Pool Time with Esther

Yesterday was my first ever water aerobics, with Miss Dian. ( suspicious of people spelling Dianne this way!) Since breaking my leg in the spring, this is my lot in life!!! Me and the other Q-tips( names of old women with white hair!) trolling the waters, to fix our aching bones. It involved splashing and noodles. Then there was music thrown in, and pilates moves under the water. Honestly, it was awesome!!! The spirit of Esther Williams came upon me. I was spinning and stroking as if I were in a "B" movie. My other Q-tip friends were not nearly as animated as myself. Did they not know how to swim to music?? They were older than I, they had to know Esther. At times I was looking to see if a platform was going to raise me, in all my glory, out of the water, to swan dive into bubbles!!! I practiced my mermaid moves, and having my hair turn just the right way, to look nice under water!!! Miss Dian commented, that I seemed to be having the best time. So glad she caught my moves, but why is she asking me to stay after class??? Maybe she thinks I can teach the class, maybe she sees Esther in me? Miss Annette( I decided to change her name!) wanted to know if I had any questions? I only had one. Where can I get a crown to wear while swimming, and do they make body glitter that is waterproof? My second class is tomorrow, I'm going early to practice, me and Esther, queens of the pool.

Time to Chat

This week it has been my privilege to dine with friends. Lunch ladies, at a beautiful home and a restaurant without a name, time to chat.
Wednesday, with a hired driver, we all had lunch with some of my favorite people. Miss B's home welcomed us with open arms, and love filling every square foot. I have been to many a mansion, and this home was the most gorgeous, lived in and on, precious house of love. I confess to loving the occupants, little did I know that I would also love all the walls in the house. The feeling of peace was palpable. Each design element, hand picked and pondered about, and it was PERFECT. The yard was flawless, the animals divine, and my time spent with my girls, a feast for all my senses!! I had to take a joy nap when I returned home. My heart was so full, and my tummy too. Mid week lunch with friends, who were not in a hurry.Heaven.
Come Friday, I was meeting a friend from high school, for a late lunch, in Buckhead, Atlanta. There was no Natalie, my driver, in sight. I took hold of the steering wheel and just drove. We had no where to go, just time on our hands, and love shared between us. The restaurant, had a name, we were too busy talking to notice. It was quiet, and our tongues wagged for several hours. It takes many minutes to catch up after forty years. We were so comfortable with each other, and laughed with ease. We finally ate a bite or two, and took some breaths, again lunch with a friend, heaven. I'm convinced that at this time in all of our lives, we did not have to hurry to get back to young children, or any children, husbands or not, work or retired, it was the lunches shared at the perfect time and place. I'm so grateful, to have had this special week. We need to all make the time for each other more often, after all It's heaven!!!

Color Kitten

My earliest memory of reading is my obsession with The Color Kittens book. To this day, I love and labor over paint samples. When I grow up I want to work at Home Depot's paint department!! The pop of the paint lid when it opens, divine. The free paint sticks, to stir and stir some more. I love paint, it changes everything. So in a minute, I'm headed to the Depot, to chat with my men about colors. Some people have a basket of apples, my basket is filled with samples to choose from. Glorious colors , separated by merely one shade. As I type, my eye wonders over to the table, where the colors are spread, sixteen shades of Chocolate, and I'm leaning towards a molasses color!! I purchased the white for the fireplace last week, it's called Beach White, I hope it comes with the smell of the ocean!!!! I also grabbed a can of sea green/blue, matted yummy-ness, to paint a table. A woman with a plan and a paint brush, and the month of July on the horizon!!! Color Kittens, thank you, from this little girls heart.

All Aboard The "D" Train.......

My quest for reading about dysfunctional people continues, and its awesome!!! All Aboard!!!
Not only am I reading about them, but my travels took me to a movie about them also. Plus+++ the writer and director, is high on the "D" list, Woody Allen.
Now back to my reading, The Paris Wife by Paula Mclain, Hemingway's first wife. I love reading about Hemingway and I certainly "chew on" anything about his many wives. Also why very bright people with alcohol problems and egos shooting through the roof, are so depressed. Yes he was in a bad war, but...its the writers and artists that seem so tormented. Being in a war just gave him and others more stories. In the prologue it mentions the question, why they could not stop drinking or talking or kissing the wrong people no matter what it ruined. These young lovers lived in wonderful chaos, beautifully blurred and happy. Extraordinary lives, Paris in the 1920's, Hadley Hemingway was in the thick of crazy and in love, not a good combo, but what material. I finished consuming this book on Thursday and on Friday headed to the movies to see Midnight In Paris written by Woody Allen, whom I love!! Yes I said it, I love Woody Allen. I know he married his stepdaughter, which was a step up from Allison Mackenzie, (remember Peyton Place??) aka Mia ( too many children) Farrow. That waif nearly ruined him. So he found happiness, I have had to block it out of my mind!!! He is brilliant and DEPRESSED and crazy!!! One of those, off the beaten path, clarinet playing fools, that live on the edge, and make me happy to be alive!!! The movie was true Allen form, I enjoyed it. The main character goes back in time and meets all the greats, Hemingway, Zelda and Scott, Gurtrude Stein, Picasso and Monet, and many other odd, souls. He himself is a writer, and wants some feedback from the greats. This all takes place in Paris, and the setting is beautiful. Also, If you go, listen to the music, I think Woody is playing his tune!! What is dysfunctional anyway? and to whom? All Aboard!!!!!!

Dysfunctional is Normal

This summer, my reading path, seems to be following every dysfunctional person/family on the planet. I am walking straight into the "light" ( I think the light may be a bug zapper) with eyes wide open. These people, overly smart and creative, are messed UP!!!! Their lives are train wrecks, and I have pulled to the side of the road to watch!!! Reading My Father by Alexander Styron (www.amazon.com) was one of the best "D" ( Major dysfunctional) books, so far and I think I may need to re-read it!!! I have yet to learn how to highlight on my kindle, so now......I have to re-read and highlight all the best stuff, and stuff there is!!. William (Bill) Styron wrote Sophie's Choice!!!! need I say another word? Reading My Father is written by his youngest daughter, which I like even better. A child's point of view in the family is pretty accurate. Now if you ask the older siblings, they may see things differently. It would then be their accuracy. Children write the truth, their truth. Bill Styron suffered from major depression, and wrote masterpieces. He was a drunk without apology, and a tough cookie. His family felt the sting of mental illness in the family, washed down with some joy-juice. Cataclysmic breakdowns, break down the family. Mr Styron did feel guilt and shame, MUCH later in his life. The question remains , did his family care? I'm so interested in how families rally and take care of each other, during the most horrific situations. Some families are so scared, yet some breeze through it. Dysfunction haunts everyone. His daughter describes him as remote, melancholy, inspiring fear and loathing in his children. This same man, was a genius writer, and left us so much. A novelist, with awards coming from the global arena, visited mental hospitals like we go to Starbucks!!! The fine line between a nutcase and a gifted writer, merged. He wrote with brilliance and lived like....the only way he knew how....crazy, depressed. The family survived and loved him, somehow, in the end. This books, makes me want to read Sophie's Choice this summer, like I said earlier, I'm on a spiral to crazyville!!! I think reading others, not so shinning moments, makes your day to day, hullabaloo seem like a piece of cake. The human parade, as Alexandra wrote, is in all families. We just may march to a very different drummer.

A Plethora Of Useless Information

Having the summers off, affords me time to read, watch and pile up so much information!!! My personal time of research. It's life altering joy, that I intend to share, which makes it double-JOY!! Two documentaries that I have seen in the last couple of days, everyone should watch. One on HBO was called, "How to Die in Oregon." Keeping one foot on the banana peel, ready to slid into grief, I did not think this would be something I needed to watch. However, people and their choices about life and death have always fascinated me. Like abortion, its a hot topic. Where God comes into focus, his will. I seem to remember he gave us "free will", something about living with our choices. It's all a personal decision. My thoughts are that you make the decision to end your life if you wish BEFORE the pain kicks in. During my first bout with bearing a child, I hollered to the nurses and doctors to KILL ME!!! put a pillow over my face, I'm done. Pain can make you crazy, so I'm glad they did not have the right-to-die law passed at that time. If you, want to choose at the end, when the end will come, and you are racked out with pain, drink up. This documentary was beautiful, leaving this earth with grace. Something to view and think about for sure. This film won the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, grand jury prize.

Much to my surprise, this early morning either on Starz or HBO, not sure, another critically acclaimed documentary about the Sherman Brothers. Who are these brothers??? They wrote every Disney song known to humans, and many more. AND they worked together all their life in unhappiness!!! Their horrible discord and turmoil, brought us MARY POPPINS!! how does that happen??? They had estranged families who did not even speak to each other, and they wrote Jungle Book Music, It's a Small World, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!!! Family baggage, history, dynamics of big time dysfunction and Chim Chim Cher-ee and Feed The Birds!!! Fascinating info coming my way, because I have time to look for it!!! They wrote the music for Charlotte's Web, Winnie the Pooh theme song, and The Tigger Movie. Tom Sawyer and Bedknobs and Broomsticks!!! Millions of songs, millions of awards and they were depressed!!!!! Wonderful stuff, take a minute to scan the channels. Book reviews tomorrow, I'm loving the summer!!!

Summer Produce

There are many of you who grow your own. VEGETABLES, people. Tomatoes the size of Kansas, peas and beans and onions, and the likes. Not me, I have a "Tomato Man." Many men have crossed my path, praise Jesus!!! but the "Tomato Man" is high on my produce altar. When summer arrives, the tent goes up, and the unpacking begins. Corn, that he shucks, take me now!!! and shelled butter beans and white acre peas, ready to cook. Hallaluyer!!!!! Tomatoes stacked in small baskets, waiting to be chosen, putting on their best shine. Yellow squash scattered on the table, and sweet onions strutting their stuff. I stroke each one, and ask where they have come from. My man, has the answers, and he knows I only want Florida Strawberries early. Don't pretend those Georgia peaches are ripe yet, and South Carolina's are not in yet. He thinks its funny, the fuss I make over these jewels. Especially, when I begin to hum church songs, when I make my purchase. I don't miss not having a garden, as long as I have my "Mater Man!"

***DO not rub, stroke and lick yellow squash in public, wait until you are home. Do not fall down on your knees, near the cooler holding the shelled peas, while your husband is waiting in the car, he may get out of the car, thinking you have fallen??!! wait until you are home to hold the bags to your bosom !!! Just saying!!!!!!

Thirty Years

We are all God's children, not just some of us.
Aids turns thirty today, and we have made a dent. A dent, is not big enough, we have to keep up our fight.
I have worked with aids patients, for many years. The suburbs and a friend, caused me to "do something!"
When HIV was new, and aids whispered about in alleys, I had friends that had aids. I walked in many a aids walk , with kids in tow, never afraid. My Stepford neighbors would say, "Aren't you scared someone will touch your children?" " Oh, I hope they are touched! in a million ways!" One day, some friends and I had returned from a market day, and we all had to pee-pee. Seems like an innocent story??not when one of those friends had full blown aids. A neighbor said, " You did not let them use the bathroom, did you?" "ARE you kidding me, educate yourself!"
My friend in Florida, lost his wife and child, and lives with HIV, he is my hero and love. I work for him.
Our church had an aids group, which was a great surprise, since they shunned gay people.. So I joined. Feeding aids patients, visiting them, Mother Theresa here I come.
My first visit to introduce myself, and see what they needed was Rwanda. I thought I may, not live. Of course these people were poor, but in Alpharetta Georgia, this poor. Lord help us, our backyards. I walked in and the man was laying in the bed, in a fetal position with roaches all over the bed, the wall, the floors. I asked his wife what I could bring them, and she gave me a list of items. I asked when I could bring these things back, and we set up days and time. I then returned to Timothy and said, that I would be helping him, but we had to do something about the roaches, or I was going to throw the food at the curb!! He smiled, he did not know me yet!! I sat on the filthy bed, and looked him in the yellow of his eyes, "I'm not kidding, this is no way to live or die, this changes today!" His wife agreed that I could purchase roach motels, it was a start. In two days, I went back, still parking out front, so I could run to the car, in case of drive by shooting!!! The house was cleaner, and Timothy was sitting up in the bed, not a roach to be seen, and eating some. I went to his house for the summer, fall and winter and had a Christmas photo of the two of us, which one day I will find and post!!! All my children met and brought food to Timothy, until he moved up north to die with his mom and dad. I think his wife went to jail for drugs, and he had to go home. He called me several months later, knocking on deaths door, to thank me, for touching him. Not touching his heart, touching his body. Holding his hand in that roach infested death hole, looking at this drug addict, black young man as one of God's children. Thirty years later, and we still have to touch people, we must. Aids, Diabetes, Mental Illness, Cancer. We are required to make a difference. Just ask Timothy!!!

Changes Come Too Often

Whirling by is June, its the second, today!!!
May is a lost month, winding down the school year, always a blur.
My sweet June should linger, embracing me with her heat. The hot August heat is upon us, and my June is so in a hurry. She needs to slow down, drink some sweet tea, and stay awhile. I need a minute to adjust to summer days, and chew on the changes around me. Whenever school comes to a close, several days pass before I can find my "footing". My son, daughter-in-law. two grandsons returned to Boston on Tuesday, the house changes when they leave. It's a welcome quiet, but the missing them soon begins again. My school year ended this year with one of my team teachers retiring, a big change. We enjoyed, in an odd way, a very interesting partnership. Her not being around, on a daily basis, my loss. Another teacher, whom I team taught with, in Social Studies left for another school, closer to her home. She is young, smart and I learned so much from this kooky teacher. Her style, infectious, a gift to all who were lucky enough to pass her way. Too many changes this May, and tomorrow will be June 3rd!!!!
Namaste damn it!!!!