Halloween - San Diego Style

Today my back felt strong enough to take a walk.  I used to walk 4-5 times a week...so it's nice to get back in the habit.

Tired out a bit quicker than usual - but it felt good to get out.  It was a perfect day - sunny and coolish! 

In Minnesota when my sons were growing up -  costumes were a year-round event at our house.  They loved to imagine and pretend - so we were often scrounging around to find the items that would make the perfect ensemble.

It didn't have to be complicated - sometimes just some face crayons would suffice.

At Halloween - costumes were kicked up a notch.  One year, both guys won costume contests dressed up as 'Jacks'.

Ryan was Jack the Pumpkin King from "Nightmare Before Christmas" and Nate was Captain Jack Sparrow from "Pirates of the Caribbean".  They both looked awesome!

I'm still looking for the picture of Ryan's Jack - will post it when I find it...

Back in the day - Halloween decorations were prominent in our house and yard and throughout the neighborhood.  My favorite was the 'floating' ghost in our neighbor's window.  Every year they hung a white sheet over a large hanger inside their 2nd story bedroom window.  With a black light and a fan gently blowing the sheet it looked really cool and eerie from street level.  Simple but effective. 

There was always a pre-trick-or-treat party hosted by a neighborhood family.  Costumed parents and kids would meet in their garage/yard and start the evening together with food and hot cider.  It was good to start the night with a hot meal before the inevitable pending sugar overload. That tradition is still going on in the old 'hood' over 20 years later.  Great memories of good times! 

As I took my walk today with camera in hand - I decided to focus (no pun intended!) on what kind of Halloween decorations San Diegans are showcasing.  Granted it was only a 2-mile loop so I probably shouldn't be too critical.

There were some cool carved pumpkins - although several had seen better days and were already imploding - or molding!

There were some ghoulish guys swinging in the trees.

And you can never miss with a spider or two.  At a distance - even the over-sized 'glitterized' Styrofoam spiders can give you the heebie jeebies.  

I walked by this tree and thought it looked interesting.









It wasn't until I looked at the tree on the camera view finder that I noticed what appeared to be a face... 



...I guess it just goes to show that sometimes you can't decorate better than good ol' Mother Nature.

(Not so) FAQ's #4

What's the difference between a duck?

Kinda can't believe I even posted this...but the memory of this silly question popped into my head tonight.

Hmmm...I wonder if I should be concerned about that.

Anyway - This was a question I would sometimes ask someone suffering from a relentless case of the hiccups.

They would be so taken aback by the ridiculous question that they'd forget all about the hiccups - and they'd go away.

Give it a try - it really does work.

...trust me...if you dare.

It's Interesting...

"It's interesting." said my 91+ friend Bill when I walked into the dining room today.  He had just hung up from a conversation with a long-time lady friend of his and Orienne's.    

"What's interesting?" I asked.

With a soft content smile - he answered, "There are so many kinds of love.  It's a wonderful thing."

It wasn't the answer I was expecting - not that I was necessarily expecting a certain answer.  But - it was an answer that touched my heart in its deepest places.  Simple but profound.  True and more true. 

These kinds of moments remind me just how much I love them - and am going to miss them - when they move away.  It's been an honor and privilege to have had them in my life these past 10 months.

Yes, Bill - there are many kinds of love. 

...and you should know because love is abundant in you....

Ernie-ism

Saw this....














Reminded me of this...

Those were the days!

The A-Team Returns

When I remember to choose an Angel card - I'll usually pick one in the morning - to consider the 'message' as I journey through my day.

While heading for bed tonight -  I decided to pick an Angel card and "sleep on it".

For some reason...at this brief moment in time tonight...I'm feeling some emotional strength.  I'm not sure why - or if it's even real.  Maybe a transition is in the making...

In light of the 'Patience' card pick a few days ago - I thought to myself - wouldn't it be ironic if I picked the "Strength" card?



I picked 'Power'...



....close enough- says I.

(Not so) FAQ's #3

Have you ever seen a cuter couple named George and Gracie since Burns & Allen?

...me neither!

The A-Team

Lately I've been feeling stressed and impatient about certain aspects of my life.  I want clarity and answers.  I want truth and trust.  I want decisions and closure.  Is that asking too much?


I would have answered a resounding "Yes" to that question..but for one of those wonderful 'goose bump' moments I had this morning.

I hadn't picked an Angel card for a while - so I figured it was time.  There are 53 cards - 50 with pre-printed words and 3 blank cards for filling in with the word of your choice.

As I shuffled up the cards and placed them face down in my angel card dish - I said a little out-loud prayer of sorts.  I just said that I could really use some patience right now.
 
I reached into the stack and proceeded to pull out the card with a picture of an Angel sitting on a stool knitting.  The Angel word I randomly picked out of 53 possible choices was "PATIENCE".

I felt like I had my own private A-Team (Angel-Team) in my corner...

...I love it when a plan comes together!

A Love Story on many levels...

The Good News:
 My wonderful friends Bill and Orienne are moving soon to Portland, OR.

The Bad News: 
My wonderful friends Bill and Orienne are moving soon to Portland, OR.

I've spent the last 10 months getting to know - and love - Bill and Orienne.  They are the dad and stepmom of a friend of mine in Minnesota.  I've had the pleasure of providing Companion Care.  They have often returned the favor.  

Bill is 91.  He is a doctor - who due to the misfortune of contracting tuberculosis as a young man - was required to channel his doctoring energy to teaching and administrative expertise.  One position he held was the Dean of the Tufts University medical school in Boston.

He is a sensitive, caring, and loving person.  In a way - it's a bit of a shame he wasn't able to share those bedside manner gifts with patients.  But in thinking it through - that same demeanor was probably a great asset to the "business" side of the medical field - as is evidenced by Orienne's mission...  

Orienne is 92 - or 87.  I love her admission that starting in her late 40's she began fudging her age.  She deducted 5 years to avoid what she felt was a social stigma and prejudice associated with "matronly" women and careers.
After losing her second husband - also a doctor - to suicide - Orienne started a foundation called Human Dimensions in Medical Education (HDME).  It was born to help medical students and doctors cope with the the immense pressures of college, interning, residency, and practice.

By losing her husband, she had witnessed first hand what the pressures of years of medical school - and practicing medicine - can do to break a person down.  Her goal was to 'humanize' it for the benefit of them all - with a trickle-down benefit to the patients.  She partnered with psychologist Carl Rogers - who had a strong belief in her mission - and the seminars put on by HDME were widely attended and extremely successful.

Orienne has a who's-who list of friends from Arthur Fiedler - Conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra - to Dr. Theodor Geisel aka Dr. Seuss.

She was professional, vibrant, energetic, and young at heart then - and still is.

She sends and answers her email and regularly checks her bank account online.  Amazing!

They have been a wonderful gift in my life and I will miss them.  But I know it's all good - and they will enjoy their new adventure living closer to Orienne's daughter.  They will thrive anywhere as long as they land there together.

...a beautiful love story - 30 years in the making!

Flashbacks - "72 Woo Woo Woo"

Well - on this my 50th post - I'm pleased to write that I did 'snap out of it' and had a great time yesterday at the All Class Reunion aka Homecoming 2010 at Sierra High School in Whittier, CA.

The tough part was the drive - as I'm still dealing with some back discomfort.  The chiropractic adjustments have been helpful.  There are also some muscle spasm issues and I can't seem to find the right combination of relief; ice vs heat, acetaminophen vs ibuprofen.  Today I added a tight elastic back wrap and a therapeutic magnet.  If something doesn't start working - I may have to resort to wine vs whiskey.  It's getting old....

...Speaking of old...nothing signifies how quickly time passes quite like a class reunion - 38 years in the making.  It's an amazing phenomenon.

There are those who look exactly the same as they did on the day they graduated.

Then there are those who even when you see their name typed next to their yearbook picture - hardly resemble themselves.  It's like they picked up the wrong name tag.  Maybe we were getting "punked" and they were actors only pretending to be Sierra classmates. 

Then there are the majority of people where the connection from past to present is made with just a brief moment visiting our brain spot that stores the long term memory.  Then it all comes back - the smile, the voice, the nuances that made them unique. 

It was a great opportunity to really get to know some classmates on a different and deeper level.  In 'those' days - many factors dictated popularity and status.  Some were in our control - some were not.

We were too young to really understand the complexity of everyone's private issues and circumstances.  We were all busy trying to cope every day - in whatever way worked for us.

Now - most of the pretenses are gone and we're grateful to be alive and be together.  It's a product of time...and of timing.

Then you get to see that special teacher - the one that when you were aged 16 - seemed to be an ancient relic who didn't understand.

You show them the tag adorned with your name and senior picture - and they are gracious enough to say they remember you.

You reminisce - and apologize for any teen-aged angst or wacked-out hormone-induced behaviour - and they comfort you by saying that there is nothing to forgive.  They did understand.
 
The dynamics of time have changed things - and you feel less like a student and more like a peer and friend.

Pretty amazing!  Thanks everyone for making it a great time!  Let's do it again soon!