Like a bad penny...

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This Charming Life

Dona Nobis Pacem ~ Blog Blast for Peace

For the past few years I have been honored to participate in Mimi’s

Blog Blast for Peace

Thousands of people from all across the United States and around the world post their own personal Peace Globes.

(go ahead and google “blog blast for peace” to see all the results!)

And visit her site Mimi Writes to read the story of her Grandfather and how the Peace Globes were inspired.

Peace out.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Heartplace

a wee bit o' the piping...

My stepdad Joseph arranged for the pipes to be played during the Celebration of Maggie's Life, It was way cool.

Irish eyes a-smilin’

Just about a week ago, my Mama Maggie gracefully and peacefully took her last breath and went home to God.

We are doing okay.  It was not unexpected.

More later.

from Cafe Divine to Bistro 69

Yesterday Rhiannon and I had breakfast at the wonderful Cafe Divine.  We shared biscuits and gravy…they were…well…simply divine.  Little pieces of cheddar and scallions baked right in.  Gave us memories of Papa.

Late that afternoon I had a very pleasant outdoor lunch on Maiden Lane., at Bistro 69.

And in between Cafe Devine and Bistro 69?

I did this.

don’t faint…

I miss you all.

I’m trying to glean what’s been going on from your weblogs.

Since this endeavor was suppose to be a place for me to tell the stories that my family has heard too many times…you may see a couple pop up in the next few days.

Hope all is well with you and yours.

I MEANT to put this up on Friday the 30th….

shoveling

Hey there, my dear friends.

Sorry to have been ignoring you all. 
I am bouncing between being busy and being lazy. 

If you’ve been around for a while you know that this little weblog was originally intended to be a kinda virtual scrapbook and storybook for my kids.

Those who know me in real life, also know that the fight against the trafficking of children, has become a very important issue for me.  It is a fight I’d like to spend some effort on at this time of my life. Bringing my better angels and all.

While I’m going to continue to keep this special place and post here from time to time, I’m starting up a second weblog. 

Yeah, I know…I can’t keep up with one…so the next logical step is to start up a second one.  (rolling my eyes)

I thought about just changing the tone of this one…but I didn’t want the crossover.  This is about my kids and my vacations and a place to open my heart and tell how I feel about some of the hits life sends me.

And I wanted the other one to be on topic. I didn’t want to have to defend my occasional use of the eph word or explain my somewhat unconventional lifestyle.  I’m not embarrassed, nor do I regret any of the posts here…I just don’t want the distraction.

If you’re so inclined…come on over to the “other” place and visit.  It’s not fixed up…I haven’t painted or anything…but you are most welcome.

 http://katinsc.blogspot.com/

 

Blueberry. A conversation with my Mama.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you about this new technology I keep hearing people talk about? “

“Which one?   The Google one?   Buzz?”

“Um…no…I don’t think its Google… that Blue Berry?”
(she scrunches up her brow and does a little head shake)

“You mean like Cameron has?  His phone?  His Blackberry?
It’s Blackberry….not a Blueberry“
(I scrunch up my brow identically…and while I am mentally dreaming of pie….I start to detail the difference between a Blackberry, an Android and the iPhone)

She stops me mid-sentence. 
“No no.  It’s not a phone. But I don’t know why a phone has to do all those things.  Why can’t it just be a telephone.  I don’t want to text.  I don’t want to take pictures. I’m not downloading the top forty”

I try and repress my typical exasperation with this conversation…which we have had dozens of times. My response has been come a worn mantra. 
“They aren’t really telephones with special features you know.  They are handheld computers that you can ALSO get phone calls on”

Mama doesn’t  repress her exasperation as well.
“I’ve heard your argument before. A thousand times before.  But why can’t I just have a telephone?” 
I think because I embrace smartphone technology she holds me partially responsible.

”Well…You could get a Jitter-Bug telephone. 
Those are only phones.”
I’m smiling now…laughing quietly

”Those are for old people”
She’s ticked with me now
”Just tell me about the Blue Berry”

“I don;t think there is a Blue Berry”
I’m trying to figure this out
”Do you mean Blue Tooth?”

“Ummm….maybe. Blue Tooth.
That must be it. 
Yes.
What is the Blue Tooth?”

”Short distance radio wave transmission…it’s the technology which makes all the wireless earpieces work. Hands free cell phones”

”No…that’s not it…”

”Well…okay…then I’m not sure what you are talking about.”

”It is Blue…um…Blueberry….Bluetooth…Blue…something”
she’s totally exasperated now.

”Maybe it’d help if you told me what you are talking about.  Where did you hear about it?”

”Apparently all the DVD’s are obsolete now.  Just like all the VHS tapes we STILL have.  Now we have obsolete tapes and obsolete DVDs and two machines under the TV with the cable box.  Do we have to buy ANOTHER machine???”

Ahhhhh….finally, I have a lightbulb moment.

”You mean BluRay!!!”

whew!

Looking at the Sky on Friday ~ Top of the Mark

a photo of spy…taking a photo of sky

 An incredible sunset over San Francisco
as seen from…

The Top of The Mark.

If you enjoy looking at the sky on fridays…go visit the site where it all began:

Crazy Working Mom.

Looking at the Sky on Friday ~ westcliff

All is well….just kinda busy. This is a shot of the stormy sky during a walk along West Cliff in Santa Cruz that The Teamster and I enjoyed last weekend.

I think Tish is still doing “Looking at the Sky on Friday”…it’s been a while since I checked. (whew…yes she is) Surf over to “crazy working mom” and check it out. There are dozens of other amazing sky photos to enjoy. 

Welcome Home. We thank you for your service.

When the SPY came in from the cold…he was very surprised and happy to see his Dad (The Teamster) waiting form him.

Our God is an awesome God.

more photos soon….

Mountain Home-ward Bound

Yesterday morning, I started a post contemplating a little train trip from California to Indiana.

I’m working on converting a whole slew of 35mm slides to digital. It would be a rather expensive project.  Unless I do it in Indiana.  In Indiana,  I can do it for free.

However….that is now on the back burner.

Yesterday morning the Teamster decided at the last minute…at the very last minute…to make a quick road trip to Mountain Home, Idaho.  Almost 800 miles, through Sacramento, Reno, Winnemucca, a bunch of nothing Oregon, and Boise.

The plan came together in about an hour.  I had to find some shoes that aren’t sandals. Dig out some sweaters.  And gather electrical cords.  (The number of cords we travel with is absolutely ridiculous.) Throw it all into a suitcase, and head to The Teamster’s house to get his stuff.  And chains for the car.

We’d been hearing for a week that northern California was about to be hit with a series of significant storms.  I pulled up the NOAA National Weather Service to track the next 24 hours.  It looked pretty bad.

By leaving last night we missed most of the really harsh conditions going over Donner Pass. Just as we left a little bit of a rainbow appeared.  I decided it was a sign….an encouraging sign…

The laptop continued to give us weather data and the CalTrans page had constant updates on road conditions.   We did have to chain up for about 35 miles. 

Welllllll….not so much “we” per se. I sat in the car…fully prepared to jump out if needed.  Apparently the “cables” are much easier to install than the old fashion  “chains.” 

We drove as far as Reno, Nevada.   As we came down Donner, I fired up the laptop and did a hotel search.  “Circus Circus” had a internet special for $40 in the Sky Tower. 


It would have been a great deal…except we both left a twenty on the table…he at blackjack and me at roulette.   





We also enjoyed a quick floor show.

 

 















Back on the road this morning….Interstate 80 east…long, flat, empty, and no weather issues.

 
Gonna stop in Winnemucca.  Try to find that old casino with the Indian out front.  Channel Opal Lee.  Might go all the way to Mountain Home today…or we just may stay in Boise and arrive in Mountain Home tomorrow.


What’s in Mountain Home, Idaho you ask?

Something pretty darn special….tomorrow night…
The Teamster’s son, SPY returns from Afghanistan !!

Much to be thankful for…

Wordless Wednesday ~ great minds shod alike….

Wordless Wednesday ~ becoming 28 and 22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

return from absentia

I have no single reason for stepping out of the weblog rotation for the past month.  It isn’t the first time…and probably won’t be the last. There are a couple dozen small, yet viable, reasons and events which would provide explanation for being absent.  But they are tedious…for the most part the minutia of everyday life.

My life and my personality are non-linear.  Like many of you I have the whole “when it rains it pours”  lifestyle.  I hate being “in a rut” but sometimes I pray for a rut to fall into.  The past couple months have been blessed with new and exciting adventures which have thrown any hope for organization into a tailspin. I have been plagued by plans which have gone awry.  I’m not at my best lately.  I function better when my expectations dovetail with my discipline.  I so need to practice being better at rolling with the punches.  

And…my weblog life is out of control….seriously OUT OF CONTROL.  There are four very specific groups of people who have weblogs that I am part of.  By “part of” I mean that I comment on and participate in.  They have a sense of who I am…and I feel a connection to them personally…even if I have never met them face to face or spoken to them on the phone.  Most of you who are reading this are figuring out which group you are in.  

In my Reader…sigh…I follow 244 weblogs.  One or two are inactive.  Many post multiple times a day.  Quite a few are current event, news, political and informational.  But there are really just too ephn’ many. I need to pare it down to a reasonable daily list.  And a few more I read once a week. And maybe a list of blogs I look through once a month or so.  It has gone from overwhelming to unmanageable.  Apparently…More is not better.

And lastly…to my sincere dismay…I have become reticent.

Reticent
from the Latin reticens,  present participle of reticēre to keep silent,  inclined to be silent or uncommunicative in speech restrained in expression, presentation, or appearance.

I suppose it was inevitable, given the pervasive nature of “social networking” that the circles in my life crossed over.  When I originally set up this weblog just over three years ago…it was originally intended to be sort of an online scrapbook.  A place for me to jot down the stories I tell…and retell..and overtell…so as not to annoy those closest to me. 

Very quickly this also became a place for my thoughts and feelings and imaginings.  Mostly life stories…a few pieces of fiction.  For a while, I kept it all to myself and my kids, although I believe only Rhiannon reads it (it was her idea afterall.)   They know me and my past and my foibles intimately.  There wasn’t much on here they weren’t already aware of.

However a series of situations…in the natural course of events…made my weblog life quite a bit less private.  I let The Teamster in on the blog’s existence… I felt not to was somehow dishonest…full disclosure and all.   A couple people I know in my “brick and mortar” life have weblogs and we became connected.  For the most part, no big deal.  And then….there is Facebook.  Sometimes I totally enjoy and appreciate the connectivity it avails to me.  And some days I regret the day I signed up and loathe the ways it has connected me.

Through various channels and portals it is apparent that a couple of people who know me in real life have followed the breadcrumbs and ended up here…wading through my stream of consciousness.   

For the most part that would be no big deal.  Upon review, there are only a handful of posts that I would hesitate over.  Most of them involve a painful moment of my past…or one of the many instances of my questionable judgment.  However some people who know me come to “lurk” and neglect to mention they have been here at all.  

While I’ve never been annoyed by strangers who lurk but never comment,  when people I know come by repeatedly and read and have never mentioned they’ve been here…nor have ever commented on a post…that raises my eyebrows. 

Maybe they don’t know that I know they’ve been here?  There is obviously more to this…maybe I’ll try and explain another time.

I miss each of you…and I miss you all.  I miss posting…and I miss reading tremendously.  I am sure I will regret all of what I have missed.

I’m going through my Reader today…with a brutal discipline…making sub-lists to create a reasonable batch of weblogs I can read daily without it becoming a marathon.   I’m going to figure out a routine for my weblog.   I’ll probably make a few changes…introduce a new subject or two.  Most importantly get back to the place where what I write is authentic to me and my need to write. 

So…Happy New Year.
Thanks for coming back.

Wordless Wednesday ~ my favorites

Christmas Boat Parade ~ 2009

The Christmas Boat Parade in Santa Cruz Harbor is always so much fun.  It was a beautiful evening….but really cold.

Most of the boats in the harbor are decorated, even if they don’t participate in the actual parade.

Can you guess which one was my favorite?

Cy Timmy….Cy

That ear to ear, goofy,grin girl is my daughter Rhiannon. She recently attended a philanthropic event where she was able to meet and hang out with some of her all time favorite people.

The boy she is with…won a little award today…for the second time in his young life.

Congrats Tim…very well deserved.