Time Flies By

and suddenly this tiny 14-year old has her Texas A&M class ring. I don't think I even got a college class ring (my roommate Ellen had stolen my high school ring), but at A&M it's one of the great traditions. You are entitled to order one when you have the right number of hours. The morning you get your ring, you receive a time. Maggie had 5:15 p.m. and we went at 5:45 and avoided the rush.

Alums hand you the ring and take pictures - I'm the one with the lump in my throat.


Maybe later I'll try to figure out how to get the pix in better, but not today.


Then you have your picture taken. We chose the fountain rather than the enormous class ring since it was dark.




Another great tradition is that only Seniors are allowed to do certain cheers. She's a real senior now.

The joys of home ownership . . .

It hasn't rained much this summer. Or, should I say not at all. Then came a rain of 5 inches in an hour during our house party for 100 people. But, it was in the master bath so no unmanageable crisis. The tarp guys came on Sun as well as the ServPro guys. Our insurance company representative, USAA, said no problem. We didn't believe them, but they said so. What they meant was there was no problem in denying our claim. I saw a wonderful billboard about USAA, "Serving America's Military." I wanted to spray paint it to add "A little less each year." It took the adjustor 12 days to come look at the damage, which of course got worse every day and we had two more hellacious storms. But, at day 12, of course, it didn't look like storm damage. YOYO. You're On Your Own. USAA'a motto. Not to worry though. We didn't have anything else to spend $9000 on. USAA says they're passionate about their service. I'm passionate about there lack of it. It's just as well. If they'd have paid the claim, they would have cancelled our insurance.

Enough already

There I was minding my own business driving to the clinic for my allergy shot. A billboard caught my eye. It was an add for a maternity store. It said, "Knocked up or not, we have clothes for you." If that's not the most tasteless bit of advertising I've seen lately! I'm still irritated. But the drive was saved by a bumper sticker that I thought was great. My husband was nonplussed. (I had to look up nonplussed to check it's meaning, and I'm using it in the more modern way; in other words, he wasn't impressed.) It said "Since guns don't kill people, do pencils misspell words?" I like that. I don't think I remember the exact wording, but you get the point.

I am not of this world . . . .

It all started innocently enough. I was driving across town to get my monthly allergy shot, and I made my traditional stop at Sonic for a large Diet Dr Pepper. I had surreptitiously purchased an "Us" magazine and was going to take a few minutes to skim through it before I headed to the clinic. (No, I do not read the trashy Enquirer, etc although we do get the Star in our Sunday paper). I found out that Padma Lakshmi's pregnant; that Lady Gaga's tour is off; 25 things about Selena Gomez that no one knows. I also found out that I have never heard of these people. And more, I don't care. Where's the news about people I've heard of ( or about whom I've heard, if you care about dangling prepositions). Elizabeth Taylor? Cher? Air Supply? OK, I do know about Nicole Richie and Jennifer Garner, and Penelope Cruz, so I'm not a complete idiot. What is the world coming to? Or for better or for worse - why have I become my mother?

When I am an Old Woman . . .

I know the poem says that when I am an old woman "I shall go out in my slippers in the rain and pick the flowers in other people's gardens and learn to spit." Well, as to spitting, there's no way. I have tried and tried and I end up spitting on my shoe or car window or car doorframe. That alone negates going out in my slippers. Do Crocs count? But, there's something else I shall refuse to do. I will no longer buy anything in a package that I can't open in the store in which I bought it. No more CDs or DVDs for me. There is no way I can split the tiny film now, let alone when my eyesight loses it's current flexibility. So, whoever is peddling the latest movies, well your product is toast in my opinion. I can't get to the jewel case. I bought a pair of electric scissors to cut through the titanium plastic that covers some things. Is there some type of insurance that covers plastic cuts?

In fact, I'm not sure I'll be able to pursue anything. Gone will be the days of opening packages and applying cosmetic touches. Scrapbooking days will be at an end; ever try to open one of the adhesive packages? I'd have had better luck, but my fake fingernails precluded that. And speaking of the fingernails, I couldn't get that package open either. Next it will be milk cartons, and ice cream packages. Wonder if my dental work will stand up to ripping things open with my teeth. So, opening beer bottles with my teeth is a no go. And, by the way, I'm stockpiling regular light bulbs. I don't like the curly q ones that last barely six months, which I then have to worry about disposing. At least I can open those packages. But, I digress. And, isn't that a good thing? Next I won't be able to open emails.

It just gets better and better . . .

Patty and I just got back (I'm almost back) from Creative Escapes, a scrapbooking phenomenon. Now, I've talked before about the value of women friendships, but what I learned in Chandler, AZ that there's a certain power in a group of women, whether they know each other or not. Nearly 700 women gathered together because they have a common interest - scrapbooking. Some older, some not that old, some beginners, some professionals, some of us wannabees. But, put us all in a room together and the electricity could power a small town.

I was also blessed to spend time with two friends of 50 years, give or take. The Nancy's have each played such an important part in my life. They've taught me about life in general, how it can be challenging and how to persevere in the face of obstacles I can't imagine. You guys are my inspiration. And to one of our high school friends who has decided men make better friends than women - shame on you. We won't wine and dine you, but we will be there for you, even when you've lost your way. Too bad she doesn't read this blog.

Shoes

OK. I have a lot of shoes but not so many that I can't count them. I have most of them in plastic boxes with labels. I really don't want to count them. But, I know I have fewer than Nancy because she has one of every Enzio flats ever made. What concerns me about these shoes, though, was that we're more than half way through the summer, and I had yet to wear my white sandals. If the truth were known, I'd forgotten about them. So, now, most of the people with whom I come in contact with think I only have one pair of summer shoes - the white ones. My daughter tries to tell me that no one pays attention to that rule of "no white shoes after Labor Day," but she's not constrained by the "old thinking." In fact, she wears white slacks far longer than I would and the thought of carrying a white purse in the winter seems fine to her. I want to appear modern, but I ain't giving into white shoes after Labor Day. So, for all of you that think I only have one pair of shoe this summer, just wait til after Labor Day.