The Circle Game

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I continue to sort through boxes from my parents' house.  Slowly, I am making headway.  A large box, full of binders, has travel mementos from their trips abroad, including Australia, Hungry, France and the South Seas.  They had a very good traveling life that lasted for a couple of decades.  Very few personal photos in these binders, but I look through all of them so I don't miss any gems.  Then they go in the trash.  I doubt that even my parents looked at these binders over the last 30 years.  The receipts for hotel rooms or cups of tea mean nothing to me.  Occasionally there will be a photo of them together, and I save those.

I found this photo of me when I was sixteen.  My dad took it at our house in Carmel.  The sea shell necklace was made by a boyfriend, who dropped me at the end of a summer romance because I wouldn't 'sleep' with me.  I didn't feel ready and I stuck to my guns.  He didn't want to wait.  Oh, hormones.

This photo is my mother in 1960, when she was twenty-five.  They already had three children by then.  We were living on Rio Road, just down the street from the Carmel Mission. 

I forget how beautiful she was.  The last twenty years of life were hard on her.  Parkinson's is a terribly cruel disease.  She had beautiful handwriting which deteriorated significantly. She loved to read books, making regular trips to the library all throughout my childhood.  Her eyesight failed her for her last decade and that delightful past time was lost to her.  It helps me to remember that she once was young and strong and led an interesting life.  She had smarts, and talent, and being a young mother in the 1960s was restrictive.  She took the traditional role of wife and mother, and wasn't always very happy about it.  They played bridge with friends, took us kids on a lot of field trips, and did a fine job overall even though they were excessively young.  

Going through all these old photos makes my mind reel a bit. Have all those years really flown by so quickly?  Still many boxes to go, and who knows what other gems I will find.

Somebody Feed ME

Yesterday it was raining leaves all over my street.  Bright yellow leaves catching the sun as they dropped to the ground.  A neighbor and I sat on her patio and watched the show.  I tried, but did not get, a good video.  Today I watched as another neighbor's grandkids raked a huge pile of the things.  I waited for the gleeful shouts of kids as the dove into that pile, but no, the pile still remains.  What's wrong with those kids?! Turns out, nothing.  I watched them later, along with their grandparents as they dove into the pile and then raked again.

Today, a big wind blew most of the leaves off most of the trees.  Leaves are piled high on my front patio, and I wonder when the landscape company will come to clear them up.  I cleared a path for Lucy, who dislikes leaves almost as much as she dislikes snow.

We've had a few days in the high seventies, but rumor has it we're in for a cold night and lower temps for the next few days.  I'm watching the national weather, and some people are getting snowed on while others bake.  I watched a news story about how low the mighty Mississippi is now.  It's disrupting cargo ships from getting through at certain points.  This is happening to rivers all over the world.  So much for a river cruise.

I continue to feel better and better; getting out into the world and enjoying it immensely.  I went to a taco joint that my son in law recommended, and had lovely carnitas and pork belly tacos with a delicious margarita.  Very nice staff, all very young, and I sat at the counter and enjoyed their company.  Those tacos were perfectly succulent and satisfying.  I will be going back.  The Netflix show, "Somebody Feed Phil" has got me excited about Mexican, Tex-Mex and BBQ foods again.  My appetite is back!  I bought his book and it arrived today.  I doubt I will cook from it because I'm not cooking much anymore, but maybe someday I'll get my mojo back.  How great of a job does Phil have?  Traveling and eating great food!  It's a true 'feel good' program, and if you like food and feeling good, this is the show for you.

Off to Boulder tomorrow to meet up with friends and have a lunch at their country club.  The club has a great view, and perhaps some lingering fall color.  Cross yer fingers.