Snow and Family

Our snow family.

The view from our driveway, kids at play.

Sledding experts.

Pure snow joy.

Admiration.

As for the cold and the fibro, I found that the more I moved and the more fun I had, the more I was able to ignore it.  My current motto is this: I am going to hurt no matter what, so what is the point of sitting still?  I know there will be days this isn't enough to get me moving and overcome the pain, but this weekend it was.  Triumph!

Childhood Secrets

So I was at a coffee shop this morning (after spending 45 minutes at a lottery getting my daughter into preschool--PRESCHOOL!!!), and a painting caught my eye.  It depicts a little girl lounging on the grass outside a house.  Something about the angle of the home, the way it wraps around the girl, makes me think she is tucked away in a favorite spot of hers.  Perhaps she is hiding or in a place she goes to pretend.  With her in the painting is a golden retriever and the girl has her left arm lazily thrown over the dog's coat.  The childs knees are tucked up to her chest and in her right hand she clutches a candy bar.  Did she steal it from her mother's secret stash?  Did she run away to this sacred spot to devour it in solitude?  And why doesn't the dog snatch it away, you wonder?  Because the dogs mouth is full as well!  Hanging from its jaws is a bra!  Yes, a bra.  These two creatures, child and pet, are both partners in an unholy alliance.  They are both thieves.  They are both on the lam.  They are both content, even happy.

What does this picture say to you?  It speaks volumes in memory to me.  I remember the so-called secret spots of my childhood homes.  I remember the things I thought I was sneaking.  And those memories are as beautiful to me today as the action was at the time.

If she can do it, so can I!

So Jenny from the block looks dewy and beautiful on this cover.  And inside are all her makeup artist's secrets!  If a makeup artist can do it, if a girl with a Hindman booty (Hindman is my maiden name) can do it, then so can I!  A little makup, a few brush strokes and I, too, can look glamorous.  Or at least flawless, right?

Maybe not, but I'm still excited about picking up a few tips from this read.  I've had it up to my Hindman booty with throwing away money on makeup that doesn't live up to expectations.  I'd rather take advice from a pro and get what I'm paying for.

I'll let you know how the book turns out, and how I turn out. : P

A Card for the Miles

A coffee shop.  A warm fire.  A picture window front.  Milk steamer sounds spiked with laughter.  Chairs scraping across the torn wood floor.  Papers crinkling and laptop keys tinkling.

Through the sights and sounds I see the glint of glitter.  A carousel of cards turns slowly as a patron peruses its holdings.  How beautiful most of them are.  Each has a bit of gleam to it - a small rhinestone here, a dash of colorful sparkle there.  One in particular catches my eye and before I know it I'm on my feet and the card is in my hand.  So is my credit card and the beautiful card with the beautiful woman is mine!  Her eyes are adorned with red rhinestone eyeshadow and ruby glitter glows across her dress.  Raven-colored hair sits perfectly on her head and she expertly sets her lipsticked lips in a fashionable smile.  I know I will do something beautiful with this card.

I have a good friend who lives in a cold place.  She and I used to do everything together.  We used to run wild and crazy and meet wild and crazy men in bars and take home phone numbers and compare how many we got in a night.  We used to talk every day or at every other day at least and use each other as excuses when our parents asked where we had been the night before.  But we grew up.  We got jobs and responsibilities.  We got married and I had children.  We moved thousands of miles apart and life threw even more emotional miles between us.

As I hold this card I don't hold any hope that is has healing power.  I don't believe that it will suddenly bring back the closeness that was or the life that pre-existed adulthood.  But I will use it to reach out.  I will use it because I am a writer and it is a beautiful thing.