Stick Horse Cowgirls

At the risk of waxing sentimental and, to some extent tooting my own horn, I am moved today by the concept of mothering.   As I write this, California remains on fire.   Not only are houses destroyed, but people are losing their lives, some of them firefighters who have volunteered, knowing the great risk they face. As I have prayed about this disaster, my heart has turned toward the animals of the burning forests.   We will never know how many have lost their lives in horrible ways. On Facebook yesterday someone posted this photograph by a fireman who was moving through a burned-over area.   It is a picture of a bird’s nest with a clutch of eggs still there intact.   Next to them is the body of their mother.   Instantly it hits one that the mother bird could simply have sailed off, over the fire, to find safety. But she did not.   She would not abandon her babies—still in their shells—to the disaster.   She stood with them, helpless against...

I had to work yesterday (Saturday, Labor Day weekend, no less!).  I had to travel an hour's drive north to interview some kids in need.  As I often do, I wrangled V to go with me and "meander." We knew of flea markets and home-cookin' cafes up that way to try out.  And, that's just what we did.  I don't often have that kind of meandering time so that, alone, was an indulgence.  We turned my work day into a fun day.   Ummmm, fish eggs...not for me! But the real indulgence came that evening when I nosed around for supper.  First, let me ask you: What do you think of when you think of an "indulgence?"  Is it caviar with champagne?  Is it fine chocolates?   Well, my friends, if that's the case with you, you may be missing out, for as I poked through my pantry, I found a true indulgence: a box of cheeseburger macaroni Hamburger Helper !      Why this processed, full-of-artificials was in my pantry, I have no clue....

It is cliche to talk about stepping on Legos with bare feet.    Those of us who have young children or grandchildren know how excruciating that can be.  I have no little people in my household these days, so one might think I would be free of such dangers...not so!  You know what hurts just as much?  Stepping on the shard of a deer femur. In fact, it feels very much like stepping on a Lego. It happened to me just this morning.  My latest, and third, Belgian Malinois “Lefty” is truly a country dog.   We live pretty far off the main road, down a long dirt driveway.   But, still, we wanted him contained.   We have always used our fenced backyard to contain our dogs—even Mailinois, but Lefty kept escaping. Our fence is four feet pickets, and it has worked very well in the past, except for  our Daisy, who was a digger.   Every once in a while Son and I would have to go out and fill the escape hatches she had d...

I feel wistful.   At age 68, I am now truly an orphan.   My parents have been gone several years now, my father-in-law, too.   This left my mother-in-law to reside next door to me, in her own little abode.   She and I, single women out in the country, did well together.   I would work too hard all day, usually stopping in to see her a few minutes before plopping down exhausted at my own home.   Sometimes I would guiltily slink past her little trailer, too tired for conversation but knowing she had been alone all day and feeling I should have spared her that few minutes of companionship—selfish me. She has been gone a couple of weeks now and I have not yet felt any authentic mourning.   I am not sure what that will look like, as I am a fairly stoic person, but I feel it looming around behind me as I go through each day, as if it will overtake at some unexpected moment. As I was shopping for groceries today, the thought of her absence came, pr...

I have a brand-new sewing machine!   Truthfully, it is about three years old.   About a year after purchase I splurged on a nifty sewing machine case on rollers.   So, we progressed from having a brand-new/year-old sewing machine still in its original packaging to one that has been carefully placed in its case…rolling case has not been opened since.  The case has rolled nowhere. So, for two years, my new, three-year-old sewing machine has languished in isolation in the corner of my dressing room, barely noticed. With the passing of my mother-in-law two weeks ago, I inherited her sewing table.   It’s nifty, too!   I will be taking my brand-new sewing machine from its isolation cell and installing it in the table this weekend.   I am wondering if I have the energy to tackle actually putting thread in the machine for the first time and giving her a go.   As I thought about that, I began again to really want to sew. Here’s the prob...

C and V, age 4 We've missed blogging and all our blogging friends. C still works at her law office, too hard but loves it!  As for V, well she is blessed with a whole cadre of grandchildren who have kept her busy, even though she is now a retiree. We are determined to keep the connections we enjoyed with blogging.  Please bear with us as we re-learn.  We are finding out that, simple as Blogger is, we're "creaky" and out of practice, but we are confident we will get where we want to be.  We have big plans. I know that you all are in the same social distancing situation as are we, although our state has been coming out of the stricter measures, now going into statewide mask mandate. COVID-19 plague has impacted C's work and everyone's movements.   COVID has these old dogs learning new tricks.  C has been participating in Zoom (remote) trials and predicts that these will become standard for many types of legal proceedings i...

My, hasn't there been controversy lately?  V and I have lamented that we know we are getting old because the world seems so very strange--topsy turvey, even. V is in a twit (Is that a word?  Is it a polite  word?) about the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage. I am much calmer about it--as a lawyer I wholly expected the decision. Then, there is the Rebel flag controversy.  I admit that I have one, myself, around here somewhere.  I never thought of it as a banner of racism, only as nostalgic Southern culture, but after the recent discussions, I have come to realize that many do, and that offense has taken on horrible magnitude in the wake of the Charleston AME massacre. Again, as a lawyer, I have pondered the controversy of same-sex marriage  as it collides with religious beliefs. and the flying of the Rebel Flag as it collides with free speech. BILL OF RIGHTS I gotta say, our Founding Fathers ( F F s ) have my deep respect.  ...

Until the last five or so years (coinciding with husband's departure), my house was the Christmas gathering point beginning with Christmas Eve where every child under 18 received their Christmas Eve Bag full of goodies, continuing through a highly-family-traditionalized Christmas breakfast, ending with a Christmas evening dinner with friends.  This concentration of holiday festivities demanded lots of planning.  I would begin in the summer grabbing sale items off the end caps of big-box stores for gifts.  By Christmas week, all presents were wrapped and ready because I would have to turn my attention to food. Since I have been single, however, things have conspired to dwindle my Christmas activities down to almost nothing.  First, following my husband's abandonment of me and his entire family, I went into a shock state that prohibited exact replication of  past celebrations, although we went through the motions.  In more recent years, there have been o...

          The holidays are fast approaching and I am not ready!  Mentally I am ready, but physically-- no way!  I don't even have a shopping list yet and there is so much cleaning to get done!  The decorating will be simple as we have some repairs going on, but that's okay.   "C" and I have taken a long break from posting.  We both lost our moms early this summer after they both had suffered declining health the past few years.  Still, as they say--it is true--you are never really ready to lose them.  This past year I have been retired from my job and in many ways that has helped.  "C" is busier than ever at her law practice and has just moved back into her home after a leak last January that flooded the entire downstairs of her house.  She has been somewhat of a refugee living nomadically with friends, in a hotel for almost 8 months while her home was being r...

  Today, (February 17) would have been my dad’s 92nd birthday.  I can hardly believe he’s been gone over 20 years.  Seems like yesterday I last heard his voice, saw his face.  Time assuages grief, but rarely a day goes by that I don’t think of something I would like to talk to him about.    He was reserved and shy to those he did not know well, but at home there was lots of conversation about so many things.  I suppose that is what I miss most.  Discussing books, politics, religion—so many things he was interested in.      He was born in 1922 to young parents who did not belong together.  His mother was loving and faithful, but his young father (barely 20 years old) was not up to fatherhood and left to seek employment in Utah.  He did not see his son until he was almost three years old.  There little interest shown and the resulting pain of indifference and broken promises.  I’ll never forget my d...

I heard a great sermon Sunday.  It was about the story of the rich, young ruler.  The point of the story, my pastor said, was not just about “rich” folks—it applies to us all.  We all have things we prioritize over God…even our “good works,” as the rich, young ruler had always meticulously obeyed the law. Pastor ramped up, driving home the point that we cannot tell where we stand solely by our actions—that good actions can often mask impure motivations.  It is not the “outward,” he says, that is telling.  It is the “inward.” And this, folks, is where I was jolted upright because what I heard is: “ What is important is the “N” word!  Do you have an ‘N-word’ problem?” And, through the rest of the sermon about our “ inward struggles,” I heard repeatedly: “N word,” although I knew well what he meant.   It was my ears. My consciences is clear:  I have no “N-word problem,” although it is probably evident that my “inward” regions could use ...

What is it about me that makes random folks just want to tell me their troubles?  Probably I ask for it.  I am very interested in people. You’d think, being a divorce lawyer for over thirty years, that I would become bored and jaded by human drama—not so!  I remain interested.  I hope it makes me good at my job. Anyway, my paralegal/sister and I were in the ATT store today doing some phone switcharooing.  The man helping us was a nice, late fortyish man who noticed my business name on the account.  He asked, “ what kind of law ?”  I told him. He had a story. This guy has an 18-year-old and a 15-year-old from his former marriage and of whom he has custody.  Then, there is the just-turned-six-year-old by his baby-mama.  He has a concern about the situation she is living in with her mother (he should be concerned,  from his description).  We talked about it just a few minutes. As he walked us to the door, he quipped, “ I re...

I love words.  As a part of that interest, I love to consider regional differences in language.  In my next life, I think I’ll be a linguist.  This morning brought a discussion/disagreement on this very topic.  Although I doubt it is a “regional” question in this particular usage, I find it interesting.  (Yes, I am easily amused) Son and I were riding in the car together.  We passed a lovely, two-story, square-log home that is on our regular route.  (V will know immediately the place I am talking about).   He commented on it, calling it a “log cabin.”  This is NOT an actual picture of the place, but is here for illustrative purposes (such as the size of the structure!) This is reminiscent of his father, who also made this mistake of nomenclature.    The house in question must be over 3,000 square feet—a “cabin” it’ ain’t.   The second picture on the page ain’t a “cabin,” either. I remarked on this, saying ...