Autumnal Equinox

It's finally here!! My favorite season is upon us and I can feel the crispness in the air and smell the pumpkin pie baking in the oven.....NOT!!! Although this summer has been pretty pleasant considering we live in sunny southern California, it's still not cool enough to start baking and unpacking my sweaters...but I have managed to decorate a wee bit and let the Autumn colors surround me and enticing me to get ready for my Season of choice and my food of choice too!

the corn stalks that I saved from our corn harvest this past Summer

and of course the corn husks too!

It's not Fall without acorns and nuts

and even some dazzling fruit

Yep!! Autumn is always welcome here...in fact, you can stay as long as you'd like...I'm just sayin'

Let it Rip

Can I just say how much I despise carpet? I HATE CARPET!! Which is why I ripped out the carpet on the lower three
stair treads going down and Eric ripped out two more on the staircase going up

going to extend the hardwood flooring to these treads...gonna be hard being that the floor has been in for 16 years

but if anyone can do it...Eric can...he's the man

Stealing Rednesday

Just a little splash of red from my living room on a vintage red and black lacquered tray. My neighbors climbing rose bush hangs over my back fence...so a clipped a bunch off. Hey! Possession is nine tenth of the law...right?

UPDATE: regarding 11:11
Last week, I was having breakfast with my friend Cathy and while in the middle of having a great conversation, she suddenly stopped and urgently asked me what time I had to be at work.I told her 11:30. She then reached into her purse to retrieve her cell phone and looked at the time....She blurted out "Oh man, it's 11:11 we should go"...........need I say more?

My Purpose

What is my purpose? I've been half joking with Eric and some friends lately about how I don't have a purpose anymore. It seems that the past almost 17 years my life and schedule has been dictated around Raquel's life and schedule and now, it seems it's coming to an slow grinding halt. Not once did I complain about taking her or her friends here or there, running around at the last minute because she needed something, making sure she was on time or where she was suppose to go, fulfilling every need pertaining to some sort or event or activity...in fact, I enjoyed it...I had a purpose.

Don't get me wrong, I know I have another daughter and 3 grandchildren, but they don't live with me and Meredith is busy fulfilling her purpose with 3 squirrely boys and the truth be told...I can only handle them in small doses. I truly love them but if my purpose was to go insane...then I'd spend more time with them. My husband half jokingly says that now my purpose is to tend to him. I know he trying to be funny, but he spent 31 years on this planet before he met me and he did quite well for himself. He doesn't need or want me to cater to him...except when he's sick and you know ladies, when that happens we need to alert the press.

But I digress...

So now that Meredith has her own family and although Raquel is not gone yet, she's pretty much doing for herself as far as tasks go and Eric is on auto pilot , I have to start thinking about where I fit in and how my relationships have shifted and change to accommodate this evolution. I now understand when people talk about the "empty nest" syndrome but it doesn't make it any easier. I have my hobbies, my 2 hours of work a day, my friends and my smarts and creativity...somehow, I'll figure it out...if menopause doesn't make my head explode first...

I'm just sayin'

Flash back Rednesday

So, when Raquel was 5 in 1998 and in Kindergarten, the class made hand prints with paint and at the time I didn't know what to do with them. I didn't want to discard them and I felt that if I tucked them away somewhere, in time, I would forget them. It seemed the universe moves in mysterious ways. Elizabeth, my MIL, gave me Eric's hand prints made from some sort of chalk outline from his Kindergarten class back in 1965...he was also 5 years old at the time too.

So I decided to laminate both of them and place them above my stove, on a little ledge against my red stove hood...and so that is my contribution for Rednesday...tons of more redness in the future.


BTW...apparently I didn't have hands or my teacher wasn't that creative...I'm just sayin'

11:11

For those of you who don't know me very well, judging by what I talk about and show you on this blog, I'm sure I come across as normal and pretty stable and of course, I'm pretty sure I am. For those of you who know me very well, also know I'm all of the above. So having said this, what I'm about to write and express to you will surely change your mind about me...Ahh... but here's the catch...I'm not the only one who has express this or even experienced it.

It all started about 5 years ago when minding my own business going through my life, did I start noticing the numbers 11:11. I've never been one to sit still and look at the clock, whether it be on a wall or side table or even a watch, which I don't wear, but little by little I couldn't help but notice that at least 50% of the times that I did seek out the time, the number 11:11 would appear. That includes analog clocks, micro waves, ovens and an occasional just perfect timing viewing when just as I gazed at it, it would change to this mysterious number. At first I thought it was just my daily rhythm...you know, at this time I usually do this and at that time I usually do that and it was just coincidental, but when it started to happen to me in different settings, situations (work schedule, bulletin board...ect) and even other states, I took notice.

I am not superstitions, I go out on Friday the 13th, I have broken glass many a times without repercussions and so and so on. Yes, I don't hang horse shoes up side down as that would be bad luck, plus I don't like the way it looks that way and I never walk under a ladder, only because that's just wrong, but when you start seeing the number over and over again....you pay attention. All this was in my mind when I started to see 11:11 in books, advertising and just about everywhere I go. Mind you, I don't look for it, I don't anticipate it and it's not like I see this everyday...it just happens. Yesterday while Raquel was listening to her IPOD, I just casually asked her how many songs she had in there...."Hmmm, let's see", she replied as she fiddled with it...1,111. Do you see my point? Why is this happening and what does it mean? For a time there I kinda thought beware of November 11th, you know the eleventh day of the eleventh month, but I was determined to go one with my life and poo poo it. It has been a strange phenomenon to me and when it happened, it made me feel weird...then something happened...

The last couple of years when this has happened, I threw my hands up and thought to myself that this means something...not bad, perhaps good and just go with it and guess what...I started getting a good vibe every time it happened. Yeah, I know what you all are thinking...that I myself have made up my mind to feel the vibe and that perhaps I'm just thinking happy thoughts ie; giving myself pep talks and whatnot, but that's not what I thinking.

I'm thinking this must mean something. Something or someone is trying to tell me something by showing me this, otherwise it's just a waste of time and blog space. The two people that I have talked to about this have both listen with interest and then shrug there shoulders not knowing how to respond or even relate. It couldn't be just me. There has to be more people expericneing this,and so, I did a little research and found some interesting stuff.

It's kinda complicated and I'm still trying to figure it out, but here are some links for you to visit and view...and maybe, just maybe one of you are experiencing this and haven't told anyone...

http://www.1111spiritguardians.com/

http://alternativespirituality.suite101.com/article.cfm/what_does_1111_mean

http://www.greatdreams.com/11coin.htm

http://globalpsychics.com/enlightening-you/numerology/1111.shtml

I know I'm not crazy. In fact, I'm probably the most rational person you'd come across, but even I have to stand up and take notice...besides, crazy people don't go around saying their "not crazy"....right? I'm just sayin'

Back in the Saddle again...

When Raquel was 3 years old she wanted to ride horses...always. She nagged me to no end and just wouldn't let up on the subject. She nagged me so much, that I off offhandedly told her when she turns 11, she could take lessons, thinking that a little toddler wasn't gonna remember and that the "horsie" phase would take a huge flying leap outta her brain.....WRONG!

For 8 years she continued to remind me that the day was coming AND the fact that Auntie Brenda would have her come down to the stables and help out with her various horse chores didn't help. She would feed and groom the horses and schlep hay and manure all with such enthusiasm, that I had a feeling this was no phase. So when she turned 11 with the help of Auntie Brenda and this guy...

...she started her horse riding training. This is Tom...Tom is hot and yes, Tom was her very first riding instructor and a very good one to boot. I will never forget her first lesson...it was in October and the lesson started out in the sunshine and by the time she really got into it...it was raining. When Tom asked her if she wanted to stop she replied.."No Way". As the years continued, Raquel had moved to various stables and instructor due to what and where she wanted to learn. One or two lesson per week for 2 and a half years...but that's not the surprising part. I hardly saw any of them. You see, I was extremely nervous watching her. My anxiety levels would sky rocket and I would have to leave. I would go for walks or shopping or run errands because I just couldn't deal with it. And as she got better and better which included jumping, cantor and even a little gallop here and there, I was outta my mind to the point the Dr. gave me something to take at every lesson if I choose to stay and watch, but not once did I tell her that she couldn't ride. I would explain my feelings of stress, reinforce her love of riding and that's just how it was. We understood each other.

After over 2 years of riding English, Raquel decided to try Western and ended up loving that too and took lessons for about 3 more years. Unfortunately, school became to stressful and she had
her hands full of other obligations, she had to to take a break and I exhaled, all the time knowing that she would eventually go back.....and she has.

She has missed riding English and is now picking up where she left off and actually learning a few Dressage moves too. My anxiety level has gone down due to the fact that I don't have to take her to her lessons...she can take herself...plus I've been doing a lot reading and it's helped me tremendously.

So my little 3 year old is growing up right before my eyes and it's harder that I thought it would be but I'm so darn proud of her and the young lady she has become that just knowing that, helps me to grow up too.