Forgot this ornament on the last post

Forgot this one on the last post - it isn't that old, but we like to buy ornaments when we travel, to remind us of where we've been.  We picked up this one in Roswell, NM several years ago.  That town has a real sense of humor about what draws tourism.  We figured an alien posing with a gingerbread man wasn't too blasphemous.  Aren't they a darling pair?

 

Merry Christmas! more nostalgia

 Brother Bill reminded me the other day that I haven't done a blog post since he sent me the awesome retro bike.  I was gob-smacked by it!  Here we have a little Christmas blog post.  We've all been seeing Christmas stuff in stores for months.  Most "public" trees are done by interior design folks - they're all matchy-matchy and boring.  At home, we have a mix of old & new ornaments.  The old ones are my faves.  Here is a little white reindeer I remember from childhood.  There were probably 8 of them in the original set - only this one survived.  Unless Bill-Ding has one. 

This ugly little elf always goes toward the bottom of the tree, tucked into the branches.  Isn't he cute?

 

This is a nice blown glass nativity, given to me years ago by the couple who helped us through pre-marriage prep.  That marriage didn't last, but the ornament is gorgeous.  Wherever they are, I hope that couple has a jillion grandkids & they're happy and healthly.

Here's one that niece Beth made me when she was a kid.  She's in her 40's now with kids of her own. 

 

I had my final vacation day of the year today, which was super hectic with shopping, errands, lawn-mowing (it's Texas!) and more shopping.  Time to take a little breather.  Spend time with your loved ones this holiday season, cook something together, and get some rest.  PEACE to all!

Then & now? Sooner or Later? Before & After!

Who's up for a little nostalgia?  (WE ARE!)  Well, girls & boys, this week, your blogmistress stepped out the front door for the mail, and what was out there?  A couple of huge boxes, that's what.  (WHAT WAS IN THEM?)  I'm glad you asked.  A cool, retro bike was in them!!  Ok, it was in several pieces, but now it's one awesome bike.

How did this come to be?  Let's rewind about 40 years.  We called this Mom's bike, and so it was.  It's a big, heavy, one-speed.  Your blogmistress, being smart and industrious, not to mention semi-brawny, took over brother Bill's paper route when he went to work at A&P in the early 70's.  She needed a summer ride to deliver those papers!  Enter Mom's bike.  Here we are, Mom & daughter, probably at the precise moment of hand-off.  Look, there are the papers, behind the bike!

Big brother Dave stored this bike in his garage or barn for many years.  Last year, after Bill finished restoring the Ding-Ray, he needed a new project.  So he restored Mom's bike!  What a fine job he did, too.  Thanks Bill-Ding!  I don't have any purple bellbottoms these days, but I tried to capture the same stance - check it!

Bill tricked it out with a headlight on the front fender and a horn - the original, paper route workhorse didn't have that - don't we all need a little enhancement as we get older?  (Botox?  SURE!  Boob job?  NO!)

When is the last time you rode your bike, just for fun?  Get out there & start pedaling. 

The drought is definitely OVER, at least in Texas

I think it has rained for at least 10 days straight in Houston.  What a contrast to last year!  There is still a drought throughout the midwest, and the farmers are feeling that pain.  I don't think we'll be complaining about rain for a long time to come.  Along with the rain, though, comes more creepy mushrooms.  They're everywhere in the garden!

Everywhere!  I think they're nasty.

You know what we don't have, though?  That crappy jasmine I pulled out while the house was being built.  I did such a good job of that, I haven't seen one leaf of the stuff since we moved back in.  Hurray!  Cuz it was worse than the mushrooms, and harder to get rid of.  

Who says you can't win in Vegas?

Has it been a whole month since my last blog post?  Never mind that.  Last week, I went to Las Vegas to attend the user conference for the law firm's accounting software.  We all stayed at the lovely Aria resort & casino.  Hey, I won $15.75 on video poker, and it only took me 10 minutes!  I had the wisdom to walk away while I was ahead. 

Meanwhile, my friends and I had to do a little shopping when we got to Vegas.  The mall next door to our hotel had a lot of expensive stores.  Usually, out in the middle of the mall, there are kiosks with less expensive items.  Not in Vegas!  Check out this cool Ferrari, right there in the mall.  Notice what side of the velvet rope I'm on.   A girl can dream, can't she?

Happy Independence Day, everyone!  Fly the flag and enjoy the fireworks.

It's June and it's HOT

We're back to the usual stinkin' summer heat in Houston & glad the AC works.  This lovely butterfly was hanging out in the yard this morning.

Some of you might have seen the youtube video of the guy who proposed to his bride to the Bruno Mars' tune, "I think I want to marry you."  Awwww!  It was a nice video, but look at the NBC News caption - the propsal?  That's BS.  Who edits these shows?

May showers bring May flowers, too - who knew?

Last summer we were begging for rain.  This spring, we've had plenty of it.  Ahhhhh!  Check out the rain lilies in bloom - thanks to the rain!  They seem to know the difference between sprinkler water and rain water.  Smart flowers.