happy birthday, baby...

thirty one years ago today the miracle that is k.s. came into our world and as they say, "the rest is history."   to this constant ray of sunshine, words fail to capture the pride, the joy, the love, thinking of you brings to mind.

a note of sadness creeps in, your being so far away from little a-town, our being here and just as far from you looking back this way.  my hope for you is a fantastic birthday, unmarred by the wind driven rain, the rattling of the window panes.  snuggle up with your man. tomorrow begins another day, another year. may every minute of it be filled with blessings and love.

happy birthday, baby girl! happy birthday!

Merry Christmas, to yooouuuuu...

                                                                    

weather is on the move this morning.  i woke to the sound of wind rushing past my window; on it's way to-- who knows where?  the sky is overcast in shades of gray, casting a pall, setting the tone for the day.

i'm looking past the gloom, searching for a ray of the joy which begins on thursday with the arrival of our daughter k. and continues through the holiday weekend.  it will be the first time in a very long while that all those closest to me will be together in one place; sharing the season, enjoying the greatest gift of all, the closeness, the love of family.

i wish you all a joyous holiday season. aio

and where is the justice in this...

have you been following the cliff lee debacle?  since the texas rangers won the world series, the question has been which team would win lee's arm for the 2011 season and beyond. would the rangers be able to tempt lee into staying with their team?  would the yankee's steal him away for only $150 million over seven years?  the answer to the question of the hour came today.  and the answer?  neither.  lee signed with the phillies, the team he pitched for in the 2009 world series.  his salary with the phillies?  $100 million-- or $50 million dollars less than he could have made if he signed with the yankees. go figure!

but , here is my question. where is the justice in this world? getting paid millions of dollar for working every 4th day or so during part of the year?  please. where is the justice in that?

why are people who do things that matter-- policemen, nurses, doctors, the men and women serving our country at home and abroad, construction workers... the list goes on ad infinitum; why are those people working in jobs that have some tangible benefit to society earning mere pennies?  it's not right.  why?

lee will be paid $47.56 (notice i didn't say earn) every minute of every day for the next 4 years.  most people i know don't earn $47.56 an hour in their 40 hours a week, making a contribution to the people's good, gotta pay those bills slog. 

the only answer i can see is this.  there is no justice in this world. aio

holiday blahs...

my excitement builds with each passing day in anticipation of christmas time in austin and conroe.  i have ants in my pants thinking about seeing those closest to me.  i've often railed against the far flung places they've chosen to call home.  distance precludes visiting on anything like a regular basis, so-- as it is what is is, i savor all the more our upcoming get-together.

as for being in the mood for gifting, i plead guilty to being uninspired. not one bit.  surfing the many ads included in the sunday paper, nothing has jumped out at me saying, "that's the ticket".  hopefully something will occur to me in time.  i don't want to be the grinch.

as for me, no gift is needed.  being together with those i love is all i need.

as for all of you, i hope preparations are coming along.  i wish you all a very merry christmas and joy in the new year. aio    
  

big boys and their toys...

the wife mentioned our next door neighbor, s, has a toro leaf blower that mulches as well.  as it happens a big portion of the leaves from our trees find their way into our neighbors yards and theirs into ours.  she's been after me to get them raked up. 

i hate to do a thing when i can see it is going to need doing again at some point.  that will likely be the case as the cotton woods still have a ton of leaves still hanging on.

for curiosity's sake i researched the cost of toro blowers.  the model i think s. bought runs about $85.00.  of course the local toro dealers are not open on sunday.  over a cup of coffee this morning i came up with a bright idea. why not see what sears had in their inventory.  what i found was a sears model with basically the same specs as the toro unit.  it was priced in the same ball park as the toro-- and sears is open on sunday.

so i took my bright idea right on over to the mall to pick up the sears version of the toro.  scanning the shelves for the sears model number i was seeking, wonder of wonders, what did i find?  not only the sears' version but much to my amazement, the very toro model i coveted. and the best part, the toro was on sale, priced $15.00 off.  that would also be $15.00 less than the sears model as well. i can't believe my luck.

i do love a bargain and it works like a charm with a 16:1 ratio.  that is, it mulches 16 bags of leaves down to the volume of 1 bag.  wowsers! aio    

Happy Thanksgiving, ya'll.....

i hope every one's turkey day has been a safe and blessed one.  thanksgiving day has always been a favorite of mine, particularly in my youth.  the mc side of the family would gather at the grand's house for viewing macy's parade in the morning and watching the 'boys play in the afternoon.  somewhere in there was a meal fit for royalty, usually turkey and aunt lou's cornbread dressing, lots of things grown in the garden over the summer and a host of home made pies and cakes for dessert. good times, i say.

then there is this thanksgiving day.  table for two,  please.  it will not go down among my favorite thanksgiving memories.  with family on two coasts and 9 hours away at the closest, today was in a word-- lonely.

our daughter called early to wish us well and fill us in on her plans for the day. b. talked with the folks in cincy in the morning.

we chose not to cook, opting instead to try the cajun turkey on 'the big texan' turkey day buffet.  it was tasty, the rest of the meal not worth the hour we waited to be seated.  at least if you don't cook, you don't have to clean up afterwards and you don't have all those leftovers to deal with.

given the choice between convenience and having family around, give me family every time. 

thanksgiving day for two-- sucks. aio

geodesic stars streaming...

an evening with amarillo's symphony is always a welcome respite from the everyday, hum drum life at 7420.  i've never claimed to know anything about classical music, i don't have an "ear" for it, yet an evening at the symphony can make inroads toward taming this savage beast.

last night's concert was titled "bravo broadway".  my favorite of the season is always the "pops' concert.  there's something about having a familiarity with the music that increases my listening pleasure.  it enhances the experience when, by knowing the "piece" being played, one can better appreciate the nuance, the touch exerted by the maestro and our symphony musicians.

                                                                                      


last night featured three vocalists, all with experience on broadway in "leading roles".  talk about some "pipes", these folks can flat out "sang".  debbie gravitte got the evening off to a start,  (after the three had rendered a montage of songs from "gypsy") singing "don't rain on my parade from "funny girl".

                                                                                                                                                                                  

Next up was doug labrecque. in something of an unexpected turn, singing "over the rainbow" from "the wizard of oz".  he, and his golden voice and limpid eyes, rendered a rendition fit to make one forget the song had ever been sung by "what was her name"?
                                 

                                                                                      

after the rainbow was over, anne runolfsson sang "ding dong, the witch is dead", also of the wofoz fame.  later in the program she favored us with a tender "memory" from "cats". in a word, moving.

among the memorable performances after intermission-- a "mamma mia! medly from the trio, dl's "bring him home", "the phantom of the opera" from ar and dl, "music of the night" from dl and an a.l.webber "love trio' from "the trio".    

it has been rumored that maestro kimbo ishii-eto is not fond of  "pops" performances.   if true, he hides it well. with his extremely adept baton at the ready, he dipped and grooved, his famous hair on the fly, eliciting nothing short of broadway magic from the symphony musicians.

the music of the broadway stage, the scores, the lyrics, when separated from the story that surrounds them can still serve to move, to entertain immensely. this trio connected with the amarillo audience.  injecting bits of humor at the expense of one another and good natured jibes re: our texas accents, with a bit of nifty choreography thrown in, these three earned the standing "o" they received.  to their credit, all gave props to kimbo and the orchestra, whose performances were no less deserving of the standing "o" as well.

an added bonus for the evening was the mirror ball flashing stars across the geodesic expanse of the performing arts center as the symphony played the "jesus christ superstar" overture.  one could lose himself , the moment transfusing a sense of outer space and inner peace.  aio