An Aries (Who Knows Some Stuff)
Like this one, on my dining room table. A former employer gave everyone dated silver sleighbells each year for the holidays. On Christmas of the year I was laid off, Amy gave me hers (1996), and after a couple of years, I began ordering my own.
You may have noticed I’ve changed my LJ again, including the banner. After I changed it, that photo kept nagging at me. A while ago, I figured out why. It’s the hair, and it reminds me of this photo.
Continue reading “The Archives”
My friend James finds it endearing when I say, “I might could do that.”
Recently, Tim brought to my attention that I say, “Get your picture made,” or “making your picture,” instead of “taken” and “taking.”
Very often, I have to ask my writing partners (origins Maine, Pennsylvania, and California) if phrases I use are Southern. Fortunately, since the TJB characters are Midwestern, I have many resources to draw from, including Tom, who’s from Minnesota.
But there’s one phrase that I’ve heard only within my family, and I wonder if it’s Southern or just us. “Take up the ice,” which means “put the ice in glasses for tea or water before a meal.” Anyone else heard or used this phrase?
Tim just showed me a trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which opens December 9.
Continue reading “Lion!”
Fear of dentists? Not me. I love my dentist. His entire office staff is wonderful. Even his office is wonderful. It’s located in one of Montrose’s historic houses. The windows overlook a landscaped back yard with a fountain. The dental chairs are comfortable. The music is classical. It’s almost a treat to go to the dentist!
Until today, when I took my mother to her appointment, and Jack the Office Manager said the most frightening thing to me. I quote:
Today’s my sister’s birthday. She’s forty-nine. She recently had twins after going through her first pregnancy!
Thanks, Jack. Now I have tocophobia.
Thanks to Cousin Ron for prompting me to provide links to help Katrina’s other displaced:
Best Friends of Animals Society
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Bit of trivia: Ron, who lives in OK, and I met online in 1997 in the same chatroom where I first met my writing partners. We talked for years before we figured out that we are distant cousins via our Alabama family. Which inevitably leads people to make that Southern-bashin’ observation that if I weren’t married and Ron weren’t gay, we’d have to breed.
I wanted to post photos of the places we visited on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but I found links that present it in more detail than I ever could. I have no idea what remains, but if you give each page a few seconds to load, then scroll down, you’ll see some of the historic buildings and homes that made me fall in love with the area the first time Tom and I ventured off I-10 to Highway 90 many years ago. Even though my mother is a Mississippi native, she is not coastal, so I don’t know why these places spoke to me so.
Continue reading “Looking back, looking forward”
Tim’s not the only one who got a new son this year.
Continue reading “Speaking of birth…”
Remember how Tom “fixed” the leak under the bathroom sink?
Continue reading “Leavin’ on a jet plane”
I am so glad to be home. Tim did a wonderful job of taking care of the dogs and The Compound, and he is the best vacuumer in the whole world. As long as he remembers to replace the bag. He also had dinner cooking for us upon our return, AND he did the dishes later. How great is he?
I like seeing family and friends in other places, but for some reason, it gets harder every year to really enjoy being away. I miss everything about home: Tim, the dogs, my house, my routines.
I used to love to travel. By car or plane, I was always ready to go anywhere.
The year 2000 was a big year, and not only for traveling.
Continue reading “On the road in Y2K”