Where Did The Week Go ?
Another week in retrospect. I last posted on Feb. 06; it’s now the evening of the 15th.
Activities: Been dancing. D & I have attended two group classes (ballroom dancing) as well as another more private lesson. We’ve added patterns to our basic rumba, and we are beginning to develop the muscle memory necessary to move easily from one set of steps to the next. Our next lesson is this coming Tuesday.
We also made it to the driving range last weekend and practiced our golf swing. The poor kid behind the counter gave me an “OMG - a crazy lady” look when I asked him if we had to buy a whole basket of balls, or couldn't he just sell just five or six balls for practice shots. I told him we would never hit them anyway, a basket would be wasted. He backed up at least a foot as he cautiously pushed the smallest basket of golf balls across the counter, keeping me in his sights the whole time. I could feel his eyes following me as we left the clubhouse (and believe me, he wasn’t looking at my ass). He was right; I was wrong. We worked our way through the whole basket and even hit most of them.
Also fit in a visit to the Chiropractor this week :) !
People: Caught up with friends. Went to a lovely tea shop for lunch last Friday with J. On Tuesday, Ch and N and I somehow managed to synchronize our schedules long enough to share a couple of hours of great food, drink and talk. N is here in AZ for the winter only and is busy dog-showing or judging every weekend, and C works full time, does freelance graphic design, and takes a class two nights a week, so getting the three of us all under one roof any more is a rare occurrence and a treat.
Today I was finally able to catch up with Jo (who moved back to England a few years ago); it took us three tries to find each other at home. We always end up finding the comedy in whatever current circumstances are derailing our lives. She's a great friend.
B and I fit in time today to take our dogs for a walk. Bailey, her West Highland Terrier had spent the night with us on Friday. Lizzie is at her happiest when she gets to see Bailey. The dogs adore each other; they are best friends.
Recent conversations I’ve had with myself: I decided that writing is one of the things I do best, better at least than most other things I do, but, unfortunately, not necessarily better than anyone else. If I think about it too much, it’s disheartening. I’ve lived one of those lives where you do what you have to do more than pursue what you want to do. This translates to not ever having the luxury of putting my interests first. (I know I am not alone here, and I am not whining, just observing.) The upside is that I have breadth in skills, but have never had the time to develop the depth that comes with time and experience. In words my mother would use (the master of trite), I am a jack-of-all-trades, a master-of-none. I’ve hit that age when one realizes that time is not infinite. I can’t say, “I have plenty of time to….”, or “when I grow up I am going to…”. I’m beginning to wonder what kind of legacy I will leave behind, if any. There is nothing I have painted or published, there are no award plaques or ribbons for achievements on my walls; I have neither quilted, embroidered, hand-knit a baby’s sweater, nor won a competition. And if my ashes are scattered, I won’t even have a gravestone to mark that I was here. This is not the best conversation I have ever had with myself, but it is becoming a running commentary in my head.
Valentine’s Day Outing: D & I spent a few hours at the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show yesterday. I’ve completely stayed away from the show this year. What I can’t see I can’t be tempted to buy. However, I did come home from yesterday’s trek with two new mineral specimens: barite and biotite. I also bought a fabulous book on minerals in America and another poster (framed and signed). Now I have to find wall space to hang it.
BARITE BIOTITE (the black mineral)
