Sweet Melissa...

Last night I had the chance to get in touch with my roots.  And no Babes,  I did not get my hair color touched up and no, I was not on Ancestry.com.  Gotcha guessin'?  Well curious minds, I waitressed.  Yes, you read right-waitressed.  A crazy situation at our up north hangout had our favorite waitress, Sweet Melissa, running herself ragged.  She was in the unfortunate and impossible situation of being bartender, buss person, salad maker and waitress to a very busy bar.  The poor chickie should have been losing her cool, but that's just not Sweet Melissa.  Her sunny disposition and cute southern drawl makes her a wonderful worker.  However, enough was enough and she was quite pleased when I offered to help.

 After taking a giant pull off my vodker, and a refresh on my lip gloss, I hit the floor to see if I still had what it took.  As you may know, I have waitressed and  bar tended on and off since I was 15 and breaking child labor laws, but that was a looooooong time ago!  Happily the skill is just like riding a bike-in my case, a very old one!  I was workin' it old skool as I slapped down menus, took drink orders-and then ran to the bar to make them.  Turning in food orders came back as natural as vodka and soda with a twist of lime.  Patrons were patient and gracious as they could see we were stretched a little thin.  I cleaned up some tables, found extra ketchup and gave out quarters for the Skill Claw machine.  Handling a busy bar is the ultimate in organization and multitasking but somehow the plethora of demands were met.

  It's almost a rush when it dawns on you that it all worked out and everyone is fed and happy-I know I was when finally I sat down to my vodka and pizza.  Waitressing is honest, hard work and I'm not ashamed to have done it and would do it again.  It's instant gratification and once again reminds me why I always over tip.  Thanks for the experience Sweet Melissa!! xo

Stars Dance...

Can you believe that August first is on Thursday?  Where is our summer flying off to?  Are you doing the things that you looked forward to all winter long? 

Sometimes living in Michigan where we endure long winters, it's easy to daydream about just what we will do when it actually warms up to a temperature that allows us to do more than seize up and run for heat.  I always have visions of ice tea on the deck while enjoying a great summer read.  What's more real is the fact that my ipad gets a glare, I'd rather have a vodka, and sweating isn't really fun.  How about those 90 degree days?  It was like a sauna up in here!  I imagine hours of yard work with a straw had and garden gloves, tenderly caring for my plants.  In reality, I hurriedly weed and quickly plant new flowers.  Not a lot of love as I slam 'em in the ground before the sweat on my forehead blinds me completely.  Mickey has missed out on our walking path treks due to the fact that Michigan humidity rivals the Keys in July.  Besides, it's hard to walk and use my inhaler at the same time.  I've been out on the boat exactly once.  Life just got in the way of that one.  Denzel Washington has gone topless a few times, but it's even been to hot for a convertible-this lesson I learned while getting a little pink once in a 4 minute drive to the gym.  My goal of painting the beach house and staining my deck will probably be postponed till fall, allowing the paint to dry at a normal rate.  Some of the cooler nights recently has allowed me to enjoy stargazing.  I love it when it's clear enough to get that feeling of insignificance and wonder that the stars provide. 

So how about it?  What has your July been like?  Have you had a s'more?  Read a good book?  Enjoyed a bonfire?   Let me know how your summer is going.  I love to hear from you!  Happy August to you all, my friends. xo

Airline to Heaven...

Yesterday we laid my mother in law to rest.  Patty had battled various cancers for 10 years and finally 'won' the fight by gently going to sleep. 

She was a woman that was well loved by family, friends, pets and the community.  Her life was rich and full and we have spent the past weeks hearing her recall stories about her past.  She was generous and would truly give you the shirt off her back.  Her gardens were lovely and her pride and joy.  Patty was a woman of very strong faith and committed in her belief that heaven and it's garden was waiting for her. The above pic is one we took on one of the last nights of her life.  It was my comment that it looked like heaven, visible to us but calling for her.

We are finally home and trying to adjust to our new reality.  Weeks of too much driving, eating out, worrying, deciding, waiting and sitting around have proved to be more exhausting than a busy, regular day of regular activities.

Rest in peace, dear Lady.  You are loved and will be missed by us all. xo

Va Va Voom...

On Saturday I had the pleasure of celebrating the birthday of my sweet niece, Nikki.  With all of her crazy 25 year old exuberance, we boated and drank champagne on the calm waters of Lake Huron.  Nikki is a nursing student and currently works at Mott Children's Hospital where she aids young cancer patients in the fight of their lives.  She has won numerous awards from both her teachers and patients family for her gentle, compassionate care.  I am very proud of her and love seeing her use her brains, beauty and charm in such an important way.  She is very focused and her future looks as bright at the sky on her special day.

As I sipped champagne and cheered her on in her antics, I got to thinking of myself at that age.  Wow, what a difference!  When I was her age,  my life read like a bad country and western song.  I had a baby on my hip and was going thru a divorce, getting out of a short, ill-fated marriage.  I had no education, no job, no money, and nowhere to live.  Oh, and an old Jeep Wrangler. (I loved that thing!) All that was missing was the 'Christmas lights on, my front porch all year long'!  Completely clueless and as unmoored as the buoy in the picture.  Yep, that was my reality.   I made stupid choices that somehow seemed so right, at that time.  Going to jobs because I thought they were 'fun' and living on happy hour free munchies were just not going to cut it now.  Babies need much more sustenance than cheese curls and pretzels, and they can cause you to grow up real quick.

The story ends well, thanks mostly to my parents who housed and fed us, and babysat Dane while I attended cosmetology school and bar tended to save money.  But the real question is why didn't I set my sights a little higher earlier on?  I blithely skipped along and just was sure that everything would work out.  Education and the college experience is one of the only regrets that I drag around today.  Yes, I want to travel more-but there's still time for that.

I guess it's the old 'if I knew then what I know now' thing.  Sigh....Who knows?  Hell, I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up!  Maybe I'll just be Nikki's old auntie, blithely skipping along and cheering her on in all of her crazy adventures.  Wishing the very best for you, Dollface-you deserve it all. xoxo

Every Saint...

"Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future", is a favorite quote of mine, by Oscar Wilde.  His poetry and quotes are easy for me to love as they are a reflection of his decadent, glamorous and humorous lifestyle.  Poor Wilde was actually imprisoned as a result of his homosexuality, back in the day.  I can't even imagine this injustice and the strides we are making towards sexual equality pleases me very much.  Wish Oscar would have lived to see this and I'm sure some whiskey would have been raised in a toast to our progress-slow as it has been in coming.

Sinners and saints-aren't we all?  I suppose the quote could easily be interpreted as a 'nobody's perfect' ideal.  I think it gives the nod to both all of our faults as well as our humanity.  It also speaks to our spirit which is flawed but with always a chance for redemption.  How about equality?  Maybe Oscar meant it as an equalizer to provoke tolerance in us.  We all have a story about someone who did everything wrong and then lived to right those wrongs.  Or maybe we just learn from our mistakes.  I don't know, I just like the forgiveness and hope the quote invokes. 

So my darling sinners and saints, do you have a favorite quote?  Let me know if one especially rings your bell!   Have a decadent, glamorous and humorous week.  Oscar would have loved it! xoxo

Blurred Lines...

Happy July!!  It's with mucho enthusiasm that I welcome in my very favorite month.  It's 31 days of perfect summer and all that it entails.  July 04 is my favorite holiday and then the next week marks my Birthday Week.  The weather could could cooperate more, but other than that, it's all good.

 

After a nice long weekend at the beach house, I come home to be totally news starved.  We do not get newspapers up north and only have a television to watch DVDs and old VCR movies.  This weekend I caught the "Gone With the Wind" sequel aptly named "Scarlett" for about the third time.  I still love it.  But I digress...

 

Upon arriving home, I throw in a load of laundry and put away the refridgerables.  Reading the newspapers actually hurt my tired eyes so I just fire up the laptop to catch up on things.  Hmmm.... Charles Pugh was spotted at a coffee house in Seattle where he did not attempt to hide in the least.  Strange, with all the speculation about him here in Detroit. The annual Jobbie Nooner debacle on lake St. Clair started off with a man dying on the island as the festivities were about to begin. Surely alcohol was involved but a tragedy nonetheless.  Hope it gave some of the other revelers a cause to pause.  Jessica Simpson finally birthed that baby for being as pregnant as a whale for about 14 months or so.  She joined the celebrities who insist on a 'unique' name by naming the poor babe, 'Ace'.  Like celebrity parents aren't enough to live down!  Alec Baldwin went off on and now is apologizing for yet another rant.  Who the hell cares what that idiot says and how do we get him out of the news?  Just an offensive, self serving, puffed up idiot.  So, how do you really feel, Jodi?  Snookie has a new fitness routine and Miley Cyrus has publicly threatened her dad.  Niiiicccee.  That's what is to be expected when you take Yahoo hope page as your news source.  But I'm tired so lite news is all I can manage before getting a good nights sleep.  So that is what I aim to do.  I'll tackle the hard stuff with the stack of papers waiting for me in the morning-after coffee.

 

Have a wonderful July, friends.  I hope those million firework stands are not an indication of how many home fired ones we will have to endure.  And what is the point of blowing off fireworks during daylight hours?  Don't get it.  In fact I hate it.  I like my colors on July 4th evening at dusk.  A sky full of color that can make me oooh and aaahh for about 10 minutes and then I'm good for another year.  Stay safe and enjoy the holiday. xo

 

Oh, and a very Happy Birthday tomorrow to my 'little sister', Makayla who turns 8!  Have a wonderful day full of love and joy and we will celebrate soon. xo

 

Yeezus...

I have never experienced pain.  Oh there was the forgettable, fleeting pain of childbirth and maybe a couple of cracked hearts along the way, but no real 'pain'.

 Things have changed this past week.  Back pain.  And it's the worst.  (I know I'm not telling you anything, Mark!)

Last March while painting a bedroom in Florida, I experienced a stabbing sensation in my lower back.  Okay, so I'm achy for a week or so.  No probs.  Pass the Aleve, please.  BUT the ache has progressed to the point of pain.  Yard work, gym time, fun time-it's all effected by a dull, stabbing pain-and apparently my activities have aggravated the situation.  Even shopping hurts!!  Weakening, nauseating, and  breathtaking pain that follows me everywhere.  My x rays show a bend in my spine and some moderate disc damage.  Some nerves are involved.  I don't really get it, but she assures me that we will work our way thru it.  Gradually.

So, 3 times a week I trudge into the chirocracker to receive warm compresses, a roller table, massage, and an adjustment.  The results are slow in coming but sometimes it doesn't ache AS much.  Wine seems to help-imagine that!   I have a totally new respect for anyone who suffers in this way. 

I know Mark, (Walking Man) has had surgery and still suffers from his injury, but does anyone else suffer from this horrible malady?  I need your stories and support, so let me know!   And for heaven sake, do not ignore symptoms that can later come back to haunt you.  xo