Solstice Music & Tree at Michelle's

Escaping the urban noise...

I was enroute to, we live in the Northeast Heights (Frights), the Nature Trail that parallels the Rio Grande. Just before the junction was a tree-lot with two Hispanic guys keeping watch. (What with one thing and another we've not had a tree for several years.) Their smallest was $45.00, but he let me have a foot-and-a-half one, perfect for us, for $15.00.

The tree stand can be seen in my baby pictures

Michelle did ceramics for about 15 years. This was from 1998.

Sophie, my cat, a mergers and acquisitions specialist, died in 2010. Michelle did her portrait in 1995.

Mushroom from my childhood. Pink star from Dillards Department Store back when One El and I were Marketing Executives at UNM Press (late '80s). The Wizard Cat was a gift from me to Double El; undated.

Devout agnostics, when One El and I met in '86 she was still fresh from a medieval choral group in D.C. that sang a cappella. She has a beautiful voice and unselfconsciously accompanied many of the carols on the first selection below.

All of us are ornament enthusiasts. This year we're drawing from Double El's and my collection. Donuts! Carrots!

This evening's playlist. Classics; you'll likely recognize 'em all.

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen (It is a rose sprung up)

Youtube

The Most Beautiful German Christmas Songs (Youtube)

Jumping Jacks

As an anxiety-eater whose dysfunction is exacerbated by barking dogs, blatting Harleys, car alarms, sirens, the cumulative hum of refrigerators and the banging of the neighbors' pots & pans, my beam tends to broaden whenever we find ourselves in "the city".

The Lurpac, Smith (scroll to bottom), eats as she always does but doesn't get enough exercise to maintain the legendary litheness that strikes terror into the hearts of watering Reeboks across the land. Thus, we've taken to visualizing (it's the first step) how to combat the effects of our visits to urbanity.

Herewith are depictions by Double El .

Cornea transplant consult rescheduled for April 5th. We hope to head west the day after.

Welcome Delay

There's something innately exciting about departures. I can recall standing on the deck of the U.S.S. Buckner in Bremerhaven waving to the crowds in 1962. 

Not yet ten years old, the thrill of travel -- we'd already moved 22 times -- was, once again, upon me!

I woke this morning bright & shiny. We, Smith and I, were gonna hit the road. The leaden-gray, Clevelandesque clouds did nothing to dampen my spirits. And when One El called to say she had a doctor's appointment at 2:30 and could I chauffeur her, I was delighted at the chance to spend more time with her.


One El with Bonsai, Double El's tortoiseshell furball, on her left. This year is our 30th anniversary. (Once a vibrant redhead, her hair turned blonde after chemo.)

UPDATE - 1-10-17 - Double El sent this great selfie.

The Wait May Kill Yuh

We, Two El and I, set up the swampcooler and while she lowed the mawn I went down to my "apartment" (a Motel 6 Studio) for a break. She was still working when I came back and continued while I set out salmon, cheese and pineapple for dinner. She lost track of time and forgot she had two cat-sits. I returned the hose she'd bought and didn't need to Lowe's while she ate. We said goodbye several times as I got the last of the stuff into the car.

I went and picked up Michele (One El) at Vitamin Cottage (she doesn't drive and usually takes the bus) and took her home where I took Eggbert's plate off. She'll coordinate with The Make a Wish Foundation who's sending someone to come get him. They'll auction him off and the proceeds will go to the New Mexico chapter.

Susan called this afternoon to tell me she got an apartment at the Curley School in Ajo, Arizona. For over twenty years she's dreamed of living there. A one-bedroom came open at the same time Section 8 gave her a voucher -- after they told her in January she'd have to wait two years. The timing was exquisite...she'd run out of places to stay and the van (see blogpost 11/22/14) was full of stuff her friend Jack had left her when he died a few months ago. She'll move in June 1. (Suzan was homeless in Nov 2014, so I gave her the van.)

Squishy Tulips (a blog I read) got to meet Susan Branch, an author she admires. In the course of the event, she was introduced to some people she knew by sight but had been too shy to approach. Several other wonderful things happened that day.

Timing is amazing. I gave up speculating years ago when I realized reality was gonna far surpass anything I could imagine. I still wish it didn't wait until the last minute; sometimes the wait gets a tad excruciating.

Tomorrow I'll leave for the Expo in Two El's 2008 FIT. She's loaning it for the duration.

I made an appt with my physician for Sept 29 for my annual physical. One El reminded me that's our name day. She said we've been celebrating it for years; Two El said we celebrated it last year.

I guess we'll celebrate this year...if we're still here. All in all, the many happenings of the day hint at the possibilities of the next phase. It was a nice way to cap this one...most notable for the many deaths including Eggbert's mechanic (brain cancer) and Two El's mom (olde age). I can hardly wait! 

Vince's Birthday

In Albuquerque we came together to celebrate Vince's 77th birthday which is April 15th. An unrepentant Luddite, I've been patient with his requests to look stuff up online, but when he wanted to know how to corn beef, I decided it was time. 

I was lucky and found a Dell latitude E6410, in its day the fastest laptop on the market, at NAU surplus. 

He's a superb ranter and bicycles nearly everywhere to spite the oil companies. His '72 Hornet, bought new, is, I suspect, the last one functioning. We share the opinion that a car is a tool, not an ego extension. 

Of the thousands of artists, arts promoters, bureaucrats and media people I worked with he's the only one who became a friend. Michelle Cook (Double El) spotted him at the '93 SW Arts & Crafts Fair in Albuquerque where she too was exhibiting. His paintings, among the most bizarre I've seen, drip with angst. A graduate of Notre Dame, he has a degree in Biology and an M.A. in Political Science.

His obdurate, flat-out refusal of the computer means I'm enjoying it. He doesn't like beer so I also took back the Sheaf Stout.

He settled for a piece of cake.

L to R...Vince, Michele (One El), Michelle (Double El) Cook and Yerz Trooly.