(1) This morning we walked around the block. Definitely a big deal for me who haven’t done much walking. I’ve been getting my exercise playing in the garden, hauling, digging, bending, reaching, pulling, and so forth and so on. I also got a good workout vacuuming the stairs last week.  There’s nothing like stretching my legs though. Best of all, my knees didn’t pop and cough until I took my shoes off, thank you very much. Yeah, I’m still waiting for my turn with the knee surgeon. (2) Other than in my head,  I haven’t felt much like writing. Thus, my latest absence.  (3) It took me awhile to start letting go about feeling guilty for not writing, which I’ve been doing for fun and for a living most of my life. The latter, unnecessary for the present, thankfully. I’m rambling.  (4) Once upon a time, one of my high school teachers told me I could never be a writer because I ramble too much. She, with her bra strap constantly peeking out of her sleeveless blouse. The wise one also discourage

I got brave and tore the wrapping off a brand new canvas a couple weeks ago. Here’s my work in progress.  Sharing with Art for Fun Friday , hosted by Gillena of Lunch Break . 

At the moment, I’m one of those old retired people who get up just before sunrise and do a bunch of stuff before breakfast. This morning I did a load of laundry, pruned more dead branches off a woody rose bush, washed a bucket full of flat stones, planted geranium vine cuttings, and weeded the Husband’s Three Sisters patch. All within two hours. I’ve also been dawdling for the past two hours at the breakfast table. Fun! So, what will I do for the rest of the day? There are many possibilities. Paint a few planters Read about estate planning. Dust and vacuum upstairs. Find the bags of dried rose hips and plant some in pots. Pick fruit up high on the avocado tree. Reorganize the collection of stuff I use for making greeting cards. Pull fabric scraps together for a patchwork tablecloth. Write a letter to a friend. File last year’s receipts. Fill in my passport application. Draft the second story about Daddy. Experiment with making concrete sculptures. Do research at Ancestry.com. Or, none

Being that July is Daddy’s month, many of my posts this month will be about him. Today’s post is the first, about his early life. I wish I knew a lot more. We both were born in the lunar year of the Snake, Daddy, 48 years before me. Daddy’s baptismal document, his only formal proof of birth, was written in Spanish. It states that the infant being baptized on July 25, 1905 had been born ten days earlier.  Daddy was baptized on the feast day of St. James, aka Santiago. I speculate that Daddy’s parents may have named him such because of the day.  It is possible that my grandparents also chose Santiago because that’s the name of their town. Santiago, Ilocos Sur, along the western coast on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. In my whole life with Daddy, we celebrated his birthday on July 25. Did he know his real birthdate? I can’t recall. He did enjoy celebrating his birthday with a big traditional Filipino party, that always included a roasted pig, which he turned on a spit for hours 

Molly’s dining table was a single white shelf that once belonged to the Husband’s dad who used it in his office. The shelf was the perfect height for Missy Molly by Golly to enjoy her water and meals.  As you can see, Molly’s table is no longer white. Painted and slapped-happy glued with fabric scraps, snipped pictures and photos, and rose petals, it was.   Was I ever excited and impressed to see the rose petals stay in place when I set the table upright? The Husband asked if the colors will fade. We shall see.  Molly’s once dining table will become a plant shelf on the table, which was Molly’s dining table in her  young and spry years. Jump.  I consider this end of the living room where the table sits as being Molly’s space. It was where she came out of her carrier the day we brought her home and where she let go of her last breath to soar into the Universe over a month ago.  And, in between times, this well-lit, airy side of the living room was where the pinky-nosed (wilde) cat ate,

This week, Sunday Stealing features “what if” questions. Those are always fun. Thanks, Bev.   1. If you were to be granted one wish, what would it be? This is leading off with a hard question. Shall I be selfish or simply ask for world peace?  2.  If you could spend one night alone with anyone in the world who is currently alive, whom would you select? What are we doing? If it’s being  intimate, then the Husband. Conversing through the night? The Husband or any one of my woman friends. 3.  If you could spend one night alone with anyone in history, whom would you choose?  There’s nobody in history I want to sleep with either. To converse with, that’s a tough one. I would like to spend time with all of my grandparents, whom I never met. 4.  If you could physically transport yourself to any place in the world at this moment, where would you go? Hawaii. Any island. 5.  If you could have lived through any war in history (without actually fighting in it), which would it be? None. 6.  If you

1. I saw an ad this morning stating “Stay hydrated with custom drinkware!” Your name, a motto, or catch phrase in cutesy, swirly letters will get you to drink sufficient water everyday to keep from being horribly dehydrated.  2. Only 12 to 25 dollars, depending on the kind of drinkware. It reminded me of Mama saying “Those business people know what they are doing.” Followed by “They do not fool me.”  3. The Husband just read a headline aloud about the Texas legislature voting on secession. Go ahead, Texas. Be your own country. See how far you get on your own.  4.   Should Texas manage to separate itself from the Union, which is illegal and considered treason, with what countries would Texas align? Russia?  I read that Texas has the 10th largest economy in the world, even more than Russia.   5. Would there be an exodus of radical right to Texas?   Would an independent Texas go back to condoning slavery?  What would happen to Austen? 6. Yesterday evening and through most of the wee hours