A Glass Half Full (Or All’s Well That Ends Well)

I’m one who tends to believe in omens, signs of what’s to come. Granted, many omens tend to be perceived as hints of bad stuff awaiting, at least for those who see the glass half empty. For the glass half full kind of people, their interpretation may come from a more positive perspective.

I’m generally a glass half full kind of gal. If something bad happens, I don’t automatically jump to the conclusion my day or the entire week is shot to hell. But when New Year’s Day began, it had me questioning the fullness of my glass.

That morning I rushed around before meeting friends for Pam’s birthday hike, followed by lunch. Then little things started happening. Now don’t get me wrong; I have a nice life with little to complain about. But since I’ll jump at any opportunity to have blog material, today you’re reading about my questionable start to the new year.

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A Christmas Tradition

I guess you could say my Christmas spirit was missing in action this year. Now don’t get me wrong. It’s not like me to forgo decorating with enough holiday decor that borders on being embarrassing. However, I was swamped with work so finding time (and the gumption) to drag everything from the shed was rather daunting. So I skipped it, other than placing a wreath on the front door, giving the illusion I’m festive.bah-humbugNormally I invite my 10 besties over for a tree decorating party in early December. We eat, drink and are consequently quite merry. Karen hangs the lights because she does it best. The gals hang most of the ornaments, yelling at me to “Come help us!” That’s because I’m usually busy gabbing. Dinner is just a ruse to lure them over. I’m like Tom Sawyer, only instead of painting my fence, they decorate my tree. But this year I gave them a reprieve. Continue reading

Witchy Women

A couple weeks ago I found myself shopping for witch hats. One can’t attend a witches Halloween party without a proper witchy hat, can one? And what better day to blog about witches than on Halloween?

One witchy hat

Now that Sharon and Jim are back in California (after a way-too-long stint in Texas and Australia), she decided to throw a First Annual Witches and Wine Party. And if anyone knows how to throw a party it’s Sharon. She’s a mix between Martha Stewart and Joanna Gaines…an excellent cook and a talented decorator.

The hostess and me

Friday night, 19 of us gathered at Sharon’s Santa Rosa home to be bewitched, so to speak. Some of us met in high school, so have been friends for 46 years. We still have a strong connection, which I think is a rare thing. How lucky are we?

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My Sandal Saga

I bought a pair of sandals nearly a million years ago but should have bought 2 pairs. Because as often happens with things I like, Teva discontinued these casual cuties even though they’re the more feminine of the Teva selections and everyone I know who wears them loves them. Comfortable and cute yet functional. C’est la vie!

Anyway, now that you know this, I recently wore them to Sonoma where Sharon, Pam and Sue joined me at a gorgeous 20-acre vineyard in the hills above the town square. I’d relocated 4 feral cats there and now it was time to remove their cages.

The cats’ view. Not too shabby

First we decided to have lunch in town on this scorching but beautiful day. We quickly learned we should have made reservations as apparently it was still tourist season. Live and learn. So we began to walk the square looking for a restaurant without a wait.

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A Seemingly Random Act

I get by

There’s nothing quite as special as friendships between women. Now don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying men don’t have similar relationships with other men. I’ve known some who do. But I think women tend to nurture their personal relationships to extraordinary degrees. And thank goodness for that.gang on Jan 30

Last Tuesday my friends and I celebrated Kim’s birthday. We’ve all been friends for over 40 years. Sitting at our table with these ladies at Old Chicago’s Pizza got me thinking about how lucky we are. Of the 9 of us there, only Kim hadn’t played on our softball team. We played together for 10 years and went 33 games without a loss – 3 full seasons. The 34th game? No comment.blog photo 8

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