So my darling Susie Q had her second of three rounds of chemo therapy last Friday. It got her down a bit and made her feel crappy. So what does she do? She enters one of the biggest tennis tournaments in Las Vegas and plays her first match last night and wins in three sets. She sounded completely wiped out on the phone afterwards and even turned down a chance to have dinner with one of her girls.
But that's just like her. She is not only the prettiest 53 year old on the planet, she is smart, astute, caring and very very competitive. There was no way she was going to play that match half-heartedly. The first two sets went to tie-breakers. The third she won 6-2. Her opponent was probably half her age. She had to take off her scarf because of the heat, leaving her with only a cap on her smooth head.
She is an amazing woman who proves every day that she is someone to be contended with.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
grass/no grass
I took a little walk in Greenville Sunday morning. It took me to a very nice neighborhood with very nice houses on big lots. It was a relatively new neighborhood with houses that looked to be no more than 10 or 15 years old. They were big and (at least in the eyes of their owners, I assume) beautiful.
I have a hard time accepting the need for great big houses. Let me say right now that in the past I was the owner of one. But in my current phase I find it wasteful and non-simple for families to wallow in over-big homes.
But that isn't what I want to discuss today.
Many of the yards were a combination of natural (woodsy) areas and grassy areas. Some were all woodsy some were all grassy. Many of the grassy areas still has trees, many didn't.
I found that I preferred the natural look most. They were natural, clean and tidy. The ground cover was mostly old fallen leaves. There were many naturally occurring (or so they appeared to me) bushes, some thick and impenetrable looking.
Even though I didn't see one child frolicking or any grass picnics I saw at least three lawn maintenance crews. I was saddened to consider what had been removed to add the grass. I was saddened that the grass wasn't added for any practical purpose. I was momentarily happier to know that some people gained employment in the installation and upkeep of the seas of grass. But all in all my predilection for simplicity found it hard to justify the (maybe far too harsh a term) rape of the woods to conform to the neighborhoods and societies expectations. My hat was off to those who let well enough alone and wound up with a beautiful, cost effective, natural environment.
We flew to Oklahoma City today. A very short night. We finished loading-out at 12:30am and had a 5:40am limo. And, since the trucks won't make the long trip in time, our usual 6:00pm Monday move-in has been moved to 3:00am. We usually load-in four hours on Monday then get a night off and finish up at 8am Tuesday, working through the show that night. So we will now work through from 3am till the show is over around 10:30pm. It makes one tough.
I have a hard time accepting the need for great big houses. Let me say right now that in the past I was the owner of one. But in my current phase I find it wasteful and non-simple for families to wallow in over-big homes.
But that isn't what I want to discuss today.
Many of the yards were a combination of natural (woodsy) areas and grassy areas. Some were all woodsy some were all grassy. Many of the grassy areas still has trees, many didn't.
I found that I preferred the natural look most. They were natural, clean and tidy. The ground cover was mostly old fallen leaves. There were many naturally occurring (or so they appeared to me) bushes, some thick and impenetrable looking.
Even though I didn't see one child frolicking or any grass picnics I saw at least three lawn maintenance crews. I was saddened to consider what had been removed to add the grass. I was saddened that the grass wasn't added for any practical purpose. I was momentarily happier to know that some people gained employment in the installation and upkeep of the seas of grass. But all in all my predilection for simplicity found it hard to justify the (maybe far too harsh a term) rape of the woods to conform to the neighborhoods and societies expectations. My hat was off to those who let well enough alone and wound up with a beautiful, cost effective, natural environment.
We flew to Oklahoma City today. A very short night. We finished loading-out at 12:30am and had a 5:40am limo. And, since the trucks won't make the long trip in time, our usual 6:00pm Monday move-in has been moved to 3:00am. We usually load-in four hours on Monday then get a night off and finish up at 8am Tuesday, working through the show that night. So we will now work through from 3am till the show is over around 10:30pm. It makes one tough.
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