Calendaritis

Elephants never forget ... but I might
Stamps: Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous,
Stampin' Up! (greeting)

I think I'm suffering from Calendaritis - this is where you have so much going on that every day there's at least one event/deadline you have to get to, and you need to look at your calendar just to figure out where you're supposed to be and what you're supposed to be doing, quite outside of daily obligations like work, school, meals, laundry - oh, don't even get me started about laundry...

What on earth have I been up to? Well, let's see ...
Laundry - both the washer and dryer packed up a couple of weeks ago. After some spare parts and much tinkering they are both functional again, although they remain on the long list of things around here that would be replaced if only I could find the $ to do it. I love and hate the machines, but today it's mostly love, as they are working and I'm washing, drying, folding, loving the smell of clean laundry (they are rattling and whining, or it would be total love).

Birthday flowers - yes, I have chalked up another year on this earth, these lovely flowers were from the peeps at work. I'm enjoying the passage of days and years, and feel very grateful to be enjoying seeing my children growing up, feeling like my own person, blooming where I'm planted, getting by. OK, I did spend an hour or so of my birthday at the laundromat because the washer at home was working, but not the dryer. The upside was that the kiddos came with me, and we got that stuff folded lickety-split.

Flynn's Confirmation - yay, he made it, and we're all done :) What a wonderful experience this was, a truly moving service and two years of preparation fulfilled. So many events in the weeks leading up to the actual confirmation meant almost daily there was either a class, a church service, or a project, but, breathing now, we're done. For the first time since Molly was three years old there are no extra education / youth programs / altar serving / choir performances, both Molly and Flynn have completed the process and now we can just be our own family going to Mass and sharing that time. I love it. I'm very grateful to the teachers, leaders and administrators who worked so hard to make this happen - thank you!

A class with Michael deMeng - what a great experience. Michael is very generous with his knowledge, techniques, humour and music, you can bring your 'how do I get this to do that' questions with you and they'll be answered (paint on plastic / metal? No problemo!). This piece is still a work in progress, not much left to do, but those finishing touches are important to me, it's not done until I feel it's done, and that's that :) We transformed a cigar box and assorted ephemera into a 'Cave of Pages'. I'll post some photos soonish ...

The Eagles at The Hollywood Bowl - I'm a lifelong fan of The Eagles, so a dream come true night out this week was a bus ride out to the Hollywood Bowl, some cheapo seats, and the show of a lifetime, they are AMAZING!! The beauty of the Bowl is that you can always get some cheap seats up near the back, so most events become affordable even when you don't have a lot of dinero about.
Having had pricier seats in the boxes at the front many years ago when we weren't so stretched for money, I have to say that I actually prefer the cheapo seats - from up there you can see the
entire bowl, the surrounding hills, the rest of the crowd, framed by starry skies - you get a sense of the unique and wonderful setting. The guys did comment on the fact that it was super-cold (Joe Walsh - "I'm freezin'!" - dude, you're moving around!, we're freezing!! - and that is was 4/20 - the scent of skunk weed started as soon as the music did, they noted the waft of aromas from the audience with a wink). Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Timothy B. Schmidt, and the inimitable Mr. Joe Walsh (they called it the 'Assisted Living' tour, but I think they're actually getting younger, or at least aging on a slower schedule than the rest of us) were in fine form and played the whole show, no opening act - they were the opening, second act, and encore - sigh. The harmonies and the musicianship were awe inspiring - only J.D. Souther and could have made it more perfect. Happy now.

Flynn was sick last week, 3 doctor's visits later he seems to be improving, although still not 100%. Today was a total delight - Sunday, no appointments, no rushing around. just taking care of business here at home. Order of business -
Put on some music to motivate me (this time, Santana). The kids smile knowingly when I have music blasting, it means I'm fully engaged in something, be it art, cleaning up, cooking or creating - today a little of each.

Breakfast - toast and Vegemite, hot Milo - could this Aus-fest be due to the fact that it's Anzac Day back home? Or maybe it was becuase I looked at these blogs - Emily Falconbridge and Nicole - both of these creative gals are living in the area of my old home in the hills outside Perth, Western Australia. I'm SO homesick!! Need a soundtrack for Anzac Day? Try Eric Bogle's "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda". I used to go to see the parades when possible, and as Eric says 'year after year, those old men disappear'. I met an amazing bloke, Herbert Hoddy, one year - he had been gassed in WWI, lost his vision, half a hand, a part of his foot, and two brothers, he was quite something, I hope I never forget his name or the time I spent with him. He was blind, I was waiting at a bus stop in Perth and saw him searching around, so I helped him to the bus stop, and was honored to hear his story as we waited. Remember those who served. I'm opposed to war, but I believe those who serve deserve respect. Contradiction? Yes, but you'll have to deal with it, that's the way life is. Shades of grey.

Laundry - we already talked about this, there's a lot of catching up to do, and I love starting the week with clean, folded, fresh clothes, sheets and towels for everyone. I'm no domestic diva, as my very messy, shabby home will attest, but I do love clean laundry :)
A little blog time, a little sorting out, a little music, a little food, it's a whole lot of wonderful to me.

Phew - after not posting for so long I'm afraid I've wittered on forever. Hope you have a great week!