Six Candles

Today is Rembrandt's Birthday!

He is 6

Or 42.

Six years ago, Chrissy and Chloe wanted a puppy. I wasn't too keen on the idea because, with Chrissy in college and Chloe only 6 years old, I knew who would be doing all the feeding, walking, and grooming.

Me.

To appease them, and make a fun family day, I said we could "just look".
Don't kid yourself, there is no such thing as "just looking" for golden retriever pups. It's like walking into See's Candies . . . . . if you are sucked inside, you WILL buy something.

We did, and I am glad.

2003 - Chloe & Rembrandt watching TV

Rembrandt is a member of the family and at 6 (42),
he still looks like a big stuffed toy.

Two years ago, we rescued Rusty from the pound. He was found crippled and ill, wandering the countryside. We took him home and nursed him back to health. The vet estimates his age at 6 years, so, without knowing what day he was actually born, we celebrate his birthday with Rembrandt's.

This post is the sum total of the celebration

WOO HOO !

. . . . and I am the one who feeds, walks and grooms them both.

that's ok.

they love me best.

Autumn Walk

Don't you just love it when rain puddles shrink into this?





It looks like a Hershey's Chocolate Bar

. . . . or the top crust on brownies.

When I was little I would carefully pick up the segments,
place them on my pink rosebud china;
and serve chocolate cookies at my tea party.



**********************************************


I found wild animal tracks too . . . .

Raccoon





Deer





Golden Retriever







Turning for home . . . .




The Boys always know exactly where to turn for home. I don't even know the precise spot; it always takes me awhile to find the trampled grass path. Sometimes it feels like the dogs are smarter than I am, just like a horse I rode once. We were lost in the hills and when I let the reins go, he not only knew the way home, he galloped straight to it.

I got to thinking about that. Do I really know how to get home . . .

Not my house,

You know, home home . . . . Heaven.

I think I do. But am I galloping toward it? hardly.


We could learn a thing or two from dogs. Dogs keep it simple: eat, drink, sleep, take walks, obey master. People, with all of their intelligence and reason, complicate things. You don't see dogs comparing themselves to one another, holding grudges, over scheduled, gossiping, living beyond their means, sleep disordered, addicted to alcohol or nicotine or chocolate or caffeine. No, just the superior species does that; the top of the intellectual chain.


But then, dogs also eat their doo doo,
so we don't really want to be like them.

I am just saying, sometimes we get in our own way of getting home.

Keep it simple: eat healthy, sleep enough, exercise, obey The Master.

Austin Rendezvous

Last night,

Brittany and Ili drove down from Oklahoma City to Austin
to visit Ili's mom in the hospital.
We haven't seen Brit and Ili (Brili) since June, and Austin is just an hour away,
so we jumped at the chance for a quick visit.


We met them at Cracker Barrel (pronounced "yummy breakfast").















We shopped the San Marcos Outlets all afternoon.


The sky did this for us as we said good-bye . . .






It was a perfect day.


We made plans to drive up to Oklahoma City in a couple of weeks.
I am so excited to see their home and visit a new city.


See you in 2 weeks, Brili !

Saturday

early this morning, it was misty......and chilly

we put the quilt back on the bed for the first time since last winter.

so snuggly.

i want to stay in this spot all day and drink hot cocoa

...steve's prize winning cocoa made from canned milk in his mom's old cocoa pot

and watch Jerry Maguire (edited)







probably won't happen

i can dream can't i ?

Mission Update

Pacing myself. Staying focused. Keeping hydrated.

I am about a third of the way through my mission and
seeing daylight at the end of the tunnel; about 700 photos so far.

Thankfully, I have passed the point of: completely overwhelmed
and moved into: momentum with a certainty of finishing.

A good feeling, by the way.

Organizing Projects, cleaning out closets, garage, whatever, have the UNBEARABLE MESS PHASE... everything has to come out into your living space before it can be neatly returned. This phase is spilling out of the office into the living room so I can be entertained by Oprah, Dr Oz and the Biggest Loser while I work.

Break is over, gotta go. bye :)

"You don't just marry the man, honey . . . . you marry the FAMILY"

September 24, 1948



I married a great family.

I could not have ordered up better in-laws than

Tom and Lois Freeman



Aren't they cute?



Tom was a football player







They had 5 children.

I married number three.





Blythe, CA 1963 - Tom & Lois with Robert, Steve, Donald, LaRee and Ralph



Rather than launch into a LONG list of accolades,

suffice it to say,

They are wonderful


and I am lucky







Happy Anniversary Tom & Lois !

I love you

Something Is In The Air

I love Fall !

I love how the air smells and feels

and the new angle of the sun.

I love the rich earth colors, the first rain,

and the anticipation of holidays.



. . . . and I love these photos from Autumns past:




1984 - Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Farm --------------- Michael, Brittany, Christine











2003 - Chloe and Rembrandt





2008 Addie





2008 Addie and Ella (my grand-daughters)





1985 - Michael ------------------------ HMB Pumpkin Farm




1984 - Chrissy----------------------------------------------------1986 Chrissy & Brittany




2002 Chloe





1998 - My sister Marsha with twins Dominique & Francesca, Diane & Chloe





2002 - Chrissy and Chloe --------- Kindergarten Field Trip to Ardenwood Farm





1991 Cute cousins in berets - Chrissy and Michele





1992 Michael at Manzanita Lake





2008 Announcing the birth of Preston



2002




2002




2002 Wooward Park with Lois & Tom





1997 Chloe Cozette Freeman

When Brittany and Chrissy were in High School,
they used to throw lavish parties
to celebrate the Summer Solstice

. . . . any reason to party, right?

The precise moment fall begins in the Northern Hemisphere is:

September 22, 2009 at 5:18 pm EDT

So break out the Martinelli's and celebrate the September Equinox !





Farewell Summer . . . .

Break Time

I had to get out of my office today.


I'm telling you, if I am home, all I do is sort old photos and type...
which is necessary in order to complete my mission.

Mission Statement:

Take the bazillion photos out of boxes in the garage and place them in photo albums, using the memories they jog to blog a journal of my life, which will be bound for all posterity.



Steve was home because the repair guys came to fix the leak in our roof and subsequent hole in our kitchen ceiling,
which led to a wet floor. . . . all on that lovely day it rained.


Ceiling & Floor



The LONG HOT record breaking heat is over and our weather has been scrumptious.


I asked Steve to take me for a drive . . . . . . . . with the windows down.

"Gladly," came the reply.

I think he was anxious to see me sit somewhere other than the office chair.


Can I just say I have the best husband in the world. Since I decided to blog/journal my life,
I have been very scarce in the cooking/cleaning/laundry/all things mother department and he never complains.
In fact, he actually said, "I think you should just plow through this thing and get it done".
Then, he made dinner. Now,THAT is a great man.


So we piled in the car. Chloe came along too; she had come home early from school because she felt sick. Not too sick for a drive, just too sick for algebra.
The Three Amigos headed off to the scenic Hill Country of Texas. . . . Fredricksburg, to be exact. We are lucky enough to live just 40 minutes from one of only two Texas listings in "1000 Places to See Before You Die".


Fredricksburg is a tasty mix of: Carmel California,
Main Street Disneyland, and Germany . . . . wearing cowboy boots.



Trouble picturing it? Let me help . . . . .




















































It was just the break I needed ;)