One Small Step For Equality

I have a friend who works for eHarmony. I got all kinds of fun dirt on their business practices after this friend was trained--i.e. initially they wouldn't match people who drank, smoked or did drugs--things anathema to the evangelical Christian founder. (I vaguely recall something about not matching mixed race couples but my friend couldn't confirm if I remembered that correctly).

Anyhoo, eHarmony has long maintained they "can't" do same-sex matchmaking because they "don't have the research." Because gay folk couldn't possibly be looking for the same kinds of qualities, attributes, compatibilities and values that straight people consider vital to healthy relationships (yes, that's sarcasm).

eHarmony has been sued in California and New Jersey over the lack of same-sex matching. Read the WSJ blog post here. eHarmony just settled in the New Jersey case and will offer a service called Compatible Partners beginning in March 2009.

I'm sure eHarmony will cry all the way to the bank after being forced to abandon a discriminatory business plan and expand their services to include MORE CUSTOMERS worldwide.

Winning and losing gracefully

So just about everyone is celebrating some kind of win or mourning some kind of loss today.

I'm doing both: I'm ecstatic about Obama's win last night (despite falling asleep before/during his speech).

And I'm deeply disappointed about how Prop 8 went--and disturbed that one deep pocketed minority group essentially bought a new line in the California state constitution. Regardless of how people feel about gay marriage, that kind of political imperialism should disturb EVERYONE who cherishes the democratic process.

I was listening to NPR yesterday on the way in to work and commentators were discussing the matter of being a gracious winner and a gracious loser.

I am aware that there are some in my immediate family and circle of friends who feel differently on both of the above issues. (For instance, my MIL, whom I adore, expressed how scared she was about Obama winning. So how do I have a political conversation with her without being a jerk?)

My hope is that we can talk through our respective losses without the winners gloating too loudly or the losers letting bitterness or animosity take over. (Know that I say this as much to myself as to anyone else reading).

Lawn Sign Larceny

When I backed out the of the driveway this morning, I noticed that some asshat stole our Obama lawn sign during the night. They thoughtfully left its wire frame behind, still stuck in the grass, but the plastic sign: gone.

Obviously, I'm PISSED.

What's Missing Here?

Since Mike was in SLC with me on Friday, we went for a shopping jaunt to Cost Plus/World Market.

I don't know when it started going by World Market, but CP/WM was always my go-to place for home decor, spices, ethnic foods, wrapping paper, ornaments, and good, cheap stocking stuffers. A true one-stop shopping experience.

There are only two WM stores in Utah--one in Park City and the other in Cottonwood Heights, south of the 215 freeway. So we jaunted--and got lost (misdirected by iPhone maps) but eventually found our way around to the WM store.

Ah, heaven! Riotous colors, savory scents, Halloween goodies, and imported foods, spices and sweets! I stocked up on curry powder, coriander, juniper berries and herbs de Provence--all for FAR less than grocery store prices. They were starting to put out Christmas treats; must return soon.

Mike browsed and found gummy eyeballs--his contribution to the department administrator's candy dish--and some Spanish candy for him and his mom. I dragged him over to the window treatments and found some gorgeous and on sale curtains for our kitchen windows. Can't wait to put them up!

As we made our way to the register, I scanned the store from the front and realized this World Market was unlike any other I'd been to. There's no liquor section! Of course, you say; it's in UTAH. Sometimes I forget what that means.

At all the other/normal CP/WM, there's always someone in the checkout line who has bypassed the baskets, papasans and rugs and filled their cart to the brim with imported wines and beer.

Culture shock, Utah style.

Dread Substance Is Falling!

I looked out the window and what did I see?
Snow on top of every backyard tree.
What winter's brought me is not a surprise,
But this damn early makes me avert my eyes.








I took these pictures a couple of hours ago. It's been snowing steadily--massive flakes now. Mike will have fun clearing the driveway with his new snow blower.

I'm bummed I didn't clear out my side of the garage yesterday; I worked on unpacking and organizing upstairs. Now I have to dig out my car and walk though 5 inches of snow to deal with shifting garage contents so I can park INSIDE.

AAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Hey, new content!

It's been just over a month since my last post. Not that there haven't been Happenings. I just haven't had the steam to write about them--rather, after sitting at the computer all day for work, I'm not so thrilled about logging in at home.

The real story is I'm cheating on Blogger with Facebook.

Despite the lapse, I ran across something post-worthy--a Rolling Stone article on John McCain that ought to be required reading for anyone planning to vote in November.

It's a long, astonishing and worthwhile profile of the career (Navy and political) and the behavior of the original neocon/Maverick/womanizer/POW who wants to be commander in chief.

Make-Believe Maverick
A closer look at the life and career of John McCain reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty

TIM DICKINSON

Posted Oct 16, 2008 7:00 PM

Click here to read: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/23316912/makebelieve_maverick/print

When McCain said in the last debate that the next president needs a calm, steady hand, I snort-laughed at the notion he would provide that. The article shoots even more holes in the carefully polished facade.

Enjoy!

Oops, I forgot I have a blog!

The office slows down after the Symposium, but not nearly as much as I hoped. I'm in the thick of planning regionals in Seattle, Independence, MO, the Bay Area and Washington D.C. That's keeping me hopping!

I recently joined Facebook (officially to promote Sunstone events), which has been a delightful way to reconnect with friends and to spend/waste time adding apps and writing on people's walls. I opted not to Friend my step kids, thinking that would be weird and terribly uncool. I'm easy to find if they want to Friend me--and that's fine as long as it's their idea.

We have a house guest staying with us--Ms. Self Portrait As is our writer/poet in residence for the next couple of weeks until her apartment is ready. We've had a lovely time hanging out, taking walks and talking politics.

We went to the Ogden Farmer's Market Saturday and scored some end-of-day bargains on gloriously fresh tomatoes and melon. We also signed up for Winder Farms grocery delivery service--again, lured by the bargains and freebies the guy threw in.

When I went online to check their full list of products, I wondered if this was a good idea. Yes, it saves time to have weekly deliveries, but I still have to go to the store/Costco to get produce and items Winder doesn't carry and their products often cost more. I'll give it a whirl, but I'm not sure it's going to be a lasting relationship.

And to finish it off, a fun little tidbit from the Deseret News. Who knew Gary Coleman moved to Payson?

Riveted

So I picked up my new iPhone yesterday. I type geriatrically. I still haven't figured out all its tricks yet. I feel it is safe to say I will always have something to do in dull church meetings.

Briefly, some news

As if posting hasn't been light enough lately, I'm going into full symposium mode next week. Officially, it's August 6-9, but I'll be at work tomorrow afternoon trying to get some last-minute things done before the real time crunch.

I'm solo again; Mike's in Texas teaching his last class, rescheduled thanks to Hurricane Dolly. Weekday classes were also rescheduled for the weekend, which didn't occur to the schedulers and displaced Mike's class from their meeting rooms. Such fun.

A bit of good news: we terminated our listing agreement with the agent we (meaning me, mostly) were unhappy with and we're relisting the house with the agent we used when we were house hunting in McAllen. Mike is meeting with her Monday to go over the details. We'll probably pour some more $$ into replacing carpet and painting the interior and hope it will sell with the new representation.

This week's decision: board or find a pet sitter? We'll be staying in SLC for the symposium and will be off to So Cal for a few days afterward. Don't know which is the better option. There's one licensed, bonded in-home pet sitter in the yellow pages and a bunch of boarding facilities. PK is always so hate-filled after being boarded. Plus not all kitties are up to date on their shots--and that's not something I really have time to deal with. I guess I just answered my own question.

Must turn in after a long, lazy day.

Today: My Radio Debut

From Sunstone Blog:

New Sunstone directors Stephen Carter and Mary Ellen Robertson will be interviewed this afternoon on Van Hale’s radio show, Mormon Miscellaneous. We’ll discuss the upcoming Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium and forthcoming issues of Sunstone magazine.

Mormon Miscellaneous airs live in Salt Lake City from 5:00-7:00 pm MST on radio station KTKK 630 AM and streams live on the Internet at http://www.k-talk.com and mms://stream.netro.ca/ktkk .

If you’d like to ask questions during the broadcast, the Salt Lake Call-in Number is 254-5855. Callers outside of Salt Lake Number can call in to 801-470-5855.

Questions and response via email during the program are welcomed at van.hale@k-talk.com

If you can’t catch the live broadcast, you can listen to it later as a podcast at http://www.mormonmiscellaneous.com/.

Tis the Season

I'm in Utah, but Mike is in South Texas dealing with this:



The National Weather Service just downgraded Dolly to a Category 1 Hurricane--good news as she pushes inland toward Hidalgo County.

Dolly's supposed to arrive in our part of the Rio Grande Valley around 7:00 pm. UTPA campus is closed for the next few days. I'm keeping an eye on things via The Monitor's web site.

Besides the canceled flights, power outages, hurricane force winds, rain and inevitable flooding, Dolly is stirring up controversy. Apparently, the Red Cross refuses to work at any RGV shelters because of the region's deteriorated levee system and potential for serious flooding. They will provide aid after the storm passes, but encourage people to evacuate instead.

Since Mike is driving back to UT with moving truck #2, he called the airlines and got a credit for the unused half of his round trip flight, scheduled to leave Monday. A little sliver lining in Dolly's blustering clouds for us.

The Internets are on!

Managed to get everything reconnected this morning. Yippee!

Now I'm trying to find where (or, more likely IF) I can buy tahini anywhere in Ogden. I'm hankering to make hummus and I can't find tahini to go in it. Sheesh, I could get it easier than this in South Texas. Is it locked up with the liquor?

CA Connection

My dear friend over at Divergent Pathways wrote an awesome blog post on her CA friends and made mention of the b-day BBQ. Just the thing I needed while I'm emotionally in Shitsville.

Incommunicado

The wireless Internet is down at our house for the foreseeable future. If you need to reach me on weekends and evenings, calling is the best bet.

Those Darn Cats!

I came home Tuesday night to find a serving platter from our set of fancy wedding china shattered on the kitchen floor. The first casualty from that set. Oh, did I rail at the kitties about that! They know better than to get on the counters.

Mike's broken a couple of bowls of our everyday china. I just keep buying more sets at Target.

My mom says she'll replace the platter as an anniversary present. I'll just have to keep the replacement away from naughty, counter-jumping kitties. Wonder if those motion detectors/counter top deterrents work?

Photos from the Quarentanera BBQ

I won't caption each because Blogger puts them next to the wrong photos.

Party shots of family, friends and Dash, the cupcake-snatching Scottie. Guests by the pond and with the b-day girl. My old CA ward was nicely represented; enough of us have moved to Utah that we may do a Pasadena Ward satellite book group.

I must object to the 60 candles that were used on the cakes and cupcakes. That's just WRONG.

The last picture needs some explaining. My SIL Kelly is obsessed with my shoes. Within minutes of first meeting her, she buried my shoes in the sand at Laguna Beach. On the way back from Lake Powell last summer, we hid her shoes in the microwave and dishwasher and suggested that a third pair were hidden somewhere else in the house. I should have known better than to leave her in our bedroom unattended. This was her little birthday gift to me: ALL my shoes in the bed and more under the mattress. Thanks, Kell. When's your birthday again?

Cracked Up

The week we left Texas, I drove the minivan after a couple of days of using Mike's car. There was a new injury to the windshield--a whorl-shaped rock hit that looked like the Target logo. Great.

Since the move, I've been driving the gas-sipping Honda to work. Both routes on my commute to SLC are under construction, so the truck traffic kicks up a lot of extra gravel.

On Wednesday night, I heard yet another thwack to the windshield. Didn't think much of it.

Thursday morning I walked out to the car and noticed a foot-long crack curving from under the wiper and up across the windshield on the passenger side. Holy crapoly. Like we need another thing to fix.

Windshields, take a number behind the ailing AC unit, the unwelded gate opener, the steeply pitched driveway we all scrape pulling in, the stairs that need railings, the wood trim that needs repair and paint, the windows that need replacing, the water gauge on the pond that doesn't work, the weeds that need pulling, the boxes that need unpacking, etc., etc.

We're ALONE

For the first time in more than a month, Mike and I are home alone.

The two youngest step daughters went home today. 18 was here for a week and seemed to be in a better mood. 15 was a great helper during our move and--get this--won over PK, the crabby Abby by the end of her month-long stay. He actually lets her pet him.

It probably helped that the past week was action packed; July 4 weekend in Idaho Falls included boating, movies, fireworks and BBQs, then a birthday/housewarming BBQ at our place, taking everyone to Lagoon on my birthday and Mike taking 15 and 18 indoor skydiving. What's not to enjoy?

Speaking of enjoyment, I have a groovy birthday present headed my way July 11. We went to the Verizon store to check out Blackberries and the damn things were SO frustrating to me. We walked over to the Apple store and two helpful sales associates introduced me to the iPhone. It was easy, intuitive. I was hooked. So I'll be getting an iPhone come July 11. Mike got an iTouch and a Mac Book through work; it's looking like we're headed out of PC-ville.

I'll post some photos from the BBQ tomorrow. In the meantime, we ought to be making the most of our alone time--and that doesn't mean sitting side by side working on adjacent computers.

Ogden Craigslist

I've been a leetle disappointed with some of the Craigslist people. I've had no problem recycling empty moving boxes on CL before.

So far, of the 9 people who contacted me about the boxes before I took down the ad Saturday afternoon, the very first people to respond were the only ones to show up when they said they were coming. And they didn't take many.

The second caller told me Tuesday he'd pick up boxes Thursday morning, so I put off three other callers. When he didn't show, I called the next two people on my list. One said she'd come Friday night or Saturday, but never showed, either.

I called the next woman on the list and said they had a day to pick up boxes. I got a call back from her husband Saturday morning, who said they desperately needed the boxes--don't give them away! But we were at the house until 6:30 pm and he didn't show up.

When we got home from our Saturday evening jaunt to SLC, there was a minivan in our driveway and two women flattening boxes. I have no idea which callers they were and at this point, I didn't much care. They took most of the boxes we had on the front porch.

I'll empty a few more boxes today, call the next person and give them my new spiel: there are 4 other people on my list. You have one day to pick up any boxes you want. If you don't show up, I call the next person. You snooze, you lose.

Weekend Update

Slept in Saturday--my first time in several weeks. Did some in-house puttering, laundry, tidying, finishing a murder mystery, fielding calls about our empty moving boxes. Mike worked outside draining the pond/watering the front lawn. 15 joined her cousins for a day at Lagoon; we dog sat for their newly acquired big shaggy poodle, Bob Dog.

Mike had bought tickets to the SLC soccer team, but we got too late a start to redeem them before kickoff. We stopped at my office to check SLC movie times but realized if we went to a later show, 15 would have no way of getting in the house. So we drove back to Ogden, picked up Thai takeout, went home and watched 3:10 to Yuma.

About an hour into the movie, we see flashing lights on the street outside. Uncle Matt got pulled over right in front of our house for running a stop sign a few blocks back. He ended up with a warning; as soon as the cops drove off, we poured out of the house to rib Matt and find out how Lagoon day went. 15 had a lot of fun. Magic Mountain is still her favorite, though.

We found out it was stake conference Sunday, so we're blowing it off. I guess we'll get around to attending the new ward eventually. The people there were fairly disinterested in Mike when he went and we're toying with the idea of attending a Spanish ward instead. That might mean walking THREE blocks to the building instead of two.

The long road to Ogden

It was a long drive, but we made it to Ogden safe and (relatively) sound late last Thursday.

Our adventures came mostly at the end of the trip--a motel that failed to
honor our reservation for a pet-friendly room. An aggressive semi truck
that HAD to pass Mike as the passing lane was ending, forcing Mike and
an oncoming vehicle onto the shoulders. A boneheaded pickup driver who
gunned it to pull out into traffic; this threw one of his dogs out of
the truck and onto the road, where we all slammed on our brakes to
avoid hitting the poor animal. Took the guy over a mile to realize and
turn around.

When we got inside the house, the upstairs reeked of natural gas. We slept downstairs and had a tech come out the next morning. He found one leak--the improperly hooked up dryer--but there was a second one somewhere between the meter and some hookup in the house. We don't know where it is, but the tech assured us it's small.

Some furniture was damaged during the trip--a broken buffet leg, broken trim
on an antique piece and scratches all across the stainless steel fridge. So far, all the china and breakables are in their original condition.

The people all arrived intact, if a little short tempered after 3 days on the road together. 15 was a great help wrangling the kitties and we had some nice conversations along the way. It's been fun getting to know her as her own person. She'll be with us until early July. The two oldest stepkids flew out for the weekend to help with the unpacking and 17 will join us for the July 4 weekend.

Monday I spent my first day in the office getting acquainted with the computer
system and looking at the task of organizing 100+ symposium sessions for the preliminary program.

I'll post pictures of the house & pond once we have more unpacked. Turns out 2 koi were left behind and we have a HUGE bullfrog in residence. We had a BBQ on Father's Day and it's a great house for entertaining.

Alas, we're still dealing with surprises. Yesterday's was a flooded cellar
and 6 broken sprinkler heads and 2 broken lines (now repaired). Mike's
draining the pond to replace burned out underwater lights. I'm pulling
weeds and finding places for unpacked things to live. Over the weekend,
I plan to try out the public transit and see what my commute is like by
train. And we'll probably hit a soccer game tomorrow night.

No Room at Days Inn--for Our Pets

We pulled into Albuquerque around 11:30 pm. When Mike went to check in to the pet-friendly room we reserved and had already paid for, he was informed that all the pet-friendly rooms were full.

The owners of this particular Days Inn, he was told, would fine us $250 if we tried to sneak the pets in. Hard to sneak 3 cat carriers, a large hooded litter box and a 5 pound container of kibble past security cameras.

This meant our cats would have to stay in the minivan overnight. Had I been there at check in, I would have demanded Days Inn find us another hotel in the neighborhood since it was their screw up. The $10 off our bill wasn't enough to placate me.

So going forward, I plan to write letters of complaint to the chain and to the owners and hereafter institute a lifetime boycott of all Days Inns. Care to join me?

The Crazy Has Begun

What a week!

Monday: I had a friend come over to help pack. We got a few boxes done, but mostly we talked.

Tuesday: lunch out with the co-workers at City Cafe. I will miss the avocado stuffed with Texas style chicken salad. Worked late.

Wednesday: worked late, picked up some stuff at Target and got home in time to make Enrichment night reminder calls.

Thursday: Morning: baby shower for one of the office's work study students. Loads of food and baby goods. Afternoon: the office send off. Supervisor told the assembled co-workers & friends I'd done a phenomenal job--I was kind but relentless and I'd never raised my voice when things got frustrating (well, not in public, anyway). More divine food and great company. Evening: Enrichment night with me presenting on 72 hour kits/preparedness. Very tired.

Friday: Last round of meetings, lunch out with supervisor and my successor, more desk-clearing tasks. Picked up Exit checklist at HR. Had planned for this to be my last day, but will go in Monday to handle a few loose ends and check out.

Stopped by co-worker's house where she'd been unpacking boxes all day. I took about 25 of them off her hands and may get more this weekend if needed. Nice timing! Dinner out with Mike at City Cafe.

Box packing has begun in earnest. Mike snuck up behind me and scared me so badly that I burst into tears. Something to do with stress, maybe? He apologized profusely and eventually I started laughing. We've agreed he's not going to do that again while we're packing/moving.

Saturday: Church folk coming over to help pack. Hope that will keep some of the chaos at bay. Sort of.

Last Requests

There were two things I wanted to do before leaving the RGV: take a canoe trip down the Rio Grande and have dinner at Tupinamba in Reynosa.

Given all the work we've had to do on weekends, the canoe trip was unlikely to happen. However, the Monday we got back from the last graduation, we decided to dine south of the border.

We parked at the city lot close to the bridge, paid the 50 cent pedestrian toll each and walked across the bridge.



Scott of www.dallasfood.org had recommended Tupinamba back when we first moved to the RGV. I'd eaten Tupinamba's delicious food at the McAllen International Food Festival last year, but hadn't made it to the restaurant itself.

We followed Scott's instructions to veer slightly right off the main square, dodging local drivers as we crossed the street. We went one block too far to the left and ended up approaching the restaurant from the back. (Note: Tupinamba is on the same block as Carl's Jr. on the main square). I turned around saw a pair of blue ornamented iron doors, looked up and saw the restaurant's name. Voila!

There were about four groups of diners when we arrived. We perused the menu and on Scott's recommendation ordered queso divorciado (melted cheese with a meat sauce), empanadas, carne Tampiquena for Mike and cabrito for me.

I'd meant to order a different kind of empanada, but we didn't see the ones Scott recommended on the menu. The kind we ended up with I suspect were goat organ meat--possibly brains. My culinary Spanish wasn't precise enough to tell. They were pretty good.

I ordered a cabrito shoulder, which was gamey and flavorful. In hindsight, I wondered if the thigh/dark meat would have been more tender. Anyhoo, we chowed down and enjoyed the experience.

Here's me with my goat shoulder. Mmmmmm. And outside the restaurant.




We had to go through border security on the way back--show ID, open my purse for inspection and explain what we were doing in Mexico. Just eating goat!

Bloomin'

Before the last open house, we did a bit of landscaping in the front yard. Added 3 Texas firebushes, hot pink pentas and purple lantana to the front bed (all drought tolerant) and put in 3 large agapanthus interspersed with Spanish lavender on the other side of the walkway.

Our real estate agent was impressed we'd done it ourselves--well, with some consulting help from the landscape guy at Waugh's Nursery.





We still have a couple of orange blossom jasmine to plant, but otherwise we're done.

Graduation Part Deux (long)

Another weekend jaunt to St. Louis for 17's high school graduation.

I left Thursday and had to scramble to get the house clean/tidy before 2 showings that day. Mike and I had a late dinner at Steak and Shake (do they make shakes out of steak?) and headed back to the DoubleTree. Mike scored me a cookie by saying I wasn't with him when he checked in (true).

We slept in Friday. Mike was going to talk to 17 about her college finances that afternoon, so he thoughtfully scheduled me for a massage. 17 was too busy to meet her dad, but I had the massage anyway and a pedicure after that.

We planned to meet the kids for dinner before the Baccalaureate ceremony. I quickly washed the massage oil outta my hair, changed and debated about wearing my pedicure thongs into the restaurant in case the polish wasn't all dry. (Since I still get kidded about wearing curlers to a choir rehearsal NINE years ago, I decided against it).

20 was the first to arrive; we chatted about his finals until 22 and 17 showed up. (15 was babysitting). I got 17 talking about her college--when she starts, does she know her roommates, major, housing situation yet? She answered but wasn't very chatty. She wasn't detectably excited about the $300 airline voucher we gave her. 22 loved her graduation travel voucher and gave me a big hug and thanked us. 17 followed her sister's lead and gave us one armed hugs and said thanks before leaving.

When we got to the school, we realized Mike left the camera at the restaurant. I staked out seats in the bleachers and watched the opening processional, band, and the alumni speaker before Mike got there. The choir did a couple of really great songs and then it was over.

We watched the kids and Ex exit and went outside ourselves to find the graduate and take some pictures. She obliged, but said it wasn't the "real thing," just Baccalaureate. I got a couple of 17 and Mike and one with the three of us.

Afterward, Mike and I went to Barnes & Noble to check email. I took a hot bubble bath--all the more decadent because I didn't have to clean the tub afterward--and Mike and I watched "Becoming Jane."

Saturday dawned and again we slept in. Checked email at B&N, bought a bouquet of roses for the graduate plus snacks/dinner at Trader Joe's--heavenly! We took 15 out shopping with us and had to rush to get her home to change before their pre-graduation dinner.

Graduation was at 7:00 pm at a park events/sports facility. We picked through the crowds to get seat in the bleachers and ended up about 10 rows behind the rest of the family.

After the speakers, the principal admonished the audience NOT to applaud/cheer until after all the graduates' names were read; everyone wants to hear their loved one's name and if there's disruptive screaming/cheering, that won't happen.

Mike leaned over and asked me to guess which ethnic group would categorically ignore this request. I'd been to 20's graduation two years before, so I already knew the answer. Mike counted and it worked out to about a 98% rate of raucous outbursts from this particular ethnic group. And it was fun watching the valedictorian's dad sneak past security twice to get closer pictures of his brainiac daughter.

After the tassel turning and cap throwing, the grads dispersed. Mike caught a pic of 17 kissing her boyfriend. We didn't get many pictures of her; the two older kids stayed by us, and 15, the Ex and 17 wandered off to the other side of the gym. 15 was supposed to stay with us overnight so we needed to find them. Eventually, we spotted them and Mike got a few more shots of 17.

15 hadn't brought her overnight stuff, so we arranged to have her dropped off at the hotel later. I had another bath before she showed up and then we snacked and watched Juno together.

We tried to meet up with 17 on Sunday, but she was tired from the all night grad party. We took 15 and 20 to breakfast at The Pancake House. 22 was at a Cardinals game. We took 15 to see Prince Caspian, then went back to the hotel to pack up for Monday morning's departure.

While we didn't get to spend much time with the graduate herself, we had a good time with the other kids and made arrangements for them to help us move/unpack at the Utah house.

Not Too Close Encounter

I spent most of Mother's Day in airports and planes. Hey, it's better than the annual blow-your-wad of adulation at church. Mike made sure I had a lovely gift: a card, a bookstore gift certificate and pedicure funds--thank you, sweetie!

Sunday morning, we dropped 15 off at home because Grandma Sheila was taking everyone out to breakfast before she left town. Mike's flight left at 8 am; mine at noon. So I had a good, long wait.

About an hour before my flight, I parked in front of my gate facing concourse traffic and called my mom to wish her a happy MD and fill her in on all the graduation highlights. (Eye contact!)

As I was chatting, I spotted Grandma Sheila, Mike's former mother-in-law, walking to her gate. I had wondered if I'd bump into her, but figured STL airport was too big for this to be likely.

If Sheila saw or recognized me, there was no indication. It was interesting to observe her undetected. She looked pissed off. Mike says that's pretty much the baseline unless you're her offspring or grandchild.

Shelia never liked or respected Mike and she always seemed hell-bent on undoing a marriage she didn't want to happen in the first place. After 25 years, she got her wish.

Hey, my gain! Maybe I should have chased her down and thanked her.

Eye Spy

Mike and I arrived in St. Louis a few hours behind schedule Friday, due to delays in McAllen and Dallas. We bunked at the DoubleTree and the warm chocolate chip cookies we received at check in were a lovely welcome. I wonder if their recipe is online somewhere? Mmmm.

We awoke early to get downtown for 22's graduation from Webster University. While we were looking for seats, we bumped into 17 (she was meeting 22's boyfriend so he could sit with the family). 15 and 20 walked up to say hello. (20 hugs me hello pretty consistently [which warms my heart and makes me feel welcome]).

Of course, the Ex and Grandma Sheila hadn't saved seats for us, so we hiked up to the next deck. Bagpipers played in the faculty and 105 flag bearers representing the home nations of Webster University students. The speaker was good (quoted Jon Stewart, was brief). After cheering and tassel turning, we ventured over to the theater where the College of Fine Arts had its ceremonies.

That was where things Got Interesting.
__________

Sidebar: Two years ago at 20's h.s. graduation, the Ex wanted her "space," demanding Mike and I stay away while she took pictures. When Mike pointed out this was the first of many family events where we would all be present/let's find a workable balance, the Ex hung up on him. After the ceremony, the Ex and her mom studiously ignored us while we took pictures and made a quick getaway once we were done.
__________

Given the history, I was curious to see how things would play out now--with two years of getting used to Mike's remarriage and a much smaller graduating class. Here's the skinny:

Mike staked out seats in the balcony one row behind where 17 and 20 were saving seats for their mom, grandma and 22's boyfriend. 15 opted to sit with us. Interesting to sit so close to people I've heard so much about but who have (so far) refused to meet me or even acknowledge I exist.

After the ceremony, the Ex and Sheila couldn't avoid walking past us. Sheila didn't look our way at all, but as the Ex went by, she looked at me and gave me a brief, tight smile then hastily looked away.

When we all collected downstairs for pictures a few minutes later, the Ex and her mom stood with their backs to us. Mike asked his former MIL if she wanted to be in the picture with all the kids--he'd be glad to take some for her. She didn't even turn her head, just hissed "Never mind." He was married to her daughter for 25 years and that's all the civility she can muster.

But hey, I got eye contact. Could this be the start of a less frigid relationship? I won't hold my breath. Especially since I discovered I had lipstick on my teeth during the entire exchange and wonder if that smile was really a smirk about that.

All the yard is a stage

Here are some yard shots at the So Tex house. Previous owners did most of the work; we just maintained what was there--and added a tomato patch and planted a couple more citrus trees.

I dig the flower shots at the bottom and the carnivorous-looking, self-propagating succulents growing all over the yard. And (sniff) grapefruit we won't be around to harvest.

I transplanted overgrown plants from the back yard to the front with pleasing effect, methinks. More curb appeal now that the sickly shrubs out front are gone. Will do some more landscaping next week and finally get around to painting the strong green Living/Dining room.

You can also check out the virtual tour here.

Meanwhile...

While the open house was going on, Mike and I had our own adventures. We loaded the minivan with the three cats in their carriers, a litter box and went for a three hour tour.

We weren't a half mile from the house when Belita peed in her carrier. We stopped to buy paper towels and mop up. It was a good trial run for the move. Will probably use puppy pads for the drive to Utah. And NASA diapers for the humans! Just kidding. (No, Mike. Not even if we make better time and fewer stops).

All three cats meowed almost non-stop for the first hour. We stopped for lunch and to let Cosby pee in the litter box. We had such a time getting PK into his crate, we weren't gonna let him out. He wriggled out of a too-tight harness on the drive to Texas, so I don't trust him even when we're right there watching him.

We drove through a bunch of small towns and eventually ended up in Roma at the bluffs overlooking the Rio Grande. There's a birding center there (closed), a crumbling historical district, a bustling international bridge and more Border Patrol agents than I've ever seen in one place. We saw a helicopter take off and head downriver for a bust. Your tax dollars at work.

I wanted to eat someplace local, but not many restaurants are open on Sundays--especially in the smaller towns. My food needs got critical, so I let Mike drive and we headed to Burger King. Ate piping hot fries on the way back to the bluffs before heading back to McAllen.

We called our agent from the road to ask how the open house went. After we hung up, I wondered if he blew out the candles before he left the house. No, it turned out. Maybe that's a guy thing.

Anyway, we'll probably have another open house at the end of the month. In the meantime, I hope the interest from the first one might be all we need. Cross your fingers or pray to the deity of your choice that we'll be able to sell!

Open House, Insert Buyer

We had our first open house Sunday afternoon. We rushed home from church to give the house some spot cleaning and finishing touches.

Our staging impressed our listing agent who took some fresh photos to put on the web listings. We'd hung art and window treatments, put out a new tablecloth, rearranged furniture and I've transplanted overgrown plants from the back yard to the front walkway. (Been watching a lot of HGTV and using items I have on hand).

The backyard is blooming cooperatively--yellow Esperanza, coral Hibiscus, fuchsia bougainvillea, the confederate jasmine camouflaging the chain link fence and the light blue something-or-other that covers the back fence. With the lawn freshly mowed and edged, the swing under the tree, fruit trees and the patio umbrella unfurled, it looks pretty damn inviting.

Our agent said 7 families toured the house. One couple was scouting for their grown children who had to work and another couple spent A LOT of time in the back yard. The yard pretty much sold us on the house; we're hoping it will have the same mesmerizing effect on others.

No word on offers yet, but it was a promising debut. I'll post pictures once the camera is charged up.

Backyard Glamour Shots

This is what our back yard pond looks like in bloom.

So when all y'all come and visit (and we're fully expecting you will) we'll have the BBQ going, some cool beverages with sprigs of mint and scintillating conversation with this glorious backdrop.

That's All?

Our house in McAllen has been on the market for a little over three weeks and has generated (troublingly) little interest.

We're considering a reduction in price and will be throwing in our washer/dryer. The Quincy house is set up for gas appliances and ours are electric, so no go.

We decided to buy the w/d in Quincy, which will save us serious coin and save the seller the trouble of moving them (which was probably his aim all along. We're making him move out all his aquarium stuff and two dozen koi, so I can't blame him for wanting to move two fewer things).

Anyway, I was out in the front yard turning the soil where we plan to re-landscape and two vehicles pulled up to take fliers about the house and ask questions.

Both parties wanted to know the price. I told them the current listing price and said we're considering a price reduction and to call our agent for details. In retrospect, I should have invited them in to see it, but we've been kinda slobby this week and I didn't want folks to see it like that.

After they left, I ran inside to call our agent to give him a heads up. I hope he gets some calls. If so, the blisters I got from using the weed weasel without gloves will not be in vain.

Quincy's second floor

The captions work if I completely ignore what the "preview" looks like. That's intuitive. [Scratch that; they don't go in the right place no matter effing what.]

The nook for the bed.



The fireplace/hearth upstairs.



The entry to the master bath/walk-in closet. Has a built-in ironing board.



The laundry nook upstairs.



The upstairs loo with massive jetted tub. It's cool, but am I looking forward to scrubbing it?