But it's not the same because we all know we will be moving on at some time in our careers. You never forget those people. You forever celebrate their excellence and are happy to be counted among them all your life. But friends to have and to hold forever? A rare thing in this busy age.
(Thank you, Lord, for the friends in my life - those friends whose path I shared for a while, and those forever friends, to have and to hold! I am blessed.)
Oprah did a piece on women's aging issues today, and it was fun and nice. She had Dianne Carrol, Nora Ephrom, and Gina Davis on the show, plus some clips from Diane Sawyer, Susan Sarandon, Gail Sheehy, and others. No topic was taboo; and it seemed that most were very candid, making the show fun to watch. Diane Sawyer has always been a favorite of mine - to me, she's perennially young and she inspires me. There's nothing she won't try at least once. Her lack of fear (what I always say, when I say it of myself, her lack of smarts to know you shouldn't do that) lifts me up and frees me. She's Judy's age, so a little younger than I.
I didn't know anything about Nora Ephrom, but I was aware of her name because her book, I Feel Bad About My Neck, has been on the best-seller list for quite a while. After watching her today, I ordered the book from Amazon to take with me to Donna's. Ephrom is a funny, funny woman, and I think Donna will enjoy the book. Nora Ephrom is my age - almost to the day!
In my second retirement, I have a sort of goal for each day - to actually do something other than stay in my own head and work on my projects (which I could do forever). A lot of my goal is targeted at doing something around the house. Lauren is so competent at handling everything and anything, and I tend to let him. He has certainly spoiled me, and while I'm not willing to become totally unspoiled, it's good that I lend a hand to help our community of two stay alive. Little by little, it's taking effect.
Today, I actually took a huge bag of clothes and a bedspread down to the RB Presbyterian Church thrift store (we have been accumulating these for some time) instead of waiting for someone to leave a flyer in the mail box that they're picking up donations. Good for me. This was a good step. I also stopped by the automotive shop to make an appointment to get the air conditioner fixed in my car. Another "good for me." I usually look at Lauren with puppy dog eyes and he takes pity on me and makes sure anything and everything gets done. Shame on me! My only excuse is that he's so good about taking care of everything.
I also have a habit of having lots and lots of good intentions that end up being partial projects. This weekend, I remade a pair of purchased capris - I had started taking these apart three months ago!!! They fit really nicely now. I even used the serger on them. Golly, I like that thing. And to think I never wanted one. I have this one only because my friend and neighbor who passed away a couple years ago had one in her estate, and I purchased it at a very reasonable price - and I wouldn't have done that had Donna not mentioned one time that she wanted a serger.
Encouraged by my success at finishing an old project (I start and finish many interim projects - it's just these not-so interesting ones that I neglect), I tackled another pair, which required only a couple tucks; piece of cake. Goodness, I might actually work off my backlog if I keep this up!
In my "to do" basket, partially complete, from 3 plus years ago:
- A doll that needs stuffed, face embroidered, and hair sewn in
- A smocked dress for the doll that needs stuffed
- A quilt top for Donna, made from Mom's slacks
- A California king size bedspread (two twins pushed together) for our bed, started soon after I retired in 2001 (cringe)
- And a variety of other smaller projects
I made a quilt top for each of Mom's surviving grandchildren after Mom died in 2003. Everyone's is finished and delivered except Donna's (Donna's mom just hasn't gotten around to it, but everyone else's Mom was on the ball). I designed and machine embroidered all the grandkids names and birth dates and a little stick-figure sketch of all the places where they lived during their (just short of) 60-year marriage.
The bedspread is a paper-pieced pattern - an experiment in quilting that was encouraged by my sister and expert quilter, Judy. The pattern is simple - something I adapted for paper piecing from a pattern in Quilters Newsletter Magazine. I nearly have the top quilted, and I have the sash made and partially quilted. I'll use a method from Beautiful Quilts as You Go, by Keryn Emmerson, to attach the sash to the top.
This is the first doll I made in 2001. She's wearing a smocked dress I made. I made another doll and gave it to a friend, and then started a third. I use some special weighted material with the filler so the body has some substance to it - I like that. Her hat is a lovely crocheted piece designed and hand-made by a woman in Hungary. I had the good fortune to stop in her shop when we were there a few years ago, and I couldn't resist bringing home another woman's hand work.
This little gal sits on my piano and usually wears earphones. I took them off for this picture. My Yamaha piano has a silent piano added to the standard acoustic setup. You can plug earphones in and switch from the acoustic to a sampled Yamaha grand and play silently (and in tune, even if the acoustic piano isn't in tune - which it isn't right now) and never disturb anyone. So when I play the piano, there's my little friend.
I received a beautiful note from Susan today. She is one of rare people who pick up pen and paper to communicate. It's such a treat to receive one of her notes, to hold it in my hands, and read through her thoughts. She creates paper art, and her note is enclosed in a card she made.
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