Wednesday wanderings

Found myself screaming from being alone the last couple of days. I don't know what this means about my own company but I had to pretend to have a life today.  After making it to the gym and burning breakfast calories in a matter of 35 mins I hit the showers , committed myself to empty two boxes while watching my new bff's "greys anatomy" (finished all seasons of private practice Tuesday) 

And now for the "business part of my wanderings.... Sit at coffee shop (with dependable wifi and blog)

Dressed casually in knee length flowing skirt and brown sleeveless top and sandals I strutted across the square as if I belong AND had important business to attend to once seated with coffee.  I really wanted a choco chip cookie but remembering what the scales said this morning and how hard it was to burn my breakfast I stayed strong and said "just coffee please".

Now seated at a table for two and typing away like a journalist documenting her experience I sit knowing that maybe only my daughter and possibly my sister will read this.... 

What to do with my life...

So we will do this I can make Wednesday my coffee on the square day.  I had started this once before when I visited Glen Rose and took so many pictures -- with a running monologue going inside my head.  So lets play catch up today

Glen Rose, TX is about 30 minutes from our house in granbury.  It is home to the Comanche nuclear power plant as well and squaw river.   

And really the only reason I would ever visit is to get a piece if pie from the Pie Peddlers (too many calories and short term joy)

The square has this STAR shaped fountain! (Surprised?)

And I met a gentleman than was very eager to tell me his childhood memory of coming to this ice house on Sundays for a big block of ice!

See below.. I am telling the truth!

An amazingly honest business person here!

Another claim to fame for the area - proof of dinasours! I do wonder what they will say now that science is pulling the plug on that story....but again not many areas can claim this!

And the local architecture is of simpler days and times.... Not sure that time has actually moved at all in this area now that i said that!

The houses back up to a river (name escapes me now--- no not Squaw creek!

And I wonder how you move real estate in places like this: 

But I do like the home porch.

And chimneys .... Stand alone chimneys have for ever caught my imagination. I mean families sat around  the fire places no matter the era and made memories. For whatever reason the home and family have moved on or passed on and left this stone marker of nights together.  

Glen Rose has such a chimney nested up to the river bank as well with two drive way entries...and an out building still standing... And so over grown like most man made changes to Mother Earth... 

 Only thing that can call this home now ...

And if you do decide to stay the night here they do still have rooms for the night....

Or small cabins!

Wonder how a family reacts to news they are going to glen rose for a week! Lol

Well let me see if there is anything else I need to tell you about this trip...

Texas markers are every where and even less interesting than any civil war marker... Excepti know that history and those battles so I care... I don't care about these .... Yet anyway

Well thank you for sharing this coffee with me it was like you were here except I did ALL the talking!

Words some good some bad

Yesterday was a great battle of words.  on my cell phone the texts messages were flying between cousins and sisters and our daily activity.  One person had to throw a whine in almost every time! 

This was suppose to be a complain free zone and it was being abused. This frustrated me a lot and I responded in a smart ass way several times. --not Good! Have since apologized and will state clearly the rules when my heart is soft again.

Then after my blog posting our day began to unroll and after coffee it changed for the better -as it almost does 98% of the time. We got drivers license, sat on some couches before purchasing one, did a little art! Planned a little beer fest in our backyard! With just us! 

But then Einstein read my blog from the morning and it upset him. WHAT! I wrote that before I finished my coffee and was trying to work thru feelings of never seeing my kids when I wanted.

During the rest of the evening I felt shame great shame for upsetting him.  Why can't I be like my daughter and only write great things- why can't I be like our other daughter and say what I want and be over it. Shame is a very real thread that adds to the fabric of my life.  

"Maybe I should be through with words and choke on them in my sleep" Maybe I should put away all the desire to do something gratifying in my heart" "maybe if he knew me like I think he should by now he would see that it was a harmless post reflecting the first five minutes of my day!"

Then it hit me - I had written about the first moments of my morning - and that is all it was! Words reflect only a fraction of a day like walking past a mirror and seeing only you at that moment! Your hair is a wreck so you fix it and walk on by.

Einstein I am so sorry it upset you- I will reflect on PAST days so colors of the entire day are included. They are feelings and feelings can't be judged they just are. 

My days are colored in bright yellows and blues for all the energy received in interaction with those I love. But there is always a hint if lavender for the melancholic person I tend to be. There will be streaks of greens for the ways I want to grow and change even at 55!  And pools of reflective silver for me to sit and ponder certain moments--- these truly make up my day.  

The love we have is always always the frame for my day. At the end it always comes down to our love and life together that makes all the colors make sense.

I love you and so sorry that my rapidly  written words upset you - they were not a total pic of my day with you at all.

Fridays off

Einstein gets every other Friday off. Nice huh? Except it messes with my time! He needs to do things that aren't important to me but keep him busy -that is unless he can't find something! Which is every time he needs something. 

Now we are working on "broadcasting signal" to our guest house 100 yards away! 

(For the daughter that no longer wants to be here!) 

there are three boxes needed to do this and they have to fit in my decor some how! He has the radio playing out in the sun room and I can't hear it just enough to know its on! But he says he likes to hear it when he goes outside! Well he hasn't been outside but to let the dog in! Arrrrrrgh!

We will also get our drivers licenses, sit on couches (hope to purchase that today) a class at the gym and hoping a margarita is on the schedule as well!  The sun came out yesterday for the first time since getting back from Chicago

And it was almost as bight as this sweet baby:

 Haha love this face

Started a sketch class yesterday - my fav artist ever  http://www.alisaburke.blogspot.com/

And got so excited I found a couple things I want to utilize: 

Both are garden pieces

And this is a sketch inspired by a hair clip! Lol

Well dog is crying and I am just getting more and more agitated guess I will go shower and get this party started!

Jaja catch up

Morning, please be patient with me as there are so many half thoughts and ideas sauntering through my mind.  And it is a time to celebrate a truly magnificent change in the family tree-- 

Opal Roslyn born 2 weeks early via emergency c-section! 

This sweet baby made my days have such a newness! We are so proud do her and her parents!

July 4th!

Papa instant attachment for this small bundle was reflective of when we brought our own new babies home -- relaxed and patient

And the tears when I had to catch my plane where on the edge of hysteria!

(Ok she wanted to nurse it was really me screaming on the inside "I will be so far away!"

But really we are mesmerized watching our daughter so beautifully become a mother.  Our girls have always been such beautiful smart gifted young women and to see this one almost shine with motherly love just takes our breaths away.

-------------thoughts as a grandmother, the mother of the mother... 

It was hard and amazingly scary to hear that your grand baby's life was in danger from placenta abruption -- but of course my heart broke for our daughter while in great fear she had to accept the council of her doctor for the emergency c-section. And watch her cry as she discussed it with her wonderful calm husband and doctor, she was handed forms to sign (at least 100 it seemed like) I knew all the half thoughts going through her head and really you just have to do whatever they say and do it quickly.   ~as the mother of the mother I was told to get out of the way (I was trying to hold her hand) and suddenly just Dad and I were looking at each other - if he was afraid I didn't see it! He had stars in his eyes when he looked at me and said "it is really happening! We are having our baby today"  I should have hugged him but honestly I was so afraid that my fear would influence his excitement I didn't - I asked him to please keep me so updated that it would be like I was in there! 

Then as he has stated in his portion of the day - they told me to go out by the aquarium and wait for 2 hours! 

The next time I saw my own baby she was so high on motherhood that I had to join in! Even though I had been left in a scared to death state of mind! The nurse let me hold the baby and omg! She was beautiful and I was so so happy but I wanted to hug my baby! She had scared me to death! I remember touching her head, and running my fingers on her cheeks while she held her own baby and thinking, "you will always be my baby" - just like my own mother had said to me even on my 40th birthday - "I love you and soon you will know this love as well!"  This "birth day brought my own moms words and sentiments all back to life and I apologized to her again for not being aware of how hard my own childbirth experiences were on her! 

I spent the day with the new family in their room and my son in law is so fabulous in his care for my daughter that I really had nothing to do but watch and smile. He thought of things before she did! And when I left at 8:00 pm I couldn't wait to get home pour a wine call my big sister and just cry every single tear that I had held in all day long!  

What a day Opal! Welcome to the family! Welcome to the world! And Morgan and Andrew welcome to parenthood!

Wow my time to be a Jaja!

The day I leave to be with our daughter and her husband --- to wait for our first grandbaby!  We have stayed very close up to this point with texts and FaceTime and her blog, "A City for Three".

Where she tells of the ride of her first pregnancy and all of her excitement and hopes and plans for their little family.  I suppose this is the biggest difference at being the grandmother... I can not wait to hold and imagine but I am most excited to just BE present and embrace this child. As the grandmother the responsibility falls more in the support of a family than directing a child.  I want these new parents to do what they feels is best and most important for their daughter. My encouragement and any guidance will be to help mom and dad! The miracle of a new person will blow their socks off that I know! So when the daily grind and lack of sleep rob them of this amazing perspective I will scoop up the baby and allow them to breath in and energize - not only the first two weeks but ANY time the view is a bit fuzzy  with weariness.

They are an adorable couple with an outstanding perspective of love for one another and their families.

With that much to give it was very natural for them to bring a little one in on the joy!
This may very well me the social work I have dreamed off since a young college student a zillion years ago. I just want them to feel comfortable with my presence, not burdened or stressed.  They can share and cry and laugh with me without judgement because I know those feelings as well! And becoming a parent to another human being that you want only good and wonderous days for well it is the most challenging piece of life! But I know without a doubt they can do it they only need rest and love themselves!

Thank you both for allowing me to be there for you and thank you dear Einstein for just letting me be the ambassador of welcome for our daughter's daughter!

More sketching stretching and ummm well I dunno's

Practice makes well a bit better so reminding self of shades and simple pleasure of just trying

No clear boundary is another piece of my own life - pups that like to sit at watch me have these personal moments of self discovery!

They also get pretty put off when I start singing with my head phones on!

And an afternoon leaving moment... After I discovered the pups had dug up a couple of plants...damn cute dogs huh?

And now I can hear them barking even with head phones on ... Here we go!

New distractions to "must do's"

Life here is so different and enjoyable! And often mesmerizing. I wake now to two dogs that are ON fully awake with no coffee! My pain filled feet scream as I try to make it to the coffee and Advil and allergy meds, but I am happy. Excited to go out side and watch the day break open.

This morning the dogs went out with a clamoring of chaotic dog joy and immediately spotted an armadillo  "running" across the neighbors open field. This began the morning chorus of barking that makes me wish I had a gun. Ahhhh damn dogs! Get them inside the house so the amazingly created armadillo can get away (personally they are ugly hard shelled opossum and they creep me out) 

After some "timeout" in the kitchen and knowing this would be the cool part of the day we came back out to my fav sit spot

And there is such a smell of skunk that we all wave our hands and or tails and scan the area quickly - we didn't see anything but they let their presence be known.

Finally with coffee an arm reach away the dogs settled enough that I can hear the fountain and the birds we will all wait for the amazing colors that will only be visible early morning and close of day. They are the most beautiful pinks and purples. 

Yesterday I gave myself permission to work on a table that I found for $10.00 at good will store. Nothing amazing except that someone painted it a shit brown when it was such a pretty oak - and it feels like real wood to me! I am not an expert but...

Before

 

During 

 

And after

It still needs some like sanding and love but I am feeling blog about it happy

And at 11:00 am I made myself stop clean up and start in on the boxes...

And then I said naaaaa.... Go out and finish painting the table for opals room:

Not as pleased about the patterns I put together here but it was my first try. I do love the colors and the quote! It was a $5.00  table from ikea so I couldn't justify any more time on it! Plus a lot of my art supplies are still in boxes! LoL that I don't want to open!

Today is off to a good start - no one got sprayed by a skunk! And I got to sit right here a blog journal without a dog bark or stampede so I will go put my hair up and begin the box job again! I am so excited they are coming to pick up the empty ones today! Should be able to start making it look more comfortable inside now -- especially since we are look for temps of 100 and more this week.

Garden doodle for opal

Needs more something but not sure what. 

Green acres part I

What a great day! I mean there have been a lot if them but to have a day like to day was super cause the baby seemed to embrace the area (which is so very quite compared to Gawga college town)

And I backed the John deer up like a pro over the ramp! And cut the grass with it and the push mower cause i did need instruction on how to make the blade drop! Duhhh! And I got two rooms box free and hung a picture! Made happy hour and dinner for my man AND walked the dog while cackling with my sister BFF!

Obviously 

Here is the table with lowes rescued plants beded

Youngest embracing the moment lol! Hey you do what you have to!

And she needed wine and a tan

And happy hour!

Taduuuuum!!!

There was one thing that was actually done yesterday - I was immunized for my grandbaby! Now me who is anti mass anything did this so the mother to be ( my sweet baby) would not have more to worry about! I did not even have her immunized till 7th grade and I felt she was healthy enough to take them all.  Our second son had a seizure caused by the dpt (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) so I did all in my power to keep our younger ones from getting them and he never got another.

As the pharmacy tech gave me mine she said it is in the best interest of the baby because they have such weak immune systems the first couple of months -- bullshit they have the same immunity as the mother nursing them!!! They are covering asses again in case there is someone in the hospital with it!

I am a little surprised my daughter asked us to but I am a little surprised that I did it so easily! But I must say again that medicine and government have their place and don't need to tell us to do everything we live in a free country! (Only real choice really protected is abortion)

Ok off my box and almost ready for bed! And excited to seethe baby bed all set up! 

Look how hard i was working! And princess was sipping wine with a straw on the porch!

And my momma so long ago pushing while we watched

Wednesday a week here!

A week ago the largest hail in my universe hit town just before the worst tornado seen here in seven years. The hail hit my car but thankfully the tornado stayed 5 miles away! 

Tonight was beautiful out with a most perfect breeze and tinted skies! And of course it helps that at least one of our babies is here! And I just stood on the porch and watched her get home safely!

We went out for a bit today and met Zoro-- one of our many neighbors that like to graze all day it was so nice to have time to stop and share a few carrots with the big guy (pic didnt show up on my iPad will try again tomorrow)

Tomorrow will be a big unpack day...