My Thoughts

I am truly enjoying reading the novels of Willa Cather recently.  Set in the Plains states during the late 1800s, I am getting an opportunity to experience what would've been the life of my Swedish ancestors.  Many of Cather's main characters are of Swedish descent, and the reasons for their migration across the Great Plains was often financial opportunity and the promise of carving out a life.  Although fictional, much of Cather's life is recorded in these stories.  I did not select the Cather novels because of these factors.  In fact, I had no idea what she wrote.  I just knew her name. Imagine my great surprise when the topics of her novels allowed me to connect with my Swedish ancestry.  To date, I have completed "My Antonia" and "O Pioneers".  I have started "Song of the Lark"; I am not sure what to think about it yet. My other trip through history comes with "Downton Abbey".  It only offers a glimpse of history related to th...

There are just too many things to say about the traffic here in Austin during the rain, but I thought I would share a part of it with you.  I decided to make a video. It is a glorious Autumn morning here in Austin with a light drizzle.  Rain! Google "perfect Autumn Austin", and I imagine you would find pictures very close to what I am seeing now. Traffic is moving at a slow pace, much slower than normal.  I left earlier than normal to compensate for the rain.  So far, everyone is on their best behavior.

I am constantly reminded and often times amazed at how traffic reflects social relationships in our life I am headed south on Capital of Texas Highway and traffic is heavier than normal. In situations where traffic is heavier than normal, you get your wide variety of crazy drivers. It's comical really that this yuppie woman believes that by speeding up, cutting over quickly, cutting people off  and then flipping people off will somehow make the traffic magically open up down the road somewhere and allow her to pass carefree and quickly through the congestion.''' Life mirrors these traffic tales moments.  In life, there will be obstacles, many obstacles.  Sometimes the obstacles are just bad drivers.  Other times, the obstacles are other things, minor or major. There are the people trying to get into the lane of traffic, people trying to turn out of the lane of traffic. There are bicyclists and road construction and people trying to get to school and b...

I find it absolutely amusing, maybe even a bit irritating when I get behind a car moving 10 miles under the speed limit and making it impossible to pass.  As traffic builds behind us, I calculate the distance to the exit ramp and realize I have no time to go around. The minute the road opens after the merge into Ben White, the car then speeds up making it almost impossible to get around, again. I was following this Honda on South Mopac stuck in the exit- left -only lane for probably about a mile. I could not get around them because it's a one lane.  What's the obsession with wanting to be in the lead?  I have met a lot of people in my life like this as well. I don't think these "in the lead" people understand that just because they're in the front of the line doesn't mean people are following them.  I guess I was mostly irritated because I normally can drive to work on autopilot. The complacency is dangerous.

I read a news article that stated the Aquaphor is falling again even after some substantial rain this year. Seriously? Let's talk about the basics of supply and demand with 100 people a day moving into Austin. It doesn't take a genius to understand that the small amount of wate r that does exist is getting demanded more and more. I think the new movie "Interstellar" will have so much potential to tell people the dangers of our carefree human race. The greatest threat to the United States does not come from immigration, it comes from for our poor policies related to food and water usage and distribution. It is almost too comical to listen to people complain about things that have no bearing on our future, either in the world or just within the United States. If you have 10 gallons of water, that is enough water for one person for 10 days or enough water for 10 people for one day.  It's basic math.   More people will need more water .  Water ...

At the heart of all my desires lies hidden my thirst for companionship, and in all my adult years as I have sometimes desperately, sometimes frantically, often times confused, searched for some ideal - companionship was the one thing I needed and craved the most.  This is not a fact that I speak about often, rarely sharing with others.  Like protected treasure or tightly guarded information, this secret desire can emerge in tangled midnight memories or misty daytime whispers. Hating to be cliched, I suppress and guard this information daily.  I am a fraud. It's ironic that I can see it now more clearly at 46 and then I could at 16 or 26 when I thought I knew it all or 36 when I was raging against the world and the unfairness of it all. Wisdom is like that.  It is ironic also that I am more alone now than I have ever been.  If I ponder that fact too much, it can lead to some dark days. Yet, I am in love with this city; as I drive the streets crowded with...

 For 8 straight years I have applied and interviewed for teaching jobs in the Austin area; I have added additional certifications; attended professional developments, job fairs, sent handwritten letters to principals with professional portfolios.  I hired a coach to help with interviewing strategies / techniques and have had my resume revamped by a professional.  I have sent "thank you" notes after interviews, even asked interviewers for input.  I am very exhausted from all this.  For whatever reason, this career path is not meant to be.  As painful as it is, I have decided to abandon this dream.  I no longer have the emotional ability to question it but instead accept it on blind faith. Thirteen years ago when my life took a sudden and drastic detour, I was left scrambling for some sense of normalcy.  There were many days at the beginning when I wanted to give up.  I didn't.  Instead, I re-envisioned a future and set about creating it...

As I sat correcting mistakes on data entries at work yesterday, I was amused by the irony of the situation in several contexts of my life.  Having been the auditor at a previous job, I fully understood then and now the stress on others having work scrutinized.  Being in the hot seat this time, I had to laugh at the absurdity of it all.  More importantly, I knew that having a chance for someone else to critically review my work allows me to experience the stress, maybe even agitation, others have often felt with my analysis.  In many ways, the current family situation with my middle daughter is similar. At 16, she thinks she has all the answers;  she thinks she is grown.  It is almost too cliche to even say. Parents of teenagers fully understand.  It is not that I naively believed I had some magic answer and could forgo teenage angst with my daughters; it is not even that time seemed to leap forward too quickly for me to grasp; rather, I feel shock,...

October mornings in the hill country are breathe taking, and as Deandra sat on her deck watching the sun rise over the hills, the light chill in the air was kept at bay by the handmade quilt her grandmother had given to her on her wedding day many years before.  Her mind drifted to him. . . always to him, not the man she had married, but the one her soul longed for.  Her mp3 player shuffled to Train's "Marry Me", and she could not stop the waves of emotion.  Knowing she should change the song and steer her memories and her longings in other directions, she instead closed her eyes.  Taking a deep breath, she held it and forced all of herself to another time and place, a sweet and happy place where she was deeply in love. She had changed her clothes so many times that she couldn't remember what she had tried on originally and her bed was covered with a small mountain of silky or lacy things in an array of colors.  Looking down at the shoes she wanted to w...

**Tinsel Trees** The catchphrase in Austin is "Keep Austin Weird", and many take offs utilize the same construction:  Keep Austin Reading, Keep Austin Growing, ect.  Weirdness is common here in the capitol.  A couple years ago I first noticed the Tinsel Trees on Loop 360 (Capitol of Texas Highway).  Cedar trees along the right of way miracously burst into holiday festivity draped with holiday decorations.  Many of the trees sport glittering garland.  I drive this stretch of roadway home from work most days and enjoy the panoramic views of the hill country.  For some reason, this year I decided to do some research into this bizarre annual tradition .  A coworker stated the tradition of decorating a tree on the right of way started as a way to share the holiday with those who may not have the means of affording a tree.  I think its a sweet idea.  My biggest concern with these trees is the litter .  So much of what is on t...

Philly Story - (Back in Austin) Departing the plane in Austin only five days after she had left seemed surreal for Deandra. She had changed, she felt, but everything in the airport was exactly the way it had been. She knew she was supposed to call the office to get a proper "police" escort to her car parked at the police department, but somehow, she didn't feel like answering any questions. She could hear them all now. How was it? What did you do? Do he propose? The heat outside seemed so suffocating compared to how cool it had been in Philadephia all week. All her excitement and hopefulness were gone, and she dreaded the resumation of her normal live. Deep down, she knew something had changed, even though she didn't have positive proof. She had never been good at departures, had never learned how to master those important words and emotions that said "good bye". Continuing to muse all these things in her confused mind as the taxi transported ...

~Impact of Impasse~ As I was looking for an image to include in this, I stumbled across these amazing photo blog . Wow!! The new Matt Damon movie "Hereafter" plays in the corner of my office as I work this afternoon, the soft music and dim lighting helping to create an almost Shakespearean mood.........it is Saturday, and life in Austin is in full bloom. This last week was full of finals and family responsibilities that kept me running almost everyday. Finally, with nothing to do but just absorb the world around me, I feel like a visitor returning home after years away. I scarce can believe it's already May. Last week's cool snap seemed to draw me back into December, and suddenly, almost violently, summer demands attention. Austin Shakespeare presents "Love's Labour Lost " in the park, and I am about a month behind of creating my summer calendar of events for me and the girls. Kaitlyn has dress rehearsals on Saturdays all month with her final performanc...

Gethsemane Lutheran Church  For years I have loved this gothic style church with its beautiful blue stained glass windows.  At night it truly is a beautiful sight. The February day I went to snapshot this location, my bestie friend Connie went with me. We walked around the open area of the church among others enjoying the beautiful day.   Bordering the church are Highway 183 and the Austin SPCA. Across the bustle of the roadway, through the pillars of the fly-over is Red Lobster.  Even in the calm of a Sunday afternoon, the world outside the church is audibly noticeable. However, a certain serene atmosphere exists.  Surely, the presence of the Lord is in this place , a beautiful song comes to mind. Imagine my surprise when I saw the name of the church on its billboard.  In my first of 52 weekly profiles of area churches was  the original Gethsemane Lutheran Church which is now the library for the Texas Historic Library. What an amazing coin...

as found in The Austin Chronicle.......... Snapdragon Brunch Cocktail In a "martini shaker", add: 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup peach Vodka, 2 Tab. brown sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add 3-4 cubes of ice and shake well. Pour into a brown sugar rimmed martini glass ((or a wine glass)). Add a curl of orange peel or add cocktail cherries with a wedge of orange. I found this recipe in an Austin Chronicle article in 2007. If I can find my recipe, I will scan in and fully give credit .

~52 Amazing Austin Churches~ I had this idea to blog through 2011 with a look at 52 amazing churches here in the Austin area. Since my arrival here almost four years ago, I have been snapping photos of churches I find architecturally appealing. I am a lil behind schedule, but trying to get caught up. Churches............(I can't call them buildings) are not posted in any specific order. I am actually remembering to add them as I see them again. So far, I have posted 2 from West Austin: Gethsemane Lutheran Hypde Park Presbyterian Before I began the research on these, I had no idea each had already been declared a historic site. Not sure what I had envisioned this project becoming, but the need for research with my first two locations does not exist. If you intend on " checking in" at these locations, all the contact information is well documented, too. Possibly I am already way too behind in the social media, mobile application world in which we live. If I truly have hope...

Voices from the Street posted Jan. 13, 2008 It was a windy day downtown. With book in hand, I walked from my parking place on 11th and Brazos to Starbucks. Lots of people were headed to the Capitol, and amid the noise of cars and conversation I could hear the loudspeaker of a protester denouncing the Bush Admin and war in Iraq. Welcome to Austin!! The voices from the Street are mingled, and I detected at least 3 different languages other than English. Aside from the wind...........it was a beautiful Jan. day. Meeting a new friend downtown to have coffee, conversation and then over to the Austin Musuem of Art to view the Roy Lichtenstein currently on display....we detoured from our original plans to include a walk about downtown. Seems he also likes architecture and the urban landscape. We found several places we both want to visit and took several pix. My favorite stop was at the Cathedral of Saint Mary. What a beautiful place!!! Slowly, my new life is taking on a shape of what I had ...