This is life, not a dress rehearsal …
29 Oct 2014 Leave a comment
After comments from Facebook friends like “I’m so jealous,” and “I want to MOVE,” I’m thinking I should add a disclaimer to yesterday’s post:
Lawrence is obviously not heaven on earth. All of life is what we make it, and we came here with a goal of making it amazing, to make of this part of our lives all the good we possibly can, and to overlook the negative. That colors our approach to what we see every day when we wake up, what we do, where we go. Someone else could come here and have an entirely different experience and wonder why they feel let down in view of all the “hype.”
1.) Life is what you make it, and 2.) no matter where you go, there you are — two clichés that are truth just because they are. Kim and I are making up for lost time — we met late in life, we’ve both lived places we weren’t wild about, we’ve both felt stuck in routine and longing for more “soul” food. We don’t have the luxury of waiting and hoping at this point, so we get up every day and make fun things happen, whether we step outside our own walls or not. Some may see my ramblings as bragging, but they’re my way of being thankful. I don’t want to wake up later and wish I’d appreciated life more when I had the chance.
Young people think they’ll always be that way — young. And some people just need to be told it’s okay to be happy — to give themselves permission to live, from the inside out. Just do it — regret is a killer.
HAPPY FALL!
A Tuesday FULL of thankfulness …
28 Oct 2014 6 Comments
On a perfect fall day, temps in the 60s, sun shining through a light haze, leaves turning every shade from gold to purple, Kim noodling on guitar and finding melodies and chord changes that bring tears to my eyes, the house in just enough disarray to feel comfy, and our tiny white terror (nope, not a misspelling) running back and forth from balcony to everywhere else, I’m thankful for my town. Also all of the above, none of which would have happened without this town, except the guitar man.
We’ve been here a little over a year now, and it’s home in a way no other place has ever been. From the University of Kansas on Mt. Oread to the tiniest neighborhood we love it all. Lawrence is marinated in history, and as much of it as possible has been lovingly preserved — there are still rock houses standing since before the Civil War, and several businesses on Mass St. have original interior rock walls. Following Harper’s Ferry and other John Brown exploits in opposition to slavery (don’t get nervous, there won’t be a test), Quantrill and his raiders came through town in 1863, killing 150 men but no women and children, torching every house and business they could, robbing all the banks, and looting what was left. Lawrence immediately started rebuilding and the pro-slavery forces lost, end of story. The town is founded on that legacy and hasn’t wavered. Here people cheekily ask, “WWJBD?” (What Would John Brown Do?) The town’s beginnings were the roots of the open-hearted approach to personal liberty that permeates everything here and resonates so deeply with us.
We love the tree-lined streets full of dignified 3-story homes and whimsical “Painted Ladies.” We’re equally in love with the more haphazard neighborhoods, where every block is home to at least one artist’s studio, gallery, or workshop. A few more things we’re hooked on — Mass Street, with its blocks of stores and restaurants, housed in carefully preserved old buildings, all of it walkable and friendly. Live music all over town, plays, art shows, nice weather, rain, trees, great food, beautiful lakes, and the wide Kaw River, which is endlessly fascinating to us after living with a dry dusty riverbed for the past few decades. And KU Basketball, need I say more?
Here’s a small photographic sampling of what makes us so happy to be living here …
Getting re-combobulated …
22 Oct 2014 Leave a comment
One day away from home and the blog schedule is shot to hell, but as luck would have it no one died in the crossfire so here we go again.
Monday night Kim and I were invited to be extras for a film shoot at The Cider Gallery — much fun and very tiring. Let me assure you, movie people work hard for the money.
Yesterday (Tuesday) the truck showed up at 8:30am, same crew that worked late Monday night, and started unloading approximately 4 tons of equipment — not kidding — and schlepping it to the 4th floor to shoot scenes in our loft. Craft service was set up in the holding area, the producer, the writer/director and at least one of the leads arrived, and we left them to their magic at 10:30.
Drove out to The Farm to do a few things, then back to town. While I got my hair cut at the barbershop, Kim walked Madison down the street a couple of blocks and let her wander around Lucky Dog Outfitters where the two of them picked out a T-shirt. She took a walk on the wild side, slaking her thirst from the communal doggie bowl and snorting crumbs like a pro. The little muffin trotted all the way back to the barbershop on her own four feet, holding court along the way with her public, and then BACK to the pet shop where Mom liked the T-shirt but overrode them on color — purple and pink instead of two-tone green. Sorry Kevin, she’s no John Deere girl anymore, but she can walk like she’s brand new. Lunch happened and some other stuff, including an interesting guy on a pretty amazing old farm who hulled about 40 pounds of Colton’s black walnuts. That’s a lot of bending down to the ground, so it’s a good thing Colton — a friend’s son — isn’t yet as tall as he’s going to be.
A lazy drive through the countryside and it was back to The Farm ’til we got the text that said “We’re wrapping out!” The director was determined to get everybody home before the Royals/Giants game and she got close to her goal. Sadly, the Royals didn’t.
But tonight’s another night, boys and girls, all good thoughts to our boys in blue.
The film crew was just finishing the load-out when we got home, so everybody shared hugs and happy talk — they were pumped after a good day of shooting. Really too bad about the baseball deflation later. We’re anxious to see the rough-cut of the movie, and even more the finished result. If every frame bearing our features ends up on the cutting-room floor, technologically speaking, we won’t need counseling — that was hours of pure fun.
So there ya’ go, a day in the life … and now, film at eleven …
The Cider Gallery
Part of the Load-In at the Lofts
Hammons Hulling
Madison and her new T-shirt
Living in a state called Thankfulness …
14 Oct 2014 Leave a comment
Good morning! It’s Tuesday, and time to consider being thankful. Oddly enough, it’s no struggle to be severely grateful for this guy every day of the week. The dude loves me. Saved my life. Keeps me absurdly happy. If I told you more he’d have to kill you. I call him … Guido.
And this brings us to Tuesday Thankfulness …
07 Oct 2014 2 Comments
… for this little girl who entered our lives so unexpectedly and brings us such happiness! Madison, you’re a pip.
It’s Make-It-Up-As-You-Go Thursday!
22 May 2014 2 Comments
in My Thoughts Tags: brave, celebrations, family, happiness, happy stuff, life, living, loving, weather
What a fun day so far. Kim and I swam laps at 7:30, came home for coffee and breakfast, soaked in the spa tub, and then on his suggestion we rode our bikes over to his barbershop on Mass St. and I got my hair cut. There are two long-time shops side by side, owned by one family, and they’re the real deal. The only change from the good ol’ days is that now there are women barbers alongside the men, one of whom welcomed me into her chair and gave me exactly the cut I wanted. I could have gotten it for only $6 plus tip since I’m of the senior persuasion, but it seemed cheap and cheeky to mention it, so I paid the going rate of $10. You cannot beat that, try as you might. Ten minutes in the chair, happy talk every second, and I’m on my way. Next to me a young dad was getting his head shaved for the summer, followed by his little clone doing the same. The two long-haired daughters giggled uncontrollably when I asked if they were having all their hair cut off as well. One said, “No! Girls don’t NEED haircuts!” Sadly, I am no longer a girl.
We went two doors down for raspberry lemonade smoothies before riding a few more blocks to the salon so Mama could get a pedi. With my shiny new watermelon toes we circled around to the optometrist’s office to schedule an appointment, then home. Everything is an explosion of green, and the flowers and bushes are going crazy.
And now we’re waiting for it to rain, hopefully soon.
Tonight we’ll meet friends across the street at Pachamama’s to listen to jazz. On the patio if it’s dry, indoors if it’s raining. Clearly it needs to rain NOW rather than later.
Have a safe and happy Memorial Weekend! And may all the right parts be rain free. Speaking of “free,” there’s a reason …
Greetings, February …
01 Feb 2014 Leave a comment
The year moves on. I hope it’s filled with love for you …
Tell me about epiphany in your life!
06 Jan 2014 10 Comments
Everyone needs an epiphany for the new year and mine showed up this morning when I was making the bed. While I was looking out over the snowy rooftops of the town we love, a thought exploded in my brain. I’m in the process of checking for collateral damage from the explosion, but the idea itself came on like a freight train: “Why are you still holding a grudge against the people who got you to this wonderful place?”
Why indeed. Toward the end of December, WordPress put out a Daily Prompt that said “Share a story where it was very difficult for you to forgive the perpetrator for wronging you, but you did it — you forgave them.” Someone instantly came to mind and I kept thinking about her off and on until this morning’s little gift. I knew she’d wronged me, and I knew I hadn’t forgiven her.
Wikipedia says: “An epiphany is an experience of sudden and striking realization. Generally the term is used to describe scientific breakthrough, religious or philosophical discoveries, but it can apply in any situation in which an enlightening realization allows a problem or situation to be understood from a new and deeper perspective.”
Exactly. It was suddenly clear to me that if it hadn’t been for the wild whims and incomprehensible decisions on the part of Kim’s boss, we’d still be caught in our old life. Instead, we’ve been able in the last four months to exchange:
- seriously reclusive habits … for a busy, fun, crazy social life;
- a smattering of fast-food places and Mexican restaurants … for nearly every possible food category, in abundance;
- a once-in-a-while opportunity to go to a concert … for a nightly offering of live music from around the world;
- limited opportunity to be part of a vital, welcoming theatre community … for nearly unlimited ways to do so;
- a situation where we were two blue marbles in an enormous sea of red … for being part of a big blue sea;
- feeling like a couple of sore thumbs … for feeling accepted; or to channel Sally Fields, for knowing that “these people like us.”
And there’s so very much more. We love it here.
But we’d still be immersed in our same old situation if not for Kim’s boss giving him an ultimatum: NO days off during the run of a show. That would have meant twenty-three straight working days every other month, many of them 12 to 14 hours on his feet, with no break, seven months out from a serious heart attack and bypass surgery. I was livid — this woman was trying to kill my husband! She’d already stacked his schedule to the max — this was the last straw. I put my foot down. The job ended abruptly, and then a really amazing thing happened — circumstances fell into place, one by one, to get us the hell outta Dodge.
This morning I finally got it that I owe that crazy lady a debt of thanks. For one thing, she didn’t truly wrong ME. And for another, she didn’t deliberately try to kill my husband. And all the theatre friends who “abandoned” us were simply living their own lives. Finally, I can stop taking poison and expecting someone else to die. After months of angst, I can unload the whole thing and celebrate the fact that what may have been meant for ill has resulted in boatloads of happiness.
And then I saw on Facebook that today really is the Epiphany. Perfect.
A day in the life …
06 Nov 2013 Leave a comment
in My Thoughts Tags: be real, beauty, cooking, happiness, life, living, love
We slept. Woke. Slept again. Soaked in the big spa tub, with lots of bubbles. Had coffee with salted caramel biscotti. Kim made ranch omelets for breakfast. A friend came and helped him rewire the lights under the range hood. I played on Facebook. We went to the grocery store, then stopped at Henry T’s for $3 beer and the Triple Whammy — warm chips with queso, salsa, and fresh guac. Now my husband is making chicken noodle soup from scratch. And he just brought me a Bloody Mary with not one but two celery hearts. He reads my mind on a regular basis. Later we’ll savor the white, white chicken chunks and the yummy wide noodles, the carrots and celery and onion. And most likely a glass of Kono.
It starts getting dark very early now. We’re loving the coziness of our loft, the fireplace, the view of our neighborhood from our tall 4th-floor windows. I wish the world could be this much at peace …
We did it!
06 Nov 2013 Leave a comment
in My Thoughts, Photos, Uncategorized Tags: happiness, life, living, Photos
We moved! We got away!! It really happened!!!
I have to hold back a little bit on Facebook so as not to alienate ALL my friends, but we love our new city and we feel like kids again. We haven’t unpacked all the boxes yet, but this is home and we hope we’ll never leave it until they carry us out feet first.
We arrived in time to watch the leaves turn, a show that astounds and delights us in every direction. We’ve explored restaurants and coffee shops, watched theatre performances, happened upon live music more times than I can count. We live one block off of downtown, an area that teems with life nearly around the clock. It feeds our spirits.
We needed this so much. No regrets. No regrets.
Playing for Time 
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