Holy Cow! Holy Week Already?

OK, is it me, or is time zipping by at greater than Scotty's Maximum Warp Speed? I mean, I swear it seems like we were just getting ready to open Christmas presents a couple of weeks ago. Let's not even stop our discussion of speed/time with the issue of months and weeks. My first born, Chip, turned 29 yesterday...WTH? No, seriously? How is this possible? I mean, I haven't been in any type of vacuum, and have suffered no traumatic brain injury, and have been there to celebrate every one of his previous 28 birthdays but, I mean, there have really been 29?

My mom and I were discussing this whole issue of time/speed/age etc the other day. Mom, I should mention is a very young(ish) 77 years old. Physically and mentally, she is mostly doing very well. Sure, she has some expected aches and pains, but mostly, she is in good shape. Her memory, in fact, is often times better than mine. (Of course I attribute my memory lapses on a selective "review, evaluate, purge and dump" of non-essential information). At any rate, she says that she doesn't feel her age, or, what she always thought people felt like at 77.  I know exactly what she means. When my sons and their friends talk about going out dancing, or having drinks at a couple of clubs or enjoying some of the activities that I did at their age, I still want to go. What the hell happened? Honestly, I feel it especially, when we are at A&M. I feel the same way I did as a student; OK, except that I'm not hurrying to class and am not slightly hung over...just saying. That brings up another fact, I don't drink very much or very often these days. Not for any reason, other than, I just don't. Maybe its age or maybe I'm just out of practice but, now, after about two glasses of wine, I am buzzed! WTH? Oh well...

Back to the accelerated rate of time passing...Here in S. Central Texas, our fall, winter and spring seasons only last for about 10 days each, so, it is extremely difficult to mark the passage of time by the changing of the seasons. In fact, if you read a few earlier posts, you'll remember Haime and I were sharing a picnic on the beach in January and I mowed our lawn (OK, weeds) for the first time in February. But really, Holy Week begins this Sunday? WOW!!!

Haime and I are Catholics, but you already knew that. For all Christians, the holiest week of the year is the week between Palm Sunday, (this weekend), and Easter. Haime and I have been watching a mini-series on the "History channel," entitled "The Bible." It airs on Sunday evenings and each episode is run again on Wednesdays if you missed the Sunday airing. So far, we have travelled back to God's promise to Abraham, Moses' parting of the Red Sea, Daniel surviving the Lions, Jesus' birth and John's beheading. The episode that airs Sunday, I believe will include Jesus' triumphant welcome into Jerusalem, (which is what we celebrate on Palm Sunday), and His Crucifixion, death and possibly His resurrection (though, it seems fitting that His resurrection may be broadcast on Easter). Each episode is about two hours in length and I believe there are to be a total of 10 episodes. The series is well done and it certainly holds your attention. It is terribly violent. However, if you read much of the Bible, it is violent, there is no getting around that. If you haven't had the opportunity to watch it, this Sunday is a great time to begin.   

Time passes, kids grow, we all age (if we're lucky). So, as we prepare to celebrate Easter in a little over a week, remember, Jesus is the reason for this season too. We'll hunt eggs and decorate Easter baskets and eat ham and spring veggies, but we'll start our day with mass at sunrise and give praise to God for His generous bounty and to thank Him for preparing a place for us.

Happy Easter, my friends, Haime and I love you all.

TTFN,

Lois

St. Paddy's Day is done...

My niece, Amanda made
Leprechaun cupcakes for
the party--SO cute and yummy too!

We survived another "wearin o'the green!" Haime and I host a small St. Paddy's Day party most years. We both love spring and both claim to have Irish ancestors, so St. Paddy's Day is a great excuse for a party. In addition to our wonderful friends and one of my sisters and brother-in-law and my mom, Chip and Mallory and Carter joined us this year, (Carter attended last years bash but Chip and Mallory partied with some of their friends). Unfortunately, Reece had to work. Haime and I really enjoy spending time with the kids. We are so blessed that they are all living relatively close to us. They have grown to be wonderful young adults and make us very proud. We enjoyed fish and shrimp and grilled chicken (for those who don't care for or can't eat fish) and all the trimmings, and of course, Guinness, Harps and Smithwicks.

I refer to "surviving" because another reason we host this party is because it forces us to do a bit of spring cleaning. We readied the yard and gardens, transplanted some perennials to new beds and brought in a few new annuals. We hauled in potting soil, fertilizer and mulch and hauled out limbs and bags (and bags and bags and bags) of weeds. We pulled out the extension ladder to clean the windows on the second story (yeah, I know...) and Haime FINALLY cleaned out his closet. Obviously a lot of what we did had nothing to do with the party, we just kinda got carried away!

After having survived getting our yard ready for the season, tomorrow I'm starting on my mother's yard. Hers is going to involve everything ours did plus much more chain saw action and much more "haul aways." You gotta love spring cleaning!

"Spring is in the air..."

"Spring is in the air..."

When I was a kid, I thought my father was incredibly talented, (as I grew-up, I realized how true that was). The specific talent to which I am referring here, is his ability to take nearly any word or phrase that you'd give him, and have him sing a song with that word or phrase therein. To be honest, he couldn't carry a tune in that proverbial bucket, however, what he lacked in ability, he more than made up for in enthusiasm and in practice. I seem to have inherited that talent to a small degree. In fact, if you've ever had a conversation with me, I may have mentioned, during the course of that conversation, "that reminds me of a song..." Now, depending on how much I trusted you, I may or may not have followed that up with said song. 

My reason for mentioning this is, if you look back over some of my earlier posts, you'll find that I have used snippets of lyrics or titles of songs as some of the titles of my posts. As I am typing this, there is an old song running through my brain with the title above, as a major theme. Unfortunately, try as I might, I cannot remember much of the song and have no idea who wrote or performed it. When I Googled the lyrics, Terry Jacks' "Season's in the Sun" was the most common result and that's not what I'm thinking of...oh well, it'll probably come to me as soon as I publish this. 

At any rate, this post is not about spring songs...its about spring. You know, so many things in my life were so very different when I was reporting to an office for work than they are now that I am working at being retired. When I was teaching or even as a campus administrator, we knew spring was in the air based on children's behaviors and by the much needed and eagerly anticipated "Spring Break." When I moved to the district level, the indicators for spring were much more a "need for a break." Now, the approaching spring is something I feel in my being. Yes, I know that sounds weird, but hear me out, (or should that be, continue reading????). It's almost like the "nesting" behaviors so many people acknowledge in pregnant women. I can feel the changing seasons. Maybe because I am no longer strictly bound by dates on a calendar, I am more aware of time. Perhaps its my ancestral agrarian roots which are making me more a-tuned to such things (or, maybe its just inhaling too much fertilizer,) either way, spring is definitely in the air! 

  My flower and veggie beds are all readied and some are planted. Two of the veggie beds (as noted on the photo above) have all had soil turned and amended but are not yet planted. The bed with the antique plow and the smaller one to its right have been planted with herbs, egg-plant, yellow bell peppers and onions. Tomatoes will go in one of the back beds and I'm thinking of adding a trellis of some type down the length and in the center of the other bed for some cucumbers and possibly some squash to climb.  I've added two fruit trees, a peach and a pear, to another part of my garden and transplanted two orange trees that were previously kept in large pots.

Speaking of my roots, I am basically a combination of German (with some Austrian-(according to my grandfather, his family migrated from Austria, unfortunately, especially to him, the part of the world where they actually originated, is now part of Czechoslovakia)) and Anglican (my father's family has been in the US for a much longer time and they are much harder to trace back to a specific country of origin. My father just put all of the (current and former) British-ruled countries together when he spoke of our ancestry, mostly because he had no idea). As a result, I generally tell folks that I'm German and Scotch-Irish, it tends to explain my fondness for a good party! In October, we celebrated my Germanic roots with an "Oktoberfest" and this weekend, we'll celebrate the Celtic side on St. Patty's Day. There will be Guinness and potatoes but more importantly, good friends, good stories and good memories will be made. All are welcomed so don't hesitate to dress yourself in you greenest finery and come join the fun!

Ramblings...

I like to read. Sometimes I don't take time to read as much as I'd like. Other times, I feel guilty about "just sitting and reading" rather than being outside and doing something "productive." So, I try to find a happy-medium to my reading times. I have read several interviews from some of my favorite authors, over the years, and have always been a bit curious when they talk about the writing process. I am always surprised to read that while they have an outline and supportive materials and research to back-up their outlines, they don't usually know, with absolute certainty, how their characters are going to come to life within the pages of their books.

As I opened this page to write a post, I have no idea what the heck I'm going to write...I could tell you about Haime's recent oral surgery, but there's not much to tell other than, if the ability to follow recovery instructions were a test of one's survival abilities or part of some test for advancement, Haime would never be allowed to leave the house without being completely encased in a giant bubble! You see, in addition to the normal "do's and don'ts" that you'd expect, Haime was instructed to "not talk." WHAT?! Haime not talk? HA! Haime talks ALL THE TIME! (OK, he doesn't really talk in his sleep, all the time). Haime talks to the television, to the dog, to himself, to me, or just to hear himself talk. You know those "companionable silences" that Hollywood sometimes identifies in movies or that we find ourselves in with most of our close friends and relatives? Haime and I don't have those...he is just never silent. So, he talked to me, to the attendant who wheeled him out to the car, to the radio, to the traffic, to the...OK, you get the picture. All that was just on the way home. The only time he was actually quiet was when he was knocked unconscious from the pain meds...he was encouraged to take pain meds...he was a very happy Haime. 

Then again, I could tell you about a funeral I attended today. The funeral was for the wife of one of the most honorable men I know. I had the privilege of working with Mike for about 3 1/2 years. He is honest, dedicated, a gentleman, a scholar, trustworthy and one of those truly good men. He and Belinda were married for over 39 years. According to Mike, the reason their marriage survived his years in the military; and the pain of losing a daughter, their only child, to cancer; and the "stupid things" that he sometimes did; was because Belinda would have it no other way. 

Belinda developed breast cancer. 

She and I went to lunch a couple of months ago and I had a wonderful time with her. We talked a little bit about her disease but mostly, we talked about her support systems. She talked about how her sister was her constant. She said that her sister either came to visit her and do things for her everyday or, at the very least, phoned several times during the day to see if there was anything she could do for Belinda. Belinda also talked about Mike. She said, you know, Mike is not the easiest man to live with. According to Belinda, Mike is very particular about (almost) everything and has very specific expectations about (almost) everything. BUT, Mike was her rudder, her anchor, and the love of her life. She talked about how gentle and loving and caring he was for her. They were more than a team, they were a unit. 

Today's funeral was beautiful and moving and terrible and wonderful, all at the same time. One other thing that Belinda and I talked about at lunch, however, helped me get through it. She talked about a support group that she attended and that one of the leaders of the group had asked her if she was in need of any anti-depressant medication. Belinda said she asked why she would and was told that some people with cancer contemplate suicide as they fight the disease. Belinda, a woman of such strength and faith said, "I lost my daughter to this disease and I know she is in heaven. I live my life in such a way that I know I will see my daughter again, no, I do not need any anti-depressants." WOW! Heaven welcomed an angel home.

I think that's all I want to write about for now. 

Please tell all those you love, that you love them every chance you get.

Until next time, 

I love you.

Lois  

A Day for Making Memories...

Today, most of you celebrated Valentines Day, or marked its passing, or begrudged Hallmark's insensitivity, or something....Well, Haime and I did that too; however, we also celebrated the fact that we've marked off another year of our life sentence together! WOW-TO-THE-WOW!!!  Who woulda thunk it? Okay, if you think a Valentines Day anniversary is sappy, just wait...we were married in Las Vegas...no Elvis (real or impersonated), was not there. This year, we waited too long to make reservations for dinner so we decided to celebrate with "the kids." Chip, Mallory, Carter, Reece and Chelsea joined us for dinner at our house. We had a great time! Actually, we had a wonderful day.

You might remember in an earlier post, that Haime believes all Thursdays are good...Thursdays are his "no way in hell I'm missing" golf days. So, true to his philosophy, Haime golfed today. That was actually fine with me because I spent the day with Mr. Wonderful...Carter. We had an amazing time. After hanging out together in the garden this morning, Carter and I went to a nearby park. After leaving the park, we went to my mom's house and delivered some roses to her for Valentines. Then, the three of us went to a different park for lunch and some fun. And what fun it was! While I watched mom and Carter, through my camera, I was filled with such love for both of them that it literally took my breath away. Carter's joyous laughter and mom's love, pride and her own joy were just impossible to capture accurately here. However, this afternoon was one of those times for me that I will never forget. 

As I mentioned earlier here, "the kids" joined us for dinner. Actually  Reece did the grilling and Mallory did the potatoes and I sipped champagne and made hor d'oeuvres and some veggies. As we were all gathered around the table, talking about nothing special, just being ourselves and (me wishing we could do this more often---like 5 times a week...OK, maybe just 3...) I sent up a prayer of thanks that we are so Blessed to have such love and respect for each other. Mostly, it's just such fun, as a mom, to see what cool adults my children have become...Yep, this was definitely a day for making memories.

TTFN, 

Lois

Beginnings: Long Live the Pope!

Beginnings: Long Live the Pope!: These are very interesting times, or as Ferris Bueller said: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, yo...

Long Live the Pope!

These are very interesting times, or as Ferris Bueller said: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."  Today, the world learned that for the first time in over 700 years, the Pope is resigning. Folks, let me just say, this is HUGE! I mean, this is so HUGE that I'm at a loss to find a HUGE-enough comparison. (No, it is not sacrilegious to have an image of Ferris Bueller before the Pope...GEEZ!)

OK, let me back up. Whether you are a Catholic or not, it is pretty much common knowledge that when a Pope is elected, he is elected to a "life-term;" at least, that's the way it's been done for about 2000 years (OK, there have been a couple of previous exceptions to this, but they have been extremely rare).  As most of you know, the Pope is elected by a group of "elector cardinals." (This could get a bit detailed, you may want to take a quick break to grab a beverage, I know I just did...).

Cardinals are actually "Pope-appointed bishops" (Compare this to Supreme Court justices: judges, appointed by the President). The "elector cardinals" must be <80, of sound mind and able to make the trip to Rome for the Pope selection/election. These Cardinals are locked into the Sistine Chapel, (The Chapel is amazingly beautiful. Even though it is most famous for the mural painted on the ceiling, all of the walls are painted with murals as well; with all of the images to look at, I'd be too distracted to pay attention to anything else that was going on...just saying!), while they deliberate, nominate, debate etc. before electing the new Pope.

OK, here's something you might not know...the Pope need not be a Cardinal, a bishop, nor even a priest. Under Canon law, any Catholic man in good standing, could be elected Pope. Yeah, well, good luck with that. Since the mid-1500's the Pope has been selected from among the Cardinals. (Let's face it, Catholic priests probably invented  "the good 'ole boy" thing...HA!) I think most of you are familiar with the notification process, once the Pope has been selected and elected, (it all goes up in smoke), so I'll stop here.

As a "cradle-to-grave" Catholic, I'm going to confess that I have a really hard time with many of the Catholic church's teachings and doctrines. In particular, (those of you who know me well will not be surprised), I have the hardest time with the Church's "no women allowed" policy with regard to women priests. I also find the priesthood celibacy issue ridiculous as well as the issues of birth control, and the anti-gay stand. I don't think I am in the minority on these issues but let me get back to the Pope's resignation...

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany was elected Pope on April 19, 2005 (after his predecessor, Pope John Paul II died on April 2, 2005.)  His "Pope-name" is Benedict XVI. He announced today that he will resign, effective February 28, 2013. He says that he "no longer has the physical and mental strength" to do the job. To this I say, GOOD FOR YOU! I think it is important for all of us to know when to say when. Prior to my retirement, I often heard it said of "old-timers" that "they should have retired years ago." Meaning, that the person had lost their effectiveness or their ability to effectively perform the tasks and functions of their job. I can not fathom the amount of physical and mental strength and stamina it takes to serve as the "Spiritual Leader" for over 1.2 billion Roman Catholics worldwide.  The Pope is in his 80s, good for him for recognizing his inability to effectively serve. For me, and I believe for most Catholics, our faith is not rooted in any one particular person, rather, it is ingrained into the fibers of our beings. Whether we regularly attend mass or not or whether we even find ourselves attending religious services at other Christian churches, we are a people of faith. We love our Father and his Son and his Spirit. We attempt to live our lives based on the Ten Commandments (and when we fail, as we do, we try to do better the next time). The Church will weather this issue and I sincerely pray that the next Pope will be up to the challenge.

TTFN,

Lois