SOL'STICE

I've been meaning to take you all on a tour of Sol'stice for some time now. It's the fabulous garden art shop over in Drippin' where John got the amazing kinetic sculpture that he gave me for my birthday. Fortunately for us all, my friend Pamela over at Digging has saved me the trouble. Go check out these photos from her recent explorations. You'll be glad you did!

SLIDING INTO CHRISTMAS TO-DO'S

(click image to enlarge)

OK. So I'm still no artist. But at least I've graduated from stick figures. And I'm having FUN!!!

JUST SHOW UP!

A friend mentioned on facebook not long ago, that one of her professors claims "90% of life is just showing up." Her comment spurred much discussion as to what exactly that means, and it got me to thinkin'. So, here's my take on the subject: I went through most of my life believing I didn't have a creative bone in my body. In fact, about 30 years ago, when I took a battery of aptitude tests and the counselor told me I needed to do something "artistic", know what I did? I laughed in her face! That's right, I told her she was nuts, 'cause I could barely draw stick figures. Smiling gently, she replied "That doesn't really matter, because things like drawing and painting are acquired skills. All you need to do is work at it." Work at it? What rubbish! Everyone knows that all real artists are prodigies who began creating masterpieces from their cribs. Right? Well, that was my excuse, anyway - for not doing the work...not daring to fail...not even bothering to show up.

We know a guy who always dreamed of being an actor. He went to college, got a theatre degree, moved to California, got a bunch of pretty head-shots printed up...and then never went on a single audition. He just sat around, hoping to be "discovered." He failed to show up, or as my daughter puts it, "He never figured out that you need to do more with those head-shots than just stare at them!"

Somewhere along the way, I finally got fed up with sitting on the sidelines of life. I decided I wanted to be a doer and a maker, not just a watcher and a taker. Sure, it's pretty scary sometimes. I've screwed things up, made mistakes, learned from them, and just kept going. I still cringe when I flip back through my notebook full of those hand-drawn "To-Do" lists that I post here periodically. Those first ones from a year ago look like they were drawn by a kindergartener! But, is the joy I get, from creating them now, worth the embarassing learning curve I had to go through, with all of you watching? You bet your sweet bippy it is!

So do it. Take a chance. Jump right in. Dare to fail. Just. Show. Up. For life!

CONSTRUCTION WRAP-UP

Looks like the stone-masons, electricians, concrete guys, stucco-ers, welders and carpenters have all completed their various contributions towards the construction of our Mexican-Hacienda-Courtyard-Kitchen-Cantina-Garden. Guess that means the ball is back in my court, huh?

I suppose I need to come up with a plan, or something...and I promise to jump right on that - just as soon as I manage to clean up all the freeze damage in other parts of our yard, wind up all my unfinished Christmas preparations, figure out what to do about a couple of January birthdays (one of which is a BIGGIE, on New Year's Day!), take care of some overdue Bountiful Sprout business, and do some prep-work for that blogging panel I agreed to co-host in early February. In other words, don't hold your breath!

P.S. One of the workmen put those two itty-bitty pots on either side of the entry, just because they happened to be nearby. Hopefully, we can come up with something a little more interesting, and a little more to scale, later on.

FUNERAL ETIQUETTE

Is it wrong to laugh at a funeral gathering? If so, my family has a serious problem! It seems that no matter how hard we try, we can never manage to stay properly somber for more than a few minutes, once we're in the company of all our crazy/wonderful cousins. The only time we ever see them anymore is at funerals, so it's the only chance we get to catch up with what's going on in their lives. Of course, one thing always leads to another, and sooner or later someone will say "Remember that time when Bubba did so-and-so...". After that, it's just a matter of time before someone slips up and lets out a guffaw.

I really don't think Mom is holding it against us, though, for as I recall, she got called down for doing the very same thing at her own mother's funeral! In fact, the way she loved to entertain and throw parties, I think she's probably pleased as punch with the send-off party that my big sister managed to pull together at a moment's notice, where even the salsa was served from crystal, and where everyone was having a grand ol' time. I'm pretty sure she'd say "You done me proud!"

OUR BAGS ARE PACKED. WE'RE READY TO GO.

We never got the promised snow yesterday - just a half hour or so of light flurries - but this morning it's only 20 degrees out, and my usually-waving field of grasses is frozen still and grey. The deer that just wandered across barely paused along the way. Apparently a cold, crunchy breakfast was not to their liking.

The sun is coming up though, warm and clear, and before long they should be able to satisfy their empty tummies. What was so drear and depressing just a few moments ago, is being transformed. If you are a Twilight fan, picture the way Edward's skin began to glisten, the moment he stepped out into the sun of that Italian piazza. Perhaps the author was inspired by a scene such as this.

Our bags are packed - we could leave any time - but I think I will sit here in the sun a while longer... gather its warmth around me like a shawl, before heading off to face what the weekend has in store for us.

A PASSING OF THE TORCH, AND SOME TIME AWAY

We were planning to go to Dallas next Friday, to celebrate an early Christmas with my family, but yesterday afternoon I got a call from my sister, saying that Mom had taken a turn for the worse - had been unresponsive the entire day. So, when the phone rang again at 3 AM, I knew exactly what I would hear.

I haven't really come to grips yet, with the fact that she is gone. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I don't begrudge her passing - she had a good long time here on earth, outliving her husband and most of her friends and siblings. She was never one to deal well with pain, either, yet that was all she had to look forward to upon awakening each day. Her vision, hearing and sense of taste were all but gone. Truthfully, I am happy that she has been released from her misery, and have great faith that she has gone to a better place.

And yet...it's just so hard to wrap my head around how quickly she went downhill, once we moved her out of my sister's house - especially since I didn't see the daily progression, as my sisters did. Most of all, though, I can't seem to digest the fact that my siblings and I are no longer "the kids." We are now "the old folks." John and I have just been promoted to patriarch and matriarch of our own little clan, and there is no longer any buffer generation separating us and the great beyond. Kind of scary, don't you think?

I will do my best to tie up loose ends today, then Lex and I will be heading up to Dallas. Not sure when I will get back to the computer, but I will be back, that is certain. Please keep checking in.