Wild Things in the Burbs

I live in the “burbs”, a.k.a the suburbs of North Dallas. The terrain is flat in comparison to the “hill country” of Texas. You would think that living in the suburbs, you’d never encounter wild life. WRONG! Neighbors have seen Coyotes roaming through our streets. While others have seen Owls perched on their fences or in their trees.

I’ve seen Hawks, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Ducks, Geese, Mice, Rabbits, Robins and other birds. Oh, and a pesky Squirrel or two. A rare sighting of a rabbit or two in spring. Mostly, my sightings are limited to our feathered friends and the bushy tailed squirrel.

Personally, I don’t mind. I’ve gained an appreciation of birding when I went to Botswana in 2006. It’s amazing the birds that come out at sunrise, in the midst of the day, or early evening.

I’ve carried on with the Ducks, Cardinals, and even the Blue Jays. In my role as the Bird Whisperer, I’ve been able to distinguish the sounds of each of these birds. The squirrels, perhaps I am a little less patient as they are so daring and cause trouble with my cats, especially with Liza.

I’ve given up on feeding the birds. I bought a bird feeder that was supposed to be “squirrel proof”. Guess again?? How well did it work? NOT! Rest assure, the squirrels know every trick in the book. I can be outside with my 2 cats, they will climb down the fence, drink water from the bird baths, and scamper back up the fence. Only to finish off their mission by “barking” at the cats.

Mr. Squirrel on a covert operation. Looking out for cats.

The birds are rather fascinating. It’s a pretty safe bet that if a male Cardinal shows up, the female is right behind. Male cardinals are bright in color, red, with some black around the eyes. Almost as though they are wearing a mask. The female has an orange beak, and is brownish red in color.

Male Cardinal – he looks like he’s wearing a face mask.

When the Cardinals first appear, they have a “clicking” sound. They’ll scope out the yard. Hiding in the trees, perching on the fence, or checking out my hanging baskets. Once in a while, I’ll get lucky and see them splash around in the bird baths.

Female Cardinals have a bright colored, orange beak.

It’s amusing to listen to the Cardinals different chirps. Once they get past the 1, 2, “click” sound, the next sound will be something like “Qwert, Qwert, Qwert”. If I could translate this, the “Q” would be silent. They may do this 4 or 5 times. Sometimes, they will combine this with the “click” sound.

Cardinal 007 – spying on the cats. He is good at hiding.

I had a pretty good amount of “wild things” in my yard today, rather surprising given that the temperatures were over 100 degrees. I was outside without my camera, when I encountered the birds and the squirrel. I did my tip toe back into the house to gather up my camera. If the birds and squirrel could think one thing about me, is they probably thought I had a few loose noodles.

Say WHAT??? Do you really think you’re fooling me by getting out that camera? Do you think I’m gonna mug for you?

One never knows what “wild” things lurk in the burbs. Perhaps a wise old Owl.

Some of our wild things are more wise than others. I don’t give a hoot, I’m always glad to have the wild visitors drop by.

This is a bird’s eye view of life in the burbs.

Memorable Moments with Dad

As a woman, I know that our Father’s leave an impression on us forever, basically from cradle to death. We watch them fix things, go to work, and even have grilling down to a science. Dad had a way with us kids with his psychology. You’d think the world was coming to an end, it was broken, and couldn’t be fixed. Nope, not with Dad, maybe too, it’s because he was an Engineer, so he knew how to build things and fix things.

Here are some of my most memorable moments with Dad:

#1 – When we were on the USS Darby, Bill and I were playing checkers. The Atlantic was rough, the board and checkers would slide back and forth. I got mad and said “damn it to hell”. Dad was lying on the bed, reading. He looked at me and said “what did you say”? I said “damn it to hell.” He asked “where did you learn that from”? I looked at him and said “from you, Dad.” He looked at me and said “don’t cuss, do as I say, not do as I do”. To this day, I chuckle about it.

#2 – When learning how to ride my bicycle, Dad was behind me, hanging onto my seat, so I wouldn’t fall. At first, I was very wobbly, so Dad kept me and the bike steady. I was pedaling the bike, excited and happy. I kept pedaling and said “see look at me, I can ride, I can ride.” Little did I know that Dad had let go, and I was pedaling the bike by myself. Now, that’s what I call good psychology.

#3 – Pancake breakfasts with Dad was entertaining. Dad would put enough batter on the griddle, to almost cover the griddle. When it came time to flip the pancake over, Dad would toss it in the air. Luckily, it always landed back on the griddle! Oh, and the pancakes were good!

#4 – Math, especially Algebra was a challenge for me. I didn’t like numbers being substituted with letters. Dad was always patient with me.

#5 – I learned something new when it came to chores. Dad introduced us kids to “mining”. We were eager to learn mining. When we discovered that “mining” was picking up dog poop and putting the poop in a paper sack, we weren’t so eager.

#6 – I learned about Africa with Dad. My teacher (Mr. Cervi) had the class do a project for Geography. I chose Africa. Dad cut out a piece of wood into a round shape. We drew the shape of Africa. Inside the country of Africa, we used white rice. We painted the rice, to represent different areas of Africa. To come up with the Atlantic Ocean, we painted that area in blue.

#7 – Fishing. I had fun with Dad when we went fishing. He taught us to prop up our pole between 2 rocks. For bait, we would use: corn, marshmallows, Velveeta, or fireballs. He never made us use live worms (thankfully). We would catch our fish. Lucky for Mom and us girls, we never had to clean the fish. That was a “guy” thing. Oh, and talk about some tall fish tales!

#8 – Doggie Daddy comes to Germany. One of my favorite stuffed animals was my “Doggie Daddy”, everywhere I went, he went. When it was time to move to Germany, I got separated from Doggie Daddy. Damn, my heart was broken, I thought I’d never see him again. For me, it was the end of the world. Dad came home one afternoon from work, he had his hands behind his back. We were all curious, we’d try to sneak past him to catch a glimpse, and he would turn around. This little game went on for a couple of minutes. Mom watched in delight. Finally, Dad put out his hands and there was my Doggie Daddy!!! Yep, Dad knew how to fix my broken heart, I was reunited with my “bud”.

#9 – Mr. Fix It. When I moved to Dallas, I rented a U-Haul truck, which really was perfect for all of my furniture and stuff. I have a grandfather clock, which I’ve had since 1981. Moving a grandfather clock does require some special packing and care. I suspect I wasn’t careful enough. When I settled into my new home in Dallas, I couldn’t get the clock to chime. I didn’t have the money to fix the chimes, so I just let it go.

That fall, Mom and Dad came to visit me. One morning, I was asleep. Mom was at the table with her coffee, and Dad had the case to the clock open. I came out and asked Dad what he was doing with the clock. He told me that one of the rods was broken and he could fix it. Off to the clock shop we went. Dad bought the rods, we came home, and he fixed the clock!!! The chimes worked! To this day, it’s one of the greatest gifts that Dad ever did for me! One, I will never forget!

Dad – he always had a way about him! His sense of humor and he was so good at fixing things.

Spreading My Wings, Moving to Texas – Summer of 82

Rick and I had visited his Dad (Ron) and Step Mom (Audrey) over Thanksgiving 1981. They were living in Bedford, a suburb of Dallas Texas. It was a nice area, but what I was impressed with were the job opportunities for me in Dallas. The Dallas Morning News had pages and pages of help wanted ads. I felt stifled in Phoenix, and there was far more people than there were jobs. I glossed over the help wanted ads and suggested that we move to Texas. Surely, Rick would be able to relocate to Texas through his company.

When we got back to Arizona, Rick put in for a transfer to relocate to Texas. A few months later he received the news that there was an opening in Texas and they invited him out for an interview. He had the interview and called me from the airport. “Honey, how do you feel about moving to Texas, now let’s see, it’s fairly close to Dallas”. I gave him my approval and did a couple of “dances” and “whoops” of excitement while talking with him.

The first order of business was for Saga (his employer) to send us out for a pre-move trip, for house hunting and to scope out the area. We would be given a week to do what we needed to do for the pre-move. Arrangements were made and we would fly to Texas.

We flew via Delta Airlines, and landed in Texas. I didn’t know what city it was, but I didn’t think it was Dallas, it seemed much smaller. It turned out to be Austin. Ok, nice, this is really cool, I think I’m going to like this. We were greeted by his District Manager’s Secretary and would be driven to our “new” city.

It seemed that our drive would take forever. We had been in the car for an hour. I asked Jeanette “are we in Dallas yet?”. She replied “oh, you’re not going to Dallas, you will be in Belton.” Turns out that Belton is in Central Texas (68 miles north of Austin, and 150 miles south of Dallas). She drove us around the University of Mary Hardin Baylor (Rick would be Food Service Manager), and then to our hotel.

Would we rent or would we buy? We had a double wide mobile home in Arizona that we would have to sell. Saga would “bridge loan” us the funds until our home in Arizona sold. We even considered buying the former manager’s home, but I really wanted to look at more homes. I wasn’t real impressed with the homes in Belton, actually, I wasn’t real impressed with Belton, period.

One home we looked at in Belton, was a wood framed house. I wasn’t impressed. Inside, was pink shag carpeting and red velvet wallpaper. It had a beat up old gas stove and no dishwasher. Oh, and the house stank! I was starting to have second thoughts and ready to go into a major meltdown. We were up against time to find a place to live, plus it’s not like we had a lot of money to put down on a house. I started crying, then at the same time the former food service manager (Roland) walks into this house. Even he wasn’t impressed.  It was all very overwhelming.

The realtor informed us that Temple was nearby and would be an easy commute for Rick.We looked at some homes in Temple, and I liked Temple so much better than Belton. Then the debate of rent vs. buy came up. In the summer of 1982, mortgage rates on houses were close to 18%, I felt that was obscene. In fact I commented to Rick and the realtor “at this interest rate, we may as well buy the house with our Mastercard”. I suggested that we rent it for a year with a lease-option purchase. The homeowners were more than happy to do that. Surely, interest rates would have to come down a couple of percentage points. We signed the contract for the house. It was a 3 bedroom brick house, 2 living areas, and the back yard was almost 1/2 acre with a chain link fence.

We lined up the movers through the company. Atlas Van Lines would be moving our household contents. The team was a husband and wife (Larry and Mary) who would pack, load, and drive the van.

The night before the moving van came, we went out for our “goodbye” party. Rick’s co-workers and employees performed a “barbershop routine” on Rick. In a nutshell, you sit in a chair, and drink shots of liquor. Boy oh boy, did Rick pack it on. I watched in amusement. We said our goodbyes to everyone. I would say that the next morning, I was less than amused. Rick had a horrible hangover and was tossing his cookies. Great, the movers will be here any minute, and I’m dealing with my husband who is tossing his cookies. Yep, I can see this picture, he’ll be helping and puking at the same time – wonderful!

Late afternoon, the van was loaded, all of our household contents, including a couple of good sized houseplants. It was a good day, nothing broke, almost smooth as silk. I was amazed at how strong Larry was,  he’d pick up the hide-a-bed sofa like it was a fork. We were so blessed to have Larry and Mary as our moving team!

We packed both cars with some suitcases and of course our animals. Our Cocker Spaniel (Lady) would ride with Rick. I would drive the 2 cats (Patches and Silly). Moving with cats??? I would say it’s like giving a cat a pill.

On our way to Texas, we would stop at my parents house and say our “goodbyes”. We would be 1200 miles away from them. I think one of the things that was a little hard for me, is it would be awhile before spending Christmas with Mom and Dad. When it comes time to handing out Christmas presents, Dad had an entertaining and funny way of doing it. I always enjoyed it!

We spent the night in Ozona. It was incredible, a small hotel room with the 2 of us, 1 dog, and 2 cats. The cats hid underneath the bed. In the morning we would load up the cars. Patches, we couldn’t find her. She had wedged between the 2 mattresses, what fun it was to “tear apart” the beds to get her out. A little bit of hissing and growling to top it off.

Our drive would be close to 7 hours. We arrived in Temple, late Saturday afternoon. The weather was beautiful. I was glad to get into our house and not be in a car with cranky cats. One tall order of business we needed to do with the house was to paint the popcorn ceiling in the den before the furniture arrived.

It’s quite a skill to paint popcorn ceiling. We got the supplies from Sherwin Williams. It had to be pretty simple, roll the paint onto the ceiling. No, it’s not quite that simple. The roller has to be a certain thickness, preferably thin. We had to paint the popcorn ceiling because the homeowner used lemon oil wax on the paneling. Apparently, they must’ve applied the oil wax with a sponge mop. All around the room, between the wall and ceiling, was a “yellow” stain. I commented to Rick “well honey, it looks like someone pissed on the ceiling – upside down”. Yeah, I got that look from Rick when I made my comment. Rick is a very easy going guy, I’d only seen him get mad or frustrated twice since I met him. When he was trying to paint the ceiling, more paint got on him than on the ceiling, he basically lost it! Whoops, so much for Type B personality, easy going husband. I figured out that our roller was too thick, time to get even a thinner one. Thankfully, the thinner roller worked! Job was finished.

Monday morning, our furniture would arrive. Of all the luck, it was raining. Unbelievable, Murphy is with us today. The van pulled up and everything started moving fast. I felt like I was a traffic cop directing traffic. “Put this here, oh wait”, “no that doesn’t look right”. At the end of the day, everything was loaded into the house. Now the fun would begin, unpacking.

Lady was settling in nicely and loved her big back yard. It was more area for her to run around, and do her “thing”. Silly, she was stalking around slowly, and sniffing around the house, finally she was at peace with her new home. Patches? It was almost 3 days before she would come out behind the refrigerator, I had never seen a cat so skittish. Once she got use to it, she even loved the back yard. I did have to keep an eye on her when she was outside, the birds loved to “dive bomb” her.

Our mobile home in Arizona finally sold, after being on the market for 9 months. A couple in their late 70’s bought the house. My brother would tease me about them dying before closing the sale. Selling it, for me, that was one less thing to worry about.

It felt good to be in our new home and get acquainted with a new state as well.

Sometimes life is like a butterfly, it’s all about spreading our wings!

Memorable Moments with Mom

Throughout our whole lives we have those memorable moments with our Mothers. As a woman, I believe one of the most influential people in our lives, are our Mothers. Mom would be the one who would tend to us when we were sick, kiss our knees, and make us wash behind our ears!

I had sent Mom a Mother’s Day Card, and inside, I listed a few of my unforgettable memories with Mom. So, here goes:

#1 – When I was sick, Mom was always the one who would tend to me, give me extra TLC, and make some of the best beef and barley soup. I always felt comforted. At the same time, I couldn’t fool her with “fake” fevers, or anything like that.

#2 – When we were living in Germany (I was 7 years old at the time), my thyroid became overactive. I could eat everything in the entire refrigerator and still be hungry. Oh, and I wasn’t gaining weight. The downside was, I was throwing up a lot. I would have to be put into the hospital for a little over a week. Mom had the “pleasure” of driving me to the hospital. She packed me up in our 2 door Plymouth (with red interior). It was close to an hour’s drive. I was in the back seat, with paper bags in tow. It seemed like I was going to puke myself to death in the backseat, oh, and never mind the red interior of the car. Behind the driver’s seat, it was pretty plastered with barf. Mom was cool as a cucumber, she kept on driving, and would talk to me and try to keep my spirits up, as well as keep my mind off, of throwing up.

#3 – One year for Christmas, Mom asked all 4 of us kids what we wanted for dinner. Usually for Christmas, we had turkey or ham. Mom received 4 responses asking for hamburgers. Well, we had hamburgers for Christmas dinner. I don’t remember what I got for that Christmas, but I sure do remember the hamburgers!

#4 – I decided to bake my parents an angel food cake from scratch. The recipe call for a dozen eggs (whites separated from the yolks). One of the ingredients would be cream of tartar. I had separated the eggs. I look for the cream of tartar and couldn’t find any. I walked to the grocery store, and picked up tartar sauce. I figured tartar sauce was the same thing as cream of tartar.

Cream of tartar which is used as a stabilizing agent and is added to beaten egg whites to increase their stability and volume. It is also sometimes added to candies or frostings to give them a creamier texture because it can help to prevent the crystallization of cooked sugar. Whereas tartar sauce is a creamy white sauce used for to season seafood dishes.

I was ready to pour the tartar sauce into the cake mix when Mom walked in. She saw what I was doing and started laughing. She explained the difference to me. We both laughed. I never did finish the cake from scratch, but I did make a cake out of the box!

Mom, life with 4 kids was never dull. She is a real trooper!

#5 – When I was hanging out with F. Quackenbush in high school, I had a slight crush on him. He was funny, witty, and a little bit nerdy. One day, he and I had a fight. For me, it was as though my world came to an end. I told Mom about the fight we had (between tears). Mom told me that all couples argue from time to time, that they work through it, and life goes on. She told me about some of the lively debates she had with Dad when they were dating. I felt much better afterwards, and no, my world didn’t end.

#6 – I wore braces in grade school. Every month, Mom and I would make an hour-long drive to Tucson, so I could get my braces tightened. Afterwards, we would have lunch at Sir Georges. My lunch consisted of big heapings of mashed potatoes. We would end the day by going to the malls to window shop. It really was a lot of fun!

#7 – On one of our trips to Tucson, we stopped at Sears. I noticed that the mannequins looked “different”. Upon closer inspection, they seem to resemble real humans. I would pinch their hands, tug at their sleeves, and make faces at them. Mom would laugh and snicker. Much to our surprise, they were real human models. She and I had some good laughs. One benefit about her being a 3rd grade Teacher for many years, is we would tease her and say “you keep flunking the 3rd grade”.

#8 – As a junior and senior in high school, I was the only one living at home with Mom and Dad. During those two years, Dad’s job required him to travel (TDY). When Dad was on one of his trips, Mom would always treat me to dinners out. I guarantee that when Dad was traveling, there wasn’t cooking going on in the house! For me, it was “our time” together.

#9 – Mom was a 3rd grade Teacher. She started teaching when I was in the 5th grade. A couple of times a year, I would help Mom put up her bulletin boards. We got to brain storm, color, and chat. It really was fun!

If you could ask my Mom if life with four children was dull, I suspect her answer would be “no”.

For me, these memories are not ones to fade off into the sunset.

My Wedding – June 4th 1977

Most of us start planning for our wedding when we are girls. We’re introduced to bridal magazines, we go to weddings, and even watching movies will help us carve out our “ideal wedding”. I knew from the 8th grade that I was not interested in a lavish church wedding with a couple hundred guests. It’s just not my cup of tea. A “big” crowd would be more than ten people, as far as I was concerned.

It seems that summer is one of the most popular seasons in the year to have a wedding. Hence, this is a good time to write about my own wedding.

Our initial plan was that Rick and I was to be married in 1976. I started having second thoughts, not about who I was going to marry but when. We were finishing up our second year at Arizona State University, and I felt we needed to get more college under our belts and closer to graduating before marriage. Sometimes it’s just too easy for life to get in the way, and I’ve always felt that having a good education was truly important. I postponed the wedding for a year, which I’m really glad I did for both of our sakes.

We finally set a date for June 4th, 1977. The wheels were being set in motion. We announced the date to our friends and family. It wasn’t long before everyone was giving us suggestions. His parents were hoping for a big church wedding with 300 guests, until I gently reminded them that is not what Rick and I wanted, plus it wasn’t in the budget of the bride and her family. My parents didn’t care one way or another if it was going to be a church wedding or an outdoor wedding.

Basically, we had the spring of 1977 to plan the wedding. In the 1970’s and I suppose the 1980’s, there were so many books of wedding etiqutte, I could gag. Simply put, the groom’s family would host the rehearsal dinner, the bride and her family would pay for the wedding, and the groom would spring for the honeymoon. Weddings resembled a 3 ring circus production.

The first thing was location, would it be a church wedding or an outdoor wedding.

We decided to get married in Sierra Vista. Our first stop was the Methodist Church. We met with the preacher, he informed us that the congregation would have to be invited, and the music as well as songs would have to be approved by the church. I nixed that real quick, I didn’t know anyone in the congregation and the idea of inviting a couple hundred strangers to my wedding was not going to happen.

Rick and I decided to marry in my parent’s backyard. Mom and Dad had a lovely backyard, trees, flowers, and a nice lawn. The backdrop would be the mountains. The backyard could probably seat up to 100 guests.

Next came the invitations. That was a bit sticky, there wasn’t much  in the etiqutte books if one or both sets of parents were divorced and possibly remarried. I was a bit confused, so I told Mom and Dad that we could leave the parents off the invitations and just have Rick and I. Dad said “if your Mom and I are paying for this wedding, our names will be on the invitations”. Fair enough – I thought, Dad is right. I suggested that we included all sets of parents (his parents divorced and remarried others). Mom and Dad, as well as Rick’s parents approved, I was relieved, I really wanted everyone to be happy.

The next mission was to have Rick, his parents, my parents, and myself draw up a guest list. We concluded that the guest list would be no more than 75. I told everyone that no babies or small children would be allowed at the wedding, I felt they would be too much of a distraction.

Another item was music and a singer. I wanted Mr. Meeker to sing at the wedding. Mom decided to go with someone else. We had a singer and an organ player.

Photography, that was easy, my brother (Bill) was drafted to do the photography. Bill has a keen eye and takes great photos, plus he was going to go into journalism.

The reception, food for thought – literally. Rick and I didn’t want a sit down reception, nor was it in the budget. Mom and I agreed that a wedding cake, punch, and finger sandwiches would be most ideal. I told my folks that the cake would not have the bride and groom on top, rather it would have some daisies. We decided on a vanilla cake with white frosting, flowers, and daisies on top.

One of the best parts, was the wedding dress. I really wanted a simple gown, very little lace, no ruffles, no big puffy sleeves, no bows, and no veil. We looked in stores, magazines, the whole nine yards. I didn’t see anything I really liked. I looked in pattern books, and found a gown I liked. It had a V neck, short sleeves, empire waist, and a very short train. Simple, sweet, and so much ME!!! I found some lace that was pink and white which would give the dress a little bit of color. I found some white fabric for the dress. Instead of a veil, I chose to wear a white floppy hat. I would wear white, open toed sandals (without stockings), much to Mom’s dismay, I might add.

The most fun part would be shopping for the Maid of Honor and Bridesmaids dresses. My sister (Marla) would be Maid of Honor, Rick’s sister (Diane) would be Bridesmaid, and my college buddy (Jan) would be a bridesmaid. I told the gals that they were pretty much in charge of picking out their dresses, after all they would have to wear the dresses. I told them what the wedding colors would be and it would be an outdoor wedding. Marla picked a long, floral dress with a V neck and short sleeves. She looked beautiful in her dress, it flattered her. Diane and Jan chose sleeveless, pink and white gingham checked dresses. They looked so pretty!

The men in our wedding, their attire was pretty simple. Our fathers would wear suits. Rick and the groomsmen would wear tuxedos. I must say all of the men looked rather handsome!

Time flew by quickly that spring. I was working full time, enrolled at Arizona State University as a junior, taking 18 hours of courses, and on top planning a wedding. So much to do, so little time. Finals and the wedding was looming.

A friend of mine volunteered to sew my dress. I gave her the pattern, fabric and lace to sew my dress. It was less than two weeks before the wedding, I picked up the dress. Mom gave the dress a thorough inspection, and I’m so glad she did. Half of the zipper wasn’t sewn correctly, simply put, the dress was a train wreck. Mom and I were beside ourselves. We found some more material, Mom took the pattern, fabric, and lace to her seamstress (Eva) to make my dress. Eva was a god send, she did a beautiful job on the dress!!!

The night before the wedding we had our rehearsal dinner in Sierra Vista. We had the rehearsal in the backyard. Afterwards, Rick’s parents hosted a wonderful dinner at the restaurant, for the wedding party and a few close family members. We ended the evening with some disco dancing.

Finally, the big day arrives. It was crazy but in a good way. Thankfully, the weather was sunny, mild, and beautiful!

There was baths, hair, nails, and primping to do. I snuck out with my buddy, Jan for a cigarette or two. I haven’t had a cigarette since I was a sophmore in high school. That day, I was craving a smoke or two, to calm my nerves, I suppose.

Something borrowed – that would be a couple of dabs of “Le Heure Bleu” perfume. Yes, real perfume! Jan always wore real perfume, this was my favorite of her perfumes. I did, I felt on top of the world, and BEAUTIFUL, wearing real perfume.

Something blue – that would be the garter that I would throw at the reception.

Something new – that would be my wedding gown!

Rick and his family arrived at the house. I was still getting ready, and praying that the butterflies in my stomach would fly away. My sister, friends, and cousins would come and go into my bedroom. Honestly, so many women buzzing around me, helping me get ready for the big day. It was fun!

I could hear the organ music start. Oh my gosh, this is it! Do I really want to do this? I hope I don’t trip over my 2 feet, much less my dress. Great, everyone is going to be staring at me. What if I cry? What if I laugh? Aw hell, get your ass out there, there’s a wedding that can’t happen without you! I look good, I feel good, now let’s get moving!

The bridal party started walking down the aisle. Now it was my turn. Dad grabbed my arm and we started walking down the aisle. There was Rick standing next to the preacher, handsome as ever! Oh my gosh, I’m so in love with this guy! Dad and I kept walking, I would look to my left, look to my right. We made it to the front! Dad gave me a peck on my cheek and sat down in his chair.

Our minister read a few verses from the bible. Rick spoke a few words from his heart, and I spoke a few words from my heart. I heard the words “you can now kiss the bride”. Oh my gosh, it’s coming, it’s the KISS!!! Ok, we can’t make it too long, our parents are watching! It was fun kissing each other, and we kept it short, sweet, and simple.

We turned towards the crowd, walking down the aisle to the song “We’ve Only Just Begun”.

Our reception was inside the house. We cut the cake, opened presents, and danced.

Ok, now this opening the presents thing in front of everyone. That was so not my idea!!! Mom insisted on it, much to my dismay. I thought to myself, what if we get duplicates of gifts (like can openers or toasters). Naturally, we did receive duplicate can openers. I am a very expressive person, both vocally, and facially. Me? I had to fight not to roll my eyes or make a face being the proud owner of 3 can openers. I looked at Rick, he gave me that look “keep cool, no sweat”. I smiled and said “thank you”. We did get some tools which I was grateful for. I can tell you, when we registered for gifts, it was my idea to set up a register with Sears for tools. Rest assured, some folks thought I was strange and off my rocker for suggesting it. I’m glad I did. When you set up home, a hammer, screwdrivers, and wrenches will come in handy.

A little after 11:00 p.m. Rick and I decided to head out. I tossed the bouquet of flowers, in which my sister caught them. Rick tossed my garter, and his brother caught it. We would head to the Cloud 9 motel to spend the night, with our new kitten (Patches). We were given the most precious gift, a kitten named Patches, from Rick’s sister (Lisa).

We couldn’t go on a “real” honeymoon because Rick had to be at work on Monday.

Looking back on this day, it was grand, beautiful, and I wouldn’t have done it any differently!

Graduation – I Made It!

Every year, the month of May and June we celebrate high school and college graduation. It is a time of excitement, hope, dreams, and a sense of accomplishment. Mine was no different, at least I don’t think it was different.

I felt like the year wasn’t going fast enough, I was a senior in high school and couldn’t wait for graduation. I’ve attended my two brother’s graduation as well as my sister’s graduation, now it was my turn! It was a busy year, SAT tests to take, a comprehensive test (covering all subject matters) given by our high school to its seniors. If you didn’t pass, you didn’t graduate. Ok, I was nervous, but I passed! I took my SAT test, my scores were ok, but not high enough to get me in at an Ivy League. My GPA and funds also weren’t quite good enough to get me in at an Ivy league, either. Our class rings would be ordered (I didn’t get one). We would have our senior photos taken. We would order our caps and gowns. That semester was a busy time!

Time drew nearer, what kept me busy (besides school), was my part time job for the City of Sierra Vista in the payroll department. The job was one of those Co-op jobs sponsored by our high school. I really enjoyed it, and most of my pay would be put into savings for college.

The week before graduation, I was riding home on my 10-speed bike. I hit a pile of gravel, skidded out of control, and flipped the bike. I flipped with the bike and landed face first into the pavement. There still might be a facial imprint, who knows. The rim of the front wheel was bent, so I had to walk home with the bike. I suffered a concussion and some facial bruising, I was fortunate. I had a hunch that I would have to put on some facial makeup to hide the bruises.

During the week of graduation, presents started flowing in. I got a Kodak Instamatic camera, luggage, money, and one really weird present. Aunt Tass had given me a pair of black pants. Ok, these are nice looking pants. Wait a minute! There’s someting really weird about these pants. They have a “panel” in the front. I went to Mom to show her the pair of pants. “Mom, these are nice pants, but they are weird. Take a look at the front.” Mom took a look at the pants, her eyes got real big, her mouth dropped open. I looked at her, she looked at me. She said “these are maternity pants.” We both started laughing. To this day, I don’t know why Aunt Tass got me those pants, I figure she had a “loose marble” that day.

The night before graduation, Mom asked me if I would be going anywhere after the ceremony. Before I could answer she said “you will not be going to the San Pedro river to party. I know graduation parties go on there every year.” I told Mom that one of our seniors (Clayton) would be having a party at his parents house. Mom asked “will his parents be there?”. Of course they would, why wouldn’t they?? That’s all she needed to know. She was satisfied and gave me permission.

Graduation day, I was excited and happy for several reasons. Reason #1 – I was 18 years old, on the cusp of being an adult. Reason #2 – I would go onto college, thereby leaving my parents home and now being on my own. Reason #3 – part of being on my own is I wouldn’t have to bring my dates home to meet Mom and Dad. Reason #4 – NO curfew!

I put on a nice skirt and blouse, put on some makeup, then checked myself in the mirror. Yeah, I gave myself a thumbs up,  Job well done, mission accomplished! I grabbed my cap and gown. Off we went, my parents, brothers, and sister to go to my ceremony.

There at the gym, I put on my cap and gown. Our graduating class had close to 400. We were happy, smiling, talking, and wondering about our future. It was time, we sat in our assigned seats. We would listen to a few speakers. Finally!!! The big moment! We were called up, one by one to receive our diploma. When they called my name, I went upstage. I could hear from the bleachers “atta girl Susie”. It was Aunt Tass, I couldn’t help but laugh under my breath, it was so like her to do something like that. I was given my diploma. I turned towards the audience, looked towards my family and bowed my head. My cap slid off, so I quickly grabbed it before it would fall onto the ground.

One funny thing about our ceremony, we had a streaker!!! There’s speculation to this day as to who the streaker was (one of our guys). I laughed so hard, I was crying. I wondered what went through my parents mind. I never did ask them what they thought.

The ceremony came to an end. I talked with family for a few minutes, hugged, and kissed everyone. I told my folks I was going to Clayton’s party. My curfew would be midnight (at least that’s what they said).

I changed my clothes, and grabbed a ride with Mark.

Do you really think I’m going to Clayton’s graduation party?? No way!!! I was heading to the almighty San Pedro river, along with a couple of hundred graduating seniors. Besides, I don’t really know if Clayton was throwing a party, and it would be a little dorky to spend graduation night with the parents.

We got to the river. The weather was beautiful, not cold, but not too hot. I had never seen so many bon fires. There were so many coolers filled with all kind of drinks (liquor, wine, and beer). A few people were smoking up (no surprise there). The hours passed, and so did the drinks. I quit counting, until it was time to toss a few cookies. I decided it was probably time to head home, besides I still had to go to work later that day.

I made it home a little after 2:30 a.m. I was locked out of the house, but did manage to crawl in through one of the bedroom windows (thankfully not Mom and Dad’s). Our dog greeted me as I was crawling through the window. Chuppy, be quiet, it’s me!!! Not a peep out of you!! She knew me, wagged her tail, and left. I closed my bedroom door and slept for a couple of hours.

Sometimes with party time, there can be a “payback” time and it can be a bitch as one would say. It’s known as a hang-over. Not much fun. I’m sure I didn’t smell good, thanks to the bonfires, cigarette smoke, and joints that people would smoke. I decided I would bathe before I greet the family. While it helped wake me up, it still didn’t relieve all of my hangover.

I shared breakfast with my folks, aunt, and uncle. Mom asked about Clayton’s party and I told her it was fun. She asked what time I got home, I told her around 12:30. Mom seemed satisfied. Did she buy it?? Probably not!

All I know, is I made it!! A BIG milestone in my life!

BHS – Class of 1974

Fowl Play

Yesterday morning, I heard a ruckus outside. I had my patio door open a crack so my girls could go in and out. I could hear “quacking”.

I was going 100 mph because I just learned that I would be having a 2nd interview with one of the “Big 4” public accounting firms, that afternoon. Hence, I had 2 job interviews (with different companies) scheduled for that afternoon. It’s like interviewing fire drill style!

I stopped doing my 100 mph routine and grabbed my camera. I sensed that some ducks were ruffling feathers. I was curious. In the back alley was a male duck (Mallard) and a female duck.

“Yes dear”.

The female was quacking, endlessly. I was curious are they going to mate? Is she pissed off about something – hey I know these guys mate for life, but REALLY? Could it be siblings from the 14 ducklings that were hatched 2 houses down?

I stood there watching, silently. I’m sure they have good vision, and perhaps good hearing. I was having fun!

Seriously, I felt she was giving him hell!!! Her quacking was non-stop. I’m not talking about an AFLAC ad here.

Minutes later, three Mallards joined the pair. All five ducks took off. Talk about a “fly by”. It was fun!

What Inspired Me to Blog

Two weeks ago, the morning was kind of a “downer”. Job hunting is probably as much fun as getting a colonscopy. No, I hadn’t received any rejection letters that day, but employers being indecisive was wearing my patience thin. I feel like I’m in “Survival Mode”, the key focus of my life in the last 3 months has been getting a job and being a productive member of our society.

I’ve been fortunate to have quite a few interviews in the last 3 months, averaging between 1-3 interviews a week. In today’s slow job market, that’s darn good. Well, not “good enough” for Little Impatient Me. Alright, get over it, move on, you’re burning daylight. Moping about isn’t gonna get you anywhere. My thoughts exactly.

That afternoon, I was outside in the backyard vegging with my girls. I noticed a golden Dragonfly swooping past me and landing on the branch of my “dormant” Crape Myrtle. I watched in fascination. Then it happened!!! I had an “ah ha” moment!

Fine, I’m stone cold broke and can’t travel, but that doesn’t mean I can’t photograph and write about what I see (via a blog). I went inside and grabbed my camera. I started clicking with the camera, working my zoom lens. The Dragon Fly would take off, circle around me, and land back on the branch.

This circle of flight, swoop, and circle around me, only to land on the branch was never ending. I was delighted, it sparked my curiosity and I reckon that I sparked its curiosity.

I was able to zoom in on its head. Incredible as it seems, when I looked in my viewfinder, I could’ve sworn it smiled at me. Ok, it’s got to be a “she”.

I decided its name would be Izzy. From that moment on, I feel as though I’ve been given my 2nd chance at life! REALLY???

The REALLY part comes in because I’m in a rough patch of my life – unemployed! Yet, on 5/28/11, I was really given a 2nd chance at life. I experienced a medical miracle!

For me – it’s don’t blow it!

Something as simple and beautiful as a golden Dragon Fly inspired me to write. I can look for a job, but I can also keep my creative spirit!