Retirement home hunt commences

Okay, so the husband hasn't retired yet. But that doesn't mean we can't start looking for our succeeding nest where we'll be spending the next chapter of our lives. If you know me, then you're well aware I'd die happy if I could spend my golden years with a water view and pontoon boat at my disposal.

In the spring we toured a couple of our top lake choices within a reasonable driving distance of the Dallas-Ft Worth metroplex where the younger daughter will undoubtedly settle after law school. With our southeast Texas roots, the husband and I really liked Lake Palestine that's spitting distance to Tyler. Azaleas, pine trees, red dirt and a bit of a roll to the pretty green scenery made us feel at home. Along with good shopping, restaurants, salt of the earth residents and a level one trauma center, we were pretty much sold. 

Earlier this month I followed up with our initial good impression of Lake Palestine by renting a waterfront home for us on the water. That allowed us to show the younger daughter around at what we think would be a good weekend getaway for her plus her own family one day, a location that's a reasonable drive from Dallas. We enjoyed beautiful morning sunrises from the swing on the screened-in back porch. Sunsets are pretty, but we're definitely more sunrise folks. The afternoon we arrived, we spied a cardinal in a backyard tree just sitting there for a while, watching us. Cardinals always remind me of my mother and granny. I'd like to think it was mother giving this lake her stamp of approval. My mother was always a big fan of the lake.

Gone, but never forgotten

When you're young, time seems so linear. Everything appears before you in a mostly straight and measured way. Now that I'm older and a bit wiser, it has become apparent that time is a twisty, winding road. It gets distorted by distance and memory, bending and flexing so that life's timeline gives you that just yesterday feel while perversely smacking you in the face with eons ago at once.

My mother would be celebrating her 78th birthday in a few days. I can still see her so clearly in my mind's eye, and hear her voice. If only I could still taste her fabulous cooking! I'm always remembering her little quirks and sayings. Our family reminisces about her often. It's a blessing that she continues to live on in our memories, where she remains fresh and vibrant, before the cancer took her down. And yet it seems like centuries since I've been able to enjoy spending time with her. After we returned to Texas from England that second time, she became my running buddy when she moved into our guest house, and those four precious years weren't nearly enough. When my car cranked up, she was more often than not riding shotgun. We had some great adventures, Linda Ruth and I. She was one of those mothers you'd have wanted for a friend. And I was truly blessed when God gave me to her over five decades ago.

Happy birthday sweet mother and mimi, who I imagine must be rejoicing with and praising her Heavenly Father. I miss her terribly, and yet I hold firmly to the belief that I'll see her again one day when my purpose on earth is served. Here's a favorite old upbeat hymn I enjoy, sung beautifully by Joey & Rory, that reflects the redeeming grace of our Lord's great love which allows us to fly home to Him when this life is over.

Merry hot-as-a-firecracker August

I expected the pumpkins to start appearing right after July 4th. That was no surprise. What always gets me is when the Christmas stuff begins to appear alongside it. I love Santa, but the jolly old stock folks need to slow their roll with the December offerings in these hot as hades days of summer. Like really, dude, as much as I adore the most wonderful time of the year, let's at least get Labor Day in the rearview mirror before we see snowmen and tree ornaments on the shelves.

With all of our local school districts back in session or about to kick off classes, this year one of the husband's team's recipients for their company's United Way fundraiser was children in need of supplies. So I hustled down to our neighborhood Walmart to buy all sorts of pencils, markers, crayons, glue sticks, etc. Back when I was still teaching, I'd get excited to see new school supply displays arrive in July. There's something about the hope and promise of fresh starts that brand spanking new school supplies represents that still zings my heartstrings.

Hard to believe, y'all, but they still require kids to get two of those big fat pink erasers. I didn't even realize they still made those things since the last time I had to purchase elementary school supplies for the youngest daughter was in 2011. As far as we've come in terms of technology, that just strikes me as incredibly old school as I tossed them in my cart and they landed next to the wireless headphones that are now found on most school supply lists. It seems that cliche saying about the more things change, the more they stay the same really rings true.

 

Dog days of summer

We've finally passed the halfway mark of summer. Here in the Texas hill country, we'll still be sporting shorts and flip flops through halloween, if not longer. And so I always think of mid August as beginning the downhill slide to temperatures that don't require us to run the air conditioner.

This summer we were blessed with sufficient rainfall to keep our yard from withering and dying by Independence Day. The lone crepe myrtle in our separately fenced side yard has been in bloom for weeks now and I love it. But with no rain recently, I'm afraid all of our flora will be taking a dive. It's so hot this week that even the dogs aren't interested in dashing around outside unless it's early in the morning or late in the evening. Same for me!

  

Keeping the chompers lined up

Oh my, y'all, orthodontia has made a leap into the 21st century, and I had no idea. I've worn braces twice in my life to get my teeth straightened, once as a teenager and then again in my early 40s. Both times, I had to go through the messiness of having molds made of my teeth so I could get retainers. With my teeth starting to shift again, I recently made the decision to see the new orthodontist who bought out our old ortho's practice in order to get his professional opinion on a new set of retainers.

I was shocked to learn how this process has evolved over the past decade since I last had a retainer made. They started by creating a model of my top and bottom teeth using this wand looking camera attached to a computer. It took about twenty minutes of my time on a Wednesday morning. I then returned later that afternoon to pick up these nifty 3-D printed retainers for both my top and bottom teeth. Plus I got the printer generated molds of my teeth in case I need more retainers at some point. All of the teens and tweens I sat with in the waiting room had no idea how lucky they are to have this cool new option I just discovered.

 

Rock painting with the Chicktime girls

I decided it was time to be more consistent and intentional with my volunteer efforts, so now my first Saturday of every month is spent at a local residential community for children who have been removed from their parents. It's an honor to collaborate with the three other Chicktime ladies who give their time to these girls that need a positive role model in their lives.

 

 

This month our activity was rock painting. I was honestly surprised at how much the girls enjoyed it, most of them intently focused on their artistic efforts. I swear just watching them paint the rocks was soothing. In addition to hosting a month's activity every spring, I'm the full-time snack lady. In keeping with the rock theme, I opted to bring the ingredients for them to assemble dirt cups. I even found chocolate candy that looks like rocks, which we all thought was pretty cool. This wasn't a particularly nutritious snack, with the layers of pudding, crushed sandwich cookies, chocolate rocks and gummy worms, but it was a lot of fun to create and enjoy. 

 

 

Did you hear that?!

Our frightfully infuriating Finn, the cairn terrier, has been trying our patience the last week. Several nights he woke us up from a sound sleep in the 1:30-2:30 am window because he's convinced there's a trespassing critter in the yard. This in turn riles up our older cairn Pepper to hop out of her doggy bed and have a look. Then she decides to growl and bark in solidarity at what the little idiot THINKS he sees.

I've peered out the same set of french doors in our master bedroom where the dogs have gathered and can't see doodly squat. No deer, possums, skunks, raccoons or armadillos tripping the light fantastic through our side yard or back porch. Neither a lizard or gecko slinking around, nor a big ol' brown june bug flying face first into the glass. I may or may not have gone all Mommie Dearest on Finn at 2 am while wielding a plastic coat hanger and threatening to shut him up in his doggy kennel in the garage if he didn't settle down and go back to sleep. 

He just looks so innocent and cute, y'all. It's really hard to stay mad at the little toot since he's 15 months old. And yet this middle of the night guard dog routine has to be squelched. Poor little man is so tired from his nighttime guard duties that he gets the yawns and needs a few naps during the day. 

Starting tonight, we'll be closing all of the shades in the bedroom to try and keep him calm and worry free if a local critter dares to shuffle through our property. It would be nice to get back to a solid night's sleep after dealing with his recent nocturnal shenanigans.