thoughts on growing older...

Tomorrow Mike and Chris will turn 24; at the end of this month is Xander's 7th birthday, and in September I'll turn 60. All these birthdays have got me thinking about aging; what I like best about it and what I like least.

The thing I like best? I like that I'm about to turn 60. I hated turning 50, but for some reason, I have a feeling of optimism about turning 60 that I haven't felt since I was turning 21...

The thing I like least? Stepping on the scale. When I do that, I'm shocked by how much stronger the Earth's gravitational pull becomes each year as one grows older (thanks, Dave Barry, for pointing this out to all of us).

but I would not be convicted, by a jury, of my peers...

I spent the day at the Crowley Building being eliminated as a juror in a criminal case. I found it incredibly frustrating. Voir dire went on all afternoon. The purpose of voir dire is to enable the parties to select an impartial panel, but of the final 12 people who were chosen from our panel of 76 potential jurors, not one had uttered a single word during voir dire. One of them, a guy in his 50’s, did speak to me in the hall outside the courtroom while we we were waiting to hear who was picked. And what did this man who made the final cut he have to say? “Well, if this “victim” is a 13 year old girl, all I’ve got to say is, 13 year old girls LIE…” He was picked over the SMU professor who had asked for clarification between individual and corporate deterrents when sentencing was being discussed, and over the business man who said, in response to a question from the prosecutor, that yes, there is a difference between innocence and being found not guilty. During voir dire, the lawyers succeeded in eliminating many people who clearly could not participate fairly in this case; however, they also appeared to eliminate anyone who appeared to be a thinking, intelligent person. The experience did not leave me feeling confident about the state of the jury system.

Carly's Monday Photo Shoot - LAYERS

"Life is like an onion: you peel it off one layer at a time, and sometimes you weep." Carl Sandburg

EMPS #50: Layers. Carly has a really cool assignment this week: she wants to see some LAYERS, and how things go together to create something different that catches the eye. If you want to play too, click HERE.

At first, I was stumped by this assignment. Layers? Of what? But then I began walking around my house, camera in hand, opening closet and pantry doors…and Virgo that I am, I discovered that my house is of course filled with layers. For this assignment I decided to concentrate on some of the dishes that I own. I love to cook, and I love having friends and family over to my house for dinner, and part of the pleasure, for me, is setting a pretty table, whether we're eating in the kitchen or the patio or the dining room. To that end I’ve collected lots of different dishes over the years. Here are some shots of some of those dishes, and the patterns they create stacked in my pantry and cupboards. In all cases, I've done a close up of the layers first, concentrating on the patterns that appealed to me in the layers; then there's a second shot showing what the dishes look like from a bit farther away, at a glance.

clear glass cereal bowls











family china













































Christmas plates




































white pinecone pottery






















red soup bowls




















place mats






Kitchen chairs





















a drawer full of everyday napkins

My Favorite Breakfast...

This is probably my favorite breakfast of all time: a toasted sesame seed bagel with cream cheese with chives, lox, tomato, red onion, capers, fresh orange juice, and a cup of Peet's coffee with cream and sugar.

Yum.

Patrick's Saturday Six #278 -

I haven't played the Saturday Six in a while, so I decided it was time. If you'd like to play too, click HERE.

1. What non-domesticated animal would you most like to see up close (assuming your safety was guaranteed)? No question, a tiger!

2. What’s the most exotic animal you’ve ever touched or held in person? That would be my Bengal cats, Mia and Leo. They were incredibly beautiful and very interesting, but really never became domesticated, and eventually I had to give them away.

3. If you could take a cruise to the Bahamas or to Alaska, which one would you choose? Alaska.

4. Where’s the most “exotic” place you’ve been to so far? Hmmm, I'd have to say Hawaii.

5. Take the quiz: The Jungle Test

You Are Imaginative

You are a creative, innovative person. You're not afraid of great risks. Right now, you are seeking peace and tranquility in your life. You are drawn to people who are philosophical and thoughtful. You feel like there are many major things in your life that need to be changed. You are quick to react. You are courageous and bold.

The Jungle Test

6. If you could afford it, which would you most like to have in your backyard: a fish pond, a Japanese garden, a water fountain or a quiet gazebo? It's a toss up between the fish pond and the water fountain. I'd like the sound of the fountain, but the look of the pond.

toot, toot, tootsie...

Reading the NY Times style section, I came across an article on feet. Apparently, a majority of women in the US hate their feet. Huh?

I remember in the 60's there was an ad for an exfoliant foot cream that showed a woman, apparently nude, sitting with her arms and legs crossed strategically, that read: What's the ugliest part of your body? Whoa, I found the ad on Google images; you can see for yourself:

The first time I saw that ad, I have to admit, "feet" did not come to mind...

According to the article, so many women hate their feet that there are apparently "I hate feet" groups on Facebook! Sheesh! I'm not sure why, but I've always liked my feet, and I've always taken better care of them than I have of my hands. Admittedly I now spend 9 months of the year in open toed sandals, but even when I lived in the frozen north and wore socks for 9 months a year, I gave myself regular pedicures. I read the comments posted on the NY Times article, and there were the usual killjoys, upset and critical that anyone would spend time or money having a pedicure, yada yada yada, whining that feet are purely functional. Yeah, but so are teeth, and yet most of us brush and floss daily and see a dentist a couple of times a year. Years ago I had a neighbor who loved to harass me about the fact that I colored my hair, while she'd allowed herself to go grey. One day I'd had enough and pointed out that she permed her hair on a regular basis, so really, although we were doing different things to achieve it, both of us were changing what nature had given us, in an attempt to improve our appearance. Having well groomed feet is more than just a matter of personal style, though. Ask any diabetic, or anyone caring for a diabetic, about the importance of taking care of their feet.

I've always liked my feet, and at 59, I still like 'em!

New stairs...

Woo Hoo! The stairs are finished AT LAST! The pics say it all...