Happy Birthday

Today is my 65th birthday. As most of my mail this month has told me, "Welcome to Medicare." Good grief.  Be that as it may, it's still my birthday, and boo-hiss and bah-humbug to anything connected to Medicare.

I asked my husband for an iPad for this momentous birthday, and after carefully researching the options (as is his style) I now have an Apple Mini 4 iPad.  On the first day with the iPad, I was ready to toss it out into the pasture... very frustrating to learn the processes after being so used to my Toshiba laptop. However.... on the second day, the iPad and I became more acquainted with one another and learned each other's qualities and characteristics.

On this, the 4th day with the iPad, whom I have named "Gatsby," we are the best of friends, and I have learned how to move the icons around the pages, put a few unwanted icons into a folder in case I want to use them in the future, and I've deleted some totally ridiculous Apple-installed icons. Not only that, but I have taken photos of Savannah and Sweet Pea and sent them to my cousin F. (Who knew that taking and eMailing pictures could be so easy?)

My husband had suggested that I use the laptop to Google any questions about the iPad processes, and then by using the laptop results as a road-map to the solutions, I could follow the instructions and set up the iPad exactly as I wanted it. Lo and behold.... it was easy to do with Google as a guide.  All of the initial iPad frustrations flew out the window, rather than the iPad itself.

My cousin F and I decided to name our iPads, being that we kept sending eMails back and forth and saying "my iPad this...." and "my iPad that...." --- so F is calling her iPad "Pandora" because as she said, when she opens it up, she gets the good, the bad, and the ugly out of it.  I chose the name "Gatsby" for the simple reason that I miss our cat Gatsby, and he was such a wise and gentlemanly cat.  And needless to say, the iPad is indeed a wise instrument of technology.

I have been using Gatsby so much this morning (now that I really know how to use it) that it is being re-charged at the moment so I'm on the laptop.  Unlike my cousin F, who uses Pandora for everything, I will bounce back and forth between Gatsby and the laptop.  Gatsby has a detachable keyboard, along with the on-screen keyboard, and I have a purple case for it.  On the signature line of my eMails, I changed the setting to read "Sent from Gatsby, my purple iPad." (Rather than simply 'Sent from my iPad.')  After all, Gatsby does deserve some recognition.

Today is a beautiful day, sunny and nearly warm, with temperatures just below 60.  Cousins have called to wish me a happy birthday, and I'm sitting here in amazement that 65 years have gone by since our long-ago pediatrician Dr. Wilson said "It's a girl!"

Boo-Kitty Radley

Well... of course we do not need another cat. We have one inside cat (Sweet Pea) and one outside cat (Mickey), plus our dog Savannah. (Mickey's outside status consists of him being allowed in the yard on perfectly sunny and warm days, but confined to the garage and the fenced-in coop every night and when the day-time weather isn't kitty-approved.)

Last week, two cats showed up out in the backyard... both male tabbies, one with distinct markings like Sweet Pea, and the other a mottled gray with less vibrant markings.  The mottled gray one is the friendliest, following me up the porch steps and letting me pet him and pick him up. Both of the cats are making friends with Mickey through the fenced-in wall of the coop, and Sweet Pea sits on the kitchen windowsill to stare at the mottled gray cat as he munches on a bowl of Meow Mix.

Clearly, the mottled gray cat wants a home.... he comes into the yard meowing, he walks around the porch meowing, and he purrs lightly when I pet him or pick him up. Neither one of those cats are feral, and we don't know if they belong to anyone around here.  They could be someone's barn cats, roaming around during the night to find mice, lizards, or a stray bowl of cat food. Typically, people up here do have barn cats, but they don't feed them too much food because they want them to keep hunting for mice. I hate that idea, and don't agree with that country-way of cat-keeping.

The mottled gray cat has a strange meow.... it sounds like boo-ow, rather than me-ow.... hence the name Boo Radley, or Boo-Kitty Radley. The cat reminds me of Harper Lee's Boo Radley.... pale and gray and just worn-out-to-the-bone in color.  But as I said, we do not need another cat. I will, however, continue to put Meow Mix on the porch for those cats if they keep coming around. I never see them during the day, only after dark. And they haven't come around when it's been pouring rain outside. For all I know, they could have taken up residence in our own barn, and coming here to the house after dark for a meal. I've looked in our barn for them during the day, but they don't come out when I call to them.

We'll see how it goes. For now, Boo-Kitty Radley has just eaten his night-time meal... I've petted him and picked him up (as the other stray cat watched from a distance)... and we'll see what happens. Stray cats seem to come and go out here, with very few of them staying in any one place for any length of time. Exceptions to that rule have been our cat Gatsby (we had him for 7 years) and Sweet Pea (we've had him since 2010).

Cats. They always find me. No matter where we live.

"You want a what?"

That's about what my husband said to me when I told him that I would like an iPad for my birthday. He asked what I would like... and I told him... and I guess he was surprised that I wanted to join the 21st century of the computer world. I understood his surprise, being that I still use a flip-phone and not an iPhone.  (All I want is a cell phone, not a little machine filled with bells and whistles that I will probably never use.)

So my husband has been on the search for the perfect iPad. We looked at the big-box stores.... and I have to say that I couldn't get out of Best Buy quick enough. I hated the look and feel of that store, and even though the staff was plentiful and very helpful, all of their suggestions floated off into the atmosphere on the notes of the worst excuse for 'music' that I've ever heard in my life. If I never ever go into a Best Buy store again, it will be too blessed soon.

We went to the local AT&T store, where I did find the perfect iPad, both in features and in size. (And that store was blessedly quiet, and also filled with efficient and friendly staff.) I knew, however, that we wouldn't be buying anything right then and there, because my husband's shopping methods are much different than mine.  He noted the style, color, model of the unit I wanted, and then he did some research. As a result, he saved over $300 and got more data than was originally offered. They are shipping the iPad to our home, and it will be here on Friday.

I had suggested to my husband that he might want an iPad of his own, and he declined the suggestion, his reason being that he's at a computer all day in his office at the university, as well as using three computers and one laptop in his office here at home. He said he doesn't want to have "a pocket-sized computer to take with him on the go."  Well... that's exactly why I wanted the iPad.... how wonderful it's going to be to have my Pinterest page with me when I'm in a bookstore... all of my book 'boards' right there in my purse, so I will know which books I have, which books I'm looking for, which books I've read this past year and which books I read decades ago.

I'm hoping that the learning curve for this iPad isn't too dreadful. My cousin F tells me that she taught herself how to use her own iPad and she swears that if she could do it, so can I.  Well, we'll see about that.  I have a feeling that I will be visiting the local AT&T store every week until I have mastered the art of the iPad.

In the midst of January....

...and the days keep flying by. Good grief.

With my 65th birthday coming up at the end of this month (good grief again) my husband and I went to the local tax office to fill out the over-65 forms. Apparently, the state gives you a 'ceiling' on your taxes... because I'll be 65, they won't be raising the property/school taxes anymore. (One can only hope... but I think that's what will happen.)

My friend C already has that over-65 exemption because her husband is older than she is... and C told me to be prepared to see the letters O.A. stamped on our tax papers from now on. "O.A?"  What does that mean?  C told me that it means 'Old Age.'  Well, pooh on that.  As C explained about the exemption, my word-filled mind got to thinking and within 7 seconds, I was telling C that O.A. didn't stand for Old Age..... in my mind it stands for Outstandingly Adorable and the tax people had better take note.

Again, I repeat.... pooh on that. Old age, my blessed foot. I can still do everything I did in my 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s... and then some.

Pooh on this also.... one of my friends passed away last week... the wife of the library director, from the library on Long Island where I used to work.  Barbara was such a great lady... full of fun and mischief, and when I wrote the newsletter for the library staff years ago, she saved my editorial butt when my stories got more on the sarcastic side than the funny side.... which is bound to happen when you work in a public library.  Barbara and Mr. H retired when they were 55, leaving the library and moving to Pennsylvania, and then proceeding to bring their beloved bicycles along in their vast travels, cycling all over the United States and Europe. They had a blast,... sending postcards to the staff and letting us know where they were... and of course 'the editor' sent them the latest copies of the newsletter so they would know what we were all up to.

I kept in touch with Mr. and Mrs. H for all of these years... and when my husband and I got married, they came to our wedding.... I danced with my old director and Gary danced with Barbara. The H's traveled to Texas to visit us at our previous home in Clear Lake, and they were here at our home in the Hill Country as well. For the last couple of years, Barbara had been very ill, confined to a nursing home but still maintaining her vibrant attitude. I sent her cards every week, ever mindful of her support during my library days when the Library Board frowned at my newsletter, which was always saved from extinction by the director's fun-loving wife.

Last week, my phone rang and I saw Mr. H's name come up.... it was late evening... I knew it wasn't going to be a happy phone call.  He told me that Barbara had passed away... painlessly and quietly... her body just gave up after a bout with pneumonia.  "We had such a good life," said my old boss. "We were able to do everything we wanted to do, and then some. We had no regrets."

Mr. H thanked me for all of the cards I had sent to his wife over the years... she had saved each one, marveling over the sheer number of them. I promised that I would keep sending cards... which would be addressed to him now rather than Barbara.  After we said good-night, I thought of his words about their life.... such a good life.... we did everything we wanted.... no regrets.  Well, if that isn't a perfect legacy, I don't know what would be.  If there is indeed a heaven, then Barbara is up there right now with her bicycle, bouncing along on the clouds.

Keep Austin Weird

And that is the slogan of the capital of Texas... "Keep Austin Weird."  I don't know who came up with that, and why, but it does fit that city.

We drove up to Austin this week and stayed overnight at one of the hotels. We usually stay at a B&B when we travel, but with the 'weird' thing going on up there, I didn't want to take a chance. There are a lot of very small vintage homes within the city limits of Austin and the last thing I wanted was a shoe-box sized bedroom with a bathroom in the hall which could be shared with five strangers.

Our mission up in Austin was to find independent bookstores, which we did (about 8 of them), and we also had breakfast at The Counter Cafe, which was featured on Diners/DriveIns/Dives--- such a teeny restaurant... how did Guy and his camera crew fit in there?

I love old bookstores, or new bookstores with old books... my husband searched for the shops before we left, arranged them in geographical order so we wouldn't be back-tracking in the Austin traffic, and the result was two shopping bags nearly filled with books. I was in book-heaven, and will be for quite a while... lots to read.

There was one bookstore on our list that we didn't get to see... it was closed when we got there, but after looking at the front of the store (painted a sickly neon blue) and then peeking through the very dirty windows to see dusty floors and haphazard displays, we didn't bother going back during their (irregular) business hours.

Another store had nothing but rare and collectible books. (Translation: very expensive.)  We did look around the small shop, filled with signed first editions and out-of-print books that were priced in the hundreds and thousands. (Who knew that an Ian Fleming novel with an intact dust-jacket could cost two thousand dollars?)

One of the largest Half-Price Books is up in Austin, and I spent nearly two hours in there, trying to look at everything. They have a separate room for Rare Books, and that was the best part... I found an old copy of "From Here To Eternity."

One huge store was called The Book People... two floors of books and nearly everything connected to books, and then hundreds of items that weren't related to books at all.  The books were all new, and I much prefer gently-read books anyway, but we looked around the entire store. I decided that a store like that should have bookplates, so I asked the young man at the register...

Do you have bookplates? said I.
Book plates? Tell me exactly what those are.
Ex libris... "From the library of..."  Small rectangular labels that are put into the front of your books and you write your name on them.
Ex libris... I've never heard of that before... doesn't sound familiar to me. Have you looked for book plates by our display of famous-author mugs?

After that short conversation, I knew that the person we were talking to wasn't really a 'book person' at all and maybe shouldn't be working at a store called "The Book People."

One of the best bookstores was run by the Austin Library... a fairly good-sized store independent of the main library building... all of their book donations and discards are sold in that shop. One dollar for paperbacks, two dollars for hardcovers. Everything was neatly arranged on shelves and tables with clearly-marked category displays, and very knowledgeable people working there. I found a vintage copy of Huckleberry Finn, an old copy of the children's book Madeline, and a first edition of the newest Anne Tyler novel.

Aside from the bookshops, we walked along a few of the main shopping streets of the city and browsed through an eclectic antique shop, and then found a clothing store that was jam-packed with every imaginable costume (and some un-imaginable) under the sun. Austin, in all of its weirdness, must be very big into costume parties, parades, and vintage clothing. Actually, walking along some of the Austin streets, one would think that every 20-something resident could be on their way to a costume party.  Walking into the front door of that costume shop, the first thing you see is a huge display of feathered boas in every color of the rainbow... and a huge sign immediately catches your eye:  "Please don't play with the boas!"  (I resisted the urge to stand in the middle of all those boas and surround myself with multi-colored feathers.)

We brought Savannah to the boarding facility on the morning we left, leaving her in one of their deluxe rooms while we were gone. She walked into the building very nicely, but tried to walk out with us when we were ready to leave. Savannah had been there before, and it's a very nice facility with an abundance of friendly people to take care of the pets. They told us that she followed the girl quietly right after we went out of the door, so the sense of guilt for us didn't last too long.

We thought the trip would be longer, but after we saw all the bookshops on our list, and tried a few of the restaurants, we were ready to come home. (I don't think we're weird enough for Austin.) We were able to pick up Savannah a day early because we got back into town before the boarding kennel closed yesterday.

The weather has changed again and we're having a couple of very cold days today and tomorrow. I don't plan on going out anywhere until the sun comes back again and the temperature gets back into the 70s.  (Keep Texas Warm.)

New Year's Day

Welcome to 2017. The years are speeding by and the calendar really needs to slow down some.

We had a nice Christmas... quiet on Christmas Eve, and a bit of company on Christmas Day. The weather was warm and sunny, which is always a good thing. When my cousins tell me that Christmas should be cold and snowy, I remind them that the Baby Jesus was born in the desert, not at the North Pole. That usually gets them to re-thinking their weather preference for Christmas.

We had a very quiet New Year's Eve... no fireworks in the immediate area last night, so my guess is that the dippity-do neighbor across the road was out of town and maybe she took her son with her. I was expecting a barrage of fireworks and noise from her property over there, but I was pleasantly surprised with the quiet. Ever since Savannah's "lost" days after that neighbor's late-April fireworks display last year, I've changed my mind about the beauty of colorful fireworks exploding in the country sky. There probably isn't a dog on this planet who can safely deal with the noise of fireworks, and Savannah surely isn't one of them. Our own dog's sanity and safety is my top priority, and if I never speak to that neighbor again, it will be too soon for me.

My husband and I spent this morning taking down the big tree in the dining room. I had taken off the ornaments a couple of days ago, but he had to take off the vintage bubble-lights before the poor tree could be taken out into the field. And that's where it is now, along with our other trees from previous Christmases... all of which make nice homes for birds and small animals that make their homes in our pastures.

As a result of the tree-moving, I've just vacuumed up sixteen million needles from that big tree, and no doubt I'll be finding a few others along the way. I would give anything to have a fake tree instead of a real (dead) tree standing up in our dining room. They make such beautiful artificial trees now... but my husband insists that his vintage lights have no place on a fake tree. I'm waiting for the day when my husband tells me that he's just too old to be messing around with the weight of a real tree.

The house has been de-Christmased..... I've been packing up the decorations since December 26th, and everything is neatly arranged in the walk-in storage closet. I pack up that closet like a puzzle, with all the holiday things nestled in there and out of the way.

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, but we don't do our big Valentine party like we did years ago. Every year, I go through the Valentine decorations and send some to the kids of my cousins, or I take some things to my booth at the antique shop and sell them. I've been doing the same thing with Easter decorations. About the only holidays that have survived in this house are Halloween and Christmas. And that's fine.... two big parties a year seem to be enough.

I've already started shopping for next Christmas... gifts for the cousins, and gifts for our grab-bag game for the Christmas party. Don't laugh... the calendar is always moving, and next Christmas will be here in a heart-beat.