Merry Christmas

         
                               From our family to yours!

home almost

This is our youngest when she was in kindergarten.

The college girl has been home for a few days and the college boy flew in late last night. They are both still sleeping in as I type this(10:30 a.m.) ! It is nice to have everyone home during this week leading up to Christmas. The Dad is off of work.

But the youngest? The high school senior? She has school ALL WEEK LONG! They do not get off until after classes on friday. That is the day before Christmas Eve! To top it off, they have what they are calling mid-terms, for classes that are year long, at the beginning of the week and then finals at the end of the week. Which means, she has multiple tests each and every day.

Dear School District,
You are a scrooge.
Sincerely,
Norma

old ornaments

I have a collection of old ornaments. 

 This year, I did something different with some of them. I have this wire tree form that I picked up a couple of years ago. Every year it has had a different collection of things hanging on it. This year... part of my glass ornament collection. I have a few from our childhood Christmas tree, some from my mother-in-law and some from our great old neighbor who lived on part of our property in Colorado. After she passed away her family members cleaned out her home. They put many things on a trash pile. Some of these ornaments were part of that pile. I rescued them. Now, along with some from my mother-in-law and a few that other friends have given me, it has become a collection.

 I love the colors and the delicate glass.

And the shapes. 

This one reminds me of all the layers and bundles we had to put on when we were kids.

I have always loved running my fingers into the impressions on these ornaments.

Like they say...they don't make them like they used to.

for today

The photos that I posted of the eclipse were from my phone (how lazy do we get when the phone is so handy?) However, they were not that great. I had taken some with my regular digital camera, but because I didn't get my tripod out, I knew they were a big blur. (lazy again). This morning, as I loaded some pictures from my camera to the computer, which I didn't even bother to do after taking the moon pictures (are you seeing the lazy trend going on?) anyway, I had this photo. 

Wow...what a nice little surprise.

This morning I opened the blinds and greeted another rainy morning.

It doesn't rain very often in this part of Arizona, but when it does...it doesn't know when to stop. This is the third day and it doesn't look like it will be stopping. Fortunately, it has been a slow and steady shower so it is not gushing everything away in its path. Except perhaps all the wildflower seeds we planted. They may be in the next county by now.

It's finally beginning to look like Christmas around here. When I finish all the decorating projects I have started and put away the boxes it will make a big difference. I have errands to run and a college girl to pick up today. After that...I will get it done.

And then we will start making cookies. Yummy.

Yesterday I did a  little shopping at the gigantic mall in Scottsdale. I was at the register in one of the stores and the gentleman at the register( I later learned he was the manager) made a joke about returning items after Christmas. It was directed towards the woman who had been helping me. (I later learned she was the Regional Manager). It was suppose to be an inside joke between the two of them, but I got it. All those years of retail, managing a clothing store myself, gave me the in to their in-side joke. When I commented back to him with a joke myself letting him know I got it...he looked at me in a surprised way.  He asked if I worked retail. And I said I used to. So, a discussion about the where's and the (gasp) when's of my retail experience continued. The Regional Manager said she actually thought I looked familiar and as it turns out, she had been with the Gap (not the store that I was currently shopping in-don't want to give away any secrets). Guess where? Albuquerque. Same place as me. So, we think we were in the same Malls at the same time. So guess what else? They wondered if I would like a part time job? And... depending on my resume...I might be able to be a key holder! (Which just means you would have to work late and close the store). I told them it was a really long time ago that I worked retail, but they said...  "Oh if you've got, you've got it." I'm guessing they meant my sales ability because it was obvious I was doing a great job selling my retail experience to them.  Although, I wasn't really trying because I don't think I was looking for a job. Anyway, the manager gave me his card and said to give them a call.

As I was walking back through the mall after that, I was reflecting on why they would have offered me a job. Here are the reasons I came up with.

1. The employees were all in my age group.
2. They were not young and hip and wearing the latest fashions.
3. They were wearing clothes that they sell in their store-that would be a requirement.
4. The store was Eddie Bauer and those clothes lean towards casual, outdoor, basic.
5. Because it was a cold, rainy day, I was wearing something casual and wintery from my Colorado wardrobe.
6. Comparing myself to most of the other employees and shoppers in the mall, I believe that is the store I looked like I would fit in. Part of the team.
7. I would like to think it was my sparkling personality, my retail lingo that "I've still got", but I think it might have been my jeans, plaid shoes, boiled wool jacket and scarf that did it.

Well, like I told them as I was leaving..."Thanks for the walk down retail memory lane!"

when the moon hits the sky

Saturday morning at 6:15 a.m. the moon was still in the sky. Did you see it?

 Did you see the eclipse?

 It was a cloudless morning for us so we had a great view.

The actual eclipse was much better than my pictures show here but, it was so pretty to see. We had not even heard there would be an eclipse so it was a surprise to us.

This morning it is dark and rainy. Every time it rains I think about how people say it just doesn't rain very much here. And I always think, gosh...I think it rains a lot. And then I have to remember that most of the precipitation I am use to, especially this time of year, is snow. So, to me it does seem like a lot of rain. I believe today will be a good day to turn on some Christmas music and get my holiday groove on.  I think it is time, don't you?

Both of the college students will be home soon and like the moon in the sky...that's amore!

doves

They are not turtle doves and there are more than two, but it is getting close to Christmas.

It seems as though I should be telling you the tree is trimmed, the halls are decked and the cookies are baked...but it isn't so. Nor are the presents wrapped.

Okay. Time to get busy.

a faithful cactus

This is my Christmas cactus. I have had this plant for many, many years. It sat in the garden window above my kitchen sink. I would guess for about 15 years. My friend in Colorado gave it to me and I have loved watching it bloom every year. Usually, just a few weeks before Thanksgiving, it starts to show its small buds and then without fail the week before Thanksgiving it blooms. And it usually blooms for several months. Looking its best during the Christmas season.

After moving to Arizona, it had a little set back. It had been blooming when we made the move and with all the trauma of putting it in a laundry basket in the back of my car, most of the blossoms and buds fell off. Then, last year, it was late to bloom. It was after Thanksgiving before I noticed some buds. And it didn't bloom nearly as long as it faithfully had all those years before.

So, with anticipation this year, I looked for the little buds as Thanksgiving was nearing. Not the normal several weeks before, but just one short week before the day of thanks, I noticed the little pink buds. It didn't quite make it before Thanksgiving, but now just one week later, the first blossoms are there!

And it is looking quite lovely.

december

I opened the blinds this morning and was greeted by the rising sun.
Good morning December. What will these thirty-one days bring?
Yesterday is behind me.
Tomorrow is in front of me.
Today is right now.

When I opened the blinds and snapped this photo, the sun was just beginning to shine.
While I have been here, a cloud rolled in and a short rain shower just wet the ground.
My thoughts go to my kids. Did they remember a jacket when they headed out this morning?
Will they get soaked on their way to classes?
 I hope they won't be chilly.

That's what a Mom does. She thinks about her kids.

And she can't wait for them to all be home in a few weeks.
             

             

the strange and unusual

Yesterday, I stumbled upon an antique store. It was very large and had a wide assortment of the usual things you find in antique stores. In the very back of the store I saw something that I would put into the unusual category of finds in an antique store. It was this painting:

"Well Norma, that is not so unusual"... you are saying to yourself. I know, Leonardo da Vinci, famous painting...why so unusual? Okay, what if I give you this view? 

Or this view?

This one? Are you with me now on the whole 'unusual' concept?

It was one of those things that I stared at for awhile, trying to decide if someone is trying to have  a sense of humor with their display. Or, if (because of the ladder) this is a work in progress and an artist is recreating the painting...'life' like.

 Having worked in the retail world quite some time ago, I can recognize these mannequin parts. I struggled with those hinges on the shoulders so many times to get them put together. Although, the ones I mostly dressed were womennquins. And, although the joint pieces look the same, I can see that they have made cuts and have re-pieced the elbows together to give them the arm positions that they want. And, the faces are pretty darn life like. Notice I said darn. Even though I'm not one to swear much, I sure wouldn't want to with this group. And what about this guy on the table, with his head on a block of wood?

While hanging out in the art department in college, I would see some pretty interesting final projects that the art majors would do. There was one with Barbies that was pretty strange. It kind of reminded me of this. You're not sure if you are suppose to laugh or say "that's strange". Or, "how nice...I wonder how it will look when it is finished". Or is it already finished? That's the crazy thing about art. Interpretation you know.

So, like I said, is this a weird display that someone put together to be funny? To get people's attention? Is it a work in progress for a different venue? Was it part of an auction lot that a dealer bid on and the men came with the paintings?

I'm really not sure.

I do know that I walked away feeling like it was a little strange. And unusual. And maybe a little creepy.

And then I put it out of my mind and started thinking about my drive home and what was I going to fix for... supper.

Thanksgiving weekend in a nutshell

It was a nice weekend all the way around. The only problem? I completely forgot to get my camera out and take some pictures. We will embed that one into our memories and fondly look back on the great meal that was shared by family. I do believe Thanksgiving turkey with all the accompanying side dishes is always a favorite. There is just something about the combination of turkey, stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes, dumplings, gravy and cranberry sauce that is just pretty hard to beat. And then there are the pies. Oh, and then the fact that I just don't have to do a whole lot of cooking for the rest of the weekend because of the leftovers . Yep, it is a win, win meal... that is for sure.

Saturday I did a little craft fair shopping with my in-laws. It was probably the largest assortment of crafts and jewelry and jewelry and all the extras that I have ever been to. I was even treated to lunch afterwards. 

Sunday ended up being a surprise treat. The dad scored some free tickets at work for the Nutcracker. Three of them. So it was a Sunday morning treat for the girls.We drove to downtown Phoenix to the Orpheum Theater. What a great building! You can click on the highlighted words if you want to read about its history. It was spectacular!

 There is nothing quite like an old historic building. Give me old architecture over new any day.

 Everything about it was grand. The lighting...

 ... the staircases, the carpeting, the ceilings. It was amazing.

 Inside the theater, the ceiling was arched and recessed back with a 'sky' that changed colors.

Look at the detailing on the balconies!

                                                   There were beautiful murals.

   And the arched columns around the stage were spectacular. I didn't really get a picture that showed the detail. It was just beautiful.

I just got one picture of the dancers during the finale.

I have never been to a production of the Nutcracker. I always wanted to take the girls when they were younger, but it just never worked out for us to travel over the snowy mountains to get to the big city. Now, the big city is just a highway drive away...and when it's 75 degrees on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, it makes driving so much easier. In fact, with the college girl home for the weekend, I didn't even have to drive at all. We all thoroughly enjoyed it and were reminded of the days that they were part of a dance studio for quite a few years. I sat thinking about all of their little costumes and pink ballet shoes with very fond memories.

We were also blessed with a special number during this Nutcracker performance. They had a group called Motion Emotion that performed one dance. It was a group of dancers with mixed disabilities. That really reminded us of their days at our small town dance studio. Our dance director incorporated a group of kids with disabilities into her studio. All of the kids loved working with them and performing with them during the recital. It was a very heartwarming experience and as the three of us watched this group yesterday, I think we thought of the group that they were a part of so many years ago.

I think I will be hooked on the Nutcracker now and will try to see the Phoenix Symphony performance some day. I will also be looking at other events at the Orpheum. While walking through buildings like that I like to imagine how all the people looked so many years ago. The men in their suits and hats and the ladies in dresses with gloves and hats. We were definitely a more modern crowd. Most especially modern with all the cell phones up in the air taking pictures before the ballet started.

The Nutcracker was a great way to end our Thanksgiving weekend.

javesnack

Javelina. Remember how to pronounce the word? Like this: 

Have a leena.

Some time last year something/somebody broke off a big arm on the prickly pear cactus in our backyard. The cactus is way up on a higher level of the yard where creatures really can't get to, so it was a mystery as to how it was broken off. There were little chew marks on it that added to the mystery. We carried the big piece over to our potting shed area and planted it in a big trough that the previous owner had set up for planting herbs. We were not sure if it would do much of anything but decided to give it a try. It sprouted roots and started growing like crazy putting out new shoots or arms. Then the wind knocked it over and many of the new arms/paddles broke off. So, we stuck those back in to the soil and they rooted and grew too. After about a year of being in the trough, growing and getting healthy once again, we decided to plant all the pieces. We thought they would look nice out in the front.We put  a few along the drive like this. 

Yesterday, less than one week of our planting them, they look like this.

Remember how you pronounce javelina? My title for this post...javesnack? Pronounced... have a snack!

           Javelina have a snack.

           Go ahead. Make our day.

          Make a mess.

        Leave your hoof marks and snout prints so we know it was you.

Don't bother eating just one when you can nibble and trample all of them.

Get all the juicy tenderness you can.

Oh...and while you are at it, dig big holes for no other reason then to make an even bigger mess.

Yes you... you are the guilty one.

 Javeniceday!

on becoming smart

This week was pretty monumental for me. I got a new phone. A smart phone.

That's what they call the new ones... smart phones... that have all kinds of programs for just about anything you want to do. Text, talk, play games, take pictures, listen to music, see what the current time is in any given country, check your e-mail, look up driving directions and/or pin-point your exact location no matter where you are...and the list goes on. It was an upgrade for me. I'd earned it.

That's my old dumb phone on the left in the picture next to my new smart phone. I've had it for a long time. I've given my upgrade points away to my kids several times in order for them to get new phones. But, I really didn't mind it so much. I was use to my little phone. Besides, I was told I probably can't handle a smart phone. 'Technologically challenged'. I'll admit it. But, the salesman at the phone store said I could handle it. His Mom figured it out  and "if she could, you can too",  he assured me. I told him I have a really old phone. Really outdated. "A...sshh... flip phone" I said. I could see him smile and nod his head with understanding. "You can learn how to use it...I promise" he again assured me, "really, they're a lot easier." Then he asked to see my old phone. So, I pulled it out. That's when his eyes got big and round and he said "wow, that is old, I haven't seen one of these in a long time!" He tested his phone salesman knowledge and even tried to remember it's style number and rattled it off to us. I wanted to say, "wow, you've been in the business a long time", but didn't.

So, we looked at all the phones with all the different features. Looked at some that weren't smart phones and some that were. In the end, I chose a smart one. I liked a few of the features. When they set up your new phone, they can plug your old one into a machine that will transfer all of your phone numbers to your new one. He wasn't sure he could do that because he didn't know if they still had one of those cords for such an antiquated phone. He found one. We made our purchase and then he gave me a quick mini-tutorial on how to use it. He told me he would give me his business card in case I had any trouble or questions. I could call him anytime, no problem. Then he showed me what else was in the box. The charger, the headphones... I said "headphones? What do you do with those?" He looked at me and said, "it's for listening to music on your phone". Then he laughed and said..."I think I will take my business card back now." Ha! funny guy.

After my tutorial we left. I had my new smart phone. Woo wheeeee!

I'm still in the learning curve mode. But, I'm confident I can figure this thing out. I have already taken a picture and sent it to my e-mail, texted, retrieved a voice mail, looked up an address for driving, and even talked on it. I talked on my phone. Imagine that! I keep it on the counter and I keep looking at it, waiting to see what will happen next. I slide my finger across the smooth screen, unlocking it, to see if I have any messages. Any missed calls. Anything.

The other day, I was at home talking on the phone to a friend in Colorado. We had been talking for quite some time. Long enough that I got concerned that I might have a message on my new phone. So, while still visiting with her I went to check. I went to the kitchen counter...no phone. I went to my bedroom, no phone. I kept listening to her while I kept looking for my new phone. In my purse? No. In the laundry room? No. Where did I leave my new smart phone? I was calmly listening to her while I was silently panicking. Did I lose my new phone?

And then it occurred to me...I was talking on it!

I'm getting smarter all the time.

bountiful

They say fall is the time to plant your vegetable garden if you live in this part of Arizona. The garden stores have new herb and vegetable plants to entice you. It is one of those things that is still hard to grasp. You know, not planting your garden in the spring so you have a summer bounty of produce, but rather in the fall so you have garden fresh vegetables for Thanksgiving.

Well, Chuck decided to give it a try. He bought a little tomato plant. Just one. He carefully watered and fertilized it and entrusted it into my care while he was out of town. It set a few blossoms on and they grew into tiny little tomatoes. Oh the excitement! We have been nurturing this little tomato plant just like we use to nurture our larger vegetable garden in Colorado, with the hopes that we would have a small bounty of homegrown tomatoes for Thanksgiving.

And then we got a bit of a cold snap. And the really cold day when it hailed.

It looks like I might be trying a Southern recipe this Thanksgiving.

Fried green tomatoes!

11-11-11

 
                                Today is a day with a very unique date.
                                I hope that it is a day like any other  day.
                                         Nothing crazy or unusual.
                                                 Just a good day.
                                                   

                  Thank you to to all those that have served our country.
                                                 

the bird from hail

Remember this roadrunner that visited us one day last summer?

The one that I saw lurking and stalking and eventually grabbing a sweet baby cardinal for its afternoon snack? You can click the 'roadrunner that visited us' above to remind you of that ugly day.

When we returned home from the Dr.'s appointment the other day...the remnants of the hail storm made the back yard look like a light snow fall had dusted the backyard. It was pretty. As I was standing at the kitchen sink washing my hands, I noticed some movement in the corner of the yard. It seems as though "that corner" is the prime hangout area for all things that like to move in our yard! I couldn't tell what it was for sure, so I grabbed my camera and moved to a different window.

At that point I could see that it was a carnivorous roadrunner. That is not my adjective for the bird, carnivorous is actually the grouping of birds that they are categorized in. You can read more about these birds and their eating habits here. I could see the roadrunner had something in its beak, but I couldn't tell what it was at first. The roadrunner, in the aftermath of hail, was lifting its head up and whipping it back down to the ground, slamming what it had in its beak to the ground. Pounding after pounding. Beating after beating. Bringing its catch to the cold layer of hail over and over again. I watched in horror, not able to capture that part on film. (can you use that statement anymore? film? seems strange to say..."I caught that on digital") Ok...back to the beating. It continued to slam what was now recognized as another bird. When the bird was finally limp and thoroughly pulverized ( that is what  they do, they beat their catch until the bones are pulverized) the roadrunner made its way across the icy, hail covered yard.

And this is when I was able to get a few pictures. After he had pulverized his catch, he was now ready for the escape from our yard. He dashed one way...

looked over his shoulder for an easy way out...or to make sure nothing was moving in behind him to steal his recent tenderized kill and...

      after pausing for just a moment he jumped up and disappeared over the fence.

I have decided I do not like these carnivorous birds very well. They are creepy. A little too violent for me. If you choose to read about them, you will learn that they actually do this to snakes as well. Rattlesnakes. They pierce their heads over and over again with their sharp beaks and beat them... and then it says they begin to eat them whole. One end goes in and they swallow as much as they can. While waiting for the stomach acids to start digesting that end, they let the other end dangle out of their beaks. Then they swallow a bit more until all of the snake is digested.  Do you know how long those snakes are? Although, I would not mind them keeping the snake population to a minimum, if I ever witness that particular *carnivicousness ...

I think I will feel like I am being pulverized on a cold day of hail.



* carnivore + viciousness =carniviciousness . Spell check does not like my made up word!