Lynn Post-Op

My friend Lynn, who is as thin as a little bird, has had an injured wing for a year. After one last traumatic event trying to pull a suitcase out of an overhead bin she finally went to see a doctor. Her wrist was more hurt than she had let herself believe and she needed surgery. This was not the news she wanted.

Lynn has had too many days under medical care in her past and the idea of voluntarily going in for an operation did not make her happy. No surprise, who wants to put themselves through pain. The only good news is she had the best doctor possible to do the surgery.

The good news is she came through everything like a champ. The bad news is although her arm is fully casted and ready to begin healing she got something in her eye that she can’t get out. Lynn jokes that it is a bone chip.

I got a text from her husband Logan when she was in Post-op happy and not making a bit of sense from the meds. I was able to go visit her at home tonight and she was as chipper as a baby squirrel. The meds are still working well. She wold not allow any photographs of anything above her knees, so you have to trust me that she looks great.

If you have a chance drop her a note and wish her well. She can’t text since it is her right hand and she is not very good at answering the phone on any day. If you want to bring her any food movie theatre popcorn and a green tea latte from Starbucks are her favorite things. Just go in any Durham Starbucks and tell them that you want a green tea latte for Lynn and they will know her exact order as it is certainly part of the barista final exam.

For now just pray for Logan as her care giver and for Lynn’s quick recovery. It won’t really be quick, but compared to living with the hurt for a year it is relative. The best news is this should mean she will be back on the tennis court this summer.

Golf Today, Really?

Why is the self proclaimed “least racist man on earth,” our current president golfing on Martin Luther King, Jr. day rather than attending a day of service activities like previous Presidents? Perhaps he does not know what a racist is? He certainly does not follow the lead of Dr. King to be kind.

I find the current President’s day of golf further evidence of his lack of understanding what it means to be President of all Americans. Not honoring this day publicly is a slap to the memory of Dr. King and his teachings.

His most recent controversy over reportedly calling countries mainly of black people in Africa and Haiti “shit holes” shows his true heart. Let’s say he really didn’t say that, he did say he would rather have immigrants from Norway. Well, everyone in Norway is white, so he does not deny that he only wants whites as immigrants.

If 45 really did want to show how not racist he is he would have done something other than playing golf on this the one day of the year set aside to honor the greatest African American in our history. Tone deaf is nothing new for this man, but honestly.

I am trying my best to honor Dr. King and be kind, but I don’t know how much kindness I can muster for our commander in chief.

Dogs at Church

This Tuesday I went to a church finance committee meeting. Shay went with me. She loves a good committee meeting. Before the meeting began I was talking to Shay’s dog cousin’s father, Dave and I said that we needed a blessing of the animals service. Just then our minister Chris walked in the meeting and said, “Shay needs to come to the blessing of the Animals on Sunday evening.” Ask and ye shall receive. I have hardly ever had a prayer answered so quickly or succinctly.

Now for the record the Episcopalians do the St. Francis blessing of the animals Day is October 4 a much better time of year to bring your pets to church, but I was just happy that us Presbyterians were joining In.

Lynn and Logan brought Chuck the wonder chihuahua and came and picked me and Shay up to ride together. There was quite a good turn out of dogs of many colors. No dog was looked down upon because of his breed or lack there of. All animals were welcomed and affirmed.

We gathered in a circle in the courtyard and filled the whole big space. After some group prayers youth leaders came around and blessed each dog and thanked them for their love and service to their families. Shay liked the whole thing, but she is a big church goer herself. It was just another bit of evidence that dog spelled backwards is God for a reason.

I really wouldn’t mind if we got to have dogs at church all the time. I am fairly sure the dogs would like it based on today’s behavior.

Delaying Dinner

If I listened to my body I would eat dinner at 4:00 in the afternoon. But then my body would tell me to eat a second dinner at 8:00 PM then. Sometimes you just have to tell your body no. Those few hours between when I want dinner and when it is appropriate for me to actually eat it are my challenge hours.

It helps when Russ is around. I will gladly hold off eating until he gets home. He almost always calls me to tell me he is packing up at work. If he walked out of his office at that moment he should be home in 20-25 minutes depending on which level he parked his car on. But something almost always comes up between the time he hangs up from me and when he actually walks out the office door. I have learned never to start cooking the green vegetable until I hear that garage door going up, unless I am making southern long cooked green beans.

With Russ away visiting his father I am free to eat whenever I want, but I don’t want to eat whenever I want because that would be too many meals a day. Today I attended a lovely shower for Annie Giarla. A nice ladies who lunch meal was served at noon. I came home and went right to my sweat shop and sewed.

By four in the afternoon I noticed I was tiring of sewing, probably because I really wanted to eat. It was too cold to really enjoy a walk outside so I racked my brain for what might be the best non-food activity. I decided that cleaning all my bathrooms would be the perfect diversion.

I got my bucket of supplies, put on my disposable rubber gloves and went to work. Half baths are simple. Guest bathrooms, not that bad. Then I got to my own bathroom. That was a huge job for a tiny room. I have new found respect for my former housekeeper who somehow kept my shower glass sparkling clean.

An hour and a half later I had successfully kept my mind off food and was productive on not fun job. There is nothing more unappetizing than cleaning bathrooms. I have a feeling I am going to have spotless bathrooms this winter.

Efficiency or Laziness?

It’s just me and Shay at home right now. She has been showing her despair in missing her other people by lying by the door looking longingly outside for them to return. She is so despondent she has hardly asked to be fed. I wish that is what happened to me while I am waiting for my people to return.

I have done my best to stay out of the kitchen by locking myself in the sweat shop and working on my mother’s quilt. It helps that I am binge watching Big Little Lies. I know, I must be the only person who has not watched it yet. I just was waiting for the Golden Globes to confirm that it was truly worthy of my quilt binge watching.

Eventually I had to give into hunger and make myself some dinner. I have been working my way through leftovers so that Russ does not feel compelled to only eat old food when he comes home. I was having a curried cauliflower and kale soup that I made yesterday, but I felt I needed some serious protein to go with it. Tired of my standby chicken thighs that were already cooked I pulled a piece of salmon out of the freezer and sautéed it up.

Since I was having a bowl of soup I didn’t want to dirty another plate for just my salmon so I ate it right out of the pan. It made perfect sense to me, but then I got to wondering if this was really efficient or the height of laziness? I justified it by telling myself that I was actually eating a real meal sitting down at the bar, rather than just eating something over the sink. I further enforced my decision when I realized that the pan kept my fish hotter longer than if I had moved the hot fish to a cold plate to eat it.

I could have put the fish in my soup bowl, but I worried I would spill my soup. Either way I had a healthy and well balanced meal and was quite happy when it was over and it took me 20 seconds to clean up. Yeah I know it would have only taken 21 seconds if I had another plate to put in the dishwasher. I’m just a professional at justifying things.

I promise I am not going to take this plan any further and eat my cereal out of the box with milk poured in. I never liked those little Kellogg’s boxes where you could carefully cut on the dotted line and turn the box into your serving bowl. It took way longer to carefully cut and not pierce the plastic liner. That is less efficient than using a bowl and I’m all about efficiency.

Time to Learn to Play Mah Jongg

There is nothing I would rather do than play Mah Jongg. Sharing the joy of this game is something I have been doing for the last twenty years. Teaching people to play this game does not take years like learning to play Bridge. I can take a complete novice and they can play on their own after three three hour classes.

I am putting together my next class to start in a few weeks. If you are interested in learning to play send me a message and I will give you more details about when the class will be held to see if it fits in your schedule. It will be a daytime class. If I get a bunch of people who want a night time class I can start a second one.

This will be a beginners class. If you are someone who is a novice player and would like to take an advanced class let me know and I will try and put together a class for you.

Do something that certainly is good for your brain and learn a new game.

Mah Jongg Lunchroom Superfoods Salad

As the Mah Jongg Lunch lady I have to come up with a yummy, healthy relatively inexpensive lunch to satisfy my Mah Jongg group every week. This is a task I volunteered for after I got fed up with the poor choices offered at the last place we played. After years of complaining, cajoling, offering recipes, pointing out menus of other places that had things I liked, I threw in the towel when no one listened. It is so much easier just to do it yourself than to convince others to do it right.

Since it is January, everyone’s favorite diet month, I wanted to make sure I was maximizing the healthy component today. So I opted for a Super Foods salad. I made a bowl of mixed greens that hid many of the healthy parts. Then I offered the rest in separate bowls so everyone could make their salad the way they wanted. It was so good I had it not only for lunch, but also for dinner.

Three Mah Jongg friends came just for lunch, too busy to play, but not to eat. I think I can offer this service to other friends who want to come and eat on Wednesdays, no need to play Mah Jongg, just enjoy my lunchroom. Of course this won’t be what’s for lunch next week.

Superfoods salad

Greens bowl included the following:

Spring mix

Arugula

Kale

Steamed broccoli

Shaved raw Brussels sprouts

Toppings

Chicken

Feta

Avocado

Toasted walnuts

Quinoa

Roasted sweet potato cubes- with coriander, cinnamon and chili flakes

Pomegranate

Dressing:

Pomegranate seeds

Balsamic vinegar

Olive oil

Lime juice

Mustard

Honey

Salt and pepper

I Sense A Theme

Last year my friend Christy gave me the square portrait of Shay Shay. This year my friend Lane had her talented daughter Isabelle do the bigger portrait of Shay for Russ for Christmas. What are the chances that two friends would both give us art of our dog with green backgrounds? Well, I guess the chances are great.

I know we are crazy for our dog and she does seem to make a good subject. I am wondering how many more portraits I can display of her. So far she has not out “posed” my college dog Beau. I shave a painting in the sun room my mother did of Beau and a Needlepoint pillow in the living room she also stitched for me. I guess I should Needlepoint something of Shay so she will not feel underrepresented in the pillow category. I do think I have a couple of Christmas ornaments where Shay is stitched, but they are more like brown dogs that could be any dog, not specifically Shay.

We are not the only crazy dog house. My friend Sara had a portrait done of Shay’s cousin Brady and gave it to her husband. It was a big hit in their house too. Maybe it is something that runs in Shay and Brady’s family.

We don’t have many family portraits, except for the one of my Grandmother and two of her sisters that hangs in the dining room. There is something about houses where they have no real art and just pictures of themselves. I will never forget going on a garden tour in Martinsville, VA and my mother and I got to giggling about the 40 years of giant photo portraits of the family. One included their white 1970’s Cadillac Eldorado with the Family posed all around it. Others documented the children going through awkward phases, hippies phases and even one where I could not tell who were the daughters and who were the sons since they all had long hair and bell bottom overalls on.

I think it is a good idea for me to stick to dog portraits. Shay does t seem to mind posing, as long as you rub her belly after a while. I am thankful for the talented people who capture our baby, but mostly I like having the real Shay to keep me company.

Back In My Sweat Shop

It was a quilt kind of Christmas at our house. I made a quilt for my Dad, the yellow and grey one I posted a photo of after Christmas. I made a quilt for Carter. The one in this photo. I couldn’t post it until I gave it to her. Then I gave my mother a future quilt, but along with it she got a day of going to pick out the fabrics and going out to lunch. Since she is an artist I knew that she would love to pick out her own materials. (I probably should have let Carter do that too.)

My mother wasted no time getting me to get back in the sweat shop. Last week right after I got back from Boston she texted me with three dates to go pick out fabric. I chose her first available date because I know she is chomping at the bit to get her own quilt. Proof is that she has already discussed with me three times how to wash it.

While Carter was home I did not go to the sewing room so she could use the space since it had been part of her rooms before college. I missed being in that room, especially since it is so warm and cozy. Happily Carter left the room perfectly clean and exactly how I had left it when I went to Berlin.

Today after I came home with my bag of fabric for my Mom’s quilt I sat down at my sewing table and planned out my pattern, did all my calculations for cutting my pieces and measured my material. I love the puzzle part of designing a quilt.

My mom turns 80 at the end of the month. I know I won’t have this done by then. This is her belated a Christmas present anyway. But now I am panicking about what to do for her birthday. I can’t make a second quilt and I am running out of hobbies to turn into presents. I wish she liked to eat, then I could cook her something.

Pork, Apples and Onions

If you are wondering why there are two blog posts today, it’s the internet’s fault. Last night I came home from the DPAC wrote my blog and was unable to upload it because the internet was down at our house. No one missed it. No one was waiting up late, not able to sleep until they read the blog.

By morning the Internet was back, so the blog about Watts Grocery counts as yesterday’s post. Today you get an easy winter recipe.

Pork is getting cheaper and cheaper as beef prices soar. So I try and find ways to use pork that are not terribly fattening. Considering how lean the pork is it is not very fattening, but then it also is a little dry and flavorless. To counteract that you need to add lots of flavorful items to help the pork. Today I used onions, apples, and sage.

4 pork chops

2 sweet onions -chopped

2 apples- chopped

1/2 cup apple cider

1 T.butter

1 T. Olive oil

2 T. Rubbed sage

Salt and pepper

Season the pork on both sides with salt, pepper and ground sage.

In a big fry pan put the olive oil on medium heat. Add the onions and apples and cook for ten minutes until soft. Sprinkle with salt. Set aside in bowl.

In the same pan turn the heat up to medium high, add the seasoned pork. Cook on one side until brown, flip and brown the other side. Add the apples and onions back in the pan. Add the cider a little more salt and sage. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Add the butter. Cover and cook until the pork reaches 160°. How long depends on how thick the chops are, but it is not that long.

It is even better as leftovers.

Thanks Watts Grocery

You know what January is? The month of deprivation eating. It’s not just the post holiday cleanse that I need, but the post first year of DJT eating. 2018 has got to be better. After spending the first week of the year getting Carter settled in Boston and dealing with the coldest temperatures I have seen in a long while it is time to concentrate on being in control of my own life.

The cold doesn’t help. All I really want to do is make some homemade hot chocolate and a grilled cheese. It took all my will power today to eat a salad for lunch, but I know the eating madness has to end.

Unfortunately life happens while you are trying to to be healthy. Tonight we had tickets to DPAC to see “Get On Your Feet.” Our friends we sit with had a sick child so Russ and I went to Watts Grocery to have dinner before the show alone. Our server told us about the specials and Russ looked at me longingly when she mentioned the Lobster Mac and Chesse. “Do you want to split it,” he asked. I declined by telling our server, “It’s January, can’t do it.”

I got something else that was not quite as bad for you, the Seared yellow fin tuna over poblano short grain rice with curried kale topped with roasted peanut romesco. It was absolutely divine. I in no way missed the lobster mac and cheese.

It was the perfect meal, I was happy and I left without guilt. It was a very cold walk from the garage to the show, but it was worth braving the cold for. I have never been much of a Gloria Estefan fan, but the show was fun. The music fit perfectly in the story and the actors were all superb.

Although the show was good I don’t need to see it again, but that Watts Grocery tuna is worth a revisit, especially since it is on the healthy, but yummy side.

Shay Shay the Royal

After seeing every type of dog in Germany sporting winter coats, Carter and a Russ insisted that Shay needed one too. Given the frigid temperatures we are experiencing right now I am actually glad that this new coat arrived today.

I am sure we could have gone to the local Pet store and gotten her a sweater or inexpensive fleece jacket, but that was not what Carter thought she deserved. Wanting both a fleece on the inside and waterproof jacket on the outside Carter determined that a Barbour jacket was exactly what our princes should sport.

Given that Barbour’s are the official outdoor outfitter for the Queen, Prince Philip and Prince Charles it only seems fitting that our own royal added her standard to the famous outdoor clothing purveyor. Thankfully the dog versions are not as unreasonably priced as their human counter parts. That seems perfect for the British. Let’s spoil our dogs, but not our children.

Shay did not object to trying the jacket on so I hope she will find it is helpful during her long weekend walks with Russ. He too will be sporting his Barbour, but his was a hand-me-down from my father. Just like the royals, we keep our coats for generations.

The End of The Season Of Sparkle

I came home last night from Boston, a day early, to avoid the blizzard they ended up getting today. The parent orientation at Carter’s school needed up being canceled as well as the student orientation so it was a good call on my part. Russ stayed for work, but no meetings were held today as the twelve plus inches of snow fell. Carter is a little bored with no school work and her room already full organized.

I had only been gone one night, but it felt like a week. Since today ended up being a snow day in Durham and I had nothing on my calendar anyway, since I wasn’t supposed to be here, I decided I would make the most of it and take the Christmas down alone. This meant that I went to the attic and retrieved the 20 crates for all the non-tree ornaments that I put up. If I had put the tree up there would be no way I could do this alone.

Undoing Christmas is the least festive thing in the world. There is no “Christmas is over” music. Unstringing lights is a thankless job. Cleaning off the glitter and snow from tabletops where Christmas villages once sat is a pain. Vacuuming up needles is soul crushing. Ok, maybe not soul crushing, but not fun in the least.

After it is all undone, and put away and the regular furniture is back in place the house is dark and dull. The sparkle is gone. Even Shay seems to mope around, but perhaps that is because both Carter and Russ are not here and I am just her regular human, not her lover pies.

I hope that tomorrow when I wake up I will see the spartan regular house as clean, rather than lifeless. To think I only have to wait eleven months until I can do it again.

Easiest Move-In Ever

After hearing nightmares of friends moving their children into college I was prepared for the worse. Boston is cold, the streets are snowy and salty. We had breakfast and wedged Carter three suitcases of clothes into the already full filthy SUV.

We knew approximately where Carter’s dorm was, but how to get to the parking lot beside it was still confusing to us. I looked at the satellite map on google and thought I knew how to get there. What I did not know was that there was a gate blocking that entrance into the parking lot. I pulled my Yankee driving U-turn and pulled into the circle where a Northeastern police car sat.

“I’m trying to move my daughter into Stetson East, and I can’t figure out how to get to the parking lot,” I said through my opened window.

“Follow me, I’ll take you,” the kind officer replied.

I pulled up behind him on the circle and he pulled onto the street, turned on his flashing lights and gave us a police escort to the lot entrance. Such service! It was a complicated route, but still.

We pulled up to the gate and a nice attendant told us we could park for a few hours. We got the number one parking place and a team of seven young strong moving men descended on our car with two huge hampers. They had all our belongs out of our car before I was even out of the front seat.

Three of them wheeled the hampers down an icy sidewalk around a building and up into her dorm all the way to her third floor room. They then unloaded all the hampers and were done in a blink of an eye. There was no waiting for elevators or carrying things up stairs, or fighting for a parking space.

To our great delight Carter’s roommate Olivia and her mother Kelli were already there. The room was much better than we could have hoped. With a big southern exposure window and two good sized closets and more storage than I have ever seen in a dorm.

After the unpacking of all that we already had, we made a return trip to Target to finish getting the baskets, lights and trash cans we forgot yesterday. Carter and Olivia both were very excited about creating the perfect nest. The only draw back to the room was the butterscotch colored wall where the closets and door are. I am never sure who picks these colors out or if they are paint company seconds that Universities get for cheep.

Due to the impending blizzard that is coming first thing tomorrow morning, Orientation is now canceled tomorrow. I thought this might happen and last night I changed my flight for tonight and not tomorrow. Unfortunately, Russ has an important business meeting here in the morning. I am not sure the meeting will happen, but he is staying in Boston nonetheless. I am a little sad to be missing dinner tonight with Carter, Olivia and her Mom, but am thankful Russ is still here with her.

Right now I am a little worried about the move out of the dorm. The amount of stuff that is already in that room would fill a small u-haul. Oh, I’ll think about that tomorrow. Today I am just wishing a good semester for Carter and that Russ gets home.

Dorm Shopping

When I went to college I drove there. My Dad drove a rental station wagon full of my stuff and I drove my bright yellow Sirocco, also full. He dropped me off with all my worldly goods and kept driving right down to Dulles airport to fly back to London where my family lived. I organized everything myself, checked in, went downtown to the local phone company and ordered a phone to be installed, talked my way into getting a car registration even though freshman were forbidden to have them.

The next day a phone installer showed up at my dorm with a two foot drill and bore a hole in the outside wall of the dorm and installed my phone. Only a day or two later when my RA heard my phone ringing did I find out that phones were also forbidden in dorms. I wasn’t trying to be a rule breaker. With my family living in London I needed a car and a phone. I don’t know how, but somehow I was able to keep all my stuff, no matter how illegal.

Today Russ, Carter and I flew to Boston in preparation of moving her into her dorm first thing in the morning. Earlier in the summer I had driven all her bath and bedding up here and left it with cousins Mike and Andrea. Carter packed two big and one small suitcases that flew up with us today. I was amazed that was all she had for college.

The plan to go shopping today for the last few things she would need for her dorm seemed simple. Ha! Due to the cold weather we rented a big SUV because at only 11° it seemed too cold to walk to the stores and back. Well, turns out the cold was the least of our issues.

First we went to Bed Bath and Beyond, where we filled a cart, but only got about half the things on the list. Due to the cold, the elevator from the store to the parking garage was broken so Carter and I carried four body sized bags around a shopping center, up three flights of stairs and across a parking deck. Did I mention, Russ was at a work meeting?

That purchase filled the back of the SUV. Then we retraced our steps to go to a Target, a couple of blocks away. It was so cold that I forgot how to walk and did a slow motion fall on the sidewalk. Thankfully my well padded hips, and long down coat protected me from the fall. I slammed my head on the sidewalk, but since my hood was up and snapped on I did not get hurt. A nice woman came running over to see if I was still alive and together with Carter they attempted to brush all the salt and dirt off of me.

We were mere steps from the Target so I went in the ladies room and cleaned myself off before Carter and I continued the dorm room shopping extravaganza. This was one giant ass two-story Target, which makes all the Durham ones look pitiful. Our favorite thing about it was the cart escalator. You push your cart on it and then you get on the person escalator next to it. The person one runs slightly faster so you get to the top before your cart does!

We filled a cart in Target and those bags took over the back seat of the SUV. Then we drove out to Newton to the cousins to pick up the linens. We were just able to stuff them in the back. Looks like we are going to have to do some very tight packing to get her suitcases in the car in the morning and get everything over to school. So much for the idea that she was hardly taking anything to college in comparison to me.

I guess the best news is she won’t have a car, legal or otherwise and I already has a phone. I don’t know how any college student could live without one.

First Day of the Year – Last Day Home

My parents finally returned from their Christmas trip to Florida with my sisters. It was just in the nick of time to come have lunch with their only grandchild before she goes off to Boston. My father had already sent Carter her a Christmas gift, but I had not given my parents their’s yet so it was also my chance to give them the quilt I had made.

My dad surmised he getting a quilt from reading my blogs about my making quilts. At least I was able to surprise him with what it actually looked like. He thought he should hang it on the wall because he was worried that it was too nice for his bed. No! Quilts are made to be used. I encouraged him to use it. What is he going to save it for at 79 years old?

We had a nice lunch. Carter’s friend Cait was with us and she used her expert photography skills to get a family photo for us. My parents do not get why we take so many pictures. They’re free!

After my parents went back to the farm Carter had to get down to her serious packing. She had set out her piles in her old office, now my sewing room. It came in handy that all my equipment was set up because I was able to mend clothes with small tears for her before she packed them.

It has been much too short a break. I have not yet tired of having her home and now she has to go again. Russ and I are getting the full move Freshman into a dorm experience a little late. This flying to college and buying stuff there is so different than my move to college with trunks and a stereo system that had wooden speakers the size of two dishwashers.

This is a good way to start 2018. Had my family together for the Nw Year and now we are settling Carter into her new world. Let’s hope that 2018 is a big improvement on 2017. Happy New Year to all of you.

Ellis Was A Beautiful Deb

Deb season has come and gone. Twenty-seven lovely girls made their debuts last night in Durham. Despite being invited, Carter turned down the invitation since all things Deb were not her scene. But thankfully the powers that be allowed Carter and her friend Cait, also an invitee who declined, to attend the ball to support their friends who were coming out.

Carter’s sister E, Ellis, was their main reason for coming. They were like her personal cheering section and Ellis did not disappoint. She looked beautiful, her curtesy was spot on and the dance she led was well timed thanks to the counting prowess of her Marshall, Alan Smith.

It may have been a smaller group of girls than usual, but they all looked darling and no mistakes, falls, trips or embarrassing events occurred, at least during the presentations. I can’t speak to what else might have gone on late into the night since I made my way home once the presentations and dances were done.

This morning sister E appeared at our house after just a few hours sleep and declared it to be the most fun night of her life. That is exactly as it should have been. Her father Logan played his part as her presenter perfectly and her mother Lynn was radiant in her navy dress and wrap.

Being a deb may be a very old fashioned custom, but for the girls who want to participate it should be a night of lots of fun. Congratulations to all our Deb friends.

Fancy Pants and Wait

What are the chances that I have two formal occasions on the same evening in downtown Durham, yet I still have to have two different outfits. The first event was the wedding reception of Justin, one of Russ’ team members and his new Columbian wife Diana.

Their reception was at the Arts Council. I thought it started at five, but I was wrong, it was four do Russ and I were late. Everyone was very kind for our mistake, but who is going to get mad at the boss?

The second event is the Debutante Ball that is being held at the Convention center right behind the Arts Center. Unfortunately the Deb ball is a long dress required event, unless you are under 12 years old.

I brought my ball clothes to Russ’ corporate apartment before the wedding so I had a place to change. Turns out we have more time than I needed to change into my long dress. So here we sit watching jeopardy waiting to change do I don’t get so wrinkly. The ball doesn’t start until 8:30 which is just too late for me these days, but since I know so many Debs this year I have to go and support them. I wish the whole thing started earlier.

Carter and her friend Cait are meeting me there so watching the presentations with will be fun. For now I am just praying that no one will fall, trip or go the wrong direction all dressed up in their fancy pants.

Cait is Here

Carter’s great friend Cait and her family moved away from Durham after graduation. Then she also went to college as far away from Carter as possible at Cal Berkeley. So after five months apart from each other, with only FaceTime, snap chat, instagram, finista, Facebook and texting to keep them together Cait arrived today for a friend reunion and good long visit. All is right in the world.

Nothing makes me happier than having Cait in our house with Carter where she belongs. I just wish her parents and twin brother were with her. True to form and her good breeding, Cait brought us perfect presents from her Holiday trip to Mexico. Russ got burning hot sauce, I got a two year’s supply of Mexican Vanilla and Carter got lipstick and Mexican Candy.

I knew Carter was excited about Cait coming to visit because she did all her prep-packing for Boston and thoroughly cleaned her room. Cait is staying until we leave to move Carter into Northeastern so there is no free time to prep for her next dorm.

Carter’s time at home may be short, but she is making the most of it by having Cait here. It makes me happy too!

I Love Your Cards

Another Christmas has come and gone, but the cards are still coming in. I have had a love affair with photo Christmas cards since I was about eight and my family started sending them. There was a wonderful photographer named Gus Mersin who lived in our town. Most everyone we knew had Mr. Merwin take their photo on Black and white and sent them out as cards. The photos were so much better than than the Kodak instamatic version cards.

I love getting friends cards, even from people who I see regularly in town. I keep the cards in a bowl in my front hallway and go through them about twice a year. Despite my love of receiving your cards I have not sent Christmas in quite a while.

When you write a daily blog about the minutia of your life, which includes pictures, what could I possibly put in a card that you don’t already know? Christmas cards are like the “best of” for the year. No one puts an unattractive photo or says, “I am quite disappointed in Billy’s progress at school this year.”

A card from me would seem odd because you have already seen and rad about all the warts, os I feel like a “best of” would seem shallow. So think of my blog as your daily drip of Christmas card, just a lot more honest.

And since I have this over exposed blog, if I see you in person there is no reason for you to waste time asking me what I have been up to, get right to the meat and tell me all about you and yours. Even if you don’t read the blog regularly, you are reading this now, os that is enough catching up for you. I would always like to know about your minutia to make me not feel ridiculous for sharing mine.

So keep those cards coming. More photos and even more Christmas letters. Don’t apologize for “the best of” stuff. If you can’t tell your friends what good things have been happening who can you tell? But it is also OK to confess to the hard stuff, sometimes you just need to tell a friend.

Spas Work

I can’t remember how old I was the first time I went to a spa, but I am guessing it was in my thirties. Carter asked for a spa day for Christmas and since she is now over 18 she qualified to go. It was probably a big mistake that I took her to the Umstead for the day.

“I loved that and can’t wait to go back.”

What have I done? On the other had it was the most fun mother daughter day we have had. It also did not hurt that I had a free facial that had been on my account since 2008 and no one had thought to mention it to me on previous visits. I also had a gift card from my mother that she had given me some years ago and I had forgotten to take it the last time time I went.

Without costing me an arm and a leg we had massages, Carter had a facial and we whirlpooled, relaxed, read, had tea, showered, lotioned and all things spa like.

We got home just in time for Carter to go have dinner and a movie with her friend Scarlett and Russ and I to go to our next door neighbors for a party with a Cajun food truck. What could be easier and more delightful than walking next door and enjoying some crawfish and friends.

A relaxing and stress free day. Just what we needed at the end of this crazy year. If only I could go to a spa to escape the real world every month, but then it just wouldn’t be as special. Once a year with Carter might be the answer.

Boxing Day Celebrations

I am so happy that Boxing Day has caught on in the US. Of course no one I know is giving the staff the day off to celebrate the holiday the day after Christmas with boxes of leftover Christmas food and their holiday bonus. Mostly because no one I know has staff.

But I do have friends who think Boxing Day is a great excuse to keep celebrating the holiday season. First Carter and I went to a lovely brunch where we got to catch up with friends. Then I came home to prepare to have our old friends the Blanks over for dinner.

We have known the Blanks since before Carter was born. Actually we have known them since before their daughter Isabelle was born and she is exactly two years older than Carter. In the early years the girls spent plenty of time together at each other’s birthdays and going to the farm together. Since they live in Raleigh, when the girls got a little older and a lot busier with their own sports, schools and activities they did not see each other as much.

Tonight was a chance to catch up and talk about when we used to have many cats and a dog and Isabelle would carry our nicest cat Chappy around when he was almost as big as she was. Carter is now too big to sit in Belle’s lap, but at least now they don’t talk baby talk.

Boxing Day has made up for our pitiful Christmas Day. Maybe I am actually the staff and my real holiday is the day after Christmas. I al still waiting for someone to give me my Christmas bonus, but the last thing I need is a box of food. I have a fridge full of leftovers and not enough days in sight to eat it all.

Best Laid Plans

A few years ago I was very sick on Christmas Day. I can’t remember exactly what happened that day I was do delirious, but after I recovered I heard from Carter and Russ that they had the best Christmas dinner at Happy China. It was festive and crowded and they saw friends who go there every year as their family traditions.

When it became clear that this year we were going to be home alone for Christmas Russ declared it was a Happy China year. We all got our heart set on Chinese. To compliment the Chinese, Russ and I went to an early afternoon movie to see The Darkest Hour while Carter took a nap. The theatre was packed, not a seat in the place. I think Christians are taking their cues from our Jewish friends who go to the movies and Chinese on Christmas.

After watching the Churchill movie I had to come home and finish up the last two episodes of The Crown to fill out my full on British Christmas. Around 6:30 Russ tried to do the online ordering from Happy China. When it wouldn’t go through he thought it was a technical problem. So he did the old fashioned thing and called the restaurant. The phone rang Nd ring and no one answered.

To the car Russ and Carter went to order in person. There was a reason the internet and phone ordering system was turned off. There were 25 people waiting in line to pick up orders and no new orders were being taken because the kitchen was backed up hours. So much for our new tradition.

Good thing I am the biggest over cook there ever was. Everyone scavenged for their own dinner of varying leftovers. I continued my British theme having leftover lamb chops. Even Shay looked despondent on her bed with her new Martini chew toy. “What has this family devolved into?” was the look she was giving us. Next year we will plan on Chinese earlier in the day.

Thankful for “Framily” (that’s friends who re more like Family)

My Christmas miracle came early when Carter announced she wanted to go to church o Christmas Eve. Not that she has ever missed church on Christmas Eve, but it was never her Christmas wish.

Since my family have all gone to Florida, as if they weren’t Episcopalians, we have our first Christmas as a small family of three. But we are not alone, our friends Lynn, Logan and Ellis, also without blood relatives are our family. So we had a Christmas Eve dinner and went to church together.

It is only appropriate since we met at church when Carter and Ellis were baptized together. They are each other’s sisters and have been apart for four months which is the longest they have ever been apart.

Tonight our minister Chris pr ached about two little four year old girls who consider themselves twins, despite not being related and also being of different races. When and older child pointed out this as evidence of their not being twins one of the little girls rebuffed him by saying, “We share the same soul.” I had to choke back a tear right then.

Tonight we had our Christmas with our soul family the Toms and am thankful everyday for friends who are more like family. The Toms are not the only “framily” we have, so to all the people out there who know I love you I want to wish you a Merry Christmas. If you ever need a place to celebrate, our door is always open and you know I have more than enough food.

I hope my family is having a good time in Florida, but not such a good time that they want to do this every year. I can’t bring myself to be without my Christmas at home and I miss and love you too.

Merry Neighborhood Christmas

Last night my jet lag finally caught up with me and I passed out at eight at night. This meant I missed a traditionally wonderful neighborhood Christmas party. There was just nothing I could do to keep my body going and I had a busy day planned for today to get ready for Christmas.

I slept until five this morning. When I awoke and discovered how early it was I made myself go back to sleep so I could try and get back on East coast time. Big mistake because in my fitful half sleep I did something to my back and woke up with a pulled muscle. So much for my busy day. I have limped around, trying to do the least taxing jobs I could do, icing my back and taking the strongest pain meds in the house. Best laid plans.

But what does it really matter? I have Russ, Carter and Shay Home. We have no other family coming for Christmas since they are testing out being in Florida for the holiday. Our friends the Toms, who have no other family either, are coming for Christmas Eve dinner and they are the easiest guests since they are more like family.

As I was upstairs washing a sweater for Carter the doorbell rang and Shay was barking a greeting to someone. I went downstairs to find our friends the Aldridges outside in their new to them antique pick up truck with their famous dog Norman in the back in his bed. They were delivering holiday cheer. Cheer indeed. This is why I love living in our neighborhood for the last 24 years.

Having good friends just drop by to wish you a Merry Christmas with their dog is the reason I don’t want to go anywhere else for the holidays. Thanks to Mack, Elizabeth, Liza and Caroline and of course Norman for bringing a smile to my face and making my back feel better.

Merry Christmas to you and all of yours. If you can’t be with family this time of year drop by your friends, they are the family you choose.

German Differences

Thankfully we all got home yesterday, all without sleeping for at least 24 hours. Carter spent four months in Germany and a Russ and I spent 9 days. Together the tree of us spent three days in Prague and I have to say I liked it better than the parts of Germany we were in. Carter definitely has some strong feelings about Berlin and they are not all positive.

I looked back on my photos I took and something struck me, everywhere we went in Germany it was grey most of the time. The three days we had in Prague were the only days we saw blue sky’s. I think that I had a little seasonal disorder. It did not help that we were there on the shortest day of the year so there was only a chance of seeing any sun from about nine in the morning until three in the afternoon.

That grey, cold, drizzle and dark is not a mood enhancer. Perhaps that is why beer is so helpful there. Russ did enjoy a different beer everyday. He declared that the Bamberg smoked beer was the best. He said it was like a cross between scotch and beer.

Today Carter went out and did some Christmas shopping. She came home and said, “I am having Culture shock. The guy at Chipolte was so nice. He asked me how my day was going and we had a whole conversation.” In Germany they were much less familiar and use a real economy of words. You can imagine I stick out like a sore thumb.

Not that people weren’t friendly, it was just different. One example was the day we walked 2 kilometers up hill to a castle that was closed. On the way up we passed a school group of kids and their teachers walking down the hill, no one thought to mention to us that it was closed and there was no need to keep walking up the hill. As we were walking down the hill with our driver there were people walking up just like we had done. I asked him if we should tell them the castle was closed so they did not have to find out the hard way we did. He looked at me with an odd look, and said, “No, we shouldn’t tell them.”

One of the places we went that I did really like was Potsdam. It was where the summer residence of the king of Prussia was and it is a lovely little city, not ruined during the time it was ruled by East Germany. Prince Frederick the great built Sanssouci Palace and it is considered a little Versailles. We saw his grave and there were potatoes left on it I. At first I thought they were stones, like on Jewish graves, but then Carter explained they are potatoes put there by Germans because Frederick brought the potato to Germany. The Germans do like their potatoes. Too bad they have to go a ruin them by making them into potato dumplings.

Next to Frederick’s grave were the graves of all his dogs. I thought that was so nice his dogs were buried with him. That was until Carter told us that he left instructions for his dogs to be buried with him. Three of them were already dead, but the remaining dogs were killed so they could be buried at the same time. Made me think a little differently about how nice they were buried together.

Overall, it was a great trip, but not a holiday. I am happy to be back in sunny, friendly Durham with all my people and dog safe and sound.

Just Get Home

After a semester in Germany and a trip with her parents Carter was more than ready to come home. To celebrate twinkle thing being over we did a major splurge last night and went to eat at Tim Raue, one of the top 50 restaurants in the world. I had made the reservation months in advance and somehow we lucked into be seated at the Krug Table, that looked into the kitchen.

Both Russ and Carter had studied the Tv show about this place. Turns out our waitress is featured in the show. The Asian fusion did not diss appoint and neither did our waitress who visibly shock with excitement when she would place our food in front of us. It was a once in a lifetime experience. The food was indescribably delicious.

The only problem with going our last night is we had very little sleep to catch our early morning flights home. Carter had a ticket from her school program and was following us a few hours later. Russ and I had a 3:30 wake up to catch the 6:30 flight to Paris.

Unfortunately while we were on our flight to Paris Carter was at the Berlin airport being informed that her 9:45 flight tNewark was not going until 4:00 and that she had no connecting flight to RDU now. “You can rent a car and ride to NC from NJ.” The airline person told her. When Carter said she was 19 and cold not rent a car, they basically told her tough luck.

Not able to contact us she made the executive decision to buy a ticket on Delta that involved three flights. It was a fortune, but all she wanted was to get home. By the time we landed in Paris she was able to each us and tell us her plan. It was a highly stressful situation for her as well as us.

She got her first flight from Berlin to Amsterdam. Russ and I got on our flight to RDU from Paris and they told us the WiFi was out. I could not hold back the tears. I had no idea where she was and if her flights were on time. Then as if my tears had worked on the technology, the WiFi started working. She was on her flight to Detroit. Unfortunately it sat on the runway for an extra hour, butting her connection of her final leg in jeopardy.

We got home, and have been texting her through the whole trip giving her instructions on how to make it through customs fast enough to make her flight. We have been awake for 23 hours waiting to see if she makes it. If she does we will have to stay up another 3 hours to get her tonight. I have never wanted to pull an all nighter more than this.

You Are Never Too Old

When you have been on a trip just a day or two too long and you are getting tired of museums, historical spots, and looking at stuff what should you do to fill your time on the last day? Go to the zoo!

This morning we just could not muster going to another good for us, mind enriching site. We had a leisurely breakfast trying to fill the time, ran an errand to replace Carter’s original Birkenstocks and had packed our bags so that we made sure they were balanced in weight. Then Carter came up with the brilliant idea to go to the Berlin Zoo, a place she had not yet visited.

Off on the S train we headed. Going to a zoo in the winter on a weekday is the way to go. The place was empty of many other visitors, but full of the most glorious animal exhibits. Russ downloaded the zoo app so we knew when everyone was going to be fed. We got to see bears of all types, from polar to pandas. Wolves, hippos, zebras, antelopes, rhino and birds.

The two houses we liked the most were the big cats and the primates. We were in time for feeding in both places. When we entered the cat house a big female lion was making a terrific noise. Carter was worried that she was in distress. No she just knew it was time for her big beef leg.

The monkeys were our favorite. We spend a good amount of time watching big families in giant habitats, swing from ropes, pick up apple pieces with their feet and play with each other. There was some other monkey business going on too, so thank goodness there were not many kids around.

Tonight we are going to dinner at a restaurant we learned about on a great TV show called The Chef’s table. It was not the best planning to go to our best meal a few hours before our flight home. Hopefully I will sleep all the way home.

What I Like Best About Germany

There is one thing that I think is the greatest about Germany. It is not the beer, I don’t care a thing about beer. It is not their cars, despite the fact that they make some great cars. It is their dogs.

Everywhere we went in Germany there were dogs. In restaurants, the grocery store, on public transport. People take their dogs everywhere they go. And they are the most well behaved dogs you have ever seen.

On the street, dogs often were not on leashes, but they followed their owners right on their heels. They never thought to depart their masters side, even if a squirrel ran out in front of them. I never heard a peep out of any of the hundreds of dogs we saw. It was as if the dogs here were told never make a sound.

When two dogs passed each other on the sidewalk there was no confrontation or even any “hey, how are you?” sniffing going on. There might have been a slight nod, in a “what up” kind of way that you would have to video tape and play back in slow motion to even recognize.

Tonight when Russ and I were riding back to our hotel on a tram a woman with a white Scottie stood in the accordion center of the two car tram. The floor where they were standing turns when the tram make a turn, but the dog was never bothered. He stood right between her feet so as passengers got on and off the tram they did not step on him, since they did not know he was down the. He was never ruffled by the crowd. He did have a leash, but it did not appear to need it.

The other thing I like in Germany is dogs are always well dressed. Rarely did I see a dog without a coat on. It has been cold, but not really freezing, yet everyone makes sure their dog is well outfitted. It makes me think that my dog needs a coat for the few very cold days we have. I did not see any dogs in boots, but then again the ground was not freezing. I do wonder if people wished their dogs feet when they got home.

Dogs get to go everywhere and are well behaved. I wish that this was something we could adopt in America. Dogs can rise to the occasion if we let them. It is the owners I am not so sure about.

Nuremberg Bamberg Potsdam

Today was a day on the move. We woke up in our little flat in Nuremberg, cooked breakfast, rented a car, packed it full and headed North. There was only one bad fight about navigating on our way to Bamberg and then the dust settled and the rest of the day was happy. Since I am the only one who can drive a manual It was my job to do the driving.

We were on our way to Potsdam via Bamberg. We stopped in the medieval town that is now really a city because it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. That does not mean that the modern world does not grow up around it, just that a bunch of buildings are protected, from what I am not quite sure.

Nuremberg Bamberg Potsdam We found parking in an underground lot which is all I worry about when leaving a car with all. Y belongings in a strange city. After wandering through the newer part of the old town, think like 1700’s – 1800’s buildings we crossed over a bridge to the older part, like 1300’s-1500’s. I discovered that Bamberg had been the seat of the Holy Roman Empire, wait, like every place we have been, Prague and Nuremberg were also seats of the Holy Roman Empire. It is kind of like the American equivalent of George Washington slept here. Anyway Bamberg was beautiful, but since it was Monday in December lots of the stuff we wanted to see was closed.

So off to Potsdam we went.

It was a supposed to be a good four hour drive, but thanks to the fine German driving there were plenty of sections of the highway without speed limits and on those I went at least a hundred and I was in the middle lane. The amazing thing about the drive is we left Bamberg where it was dry and over freezing, as we drove north just a bit we came upon miles of snow covered fields and pine forests that looked like Christmas village landscape set up. Well before Potsdam we were back in dry landscape. It was like we had gone through Narnia.

We arrived in Potsdam in the dark, but since Carter had been here in September she described how beautiful it would be in the morning. Carter approved of the hotel we were staying in, which always makes me happy as the travel agent. We walked into the center of town and went to a seafood restaurant that made us happy not to have German food. On our return walk we went a different route that took us up a huge hill at the very end. Russ reported we did 29 flights of stairs today. Still is hardly enough. I can’t wait to see what daylight brings, especially since it only lasts about six hours.

I Like Some History and Culture

Yesterday, while Russ and Carter were visiting the toy museum and I was walking back to our flat from the Christmas Market I got a phone call from my father. “It looks like from you blog you are not having any fun.” Only my father would think to call me on the other side of the world and say that.

“Why do you think that?” I ask him.

“Because you are doing all this depressing cultural stuff.”

I forgot what it is like to travel with my father. Sitting in a pub talking to the locals is the kind of culture he likes. He thinks the fact that I no longer drink means that I can never have any fun. When Russ cut way back on drinking he thought it was my fault and that maybe Russ should leave me so he could drink again. For the record, I had nothing to do with Russ cutting back.

So just for my father here are a couple of pictures of Russ enjoying the best of German Culture. That fact that one of these picture was taken in the cafe of the German National Museum might get points off with my Dad, Russ said it was a very good beer nonetheless.

Being Sunday, much is closed here, which I find very interesting for such a non-church going society. But one place that was an advantage to go see on Sunday was the Nuremberg Trial Memorial. Court room 600 in the palace of Justice, where the Nuremberg trials were held, is still a working court room so it is best to visit on a weekend when you can be sure to get to walk in the actual place where History was made.

There is an excellent exhibit upstairs from the court room where we got to listen to every detail of the 200 plus days of the trial. It was fascinating to learn how ground breaking the trial was in the area of international law.

Although my father is a well educated and interesting man, he never would have listened to the whole audio at the exhibit without at least one beer. And since food and drinks were prohibited that would rule out the whole visit.

For those of you who like a little Disney with your culture, I have noted that my favorite line from any Disney song, from Beauty and the beast, “I use antlers in all of my decorating.” Is purely German. Yes, everywhere we have gone there have been antlers, but my favorite was this antlers and dragon chandelier like object we saw in the national Museum. Apparently antlers have been part of the culture for a very long time, like back when dragons roamed the countryside. How’s that for Culture, Dad?

And We Have A Winner

Not surprisingly all the cities in Germany are very competitive about who has the best Christmas Market. Now I have hardly been on a compressive tour, but so far I have visited three different markets in Berlin and they are at the bottom of the list. The Prague Market was good, but had more food and less Christmas which is a strike against it in my book. Today I visited the Nuremberg Christmas Market and it is the bomb. No wonder people come from near and far to visit it.

Nuremberg is considered Germany’s most German city. The Market lives up to its German heritage. There are more christmas decorations the than all the other markets put together. Of course sometime there are so many that it is hard to see them.

I have tried to steer clear of buying the painted glass ones in fear that they won’t make it home in one piece. I love the whirlly ones that spin around from the heat of candles, but they are incredibly pricey. I have tried to purchase unique things I can’t find at home, which is harder and harder in our ever shrinking world.

Carter and Russ have been very good sports about my Christmas Market obsession. Today they let me wander on my own. They found the best place to wait was the Lions Club Of Nuremberg coffee house. Earlier in the day we ran into a Santa who told us about the coffee house set up in a church meeting room. The members of the lions club baked homemade cakes that they sold with the coffee or tea. It was a lovely place to get to sit and rest and hide from the Christmas Market craziness.

Carter made good friends with a retired college professor who was working the coffee house. He told us what not to miss during our visit to Nuremberg. By the time I had caught up with them Russ had enjoyed his stolen and coffee, but I was able to enjoy the rest too with some apple cake.

We are yet to have some things that apparently were invented in Nuremberg, pretzels and gingerbread, but we still have another day, although that one is designated as our day of history. More to come on that tomorrow.

We also ate our first and probably our last traditional German Lunch. Carter and I are not fans of potato dumplings, which is a potato, flour and egg concoction that is more like a ball of paste than anything resembling a potato. Mine was with Pork knuckle that I had in honor of my father who made me promise to eat one and Carter had duck. Russ had Nuremberg bratwurst which are smaller than regular brats. All fine, but heavy.

Our waiter thought something was wrong with us when we told him we were done with out half eaten plates. Just too much German food for us. Thank goodness we walked almost ten miles today because we need something to counteract the food.

Back to Germany

We awoke this morning in Prague and had a lovely breakfast at the very fancy Hotel pAris around the corner from our apartment. When we got home our driver George was waiting to take us to Nuremberg with one stop at the Karlstejn Castle on the way. The castle had been built by Czech’s best king, Charles the fourth who was the head of the Holy Roman Empire when it was centered in Bohemia. The castle was not used as a residence, but as a storage facility for all the Royal jewels that had mostly been stolen while plundering other lands.

George was a great driver and we got to Karlstejn without a problem. We had to park in the car park for tourists at the bottom of the hill and walk 2 kilometers straight up hill to get to the castle. We were practically the only people in town. Yes, it is December, but the fact that not one tourist shop, beer hall or restaurant was open should have tipped us off that something was wrong. It was a little like the town without children in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Walking up the hill was a fabulous butt workout. Russ phone told us it was equivalent to 17 flights of stairs. As we reached the top and turned the corner to get to the entrance George made a little gasp at the giant closed door. He knew that meant the place was closed.

At least the down hill was not as hard.

We arrived at our Airbnb to meet our host a darling Girl named Lui who showed us around our flat inside the wall of the old town. It was after two and we wanted lunch so she escorted us to a lovely Italian restaurant. From there we walked around and returned to the flat to unpack. While Carter napped Russ and I went out to do a little grocery shopping.

The first giant store we went in was the worst grocery store I have ever been in. The freezer and refrigerator sections were completely empty with green screens covering them and a sign in German which I was too lazy to translate. So Russ and I walked across the street to a smaller Turkish market where we could hardly find anything we wanted, unless we changed our minds and decided we wanted giant cans of goats milk. We didn’t.

So we continued back to the walled old town where there were lots of stalls set up for Christmas Markets. If we wanted sweet things, or sweet hot wine, or giant bratwurst we wold have been fine, but we didn’t. Eventually we walked far enough that we found a cheese stall. At last, cheese not in a can. We bought some. Then I discovered I had lost my debit card in all this food hunting. Thank you Morgan Stanley for putting a hold on my account so quickly.

Back at the flat I am too exhausted to go out again. My watch reports almost nine miles walked today. Feels like double that. Discovering Nuremberg will have to wait for the morning.

Parallels in History

While most everyone I care about in America was celebrating the defeat of Judge Roy Moore, the worst example of a human being this week, we are here in the Czeck Republic, learning about historical bad acting humans. Today we spent the day visiting Terezin, the Concentration Camp that is outside of Prague.

In the scope of camps, Terezin was not close to places like Auschwitz, which were extermination camps, but was a ghetto and waiting station for extermination none the less. Originally Terezin was a walled military base town, which made it easy to convert into an interment camp for Jews. The reason it was not as bad, is it was the camp the the Nazi’s used to show the International Red Cross that they were treating Jews humanly. In the world of fake news that we live in now, this was the ultimate in fake.

Terezin was a large camp where the Jews were forced to live, men in one building, women in another, boy’s in a third, girl’s in a forth and babies in a fifth. A smaller older fortress that was built in 1770 by the Czeck leader Joseph where prisoners were kept and killed was just down the road. Both places had some setups that were pure propaganda to show the Red Cross. Apparently the Red Cross officials came from Geneva during the war for a four hour visit, but were kept so busy at the big camp that they never had time to see the smaller one where the killings took place.

Regardless of what the Red Cross saw in the way of fake “humane treatment,” why did they not say, “Why do you need to intern these women, children and babies in the first place?” Let alone the old people, or handicapped people who were all Jews. The Red Cross gave the Nazis six months warning they were coming to inspect Terezin, as the example camp, they had to know what was going on. Why was it alright to gather all the Jews in the first place? They were hardly the worst enemy of the state.

Most everyone I know can find nothing redeeming in Nazis, on that we can agree, but what about the Red Cross? Being a Nazi is bad, but standing by and more or less allowing the Nazis to carry out these atrocities is the next thing in line of badness. Jews were sent to Terezin as a first stop before going on to places like Auschwitz. Anyone in the Red Cross with half a brain could ask, “With new Jews coming in all the time, where are the people going out going?”

It is imperative that as humans we keep vigilant in asking questions and not believe the propaganda that still goes on today. A strong and free press is our only defense against politicians who have less than good intentions and kind hearts.

I am thankful that Roy Moore was defeated because his ideology was closer to the Nazi’s than we should have in America. What I fear is that if it weren’t for his sexual accusations he would have easily won and then we would be going more steps backwards to something closer to the Nazis in terms of censorship, lack of personal freedoms and equality.

It is not just up to Jews to “never forget,” at any time it could be any of us who are chosen to be the ones who are persecuted.

Love Stumbling Upon

I had made a reservation for breakfast at Fred and Ginger, a restaurant in the Frank Gehry designed Dancing House building. Russ is a big Gehry fan and this was his first opportunity to eat in one. When we woke up Carter opted for sleeping in so Russ and I made the thirty minute walk to breakfast.

Outside of breakfast we had no plans. Amazingly Carter texted us before we were even done eating that she was ready to meet us. I gave her two options and she picked the Charles bridge and a big walk up hill to the Prague Castle.

The day was sunnier than we have had on the whole trip. It was glorious to see the gorgeous bohemian architecture. According to Russ’ phone we climbed the equivalent of 13 flights of stairs up to the castle complex. We arrived just as there was a changing of the guard. Carter and I had flashbacks Of Princess Diaries and Moldovia. Russ did not understand our reference.

After touring the Cathedral we stumbled upon the Lobkowicz Palace. The only private museum and cafe in the castle complex. We had lunch outside on the balcony of the cafe overlooking all of Prague. Two outdoor meals in so many days is more than I have ever eaten outdoors in winter ever, but it was perfect, especially since I had ginger tea and potato soup.

After lunch we went through the Lobkowicz collections. The story of the family who had been Czech nobility for hundreds of years, lost everything, including four castles/palaces and huge amount of art work to the Nazi’s and got it back after the war only to lose it to the communists was heart breaking. They Lobkowicz Family had left Czech and all their possessions when the communists came in, then when the Velvet Revolution took place in 1990 the family came back and found out they had one year to reclaim all that was taken from them as long as they had proof. They had to learn to speak Czech and amazingly most of all their processions were returned. Not always in good condition, but they have done a great job restoring things.

My favorite room in the palace was the smallest one decorated in a Chinese theme I thought would make a perfect Mah Jongg room. It was a fabulous museum and story.

A good day of discovery and so far eight miles of walking.

Prague Beating Berlin So Far

After not enough sleep last night Carter Russ and I had to pack. Well, most of Carter’s bags were still packed from moving out of school. In planning this trip I had to work everything around being able to leave four big suitcases in Berlin while we traveled around. There was no way we could bring Carter’s whole semesters worth of stuff with us.

After storing her belonging we jumped on a train to Prague. The countryside of east Germany south through Dresden was quite beautiful. Carter felt a bit of familiarity as long as we were in Germany. As we crossed the boarder into the Czech Republic everything changed. No more German over the loud speaker. She said it was a feeling of uneasiness to be out of Germany.

We got a taxi to our apartment in the old town section of the city. It was a nice surprise for us all since we have a big living room with 14 foot ceilings and two giant bedrooms. We wasted no time getting out to explore the old town. We walked down out street and rounded a corner and there at the end of the block was a beautiful cathedral all lit up. We went under two arches and through two cobblestoned court yards and then we were in the middle of a magical Christmas Market.

The tree was twice as big as any in Berlin. The buildings that surrounded the square looked as if Santa had designed them just for Christmas. The stalls were not as close together as they were in Berlin. There were plenty of people but not the shoulder to shoulder crowds like in Berlin.

We purchased some hot cider and perused the offerings. We had no set plans for dinner. When we walked by a big fire with ham turning on a spit, Russ knew he had come to his happy place. We decided just to get food at the market and eat it outside like all the other revelers. Carter cold not find exactly what she wanted so after Russ and I enjoyed the local meat we walked around the square to a Mexican take out place that satisfied Carter to a tee.

Back to the apartment to watch some Christmas movie on Netflix and we were happy. So far Prague is winning in the Christmas celebration feeling. We have hardly scratched the surface, but then again it is just our first few hours here. I can hardly wait to see what daylight will bring here.

The Long March

Carter had made us quite of lists of sights to see in Berlin. When she sent it to me a few weeks ago I never imagined we would get to them all, but today we knocked out the whole thing. Starting with the Berlin Wall Memorial.

The grey overcast sky’s of Berlin winter made a perfect setting to walk the deadman zone along the wall. The craziness of tearing down perfectly good buildings to put up a wall keeping people apart is nothing compared to the insanity of the SS and the Nazi’s we learned about at the Topography of Terror Museum. I have studied plenty about the Nazi’s through the years, but as an American I never thought it could happen again.

Reading the ways that Hitler and Himmler used populist ways to gain power—Cutting out a free press, oppressing the weak and making people fear “the other” along with justifying eliminating anyone who could not contribute, is sounding a little too familiar to me. Germany does an excellent job at looking at bad things that happened here with the most honesty to say, “these things must be remembered so they can not be repeated.” It can happen anywhere and that is what must be learned.

After the heaviness of so much learning in the morning Russ, Carter and I did a very long walk through some of the nicer parts of Berlin despite the cold. After we got to the point where I could no longer feel my face we stopped to have lunch and then change our tact and visit a Christmas Market. It is always a good idea to go through a Christmas Market full from a real meal so you are not tempted to eat any of the food or drinks they are selling in the stalls. We did decide that the people making Bratwursts have it best because they have a big fire to keep them warm. I was able to find a couple of Christmas ornaments so I left the market happy.

By the end of the day I had done a solid nine miles of walking, which was needed to counteract the sushi dinner. Russ pointed out that we have avoided eating one German meal since we got here. I think that will change when we go out in the country.

Magical Reunion

Four months away and the less than perfect journey to get to Carter in Berlin made our reunion that much sweeter. It was Carter’s last day of her school program so we went straight from the airport to her school to see her dorm, meet her roommates and friends and get a first hand look at how she had been living. She took us on a walking tour of her regular haunts, but then we had to leave her because she had her farewell dinner.

Russ and I checked into our hotel and walked up the street to get dinner. Carter texted us through dinner and came and joined us at our hotel for a little more time before she went back to school to finish packing and one last nights sleep.

Bright and early this morning she and her best friend Olivia moved Carter and all four of her suit cases into the hotel. Thank goodness we came to take her belongings home. Olivia and Carter took us to their favorite breakfast spot when parents are paying, Benedict. Getting to know Olivia in person was such a treat, since she became such a wonderful friend to Carter. Our time together was short because she was off to catch a train to visit her German grandmother.

Carter took over as Berlin tour guide. Four months taking a class on Berlin the 21 century city, one on the Holocaust and one on the politics of the EU made Carter not just a good guide, but an excellent lecturer at all the sites she took us to today. We started at the Brandenburg Gate, the Reichstag, the Tiergarten and then had an extensive visit at the Memorial to The Murdered Jews of Europe, otherwise known as the Holocaust Memorial.

The outside of the Memorial was a sobering city block of 2000 cements blocks varying in size from two feet tall to over twelve feet tall, which you can walk between in single file. It is overwhelming to be swallowed up inside the Memorial. After walking through the maze of blocks we toured the underground museum where Carter gave us an in-depth summary of the Holocaust. I think she got her tuition’s worth in that class.

To lighten the mood after that sad tour we walked over to one of the many Christmas Markets. It was beautiful, with lights and vendors and smells of special German Christmas foods and drink. Carter and Russ sat at a bar and kept warm, while I toured the stalls. Since it is the first of the many Christmas Markets I plan to visit I did not go wild.

We U-Banned to a Turkish restaurant and had a wonderful dinner and then Carter hit the wall. Four hours of sleep her last night at school had finally caught up with her. We walked out of the restaurant to snow. The perfect magical ending to a wonderful first full day back together.

If You See This Man, Stay Far Away

If I weren’t so excited about getting to Carter I might not be in such a good mood after all that has happened trying to get to her. Our trip started yesterday with snow in Durham which certainly causes panic on the roads. We were taking a Lyft to the airport and it took three times as long it should have.

After waiting in crazy long lines, due to 1,000 Delta flight being canceled due to snow in Atlanta, we finally checked our bags. Once in the club I Facetimed with Carter, so excited that the day to get to see her was almost here. The man sitting next to me told me that the Paris flight was delayed half an hour. He had a tight connection to Lisbon and we agreed that it might be OK due to excellent tail winds. Optimism is always my default.

Then we went to the gate. Half an hour late was not even close. We loaded an hour late. Still in the window to make our connection. We pulled away from the gate, I was ever hopeful. The flight attendants made a very pointed announcement about no smoking, vaping or anything else in the bathrooms. Who doesn’t know this?

Then we sat. We sat some more. Not sure if it was de-icing or what. After a good while the pilot said there was something “little” that needed a mechanic so we pulled back to the gate. After a guy in a neon yellow vest came on an airport official appeared at the door and summoned a shady looking man outside the plane. Russ and I were sitting by the door so we had full view of this exchange.

If we were pulling back to the gate to throw this “vaper” off the plane I was going to be really mad. Well it was both the “vaper” and a mechanical issue. Three hours later we finally took off. We were certainly not making our connection.

Thankfully when we landed in Paris we found that we had been rebooked on a noon flight. Just three and a half hours late to get to see Carter. Russ and I walked the mile and a half from our arrival gate to our new departure gate and stopped at a Paul Bakery to get coffee, something we needed badly after our three hours of bumpy sleep. Oh yeah, I didn’t mention the good news. Since we were in the front of the plane we were in one of the three rows that got dinner before the service was discontinued due to turbulence. The rest of the plane never got dinner.

Anyway I am about to get to the cream of the shit crop. While we were sitting at the very crowded Paul enjoying our coffee, right after we got another announcement that our noon flight was now 12:55 a man who was trying to beat someone else to a seat on the other side of a pony wall from us leaned over me with his tray full of coffee and spilled it all over my coat, bags and me. I said every American swear word fast and loudly. The little man had no remorse, except for his lost coffee.

A very nice Paul employee came over with paper towels to help. I was wishing she had brought a stun gun with her. The little shit man just went around the wall and sat down in the seat he so badly wanted and ate his food. The whole place was silent, watching this big disaster. As I was wiping the cafe au lait from my suit case I started to laugh, not just any laugh, but my big belly laugh. Everyone looked. I looked at the little man and laughed right at him. He got a little indigent and asked what we wanted him to do. Nothing. Nothing. Just be a little more embarrassed.

Now we sit at the crazy crowded gate waiting for our next late plane. How much longer until I get to Carter?

Fastest Blog Ever Written on My Phone

Recovered half way, enough to fly without dying. The excitement of going to be with Carter is the best medicine ever.

Of course the snow today made travel on I 40 insane. Half an hour late to airport. We are having to check bags because we are bringing empty bags to Carter. So we had to wait at bag check-in. The weather has screwed up most people’s travel do the check-in agents were spending 15 minutes per passenger to reroute them. Finally checked our empty bags and got to the club where every seat was taken. Our flight has been delayed, hopefully we will still make our tight connection.

Normally this would make me all insane, but either my medicine has dulled me or my euphoria is keeping me positive. Pray we have tail winds and get to Carter safe and sound.

The Blessing Of Being Organized

Last Thursday Russ came home from a business trip sick. With our trip a week away I did everything possible to nurse him back to health from afar. He slept in the guest room, showered in the guest bath, ate alone. It was pure solitary confinement. I practically slid his tray of food through a slot in the door.

He recovered after four or five days and I thought we were out of the woods. Then two days ago my throat got sore, but not too bad. Yesterday I had a little nose issues, not too bad. This morning I woke up at three in the morning, full on sick. Really??!!??!!?!

I canceled the fun Christmas lunch I was supposed to go to. I found out late that I had a church meeting, I canceled. I took a three hour nap and have done everything possible to get better.

Thankfully outside of fun things and meetings I am ready for the trip. I am packed, have all my home support set up, the house is clean so when we return it will be welcoming, I have what few Christmas presents I have wrapped. Thank goodness I think in terms of contingency’s so that I don’t have a lot of last minute things to do, just in case. And here it is, just in case. I need to get well.

Thankfully my ears are not blocked so I shouldn’t burst an ear drum. This is not the way I wanted to spend Carter’s birthday, but I did get some quality three in the morning texting with her. Thanks for all the birthday wishes that got sent to her through my Facebook. It helps to have a little pick me up when you are away on your birthday. Now I am looking for a little pick me up.

December 7 is Carter’s Birthday

Nineteen years ago tomorrow the best thing happened to me and Russ, Carter was born. We had no idea what a fun ride it would be to be her parents but based on her arrival we should not have been surprised.

We waiting a long time for her. After seven years of marriage we finally got pregnant. She was two weeks late to be born and only free being induced did she make an appearance. Although she put up quite a fight about coming out and made sure it was a good story.

Russ and I went to the hospital at six in the morning on the day we were told they would finally induce me. We hung around the waiting room for few hours and they finally showed us to a room where they would give me the drugs that would make Carter want to come out. She wasn’t exactly ready. After a few traumatic heart rate incidents when Russ was not in the room, Dr. Fried announced that I was having an emergency c-section and they quickly rolled me down the hall of Durham Regional completely naked on my hands and knees to the operating room. I am certain that if Russ had been in the room at that moment that he would have made sure they threw a sheet over me. Thank goodness he appeared in the operating room just as they were about to cut me open to deliver sweet Carter.

She was fine and we were ecstatic. It was a crazy beginning of a great childhood. If you had asked me then if I could imagine where she would be nineteen years later I never would have said Berlin.

This is her first birthday I have ever been away from her, but it is only three days until I see her for the first time in four months. It will be like a big present to me to celebrate her birthday a few days late.

I am writing this celebration of her birthday today so that when she wakes up in Berlin in a few hours she will have it as her first birthday present. Sadly she also has an exam on her birthday and one the day after so she will have to spend the day studying as will all her Berlin friends, so no party will go on. So if you know Carter send her a birthday message so the day does not go unrecognized.

I just want her to know that she is the best daughter and I love her more than anything on earth. Being apart for four months was much harder than going down the hall of the hospital naked on my hands and knees on the gurney. It has all been worth it!

Part Time Book Keeper Needed In Durham

I am looking for a person with good book keeping/accounting skills for a 15 hour a week temporary job in Durham. The person is needed now to train with the current staff member. It is a lovely work environment. The job should be for about the next 4-5 months. Are you or do you know this person?

The person should have experience doing books, payroll, deposits all the regular money stuff. I think the hours and days are fairly flexible. Please message me if you know anyone who might be interested in picking up a little work right now.

The person would not work for or with me, but with a group of people who are kind, happy and a joy to be around. I am just helping to try and find the person.

Needlepoint Christmas

Years ago when I started needlepointing I was honored to be invited into a needlepoint Christmas exchange with a group who had been doing it for years. As the eclectic group would sit around the table stitching I would learn so much, not just about stitching, but good books they were reading or wonderful shows they were binge watching or recipes they were cooking.

When I was welcomed into their fold I offered to host the lunch where we exchange the ornaments we loving stitch for each another in secret. They were quick to accept this invitation and happily have not felt the need to move the lunch anywhere else. I love hosting this group and making something special for lunch, especially the dessert.

I know that it is not my event, that I am just a junior member, so sorry I can’t invite anyone else to be a stitching advisor. Please don’t have your feelings hurt that you aren’t invited, it is not my place to do that. That being said, sorry you don’t get to come to this lunch.

This year I had a yummy shrimp, crab and corn chowder, caramelized pear, onion, arugula and blue cheese quesadillas, deviled eggs, a delicious salad my friend Cindy brought and then dessert. I am not really a baker. Being precise in my cooking is not my style. With the very southern menu I was having I needed something equally southern. I decided on a caramel cake.

If you have never had a southern caramel cake you have not really lived, but if you have had them too often you will not live long. It is a decadent thing. I studied a lot of recipes, deciding that I liked one from a blog called Southern Boy Cooks. He made a two layer 9 inch cake. I liked many more thinner layers with a caramel cake, because it is all about the icing.

My cake pans are 8 inch so I thought I might get four layers out of his recipe. I got seven! That made for a very tall cake. With all these layers I doubled the icing. That was too much.

Carmel icing is a difficult thing to make because it can get grainy if you overcook it, but if you undercook it it won’t get thick enough to stay on the cake. Many hours of labor and I got it close.

The only thing that mattered is the stitching advisors enjoyed their lunch and their cake. I am so thankful for this multi-generational group of friends. I am also looking forward to learning how to make a birthday plaid and do beading this year. So here is to more reasons to get together. I’ll make the lunch.

Yes, I’m Nuts About Christmas Decorating

Let me qualify my title, I love decorating the inside of my house for Christmas. There may be many TV shows dedicated to those people who bedeck their houses with more lights than are needed to power Paducah, Kentucky, but that is not my affliction. I am a purely inside Christmas decorator. It is very generous of the light-my-house people to do that so we can drive by and Oohhh and ahhh, but I want to sit inside my house and look at all the Christmas.

One of the things I find most pleasurable is making something new every year to add to my indoor ornaments. I am not talking one new ornament on my tree or even a dozen new Needlepoint ornaments on my garland, more like a new Christmas village, or homemade wreath made out of silver cookie cutters or my favorite, my “happy birthday baby Jesus tree.”

I like totally original things so it involves me making something. I don’t get to count stitching new ornaments, those are just icing.

One might think I am running out of places to put Christmas stuff, but I have not yet had to resort to decorating closets or the garage. I am not so systematic that I look around the year before and say, “the sunroom could really use something.” Instead I just wait to be inspired during the year with whatever new craft I am teaching myself.

This year was a no brainer since I took up quilting. I did make four quilts since August, but I thought that I could make different Christmas placemats as a way to teach myself different skills and techniques. They are in no way perfect, but they did give me lots of chances to push my quilting skills. It was also fun to make up different patterns. I quickly learned it was hard to make them all the same size when I was just winging making up the pattern. The real reason to do this was so I could learn to actually do the quilting part rather than just making the pieced tops.

As I look around my house I see so many potential new Christmas projects, like I could learn to make slip covers and recover my furniture into a red and green theme in December, or I could take up wood working and carve a life size Santa with a chain saw. In all seriousness, I think next year I would like to make a real homemade big gingerbread house. The only problem with that is the temporary nature of baked goods. I like to make things that last year after year. Maybe I should just quilt a gingerbread house.

Some Kind of Nesting

It is going on four moths since Carter has been home. That is a long time for me not to have hugged my baby. I am going to get to see her in less than a week and I think I have gone into a nesting phase kind of like pregnant women do right before they give birth.

I have been readying the house for Carter’s return home in ways I have never done before. Earlier in the week I was in her bathroom. I looked at the grout on her floor and wondered how it had gone from once pristine white to dingy brown. I am sure it has been years since it was sparkling now it was really bugging me.

With Clorox in hand, I remedied the situation. Probably no one else is ever going to notice, but for some reason I felt like I wanted her bathroom spic and span.

With my robot vacuum I am hardly letting a bit of dust settle on the floor for more than an hour. My paintings have never been so well dusted. I am looking at rooms in my house with a magnifying glass like eye to see if something needs shining.

I cleaned the inside of the refrigerator today with engineering precision. Removing parts to be washed in the sink that I am sure were supposed to be factory sealed. I can only strike this new found cleaning bug up to trying to make home so nice for Carter, like bringing a baby home from the hospital.

Not that she requires this. Anything in our normal home mode is going to be welcome after having had to share a communal kitchen with a large group of teenagers who don’t know what dish soap is. I think the thing she is going to like best is the security of a home fridge where if she puts something in it she knows it will still be there the next day. Sharing food storage with people who have no qualms eating your food has been frustrating.

So things are getting ready for her arrival. Of course she might not notice the clean kitchen because all she wants is good Mexican Food, and by good I mean Chipotle, since Berlin is void of any Mexican. Seems like a business opportunity to me, but I don’t want her staying there any longer than needed. So come on home for the Mexican food and I will be happy.

For some reason this post was stuck in cyber space yesterday along with all my emails. It was written yesterday but posted today along with another one to keep up my everyday blogging!

More Art For Christmas

First, let me say I come from a very talented family of artists. My cousin Sarah, who lives in Raleigh, is a fabulous artist and she and a number of other artists are having a show tomorrow at one of her neighbor’s houses.

If you are looking for a unique Christmas gift for that person who has everything consider art. Sarah does not usually have shows because she works on commission so much she hardly ever has anything available for sale. So this is a rare opportunity.

The show is called the Longview Gardens Art Market at

115 N Lord Ashley Rd, Raleigh, NC 27610

Here is the rest of the info.

The Importance Of Place Cards

As someone who loves to have people come eat at my table I am a big proponent of place cards. I don’t like that, sit-anywhere-you-want, attitude. I like to curate my table. Now, I have no problem inviting a random group to come for dinner, but once they are at my house I want to mix it up around the table. I never want there to be any feeling that there is a “cool” group at one end of the table and an outcast group at the other end.

It helps to put the loud with the quiet, the extroverted with the shy, the good listeners with the story tellers. By writing someone’s name at a place I am saying specifically, “I am glad you are here and I think you will enjoy the people around you.”

Place cards can just be simple bits of paper with a name hand written on them or something more elaborate. My very favorite place cards I ever did were when I had a string of “bass” Christmas lights and I wrote each guests name on a fish and strung it around the table.

I wish I had a photo of that because it was brilliant.

I was having more people than my dining room table could fit in my little house in Washington. So I got a piece of plywood and put it on top of my table and covered it with. Big sheet of green felt. I ran the string under the felt and cut holes in it and stuck the light up plastic fish out of the hole at each place. The rest of the decorations we small succulents in little pots and a scattering of votives. It was very fun.

A few years ago Nancy at Chapel Hill Needlepoint was clearing out stuff she hadn’t sold in a while and a roll of hunter tree canvas caught my eye. It was a steal of a price and I thought it would be good to make Christmas things out of. One plan was to make place cards.

Well, the roll sat in my office for a couple of years and today I decided it was time to make some place cards for my annual Needlepoint exchange with the stitching table advisors. Since time was running short I forgave myself doing boarders or cute holly leaves and berries. I thought it was ambitious enough for me just to stitch the names.

Then I had to come up with a way to make the canvas stand up and act like a place card. I went to the dollar store and bought some fat stubby peppermint sticks which I hot glued to a card leaving a skinny space between two sticks as a slot to hold the canvas. Ta-da! I had a place card that was a little more than a slip of paper with a name scribbled on it. And it makes a nice trinket for the guest to take home.

It looks good, but I have to say, it in no way beats the light up bass name cards. I wonder where that string of lights went?

Back To Basketball

For years, six to be exact, I sat in the bleachers of Carter’s basketball games. It was a great place of camaraderie, joy and a little pain. I got to know and love the other parent supporters, a group that morphed through the years with some who had older girls who showed me the way and explained calls to Moms and Dads of younger girls who explained the calls and I showed the way.

It was a giant family I loved spending time with. Over the years parents of graduates would show up to support the current team and it was like old home week to have them back. I have missed basketball games. My calendar is still subscribed to the RSS feed that says when the games are. Although I no longer have a parent account on the school system I have no way to unsubscribe to the girls basketball, I have made no attempt to change this because I still like to know when they are playing.

I looked at my calendar yesterday and realized that this was the only game I could go to before January. I made myself go out in the dark and drive over the gym where I spent so many hours sitting in my crazy creek needle pointing, cheering. I got to the gym ten minutes before the game started and got a big hug from Carter’s coach Krista. Her sweet baby, Hayes was in the stands with the volunteer Mom, Stephanie taking care of him. Having a team baby is the biggest change this year.

I joined the other parents in our regular section of the bleachers and got caught up on all the news. I cheered for the girls and lamented missed opportunities. I was happy the girls won a big victory, but I missed seeing Carter out there, or more specifically her calling plays in from the side.

After the game was over I went out in the hall with Krista and Hayes and she said, “Imani says she misses Carter because she was the best at doing the introduction flourishes with each player as they are introduced.” I miss Carter doing that too!

Talking About Art

Harkening back to my college days as an art major, today I spent the better part of today at the Nasher Art Museum. Ruth Caccavale, who is a docent at the Nasher, had invited friends to come for lunch and a tour of the museums show of Carlo Dolci’s works. It was a most glorious way to spend an afternoon.

When Ruth invited people you just picked the time that fit best in you schedule. It was luck that some people I like, but don’t get to see often we in today’s group so we had such a nice lunch at the Nasher Cafe.

I had mistakenly paid for the maximum amount of time in the parking lot, but it turned out to be a good thing because I ended up being at the museum for almost four hours. We had a little time between lunch and the tour so I went through the exhibit of the 60’s to 80’s works. I was pleasantly surprised to see a work of my cousin Maude Gatewood on display. It was a good warm up before going into the Dolci exhibit.

What? You have never heard of Dolci? That is how Ruth started her tour. Carlo Dolci was a 17th century Florentine painter who was supported by the Medici’s. He was a devout religious painter and thus many of his works have biblical subjects. But he was also considerable conservative so not even baby Jesus is ever really naked.

Ruth brought the whole exhibit to life and I highly recommend you go see this show which is closing in January when all the works of art from the major collections from the Louvre, the Uffizi, the Getty and other collections will be returned to their home museums. On December 9, at 11:00 Ruth will be doing what is called a slow art talk about one painting, Poetry, which I wish I was going to be in town to go to for it is a beautiful work and she is an excellent docent.

To me there is nothing more enlightening than spending an afternoon talking about art. It is so much more pleasurable to hear about the issues of the 17th century than deal with those of today. Thanks Ruth!