CEDARHILL

Meeting up with the Acers

It was a busy weekend with working on the paper, the web portal....and driving down to Tucson to hook up with the Acers who were on hand for the wedding of a 'favorite son'.

Seems they long ago incorporated 3 boys into their family of 4 girls: Matt (Left) Brandon (back) and Joe. Joe was the one getting married to Becky at the Wild Horse Ranch in Tucson and there were lots of Kingman and Tucson folks on hand to celebrate.
The ceremony was perfectly short and sweet and the reception/dancing went well past midnight. 

Jim, Brandon and Sarah all had to leave the next morning at 5:30 after four hours of sleep and the rest of us got to sleep in. Thank goodness!
This kind of night is why so many people move to Tucson. A June evening which was dry, cool and starlit.
Nothing like sharing a bathroom with 5 women...especially when they are getting ready for an "event!". Jim is used to it...he just stays out of the way!

Getting to and from Tucson these days though is a challenge. They have torn up both major arteries leading into Globe-Miami to widen the highways. So the highway looks like this for a 2 mile stretch heading to Tucson. On the weekends there may be a 15 minute delay, but on weekdays the road is completely shut down Mon- Friday.

Going the other way, the road can be shut down for 15 minutes to an hour while they clear the blasting debris. Not sure it was such a good idea to widen BOTH roads at the same time. Ah well.
Some things are worth running the gamut....and this weekend was one of them!  Cheers,L

Exploring on my Birthday

My friend Ev sent me two books for my birthday and it reminded me of a decade-plus earlier when Mother gave me a harmonica for my 40th Birthday. She said at the time, and I absorbed the sentiment, that you are never too old to learn a new THING. a new TALENT. a new way of looking and dealing with the world.

After I got that Harmonica, I used to take it on road trips with me and practice. I have a terrible singing voice, so played Harmonica. Even on an elementary level it sounded better than my singing voice and gave me  great pleasure in exploring this new territory, this new vibration in expressing myself. It came with some degree of success ( I could actually play a song I recognized) and I was comforted by the knowledge that my mother( who I found very wise)  thought I still had it in me to learn new things. Forever re-inventing myself. THAT is the juice of life I think. Or atleast has been the juice of my life.

The book which Ev gave me is by a 87 year old woman who writes wonderfully and honestly about life and living. She begins with two stories about a fern which she will not live to see in it's glory, and a pug puppy which she will never have because...well, she might be around for the end.And yet, she has a rich and satisfying life, enjoying what is before her. Que Sera, Sera.

Two good lessons on the eve of a birthday: To always engage in something new. something that sparks the imagination and challenges us in new ways. And, to find ways to enjoy the age we are. Even with all the drawbacks..there are still a lot of things to celebrate...and appreciate. That's life.  And it all about how we approach it. I've had some really great role models in that regard. And good friends along the way.
Couldn't ask for more!

thank you Ev...and mother...for giving me such great presents of heart and inspiration!

Giving Leeway

A quote came across my desk today which went roughly like this: "I was given a cactus for a gift and in less than a week it had died. I thought damn it... I'm even less nurturing than a desert. " 

It made me think of the phone calls, the cards , the acts of kindness I could bestow upon my family and friends which seem to get lost in the mix. I regret that. Really I do. I have decided though that I'm not the only one who is overwhelmed at times and outpaced by the sheer number of things that need to be addressed on any particular day. I hope...and expect...my friends and family to know that I love and care about them, and will surface as time and inspiration affords my ability to share. My only assurance in this process is that I feel close to everyone even if I don't write and they don't write. They are still my "tribe".
You know who you are. I love you.
~L