Long Hollow

Silent Love and Friendship

June 26, 2015

I was headed to Houston last Saturday … dreading the drive, the task ahead of me, and a whole day away from my business which I really can't afford at this time … when I spotted a Panda Express. I decided to cheer myself up with an early lunch.

It was delicious, of course, but the best part was this message tucked into my fortune cookie…

Have you ever received a big hug from a friend just when you needed it? That's how I felt when I read that tiny little piece of paper.

Those words lifted me above the sadness of the task and helped me see it instead as a chance to revisit a lifetime of happy memories. The long drive, the physical labor, the sweat and tears all became acts of love, a way to give back to my parents and grandmother and siblings and children… all of us who knew the abundance of love and laughter in that house.

Words can be so powerful, can't they?

These words will ride with me again tomorrow, and the next Saturday, and the next… however many it takes to sort through sixty years … trying to decide what to keep, what to give, what to sell, and what to toss.

I'm grateful for my sister who will be beside me in the process, adding more precious memories to tuck away in my heart as we prepare to say goodbye and thank you to the humble home that sheltered our childhood.
A Sweet Backtrack Through May and June… Part 2

June 20, 2015

Okay, where was I?

Oh, yes… May.

Thank goodness I have photos to remind me of some of those sweet! moments from last month. Here we go…

Hanging out with your sister-in-law's precious shelter rescue "Penny" for 10 days. (She plopped down between my feet like that all on her own! I'm so grateful I had my phone in my hand!)

Discovering a Wall of Honor for your sorely missed and beloved father-in-law built by his sons in his garage.

A walk along the Blackwater River in Milton, Florida at dusk under a full moon with two of your sisters-in-law, a niece, and your iPhone camera.

Paying respects to Pop and other veterans at Barrancas National Cemetery on Memorial Day.

Celebrating your mother-in-law's birthday in person!

Carrot Cake, healthy-style, thanks to your gifted sister-in-law.

Tagging along with your brother-in-law's family to the National Naval Aviation museum…and re-creating a favorite photo pose.

Peg-Leg-Pete's in Pensacola with some of your family. (Try the Cajun Burger. YUM!)

Your first visit to the Gulf Islands National Seashore in over 2 years… and having your zoom lens with you so you can go all paparrazi on the nesting American Oystercatchers.

A shrimp and crab leg feast, courtesy of your sweet mother-in-law.

The joy on your mom's face when she receives a Mother's Day card and photos from her great-granddaughter who lives several states away.

Confirmation and First Communion ceremonies at your church in one month.

Helping your market center and Thomas Wright Ministries serve a barbecue lunch to many of Austin's homeless population on Keller Williams Realty's Red Day (Renew, Energize, and Donate)

Being able to celebrate Mother's Day with your mother; dear friends visiting from out of town who want to see your mom; and a sweet cousin who faithfully visits her (always bringing gifts).

The wedding of your "other" son (your son's best friend) at Sholz Garten; getting to see all of "those kids" all grown up; the bride and groom exiting via pedi-cab, Austin-style.

Dinner and an Ed Sheeran concert with your daughter-in-law and friends.

Time spent with your puppy Belle. And summer wildflowers in your front yard.

One last sweet! from May… Tom's birthday! This photo is from the weekend before – we didn't have a formal celebration this year. But another year with him in this world is definitely a sweet!

I believe I'm officially caught up now. I would vow to never get this far behind again, but I know myself better than that. Sigh.

"Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday."

~Author Unknown

To all of you dads out there, I hope you have a wonderful Father's Day weekend. To all of you who, like me, have lost their dads, let's toast their memories and give thanks for the time we had with them!
A Sweet Backtrack through May and June… Part 1

June 15, 2015

Holy cow! A month has passed since my last post. How the heck did that happen?

It's been a month full of so many things… Mother's Day, a wedding, rain in Austin, and a trip to Florida to name a few… each worthy of their own blog post. But at this late date all they'll get is a brief mention, and maybe a photo or two. Sigh.

"Some day man will travel at the speed of light, of small interest to those of us still trying to catch up to the speed of time."

~Robert Brault

First I'm very pleased to announce our "big" pond is full and overflowing for the first time in years, thanks to all of the May showers!

And the sound of our little waterfall is music to our ears.

It's still hard for me to believe, but Lake Travis is almost full again! I love seeing its blue shimmer in the distance as I wind my way home through the hills. It's like those dried up coves were all a bad dream.

As I've done in the past, I'll start with the most recent sweet! and move backwards, letting my photos jog my memory … because that's much easier! So here we go…

The voice of Johnny Mathis, still smooth as a fine wine, enjoyed with friends at Austin's Long Center. Magical and timeless! (He looks the same – no photos allowed inside, but none needed!)

Celebrating the upcoming wedding of a girl you've watched grow up…the yummy food, mimosas, and silly games of bridal showers … visiting with friends and girls who you would swear just yesterday were in elementary school.

Time is so tricky.

Grandpuppy-sitting. Double the normal puppy fun!

A gorgeous day spent showing property in Marble Falls to a couple from Georgia, especially when you learn the woman is from your hometown and graduated from the same high school you did!

An afternoon photographing East 6th Street with a meet-up group…and meeting Patches, whose owner is thoughtful enough to provide her with booties to protect her paws from the hot pavement.

Hanging out with friends under the stars on a summer night, listening to live music provided by other talented friends. (Aegean)

Being able to move your office outside on a beautiful day, with the sound of your little waterfall playing in the background.

American Beautyberry blossoms.

Hitting the antique/thrift shops in Florida with your sister-in-law, and indulging your vintage miniature Mexican chair addiction.

A few hours on a Florida beach with your camera and all of those colors.

Looking through priceless wedding photos of your mother- and father-in-law…and realizing you can make your own copies of them with your iPhone.

Exploring a section of the Blackwater River State Forest with your sisters-in-law and nieces on a rainy day.

That's where June began, so I'll call it a post and pick up at the end of May tomorrow. I've had so much fun sorting through my photos! If you've stuck it out to the end, thanks for tagging along!

You probably already know, but those heavy rains which were such a blessing to us also caused deadly flooding on the Blanco River in Wimberley, south of Austin. Please keep those families in your prayers!
Remembering to look up….

May 15, 2015

Nature reserves the right to inflict upon her children the most terrifying jests.

~Thornton Wilder

It was such a crazy, busy weekend that yesterday morning I decided to focus on the simple gifts I had been given…a chance to walk with Belle, legs and lungs that could run (at least a little ways), the recent rain, the birds singing…

…and just as that thought entered my head, I suddenly had a mouthful of spider web.

I immediately screamed, threw down my umbrella and my hat, and ran forward several feet, swirling my hands all around my head, before turning around to see this poor little…well, not so little…orb spider curled up in fright in the center of his broken web.

I'm sure he was at least as scared as I was!

He was really pretty amazing to look at – from a safe distance, anyway – such intricate designs, and two little horns on its back.

I cropped the photo so you could get a closer look…

After my heart stopped racing, I snapped a few photos (sort of blurry because the now unsecure web was bouncing in the breeze) and warned him/her that I walk that way every day and it wasn't a good place to weave a web.

Then I scooped up my hat and umbrella and continued on my way down our driveway, remembering to look up as well as down at the rocky terrain under my feet, and full of gratitude that I didn't end up with that huge spider somewhere on my body!

That is definitely something to be grateful for, as well as the rain that has lured these beautiful spiders and the insects they feed on back to our neighborhood.

I've had other, less creepy sweet!s this week, but I'll share them tomorrow. I hope you're still keeping track!

Because I like you, I won't leave you with that an image of a spider, even one who has an intricate, interesting pattern on his/her back. Here's a little wildflower bouquet to make up for it…
Ch-ch-ch-changes… and other sweet!s

May 3, 2015

Did you notice my blog looks a little different?

Apparently, my blogs weren't 'mobile-friendly', so to keep up with the times (and to keep BlogHer happy) I had to make some changes.

Updating my Confessions blog (hosted by Blogger) was easy. Just one click, and it was done, somehow retaining my same old design, including the banner my friend Jill created for me years ago.

But this one? My original blog hosted by Typepad? Not so easy. I had to pick a whole new template.

In the long run, it's a good thing, though. I've been wanting to change it up for quite a while, but I have a tendency to overthink everything and have a tough time making decisions. The key ingredients in procrastination. So I was actually grateful for the kick in the rear.

It still took me a week to make the change. The past couple of weeks since my last post have been really busy. Fortunately, they were dotted with many sweet!s…

Last night I spent some time with the full moon, just standing on the path in front of our house, gazing at it and listening to the frogs singing down by the pond. That's the best kind of re-charging.

My sister got my mom an iPhone. She can push a button and tell Siri to call someone. Plus, it's much easier for me to navigate than her old flip phone. Those things are so complicated!

My client-turned-friend Tammy's closing. She has become such an inspiration to me. Breast-cancer survivor, recent widow, always positive even through some bumps on the way to finding her new home. She showed me what faith looks like.

The weeds in our front yard have turned into Indian Blankets and Mexican Hats, thank goodness!

Cedar Waxwings graced Long Hollow with their presence one day last week. I'm so glad I noticed them and had time to snap a few hundred photos of them while they were here.

I spent an afternoon learning all about the history and brewing of beer, courtesy of my son Daniel, who invited me to tag along on the the tour he coordinated for his State Library co-workers, and Ryan, who I've known practically all his life. He is now a cellarman at Live Oak Brewing Company, the oldest microbrewery in Austin. (I'll write a whole post about it later.)

Someone gave me this little rose bush for my 50th or 51st birthday. I wish I could remember who it was. It's the toughest little thing I know, blooming every year after freezes and droughts, with no help whatsoever from me.

Our church's Garden of Eatin' once again offered encouragement, via the sign above, and culinary delight, via the homemade cannoli below.

Once upon a time, I was active on FlickR, and that's how I met Debbie, another photography addict. We met in person in Houston several years ago and have stayed close via Facebook.

This weekend she came to Austin with friends for a winery tour, so on Saturday we met out at Flat Creek Estate. Not only did I get to spend a little time with her, but I satisfied my craving for a Flat Creek Margherita Pizza. Yum!

(P.S. People who say 'virtual friends aren't real friends' don't know what they're talking about.)

My latest listing is situated on Slick Rock Golf Course in Horseshoe Bay. I snapped this photo while tagging along after Brent, a real estate photographer from QuickPics Photography. Isn't this a gorgeous view? For photos of the actual house, check out the slideshow.

(No, I don't take my own real estate photographs. Timewise, it's cheaper to hire someone, freeing me to find buyers for my listings! And then more listings!)

I already knew I had passed all of the required classes, but it was still an awesome feeling getting this official certificate in the mail!

I hope you've been keeping track of your sweet moments, too. Share them in the comments! My phone has become a handy log for mine.

A good snapshot stops a moment from running away.

~Eudora Welty
Well, 56 isn’t so bad…

April 21, 2015

I turned 56 two weeks ago. I've had intentions of writing this post ever since, but somehow the days have just flown by me.

I hope that's not indicative of this coming year! But I know it will be. Heck, it's indicative of the past decade!

But otherwise, I'm kind of liking 56. I like the sound and feel of it. It fits better than 55 for some reason. Maybe I've just gotten used to the idea that I'm sliding on in to 60, and I'm okay with that.

For my birthday, I didn't celebrate as I have in the past with some new-to-me Austin experience, like Esther's Follies last year.

Instead, this year I treated myself by earning the GRI designation. It stands for "Graduate, REALTOR® Institute" and to earn it (in Texas) you take 90 hours of classes covering topics like diversity, finance, agency, contracts, marketing… all packed into three 30-hour classes: Finance, Marketing, and Brokerage, each with its own test.

My birthday fell on the first day of my final class, Brokerage. That may not sound like an exciting way to spend your birthday, but thanks to a few Facebook friends in the room, including the teacher, my day started with 60 or so people singing happy birthday to me.

And for lunch we had ice cream! Pecan Praline! I even went back for seconds.

Because, hey, it was my birthday!

Of course, I really started celebrating a week or so before my actual birthday by way of dinners with friends and it continued on through yesterday when our office sang to all of the April birthday-people and treated us to a cake decorated with bluebonnets.

Speaking of bluebonnets, every April, just in time for my birthday, I'm blessed with a bouquet of them… so to speak.

I'm so glad I was born in April!

Here are a few other sweet!s that had me celebrating the past couple of weeks…

Graduation ceremonies and rubber duckies

My mom gaining enough strength to stand and relinquish the need for a hoyer lift

The smell of a sea of bluebonnets

A gift certificate in the mail from friends for a haircut with my favorite hair guy!

Receiving a tote featuring my own photograph that a sneaky friend bought from my Redbubble account

Being an advocate for my mom and her roommate

Not getting hammered by the hail that pounded surrounding neighborhoods

Deciding to donate a portion of my commission for every transaction above $150,000 to the nonprofit of my client's choice. (This week it will be Wounded Warriors.)

Finally publishing a new post on my Confessions of a Photography Addict blog (bluebonnets!)

Yellow flowers filling in when bluebonnets begin to fade

I hope April is giving you bouquets of sweet!s!

"A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip."

~Author Unknown
Looking back from an Easter Sunday

April 5, 2015

Howdy! Have you missed me?

It's hard to believe it's been over two weeks since my last post. A lot has happened! But don't worry … I'll just give you the sweet! highlights, not all the boring details.

First of all, it's Easter Sunday – Resurrection Sunday – for me, the source of all hope, a reminder of renewal and rebirth and begin-agains.

My heart also felt light from the moment I opened my eyes because I knew all of my kids were here under the same roof as me and Tom.

Of course, it wasn't the same as Easter mornings years ago. I knew the Easter bunny hadn't paid our house a visit during the night. The colorful baskets were still tucked away in the storage room, covered with dust, not crowding the dining room table filled with candy and toys, and we had no colored egg hunt scheduled for after church.

I did, however, make some mini-quiches for breakfast before heading off to Mass, and they were almost as big a hit as those baskets of the past.

Almost.

After church, we enjoyed smoked turkey a la Tom. He woke up at 5 a.m. to start it cooking so it would be ready on time, bless his heart. And I still got him to smile for the camera!

Here are a few other sweet!s, in no particular order…

The bluebonnets have popped! Every year it's like they count to three and spring up all at once, blanketing roadsides and pastures. The yellows and purples and even some reds have joined them. It's a wildflower fiesta!

Yesterday I met a cousin for lunch for a long-overdue catch-up session, then we both visited Mama. My cousin always brings her gifts… this time a beautiful bouquet of spring flowers and a box of gourmet chocolates.

Last week … or maybe it was the week before … I had dinner overlooking Lake Marble Falls with a friend, celebrating her birthday a little late and mine a little early…

…then we celebrated again a few nights later in an awesome Italian restaurant with two other friends. I love dragging my birthday celebration out over days, weeks, months…

An agent friend brought me some beautiful handmade pillow covers back from India to thank me for helping her with a property while she was away helping her father. Aren't they gorgeous?

My brother-in-law paid us a surprise visit on his way home to Arizona from Arkansas, where he bought a three-wheeled motorcycle off of Craig's List. No photos, but it was wonderful to see him!

There have been a ton of new home events lately. At one I met Vince Young…

…and at another I test-drove a Tesla!

Last Saturday evening I was able to help friends celebrate their 20th anniversary by listening to the music of Shake Russell, Mike Roberts, and Michael Hearne, as the sun set on Lake Travis.

Earlier this week I finally reconnected with a high school friend who only lives a few miles away. She introduced me to a great Cajun restaurant right in our little town that I've passed every day for years. Two sweet!s in one!

Then there were the usual sweets, that are so easily taken for granted or overlooked … morning walks with Belle when the sun first peeks into the hollow, the sight of a llama in a pasture along a highway, hawks singing and soaring over the hollow, the brilliant green of new leaves against a blue sky, the purple splashes of redbuds and mountain laurel and wisteria, and sunlight highlighting a spider web before you walk right into it…

On Easter Day the veil between time and eternity thins to gossamer.

~Douglas Horton

I hope all of you have been paying attention to the sweet! moments in your life, the big and the small. Happy Easter, Happy Passover, Happy Sunday!
A sweet!-speckled day and SxSW…almost

March 16, 2015

Now, as a REALTOR®, this t-shirt from the Etsy shop SpikeStuff goes against everything I stand for. I want people to move here! And I want them to let me help them find a home! Austin is an awesome place to live and there's still plenty of room for everyone!

But tonight, as an Austinite, I let the logistics of traffic and parking overcome the excitement of going to a private SxSW party downtown in the Google Fiber Space.

Yes, the dread of traffic and the challenge of finding a parking spot was more powerful than the allure of free food and alcohol, and the (very) slight possibility of catching a glimpse of a celebrity.

Because at this time of year, Austin is not just full… it's overflowing! Thousands flock downtown for SxSW, and the Austin Rodeo draws a huge crowd, too.

And there really are celebrity sightings. Phil Collins visited the State Library and Archives last week, where my son works.

I had actually been looking forward to the event tonight, very excited that I had won a spot. I would have gone despite the traffic and parking challenges, but I was busy working on an offer for a precious young couple trying to buy their first home and just lost track of the time.

When I finally looked at the clock, I realized I would barely get to the party before it would be time to leave.

So… I decided to write a blog post instead, and tell you about some sweet!s I gathered today…

…As soon as the sun rose enough to light my path, Belle and I headed out for our morning walk. (She's ready to go when it's still dark, but I draw the line at walking by flashlight, as much as possible!) It was cool, but not cold, and gray clouds were peeling away to reveal a clear blue sky and a crescent moon slow to say goodbye.

We followed our normal path, jogging down the caliche road, then making a large loop through a neighbor-who-doesn't-live-here-yet's property. His pond actually has water in it, now, and as we followed the trail close to it, we heard a loud ruckus on the other side. Belle barked and dashed forward. I arrived in time to see the tails of three deer disappear into the woods.

Life is returning to the hollow, along with the water.

Here's a photo of our pond. Not full, but more full than it's been in awhile!

…Mama was still lying down when I arrived for my visit this afternoon, but the aides soon had her up in her wheelchair. I fetched hot water from the kitchen for her afternoon cup of Cafe Vienna (General Foods International Coffee – her addiction for twenty-plus years) while she had her nebulizer treatment. Once the mask was removed, I brushed her hair as she sipped her coffee.

It's longer than I ever remember it. She has no interest in going to the beauty parlor there in the nursing home and getting it cut. The beautician did a fantastic job last time, but that was months ago. Now her silver-white waves flow below her ears.

I enjoy smoothing the bed-head tangles away, chatting as I move the brush. Mostly I enjoy touching her, doing something for her. Being with her.

…Our caliche road runs down a small hill, then curves around its base, paralleling the creek that gives the hollow its name. This afternoon I had rounded the curve at the bottom and was approaching our house when I spotted something that gave me flashbacks to my beloved Frankie: a huge wild turkey was crossing the road just beyond our house. He wasn't in a big hurry, but moved in a steady path, disappearing before I even turned in to park.

I thought about trying to track him down and maybe snap a photo with my phone, but decided instead, to let him be, and just be grateful for the sight of him. Maybe he'll stay.

And adopt us. And eat birdseed on our windowsill. And come inside to inspect my bookshelves. And go on morning walks with me and Belle.

(Yeah, I know I'm dreaming. There was only one Frankie bird.)

I hope your Monday was speckled with sweet!s, too! If it wasn't (or even if it was!) here's a wish for you in honor of St. Patrick's Day tomorrow…

A sunbeam to warm you,
A moonbeam to charm you,
A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you.
~Irish Blessing
Princess Josie, Country Dog

March 14, 2015

While my son and daughter-in-law have been traipsing through castles in Germany, we've been lucky enough to hobnob with a princess this past week – Princess Josie, our grandpuppy.

Belle's had mixed emotions about it. She's always loved Josie, but has gotten used to being an "only" puppy since Max passed away. For her part, Josie is a little older and has always been an "only" puppy.

Plus, on visits in years past, when Max was still with us, he and Belle were outside dogs; Josie had the house to herself. That's just the way it was and everyone accepted it.

I'm sure Josie was surprised when Belle followed her into the house this time!

Still, as a princess, she has managed to maintain some perks that Belle doesn't get to enjoy. For instance, I gave up ages ago trying to keep Josie off of the couch. She is a persistent little poot.

But so cute! It's tough saying "no" to that face!

Belle is more obedient; it only took one "no" for her to realize the couch was off-limits. Of course, she was just grateful to be inside at all, and didn't want to jeopardize her new status!

I was worried that Belle would try it again when she saw Josie snuggled up there on the couch, but she's been content to lie on her bed in my office during the day or next to my bed at night, while Josie snoozes on the couch and Aunt Cathy's afghan.

Overall, they are both really, really good dogs. I was nervous about leaving them in the house all alone for hours and hours but apparently they both have iron bladders and just sleep when we're not here.

(Although it's obvious one – or both – have been sleeping on my bed when we're not here. But considering there were no messes and nothing destroyed, I choose to turn a blind eye.)

For the most part, the girls have enjoyed each other's company, especially these last few days of gorgeous weather… chasing squirrels, barking in harmony at the slightest noise, and graciously sharing the attention of all of us with nary a growl.

Well, very few growls.

But this was their last day together. Josie's parents are back from their European jaunt. Her dad picked her up this evening.

Josie and I were both happy to see him, but Belle and I will both miss Princess Josie.

"If you get to thinking you're a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else's dog around."

~Will Rogers
The Great Austin Ice Storm of 2015

March 8, 2015

This past Thursday – the morning of the Great Ice Storm – I slept in, made myself a delicious veggie omelette, then took the girls (Belle and my grandpuppy Josie) for a long walk through the hollow.

It was cold, but the cloudless sky was a brilliant blue and the sunshine was a welcome sight after days of drizzly gray.

The girls were excited about getting out of the house.

The city pretty much shut down in anticipation of what could have been a very dangerous situation due to a cold front and warm front crossing paths above us.

However, we lucked out because of timing. The rain fell before the temperatures had a chance to drop low enough to be a problem … or something like that. I can't remember the weatherman's exact explanation for the no-show-ice-storm.

All I found to photograph was a little frost and some tiny frozen droplets.

I really didn't care.

My last GRI Marketing class was postponed until Friday, so Thursday was a much-needed deep breath in an exhausting week, and I took full advantage of a day at home.

Josie and Belle were happy about it, too.

But since I teased you about an ice storm, I'll share my photos from earlier in the week…

That's about all the winter I want, thank you very much.

I think this little yellow flower agrees.

Instead of compiling my sweet! moments in one post, I'm going to try to share some of them separately. This was definitely a sweet! spot in my week!

What was one of yours?

recent posts

about