The documentary "I Am"

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Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3, testing . . . .
The site promises me that if I copied and pasted the above mumbo jumbo that when I saved my blog and re-opened it, there would be the trailer to I Am, one of the BEST, most inspiring and uplifting documentaries I have ever seen. We'll see.  I wanted to purchase it on DVD for my bro and sis-in-law for Christmas but it is not out to purchase til January 3rd!
Anyway, logging off to see if this worked (I have a sneaky feeling it wont. Techology is not my gift)

This makes me start blogging again!

This morning my fellow booties and I ran/walked a 5K downtown. We have a friend, Michelle, who has always dreamed of doing a 5K. She was born with some physical challenges but has not let them stop her from doing anything - in fact we met Michelle when she signed up to do bootcamp! I remember thinking then that this is one amazing & courageous woman.

Luanne invited her to one of the training walks we used to do (for some reason we lapsed over the summer) and encouraged her to sign up for this race. I know Michelle has been continuing her walking throughout this time with the goal of this race in her mind. She has battled a bad ankle and had to have shots in it every now and then. I have seen Luanne encouraging her on facebook.
This morning I met Michelle at their car in the dark while her mom pinned her bib number on her shirt. I asked if she was excited and she said "Karen, I am terrified".  After meeting the others at a bus-stop bench and downing some Krispy Kremes, we all ran our own races. Jo (also running her first race) was zippy as could be and finished fast (31 minutes!) Gloria and I met up with her and Molly in the finish corral, closely followed in by Karen and Sharon. We all went over and stood with Michelle's family and then she and Luanne rounded the corner of 2nd onto Demonbreun.

Even remembering watching them now, some 8 hours later, moves me to tears. I ran over to the organizer and told her that they were coming (we had been concerned because they were putting 5K medals away and getting set up with the half marathon ones) and she handed 2 medals to one of the men in uniform who were placing them over people's heads as they finished. Michelle was weeping (with pride I hope), her family were all crying and all of us booties were too. As she neared the finished she began to jog and did so all the way across the finish line! This was not an easy feat for this beautiful woman. It took courage and perseverance and belief. Many of us would have given up months ago, or never even started it. She was "terrified" and she did it anyway. I am inspired by her beyond belief, and SO PROUD to know her.

This is the Diary of an Optimist. I haven't written here for months although it's not because I've stopped being optimistic. I see things everyday that make me optimistic in our world. But I could NOT let this event go by without recording it, even if only I ever see this blog. I am so touched by one woman's determination and by what is achievable when we encourage each other with love and support. I am so grateful for my bootcamp friends, whom I truly love.
Here's Michelle getting her medal! WooHoooo! You ROCK MICHELLE!!

creating fun!

So, quick post today. I am having fun with the website Zazzle . . . .and I wanted to post a quick link, mostly for myself (only for myself I guess as no-one reads this blog!) so I don't forget it.
I'll get back to this blog later:

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Where's May?

I have no excuse for not posting since April 26th. Well, we were away for a week after the half marathon and i was in excrutiating knee pain for a few weeks, but I suppose neither of those precludes me sitting at a computer and typing. Anyway, after a couple of weeks I actually forgot about the blog, totally forgot! Sitting on my deck this morning with a cup of coffee, before the sticky 90 degrees arrives, I was thinking about yesterday and, for some reason, yesterday reminded me I should write in my blog!

First here's a couple of photos from our trip to Folly Beach in South Carolina. . .

It was peaceful, relaxing and fun! (Seems a lifetime ago already!)

Anyhooooo, I damaged my knee in the race. Usually my knee begins to hurt at around mile 7 or 8 but on April 30th, it started before mile 4!!! Stubborn chick that I am I had to finish and Gloria (my running buddy) and I continued running, walking, running, walking to the finish line. Needless to say, I could barely walk during the next week and a half. . . .
It has gotten considerably better but still is sore and last week I finally went to see a 'knee dude' at TOA. He said he wants me to get an MRI, which is happening on Thursday. He told me "NO BOOTCAMP" until after he's looked at the MRI results. I must say though, it is feeling SO much better and I'm thinking it may have healed itself? I don't want to waste the MRI machine's time and energy. . . . ?  I guess I should get it checked out, just so we can make sure it's okay to run again . . . keep you posted.

Now I need to tell you about yesterday's weirdness, but time is flying and I've got dogs to walk so I'll do it tomorrow . . . . it's Memorial Day. Thinking of all the good military folk who defend us and especially the many who have lost their lives doing just that. Thank you . . . .

Ready . . . . or not.

Three days. Well two and a half really. After an ungodly getting up time on Friday, to watch Kate and Wills tie the knot, I will pick Kim and Vivian up at the airport at 10am, ready for our Big Weekend! We have to get to the Expo and then check in to the Hutton, generally loaf about, consuming carbs at every chance, probably including the hotel's pasta dinner. Early to bed, early to rise and we'll hoof it to the start line for the race. Gloria, Kim, Viv and I are in Corral 22. Kelsey, Luanne and Karen are in about 30 or 31 and I hope to run up there to say 'good morning' before getting back to 22 for the start. G and I plan to run and walk as we feel up to it. She is fitter than me and I'm wondering whether to take my ipod shuffle incase we end up splitting when she may wanna run and I wanna walk . . . we'll see. I have a little red 'pouch-thingy' in which I always carry a couple of extra gels and an anti-inflammatory, and a packet of salt (when you sweat like I do, those replacement drinks just don't replace enough sodium - at every race end I have crystals of the stuff on my ears, in my eyebrows, along my hairline. Pretty gross really)

I'm looking forward to it. This is my seventh half marathon. Everytime I say "that's enough of those. I'm gonna stick to 5 and 10K's" and everytime I end up suckered into another one! They're just plain FUN!
Our usual after-race routine will ensue once we get back to the hotel. Shower. Downstairs to consume yummy, guilt-free calories, followed by a good 2 hour nap!   At 5.45 we are off to Taco Mamacitas for some tacos or burritos - me, Viv, Kim, Karen B., Gloria (and possibly James), Natalie and maybe Nicole too. If Charles gets out of work early he may make an appearance too!

I'm SO SO SO looking forward to the weekend. I'm at the Hutton on Saturday but will get up and leave by 5am to get home. We hope to get on the road by 6.30. I hate to leave Kim and Vivian as they have most of Sunday in Nashville but at the time of booking the beach house I only saw the fact that we started our rental on May 1st, the month following the race. It didn't even occur to me that the race was on THE LAST DAY of April!
Packed my i-pad for the beach . . . maybe I'll manage to write a couple of entries in the blog while I'm away!

Two weeks and counting . . . .

 . . . . to our beach trip! SO excited.
And so are the birds apparently. I know it's Spring and they start singing before sunrise. I LOVE laying in bed listening to them. But both yesterday and today one lone bird figured he'd practice his singing at 2am. 2am!  We sleep the majority of the year with a window open and this time of the year all windows are WIDE open.  This little guy was going for it. I lay awake and then realized Charles was awake and, to judge from the tossing and turning in his bed, Nigel's slumber was also being disturbed!
I got up to pull the windows closed a little and actually spoke out into the darkened woods "Hey little guy, go back to bed. No-one's listening to you right now."  He replied with an identical rendition of whatever he'd been saying before but then, I swear, he was quiet! (Then I lay back in bed and felt bad for shushing one of God's creatures, only doing what he is born to do!)

Anyway, two weeks today we'll be in the middle of the Nashville Half Marathon and then we leave for Folly Beach! To say 'I'm ready" for a trip to the beach might be the understatment of the year. Today I plan on getting some stuff together, t-shirts, shorts, paperwork for the house rental as on the Sunday when we leave I will be sleeping with my out of town girlfriends at The Hutton Hotel, who are joining us for the race and, instead of waking at some unearthly hour to get home only to leave again, we have decided that Charles will pack up the car and then pick me up on the way out of town.  I'm hoping this is a wise choice. (a) I'm a control freak and am seriously worried he'll forget something we need to pack and (b) I'll have my no-doubt stinky gear from the race in the hotel room with me and it will have to ride with us in the car for nine hours to South Carolina! Guess I need to add "two or three garbage bags" to the packing list to place said gear in and seal tight til we get to the house and a washer!

OK, I'm rambling as usual. . . . time to get on with the day . . .Happy Saturday y'all!

Saturday Sweatin' Session

This morning I ran a 5K with my wonderful friend, Gloria, from bootcamp. Jim, her hubby was there too and then, at the last second Karen showed up! Rain threatened but it held off and the sun even shone! It was about 68 degrees at 7am when I was getting there. As always I got there early.  I love to get my bearings and people watch for a bit.

I haven't run three miles non-stop in quite some time and I wasn't sure I could do it, especially when I saw the first half mile was an uphill! But running with Gloria really helped me.  I did walk for a few minutes after Mile Marker 2 but I caught up with Gloria when she slowed to drink some water. Nashville is hillier than you think and I found it pretty challenging, especially when the sun was shining and the temp began to rise. Phew! I was glad to see that finish line!

Gloria and Jim had a busy day and had to leave and I sat to wait for Karen to finish. No sooner had I sat than I saw her cross the line! We got water and sat and chatted for twenty minutes. We could talk all day, the two of us, and eventually I walked with her back to her car under Courthouse Square so we could keep yakking, and she drove me back to the race area to my car!!

I feel so so so amazingly lucky to have such great friends in my life. Between running with friends and chatting with them, it was a really uplifting start to my weekend!

Friends, Foot Pampering & Frosty Cones!

Today was a fun day. In the early morning sunshine two bootcamp buds and I met at The Nature Center at Edwin Warner Park and walked a 6 mile trail. It was a glorious morning and, with the great weather, pounding hearts and great conversation the hike went fast. To me anyway. . .Kelsey might beg to differ on that.  There are a few hills on the hike and Kelsey started noticing them after about three or four. I told her it's only uphill throughout the beginning and then downhill during the second half. In reality it's up and down all the way but she didn't seem to notice many of the downhills!  Toward the end we got off the trail and walked a little on a roadway because she squeaked "Karen, do we have to go UP THERE?" pointing to a small upcoming incline.  Truly I almost asked if she was 83, not 23. But she'd had about all she could take of hill climbing so we took an alternate route the last mile to minimize the elevation! Youngsters these days!

They both came back to my house after, met Charles (although Gloria had met him before) & Nigel, & had a drink before going their respective merry ways. An hour later I met another friend, Dawn, at the nail place down the road for a pedicure. It was good to catch up with her while having my toes filed, massaged and painted. Right across the parking lot from the nail shop is a McDonalds &, believe it or not, my car just took me to the drive-through when I started it up! I ordered & enjoyed a soft-serve ice cream cone on my drive home, while giving the car a good talking-to about not doing that again.

A neighborhood friend, Katie, had asked if she could borrow my bike for a week or so (she's thinking of getting one & wants to try it out) and I said I'd ride it down to her. I haven't been on my bike in 2 years. It's new (well 3 years old but only ridden maybe half dozen times) and is an old-fashioned beach cruiser with white walled tires and a wicker basket on the front. It is totally adorable! I began to ride it thru the 'hood. The sun was beaming, the breeze was blowing & it felt so wonderful to be pedaling around! I'm a little nervous of it because you brake by pedaling backwards & I have never had a bike that does that. My first time on it I almost went over the handlebars, so I took it slowly and did a few laps before delivering it to Katie. She hasn't been on a bike in twenty years and proceeded to ride it around the place with squeals of child-like joy! Even after I was home, I kept catching glances of her going in different directions all over the neighborhood. Fun.

Late afternoon I napped for almost two hours (I don't know, can a two hour sleep be called a nap?) and then walked Nigel, paying attention incase Katie was still cruising around in the dark! On my walk I began thinking about something Kelsey had asked me on our hike. She'd asked how long I'd known Karen because it seems like we've been friends for years. I told her I met her at bootcamp but that we feel like we've been friends for a long time.   Karen has more time to hang out and we have a little regular date of a glass or two of wine after work every now and again, so I've gotten to know her better. I love her, I really do.  She has an amazing, open heart; an acceptance of everyone for who they are and where they are on this life journey. I am one hundred percent myself with her and she just 'gets' me. My gypsy heart, my restlessness, this constant pull of the world on me, wanting to get up and leave, and wander the planet. She has this ability to make me see things differently, to not take life so seriously.  For the most part I'm not a serious person but now and again I'll get off on a tangent, whining about some part of getting older, the thinning skin, the new lines on my face, the sagging extra chin. Karen will identify and commiserate with me but then make me see the futility of giving such things my energy and even shows me the hilarity of us caring about it! None of us is safe from the perils of aging. All we can do - like everyone else - is the best we know how.  And then laugh and move on.  I love that woman - every woman should have a friend like her. She is one of the biggest gifts the universe has ever given me and I only hope I can be even half the blessing she is to me, to her. 

Joys of Home Ownership!

One of our water tanks has been making freaky and loud noises for a month, so loud that they often wake us at night. We had a few companies come out and check it out and the consensus is that they are eight years old and need replacing! Personally I truly believe none of them know what the noises are and that's their answer when they're not sure what's wrong!  We have two 50-gallon tanks and it's an Appollo system which means hot water also is used (somehow, don't ask me how) to heat our home. Another worry is, for some crazy reason, the tanks are on the top floor of our three storey townhouse. Last year a neighbor's tank broke and water flooded down through his whole home, ruining floors, ceilings and everything in between!

We picked a company and they were here when I got home from bootcamp already! I made 'em wait while I took the quickest shower in the history of the world, as we will be without water most of the day! They are currently draining them. By the end of the day we will have new, shiny and non-noisy water tanks - yay! The only downside is that we have to fork over $4,600 for the peace of mind we crave! At least we can have eight to ten years of heat and hot water, worry free! I'm extremely grateful that we are good savers and that, as painful as it is to spend five grand, we have it and can get this issue addressed. And tonight, we will have a good night's sleep with no banging and pinging noises coming from the tank closet!

Ha Ha!!

A man goes into a bar with his dog. He goes up to the bar and asks for a drink.

The bartender says "You can't bring that dog in here!" The guy, without missing a beat, says "This is my seeing-eye dog."

"Oh man,” the bartender says, "I'm sorry, here, the first one's on me." The man takes his drink and goes to a table near the door.

Another guy walks into the bar with a Chihuahua. The first guys sees him, stops him and says "You can't bring that dog in here unless you tell him it's a seeing-eye dog."

The second man graciously thanks the first man and continues to the bar. He asks for a drink. The bartender says "Hey, you can't bring that dog in here!"

The second man replies "This is my seeing-eye dog." The bartender says, "No, I don't think so. They do not have Chihuahuas as seeing-eye dogs."

The man pauses for a half-second and replies "What??! They gave me a Chihuahua??!"

Words

People that know me well know that I love words or groups of words. I love prose. I love the spoken word. Monologues in movies, witty or inspirational dialogue, poems, essays. I have whole journals, begun thirty years ago, with passages and poems and quotes that caught my eye and I wanted to keep and read over and over again. I wish I were a better writer. I'm about to enroll in a screenplay class, mostly because of my love of the written and the spoken word and my passion about films.


Last night I wanted to find a certain passage in one of said journals but couldn't. I remember being crazily in love with this part of the script from the 1996 movie, The English Patient.  One of the characters (Katharine I think was her name) is dying in a cave and you hear her voice reading what she has written in the cave while waiting to be rescued. I have no idea why these words resonated with me but they did. I would read them aloud and loved them so much. Of course, I loved the film too.


Today I found the script online and rewrote the passage and figured I'd use it as part of my blog entry today!
Here it is:

We die, we die rich with lovers and tribes, tastes we have swallowed, bodies we have entered and swum up like rivers, fears we have hidden in like this wretched cave...I want all this marked on my body.

We are the real countries, not the boundaries drawn on maps with the names of

powerful men.
I know you will come and carry me out into the palace of winds, the rumors of water... That's all I've wanted - to walk in such a place with you, with friends, on an earth without maps.

GOOSEBUMPS!
I want to learn to write like that!

diary of a slacker?

I know, I know, I know. . . I am probably the least consistent blogger in the history of the world. Oh well, what can you do?  The days just go by. I have been writing, just not on here! Anyway the bootcamp girls and I decided to call ourselves 'Natural Born Slackers' and I'm thinking that that's apt for my blogging too!

Anyway, gotta run to work now, so I'm going to post a photo I shot yesterday of my beloved Nigel and call it a day:

color me crazy!

Charles & I want to have the bedroom painted. And the living room. On Saturday we spent a fun hour at Home Depot trying to pick out colors and came away with 8 or 10 sample pots for the bedroom & four for the living room. We had SO much fun! Your whole life it's 'bad behavior' to draw and paint on the walls, but once you've got your own place, anything goes!

We've narrowed it down to 2 colors for the bedroom and have picked the living room color. Here's a few shots of our endeavors in the bedroom:

Encounter of the day . . . .

So, the ankle is still not 'right' & I'm not doing bootcamp, just to be safe.  I did however walk Nigel around Steeplechase to get moving a little. On our way back to the car I stopped on the 'bleachers' and decided to do some ab exercises. There was, as far as I could tell, no-one around so down I went, did a few sit-ups, followed by ab-bicycles. My heart really wasn't in it though . . .I'm not good at working out by myself. Just a natural born slacker I guess!  One minute into my ab-bicycles a woman, a dog and a little girl (about 5 or 6 years old I guess) rounded the corner and almost fell over me! Taking the excuse to stop working so hard I sat up and began petting their dog. The following conversation occured:

Little girl:  "What are you doing?"

Me: "Exercising . . "

Little girl:  "WHY?"

Me:  Furrowed brow. Silence. . . .

      "You know, I really don't know why!  I think I should just go home now & have hot chocolate.    Don't you think that's a better idea?"

Little girl:  "Uh-huh."

Way to go me for taking the opportunity to teach a child that exercise can be fun and a good thing! Oh well, whaddya gonna do. My heart wasn't in it . . .I was just being authentic! Ha Ha!

Say 'cheeez'!!

In December Charles & I attended a whole day of cheesemaking classes on a goat farm north-east of Nashville. It was informative (and tasty) and we came away with a recipe booklet and all the enzymes and rennet needed to make different chevres and fetas and mozzerella.  The feta and chevres need RAW goats milk, something that is impossible to buy and illegal for farmers to sell to you. The only way around this is to buy a 'share' of a goat herd and then you get milk every week from the farmer.  I don't really have a need for three gallons of raw goats milk each week, so that's not a very practical solution.
The mozzerella, however, is made with regular whole cow's milk. Today, we have rain. Lots of it. Beginning at 7am and going through to evening and I wasn't sure what to do with my wonderful day of homey freedom. Then it hit me! Make cheese!  I ran out and bought a gallon of whole milk, pulled the enzymes from the freezer, sterilized pots and utensils and THREE mason jars for the finished product, and got to work. There's really very little to it. You stir some citric acid and lipase into the milk, warm it to 88 degrees, then add something else (the name of which eludes me at this moment) and also stir in rennet, and continue warming to 105 degrees, pull it off the heat, cover and 'set' for twenty minutes. The whole thing seperates into curds and whey (I seem to remember a nursery rhyme about curds and whey . . .what was that?)
You strain off the whey and nuke the curds in the microwave (this is contemporary cheesemaking after all - not sure what they did for this part in the pre-microwave days) for a minute, drain off more whey and 'paddle' the curds with the back of a spoon. Repeat. Eventually it is supposed to come together into a smooth and shiny mass of mozzerella.  Mine wasn't quite like that.  It was more seperated, more granular, less smooth.  But I persevered. I continued nuking it, paddling it, nuking it some more, paddling it some more.  It started to come together but took a whole lot longer than I remember my teachers taking! And it never did become smooth and shiny.  Oh well, it held together and allowed me to pinch off small pieces which I formed into balls, dropped into cool water, drained, put in a mason jar and covered with olive oil. Mission accomplished!

After all that, a gallon of milk made very little cheese! I think it had something to do with my curds being granular (maybe I stirred too vigorously?). When I strained it, a lot of curds fell through the strainer and into my sink. Next time I'll fight my innate nature and stir gently and maybe the curds will be larger and more solid and I'll end up with more cheese. As is it, those three sterilized mason jars? Two are back in the cupboard, unused, and the one remaining is half full with cheese!   I'll try again, maybe next weekend. My plan is to perfect it and, this summer, when tomatoes and basil are at their prime, have some friends over for Salad Caprese with a little focaccia and a crisp, chilled white wine for lunch. . . . mmm . . . .the thought of that on a gray, rainy day like today makes me smile!

Ouch!

Yesterday morning was a wonderful bootcamp. It was tough and challenging and I sweat buckets and left there feeling strong and ready for anything! Then I got home and promptly fell off the stairs, and injured myself pretty badly! Let me explain. We have a half set of stairs that go up from our living room to our dining 'area'. To make the condo seem more open and modern two years ago, after our elderly dog had died, we took the railings down these stairs out. It looks fabulous. It has not been a problem. Not once. I know there's no railing there.  I have developed the habit of stepping on or off the stairs on my way up and down on about the 2nd stair from the bottom. Yesterday I thought I was doing just that but when I stepped, there was no floor where I thought it would be and I collapsed into a crumpled heap on the floor next to the staircase! I think I was probably on step 3 or 4 from the bottom. 
I cried out and then sat there for 30 seconds, praying, out loud "Dear God, PLEASE don't let anything be broken. Please!"  Charles is out of state til Thursday this week and for a few seconds I was a little apprehensive about how I was going to get myself to the hospital, walk all my clients (dogs) and manoevre around our 3 story townhouse on crutches in a cast. Eventually I got up the courage to try and stand and put weight on my foot. It hurt but not that 'broken bone hurt' and I knew I was alright.  (I've only ever broken one thing, my lefthand pinky, and I knew it immediately. I threw up and could see the broken bit of bone trying to push throught the skin. Urgh, makes me feel sick to remember that feeling!)

I hobbled to the fridge and got a ziploc bag of ice to ice it. I emailed a wonderful fellow bootcampee, a doc, because I have 800mg Ibuprofen but couldn't remember if that is an anti-inflammatory. (She said it is and to take one) I sat with ice on my foot, missing my husband and my mum.  (I've discovered that no matter how old I get, when I'm hurt or sick I want my mum - isn't that an amazing phenomenon? That needing of the person who nurtured you first never goes away. . .)
To cut two long days short, my ankle swelled to the size of a clementine and was still like that today so I drove over to my doctors to get an x-ray.  She said it is a pretty severe sprain but in a couple of days I should be fine . . . but NO BOOTCAMP! Just more ice, wrap and elevation.

So I'm glad yesterdays bootcamp was a tough one because it's gotta see me through til Monday!

A good time was had by all!

Colin Firth.
I have a super dooper crush on him. Have had for some time and lately, with the release of The King's Speech and his nomination for an Oscar, he seems to be everywhere. Which is fine by me.  He's intelligent, articulate, boyishly handsome and loaded with sex appeal! Because (a) it'll never happen and (b) it'll never happen, I can say this: IF Colin Firth were suddenly in my life and was, by some miracle of miracles, interested in me, I can't promise that I would do the right thing!  I think he's THAT gorgeous.

Anyway on Oscar night, as previously mentioned, Karen and I went to an event at The Belcourt. It was wonderful. We got all dolled up, sparkling jewels, little black dresses, glittery facial stuff and hit the red carpet. We had wine, chatted to some nice folks Karen knew, watched awards being bestowed, had more wine and generally had fun. By close to 10pm though we were BOTH dragging, trying to yawn in secret and ready to find an available taxi to ferry us both home. We managed to procure said cab quickly, dropped Karen at her place and then headed west on I-40 into the wilds of western Davidson County. The driver, a very nice man from Somalia seemed to be in NO hurry and we drove at a somewhat leisurely pace the whole way. As we were pulling up the street to my neighborhood Karen called on my cell to tell me that my dream guy had just won Best Actor and she was watching him speak at that moment!   I felt certain I'd have made it home in time and could hardly believe I'd missed the moment. MY Colin. I was gutted. I threw too much money at the cabbie and sprinted for the front door but to no avail - he'd gone.

The good news is that, thanks to the wonders of modern technology I found the speech last night on youtube, watch it 17 times, my heart all a flutter and posted it on my facebook page, so there it'll be for all eternity. Oh, and he was on Oprah yesterday and I DIDN'T miss that!  Swoon . . . .

And the Oscar goes to . . . . .

Charles left at 7am for a 5 day conference in Vegas, so Nigel and I have the house to ourselves. We napped in the guest room this afternoon and now I'm about to go upstairs to begin the long process of putting on the glitz and glamour for the Oscars!  My buddy, Karen, and I are going to the Oscar Night event at the Belcourt. It's one of only 10 'officially sanctioned' Oscar parties in the nation (whatever THAT means!)
I have a teeny tiny little black dress which I'll wear with either ridiculously high black heels or less steep, but still scary, silver ones. Just realized my pedicure is a week old and looks it, so I guess I'll work on doing one to myself.  Thank goodness it's warm outside because if we were having typical February weather I might not be able to dress as I'm going to . . . should be fun!

I'm just hoping I'll have a blast and STILL be able to make it to bootcamp in the morning! Let you know whether that happened or not . . .

HUGS

http://www.wimp.com/hugsamsterdam/


I know I know, I'm lazy. The day is just SO full. I have no idea how people manage to post everyday. So check out this video ---- it is wonderful!

Happy Thursday people!

Letters, Love, Laying in sunshine!

A beautiful day. Valentine's Day too, as a matter of fact.
First I managed to get out of bed at 4.45am and get myself to bootcamp. First time in two and a half weeks. It wasn't pretty, and I've lost a fair bit of endurance, but I survived and it will only get better from here. Josh had these little gel flowers as valentines for us all. I put mine on my rear view mirror in the car - it made me smile many times today . . . .

Then there was the weather. 68 degrees this afternoon. Bright, warm sunshine - heaven! After work I took Nigel out to the Steeplechase. He ran around and I couldn't help myself. I found a gently sloping grassy spot and laid on the grass for twenty minutes just soaking that sunlight through my skin. Why does sun on the skin feel so divine? Especially the first warm sunshine of the year - it's not yet been weeks on end of 95 degrees with 100% humidity, I suppose. Nope. It was wonderful. After my sunshine siesta Nigel and I walked around the park, not wanting to return to the car and the house!  The forecast for the week is super though, so I'm certain there will be more of the same to come!

Lastly, tonight, I was thinking it's been way way too long since I wrote to nan (my Grandmother in England), so I sat and penned 7 pages of jibber jabber about what's going on in our lives. I know she loves to hear all this, what we consider, mundane stuff. She is ninety-seven and can't get around like she used to, so letters keep her connected to the world. She's a special woman. Still living alone in her house. Still walking into the village everyday to buy something for dinner, to get her hair done, to sit on the bench and chat with passerby. Wonderful lady. Her name is Gertrude Reid (but she goes by Muriel, her middle name). Wonder if that name (Gertrude) will ever come back into vogue?!!

Here's a quote I like about letters: "Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company."  Lord Byron
I hope everyone had a nice Valentine's Day . . . .

Last snowstorm . . .really

Okay, after the local news & weather guys getting their collective knickers in a twist, the snow finally came. And about when they said it would too. It's been snowing for about 5 hours now and it's still coming down. It is pretty, I'll grant you that. One itty bitty issue is I have this very cute new car . . . it's lovely to look at but not worth a darn in the snow, and tomorrow is the busiest day (as far as numbers of dog walks) in weeks!

I, however, resolve to NOT get my knickers in a twist. Tomorrow morning I will drive Charles to work in the Honda, spend the day doing all my dog walks and visits, return home for sustenance, walk Nigel and a nap and then, at 9pm when Charles is finally finished working, drive all the way back downtown to pick him up. Inconvenient? You bet. Okay with me? I guess.  I wanted this pretty, teeny toy car and I knew that inconvenience on snow days would be the price to pay.   Besides, this is the LAST SNOWSTORM of the season, I just feel it in my bones!  Bring on Springtime . . . .

Date with hubby

For my whole life I have LOVED to go to bed early and spend time in my room. Even as a child and teenager my parents didn't have to tell me over and over that it was time for bed. "Go to your room" was a wonderful punishment - all my stuff was there, my books, my drawing pad and pencils, a view over the backyards of the neighborhood, my bed for napping!

To this day I usually go up to my room for most of the evening. I don't watch much TV (and there isn't one in our bedroom) so I go up to the couch in our room and read, or work on paperwork for my business, or, more rarely, lift some weights and do some push-ups! In the winter I retire even earlier. Once it's dark, I'm done. Friends know if they want to get me out in the colder months, whatever the event is should begin by 5.30pm at the latest, so I have to leave the house just before it gets dark. . . .

Last night I have no idea what got into me. Charles and I have wanted to see the film 'The King's Speech' for weeks. He's usually at work or, if he's home, we get sidetracked with projects and errands that need doing or, "it's too dark to go out now. . !"  But Charles was on a conference call and I checked Fandango.com for movie times. The next one playing was at 7.35pm.  7.35PM!!!

I'll never know what was different about last night but I asked him during a lull in his call if 7.30 was too late for a movie, for him. He said it'd be great and I hopped in the shower, washed and blow dried my hair, even put a teeny bit of make-up on. And we went out! We left at 6.15pm and went to the bar at The Cheesecake Factory for a glass of wine and then saw the film (which was fantastic by the way, one of the best I've seen in months), and didn't get home til 10pm! Big night for the Phillips'!  I always think I'll feel exhausted if I go out late but this morning I feel pretty good.  Maybe we should try and do it more often . . .

Yay! Friday!

Not much to say today except "Yay! Friday!"
I like every day and this week has been another wonderful one. We got a different car (yep, a truly FUN car, not a sensible one!) and I had friends and neighbors over last night for wine and nibbles and jewlery. I LOVE LOVE LOVE having people in my house. Just being Charles and I with no kids and no family, it tends to be quiet around here. Quiet is wonderful and I need it and cherish it but I love the energy that people bring, and leave here, once they're gone. I have always said that, weird as this sounds, I can still feel the energy of laughter for days after guests have gone home. Having friends and family over, sharing food and stories, and laughing is, to me, what makes a house a home.

Even though I've missed my beloved bootcamp this week, it's still been a great week. My back is feeling much, much better and I hope to resume the torture of BC on the 14th. . . .(and I hope Josh brings muffins again, seeing as I missed that little perk today!)

I told you I didn't have much to say today and, as a result, I feel I'm just rambling about nothing, so I'll shutup now! Have a GREAT Superbowl weekend!

Mid-winter Treat

My, my, my, what a difference a day or two make. Today, January 29th, I dragged a big old wicker chair out of storage, bashed winter's dust out of the pillows, poured a hefty glass of chilled Sancerre and sat out in the sunshine, in a t-shirt, pretending it was May. (Okay, so I've got a way's to go with New Years Resolution Number 3 - live in THIS moment - which happens to be in January and not May). It sure felt like May. I got a sunburn on my chest, Nigel was panting up a storm like he does in summer, the birds were loud and busy! It was such a treat, hours of sunlit warmth after the cold recently and I, for one, am so very grateful for it. . . .

Being sensible is overrated

Tomorrow morning Charles and I are going to test drive one of these babies! I'm excited but nervous too. Not sure it's a great decision to purchase a car with only 2 seats (Although, thinking about it, I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've had anyone in the backseat of my Element). He says I might as well be driving on the interstate on a scooter and is more nervous about the safety issues. He may have a point but I should would hate to have my life ended before I've had the chance to drive one of these for a summer. Besides, I'll be super careful - I promised. That's it for today - I'll let you know how it goes - have a stellar Thursday!

Is It Spring Yet?

It is cold. Still. Look, I know it's only mid-January but this is Tennessee - shouldn't there be birdsong and sunshine most of the year round?  I wouldn't be so conscious of weather if I didn't spend a good portion of  almost everyday outside (I own a pet-sitting company and walk dogs all day). Last summer was pretty hot, even by TN standards - we had longer stretches than usual in the upper nineties with humidity so bad that within twenty minutes outside, sweat would be running down my back and the backside of my legs.  I could not wait for cold weather! I said I wouldn't complain. I took notice of how that sticky heat made me feel and vowed to remember that feeling and to conjure it when I felt a complaint about winter's temperatures coming on. Wouldn't you know it - after an unusually hot summer, it's been an unusually cold and, worse, SNOWY, winter!! We seem to have one snowstorm after another after another. Granted this is not snow like they suffer in upstate New York or Chicago - it 3 to 5 inches one week, 2 inches the next. But still, it gets old, especially on day two when it's been trodden down and the town streets and sidewalks have frozen into an ice rink overnight.  I've only slipped and fallen once and nothing was broken but . . . .

Despite my frustration with the winter, I AM an optimist and this is my Diary, so here's what I've noticed lately. . . . on my way to my bootcamp class at 5.20am each morning I can see the sky is lighter than it has been for a long while - it won't be long before the sun and I are rising at the same time. Yesterday, walking a dog in Sylvan Park, I saw buds beginning to form on the bare branches of what I seem to remember from last year is a Dogwood tree! I actually smiled a big grinning smile and stopped and looked at it! Then, on returning home, I saw the tree out front of my house also has buds! Today there were thousands of birds everywhere I went. Thousands of them, grouped by type - Robins and Starlings - on front lawns, in parks, on golf courses, in the trees in the neighborhoods where I walked - it must be some phenomenon heralding the imminence of Springtime - they were loud and busy and I was happy to see them back.

Seasons come and seasons go. We are pretty fortunate to live in Tennessee where, just when you think you can't stand it anymore, things change! I certainly don't want to wish my life away and I will endeavor to do better at appreciating the season I'm in but I must say - I'M READY FOR SPRING!!!

Friends make the world go round . . . .

I just wanted to write a few notes about my amazing, wonderful girlfriends. I have more than my share and, for that, I am so grateful. I've heard people say that it gets harder to make friends as you get older but that has not been my experience. I think it has to do with being more happy with who I am now and not being afraid to be me, showing all my cards, all my weirdness and, in effect, just saying "this is it . . .take it or leave it. . . " Plus I don't have children and other women my age are starting to be child-free now the kids have all gone to college, so they have time to devote to friendship 'stuff'. All my girls are smart, funny and caring. Some are hysterically funny! There are a couple who I can tell ANYTHING to and I know they won't judge me and what I say won't be repeated - that is such a gift because, trust me, I have issues.

Some of my friends are bootcamp buddies - there's something about sweating together at 5am that just bonds you together. I LOVE these women. We are a diverse group; moms, non-moms, conservative, liberal, young, older, runners, walkers, funny and even funnier! We started meeting for breakfast once a month and I find myself wanting them in my life more often than that. I've convinced Karen to meet twice a month for a glass or two of wine and I love our 'belly-up-to-the-bar' sessions! It's total therapy. . . .
The latest is we have all signed up to do the Music City Half Marathon in April and a Warrior Dash, a run through fire, mud and all manner of obstacles, in September.

I believe, as you age, girlfriends become even more important and valuable to each other. I cannot put into words how I treasure the women in my life. I look forward to our futures, to sharing the good times and the sad ones, to holding each other up and carrying each other when it's needed, to celebrating the joys and the victories we experience together . . . .

summertime dreaming . . . .

Last night we booked a beach house on Folly Beach in South Carolina! Every December and January I get to dreaming about the trips we might make the following year. Last year we went on a hiking trip in a remote and high region of Spain. This year we want to do two things . . . . a beach trip and a stay at Kripalu (a yoga retreat center in Lenox, MA)  I used to live in Charleston, Charles and I got married on an island there and two summers ago we spent a few days in Charleston, during which trip, I drove Charles out to Folly Beach as he'd not been there. Unlike a lot of the beach areas in Charleston which have been developed to within an inch of their lives, Folly has been protected. I guess a more accurate description is that, for a long time, it was ignored. Consequently all the old cottages are still there, some pretty run down, others renovated. The 'downtown' has casual, beachy taco joints, bars and coffee shops where you are welcome in flip flops & shorts. Local councils have realized what a mellow, relaxed, laid back island they have and are doing their utmost to keep it that way. I had seen a cute, dog friendly cottage a few blocks from the pier several weeks ago, but continued looking. Nothing looked as cute so last night I spoke with the owner and rented it! It's a days drive there and a days drive back (and we need to drive because we are taking Nigel with us!) so we've rented it for 5 days in May.  Yay! Today is frigidly cold and damp and, several times while walking dogs out there, I imagined us on the hammock in that warm Carolina sunshine! Mmmm . . . that's going to get me through the next couple of winter months!

Wet dog fun

This morning Charles and I decided to give Nigel a bath. It's been many, many months since this last occurred and during last weeks snowstorm, with Nigel playing out in it, we realized he was far from his natural white color!  We called him 'buff'!
Nigel HATES baths. Which is hard to understand because, walk by a lake or along a river bank, and he launches himself with the utmost excitement into the depths and will happily play there for hours. There's a whole prep list to be worked through sereptitiously before the lathering can begin. Being a small dog we can bathe him in our kitchen sink. First we have to remove all dishes, the dish drainer and any item on the counter around the area. We have to make sure we have towels and the dog shampoo to hand. Despite this being a totally irregular occurence, using his uncanny dog-knowing, Nigel often can tell what we are preparing for so, if he wanders into the kitchen, we commence whistling and do something else, something more normal like emptying the dishwasher or drinking a swig of milk from the milk carton, closing the fridge and going to sit with the newspaper on the couch.

Eventually we make our move, grab him and deposit him in the sink. We have gotten very adept and swift at bathing him because it is heartbreaking to watch and listen to. He cries and whines and shakes violently the whole time he is in the bathing process. . . it's so pitiful, it's kinda funny! But within 6 or 7 minutes it's all over and he is wrapped in the biggest and fluffiest of towels, is being hand-fed liver treats and coddled like a prince. The funniest part is once he extricates himself from said towel. He will crouch low and slide his face along the carpet, first the right side, then the left, over and over and over again! It is almost manic behavior and he continues in this crazy manner, no matter what we do to get him to calm down. I guess it's a natural canine action but I've never asked anyone else if their dog does it.
Anyway, the Big Bath Day is over for another few months, barring an encounter with a skunk or the discovery of something dead that smells just too good not to roll in. Nigel, for one, is glad it's over - all that excitement is just too much and he is asleep in front of the fire . . .

1/1/11 A New Start

So, here we are, the first morning on the first day of a new year. I'm on my couch, under a blanket, my beautiful Jack Russell Terrier snoring away next to me! I was recently speaking to someone and made an optimistic comment, as I'm apt to do often, and they shook their head and asked if I was always so positive, like it was an awful trait!  I'll be the first to admit I am mostly a happy, joy-filled woman and I guess that can rub certain people the wrong way, especially people who are mired in negativity and self-pity. Trust me, I have my moments of cursing the idiot who just cut me off on the interstate and wishing bad things would happen to mean people. But on the whole, I am so grateful for my life, my health and the people in it and thought I'd try and write a couple of lines a day about the good stuff that's around me. Who knows, maybe it'll rub off on a mean person! Ha Ha!