Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Hair

It occurred to me this morning that hair seems to be very important to most people. It used to be for me.

Men worry about going bald and women worry about their hair always looking good. Is their cut right? Is the color right? Is the style dated? Etc. etc. etc. I don't think men worry about any of that other then going bald. In truth, I think bald is sexy as do many women.

So the subject comes up for me to write about because I went for "maintenance" on my hair last evening. I go to my hippy dippy hair dresser here. It is a happening every time. He's funny, full of information and fun to know.

The funniest part of going to get my hair done - colored, trimmed, curled - is that I never, and I mean never know what color I'm going to be when I leave.

Now there was a time when that would have really, really bothered me. But not any more. I look at it as a "life adventure". I'm supposed to be auburn. I seldom am now. Today I'm almost a brunette - funny.........

You see, all of this used to be important before my daughter had cancer and lost her hair. It was very traumatic when her beautiful blond tresses disappeared. But what we learned was that was the least of our worries. It was only hair and it would grow back some day. What a learning experience that was for all of us. We all cut our hair short at the time. It was a show of support and it really didn't matter to me if I did or didn't have much hair.

So, I diddy bop into Jose's and let him play and work his magic.

"Life is a either a daring adventure or nothing" Helen Keller

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Little Altars Everywhere

 

 



This time of the year, during the Easter season, there are little altars everywhere. There are other times of the year also, but this, to me, is the most symbolic. The sweetness of the chamomile, bitter oranges, wheat grass and often gold stars appear so innocent.

On Saturday, after having been gone off and on for almost four months, I walked down to have a little maintenance done on my fingers and toes. A manicure and pedicure.

As I turned into the courtyard of the building where the beauty shop is housed, there was this decorated courtyard fountain. THEN I turned into the beauty shop and this small altar was set up on the counter next to where I would sit for all my maintenance.

It's so significant to me that it doesn't have to be elaborate or costly for these altars but that they are done. Period.
When I photographed the one in the beauty shop, the owner came over with a big smile on his face. He was honored that I thought it pretty enough to want to photograph. He told me it was in honor of his mother who had died many, many years ago.

To digress, the beauty shop owner is a very interesting man who is a Philosophy Professor at the University of Leon. There is a branch here in San Miguel. I can always tell the days he is teaching. He is impeccably dressed in a beautiful suit, white shirt and tie. How nice.

Symbolism is all over Mexico. Each item used on these altars has great significance. The bitter oranges signify the tears of the Virgin of Sorrows at the impending death of her son, Jesus. The chamomile and wheat grass signify renewal.
I'm sure there are more symbols that I'm not even aware of.

However, each year when I see these altars, I'm again touched by their sweet innocence.
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Sunday, March 28, 2010

It Was a Hoot

 

 

 



On my last day drive around West Virginia for a little "stop and start" photographing, I spied this red barn that I had admired many times on our treks to town. I liked the juxtaposition of the horses against the barn and the forest in the background. So I asked my trusty driver and "man" to stop so I could get out for a photo op. He obliged.

While photographing the horses, I was reminded of myself as a little girl making a clucking sound that used to bring the horses running for apples or sugar cubes. I had none but I clucked anyway.

All of a sudden this white donkey came determinedly toward me. I mean head down and hunkered. "Oh my", I thought. Now what. I don't have anything to feed him. But, he kept coming. I kept photographing.

I'm now standing straddled over a ditch where the night before the frogs were so loud that I thought the tires on the car were blowing out or something. Then we rolled the windows down and listened to a frog symphony all the way home.

Anyway, the thought of a frog jumping up my pants DID occur to me, but heck, I had bigger things to focus on - like this approaching donkey. So, when he stuck his head over the fence, I snapped a photo and jumped back. I felt so bad that he had come all that way and I had no gift.

I didn't look at the photo until we got home. And then we laughed. I swear he is grinning and has his eyebrows raised! What a hoot.........what fun.
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Friday, March 26, 2010

I'm Home........in San Miguel de Allende

 

 

 

 



Rolled in late, late, late last night after a stressful day of long security lines, delayed flights, a ten minute run through Terminal B with two minutes to spare to catch my connecting flight to Mexico. Oy vey, I'm getting waaaay too old for all those shenanigans.

I admit, not even reluctantly, that it's 10:30AM and I'm still in my robe and jammies. What's a girl to do?

Anyway, it is magnificently beautiful here with bourganvilla, daisies, azaleas, butterfly lilies and a myriad of other flowers all blooming. Lovely.

However, I took a little ride on the backroads of West Virginia the day before I left, and the photos on the blog were of a few of the sights I saw. Forsythia, the yellow plant, must be the state flower. It is everywhere. It is an old fashioned plant that I haven't seen in years. They have even used it in that area as boundary markers. Extremely etheral and colorful. In addition, the jonquils or daffodils planted on old homesteads were growing wild in many places even though the dwellings were long gone.

West Virginia and Virginia are certainly beautiful places - especially now that the snow is gone. I kinda wished I was staying a few more weeks so I could see all the peach, apple and cherry blossoms. There were buds on the trees as you can see in the last photo of the golf course, but very few full blooming trees, yet.

In the past, I have always longed to get back home - sometimes cutting my trips short. Not this time. I'm here but also missing there. Hmmm, very interesting.
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Monday, March 22, 2010

Budget Rent A Car

I seldom get mad. I seldom stay mad. But, when I do, I do. The scam, known as Budget Rent A Car took us for a ride to the tune of $691.52! It wasn't a tune, it was a major rip off.

Here's the scenario. We went on-line to rent a car. We had a confirmation # for a weekly rate for an economy car that was to cost us $253.38. We also had a coupon for a free upgrade. The Budget bus picks you up at the terminal and takes you to the car lot to finish all the paperwork. This is a key element of this story. The lot is in the middle of nowhere and if you don't like the "deal", you're screwed. In more ways then one.

So we get there - before the sentence could be finished we were told, (A) no economy cars and (B) no next car class upgrade. We would have to take a Mercury SUV. Well, there we are.....in the middle of nowhere and we swallow and agree - to the horrible tune of $509.00! We were mad enough about that. I mean totally mad. But whatcha gonna do? So off we drove.

We enjoyed the car but it was waaaaaay more then what we needed. A six passenger SUV with bells and whistles we couldn't figure out because there was no operator's manual in the car.

Our week ended. We turned in the car at 6AM. They rush you through and hand you a receipt which, we stupidly did NOT look at until we got home. Stupidly and luckily as we would have both fainted.

I would have thought we were the only ones this happend to but, not true. A passenger on the shuttle to the airport told us a story of how they charged him $128 per day for a Ford Focus (an economy or compact car class)! How can that be? His bill was over $700.........THAT should have been the clue for us.

But, who in their right mind would think that a CONFIRMED reservation for an economy car in the amount of $253.38, would end up costing $944.90? Not me and probably not you either.

So, what to do? Well, we did charge the amount. So, we did call the credit card company and tell them to put a "hold on the charge" as we wanted to challenge it.
We intend to call Budget and attempt, through customer service, to get some relief.

After all, that amount is almost as much as my total social security check that I live on for a month. Anybody have any other ideas of how to resolve this dilemma?

My suggestion to you is DON'T use Budget Rent A Car - EVER. It was an oldfashioned "bait and switch". I thought that was against the law? Hmmmm, your thoughts would be appreciated.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Zip-a-dee-do-da!

 

 

 

 


To say that the last three months have been at different elevations and in different terrain would be, as usual, an understatement. December was the blizzard of the Northeast. January was the beautiful warmth of the Pacific Ocean with incredible sunsets. Then February and part of March have been again in the Northeast going through another blizzard. However at this time, it is in the 70's and EVERYTHING is green and breathtakingly beautiful.

To add to the everchanging elevations and terrain, we headed West to see the Gypsy Kids last week. Oh, what fun! I did my normal "on the floor" playing with Matilda. But, there was more, much, much more. The Gypsy Kids new addition, Sebastian Woodrow and I met. A hunk at two months - he weighs close to fourteen pounds. Very alert and a happy baby. He fits right in with the family.

Matilda Isabella, which she has now shortened to Mati, and I played and walked and sang. Zip-a-dee-do-da has almost replaced Patty Cake. More on her later. A whole blog of photos - you've been warned, ha.

In fact, as you can see, we all went hiking one day in the Poudre Canyon which is near Fort Collins. ALL of us. Even Dusty the Dog. Sebastian was in the baby carrier on Mom. Matilda was in the backpack carrier on Dad along with holding the leash for Dusty. I and my man were following closely behind once we all got going.

A beautiful canyon trek. Fording streams, watching for ice and little bits of snow. We found an abandoned homestead of a family who lived there in the 20's with their ten children. A true definition of hardy folk.

Mati was watching for "balled up eagles", her phrase. She has seen them before when she and Dad have gone hiking. Cute, cute.

The weekend we hiked was the first warm weather (60's) that they had had in a looooooooong time so as we headed back there were lots of climbers and dogs heading up the trail.

The very next day we drove to Boulder and it snowed! Not much. Just enough to be cold and miserable. Then sun and warmth for the rest of the visit.

We returned to West Virginia on Thursday. The transformation was astounding. We left to snow on the ground in places and a few buds on the trees. But now it is ALL green and everything is budding out. A month ago I wondered if there was grass under the snow. Now I know there was and is. A happy thought.

My time here is almost over. With reluctance I head back to San Miguel. I guess it is because I want to see the rest of the transformation here - the flowers from the buds - the trees blooming. And, of course, my continued transformation.

Aren't I a lucky lady to have had such a great year? So far? I think it has been so much fun and I look forward with great anticipation to the rest of it.
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Transitioning

 

 

 

 



It is amazing that in three weeks, this area of West Virginia has gone from blizzards to flower buds. I arrived on the 14th of February to blizzard like conditions. That is somewhat of an understatement since it had been record snowfalls the previous week with Dulles Airport closed on the day I was supposed to arrive. The scene of the stop sign buried in snow was one of the signs of the aftermath.

Then in a quick trip about 20 miles from the house to the Potomac River to check on the "river house", I was literally astounded to see the Potomac River frozen. I had never seen anything like that in my life - except in photos. So, imagine my surprise last Saturday when we again went to check on the house to see the beautiful blue water of the Potomac - no more ice - at least not on the river. But, there were still plenty of banks of snow.

And just yesterday while parking in a lot next to a tree, I just glanced up and was so surprised to see buds on a maple tree, only six days after the last snow fall.

The seasons and weather are transitioning - hmmm, maybe I am too!
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Monday, March 08, 2010

An "intriguing" Time

This time of attempting to develop a relationship has been very interesting.

As many of you know, I was widowed thirty-three years ago. Now, that, of course, does NOT mean that there haven't been men in my life. But, it has been a number of years since I have been in a full-time situation.

Things I've learned - some good, some surprising, some not so good and some irritating as "all get out", as we say in Texas.

First, the good. It is so much fun to share funny stories, funny experiences and just laugh with someone again. I've enjoyed that so much.

It is extremely enjoyable to sit and talk about intellectual things - current events, philosophy, books. A myriad of things. To me it is always interesting to hear other people's perspective, whether I agree or not.

Of course, it goes without saying, that the little kindesses - a cup of coffee brought to you or my doing that for him or whatever. That is always good.

The surprising are odd things. Like thinking someone understands what you just said or did, but then realizing that you're coming from different backgrounds. Things can definitely be misinterpreted without intending to do so.

Surprising can be a good and fun thing too.........and has been. I like not knowing what to expect, most of the time.

The not so good have been disagreements about things that really weren't important enough to disagree about. I'm usually bewildered about why things get to that stage.

The irritating, of course, are when my way isn't the right way. I say that tongue in cheek. Someone said last week, "If he would just understand that I'm always right and do it my way, it would be so much easier". I broke up laughing.

I realize that being a strong woman is not always the best thing. So, I'm trying very hard to enjoy all the different experiences and not get irritated very often.

It's never too late to learn and change - I'm discovering!

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

Cloud Dust

The humor of this time in the "frozen tundra" has finally sunk in.......it took a while. I must admit it is NOT always humorous. Take for instance last week when coming home over the mountains. I looked up and saw a dark cloud in the distance. I asked, "What the heck is that dark cloud?". I was informed it was "cloud dust". Hmmm, my logical mind thought. "How can there be "dust" when the ground has been covered in snow for as long as I've been here?" So I began to ask questions about that thought. In a few minutes I got my answer as more snow began to fall and I was informed that was/is cloud dust. I DID NOT think it funny at the time, but I have since related it to the great snipe hunts that used to, or are still, fostered on the uninitiated boy scouts every year.

Among the other things I now "get", is why there are big hoods on outdoor jackets. I learned first hand yesterday while trying to load groceries in the car while snowflakes were falling on my hood and head.

I've also learned that one does NOT just walk out the door in their shirt sleeves. Geez, it is a process to leave the house. Socks, more socks, boots, sweaters, coats, hats, gloves just to name a few things. Those things are in addition to your regular clothes! I feel like I could fall over and never get hurt or that no one could possibly know by my shape if I'm a man or a woman. Bah humbug........

Three weeks and counting until I'm heading back to the balmy high 70's of San Miguel.
Of course in the meantime, next week we head to Colorado to see the grandbabies and kids. What's wrong with this picture? Well, it might be that I'm definitely doing this at the wrong time of the year.

I'm obviously making a mental note to never, never do this again at this time of the year. Life is always about lessons, isn't it?

By the way, I have great photos to share - of the Potomac River frozen solid, snow, deer, snow, more snow etc. but I'm using someone's computer and can't figure out how to download the photos from my camera. Stay tuned.