Angel Baby

Well it took 6 hours but the tree is up and looks very beautiful, if I do say so myself! Actually, I could say it looks downright heavenly since it is covered in stars and angel ornaments.

Thirty years ago, before angels became trendy and new-agey, a friend gave me a beautiful little porcelain angel ornament. The next year I bought another one. Then I started collecting angels on a casual basis. Now I have over 100 -- more than enough to do an entire tree. Each one has a story. Some were gifts, some were handmade, some were purchased on my travels. Here a just a few pictures:

She started it, with her porcelain perfection!

Bringing Tidings of Comfort & Joy

She's from New Orleans, LA. Her pigtails don't show well, but they're angelic.

She's Latina, from San Diego/Tijuana and is hand cut,hammered tin.

A Native American Angel, from Cody WY

This beautiful baby is afraid of hot water. He's all pasta, even the tiny little stars on his (wooden) head. I've had him 25 years, with only one little chip!

Hand crocheted by my sister, around a wooden clothes pin. So sweet!

Ribbons and bows - so simple!

Ginger's from the Great Smoky Mts. in TN. She's the only one who came with a name.

Nature Girl - she's a fir cone from the beautiful Pacific Northwest

Animal Kingdom - an angelic cat is an oxymoron. She's more likely to have horns than a halo.

I have about 80 more - but isn't Christmas fun?

Viva Las Christmas!

Either the Christmas season or the Las Vegas mob has arrived on my block. I'm not sure which. Three of the younger dads in the neighborhood appear to have an informal "my display is bigger than your display" competition running and the houses are lit from the curbs to the roof tops. Truly, they do resemble miniature Vegas casinos!

There are inflated Santas, snowmen, elves, candy canes, trains, and gift boxes. There are moving, grazing white deer. There are cone shaped trees and icicles and Noels and Merry Christmases. There are hedge covers, lawn stakes, wreaths, garlands, and stars. If Home Depot sells it, it's here!

This will give me an excuse to try the night time feature on my camera. But it's too cold out tonight. I'll try it on Saturday, just in case the guys install a few more features over the weekend.

Sometimes I wonder tho - aren't children getting confused about Christmas images? When I was little, we only had the Nativity scene and Santa. One year Macy's in SF had Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Pluto. That just did not seem right.

Anyway, the season has started. I hope the energy grid in my neighborhood survives the next 4 weeks. : - )0

Clear!

Don't have time to visit the gym right now? Here's an easy, fool proof way to increase your heart rate without ever leaving your car. 1) Drive to San Francisco to take in the holiday sights and atmosphere. 2) Cross the Bay Bridge and take the 5th Street exit. Proceed to Taylor and turn right. 3) Get ready now. Proceed up Taylor and turn right onto Sutter. 4) Feel your heartrate jump instantly into The Zone. Because Sutter is a one-way street and you just turned onto it going the wrong way!

That's what I did yesterday and realized my mistake immediately when all I could see was the front end view of 3 taxis approaching at taxi speeds. "Sh#t, sh*t, sh#t,sh*t" was my articulate response. But the amazing part was that the taxis were 3/4 of a block away, since they had been stopped at a red light. I made a Steve McQueen worthy U-turn across 4 lanes of Sutter and shot out of there like Santa going up the chimney. My friends (who may never let me be the driver again) said, "Let's not talk about this."

But I knew you'd all like this aerobic tip. Just try to time the red lights properly. Whew....

Aromatherapy

OMG, my house smells incredible right now. I just finished my Thanksgiving dishes:

Green Beans with Mushrooms, Bacon & Caramelized Onions ,

Honey Roasted Yams with Cayenne, Cinnamon,& Lime Juice,

and Gingerbread with Crystalized Ginger & Lemon Zest Whipped Cream.

I walked outside and almost swooned when I came back in - that's how good it is. If I could bottle it, I'd never have to worry about my 401k again. But I can't so maybe that makes it even more special. This is going to be good for my car too, as I drive across town in about 30 minutes.

Happy Feasting Everyone!

Thanks Full

Wow, it's only about 36 hours until our very special day of Thanksgiving, where we publicly celebrate all the wonderful, nice things in our lives. I try to do that in small ways everyday, but the holiday is so much more official. In addition to all the big things like family, friends, good job, good health, good health insurance, a home, 2 pets, adequate food & clothing, pleasant neighbors, and a generally enjoyable life here's a (very) random list of things I'm thankful for:

• iPod. I love my iPod!


• TV remote control - I can switch between House and Dancing with the Stars without disturbing the two cats on my lap.


• My Kitchen Aid mixer - responsible for my reputation as baker of killer brownies and chocolate chip cookies.


• Q-Tips. Useful for lots of tasks, not just for ears.


• Rotary fabric cutter. I still have a quilt I cut with scissors and a cardboard template, but that was so primitive. The rotary and ruler, like rules.


• An car with an automatic transmission. Especially when driving in San Francisco.


• Fast Track for the bridge tolls. Especially when driving to & from San Francisco.


• Hot water, bath soap, and deodorant. Makes public gatherings very pleasant. Without those, I would probably be a hermit.


• Netflix. Absence of those red envelopes can spur minor anxiety attacks.


• Supermarket grocery carts. Imagine trying to get all the Thanksgiving ingredients without one!


• Disposable soft contact lenses. I can wear sunglasses, ski goggles, and snorkeling mask, look better, and pretend to not need reading glasses.


• Black, 100% cotton, stretchy, elastic waist, comfortable sweatpants which are going to come in very handy over the next 5 weeks.
  

There's an even dozen. Have I forgotten anything important? Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Literary Smackdown

Pssssstttttt...... that's the sound of a rapidly deflating ego. Mine.

It started a couple of weeks ago when a friend forwarded a website link for amateur writers. It's an interesting site. Anonymous authors submit essays which are reviewed and ranked by anonymous readers. High ranking, ie popular, essays are awarded cash prizes. My friend likes my writing style and said "go for it!

So I did. I cut and pasted one of my blog pieces and spiffed it up a little bit. Then I waited for the anonymous reviews, assuming they would be impressed with my talents. Hah - I had a rude awakening. The reviews were less than complimentary. One said the piece "needs a lot of work". One said "story doesn't really lead anywhere special". One said I was "lacking in compassion" and another said "oddball. no heart." I'm not sure if they meant me or the essay!

My ego went down faster than Cindy-the-blow-up-doll when she was accidentally punctured with a nail file at my cousin's wild & crazy bachelorette party. I moped around the house for a couple of hours thinking about what a cold, heartless, insensitive, mediocre writer I am. Then I started to get irritated. So I logged back on the site to read some of the prize winning essays. Then I got really irritated. For the ones which had the most reviews and highest ratings were not all well written, but they are all very sad or emotional - tear jerkers about trauma or drama or painful life experiences.

I'm onto them now. I am going to resubmit. If they want emotion, I can do that. Nobody is going to say "needs a lot of work" about my next piece. I'll keep you posted.

Global Warming

Seasonal change in my part of California is very fluid. It see-saws back and forth, rather than sliding smoothly across the calendar. For example, last weekend the sky was overcast and gray, temperatures were in the mid-50's, the furnace kicked on every 45 minutes, and I made a big pot of chicken chili. The season was late fall, sliding into early winter.

But this weekend? Not a single cloud, temps in the high 80's and at 8:30 p.m. last night I had windows and doors open to let the house cool off. I had grilled salmon and green salad for dinner. On November 15th. The season was early fall, sliding backwards to late summer.

I'm not trying to say this is a problem - but it is disorienting at times. The trees where I work do not seem confused tho - they definitely know it's autumn!

Please Don't Tell Michelle

OK, now I KNOW this presidential campaign has melted my brain. Obama was in my dreams last night, and it wasn't a Martin Luther King "I have a dream" theme. More like a Bill Clinton "I am a dream boat" kind of theme. Thanks goodness all I did (in the dream) was reach out and touch his fingertips. Those long, slender, sensitive looking fingertips. Geez Louise! He's a married man with two kids and he's ten years younger than I am. Besides, I hate politics.

This could be an interesting four years. I'm turning off CNN. What happens in the subconscious should stay in the subconscious. I swear to all my fellow Americans - that is NOT why I voted for him!