…… a Houdini dog.

That about sums up most of the last few weeks here in NY and in side trips.

Here, in no particular order, are the shows I’ve seen:

I love Kevin Klein and he did a great job in this. It’s only on a limited run.

This …… this is THE most HILARIOUS play I’ve ever seen! I will most likely see it again. And maybe again. If you’re planning a trip to NY and want to see a play … this can’t be beat.

This was ok.

This is a musical that will soon be impossible to buy tickets for. Kind of like Hamilton. I hadn’t planned on seeing it when I came, because it sounded kind of hokey to me. Then I remembered that Hamilton also sounded hokey to me. And so I bought a ticket. And Oh. My. Word. I loved it. It’s great.

This was a fun day with my friend Beth. We were in the audience for Harry. He’s a lot of fun and is so cute. His daughters were in this show. It airs May 8th. Beth and I sat in the very back. Good luck finding us.

This was good. I’m glad I saw it but I wouldn’t see it again (the true test of how much I love a show.)

This was, of course, terrific. I mean, it’s Bette Midler. How can you go wrong? She did a terrific job. It’s also a limited run, and difficult to see, but well worth the effort if you can.

And here’s a special note/secret that not a lot of people know.  See that sign down there?  It has Bette Midler’s name above the name of the show, “Hello, Dolly”.  Well, here’s the secret …… if you buy a ticket to a show that has the star’s name above the name of the title, and for whatever reason that star cancels his/her performance for your date, you can get your money back for your ticket.  It’s not a very common billing, but it does happen for big stars.  But again, they have to be billed above the title of the show.
You’re welcome.

I have saved the best for last. This was beyond amazing. Or rather ……. Glenn Close was beyond amazing. She was fabulous times a thousand. She will win the Tony award, word. She originated this role 23 years ago and won the Tony back then. She’ll win it again. Trust me. This is only on for a few months. If you can see it ……. do. Just for her.

And this …… well, this is tied for the best for last. It will be around for awhile, though it will soon be sold out for the foreseeable future. It gave me goosebumps …… and that was just the first act. I loved it. If my children were young again (12 and up) I’d take them to see it, too. It’s not only wonderful beyond words, it’s very, very important.
See it if you can. As soon as you can.

One day I went on a tour of four homes in uptown NY.  They all happen to be smack dab in the middle of the city, though they don’t exactly fit in their locale.  One is a farmhouse, one is Alexander Hamilton’s home that he built uptown because “it’s quiet uptown”.  The other two are mansions.
Here are several pictures:

Here are a couple of shots from Times Square and the Colbert theatre.  They’ve changed the sign since he took over from Letterman.

Here’s a strange Trump truck that was going from Times Square to my building and back again, while playing loud music. It was obnoxious, to say the least.
To each his own.

Here’s J-bear, in the hospital after breaking his femur. He spent the night and day in while they ruled out any brittle bone problems and just decided he’s a 2 year old and 2 year olds break bones. His cast goes around his waist/hips and down his leg. Poor J. Poor Daughter #2.
The upside? #1. He only has to have the cast on for 4 weeks. And #2. He got to ride in an ambulance from the first hospital to the second, which he thought was pretty cool.

This is one of the most hilarious sights I’ve seen here. It makes me think of clown cars.
Hmmmm ….

Last week it rained a couple of days in a row. And with the rain came wind, but with a capital W. Wind. Actually, WIND!!! When the wind blows up here it beats that Oklahoma plain wind all to pieces.
And after such rain/wind storms you can find dead umbrellas all over the city. Yep, dead. It’s a sad, sad sight.
Look closely at the last picture and see how many dead umbrellas you can find in it.

And now, last but not least, are some pics from my last Mom’s Day at OSU with Son #3. We had a great weekend. I watched him play Beer Die, climb into a hammock about 6′ off of the ground (no easy feat), ate dinner at a Japanese hibachi place, where he and his fraternity brother took turns tossing and cracking eggs, and played pool at Willie’s, where Garth Brook first sang in Stillwater back in the day. It was a very fun weekend.

One last story …… Gracie and I flew back to NY yesterday. She was in a kennel under my seat. About 1/2 way into the flight I was engrossed in a movie. So engrossed that I didn’t notice that there was a commotion in the aisle (I was in the window seat). Then a flight attendant got my attention by flailing her arms up and down. I saw her, took out my earbuds and looked at her. She pointed down, in the aisle. And there, much to my surprise, was Gracie. Bouncing around all over the aisle, having a great time greeting fellow passengers.
The most hilarious thing about this was that the guy next to me (on the aisle) was having a minor conniption fit squealing, “Don’t let it touch me! Don’t let it touch me!” I kid you not. I was trying not to guffaw in his face. I wanted to say, “She’s a freaking 4 pound dog. What do you think she’s going to do to you?!”
The flight attendant was reassuring him that she was in no way going to hurt him. I managed to get her to come back to me and then put her back in her kennel. I have no idea how she escaped, but I was pretty proud of her Houdini-ness.
Every time I thought of it the rest of the flight, I laughed out loud. She was hilarious. She had a great time and seemed very proud of herself. I wish that I had paused to take pictures/video, but I didn’t think the flight attendant would think that was appropriate. Even though she found it all pretty humorous, too. Especially with my seat-mate hyperventilating. Weenie.

OK, I think that’s a boat load of entertainment. I hope that you enjoyed it.
I’ll be in NY for a few more days and then head back to Waco on Thursday.
I have mixed feelings about leaving, but I’ll be glad to see J-Bear again. I get to take care of him for the next two weeks since his daycare won’t take him with the cast.
Weenies.

…… and tired.

It’s been a rough couple of months.
And evidently, not just for me.

I know I don’t have much to complain about in my life, but sometimes I just get sick and tired.
Of crap.

I’ve had fluid in my ear for 2 weeks now.
This fluid prevented me from flying to California for our annual board retreat. My first one to miss.
And I hate that.

It’s also left me feeling a bit …… “off”. I can’t hear well in the one ear and I just feel out of sorts.
I’ve been to the ER (thankfully the infection/pain is gone), my doctor and a chiropractor (I have my third visit today). I think he’s helped a bit. The fluid is still there but I think there’s less. The pressure is better anyway.
Tomorrow I’m going to see an ENT.

Evidently I’m allergic to Waco.
So.
Much.
Fun.

The past couple of months have been hard on Daughter #2. She’s been fostering two boys, ages 12 and 9. They’re brothers and our hearts go out to them.
But.
Their behavior started out ok but now it’s spiraling out of control.
And as someone who is an only parent, I know how incredibly hard it is to parent angry, disrespectful, grieving children all by yourself.
No one has your back.
And that sucks.

She knows that I have her back, but I don’t live in the same house with them.
I do what I can and yes, I’m only 15 minutes away …… but it’s just not the same.
Things have been beyond difficult.
And it’s starting to affect J-bear.

It’s so hard to see both sides of the foster system. Yes, the kids have been through alot and no, you definitely don’t want to add to their pile of hurts. But sometimes you can only take so much.
And then you break.
And you’re no good to anyone.

We keep hoping that things will get better.
And she hasn’t given up that hope.
But she’s starting to crack.
And I don’t want to stand by and watch her break.
Prayers are appreciated.

In other news of things I’m sick and tired of …… and you mostly likely share this with me …… politics.
Ugh.
I hate, abhor, am sick to death of this crap and how it’s affecting people.
It’s ugly …… pure and simple.

Facebook used to be a fun place to go catch up with friends far and wide, but for about 3 months now it’s been less than fun.
And I don’t get it.

I get the politics part. I get that politics (and religion) can get people heated.
I get that we will never all agree when it comes to that topic.
But this election and its aftermath have become more than that.

People who you’ve never had a harsh word with have suddenly become ex-friends.
Over a stupid election.
I’ve had one “friend” whom I thought I knew …… for more than 20 years …… attack me on MY Facebook page for posting MY opinion.
Mine.
I was shocked.
And flabbergasted (I don’t think I’ve ever used that word before, but I like it. I may have to start using it regularly.).
Her words became hateful.
And so I did what I didn’t think I’d ever do over politics.
I unfriended her.
What a stupid world.
(I also had a distant relative (maybe) unfriend me because I came to the defense of my daughter on MY page. I’ve never met her and don’t know her so that didn’t surprise/bother me. I thought it was funny.)

I’m sick and tired of the fighting, name calling and hatred being poured out over this election.
From both sides.
I’m tired of friends making snide comments on my page when I post something that I like.
So I don’t spend much time there anymore.
I hope that this will all die down soon and people will become normal again.
Whatever that is.

Not that I want everyone to sit back and do nothing.
I think we should all be politically and socially active.
Or things will never change.
And we’ll be stuck with “alternative facts”.
I just hope that we can do this without the hatred.
Where has that come from?
What makes people think it’s ok to post hate on other people’s pages?
Why is it ok to let hatred spew from your fingertips?
It’s not …… in my book.

Now …… in other news of things I’m not sick and tired of …… last week, after a month of training, I was sworn in as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) and on Friday I took on my first case.
If you’re not familiar with CASA you should definitely Google it and check it out. There’s probably an office near you and you might be a wonderful addition.
In a nutshell …… I’m the voice of a foster child/children in court. I investigate the life of that child, foster a relationship with them (over a period of 12-18 months, or more) and tell the judge what, in my opinion, is in the best interest of her/him.
I listen without judging, support as best I can, and try to keep the goal of the foster system in front of me: keeping families together.
No, that won’t always be the case, obviously. But it is the majority of the time.
Another goal is a CASA for every child in the system. I’m just a tiny drop in a very empty bucket.

So if you’re looking for something of great value to do with your time …… if you want to make a difference in the life of a child who’s hurting …… if this election has made you more aware of the needs of our country …… if you’re sick and tired of the divisiveness and would like to help get rid of it …… I highly recommend becoming a CASA.

And on that note …… I will end this rant post.

Happy Monday, y’all.
🙂

…… can sometimes happen at the same time.  Probably rarely.

Though all it takes is once.

I’ve been binge watching “The Gilmore Girls” for the past several weeks.  I finished the 7th, and final original season yesterday and started the new episodes on Netflix today. Yesterday was the day I was transported.            And then it happened again today.

Yesterday it was during Episode 13, Season 7.  The father/grandfather had a massive heart attack and then went into surgery.  While he was in there his daughter and granddaughter went to his house to pack a bag for his wife …… their mother/grandmother.

Jim didn’t have a heart attack, but he did go into major heart surgery.  And some of my children went back to the house to pack a bag for me.  Because I’d be staying in the hospital with him for the 6 to 7 days of recuperation the surgeon had told us to expect.

As I watched the scene of them wondering what to pack, my heart broke all over again for my children, who had to wonder what to pack for me.  I don’t know if they were as positive as I was that I’d be home with their dad in a week.  I don’t know if they tried hard to keep their minds occupied on the task at hand, rather than on their father in surgery.

Not knowing any of that didn’t make that episode easier to watch.  It was difficult.  I didn’t know the outcome of that episode …… I know that the actor who played that role (father/grandfather) died in 2014 …… but I didn’t know if they killed off his character before then.

It turns out they didn’t.  So the wife (mother/grandmother) got to use the lovingly packed suitcase.  She stayed at the hospital for the days that it took for him to recuperate and then get discharged.                                   She was lucky.
She got to use the suitcase.

My suitcase remained unused.  It was lovingly and hurriedly packed …… all to no avail.  Jim never made it out of surgery.
Not alive anyway.

I didn’t see the transporting coming.  It just happened.  One minute I was in my living room, watching a TV show, the next minute I was invisible in my former home, watching my daughters trying to figure out what to pack in a suitcase for me.
It was surreal, to say the least.

Then today I started the new episodes …… where the dad/grandfather has just died because the actor died.  The funeral, the grief …… it was all there.
And it was sad.  As it should’ve been.
Transported …… again.

It must be noted that yesterday was the 9th of December.  A full two weeks and a day past Thanksgiving.  For those who know the meaning of that, this is huge.  For those that don’t, the “death march” towards December 18th, the day Jim died, usually begins with Thanksgiving.  For the last 9 years it’s been a holiday I’ve mostly dreaded …… because I know what comes closely on its heels.  Most of the time it’s completely unconscious.  I know that those of you who haven’t experienced the death of a spouse or child can’t understand that, but trust me, it’s true.  The body remembers things that the mind tries to forget.

But this year, this year I looked forward to Thanksgiving.  And I happily decorated the house, by myself.  I realized what the days were/are leading to, but I felt ok.  And feeling ok feels pretty great compared to the usual.

So the fact that I made it to December 9th without feeling my body going through the “death march” is fantastic.  And even though I shed tears yesterday, and today, I still feel ok.  Don’t get me wrong …… that doesn’t mean I don’t think about Jim, don’t miss Jim, don’t long for Jim, don’t love Jim just as much …… I think it just means …… I’m happy.  And I can feel sadness in the midst of happiness.

I think it also helps that I get to spend significant time with a certain 2 year old (2 sleepovers in a row this weekend!).    And while he keeps me busy, and mostly makes me laugh …… it also breaks my heart that he “knows” who Grandpa is, but doesn’t know Grandpa.  Nor Grandpa him.  As far as I know, anyway.  I’d like to think that Grandpa sees him …… and knows him.

So, be careful while you’re binging.
You never know where you might end up.

…… more pictures than words.

I’m still a bit (or maybe a lot) stunned and really don’t have any words to write anyway.
Not yet.

So on to pictures.  This first group are all from the month of September.  I may or may not write a description.  We’ll see if I feel inspired when I upload them.  🙂

SOMEbody was put in time out for refusing to stop barking. She shall remain nameless but she has her own FB and Instagram accounts, so these could be used for blackmail some day. 😉

I walked into a store at the beginning of September and was not prepared to see this:

Or this (whatever):

I really thought this part of life was behind me.  Ha!

And now for October.

This kid.  So much love.
We went to the zoo.

And Angel …… we went to this exhibit just for you.  🙂

A day in Waco.  Note that in the bottom right picture they were BOTH getting ready to act upon a bad idea.

This took a while.

Excellent cookie placement.

Another trip to the zoo.  And a new friend was made.  A massive new friend.

This was an experiment to see if the hairstyle would work with ……

…… THIS!

(I’m hoping that you know he’s dressed up as Alexander Hamilton.  His awesome mom made the costume!)

I went to Oklahoma for our Homecoming and had dinner one night with my lovely, fun and loving “sisters”.  ❤

Here are pics from November (so far):

A play and a movie preview.

A beautiful day in the Park.  Most people had on hats and scarves.
I wore sandals.
Sissies.

Another play, starring Mary Louise Parker.  There was on stage seating, which was cool.  And her 12 year old son was being an usher.  So cute!

And then there was this musical, starring Josh Groban, whom Daughter #2 wants to marry. So I hung out at the stage door afterwards to record him saying hi to her and to get pics and his autograph.  Success!

An awesomely beautiful day for tennis.

A cup of tea after a long awaited massage at Lush Spa.  The kids gave me a gift certificate for Christmas …… last year.  I kept forgetting about it but last week remembered and decided to use it on Election Day.  I’m glad I did.  I still feel pretty relaxed.  🙂

And last but certainly not least …… a post-grooming Gracie.  The only dog I know that loves going to the groomer.  Seriously.

Enjoy your day and remember to breathe deeply every once in awhile.
Or drink a bottle of wine.
Whatever works for you.

Happy Wednesday!

…… in NY.
More or less.

Here is my last week …… in pictures.
Enjoy.

Last Sunday I met with a group of widowed peeps in Bryant Park.  Where it was beyond hot.  And humid.  So a couple of us enjoyed a pitcher of white wine sangria.  And it was as good as it looks.
After about an hour or so the heavens opened up and drenched us in rain, even as we sat under an umbrella.  That’s because the wind blew it in sideways.  It felt good.  Especially afterwards because the temperature had dropped more than 10 degrees.

Later that evening I went to see this show, and was pleasantly surprised.  Not by Sean Hayes’ performance … I knew that he’d be terrific, but the play itself was better than I expected (for the most part).  It was very touching in places.

On Tuesday we had the best day of weather …… and the last for a while.

Wednesday night I had free passes to see a preview of this movie.  I’d never really heard about it before, but it was fun.
It a British-fun kind of way.

Thursday morning I woke up to this at Columbus Circle (look closely).  The entire circle was blocked off by police.

That’s because the night before some wacko threw what looked like a package that contained a bomb into a police car, which was occupied by a police officer at the time.  In Times Square.  He immediately drove the car away from the crowded area, in case it blew up.  He deserves a medal for that.

The package turned out to be a fake bomb.  While he drove away other police started chasing/looking for the guy and his car.  They ultimately found him sitting in it, in Columbus Circle.  And they spent the better part of the night/morning trying to talk him out of his car.  They finally got him, arrested him and then scanned his car for any weapons or incendiary devices.  I don’t think they found anything.

Here are Gracie’s before and after pictures taken before and after her grooming appointment.  She absolutely loves going there and playing with the other dogs.  She almost jumps out of my arms when we start walking down the stairs to enter the place.  I’ll have to take a video next time.

What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you see this?

If you didn’t answer the  movie, “Airplane”, then I have to question why you’re reading my blog.  In case you still have no clue, they were singing, “Hari krishna, krishna krishna” with their tambourines.  I came across them on Friday as I was running errands.  It made my day.  🙂

I also came upon these news trucks and police vehicles, still at Columbus Circle late Friday afternoon.  It must’ve been a slow news day since that whole event was over on Thursday morning before 10:00.  They were probably stopping and interviewing clueless tourists about their thoughts.

Friday evening I went with some friends from my building to go see this (it was bloody hot and humid):

Here’s one of many, many videos that I took.  This was at the starting line.  The rest of them were taken up close, at the finish line.  I’m not going to post them because, unfortunately for me …… there are just some things that you can never un-see.  Ever.  Even if you wash your eyeballs.
You owe me a HUGE thank you.

After the race we went up to the rooftop bar on our building to try to drink away the trauma we’d just witnessed.
Let me say this about that, and then I’m done:  Some men should never, EVER run while wearing only briefs.
EVER.

We did get to see a beautiful sunset.  And there was an outdoor orchestra concert going on across the street at Lincoln Center.  The bottom picture is zoomed in.

This picture was taken last night, while Gracie was cuddled up against me and over my arm while I lay on the sofa.  She’s never far from my body.  Which is less than comfortable in the heat.  But what the heck.

So there you go.  A week in NY.  And mostly …… crazily enough …… pretty typical.

Man, I love this city.

🙂

…… I’m going to miss being in Waco when I leave tomorrow.
Because, you know …… it’s Waco.

But now Waco contains this face, which is really, really difficult to leave:

We had a great weekend.  Sons #1 and #2 came in town to visit and Little Man had a great time with his uncles.

And of course, we all had a great time with him.

I’m heading back to NY tomorrow.                                                                                                           Back to humid heat.                                                                                                                                       But lower temps.                                                                                                                                             Whoop!

But, dang …… I’m gonna miss this face.