The Year of the Wedding

Family weddings have dribbled on one in a blue moon for the last 13 years.  Until this year--2008--who would have thought everyone would decide to get married in 2008?  This week we will be traveling out to Las Vegas for the fifth wedding of the year.  Four of them have been out of town, and we have enjoyed spending time in places we probably would not have travelled to otherwise--Germantown PA, Iowa City (got to see the flood damage) and Rochester NY (who knew the Erie Canal could be so cool!)  We're those guests that live far away, and you send the invitation thinking "Well, they'll never come!"  You bet we come!  The best revenge for them not keeping in touch!  The wedding this weekend was only across the street in the little Episcopal church that we can see from our windows, very lovely, and good to spend time with our neighbors. Now we are headed for Las Vegas.  

I confess I go with some reservations.  Well--actually a lot of reservations, since we are moving our hotel every couple of nights to accommodate our various plans for the week.  I'm not sure that Las Vegas is the place for us, since the gambling has little appeal, we prefer concerts to shows, and tend to seek out museums in the places we visit.  The only museum that I have heard about in Las Vegas (and granted, I haven't done my homework--maybe there are others) is the Liberace Museum.  I'm keeping my expectations low--maybe it will be great! There are certainly enough restaurants to keep us amused.  Wish our foodie friends were coming...

The wedding is what we are going for, and time with relatives.  I am happy for the excuse to get us off our chairs (and ladders) and take a trip to a place that we keep saying "Oh yeah!  We should go there."  We'll be flying down into the Grand Canyon, and driving out to Hoover Dam.  Meshes with our stop at the Hoover Library on our way home from Iowa City.  See--who says there is no plan for the universe!  All the best to the 2008 Brides and Grooms.  We've enjoyed sharing your celebrations.

Sudden Fall

I confess I do love summer, and for some reason I think it is going to stay that way long past its time, and so it is always a bit of a disappointment when the days get shorter, and the temps start dropping.  This year it was summer right up to the first of October, and then one night, overnight, it became Fall.  I was freezing for two days until I got my fanny up the old attic stairs and retrieved my warmer clothes.  My feet were begging for socks, but all that was in my closet were sandals.  I was so reluctant to give them up and put on real shoes with closed up toes and heels.  I lugged my storage tubs down the stairs, and emptied and refilled, switching out tanks for turtles, shorts for longs, tricot for flannel, and cottons for wools.  

What I really need to do is take to heart the notice that the Big Brother truck will be in my neighborhood on the 14th, and weed out all the lurkers in the back of the closet(s), and make them go away.  My personal dilemma with most of these neglected cases is that I sewed them myself, and I really like the fabrics.  I keep thinking that if I recut and update a bit, I will wear them again.  I have done this a number of times, since we were swathed in yardage in the 90's, and styles today are much more sleek, with shorter hems--easy to remodel.  But.....then you don't have room anything new.  See--I told you it was a dilemma!  Okay.  Reduce, reuse, recycle.  Here I go!

That Sinking Feeling

You all have experienced it--that dropping of your insides when you hear certain words spoken that you know can't be altered or recalled by anything you can do.  I got home the other night from my grandson's birthday party around 9pm, and hit the play button on the old answering machine and heard one of those sentences:  "Hi!  You left your fanny pack here!"  Oy.  Little Hemo' lives 1 hour and 15 minutes away.  What to do.  It is Saturday night, and I have to play for church in the morning.  Be there at 8am.  Wallet and keys in the fanny pack.  Worse yet, I, as my last act before leaving for the party, tucked my extra key ring with the organ key on it into the fanny pack, because I didn't want to forget it in the morning.  "As I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down..."  My head starts to ache. Singing won't help.

 Okay, pull it together.  There is another key tucked away in the organ bench.  I can walk up to the church, since it is only up to Main Street.  And then, after church I can drive back to Westchester and hope that I don't do anything stupid that would require producing a driver's license and registration.  Little Hemo's birthday present was a ticket to see the new movie (and you know you all want to see it!) Beverly Hills Chihuahua.  He has the afternoon free, so we will go to the movie, retrieve the fanny pack, and all will be well with the world!  

I did not sleep as well as I would have liked, waking up in the middle of a dream where two other organists also showed up to play for the church service, but the service went well, and I came home and put on some warmer clothes, since the weather has decided to be appropriately Autumn, now that it is October.  MyTreasure was gracious about giving me his keys and credit card so that I could refill the gas tank, and I was on my way.  The afternoon went just fine--no traffic in either direction, Hemo' and Gracious enjoyed the movie and the popcorn, and I confess that BHChihuahua was less painful than the preview promised.  Just a little reminder that life can turn on a dime.  

Cruise To Nowhere

A couple of days ago Garden Fairy and I hunkered down in front of her computer and started to go through all the sites that list cruises to the Caribbean, determined to book a week's worth of warm weather in the end of January, when we all long for it the most. Actually, the real longing sets in towards the end of February, after enduring several months of scarf and gloves, when we look back on the summer days of just grabbing the pocketbook and heading out to the car, unencumbered by pounds of insulation. (This feeling is multiplied exponentially according to the number of children who accompany.) However, the travel companies are well aware of this, and tack on misery surcharges, so that as the season goes on, the price goes up. We thought we'd sneak in ahead of the raises by going in the end of January.

We started reading itineraries, hunting down possible ports, plane fares coming and going--all the things to which you need to commit in order to make this happen. Going out of New York was a priority for us, since it eliminates the weather factor of travelling by air in January. Unfortunately, the trips out of New York run 10 days, 3 days longer than we were looking for, which of course, adds to the cost. After a few hours of calculating, and selecting, and rearranging, the grand total for this little warm-up getaway was going to run us well over $5000 a couple. Wow! All our enthusiasm for this venture drained away, and we adjourned to the kitchen for some coffee and aspirin for our overtaxed brains.

We went back to the computer, and tried for alternatives. By then, the afternoon had drained away, and I had to head home to fix dinner for my niece and two kiddies who were coming by at 7. Next morning I pulled out a brochure for hotels on Ft. Myers Beach, and found a place that will let us stay right on the sand overlooking the beautiful Gulf from our balcony. GF concurred, and we dialled 800 and booked our week. No ship, unfortunately, and MyTreasure is disappointed, but I won't have to those seasick pills, and the birdwatching will be spectacular!

Updated Economics

I went to my doll club meeting today--always interesting due to the diversity of the members. We are a group of women who make dolls out of cloth. The main benefit of belonging to a group like this is the camaraderie. It is very unusual to find anyone who wants to make anything out of cloth these days, and to have friends who will talk about it is like finding treasure.

The nature of craftspeople is to collect interesting looking things that may come into some use down the road. You never know when you are going to need something shiny to stitch to a little coat, or a small brass buckle or bell that will just finish up a hat. We have our favorite haunts, one of them being the Materials Resource Center. They get donations from individuals and businesses of surplus items that would normally be sent to the land fill, and sell them by weight. You never know what you are going to find when you go there. There are old wallpaper books, and spindles, fabric remnants, wood pieces, unmounted rubber stamps, little boxes, bins of electrical parts--you have to have an open mind when you go through that door. I try very hard not to buy anything until I have an idea what I am going to do with it, but I never leave without SOMETHING in my hand.

Another source had been a number of stores that have come and gone that were "odd lot" stores--places that bought out closeouts for almost no money, and then resold them for a small profit. I used to get some spectacular bargains. Now we have bigger chains with more outlets, pretty much calling themselves Dollar Stores. Unfortunately, they seem to be going the way of all retail these days, and there is talk of them raising the price. Remember the old 5&10? Guess we'll be headed back in that direction, only instead of 5&10 cents, it will be $5&10. Playing the "stay one step ahead" game has kept me on my toes all these years. I confess, I enjoy it.

Ever Stop To Think?

That's a joke on a t-shirt--"Ever stop to think and find you can't get started again?" That's where I'm at this week. We were so busy last month, but after arriving back home I have been at loose ends and trying to tie things back together isn't working too well. I get up, have breakfast, do the shower, get dressed, and what? Maybe too many options-- I'm having trouble deciding what to do each day. Before, there were deadlines--all those wedding favors and welcome bags had to be put together, and the dresses had to be sewed. Now it is all a little vague, and I find myself diddling the day away. It seems too early to start on the Christmas list, although with the sultry days we have been having, going to the AC'd mall would not be a bad idea. I do need another dress for the wedding that we are attending in October (this is the year of weddings!). There are still dolls unfinished in their respective boxes waiting for heads and clothes, but none of that is calling to me. Maybe I just have to sit still and listen for that "still small voice", and just enjoy the drift for a bit. How many people have that luxury? Before I know it, it will be crazy again, and I won't have appreciated this quiet time. So--maybe a dvd and a few rows on the knitting....

Rochester Reunion

I confess I never think of our family as large, but now that they are all coming with spouses, and children, and significant others, it adds up to quite a few folk when we are all in one place, which I may add, doesn't happen more than a couple of times a year. The occasion was a happy one--a wedding. The bride and groom are true optimists, and had planned the whole thing for outside. The weather cleared up not too long before the festivities began, and we all enjoyed ourselves outdoors--rehearsal dinner right on the Erie Canal, complete with canal boats riding by, and dinner al fresco on the patio.

The main even was held in a beautiful garden, and the reception was also on a patio. The weather was just right--not too hot, not too cold, and was made extra special by all the out of town guests who were present. There were baskets of rose petals for the bride to tread on that did double duty as entertainment for the children after the ceremony. The dancing went on into the night, and when MyTreasure and myself finally decided to call it quits, it went on without us. Some of my "children" are pretty good dancers--something that we don't see at a family dinner. Maybe we should start adding that as an after dinner activity. On Sunday we were pretty tired, but still had two more parties ahead of us. By Monday, everyone had taken off, and I was happy to get into my car and not have to talk to anybody. Conversation can be tiring! Indeed, there was much catching up to do with cousins that we see infrequently, and it was wonderful to see them all well and happy. Thank heavens they are all willing to travel, because they make family gatherings extra special.

Congratulations, Rickybobbie! May your marriage be as wonderful as your wedding, and we wish you both the best in your new life together.