Surprise!

This afternoon, I had gotten an email from Green Mountain Coffee, the company where I order my K-cups for my Kerig coffee maker.  I needed to make a change on my order so after trying on line to add to it, I gave up and called the company's 800 number (due to my lack of computer skills..not their website!)  The very nice lady said "this is  Mary Jane; may I help you?"  And we proceeded to get my order straightened out and on our way.  Then she said, "Jay, are you sitting down?" so I thought....oh...I am winning something really special!  I am the 100th caller of the day!  oh! oh!....so I said "yes, I am!"  She then said, "You are speaking to Mary Jane.../.....!"

Well, it is a good thing I was sitting down!  Mary Jane was my roommate in college my Freshman year!  We became very good friends...she from South Dakota; I from Illinois; both at the University of Missouri;  first time away from home, etc!!  I was even in her wedding in Woonsocket, SD...a thrill for a little gal from Pittsfield, Illinois!!

Anyway, we have kept up through the years with Christmas cards.  The last time we saw each other was probably 45-46 years ago...and haven't spoken since then either...just the annual cards with notes included.  So we have followed each others' lives via mail!

My Freshman Roommate-1958-59 U of Missouri

We had a great time our freshman year...we lived in what was called the "temps"...temporary dorms which had built right after WWII to take care of the influx of veterans coming home and taking advantage of the GI Bill....and still being used many years later as girls' dorms.  We were the fortunate ones who did get to move into the new dorms which were in the process of being built but weren't ready until March of our Freshman year.  Of course, this was before the days of coed dorms....girls had "hours"..we had to be in at certain times...10:30 S-Th; 11:30-Fri, and whohoo...12:30 on Saturdays....oh and four times a year, you could sign up for a 1:00AM!!!

I am so thrilled to be in touch with Mary Jane again!!  I think as one gets older making connections with the past become more important...and what an extraordinary, karma-ish way to connect!!

Art Reception for a Friend

Yesterday, we went into Fort Worth to a reception for a very good friend/fellow artist...Danny Jones. Danny and I taught art in the same district for over 20 years, and he and his wife who was also a teacher, are part of our poker pals. Danny had been commissioned by the Worthington National Bank of Fort Worth to paint a series of pictures of the Fort Worth area.  He had finished his 12th picture this spring so the bank held a reception to show off his work.  We have been privileged to watch the process of Danny's paintings as he would work on and complete them so it was a very exciting to see them on display and be enjoyed by the public!

Last year my husband and I were downtown and visited the bank to see the pictures which were already finished and hanging.  I was able to take photographs of some of the ones which were easy to get to...

Bass Performing Hall

Will Rogers Statue and Coliseum

Kimbell Art Museum

Fort Worth Court House

The Modern

Fort Worth Post Office

Cattleman's Steakhouse

There are seven here...twelve total in the series "Fort Worth at an Angle"...Danny researched many of the buildings in Fort Worth by taking jillions of pictures...then decided to approach each subject for his watercolors in a unusual angle...thus the title of the series!

Concert in the Gardens

Asleep at the Wheel-"Western Swing"

Fireworks after every concert.

Last night we had a great time with our poker buddies....attended the first "concert in the gardens" of the season...Fort Worth Botanical Gardens hosts concerts all summer long.  We go every fourth of July with family, but this time we all wanted to see "Asleep at the Wheel" perform.  For those unfamiliar with the group, they play oldies but goodies from a genre named "Texas/Western Swing" which originated probably in the 30s....most prominently known musician for starting the style is Bob Wills.

We all took our picnics, food and drinks to share, and joined a very jovial audience sitting around in our lawn chairs on the grounds in front of the stage.  As we were nearly two hours early, we ate then played a few rounds of poker on our cooler/table.  Always a pleasant event...we met a couple celebrating their 62nd anniversary and a couple who graduated from our alma mater...University of Missouri.  

The concerts are another reason why we love Fort Worth!!

This morning I am back into a sewing mode...I am finishing up my version of what I learned at the Jane Sassaman  workshop.  And want to make some pillowcases for Cook Children's Hospital...they use colorful pillowcases for their patients and also at their many summer camps..then the kids get to take them home!

A Lesson to Learn

"Age is an Issue of mind over matter; if you don't mind, it doesn't matter!"  Mark Twain

     I have, throughout my life, been the victim of bizarre accidents...never anything too serious but somewhat weird! At age four, my sister hit me in the head with an iron fireplace broom...not her fault; we were playing "magic" before a large lilac bush; she was "casting a spell"; I walked right into the swing of the broom!!  She hid under the bed while I got stitches!

     At five, I tried to pet a strange dog...bit me on the arm...stitches.

   When I was seven, I swallowed a toothbrush bristle; it stuck in my tonsil (pretonsilectomy days) and had to be extracted by a doctor..."open wide and used those tweezers!"

     When I was nine, I fell off of a chair I was standing on (it had wheels) and broke my arm.  My mother, eight and a half months pregnant with my brother carried me to the car...the doctor gave her more attention than he did me!!!

     At eleven, I was opening a can of veggies with the "new" electric canopener on the wall; it slipped, I grabbed at the can to catch it...slashed my thumb...stitches!

     At sixteen, got my ring finger on my right hand slammed in a car door....reconstruction stitching to save the end of my finger...it worked!!

     I had perpetual scabs on my elbows and knees from crashes on my bike which I rode all over town.  (I grew up in a small town in the '50's...the true age of innocence!"

    I know there are many other little "incidents" but just wanted to set the stage for my latest strange episode!  Yesterday afternoon, we were having our poker bunch at our house for food, fun and friendship.  Just as everyone was getting here, the rains began...we all took our drinks and went to sit on the porch to watch the downpour.  A gust of wind came along and something blew into my right eye!  Really burned and felt like something inbedded in my eye.  I went in the house to try to wash it out...tried everything...my friends (the girls) gathered to aid me with advice and encouragment. (The guys continued to enjoy their beverages!)  Nothing was making my eye feel any better, so it was decided I needed to see my eye doctor.  After my gal friends fixed me up with an eye patch  (Arg-g-h-h-...that's my pirate imitation), my husband called the doctor...."if we could come right away, he could see me"...so he and I jumped into the car and headed to town. (We live about 20-30 minutes out in the country.)

    At the doctor's, he had waited for me...a really nice guy!!  But after examining my eye, he could not see anything but said it looked almost like an acid abrasion...and like I had rubbed sandpaper across my eye...I will say that was a really apt description of what it felt like, too.  He put drops in, covered the eye with a theraputic contact lens and made an appt for me to return this morning.  It was feeling MUCH better after he fixed me up so we headed home.

     In the meantime...we had left our friends to "play" with out us....we called them to let them know we were on the way.  After tracking down the phone (my husband had not put it back on the dock when he called the doctor), they told us all was well etc.  Of course, there had been rain going on and one of the stop lights on the way home was out so it took us a little longer to get home.  But when we did finally get there, our wonderful friends had the meal all set out (we had had everything cooked but not ready to serve), fixed the table, drinks, etc!!  So we ended up having a great evening (even though I didn't do very well at poker...but we play for very low stakes so no biggy!!)

     I woke up this morning....a light bulb went off in my head...I knew what had blown into my eye!!  It couldn't have been dust as it was raining, there were no bugs around or anything...but I was drinking a Margarita and I knew a speck of the salt on the rim had blown into my eye!!!  It was caustic, rough and dissolved so could not be seen!!  When I went to the doctor this morning, I told him what I thought and he, after laughing uproariously, agreed...what he hadn't told me was that he had taken a crystal-like substance off my eyelid when he was looking at my eye...and with the all over burning, etc.  it had to be the salt!!

    Moral to the story: do not drink Margaritas with salt on windy days!!

Nice Surprise!!

             When we got home from our trip, I had the nicest surprise in the mail...one of my blog buddies, Libby, had sent me a book...Barbara Kingsolver's "The Poisonwood Bible" and one of her wonderful postcards along with some packets of wild flower seeds.  She and I had "discussed" books and I had said that was one I was wanting to read....what a generous person she is!!!!!!

Life is Good!!

"The most potent muse of all is our Inner Child!" Stephen Nachmanovitch

One of the many theaters in Chicago.

Every five years since we turned 50, several of my girlfriends from High School get together in various places to celebrate.  This year (our fifth time to get together...figure it out!) we traveled from around the country to meet in Chicago.  Because he had never been there before, my husband traveled with us.  There were to be a couple other guys, but as it turned out, he was the only guy...with 12 females to usher around.  I think he secretly loved it!!  Actually, much of the time, he and I would take out on our own...then all get together for breakfast and dinner.

The Art Institute of Chicago

 This is one of my favorite places to visit.  I hadn't been to Chicago in about 45 years, and the Art Institute has about doubled in size.  When we went there this time, we had planned to visit in the morning then go somewhere else, but it was so huge, my husband and I spent the day there!!

Here we all are at the Art Institute after lunch.  Most of the other gals went on to other things when Dick and I decided to stay.  He came in real handy as our designated photographer!

Chicago Skyline over Lake Michigan

Six of us decided to take a Grayline Bus tour...we did the four hour version then Dick and I also took the tour of the John Hancock Tower with wonderful aerial views of the city...not as tall as the Sears Building but better viewing from their observation deck.

One view from the John Hancock Building

Looking the opposite way, Lakeshore Drive and Lake Michigan

We were so lucky the whole trip...it had been rainy and it was cold but when we were out, the rain held off.  And the sun came out when were up in the Hancock Building.

A View from our Hotel Window at Night

We stayed at the Hampton Inn in the Majestic Theater Building...I highly recommend it if anyone is traveling to Chicago.  Not only was it really well located, (we could walk to Millienium Park and the Art Institute, etc.) the staff were just great...very friendly and accommodating...and the rooms were very nice.

After the great Chicago experience, we also had a wonderful time seeing family in Illinois and in Missouri.

And as always when traveling...it is great to get home to one's own bed and shower...routine is a good thing!!

Great Day!!

I am ready for bed but wanted to comment on what a great day I have had!!  The weather is perfect...I have been with my best friends including Dick,  playing poker and eating...and I acutally came out ahead!  I have either talked to  or heard from my girls and grands!  I am going to  a guild workshop tomorrow to learn more about embellishing quilts/beading.  And I am celebrating my birthday, so today is the first day of the rest of my life, which I plan to live to the fullest for a long time to come!!

TGIF

I don't know why "TGIF" is important to me....since retiring, all days are about the same...really wonderful! Who knew I would be so busy after quiting work!

Today, I went to a memorial service for my friend, Anne's husband Bob. It was held at the chapel on TCU campus...very pretty building; I had not been there before. The reception afterwards was very crowded so we of studio Q didn't stay around. There were six of us there and five of us went to lunch at Blue Mesa...my favorite Mexican restaurant in Fort Worth; much more like New Mexican food compared to Texmex.

Then I went to the library to get my card renewed. I had gotten on the internet last week to renew my books and I couldn't do so as my card had expired!! All that means is every two years or so they want to check to see if you are at the same address, etc. I am reading "The Widows of Eastwick" by John Updike now...very amusing! I think I appreciate it better than the "The Witches..." but it has been quite a while since I read that.

My brother Jack in Illinois called last night ..we talked quite awhile. I haven't spoken to him for a long time. Sandi, his wife has gotten on "My Face" but I wasn't able to look at her albums she has on there. I will have to email her and ask how to get on. Fran is enjoying her computer (my cousin who had stroke about a year ago). I need to email her and send her some pictures of our trip to California.

On that trip we also visited the Saguaro National Forest outside of Tucson and the Joshua Tree Nat'l Park in California. I'll post a couple of pics from there.

This is from the Saguaro National Forest.

And this picture is a Joshua Tree...looks nothing like what I thought a Joshual tree really looked like! They are all over Southern California...desert areas.