), but those of us in south-central Texas are loving our fall weather.

When asked to name my favorite time of year, I am always torn between fall, (autumn for you purists), and spring. Here in Texas, where the winters are typically mild enough that we are never without some type of flowering plant, fall wins. However, during our time in California, they were pretty evenly matched. We lived in the high-desert region of S. Cali. so our summers were HOT and our winters--FRIGID! Fall was always a very welcomed reprieve to the 105+ summer days, (but it was a dry heat), and spring was like receiving a lost Christmas present in March/April. Aside from the temperature changes, I love the look, smell and feel of fall. The fall colors are warm and welcoming; the homey smells of soups, roasting meats and cinnamon make my weight-war much harder to fight but bring peace to my soul. And the brisk mornings and cooler evenings seem to speak of the coming of a much anticipated gift...
 

Niagara falls




Some species of pretty bush



Most of my associations, not counting the foods of fall, center around nature. A couple of years ago, mom and one of her friends, and my sister Karen, (the use of first initials has become a bit confusing for me so if you are included in one of my posts and don't want your name spelled out, please tell me what your preferred "blog name" is), and I went on a leaf-peeping expedition to New England and part of Canada. We were all awestruck, (I might have written "dumb-struck" except Karen was with us and she is never at a loss for words), at the beauty and magnificence of Nature's show. 



Equally pretty but obvious
different plant/tree

It is not just the flora of fall that grabs my attention. Animal life also seems to make appearances during this time of year in a "Hey, look at me too!" kind of fashion. Maybe its the cooling air and changing leaves that make us pay more attention to our little corner of the world but the insects are certainly doing their share of the attention-getting around our place. Haime and I live about halfway between two small towns in Texas. So, while we are not technically in a town or city, I don't think we qualify for the "living in the sticks" scenario either. At any rate, we always have various forms of "wildlife" around us. Nothing as cute as "Bambi" but we do have an occasional field mouse or squirrel or skunk. OK, our "wildlife" is more the insect type. For example, we always have wasps nests attached to some fixture of our house. Typically they are attached to the highest section of the eaves of the roof so we have adapted a policy of peaceful co-existence. This year, however, an industrious group of wasps has elected to build a nest under the front eave of my workshop. Since they don't seem to mind my electric saws, air compressor or hammers, we have kept a weary eye on each other but have continued our co-existence policy.

Given their growing numbers, I hope they pass the information along to the newcomers. If not, I could be charging down to the nearest pesticide aisle for some spray. 

When I was a kid, I remember seeing so many more species of insects and other bugs and critters than I see now. We didn't have "fire-ants" but I remember "big-red-ants" and "stinging-black ants" and of course "sugar ants" were always getting any hidden treat that we might have dropped or forgotten about. It seems that praying mantas were much more prevalent than they are now, as were tarantulas, "walking sticks" and of course horny toads, (No, I mean the real lizard kind, not the "bar fly" kind...GEEZ, stay with the topic people!) Well, I was at mom's house the other day and saw this guy on the wall by the front door as I was leaving...

For the "under 40" readers, this is a "walking stick" or,as Wikipedia explains:

"The Phasmatodea (sometimes called Phasmida or Phasmatoptera) are an order of insects, whose members are variously known as stick insects, walking sticks or stick-bugs, phasmids, ghost insects and leaf insects (generally the family Phylliidae). The ordinal name is derived from the Ancient Greek φάσμα phasma, meaning an apparition or phantom, and refers to the resemblance of many species to sticks or leaves. Their natural camouflage can make them extremely difficult to spot. Phasmatodea can be found all over the world in warmer zones, especially the tropics and subtropics."

Anyway, I'd guess its been at least 35 years since I've see one of these critters and seeing it last week at mom's house was a lot like turning back the clock to part of my nearly forgotten youth. Yep, another reason I love fall is that the sights, smells, feels and sounds take me back and help me remember so much of the richness of my youth that has helped to shape me into the person I am and has allowed me to enjoy myself as an adult. Thanks mom and dad.

Until next time,

Lois

Birthdays and a request.

I LOVE my birthday. This is one of the (gazillion) things on which Haime and I find ourselves at polar opposite sides. I LOVE the idea of celebrating another year of life. Haime, on the other hand, says he would like nothing more than to be able to forget that a particular day marks another turn of the yearly calendar. He does like presents, however, and suggests that if we gave him more presents throughout the year, we could actually dispense with the birthday celebration and just have several "general present-for-Haime" days (whatever).

So, I celebrated another birthday yesterday. As children, my parents always made each of us feel very special on our birthday and that feeling continues for me today. Generally, I LOVE life. I am a happy person and am consciously trying to find the good and beautiful virtues, gifts and grace God has blessed me with every day. (With that said, those of you who know me best know that I have a warped and wicked sense of humor; so for me, some of those things I count as blessings, might seem kind of strange to others. But, since they are mine, I like it.) This year, one of my blessings came from my son Chipper who phoned earlier in the week to ask if I would like to play golf with him on the afternoon of my birthday...I was thrilled. I used to play golf 2-3 times per week. Of course, that was more than a couple of decades ago, and now, I seldom take the time to play. In fact, the last time I played golf was with Chipper on my birthday 6 YEARS AGO!

 

I have to admit, I actually did better than I was afraid I would. Most of the time my shots remained in the fairway and I only lost 2 of them to the watergod. Perhaps I had forgotten most of my bad habits. The most important thing was that we had a wonderful time. I was really hoping that Haime and Boo could have joined us, but we had an AWESOME day. Thanks Chipper!

After golf, Haime, my mom, Chipper, Mal (Chipper's bride) and their son Car and I all went to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. Haime and I went early and enjoyed a glass of some mighty tasty wine while we waited. I've been fighting the weight-war pretty hard for the past year but decided that I was going to indulge myself just this once to celebrate. After a lovely dinner, we all even shared a piece of cake...hey, I was celebrating. We had arranged for Car to spend the night at our house so he came home with us and we played for awhile then all turned in for the night...AWESOME birthday.

Then, I woke this morning to find that my indulgences resulted in a 2 pound gain...CRAP! Well, I still LOVE birthdays so I guess I'll just have to learn to LOVE the extra treadmill/elliptical/crunches that I'm going to have to put in to pay for falling off of the flab-fighting-wagon.

Before I close, I have a request...Boo's girlfriend's mom is pretty ill. Please keep her in your thoughts and offer prayers for her recovery...Thanks.

TTFN

Lois