The Best Birthday Gift

This year my children gave me the best birthday gift ever, a mason jar labeled 30 Amazing Things About You.  Inside were 30 tiny personalized notes each rolled up and tied with string.  Instructions were to take out one note each day for 30 days.  The notes were about what I'd done as a mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, speech pathologist and just as a person.  What a delight to reach into the jar and take out a note each morning.  I've gotten lots of gifts from my kids over the years but this was the most thoughtful, the very best.
Check out TheMasonJarInc on Etsy.

quote for the week

In these times, don't ask the meaning of life.

Life is asking, 

"What's the meaning of you?"

Quote from the beginning of Scott Pelley's book Truth Worth Telling

Daddy's Hats (In Honor of Father's Day)

In the corner of my living room, my family history hangs on a hat rack.  Five generations, from my grandmother to my granddaughter.  

My father's hats are my favorite.  He is the only family member who has two hats in my collection.

One is his crimson Shriner's fez.  He joined the Shriners because it was a good venue for business connections, but as years went by Shriners became more than just a group of business associates.  One of their subgroups, the Caravaneers, planned the annual Shrine parade, and he enthusiastically joined in the fun.  He devoted much time to raising funds for Shriners' support for disabled and burned children, never imagining that someday I would become of those burn victims when my dress caught fire from a gas heater.

His other hat is the one he wore every day, a soft brown fedora.  I never learned why he felt most comfortable in hats, but I always associated him with them, and when he died, I asked for the hat he'd worn to the hospital.  He was my hero, and that is the most personal memory I have of him.

Quote for the Week

Charles and Ray Eames, a husband and wife team, designed the iconic Eames chair.

Here's a quote from Charles:
"Anything I can do, my wife and do better."

What a great guy!

Book of May

Didn't read many books in May.  I saw reviews for this book, one of which billed it as a Handmaid's Tale kind of read.  Since The Handmaid's Tale is one of my favorites, I got this book for my Kindle.  Young immigrant girls who are desperate for money are lured into becoming surrogates for women who are either unable to have children or too busy (Kim Kardashian types, I guess).. They live at Golden Oaks and monitored constantly so their babies will be perfect.  Some of them want to leave, etc. etc. Very pat ending.  B

Update on Game of Thrones.  I am still in book 1, chapter 30.  Only 94 hours left to finish all 5.

Making up for Missing Game of Thrones...and other TV Trivia

Note that the TV pictured above has a blank screen.  So like my life!  I don't have Netflix (sad) and so I have never watched Game of Thrones.  To make up for this travesty, I ordered the set of books for my Kindle.  The note at the bottom of the page says, "110 hours left to finish books."  How many months/years/decades will it take me to get to the end?  Then I'll have to read the prequels.  Plus I have book club readings and "guilty pleasure" readings, too.  I'll do monthly postings.

Since I don't have Netflix, I spend most of my TV time watching sports.
    1. The Rockets didn't make the Western finals....again.
    2. The Warriors did, of course.
    3, My prediction that the Milwaukee Bucks would win the Eastern finals was wrong.  Toronto won.
    4. The Astros have beaten the Red Sox 4 of 6 times in the past 10 days,

I watch The Voice on Monday and Tuesday, but they are off for the summer.  I watch
Flea Market Flip on Sundays, and lately I have been watching Turner Classic Movies.  Yesterday I saw Inherit the Wind. 

And I watch Jeopardy.  I love James Holhauzer (not sure of the spelling).  I heard an interview with a person who almost beat him.  This guy says James has an advantage because he has played so long and is able to buzz in faster.  He also said to win on Jeopardy, you have to practice answering questions standing up--it's harder than when you're sitting down.

Another Year, Another Birthday

Thursday is my xxxx birthday.  This has been a year of change for me.  First and foremost, retirement.  After many years as a speech-language pathologist, a career I loved, I finally decided it was time to leave speech therapy behind.  It was a bittersweet ending, but the beginning of new things to do and more time to do them.  I've given away most of my therapy supplies; now I have an almost empty closet.  I've started volunteering at Shriner's Burn Hospital for Children in Galveston.  As a burn survivor myself, this is close to my heart.  I've enrolled in a senior memoir class, which has been great fun, and where I've met a delightful group of people.  I'm facilitating a writing group at Angela's House for women who are transitioning from prison.  And last but not least, I had learned to play Mah Jongg, something I thought I would never do.  Tuesday is Mah Jongg day, and I look forward to playing and chatting with the women who used to belong to a grief group...but as we've navigated our new normal, we've changed our title to support group, and we do support one another.  All in all, it's been a great year and I'm looking forward to the next.