Jane Pauley and Me!

The first time I recall seeing Jane Pauley was in 1985 when I was home on leave after having had my first child, Drew. She and Bryant Gumbel  kept us company in the mornings through all of our chores. Turns out she is about my age and has the same number and gender of children. It was fun to hear her tell her young adult children stories and totally get it. What a great sense of humor! She spoke in April at the Voices lecture series. The topic was "Reinventing Yourself after 50", which is a series she does on the today show. Most of the audience could relate as we approach that time in life when our children are grown, we have some time and a few bucks AND want to be useful. Afterward at the reception, a friend snapped this picture. How fun is that.

Two side comments.

If you have never heard of Voices, you should check it out. See the link above. Each season, there are lectures by "Four amazing women; four incredible stories." 2012-2013 marks the 20th season.

When asked for the secret to a long marriage, Jane deferred to her husband Garry Trudeau's thought "Leave two things unsaid each day." Solid advice for any relationship or so it seems.

A Rose by any other name must be a Lily

Caite and her girlfriends spent some time with us over spring break. They do know the way to a mom's heart...flowers. When these lilies arrived, they were tight buds. It was so much fun watching them open over the next few days, I have the perfect northern exposure window for snapping photos. This was taken a few days into the bloom and is one of my favs. Gorgeous, right!

Lemon Tree Very Pretty...

Imagine having your very own Myers lemon tree. I do. I hear they are a cross between an orange and a lemon. Whatever! The new fruit is beginning to appear so it is time to pick the old. To accomplish this task, I needed the assistance of some one much younger than me. We girls found our own solution...a lawn chair in the pool to stand on, reaching the perfect height to grab the lemons. YUMMO! 

I'm Learning Spanish and You Could Too!

I watched this U-tube video, actually a TED lecture, by Luis von Ahn, who is responsible for capthcas, those annoying little phrases that you have to type in to prove you are not a spammer. Turns out he is a really smart individual who is conjuring ways to use the 7.5 millions individuals 10 seconds per day to do something useful. Segue forward to his latest project, translating wikipedia into other languages besides English, and you too can help. That's how I am learning Spanish and it is fun and cool. It's at Duolingo.com. I am on my way.

Yo quiero vino. haha

Adios.

Earth Day 2012

Earth Day was on Sunday. It could not have been a more spectacular day to celebrate this event. In Portland, the sun was out and we were warmed to the mid 70's, maybe even higher. I walked around my yard to see what was in bloom and found many beginnings. It was grand.

On a different note, I found this TED lecture by Chris Jordan to be thought provoking. He makes art by symbolizing social issues. Listen, see what you think and leave a comment. I would like to get your take.

Today and Everyday!

I found this on Pinterest today. You gotta love the thought. So I tried.

I vacuumed. Not so much in the amazing category but I did it first and got it out of the way.

I rode my bike.

I hit golf balls.

I picked lemons and grapefruit.

I started my new quilt project.

I made a ridiculously awesome salad and ate it for lunch and dinner.

I read some more in The Power of One. It comes highly recommended by my friend Dawn and she is very familiar with "Best of Stacks".

I enjoyed the hot tub and the night stars and a glass of wine.

Well done! What a day!
Tomorrow it's your turn.

The Real Deal

I have long been a fan of Hillary Clinton. I just really like smart women. Imagine another favorite of mine, Meryl Streep, who introduced Hillary at the Women in the World summit held recently in New York City.  Both are women who have honed their craft, so to speak.

Hillary asks “What does it mean to be a woman in the world?”  “It means never giving up. It means getting up, working hard, and putting a country or a community on your back.” And that is what she does on a regular basis.

Why then do so many women dismiss Hillary so easily. What possible reasons do they offer. Is it because she is Democrat and they are not. Or that she is highly successful. Or that she speaks out. OR simply, that she is a women. Why is it that women are so hard on other women.

Do the women of the world a favor and listen to these words about Hillary. You will be amazed.


And then hear what Hillary has to say. Trust me, it is worth your time.

Renew

Today I am trying to remember that my word for the year is "renew". Golf Cart Dave came as expected. God love you, Dave. Sort of like "Free throw guy". I will come up with my own version for myself. I could have done something else with that time had I known "Garage door guy" would be  a no show. They called after I already waited 3 hours and he was late. RAM will be tomorrows story unless they choose to respond differently than today. That IS a fun story. Well not so much fun on this end.

I will revert to Rachel Snyder and her definition of renew:
Renew your passion for being alive! Visit a museum and renew your love of history. Renew that excitement you used to feel when seeing something Aztec, something Japanese, something from a distant time. Renew your spirit. Take a long walk, a short trip, a week's retreat. Forget to take your appointment book or your reading file. Renew your relationship to your body. Go to the gym, go on a back country ski trip, go get shiatsu, go do yoga. Renew old friendships. Renew that spark that used to live between the two of you. Renew your vows, the promises you made to yourself and others long ago. Start over, start again, start anew. Revive, restore, refresh, replenish, rejuvenate, recharge and renew!

Gotta love that motivation...

My absolute fav for this week....
OH YEAH!