Desert Magnolia

Something is amiss in the universe this year. Today, well into fall, is supposed to reach 89 degrees. 89 degrees, people. Really? Bonuses of extended summers refusing to turn over into the next season thereby prompting wardrobe shifts as well? Getting to wear fun summer stuff for just a little bit longer...For example, I'm wearing my new favorite summer dress. With high heeled sandals. Hell yeah. That's not a bad thing, no siree. Also, my pedi from last week is holding up very very well thank.you.very.much.most.detail.oriented.pedimen.at.my.new.favorite.pedi.place. So showing off toesies in sandals is fun. But the weather, well it's about to change. How do I know this? The Balloon Fiesta starts this weekend. While La Nina and other scientifically supported weather effects are in existence, we all know that when it's time for those hot air balloons all hell breaks loose from a weather standpoint. Rain. Wind. Cold. Eclipses. You name it. It's never pretty. So en

My friend JG introduced me to a fabulous new pedi place last week. Way nice staff, comfy setting, and a top notch pedi. I got a super deep purple w/a teeny bit of shimmer/metallic in it, which is interesting for me, but which JL suggested and looks awesome. Love it!   My toe color this week Fall is in the air..the leaves are beginning to change, the air is crisp in the mornings, and it's dark when it used to be light early and late....we've bought one bag of chili, but need to get another one while the roasters are still in motion. It's a little hot this year, which means lots of flavor and heat enough to warm us up in the cool months ahead. Monday...it was hard to get up today, harder to come into work, but now things are smoothing out and I'm feeling a sense of early productivity and accomplishment, though I don't want to jinx myself with this...we'll  know later on, but some big projects seem to be moving along very very well..yay! Everything else no

House .   Was pretty good, but not incredibly uplifting. House and Cuddy, well, that's going to be a rocky road under the best of circumstances and their circumstances are anything but that. Tonight... Grey's Anatomy . Yay! I cannot wait to see how they sort out the mess they created at the end of last season. We have wounded Derek, Meredith sans child, Alex and Lexi and McSteamy.. and oh my.  It's going to be a good one, I can already feel it in my answer seeking bones. Private Practice . Ok, I know I've complained about this show being too New Agey and stuff, but ..I do like it. So I'm committing to watching at the least the first few episodes of this new season to give it a chance. To prepare for tonight I've proposed a sushi dinner to Hubby, preferably out, so we can get that pesky eating stuff out of the way and get ready for some fun TV! Then after dinner, comfy pjs', kitty nearby, a remote, and possibly an adult beverage or maybe hot tea. Not

With fall seems to arrive a sense of deceleration, of regrouping for the cooler months to come, of bounty and slow closure of the relentless summer that's been. This year I'm feeling a greater heaviness than usual, and am assuming it's part and parcel of the whole empty nestness.... It's akin to a large housecat sitting on my chest most of the time. A not quite freedom, a slightly breathless though not inordinately uncomfortable feeling. It just seems to be right now... The long runs, they help. Photo borrowed from LucieG-Stock images The meditation, it helps too. The creativity channeled into crocheting, drawing and other pursuits aids as well. But it's there, making its presence known, this gray malaise of the spirit, though knowing better than to try to overwhelm and completely incapacitate. It's a tricky, sticky, strange and, ideally, temporary angst, but I think ignoring it would be as bad an idea as immersing in it. It's here, but

Disclaimer : Stream of consciousness rules today, so leave now if you're not in the mood for it. Life is made up of little moments...moments where you're acutely aware of your surroundings, moments where you're distracted and just cruise through them on your way to another place, moments where your breath whooshes out and you're struck by the coolness of a given snapshot in time. We amass these millions of moments, remember some, forget others, but it's the moments that add up to the big banana of life. These moments are often punctuated, reinforced or highlighted by smells, sounds, sights, sensations, that originate from any number of places. My favorite things add to my memorable moments, and in honor of the stream of consciousness approach I'm taking to this post, I'm going to shut my eyes and create the list, in no particular order. Early morning. The light, the freshness, the potential. The aroma of fresh ground coffee. The scent of fresh co

You know how when it's time to light a fire under it to get a whole lot done in a short amount of time? And how it's really kind of an adrenaline rush, and that when you look back and go, 'Shoot, we really kicked butt with that! Made our deadline, did awesome work, and now hopefully we can enjoy the fruits of our toils!'? Me too. But when that's pretty much the m/o, and all you do is add to a suffocating project list and endeavor to do your very best work at all times and do it in an efficient, effective manner and keep your team excited in the process and prevent burnout across the board, it gets a little tiring. I'm just saying. Does every single project have to be hair on fire with absolutely perfect results/reaction from intended audience? Some days that just feels like a lot. Welcome to the new reality, right? It's kind of like wearing a little black dress, pearls, 4" heels and lipgloss every day of your life, having to look hot, sexy a

Today Hubby and I celebrate 23 years of wedded bliss. 23. Good lord. We plan to celebrate with a nice dinner of marinated ribeyes, steamed artichokes, and a carb I have yet to conjure. And a bottle of nice wine, of course. And maybe candles and jazz. Cuz that's what you do... Before that happens, though, the day holds the following: Wrapping up work stuff for the day. Heading home, stopping at store for carb for dinner if needed. Go for a run. Shower, cuz ewww, gotta. Fold laundry. Prep dinner. Set table. Pop in latest DVD of TrueBlood. Watch it 'til Hub gets home from soccer game. Commence with the celebration.

Look around you. I'll bet you'll be amazed at how much there is to be thankful for. Your friends. Your family. Your job. Your comforts, whatever they look like. The freedom to believe how you wish, and to share that with  others without fear of persecution or bodily harm. Fresh air and natural beauty. The sky, the mountains, the desert, sunrise, sunset, moonrise, birdsong on the patio, hummingbirds in flight, the explosive, tomato-laden garden, the smell of wet pine trees and freshly mown grass, dewdrops on roses and the smell of the rosemary bush as you brush it while walking by. When you start to inventory the goodness in life, it soon becomes absolutely overwhelmingly clear that it will always, always, outweigh any badness out there. Always.

I love Grandma Gin. You all know this. But here's what I noticed while attending the monthly Lunch with the Girls from the Retirement Home..at a really lovely Northern Italian restaurant that's been around for decades and serves us deliciousness on a plate. But I digress. I got excited about the food again and forgot my own point. Sigh. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be the one to get loopy first in my old age, but Hubby announced the other day that wouldn't be fair because I'm a handful with some lucidity and if I go loopy..he might just be in over his head. Whatever. Anyway, so at lunch today with the girls....(and their 'Lifestyles Director', a very tiny, middle aged, mild mannered man who used to be a teacher but now prefers to direct the lifestyles of the retired, it seems)...I noticed my Gran, who generally delivers her opinion under her breath, which means most of her friends don't hear what she says but I have perfectly good hearing and

Ok, so this hurricane has me spooked. The biggest, meanest storm in 20 years is headed for my girl. Fortunately, my girl is on an away trip with the soccer team that's taking her inland a bit, which makes me feel moderately better about things but not completely at ease. These storms are tricky, and fickle by nature. I don't trust 'em for a minute. JL and I finally took time to have lunch together today, to catch up on life, and to just relax in the midst of the chaos that characterizes our workplace. It was lovely. A vaca in the middle of a work day. And we decided we needed to bring additional fortification back with us in the form of London Fogs. Umm. Very very good choice and a great source of calcium for those of us who need it. Ahem. A long weekend awaits just hours from now, and I for one cannot wait. The frenzy of the summer, the emotions of the fall, all have caught up with this girl and I'm done. Put a fork in me, I'm medium rare. Looking forward to

Hi, my name is Stevie, and I'm a dork. While on my recent foray to Rhode Island, I had occasion to visit Providence Place, a ginormous mall boasting some pretty cool stores like Tiffany's, Lord and Taylor, etc. We were there for Bed, Bath & Beyond, but that's ok. We'll be going back for other stuff. One of the things I noticed when I was in RI was that everything, in terms of freeway signs, parks, streets, etc., seem very well...organized and neat and tidy. They've kind of figured out how to get a whole lot done in a teeny little bitty state, and they do it well. Providence Place, then is a gorgeous mall, well organized, with great lighting, a lovely orange blossom scent in the air that reminds me of none other than the Palazzo in Vegas, and a plethora of stores in which to meander. That their parking structure would also be organized and efficient follows. That for some reason, while in the frenzy of finding a $1 bill (I had a $20, but that would have