Those daughters of mine…

Must have watched the movie Cool Runnings a gazillion times…John Candy…Jamaican bobsledding team…phrases that got stuck in your head…

One phrase surfacing…after oh so many years…on the way to Guadelupe River State Park…

Driver me…driving on a Saturday…Saturdays not good driving days…for old drivers…lady drivers…old lady drivers…

Crazy traffic…super fast traffic…bumper to bumper traffic…driver me trying to keep up…whip here and there…zip this way and that…all the while mentally chanting…

You’re a bada** mother who don’t take crap offa nobody…

And she was…bada**…held her own…and she didn’t…take no crap…got there safely…or shall we say…at least in one piece…

And so it is…in life…sometimes you just gotta have confidence…build yourself up…and like that saying goes…

Be strong…when you are weak…
Be brave…when you are scared…
Be humble…when you are victorious…
Be bada**…every day…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This husband and I…

Love the cabin in Texas…downstairs unit…beautiful view…easy access for a kitty cat visit…

The couple upstairs…a delightful pair…readers…parents…grandparents…he a retired pastor…she an aspiring ukeleleist…

And this old gal’s retro soul mate…fun hair…fun boots…even bought nearly matching…fun sweaters…two peas in a pod…

Until it comes to time…laughed about it on a walk one day…they early to rise…early to bed…the downstairs folk night owls…like to sleep in…

Made a comment…a probably should comment…probably should go to bed early…probably should get up early…probably should probably should…

That friend of mine…not missing a beat…chimed right in with…well…what does it matter if it works for you…

And there it was…that right there…what does it matter…those probably shoulds…hanging on…weighing us down…

Don’t give them power…let them go…it’s ok to do…what works for you…
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And that friend of mine…most possibly…agrees…

This husband and I…

Walked to Faust Bridge…historical…beautiful…site of some recent zombie movie…

Always take pictures…sparkling river…floating turtles…lush greenery…the buildings unique…abandoned…telling a story…

Was surprised this time…to see the change…the loud…colorful…in your face…change…

There’s been graffiti…but more had emerged…a new artist…a superperson artist…apparently able to defy gravity…

What talent…came the thought…what a waste of talent…came another thought…but is it really…a waste…illegal most likely…trespassing…most surely…

But those words…random yet not…spoke to bridge walking me…yuck…I hear you…karma…not against it…God is good…yes He is…

I love you…bold…brave…shout it from the mountain top…shout it…from the building top…

Let everyone see…let everyone know…let everyone feel…loved…this is a gift…graffiti or not…this is a gift…indeed…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Is a predictable puzzle doer…follow a pattern…never deviate…sort pieces by color…edges go first…build from outside in…

That husband of mine…not so uptight…disregard edges…look for an item…tiger…flower…kitty cat…do that…then let it float around until it fits somewhere…

Got a gift from a friend…a puzzle…an Iowa puzzle…unique…clever…but hard…the border large…all the same color…all the same shape…

Puzzle doer me…got frustrated…the border seemingly impossible…couldn’t work from outside in…just about…threw in the towel…

And so it is…in life…sometimes things don’t work…sometimes…your way…doesn’t work…

Keep an open mind…try something new…spread your wings…and fly…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This daughter of mine…

Gave her mother a puzzle…a mystery puzzle…a puzzle with no guide…no clues showing what the picture will look like…

It was challenging…surprisingly so…not sure where to start…how to proceed…what would work…what wouldn’t…

Almost gave up…threw in the towel…too much uncertainty…too frustrating…too…much…work…

Couldn’t see where things were heading…couldn’t see…the end result…

And isn’t that life sometimes…throws a curveball…goes to pieces…not sure where to start…not sure…how it will end…

Take it from an old gal…have confidence…keep going…little by little things fall into place…and life’s mystery…won’t be so mysterious…any more…
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And that daughter of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Thought of that teeny tiny book…the teeny tiny woman…in the teeny tiny house…went for a teeny tiny walk…to her teeny tiny garden…and in the garden…she found…a big toe…

Saw a food truck…Tejas Birria…wondered what birria was…goat meat maybe…neither of us knew…

And that’s when the ridiculousness kicked in…the overboard don’t-have-enough-to-do-trying-to-figure-out-what-it-was…ridiculousness…

Researched it…talked about it…watched a long video on how it’s made…talked about it some more…decided to try it…drove downtown…walked to the food truck…

And found…bliss…

Birria bliss…a yummy beef concoction…wrapped in a hug of crispy cheese…partnered with a cup of the most tasty broth…in the whole wide world…

And so it is…in life…sometimes you have to follow that path…take those teeny tiny steps…a new job…new relationship…new food adventure…

What you find…might be just…what you are looking for…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Was a crazed puzzler this Texas winter…last year it was books…read lots and lots of books…this year…it was all about the puzz…

A menagerie of sorts…

Iowa…Flintstone…wooden…mystery…kitty cat…Christmas…kitty cat…Christmas…kitty cat Christmas…

Love the wooden Dowdles…teeny tiny…fit perfectly in their little puzzle tray…ordered some to bring along…started those first…but puzzler me…became…puzzled…

Corners didn’t line up…sides weren’t snug…the teeny tiny tray…suddenly too big…for the teeny tiny puzzle…apparently someone thinking this year’s batch of teeny tiny puzzles…needed to be…teeny tinier…

And so it is…in life…things can change unexpectedly…friendships…relationships…family dynamics…

Can it be frustrating…yes…can we make it work…of course…will the new version be a beautiful as before…

Take it from an old gal…if the right pieces are there…it will be beautiful…it will be beautiful indeed…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This husband of mine…

Is a reading tourist…a tourist reader…a take time to look in depth…at all the placards and storyboards surrounding a display…

Lots of those at the Alamo…his touring wife more of a glancer than a reader…look quickly then move on…

Pretended to be engrossed…while waiting patiently and what to my wondering eyes should I see…intriguing facts…interesting info…something never thought of before…

Who knew…

All those Valero gas stations…Marquis de Valero…Bexar county…Duque de Bejar…La Quinta the hotel…La Quinta a building in San Antonio…

The Alamo…once connected to a mercantile…had been a storage place for fabric…and most fun…the current Alamo resident…is a cat named Bella…

And so it is…in life…sometimes you don’t know…what you don’t know…take time to learn…grow…make connections…

You just might find something…worth writing home about…
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And that husband of mine…agrees…

This husband and I…

Strolled the streets of Gruene on Texas Independence Day…bands playing…people celebrating…Texans decked out proudly…in their red white and blue…

A family walked ahead…mom…dad…grandma…grandpa…three boys with flappy star shirts…sister sporting some red fancy boots…

They chatted while they walked…Grandpa pointing to this and that…the two littles in between…tiny hands holding tight swinging back and forth…

The place was bustling…noisy…but in amongst the joyous buzz…the words…I love you Papa…floated on the air…

Little boy on the left…eyes lifted to the man with a grip on his hand…echoing words…no party…can silence…

And so it is…in life…isn’t that what we all long to hear…isn’t that what we all…need…to hear…

Three little words…unsolicited…heartfelt…powerful…

Find your people…and say them…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This husband and I…

Went to Gruene for lunch…the place was packed…some popular band playing at the dance hall…

Not good for relaxing…headed to a little market area…parked and started to walk…

Turned into a neighborhood…chatting while we strolled…when suddenly…things didn’t feel right…the streets were empty…

No people…no cars…no pets of any kind…felt like a movie set…turf for grass…dinosaurs on the porch…Mr Roger’s Neighborhood…

It was quiet…too quiet…

Kept walking…down the road…around the block…even the street names seemed cartoony…

It was beautiful…yet eerie…peaceful…yet unnerving…felt kind of like walking…into the Twilight Zone…

And so it is…in life…sometimes…you find yourself…where you don’t fit in…but nothing says you have to…

Just keep on walking…find your people…find your place…it’s out there…they’re waiting for you…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…