I'm Baaaaaack

I can hardly believe that it's been almost a year since a sallied forth. But, good friends reminded me of the obvious. Joe and I and our favorite lap dog started out on a two-week roadtrip to points west. We hoofed it to Ruidosa with a stop in Ft Stockton, one of our favorite resting places (that was tongue in cheek) but if you live in San Antonio and want to go west, it's stop there or nowhere. We descended on Bruce and Nancy and Daisy's sister, Pali. Daisy decided to stay with them when we went to Chandler to Creative Escapes scrapbook extravaganza.


We made the yearly pilgrimage to the Heart Attack Grill and stuffed ourself with lard, cream and Mexican cokes - the really syrupy kind. Fred and Joe had found it (by accident) last year, so we invited Nancy and Bruce and we all had burgers dripping with grease. After 3 hard days of scrapbooking, we left Patty and Fred at the airport and went to retrieve Daisy.
Joe and I had decided to drive to the Grand Canyon but when we learned Nancy (another highschool friend) and Don, her husband, were back in town, we opted to have lunch with them and then the six of us could drive to Vegas instead. What a great choice.
Boys in one car and girls in the other. We told funny stories, reminisced, and just had an all around good time. Once there, we had great Italian food; bad craps tables, good Oz and Monopoly slot machines. It must have been a good time cause we never left the hotel. You just can't take for granted friendships that last over time. We have been truly blessed. And another blessing is that our husbands really appear to like each other. I'm sure sometimes they feel left our of the stories, but they benevolently hang in there. Here's to them.
After all of that, the ride home was a bit of an afterthought, but Daisy joined us in the front seat and we returned home to laundry, mail, and other assorted mundane stuff. And packing for a trip to Kansas City. Thank you Lord for friends.

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.

It's a good day to begin again . . .

It's been a month and a half and I guess I've been hibernating. I've accomplished a couple of things, not in any order of importance. I tackled a couple of long-held squeamish ideas - fish tacos and banana/peanut butter sandwiches. Fish tacos, not so bad. I guess the secret is fried fish and a strong enough cabbage taste to mask the fish. I ate the whole thing! On to the banana/peanut butter. Ooofdah. I'll revisit them as soon as I buy more bananas. Potassium combined with fat. How can that not be delicious.


The second event and far more important was my 45th HS reunion. Why anyone would hold a reunion in SD in the summer is beyond me. In their defense, however, the weather was great. They may have to do more with the fact that we've had a record-breaking heat wave and drought in San Antonio. It's amazing that you can see your HS friends and pick up as if nothing had changed. Why is that? We can laugh, reminisce, and gossip (just a little) and the time goes by so quickly. Too quickly. I believe that should we attend another, one night for the whole class is enough. You've told everyone how well they look and how glad you are to see them and asked what they've been doing and ooohed over their grandchildren. The precious time is investing it with friends from forever. (Notice I did not say, "old friends"). Collectively shared joy and sadness is the foundation of our lives.

My mother was hospitalized when I was in 9th grade, but I don't remember her having "girlfriends." She was in everything - book clubs, PEO, Eastern Star and others. But I don't remember coming home to find her immersed in a friendly cup of coffee with a best friend. I had to learn on my own that girlfriends are what keep you grounded. I hope I can pass this on to my daughter.

Read "We are our Mothers' Daughters" by Cokie Roberts

It's a compilation of great stories about women who have made a difference and pathed the road for the lives we live today. Her Chapter on "Friends" is particularly special as I just spent five days with friends from long ago and relatively new friends.

Just a couple of quotes that caught my imagination. "We were part of the grouop of kids who ran the student government, acted in the plays, organized the events . . . . Little did we know then that the friendships formed from those silly pastimes, the countless hours on the telephone, the sleepovers where no one slept, would in later years bring us back together through happy times and sad--through marriages and births and deaths, runaway kids and runaway husbands." All of us who have those friends are so blessed. Two of them flew all the way to Seattle for my stepson's wedding. And, it was as if no time had passed. Two other friends could not come for personal reasons and we missed them.

And three other friends also made the trip with their husbands. We all joined together as if we'd known each other forever. Another thought from Cokie is that we sometimes get so busy with mundane tasks and trivia that we don't take time to enjoy each other. The wedding provided time out to do that. She again points out that girlfriend lunches are "food for the soul." My soul was enriched this week. They made me take a time out to relax. They took over little tasks that I hadn't finished. I cherish my friends.

Nothing like a trip to Laredo

to spur on your shopping urges. No, we didn't cross the border, although from the looks of things the bridge into Mexico was crowded. Seven of us braved terrorist warnings and took a van on the the three-hour trip south of San Antonio. Our designated driver was superb. She endured six other chatty, laughing women; rain and fog. We mad an early stop at a pottery store and bought enough to fill the van. Undeterred, we moved on to a hearty lunch in order to keep up our stamina. Jewelry was the next targeted purchase. And, a fine job we did. Then the iron works where we were able to fit a huge pink flamingo and iron circle into non-existent space. We looked like clowns at the circus emerging from a VW bug. The great thing was that although we knew each other at the start not all of us were close friends. Nothing creates a bond like shopping, though, and when we returned, we joined the husbands (who came to unload the van) for a glass of wine and to toast a successful adventure. Why is it that men haven't caught on to the value of "boyfriends" like we have "girlfriends." Their loss. Here's to girlfriends.

Sometimes your best friend . . .

turns out to be your daughter.
This year Joe gave Maggie and me a five-day trip to Ireland. Left lane driving, Guinness, Irishmen, mussels, and the love of my daughter, . . . could there be a better gift? We landed at Shannon on Wed morning and left from Dublin on Sun. In between was magic. Maggie served as navigator (she is blessed with a keen sense of direction). We had perfect weather, always sunny, no rain. We found little out of the way places, not on the "schedule" and Maggie's excitement got me to stop and enjoy things I never would have, had she not been there. It's great to see Ireland through the eyes of a twenty year-old. Through shouts of "left, left, left," we only drove on the wrong side one time.
The Dingle Peninsula was straight from the brochures. I found the B&B that Joe and I had stayed in 9 years ago. Wonderful Irish hospitality and homemade scones. Then we left the slow lane for Dublin. My mother always dragged me to things so I could say I'd done them. Maggie has now seen Dublin and had scones at Bewley's. Along the way, there was a stop at the Guinness Brewery, for medicinal purposes only.
And, we ended the trip watching Ireland win the Grand Slam Rugby play-offs. (So much better than American football.) Suffice it to say we packed a lot into four days. But the best thing, was traveling with and sharingg Ireland with Maggie. I love her dearly.

What makes a friend?

What makes a friend? Off the top of my head I would probably list such things as shared experiences, trust, similar passions . . .. I look at my current girlfriends, and we have those things in common. I'm blessed with friends from high school but not so many from college. I have friends from my previous work environment, but I don't talk to them often. And, I have friends in San Antonio with whom I share hobbies, shopping and just spending time.

But I'm in Louisville right now at a big yearly militaria show that my husband lives for. It's his chance to laugh and tell funny stories with other guys who collect items from Imperial Germany (spiked helmets and such). Rather like a Diva weekend.

There are two other wives that come along. We are as different as can be. I'm the oldest; retired, etc. Another wife lives in a rural area and grinds her own flour from wheat, shears sheep and cards it to spin; and the other has been a pre-school teacher for twenty years. What we have in common is our husbands'love of collecting.

Once again, we're together. We have breakfast at 0945 at the La Quinta (right before they clean it up) and plan our day. On Day One, it's getting vittles for our husbands and taking them to the show; the guys appear to have invited everyone to stop by for sandwiches. That done, we have lunch, shop at consignment stores and Target, take naps and buy beer for the inevitable pizza party on Thurs, etc. I'm still fascinated with wheat grinding and sheep sheering as a way of life. We couldn't be more different. Our passions are different, we have no shared experiences except for once a year with our husbands. And yet, we are friends. Why? No particular reason, except we are friends. I learn so much from them and love them dearly.

Here's a toast to girlfriends - although we don't know why. We just feel that they are vital to life.

Full Moon

I'm not sure it's a full moon today, but it could have been. Either that or there's something funky with karma going on. Uneventful awakening, but glad I did, given the alternative. I had a nice breakfast with Joe while reading the idiotic stories that make up the news these days, and I'm not even talking about politics. It was then my intention to read my lesson for tonight's class. Well, I couldn't find my notebook - it's large and impossible to hide, but I apparently did. Then Joe wanted to see my Kindle - could I find it . . . no. Somewhere there's a brain that fits inside my head, but it's missing also.

I finished reading through the 5th crusade when a friend in need called. She has suffered a family tragedy and needed help. She and I went grocery shopping and while she organized her list, I volunteered to buy us something to drink. Now, I gave up diet sodas and artificial sweeteners on the cruise. I still don't know why. I do know, however, that I crave something sweet mid-day and rather than a diet Dr Pepper, I'm choosing chocolate and candy. II was already feeling a little nauseous because the only thing that got me through the crusades was a pack of peanut butter Girl Scout cookies. I got her a hot chocolate, and I got a milkshake. Nothing artificial about that.

So then, we went to her house where our friend Barb met us. It was Barb's and my task to make two recipes so Patty could finish up some other work. Barb is a master cooker; I'm a slug. We laid out the ingredients for the crockpot beef and everything went fairly smoothly til Barb broke (temporarily) the pepper grinder and the peppercorns went everywhere. Have you ever tried to vacuum them. If you can get them picked up, the vacuum grinds them and spits them out the back as ground pepper, which means you have to start over. It was perpetual motion because those that didn't get ground up went flying everywhere. Do you remember the old videos of a room full of mousetraps with ping pong balls on them, and you trigger one and they all go? Well, it works with peppercorns as well. So there we were, Barb and I trying to clean while keeping it from Patty so she wouldn't worry. OK, the beef is ready and we put it in a plastic bag in the fridge. Only to find out in a bit that it's leaked all over the eggs in the refrigerator. And, these are pasteurized eggs to prevent salmonella. Nothing we can't fix.

Then, we move on to an extraordinary dessert. It requires beating egg whites into stiff peaks. Do you think two women with master's degrees could get the beaters into the hand mixer? How about separating the yolks and whites? Not easy. We finally finish up by pouring the batter into a flat jelly roll pan and down my pant leg. Not to worry, I have to go to church in about 45 minutes, but Baxter (the dog) licks it off my leg so I'm good to go.

Barb runs me home while the cake is baking for ten minutes and I rush into the house to fix Joe something to eat before I go to church. My dog attempts further cleaning efforts on my pant leg while I fix Joe a dragon roll. I just hate those little packages of soy sauce. They just won't open and they're slippery. I finally get it open, so I think, and pour it on the dragon bites. What I don't immediately recognize is that it's spraying my shirt in the process in quite an artistic design. Urghhh. I'm trying to get to the church on time. So, I peel off my light pink shirt and begin to spray it. The spray bottle isn't working, and I'm really quite frustrated as I toss the bottle in the garbage. It's at that point I realize that it's a bottle of Febreeze, not the OxyClean bottle.

Well, the story is nearing it's end. I go to my class at church and when we finish it's hailing. San Antonio is in a drought and it decides to pelt us with hail as well.

All I can say is I wouldn't trade my friends for anything. The sisterhood simply can't be replaced. I know if something were to befall me tomorrow, my girlfriends would be there, no matter what was happening in their lives. I am blessed.

The Value of Women Friends

If you haven't checked out "Girlfriendology.com," you really must. It's an interactive website, filled with "all things girlfriend." I'm back from my cruise, still haven't fully unpacked and am feeling the stress of cooking. My friend, Patty, told me last Tues, when I picked up Daisy, to save this Friday morning. She had booked us a "chocolate" manicure and pedicure that was just heavenly. The scrub and moisturizer were some magic formula of chocolate. I can still smell it. After three hours of pampering, she took me to lunch. Both of us get too wrapped up in doing stuff. This "forced" relaxation was heaven and I stlll smell like chocolate. We've made another appointment for next month. Yayyy!!!!

Then, I checked out Girlfriendology and found the following excerpt from an article: Reducing Stress for Women.
10 Great Ways for a Woman to Manage Stress - By Spending Time with Her Girlfriends!

Here are 10 ways women can reduce stress, with their girlfriends:

Volunteer with a friend. Animal shelter or senior center, through a church or a neighborhood organization - wherever you prefer, volunteering together makes it more fun. Knowing that you’re helping others takes your mind off your own stress. In addition to doing something helpful for others, you and your girlfriend will have the wonderful experience of being thankful for all the blessings in your life.
Simplify your lives - together. Take turns helping each other organize closets. Help the other with household projects or cleaning out the basement. Make it your goal to organize, de-clutter and to trust your girlfriend to help you make good choices in what to keep and what to donate or toss.
Phone a friend. Sure, we send a quick email or forward a funny joke, but you need personal communication to connect with another indivdual. Give her a call to catch up. Plan a phone date at a time that’s good for both of you. I’ve had coffee phone dates with a long-distance girlfriend. We plan a time to talk on the weekend when the free minutes are rolling, and call each other from home or the corner place over a good cup of coffee. A few minutes on the phone together can totally erase the worries of the day simply through a caring conversation between girlfriends.
Start a girlfriend group, and don’t make it a one-time thing. Gather friends and start a book club, running club, mommies’ group or gourmet club. Having a plan to get together with several girlfriends on a regular basis is like having an upcoming vacation - it gives you something fun to look forward to.
Make plans to do dinner or lunch. Make it an adventure and try a new restaurant or share appetizers for a girlfriend catch-up happy hour of your own.
Take a yoga or Pilates class with a girlfriend. The exercise will help you physically, the girlfriend will help you emotionally - both wonderful outcomes for an hour of your time. Plus, you’re bound to find things to giggle about in class, which is worth the effort simply for the comic relief.
Try some animal therapy. Pets, like girlfriends, are a proven source of stress relief. Join the two and visit a dog park with a girlfriend. You’ll laugh at the dog antics and all the kinds of creatures and their personalities. Or, take a dog for a walk together. That combines exercise, animals and friendship - add a nice day and you’re set for a super stress-relieving session.
Be creative. Enjoy time together and forget about the stress in your lives by getting creative. Take a knitting class, plan a day to scrapbook, make cards, bead or try a new craft together. Crafting is also a wonderful way to get your mind thinking creatively which can lead to new solutions for your stressful life. There’s a reason women are so passionate about their pastimes - find your passion and some girlfriends who share that hobby with you and you’re on your way to happiness. And, you can make gifts for your girlfriends!
Pamper thine self. This could mean shoe shopping or a new haircut, a massage or a cup of fancy organic tea. Allow yourself some time together to take care of your inner girlie girl.
Get healthy - together. Weight gain or unhealthy eating often accompanies stress. Find an approach that works for both of you to be healthier - be it a diet or exercise plan, or perhaps by joining Weight Watchers or a boot camp class. Work together to eat right, exercise together, encourage each other and celebrate your successes. Stress diminishes when you’re healthy, happy and beautiful!

In one fell swoop Patty took care of half the list. God bless her.