Procrastinating (through reading)

Went to Austin last weekend to help DC and AA move and to babysit Emma and Avery. Chuck stayed two days longer to paint rooms in their new house, where they move next week.

Chuck and I ordered our dinners from Mama Fu's two nights in a row (I like the Spice General Fu), while we babysat the girls. That's when we learned that Avery loves the fortune papers in fortune cookies, but she doesn't like to eat the cookies.

Coming home, I have been reading and reading. Since the Jung talks by Robert Moore at Oblate School of Theology, I have become very intrigued by dreams and books about them. Currently, I am reading several books about them, while starting others:

• Wisdom of the Heart: Working with Women's Dreams by Karen A. Signell, Ph.D.
• The Living Labyrinth: Exploring Universal Themes in Myths, Dreams, and the Symbolism of Waking Life by Jeremy Taylor
• The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales by Bruno Bettelheim (which I wish I had read when my children were young!)
• Primary Speech: A Psychology of Prayer by Ann and Barry Ulanov (which I read over a decade ago by the recommendation of Mary Jane and remember very little)

These are being read; no wonder I am confused!

Plus, I read a mystery on my Kindle, which turned out to be very similar to other mysteries by the same author, though I only noticed this at the end: Peter Pan Must Die by John Verdon.

All these books point to further procrastination, since I have not listed most of the books I have read  this year in my "2014" list. I might as well delete that!

Books and Trips

Since the Summer Conference at Oblate with Robert L. Moore as the main speaker, I have been reading books related to Jung. My interest was ignited by the various speakers, and I see that the spiritual journey coincides with the psychological journey to wholeness.

Briefly, I will tell you what I am reading and have read:

The book that surprised me by its synchronicity with the talks I heard at Oblate was a book I brought with me with the strange title of The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling by Stephen Cope. I had bought it long ago because a friend had recommended it to me, but the title turned me off. Still to counteract that, I loved the story of how her daughter-in-law was at a yoga retreat in the NE and asked at their bookstore for a recommendation for her mother-in-law that she described as a "Christian Mystic." This is that book! It is based on the Bhagavad Gita, with descriptions of famous people living out the true life of following dharma--Jane Goodall, Susan B. Anthony, John Keats, and Harriet Tubman.

Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up by James Hollis

What Matters Most: Living a More Considered Life by James Hollis

Those were easily downloaded on my Kindle and so I started reading the first one while I was still in San Antonio. (This was after a Jungian analyst I met from Houston recommended James Hollis' books).

And I got the cd set for "Through the Dark Wood: Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life" by James Hollis, which I will listen to as I drive to Austin tomorrow.

Chuck and I are driving separate cars to drive there to help our son and his wife and two little girls get ready to move into their new house. Chuck will probably stay longer than I will, because he'll be painting walls. It will be fun to see Avery and Emma (and their mommy and daddy)! And we are so lucky that we have dependable people to take care of our dogs, cat, and house.

When I get back, I will try to write about what I've been reading and also finish telling you about our vacation!

Fort Davis and Marfa, TX

The first two nights of our trip were spent in Fort Davis, TX. There is a triangle in southwest TX (only two hours from El Paso) of Fort Davis, Alpine, and Marfa. Ever since moving here, I have heard friends talk about that area, especially about the Marfa Lights.

The Veranda Inn, Fort Davis, TX

Our room

We stayed at a nice bed and breakfast inn called The Veranda, found through Trip Advisor, which we have come to trust as we travel. Through the recommendations from the owner of The Veranda, we spent one morning at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Center.

It was a beautiful place to visit and would be a good place to go on hikes. We spent most of our time in the large greenhouse for cacti, third largest in the nation. So many different varieties of cacti in close proximity!

Jan in cacti greenhouse

 I am not very proficient at positioning pictures, but here are a few I took. Unfortunately, I did not write down the names of the cacti. But these images may give you a small idea of the different varieties growing there.

The morning we went there, we also drove to Marfa for lunch at The Food Shark and then drove up to the McDonald Observatory. We drove around the Fort Davis, Alpine, and Marfa and on roads around there in the Davis Mountains.

Food Shark Marfa, TX

Pictures from Austin

Annie and Emma

 This past weekend, Chuck and I drove two cars to Austin. My cousin Margaret came with me. We were meeting Margaret's daughter Kathy and her two children at the Austin Airport. Then, "the Canadians" would use one of our cars for their travels.


We spent two nights in Austin. One highlight was visiting the Thinkery Children's Museum on Sunday. It is a wonderful place to go to with any age of children. Kathy's 8-month-old son Ryan loved a low-walled area for infants where he crawled around, playing with beads and other items on the walls. Someone asked Chuck if he as Ryan's grandfather! (You can see why with the picture below.)

Chuck and Ryan

Zoe is the girl in the back.

Zoe loved playing with the water.

Kathy's 3 1/2 year old daughter Zoe was very active in the different areas, especially with the water activities. 




Avery liked the artsy areas better, plus the kitchen and store spaces upstairs were favorites of hers.

David and Avery

Margaret and Ryan

Kathy reading to Avery and Zoe at Avery's house.

Friday Five: Trips

Last week and this week, I am driving long distances in Texas, first to Houston and today to Austin from Corpus Christi: both times to meet relatives from Canada flying here. This makes me think of trips taken in my life: vacation, moving, visiting relatives, visiting friends, seeking a new home, going away to school, and probably many more.

For today’s Friday Five, tell about five different trips you have made in your life due to different reasons, modes of travel, or whatever category you choose! 

1. The most recent trip was getting my cousin Margaret at the airport in Houston. There were also multiple trips in our two days in Houston--to various restaurants, to the museums, and our return to Corpus Christi, where the GPS saved me. I got lost a few times, but the GPS "recalculated" and eventually got me to the desired location.

2. In 1964, my parents and I returned to the USA after living on a Navy base in Japan for the previous three years on a ship. It was a Navy ship that seemed nice to me; it had a theater. As I recall, I slept on the top bunk while my mother slept on the bottom, and I cannot remember if my father was in the same cabin or a different one! I remember the booming of the ship as it slapped down into the water during a storm, which was scary. Every day for the eleven days on board, I wrote a long letter to my best friend Nancy. When we reached San Francisco, I mailed all those letters as soon as I arrived. She told me that her father called her to tell her that he'd gotten the mail at his office, and she biked there to retrieve them all.

3.  In 1974 (only ten years later!), Chuck and I drove from Virginia to Oregon, where he was going to start graduate school at Oregon State University in Corvallis. He drove a U-Haul truck while I drove our blue Datsun 510. At some point, we got separated, and I grew fearful that we had lost each other so I speeded up. I arrived at a pre-determined motel, called my parents, the police, etc. on a pay-phone. (No cell phones!) One operator told me that their had been an accident with a U-Haul truck, so I was very frightened. But Chuck showed up, asking me how I ever could have thought that the U-Haul truck could be faster than our car!

4. When I was growing up, we only visited relatives when my father was transferred to a new military base and we were moving. I remember moving from Quantico, VA to Camp Pendleton, CA in the summer of 1958. I had heart-shaped ash-trays made out of Play-Dough to give to my grandparents we visited in Arkansas on the way. They were safely sitting in the sunlight of the rear window sill of the car.

5. My mother told me how she and I flew on a propeller plane to Seattle when I was a small girl. She said it was very turbulent weather, and the plane was deathly quiet. The only voice heard was hers as she continued to read me stories.

My Cousin Margaret is Visiting!

My mother's cousin Margaret arrived in Houston two days ago, where I met her on a dark and rainy night. I was thankful that our car has GPS, because I am not familiar in driving around Houston. Got there, but I ended up being in the wrong terminal when she arrived! We only learned this when she called me after her luggage arrived.

When I finally made it to the airport, I followed the signs for the terminal where Air Canada landed. When Margaret called me, she said she was at baggage carrousel #4, which I circled, only to find she wasn't there! That's when I realized that I had gone to the "wrong" terminal, but Margaret didn't know which one she was at.

Going back to my parked car in Terminal A, I finally learned that she was at Terminal C (for United). After paying and driving around, I finally found her standing outside Terminal C. Yay! And with it still raining, the GPS directed us to the hotel.

Then on Sunday we visited both the Houston Holocaust Museum and the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, where we saw the traveling exhibit The Age of Impressionism: Great French Paintings from the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. It was a very full day.


Today we drove back to Corpus Christi from Houston, which takes about four hours. Chuck, the three dogs and one cat eagerly met Margaret.

I took the picture to the right at The Rainbow Lodge, a Houston restaurant, where we went for brunch before visiting the museums.

It warms my heart to see Margaret, because she shows me glimpses of my mother (also named "Margaret") who died in 1992. This Margaret is 83, but my mother only lived to be 72. I especially see the resemblances between them around the eyes and smile.

I am so excited!

I am excited because I get to spend the next week in Austin, helping with my new baby granddaughter, Emma. I hope I'll be able to hold her frequently and often.

Plus, I want to help Momma AA and Daddy DC in any ways they would like. There may even be some fun time with Avery, the new big sister.

I'll be going to Austin on Sunday after church, leaving Chuck behind.

We have a new hybrid car, which has bluetooth capabilities, so I could talk to friends while I drive. That looks like it will be fun, too.

I feel so lucky that it is my turn to go and help!

My son posted a picture of baby Emma with their dog Sampson tonight:

 

Friday Five: Randomness

RevKarla brings today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals, which I am going to do as quickly as I can because we're leaving for Austin to visit grandbaby Avery and her parents, who just happen to be our oldest son and his wife.

1. How are you?  What’s up with you?
I am fine and am hurrying to leave with Chuck for the 4-hour drive to Austin, TX to see Avery and DC and AA. We are looking forward to this and are grateful that two college girls will stay at our house and take care of our three dogs and one cat.

The other good news is that my RA seems to settling down. My rheumatologist suggested moving to 3 weeks between shots of Humira instead of 2. I've gotten to 2 1/2 weeks with no blips, so in the future the time may grow.....

2.  Last Saturday, I went to the outlet store and stocked up on underwear for the year.  I love a bunch of new fresh underdrawers!  I also love a cabinet full of paper towels.   What silly thing makes you happy?
Cute and unusual cards! I love to go to different places, like Seattle, Portland and Austin, and find shops with unique cards. Due to my daughters AE and KA, I like to find letterpress items, too.

We loved visiting the Oblation Papers store in Portland, Oregon, which prints letterpress cards and invitations.

3.  Give a shout out to someone you love, appreciate, or want to thank!
Thank you to Martha for organizing the new RevGal blogging site!

4. Miss Kansas has the Serenity Prayer tatooed on the side of her body.  I sadly do not have a tatoo, and maybe you do, but if you were going to get a prayer tatooed on the side of your body, what would it be? 
Bless ___________, change me.

5.  Use some or all or a form of the following words in a sentence:   jello, kittens, mercy, dump-truck, tabuleh, terror, skipping, monkey, Rev. , health, and snoring.
(I'm glad you wrote "some")
The Rev. was snoring peacefully, while the kittens were skipping over the jello in the health room where the monkey was lying on the toy dump-truck.

Friday Five: Random Is Back!

Revkjarka brings today's Friday Five to RevGalBlogPals:

Can you believe it is April 12????  Have you finished your taxes?  Here in Boston, the city is abuzz with Boston Marathon anticipation.  We are finally hearing birds chirp in the morning, and even though it was in the low thirties last night, many of us are bravely sporting open-toed sandals.   None of this has anything to do Friday Five, except randomness.   So, in that spirit.......

1.  How are you doing?  What's going on in your life?
I am rushing because as soon as I finish this Friday Five, we are leaving for Houston, which is a four-hour drive from Corpus Christi. Today we are visiting our son BJ, who will be 28 next week. Then tomorrow we'll go to Austin to visit oldest son DC and his family.

2.  Have you ever resigned from a position?  What was the good-bye like?
When I was pregnant with DC way back in 1979, I resigned from my position of teaching third grade at Coles Elementary School here in Corpus Christi. I was having too many difficulties sleeping and with my pregnancy, so after we bought our first house, I quit (in the spring). I had only been there for one year and was in the difficult situation of having all the "resource" (special ed) kids in third grade put in my classroom--me being the new teacher. I was in culture shock moving from Oregon where I had taught 2-3 grade combinations and was thrust into the heat and humidity of a strange culture.


It was hard to leave the class of third graders in many ways, but I had not formed any attachment with other teachers and so found it easy to go home and be with our new cocker spaniel puppy Bagel--and prepare for DcCs arrival soon.

3. So, we are still resurrecting...still getting used to New Life!!  What is a source of new life for you?
Playing the piano with my first ever piano recital on May 19!


Also, I'd like to live like Thich Nhat Hanh suggests:

When we walk like rushing, we print anxiety and sorrow on the earth. We have to walk in a way that we only print Peace and Serenity on the earth... Be aware of the contact between your feet and the Earth.
Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

4.  My friend is running the marathon on Friday, because it is on her bucket list.  What is something on your bucket list?
Piano!!

5.  Tell us about one precious thing (tangible) you keep around your house, your altar, your pocket, and what is its story? 

The picture I took of youngest son BJ with my mother soon before she died of pancreatic cancer in 1992. They are both are smiling broadly. My mother is yellow with jaundice and BJ is grinning with a big cowlick sticking up on top of his head. I love it.

Two Visits to Austin in October

October 6, 2012 Grandpa and Avery

 Here is a picture of Grandpa Chuck playing with Avery at a park near her house in Austin three weeks ago.

In three weeks, we noticed Avery talking with multiple words and using more words. Her verbal skills are blooming, and she won't be 2 years old until Thanksgiving.

Her parents like to do things with her on the weekends, because she is in school all week while DC and AA are at work. As a mother and grandmother, I really like to watch AA and DC parent Avery.

October 29, 2012 Avery

 This week our daughters from Seattle AE and KA are visiting in Austin, which is why we drove to Austin this past weekend.

Yesterday Avery's parents, oldest son DC and his wife AA, took us all to a pumpkin patch on a farm in Marble Falls, TX. There were all kinds of pumpkins around, with activities, such as this tractor to ride on; bouncing on bouncy "berry fields" (which scared Avery); and painting pumpkins.

Chuck with DC and Avery before her bedtime.

Although our two youngest (of four) children could not join us in Austin, we really enjoyed being with our oldest children and their beloved partners--with Avery! Avery is the star whenever we are all together.

Before we left Austin today, Chuck and I met DC and Avery at her school. I was glad to see where she goes, as I have been impressed with all I have heard about its modes of operation.

A Day of Spiders, Visiting and Prayer

When we first moved to Texas in 1978, we met a man at a light store who had a huge lump on his arm from a black widow spider's bite. I have continued to hear about poisonous spiders living here in TX, but I have never had a friend or family member bitten by one. I have been frightened of the thought of spider bites.

A spider that looked a lot like the one on the left was on the driver's window and side-mirror on my drive all the way back from Sandia to Corpus Christi this afternoon. That trip takes about an hour.

I worried most of the time that the spider would not be off the car unless I did something. So I finally stopped in Corpus Christi and pushed it aside, only having it scurry to the bottom of the car.

Being too scared of the spider, imagining such fatal things as one of our dogs being bitten--by a presumably poisonous spider (Nothing like extreme reactions on my part!), I drove over to our local HEB supermarket that has both gas pumps and a car wash. I decided that a car wash should knock the spider off the vehicle, which I am still hoping for.

I only noticed that the spider was black with white spots, so googling that description brought the picture above--of a "bold jumping spider." According to Wikipedia, the jumping spider has distinctive green eyes. I didn't notice that, as I mainly watched its bottom on the window. So perhaps the spider was a jumping spider, which is not poisonous, but whose bite might cause allergic reactions.

So that was a dramatic end to a day of visiting my friend Louise who lives on a ranch in Sandia. Driving there, I drove through various thunderstorms, but it was sunny on my return--just "clouded" with the spider!

We had a good day of visiting, along with two periods of silence for contemplative prayer. Neither of us has been practicing meditation twice a day, so this was a nudge in the right direction. The second prayer time is reinforced in our minds and hearts, because both of us were more deeply in prayer than the first time today.

Friday Five: No Time!

Today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals is about art. I can't whip that out before leaving town, as I never think of myself as creative or artsy. Though I DO like art! Thanks to Rev. Pat Raube for bringing this Friday Five!

The only "creative" thing I do is blog (sometimes). Many "used to's" like baking and writing letters could be classified as "creative," but those are not done too much these days. Not artsy, but towards the creative side--I've started taking piano lessons!

What's taking up time right now is getting ready to leave town (for only the weekend) to visit Avery and her parents in Austin! Yay! What is holding up our departure is my almost-forgotten-haircut appointment at 12:15. So before driving to that, there are preparations to be made. We are lucky that a friend is coming over to stay with our pets.

So to lighten the mood, here is a cute cartoon I found on Pinterest (which is under my favorite label "About Books"):

Back Home!

I went to Austin to visit granddaughter Avery and her parents DC and AA this past Wednesday. I had a lot of fun with dad DC and Avery while AA worked at her job in downtown Austin. Then on Friday husband CB came and on Saturday youngest daughter MJ arrived. It was a lovely visit.

MJ took many nice pictures, and the one she took of CB and me is the best one we'd had taken together in years!

Wishy-Washy Decision Making

For the past week I have been indecisive about going to Austin to visit grandbaby Avery and her parents. Husband CB and I had planned to see them this coming weekend, but I kept wondering if I should go up a few days earlier.

Then when I decided to do that, I dithered about taking a Greyhound bus up there. It would take 5 hours, while it usually takes 3 1/2 hours by car.

I was ready to go on an adventure of taking the bus, because it has been 30 years since I've ridden a bus in America. When I was in college and we lived in Oregon, I would often take buses, just as my mother would to visit us in Corvallis, OR when CB was going to graduate school at Oregon State University.

Realizing that I'd have to transfer buses in San Antonio, CB convinced me to drive our car so I would not attempt to carry my suitcase to the other bus. Now we'll both be driving vehicles to Austin and back, which seems a little ridiculous.

I will arrive in Austin at about the same time the bus will, but I'll have the added bonus of having lunch with daughter MJ in San Antonio. I haven't seen her since she returned from Peru last Friday!

So this will be fun.

Couch (or Ipod?) Potato

Though I am lately feeling like a couch potato (who reads rather than watches tv), I am wondering instead if there is an "Ipod potato" or "Words with Friends potato"? That's what I have been doing too much of lately. Choices, choices!

We had a fun day (24 hours) away for a friend's  daughter's beautiful wedding outside. Oldest son DC and his wife AA were there, also, along with long-time friends from Corpus Christi, which is where the bride is from. The setting in the Texas hill country was lovely, but HOT (91 degrees at 9 pm!).

The wedding reception had sumptuous feasts with different serving stations featuring Southern food, including cheese grits with a shrimp sauce and fried green tomatoes;  Chinese food; Mexican food and much more! And then the tall, elegant wedding cake was a carrot cake with multiple layers of cream cheese frosting. At least, I drank many glasses of water and only one Margarita! However, I was not discerning in how much I ate and still feel full, though that is caused more by the wedding brunch today.

There were several heavy thunderstorms as we slept last night, so today's temperatures in the hill country were much more temperate. It was cooler and less humid, so we really enjoyed the brunch, which featured cheese grits again, fried chicken, grilled huge shrimp, and fruit kabobs. The dessert was pecan pie with ice cream.

It is a good thing that I walk every Sunday night with my good friend Katherine, so that will get me moving this evening. That is a good choice!

Visiting Our Granddaughter

 

CB and Avery in Austin

(surprisingly good picture taken with Jan's Ipod)

Another picture of Avery

CB holding Avery, while she and I look at each other.

Daughter AE used up her entire memory card taking pictures during her visit to Austin to see us (and especially Avery) this past weekend. It was wonderful to have all our children together for a short while. Thank you, AE and KA, for flying to Austin from Seattle!!

Birthday Pictures!

No pictures were taken on my birthday, but some were taken in San Antonio yesterday when I was with my oldest and youngest children and my only grandchild! I felt like my birthday celebration continued with them.

MJ, DC and Avery

We went to lunch at The Cove restaurant ("burgers with conscience"), where I had wonderful fish tacos. As we got up to leave, we noticed that DC and MJ had greenish stains on their shirts, oddly similar. Then DC looked at Avery's bottom and realized that something had oozed out! The shade of green was strangely familiar to what she had just eaten--avocado plus zucchini-broccoli medley (for future eliminations).

Jan, MJ and Avery
(I don't close my eyes outside, with no camera flash.)

We spent some time at Trinity University before DC and Avery drove back to Austin. Then I got to spend the rest of the day with MJ, ending with dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in San Antonio, Twin Sisters, which was first opened in 1981 by twin sisters. My dinner of butternut squash/cheese enchiladas topped with green chili sauce was memorable! So good that I may try to duplicate the recipe.

DC and Avery

MJ and Avery

After dinner, I left MJ with her homework and drove 2 1/2 hours back to Corpus Christi.

Ten years ago I was driving to and from San Antonio once to twice every week while I was take classes at Oblate School of Theology. I did that for 6-7 years and am really glad I am not doing that now. I loved the instruction and learning, but I would not like to drive so much a decade later.

Smiling grandbaby!

Today we met at MJ's new apartment in San Antonio to move her in. Avery came with her parents to bring MJ a couch and chair with an ottoman. And here is a picture Avery's dad took with his I-phone of me holding Avery. I took pictures myself, but haven't even looked at them yet.

Pictures from Mother's Day

Avery helped to stand.

Lunch at Z-Tejas Restaurant in Austin, TX
Jan, Avery, CB

While babysitting on Saturday night, CB eats Chinese food while Avery watches.

AA's first Mother's Day!
Son DC, Avery, daughter-in-law AA