It was a lovely weekend...

with much to be thankful for.

A commitment ceremony in church for a friend and his partner

who have been waiting almost two decades for the church 

to recognize and bless their love.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I don't particularly follow sports

but the Cardinals are a big deal in this town...

and I love the sense of community that gets fostered

with all the playoff hoopla.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was contacted recently by the author of a book I marked as 'read' on my Goodreads page.

I don't think I even reviewed it - although I did give it 4 stars.

It was a first person account of walking the Camino.

A Million Steps by Kurt Koonz.

I enjoyed it.

I never dreamed I'd get a personal 'Thank you' for having read the book -

from the author himself.

We communicated a few times, via email;

he even commented on my Camino blog!

Nice touch!

No matter how engrossed I get in a book,

no matter how compelling the characters are

or how much they stay with you after the last page,

I think about the persons in the book as fixed

and contained only within the pages...

it was nice to be reminded that there's an author,

there's a real person behind the words,

telling his story to the best of his ability,

sharing his truth.

I liked the reminder;

I liked the gesture.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was so beautiful this weekend.

I was going to work in the yard.

I was going to take the dogs for a long walk.

I was going to go down to the basement 

and gather up more items for the church rummage sale 

next weekend.

But I didn't.

I did THIS instead.

 I think I should feel guilty - 

but, I don't.

As I said,

it was a lovely weekend.

I'm making it officially known to the universe.

After I retire,

after I walk 550 miles,

after I buy my scooter chair because I'm never walking another step in my life,

I intend to learn how to crochet.

Yup,

I'm going to be one of those grannies

who make ridiculously cheerful,

happy,

maybe downright impractical things -

like buntings

and yarn bombed lamps!

I'll spend my pension

on yarns and, when I die,

I'll have half a dozen unfinished projects in a canvas bag at my side.

Sounds about right!

Who wants to teach me?

All images BTW from the fabulous blog

Attic 24

Dear single mom who took 3 hours of my life today -

Trust me on this one.

 I know how hard it is to find someone to date - 

someone with any redeeming features 

other than being upright and breathing.

Throw in finding someone with a job, intellect,

a sense of humor and any morals at all

and you can almost hear strains of 

"To Dream the Impossible Dream".

When your friends told you to check 'the lists',

I suspect they meant

Craig's List,
e-Harmony

or Match. com;
all dicey in my opinion
but to each her own!

They certainly didn't mean the states Sex Offenders Registry!

The fact that your last 3 boyfriends have all been on that list, however, 

is neither random nor a coincidence!
You must be shopping that list with some regularity

As hard as it may be to envision life by yourself,

there ARE, in fact, worse things than you being alone.

Just ask your 2 yr old daughter.

Can you stand a few more??

'Cause you can never have too many gorgeous, perfect baby shots -

Am I right?!

Good thing I don't live closer...

or this poor child would have her own personal

paparazzi!

And just so you don't think I didn't do anything else this weekend besides

get up in the baby's face...

there was antiquing on the way home. 

 No buying but it's always fun to look.

I DID pick up some ideas...

as you go about raking up fall leaves,

have an equipment malfunction and 

are tempted to throw away that rake head...

DON'T!

 Loved both of these recycling ideas!

Don't you?

Is this heaven?

No, it's Iowa!

With

perfect fall weather, 

great food, deep conversations

and a beautiful baby 

that, I'm sure, 

has Swedes everywhere

celebrating!

Pictures with practically every 'costume change'...

and one cuter than the next.

She's adorable even when crying.

Yup; it's official;

I'm smitten!

An Artists Dozen

My son is an artist – have I told you that before? 

 An honest to Pete, living in a reclaimed warehouse, 

semi-starving,

” painting is his happy place” artist. 

He shares his vision whether anyone gets it or not; 

his art isn’t ‘commercial’ 

will rarely match a couch 

and won't be found over a mantle with matching candlesticks on either side. 

 I couldn’t be more proud of him. 

He is - and always has been - an original. 

No ‘cookie cutter’ kids in my life! 

 His willingness and courage to live on the margins 

inspires me to do the same – well, MY version, 

since we all have to be the artists of our own lives! 

 While I drive to Iowa this morning to see the latest addition to our family, 

I thought it would be fun to share some of his work, 

some of the titles of his pieces 

and see if you can match them up. 

 (Three are really easy – basically giveaways. 

Hey, I know it’s the weekend and you don’t want to work very hard. 

 You’re welcome.) 

1. Ridiculously Flawed Painting (from start to finish), This is the Constipation C.K. and I Talked About.

2. Friends Entangled With Enemies, Enemies Entangled With Friends, This is Confusion, Friends Entangled With Friends, This is Not Confusion.

3. Handcrafted Reminder of Stupidly Large American Style Vanities, is Mine, Yours, Ours.

4. This is A Painting of a Painting, That From Here On Out I Will Pretend My Friend, The Painter John Wesley, Made Specifically For Me On the Occasion of my 35th Birthday. Thanks John!

5. Piece of My Studio Floor: Stretched the Day After My Van Died: Signs Signs Everywhere There's Signs, SuperBowl Sunday Sunday Sunday.

6. Unnameable Feelings

7. Painting with a Forgotten Title, After Courbet's Friend's Lady, with a Green Glove.

8. Life List

9. Maps, Who Needs Maps (The StageCoach Painting)

10. My Depressive Sloth Bathing in a River of Love.

11. Sophisticated Painting #1: Hey Ladies

12. Hamburger Hot Dog Stained Glass DoubleStack

 For more of his work, go here.

The moon is a loyal companion.

It never leaves. 

It’s always there, watching, 

steadfast, 

knowing us in our light and dark moments, 

changing forever just as we do. 

Every day it’s a different version of itself. 

Sometimes weak and wan, 

sometimes strong and full of light. 

The moon understands what it means to be human.

Uncertain. 

Alone. 

Cratered by imperfections.

Tahereh Mafi

The moon tonight is glorious!

Hope you're all out enjoying it~

It hit me like a wave...

sadness and an overwhelming sense of loss.

I was standing in the middle of the doctors conference room in the Emergency Department, laughing with physicians I've known for decades... about cases from years ago, different situations we'd found ourselves in, words and phrases we'd unexpectedly, and unfortunately, said or heard.

Tears were streaming down our faces - and in a moment of clarity, I realized mine were only partly based in humor.

It occurred to me that, in just a few months, the chance to be with these people - these funny, bright, sensitive, irreverent, talented, compassionate and, at times, totally inappropriate people - would be over.

There are so many things about retirement that appeal to me; so many things I'll be free to do... but there are so many other things I'll miss, so many things my daily life is built around now that even envisioning how life will be without them is painful to contemplate.

There are times it takes my breath away.

All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.
Anatol France

Dying and letting go, even symbolically, is a hard process.

There are times it hurts.

A lot.

Hope

Pause to Wonder

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. 

It is the source of all true art and science. 

He to whom this emotion is a stranger, 

who can no longer pause to wonder 

and stand rapt in awe, 

is as good as dead, 

his eyes are closed.

Albert Einstein

The Camino Blog

For those of you who have asked how my plans for the pilgrimage are going,

here's the big reveal.

I'm ready to go public on the journal I set up

specifically for the Camino.

I'll have periodic posts
(on all different aspects of the preparation)
until I leave in 6 months
and then my daily progress will be posted
while I'm in Spain.

If you're interested,

you can follow me here.

Over the Hill and on the Road:
Walking the Camino after 60.

Hope some of you will 'walk' over!