Yesterday was Thanksgiving. Yossi and I went to Burlison, TX to enjoy the holiday with his mother, step-father and all of the family. It was lovely - so much food! Turkey, stuffing, potatotes, rolls, pate, - you name it.
But wait ... dessert! Two amazing bakers together brought 23 different desserts to choose from. This was Yossi's mom Sahavah and her long time friend Varda. Pumpkin cake, lemon merigue pie, black forest cake, chocolate pecan pie, baklava, numerous cookies, desserts that I can't remember or prounouce the name of.
Now Becky and I committed to not eating sugar (I'm sure she has done much better than I have on keeping to this) and so I apologize for this ... but I could not, not have any of these desserts as I would have offended Yossi's mom immensely. I did escape without taking a plate home (though Yossi's plate is sitting on my kitchen counter).
Good news - down .4 pounds!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
United Way and Gay Pride
A group from United Way, including myself, walked in a the annual Allan Ross Texas Freedom Parade. What is that? Only one of the biggest and most enthusiastic gay pride celebrations in the southern half of the United States. It's actually the formal name for Dallas Gay Pride, which this year celebrates its 27th anniversary (at least in its current form), with its celebration on September 19, 2010.
I will tell you - the crowd is super enthusiastic. They cheer for everyone. You felt like a rock star! United Way walked with Texas Instruments and other companies which are part of the Out & Equal group which promotes equality within the workplace.
More special visits! (Really Late)
This morning I was rereading my blog and realized I forgot to write about all the visitors I had this summer. Yikes! Hope I didn't hurt any feelings.
Really - the first visitors I had were Jessica, Chris and Parker. On their way back to Albuquerque from a visit to OKC they stopped off at a Ranger's game and then spent the night at my house before continuing onto ABQ. Yossi and I met them at the game - boy was it hot and sweaty in that stadium! I found out that Ranger stadium is the hottest stadium in the MLB.
Our visit was a short but sweet and I didn't get any pictures!!! Rats! Thanks for coming.
After the visit from Patty and crew, Becky and Brad came on down for the Dave Mathews Concert. My favorite part of this visit was swimming together and then having brunch out on the deck the next morning. While we had to watch Miss A very closely as she really feels she can swim and will just walk into the pool, this was a dream come true for me. I even got to make pancakes on the electric griddle I'd bought in anticipation of having people visit!
Another wonderful thing about these visits is my daughters and their families were able to meet Yossi and that seemed to go very successfully.
Really - the first visitors I had were Jessica, Chris and Parker. On their way back to Albuquerque from a visit to OKC they stopped off at a Ranger's game and then spent the night at my house before continuing onto ABQ. Yossi and I met them at the game - boy was it hot and sweaty in that stadium! I found out that Ranger stadium is the hottest stadium in the MLB.
Our visit was a short but sweet and I didn't get any pictures!!! Rats! Thanks for coming.
After the visit from Patty and crew, Becky and Brad came on down for the Dave Mathews Concert. My favorite part of this visit was swimming together and then having brunch out on the deck the next morning. While we had to watch Miss A very closely as she really feels she can swim and will just walk into the pool, this was a dream come true for me. I even got to make pancakes on the electric griddle I'd bought in anticipation of having people visit!
Another wonderful thing about these visits is my daughters and their families were able to meet Yossi and that seemed to go very successfully.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Pools, Pumps, Leaves and Trees
This is really another "Joys of Home Ownership" post but love the alliteration of the above title. For those who have seen my backyard it is a lovely and calm setting. It is very private, secluded and has a feeling of being a little out in nature. This is from all the trees surrounding the pool that jut out from the deck.
I love these trees and I am getting very well acquainted with all their many parts and cycles as they drop all kinds of things into my pool. Seeds, leaves, bark, twigs and stuff I don't really know what it is but it comes off the tree. Now I understand what the pool guy at my old apartment complex was complaining about when he said that he wished they would cut all the trees down.
Of course I love my trees and would never cut them down, but I do wonder when the leaf dropping stops. Some days the pool is FILLED with leaves, twigs and such. Other days there is hardly anything in the pool.
The other thing I have to do is clean the pool filter and pump. This is quite a project. First I had to dissemble the pump to be able to pull out the cylindrical filters. There are four of them. Picture an air filter on your car - except that it is about 2 feet tall and only 5 inches in diameter. I took a spray noozle and started washing out the filter. Lots of gunk came shooting off. I reassembled it all and then Yossi helped me secure the band around the pump housing.
When I first moved in I had to have someone come and do the above for me as I didn't know how. That cost me like $95. Now I can do it myself. Yeah me!
So ... next project? Cleaning and repainting the deck ... gotta wait for the leaves to stop dropping.
I love these trees and I am getting very well acquainted with all their many parts and cycles as they drop all kinds of things into my pool. Seeds, leaves, bark, twigs and stuff I don't really know what it is but it comes off the tree. Now I understand what the pool guy at my old apartment complex was complaining about when he said that he wished they would cut all the trees down.
Of course I love my trees and would never cut them down, but I do wonder when the leaf dropping stops. Some days the pool is FILLED with leaves, twigs and such. Other days there is hardly anything in the pool.
The other thing I have to do is clean the pool filter and pump. This is quite a project. First I had to dissemble the pump to be able to pull out the cylindrical filters. There are four of them. Picture an air filter on your car - except that it is about 2 feet tall and only 5 inches in diameter. I took a spray noozle and started washing out the filter. Lots of gunk came shooting off. I reassembled it all and then Yossi helped me secure the band around the pump housing.
When I first moved in I had to have someone come and do the above for me as I didn't know how. That cost me like $95. Now I can do it myself. Yeah me!
So ... next project? Cleaning and repainting the deck ... gotta wait for the leaves to stop dropping.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Better late than never...
During the summer (yes, I'm late blogging about this, oh well) I had some special visitors. This was one of the reasons I bought a home, so the very special people in my life would have a place to stay when they would visit.
We had a wonderful time just hanging out when Patty, Malan and Owen came to town. We tried to stay cool and had number of creative moments, We played at the Mall, painted pottery, went to a Kosher Market and Grill and swam every day. Here are some cute pictures that really tell it all.
Owen really loved painting the pottery. He noticed that Malan had multiple colors and so he let us know he wanted another color. So his dinosaur is green and purple. Swimming was also great. The first night he would not get in the pool ... by the last day he was standing by the back door asking to go swimming. Malan is going to be a great swimmer. She is growing up to be such a talented, fun girl. You can definitely see her mom in her - knows how to perform! Thanks for visiting me! Can't wait until the next time!!
Close, but not Close Enough
The ups and down of network television. One week before a show even debuts it has the rapt attention of critics across the board. Then the ratings aren't great ... it is up against "The EVENT" and DWTS ... reviews are still good ... all hold their breath for the second week. Will enough people watch the show?
No ... drops to 3.7 million viewers from 4.2 million and it is gone from the small screen. Lone Star, poised to be a critical hit ... but not enough viewers.
What you don't think about is the 100+ folks who had been out of work over the past year - finally landed a job on a network TV show ... and now are unemployed again.
No ... drops to 3.7 million viewers from 4.2 million and it is gone from the small screen. Lone Star, poised to be a critical hit ... but not enough viewers.
What you don't think about is the 100+ folks who had been out of work over the past year - finally landed a job on a network TV show ... and now are unemployed again.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Awesome Albuquerque with the Splendid Shepherds
I got to spend Labor Day weekend with my oldest daughter, Jessica and her husband Chris and my oldest grandchild - Parker! It was a very relaxing, fun visit. No agenda - just hanging out. We spent one night at a hotel, went swimming, then onto Old Town and Explora. 
Great times! Here are some pictures cuz isn't that really what you want to see!
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