Long Hollow

My Fourth of July, 2013

July 5, 2013

I missed the parade this morning. I had the freedom to sleep in, and felt it would be un-American not to take advantage of it, so by the time I was up and walked the dogs, I would have been scrambling to get to work on time if I had dashed off to the parade.

But I admit I regretted not seeing my friends driving their Longhorn Orange Model T in the parade. If I had known they were participating, I would have gone to bed earlier, instead of staying up past midnight last night to read another chapter of The Game of Thrones last night. (Just taking advantage of another liberty!)

Our vineyard (as in "the vineyard where I work", not "the vineyard I own") hosted a VinoPalooza today which included wine tastings from other vineyards, live music, pulled pork sandwiches, and horse-drawn carriage rides.

I didn't get to taste any of the other wines or hear the live music, because I worked inside the bistro the whole time, but I did get a pulled pork sandwich and a ride in the carriage with co-workers once the whole gig was over and all the guests had had their chance, thanks to co-worker Angelia who paid for all of us.

Say hello to Dolly, the horse. ("Hello, Dolly!" Get it?)

That's Kain on my right, who I've known since he was in TG's kindergarten class, and his mom, Angelia, on my left, who I've known since then, too, of course. And Clay, who I would co-work with on the weekends and then substitute teach during the week last year. (Or was it the year before?) His mom used to work with us, too.

That's life in a small town.

I just like this photo.

Since I didn't make it to the parade, I was determined to watch the fireworks, so after work I drove up Airport Hill which overlooks our little town, the lake, and the hills beyond. I pulled into a deserted cul-de-sac to wait for dark.

Not long after I parked, two other vehicles joined me…two young couples. The guys were National Guard and they had patriotic music playing on an iPod or iPhone or iSomething. We chatted a little as the sun went down, fireflies flickered, and small bursts of fireworks popped up out of a handful of small communities sprinkled through the hills.

It got dark, and we were tempted to get anxious…especially since the mosquitoes had discovered us…but I remembered the years before when we'd watch the fireworks in the park below us, growing impatient after the sun set. The fireworks always started about twenty minutes after we thought they should.

Sure enough, at 9:40 pm, they began. I stood there with the two young military couples on a hill overlooking my little town, ooh-ing and ah-ing over the colorful, sparkly, beautiful fireworks. My photos don't do them justice.

But it was so much better than watching alone. I gave thanks for another 4th of July memory to stash along with the others.

Happy birthday, America, and happy 4th of July to all of you!

How often we fail to realize our good fortune in
living in a country where happiness is more than a lack of tragedy.

~Paul Sweeney
Progress and Pre-Celebrations

July 4, 2013

Your present
circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you
start.

-Nido Qubein

Driving home along a near-empty toll road tonight, the horizon beside me suddenly came colorfully alive with beautiful fireworks.

Great timing, because inside I was celebrating the 100 I had just made on the final exam of my first real estate course. It was open book, and I was second to the last one to finish with only about 10 minutes on the clock…but I made 100! Whoo-hoo!

Our instructor was awesome, energetically packing four nights of material into three because of the 4th of July holiday.

One down, five to go. My next class starts Monday evening, but I plan to start reading the book tomorrow…

You can have anything you want – if you want it badly enough. You
can be anything you want to be, have anything you desire, accomplish anything
you set out to accomplish – if you will hold to that desire with singleness of
purpose.

– Robert Collier

It was after ten when I arrived home, but Tom was still outside behind the house, piecing rock together to form a driveway within the beam of a huge floodlight. Almost every night when he gets home, and every spare minute he has on his days off, he's out there eyeing, chipping, tapping rocks.

This is a bigger project than the terrace near the little pond, but he's made a lot of progress. I envy his focus and determination.

The Artist is alive and well.

What is the essence of America? Finding and maintaining that perfect,
delicate balance between freedom "to" and freedom
"from."

~Marilyn vos Savant

For the second year in a row, I'll be working on the Fourth of July. But isn't that part of being free, being able to work, to help your family?

My little town has a parade in the morning and fireworks near the lake at dusk every year on the Fourth. I faithfully attended both until a few years ago, when my kids grew up and away.

But I'm thinking tomorrow morning I might have time to watch a little of the parade before work…and perhaps I'll try to catch at least a few of the fireworks afterwards, just so it feels more like the Fourth.

Whether I do or not, I'll give thanks that I'm an American, and wish my country a happy birthday!

I hope all of you have a fantastic Fourth of July, whether you celebrate with parades and fireworks, backyard cookouts, or quiet days at home!

The beauty of being an American is being able to choose.

I prefer liberty with danger to peace with slavery.

~Author Unknown
Just Me and Belle, Huntin’ Lizards

July 2, 2013

I'm not sure if Max was mad at me for sleeping in, or if he thought it was already too hot, but Monday morning there was nothing I could do to coax that old dog to go for a walk with me.

It hurt my feelings, because I didn't have time Saturday or Sunday to go for walks before work. In fact, I'd barely seen him since Friday. Old fart.

So Belle and I went without him.

She's usually reluctant to venture far without him, but that morning she seemed to relish the alone time with me.

We came to an area of tall grass. She froze in her tracks, listening…and smelling. I watched her nose, fascinated at the way it twitched this way and that, rhythmic and intent. She stomped her paw. Waited. Listened. Smelled. Stomped.

There was a rustle of grass. She pounced, and at the same time, I caught a glimpse of a striped lizard zipping past me. I turned, barely in time to snap this photo before the lizard disappeared in the grass near the building.

Meanwhile, Belle still snuffled in the grass behind me, searching, clueless; I didn't have the heart to tell her I caught the lizard.
Evolution of a Career Woman

July 2, 2013

I'm home from my first real estate class.

I don't count the one Tom and I took when I was pregnant with our firstborn. That was almost thirty years ago…and to be honest, it just didn't click with me at the time…maybe because I was pregnant, attending class after working a twelve-hour shift.

Neither of us intended to become realtors. We were taking the course for an overview of Texas real estate; we knew we would be buying and selling soon.

But now it clicks. Helping people, looking at houses, getting outside, being challenged, always something new to learn…

Tonight, in between taking notes on my energetic instructor's lesson, highlighting text in my book, and sipping coffee, I was tempted to mentally kick myself for not doing this last year. Or thirty years ago.

But… I know in my heart I really wasn't ready until now.

"Like this," Ann said, showing me how to weave the strips of bread dough around a Pyrex dish to make bread dough baskets like the ones we'd seen at Houston's Westheimer Art Festival. It was circa 1977 in her mother's kitchen.

She made it look so easy, but when I attempted it, my fingers got in the way. The strips stretched too thin and broke.

She laughed. "You better be a career woman!"

I nodded. That was already my plan. I was going to be a chemical engineer…

"Why don't you have a real career?" my daughter asked me about ten years ago.

I can't remember what triggered the question – probably some issue about money. As far back as my kids can remember, there's always been an issue about money, because there's always been only one major breadwinner. First me, then their dad. For them.

I'm not sure how I answered her question. It required a complicated explanation, and even though I have a tendency to give long, drawn-out answers, I bet I didn't mention how I never planned to be a stay-at-home mom when I was growing up, or how, all through three pregnancies, I longed for the day I didn't have to leave my babies behind and venture out to work a twelve-hour shift at a chemical plant where I might die in an explosion.

(Worst-case scenario, but it happens, and I'd fought fires out there, and when you have babies at home, that possibility always hovers in a corner of your mind.)

I probably didn't tell her how I'd had to go up the chain of command at the plant to fight for the right to use some of the three weeks of vacation days I'd earned to stay home with her big brother when his asthma first appeared.

Or how I would arrive home some mornings after working twelve hours to nap on the couch in between her brother's nebulizer treatments and take him to see the doctor as soon as the office opened, my eyes foggy with sleep.

I might have tried describing how rewarding it was to be home with them as they grew, to have the flexibility to focus on my family and its needs, to be with them when they were sick, to volunteer my time for a dozen worthwhile organizations, to chaperone field trips…to just share memories of time spent together.

I'm not sure what I said. All I remember is the pang I felt in my gut when she said it, because that's where I still carried the dream of finishing my degree and having some kind of career.

"If you're a realtor, you will be showing properties on the weekends…" my son told me just last week. "You'd have to be a workaholic for awhile to gain some territory."

Working weekends? Workaholic? I realized my kids know nothing about my work history…or my work present.

I had a plan when I dropped out of college: I'd get a job where I could make enough to support myself and go back to college on my own. The only job that fit that description was "Chemical Plant Operator", so I went from plant to plant, all along the Houston Ship Channel, turning in one application after another.

Long story short, at nineteen I was hired by DuPont to help start up a new methanol plant. After a few months in portable buildings, learning about the process, it began: twelve-hour shifts, almost seven days a week.

For thirteen years, through my wedding, my husband's college career, and three pregnancies, I worked nights, days, weekends, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter…twelve-to-sixteen hours at a time. I've had a mortgage payment since I was twenty.

I went back to school during my last pregnancy, taking writing classes at night at the community college, swapping shifts or using vacation so I didn't miss a class.

But of course, he wouldn't remember that. And he probably doesn't remember me going to class when he and his siblings were young, staying up for hours after reading them their bedtime stories to do my homework or to study for a test, munching on popcorn to stay awake.

And he probably doesn't realize that now…mornings, nights, weekdays, weekends, 24/7…I'm either working at a paid part-time job, working on a photography or jewelry gig, blogging, marketing myself in photography or jewelry or blogging, slowly making progress on one of my many fictional works-in-progress…or reading up on how to improve in all of the above.

But how would he know? When my kids are home, I still focus on them.

Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love?
Can the child within my heart rise above?
Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides?
Can I handle the seasons of my life?

Well, I've been afraid of changing
'Cause I've built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
I'm getting older too.

~Stevie Nicks

Seasons have changed. I feel it in the air…I feel it in my heart. This is the path I'm supposed to take. If I'm going to work this hard, I'd like to have something to show for it.

It's time, and I'm ready. And I know how to work.
Music, and Sweet Summer Nights

June 29, 2013

Strong lager and some early Zep tunes.
I ask thee, is there a better way to spend an evening?

~Author Unknown

Well, I wasn't drinking strong lager, and they weren't early Zep tunes, but I did spend a great Wednesday evening listening to rock and blues, watching the sun go down in Austin's Zilker Park with a few of my kids, plus about a zillion other people.

Blues on the Green is in its 23rd year, but this was my first taste of it. I've thought about going before, but it took Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears to get me to head downtown on a Wednesday night, battling Austin's rush hour traffic.

Spending time with my kids and my grandpuppy…watching the sun go down…listening to music outside on a summer evening…people-watching…it was a sweet! Wednesday night for sure.

And here are a few more sweet!s from the past week…

Tuesday: riding in a Suzuki Samurai on a summer night, windows down, breeze playing in your hair; helping your husband with a project

Wednesday: country roads decorated with wildflowers; mockingbirds singing to you; finally going to a Blues on the Green performance in Austin; seeing/hearing Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears perform "Sugarfoot" in person; an evening with 3/4 of your kids and your grandpuppy, and a hug from the other 1/4

Thursday: passes to a free screening of a movie; Mexican food, Mexican martinis, and a movie with a friend

Friday: drops of sunlight in a little creek; registering for real estate school; coupons for your prescriptions; hanging onto your patience when you have to call AT&T for the second time in a week to correct your statement

Saturday: eight hours of sleep; a not-too-busy, not-too-slow day at work; listening to 60's music while you work; your son home for a visit; even more bouquets of mountain pinks popping up everywhere; getting back on your sweet!-posting schedule; visiting your neighbor who brought you the textbook for your first real estate class, so you can get a headstart. (She teaches at the school!)

I hope your days are dotted with wild bouquets of sweet!s…share them here!
Five Things on Friday

June 28, 2013

1.

We stopped by the little pond on our walk this morning. I noticed that when the puppies waded in and drank from pond, drops of reflected sunshine splattered across the surface. It was magical!

2.

I did it. I registered for Real Estate School today. I scheduled the classes (which begin next week) around my work schedule. July is going to be tough.

My sister-in-law, who's been kicking real estate butt in Mesa, Arizona for the past couple of years, tried to get me to go into real estate last year, but it just didn't click with me at the time.

I think events over the past year helped prepare me for it, get my mind in the right spot, and now I'm really excited about this new career and grateful none of those doors I've been banging on have opened for me.

Dare I say it? I think I'll love it!

(I'm even more grateful I won't be filling out any more job applications.…although I guess I better knock on wood about that.)

If I become scarce around here, it's because I'm studying! Wish me luck!

3.

For those who wanted to read the whole poem from my last post, here it is, from my grandmother to you…

(Just to clarify…she didn't write it, she just framed it and used it for reassurance, too.)

4.

Last night I attended a free screening of the new movie The Way Way Back through Gofobo. Have you heard of it? It's a promotion company for movies. I stumbled across it on another blog – I can't even remember which one – and signed up. All I had to do was complete a survey/review of the movie when I got home last night.

They warn you that they overbook and you need to get there early, so we did (I brought a friend)…but I didn't realize we'd have to wait in a line outside. You can tell the pros from the newbies like me – they bring chairs and books and food.

I'm not sure I would do it again, but it was still a fun evening, just spending time with my friend. On the way we stopped for Mexican food (and a Mexican martini)…they gave us free sunglasses in the theater…and while I expected more from the movie, considering the amazing cast, it was entertaining.

(And free.)

5.

I caught Phillip Phillips on the Today Show this morning. I don't watch American Idol, but now I wish I had watched the season he won. If I can find his CD on sale somewhere, I'm getting it, even though I don't normally buy CDs anymore, either.

I could listen to his songs over and over and over…

Not familiar with him? Listen to this…

{Remembering}

to link with

Random 5 Friday
Wild Turkey and other sweet!s

June 25, 2013

Belle and Max dashed off in the direction of a dry pond this morning on our walk, triggering a loud commotion as a mama wild turkey flew for the safety of a tree on the other end, squawking the whole way. Half a dozen small turkey-ettes followed her…squeaking, more than squawking.

Of course, it could have been a daddy Great Blue Heron, for all I know. Suffice it to say there was a lot of racket, then a big bird shot skyward followed by a bunch of little ones, and just seeing it was pretty cool, especially since everyone survived the encounter.

I didn't get a photo. The action was behind a screen of trees with just a tiny clear view before Mama/Daddy was out of my line of vision. Besides, I was busy calling to my puppies not to hurt the babies (in case there were stragglers) and also…I was just pretty much in awe, as I am any time I encounter one of God's not-so-ordinary-for-me creatures sharing the Hollow with us, usually sight unseen.

(So out of curiosity, how many of you thought I was going to talk about Wild Turkey bourbon?)

And now for some of the other sweet! moments of my past week:

Tuesday: your puppy waiting patiently for a glimpse of you through the French doors; margherita pizza

Wednesday: morning sunlight kissing weeds, turning them into art; finding a Shabby Apple dress in your mailbox that you won on a blog giveaway at Over 50, Feeling 40; a pot-luck fajita dinner and margaritas with members of your committee

Thursday: long morning walks on soft summer mornings; puffy white clouds in a blue sky; watching your puppies cool off in a tiny spring-fed pond

Friday: the AT&T tech coming closer to the 8am projected time than the 8pm; a potentially cheaper telephone and internet bill; joining friends to celebrate the life of someone we were all blessed to know

Saturday: weddings; tiny flower girls and ringbearers; Mandolo's Italian food and carrot cake; capturing photos of the full (super?) moon

Sunday: lingering after church to visit with friends; dancing to the music of a Rolling Stones cover band (the Stone Rollers) on the shore of a lake; Rudy's BBQ and frozen sangria margaritas; helping friends celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary; support and tips from experienced friends for your latest idea to get a real estate license; Siamese cats; celebrating a dear friend's birthday

Monday: finally setting up your Etsy shop; more encouragement about real estate school from another friend; inspiration from your grandmother

Tuesday: feeling rested despite not getting a lot of sleep; surprising a flock of wild turkeys…or herons…or somethings; a good preliminary report on your annual check-up; coming across a good blog post you wrote five years ago but forgot about; winning free passes to a new Steve Carell and Toni Collette movie screening

Okay, I have one more sweet! to share…

Last night I was feeling pretty discouraged about being broke and not being able to find a (substantial long-term career-type) job. So I finally set up an Etsy shop, where (fingers-crossed) I can sell pieces of my eclectic collection of books and junk odds and ends I've gathered over the years, as well as some of my photographs.

It felt good scratching that off of my list, but here's the sweet! part: on my way to bed after setting it up, I spotted a framed poem I inherited from my grandmother. It's a little cheesy, but I love it, so I guess that means I'm a little cheesy, too.

This is the part that resonated with me last night…

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

It goes on like that for two more stanzas, but you get the gist of it. Sweet encouragement straight from my grandmother when I really needed it.

I hope all of you are finding plenty of sweet!s to lighten your load, too!
Five Things on…Saturday

June 22, 2013

1.

Do any of you still
have your landlines?

I've been so tempted
to cancel ours…but then I remember the agonizing two months we lived without it when we
first moved into this house in the country, and how our cell phones only worked
outside, up the hill a little bit.

How I would stand up there, sweating and swatting mosquitoes, when I needed to made a call. How I had to sneak calls to the telephone company when I was at work, pushed to tears of frustration trying to cut through the red tape.

The telephone poles lining our road may be unsightly, but I'll tell you they were beautiful to my eyes when they first went up. I swore I'd never take my land line for granted, ever again.

So even though my iPhone works just fine
inside the house now, I'm just a little hesitant to let go of that landline.

Yet.

2.

I won this beautiful Shabby Apple dress on a raffle over at Over 50, Feeling 40. I love the classic styling!

Thank you, Pam and Shabby Apple!

3.

That's Tom's Aunt Marg in front of Gilley's Nightclub, circa 1987. Yes, the original Gilley's in "Pasa-get-down-dena"…where "Urban Cowboy" was filmed. (I wonder if John Travolta ever sat on that bench?)

Aunt Marg was visiting from Wisconsin, and of course we had to take her there. She even rode the mechanical bull!

Tom and I met at Kenny Stabler's Diamondback Saloon, but we fell in love at Gilley's the very next night. He met me there to see the band Alabama.

We danced. We talked. He seemed safe enough, so I gave him my phone number, and he kissed me goodbye in that horrible, pot-holed parking lot, next to my car. Our first real kiss.

Gilley's burned down a few years later, but word has it from Mickey Gilley's own mouth that he's going to rebuild a Gilley's nightclub in Pasadena.

I loved Gilley's, horrible parking lot and all. It had a great dancefloor, and the club itself was large enough to lose someone you didn't want to dance with. After the movie, it became too commercialized, but it was still a fun place to go dancing.

So, true redneck Texan that I am, it warms my heart that it will rise again. As I told a friend, "If they build it, I will come."

4.

Our diocese is celebrating "A Fortnight of Freedom" to draw attention to the whittling away of religious freedom in our country, to the changes our federal government is mandating that force religious institutions, including the Catholic church who historically has been a pioneer in charitable health and education services, to go against their beliefs when providing those services.

Religious liberty is being threatened, and it scares me. No matter what your beliefs about abortion or gay rights, it should scare you, too, that our government is slipping sideways into these areas and issuing mandates where they should keep their distance. Separation of church and state, remember? It works both ways.

And if we accept this without speaking up, if we consider it fair and reasonable, what's next? You know it won't stop there.

5.

On a happier, more hopeful note, we went to a wedding today.

I guess it should make me feel old that kids I've watched grow up are suddenly old enough to get married…but it doesn't. Weddings overflow in love, joy, and hope, and how can those ever do anything but make you feel young and hopeful yourself?

Congratulations, George and Danielle! May you always remember the love, joy, and hope you felt today! Thank you for sharing it with us.

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend! I'm off to ponder the full moon…
Remembering Rena

June 21, 2013

Once upon a time, I was an elementary school librarian.

Well, technically an aide, barely making minimum wage and working 50+ hours a week …but essentially I ran the library and absolutely loved it. If I had the time and money to go back to school, that's what I would be if I ever grow up.

The not-so-fun part of the job was cafeteria duty, walking up and down the aisles of screaming kids, opening milk boxes and ketchup packets, stopping food fights, and cleaning up…well, every once in awhile you got a sick kid, is all I'm saying.

But I was lucky: I had Jerry and Rena helping me.

I think at the time Jerry was the maintenance man for the school – maybe for the whole small district – but he was there to help Rena, his wife, who was the custodian. She had a special education teaching degree and I never understood why she preferred school custodial work to teaching, but she did, and she was awesome.

We worked as a team which made it fun. I would help wipe tables…they would help open milk cartons and stop fights.

I already knew them before that year, though. When we first moved to this little town, they ran an Italian restaurant serving great pizza. It was always packed. They helped us feel like this town was our home. We belonged.

They were smart, informed and active in the community. For years, Jerry and I sat until late at night at many school board meetings, staying on top of issues and decisions that were made.

Rena had an angel voice, using it to raise money and entertain the kids at school talent shows, and joining it with others in the local community singing group. She had a strong sense of right and wrong, and wasn't afraid to voice her opinion, but her smile rarely left her face.

What I didn't know until today was that they were childhood sweethearts, first getting together in junior high and marrying after college.

Rena passed away earlier this week at 63 of ovarian cancer; this afternoon I went to her funeral and told Jerry how much it meant to work side-by-side with the two of them.

Mourners overflowed the small church onto the sidewalk outside. The doors were open to the Texas heat, and, despite the ceiling fans, it was hot. Really, really hot. But no one seemed to mind.

In the crowd I spotted many familiar faces. Some from my librarian days who I hadn't seen in years, or the parents of my kids' friends, and even several members of my church, because in a small town, friendships cross many lines, especially if you're someone like Rena.

I admit my mind wandered a little as the preacher spoke about Rena's gift of singing and how it touched so many lives. Friends and family spoke of her devoted friendship and encouragement, of the fun they'd shared. A cancer patient who met Rena in a support group shared Rena's vow to live every day she had left the best she could, to spend as much time with her friends and family as possible as long as she was able.

Rena had an angel voice, and even though she never became rich or famous from it (at least not in the worldly way)…never had a hit record… she developed and shared the gift, leaving the memory of it as her legacy.

For me, as I struggle to find a potential career instead of just another job, her legacy was something different – her attitude toward her custodial job. She was the best custodian you'd ever meet, always doing her best, and eventually losing her job because she stood up for the truth, defending one of her workers. She refused to keep silent and compromise her values.

I remembered today that what matters most is giving whatever you're doing your whole effort. Singing, cleaning, parenting, whatever. Stay true to your morals and values and ethics, and make the people in your life the most important thing.

Give it all you've got, no matter what 'it' is.

Because what you do doesn't define you. It's how you do it. How much of yourself you put into it. How many people you help or inspire or encourage along the way.

Rena, you nailed it as usual, honey. Thank you.

I'm blessed to have known you.

"Use what talents you possess:
the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there
except those that sang best."

– Henry Van Dyke
The Simple Things are the Sweetest

June 18, 2013

Dawn is waking to rain and thunder this morning. She must have pulled the covers back over her head because the Hollow is still dark outside my window, except for occasional flashes of lightning.

On a normal morning, the puppies and I would already be out on the dirt road, saying hello to the new day. Instead, they're snoozing in the laundry room, warm and dry and happy, and I'm playing catch-up on posting my sweet!s.

Rain is sweet during a drought, but especially when you were able to spend hours the day before feeling the sunshine on your skin.

Weeks…well, maybe months ago, Tom trimmed branches from the trees lining the creek. I told him I'd drag them to a burn pile, and I finally kept my word yesterday morning after my walk. I had a few free hours and was already coated in mosquito spray.

Even though the morning was warming up fast, the shade softened the heat. Wildflowers dotted the woods and a field of Mexican hats grew beside the burn pile. Birds chatted in the trees and the running creek sang to me as I cleared the creek and paths of fallen branches.

Sweat soaked my head and torso, tickling my nose, and bits of leaves and bark freckled my arms, but it felt good using my muscles to gather the branches, drag them uphill, and throw them on the growing pile. I've always loved repetitive work like that, when my thoughts are free to fly where they will.

The higher the pile grew, the younger I felt. I gave thanks for the morning, the sunshine, the flowers, the creek, the sweat…but mostly for the ability to do the job. When you're 54, you don't take that for granted.

And now for more sweet! moments from the past week…

Monday: friends sending you links to potential jobs; the anticipation of a weekend at the beach with girlfriends, even if it's still months away; a photoshoot with a fun family; wading in a lake on a hot day; fawns

Tuesday: relishing a soft summer morning with your puppies before a busy day at work; daily talks with your mom

Wednesday: phone conversations with your mother-in-law; your mother-in-law winning $1000 on a $1 scratch-off lottery ticket; word that one of your photos will be featured in HuffPost 50

Thursday: hearing a friend's voice for the first time in a year; dinner, lots of popcorn, and a Matthew McConaughy movie with girlfriends

Friday: finally using a certificate for a massage your son gave you for Christmas; catching up with a dear friend; getting your client's photos to her on time and hearing that she liked them; old red trucks; your dad NOT having to go to the hospital

Saturday: a road trip with your kids to spend Father's Day with your dad; your mom appearing stronger than the last time you saw her; hearing that your three Beach Yoga photos will soon grace the wall of a summer rental home belonging to a friend in Greece

Sunday: having the coffee ready and the newspaper on the table for your dad when he wakes up; hamburgers and cheesecake in honor of the father of your children; hearing that a friend was baptized this morning; green metallic beetles with orange legs

Monday: bouquets of mountain pinks dotting a hillside; a green heron posing for photos; sweating from physical labor; your little creek and nearby paths finally cleared of fallen trimmed branches; a few hours with, and a hug from, your baby girl; email and Facebook that can connect you to friends on the other side of the world

Tuesday: rain during a drought; unexpected time to post your Sweet!s of the Week; the moment storm clouds break to reveal blue sky

I didn't quite finish this before the storm drifted past, with little patches of blue sky peeking down, reminding me to get the dogs out of the laundry room. I cut the walk short, though, and we stuck to the muddy road because I forgot to douse myself with mosquito spray.

Mosquito spray is definitely a sweet! around here this summer. It's the simple things, right?

I hope you're remembering to notice the sweet, simple blessings in your life. Share them with me here and make them doubly sweet!

"I'm just a simple guy, I live from day to day.
A ray of sunshine melts my frown and blows my blues away."

~Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Bonham, "Out On The Tiles" (Led Zeppelin)

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