UNEXPECTED

CHANGES

Isn't it disconcerting that life can seem to be almost perfect, everything falling into place, the very rhythm's of daily life become predictable, reassuring and safe. Suddenly, out of nowhere the monstrous bird of change swoops down and hands you a special delivery announcement!

This has happened to Joe and me. Several things compounded last week to make it a week that we won't ever forget. Joes job is being eliminated. The end of November is the last day the office will be open, then it will be run from a Central location.

We do have some options. Actually, I do not think we have discovered all the options as of yet. The most sparkly and enticing is to follow his job and move to Atlanta. I have yet to sit down and make a list of the pro's and con's for this. I am excited at the prospect of new adventures, a new set of surroundings, new opportunities, escape from doldrums of existence in central Kentucky. On the other hand, my family is here. Bridget would die without me! My Mom and Dad! Joes children! Then again.....Atlanta!

Of course there are other options. I'm scared. Then I'm exhilarated! Then I'm scared again. I have always been the type of person who can accept things and make the best of them. The biggest problem here will be those we have to leave behind.

The other options are not so invigorating!

Theme Thursday

GATE

Thanks to Shelly over at Cyber Chocolate,  I found this incredible Web Site (http://www.spunwithtears.com/thursday.html) (I missed the class on how to hyper-link). 

I took a short excursion to the Pisgah Church yesterday and tried to capture the beautiful gate that seems permanently open.  I like this picture, even thought I had trouble with the lightening...it gives it a surreal feel to the horse fields in the background.

MORNING HAS BROKEN

I got up very early this morning due to a 6am meeting (yes, I was in shock for a long time regarding the barbaric hour that go along with this job). The meeting was postponed  to next week, so I took the opportunity for an early morning visit to Keeneland Race track to watch the horses in their morning work outs.

A stunning sunrise. I am tempted to gush on about it, but I will just let the picture tell the story. As I watched transfixed, I thought there is not an artist living or dead who could come close to this masterpiece.

Of course not. This one has God's signature on it.

 

Perryville Battlefield

  THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN

Of the many reasons that the South is a wonderful place to live, the Civil War Reenactments has got to have a place close to the top. Now I know that the rest of the world think that those of us who live south of the Mason Dixon marry our cousins then settle down to raise our little Frank and Jesse's. Then we build our fortunes growing marijuana, brewing moonshine and raising thoroughbred horses. Sometimes we go crazy and become land developers and chop up great grand pappy's farm and sell it out as five acre tracks. When we want to relax, we hop into our trucks and go to the horse track for some gambling. We smoke a lot of cigarettes. We eat a lot of fried foods.  We go to church. We vote Republican.

Well, some of that is true.............But the stereotype I like the best is the one where we don't concede that we lost the Civil War. Every county that had a battle fought during the war reenact that battle every year. The Rebels usually win. It is a huge thriving business, this Civil War stuff.

And great fun. Where else can you sit on the side lines and watch men fight each other with swords on horseback? Or see a canon shoot out a huge smoke O ring? Or see and hear living history? Reach out and touch personal things that belonged to someone long ago forgotten? Or are they?

The Battle of Perryville, which was reenacted today, was fought in 1862. History recorded that over 60,000 Union and Confederate soldiers met in the Perryville area both seeking water at the Chaplin River. The bloodiest battle fought in the South ensued upon their meeting. Over 7500 casualties resulted. The ground was saturated with blood. The most mind boggling fact about all this is that 300 homes around this area were used as hospitals to treat the injured and dying.

Today the weather was spectacular. I wonder if the day was as beautiful in 1862?

   

Scary Octoberfest

(The picture has nothing to do with anything...I just like it!) (Sorry...something amiss with my scanner quality on this!!)

TINY TANKS STRIKES AGAIN

I have always been the designated driver. I am always the appointed chauffeur. It is assumed and taken for granted that I do the driving in this family. In Ireland when he had to assume the role, it was a major problem. Hence, the extra gray hairs, the new swear words and the kissing of the ground at the Return Car Rental Area. This entry is about Louisville Friday night.

The Octoberfest at one time was a great event in Louisville. When I lived there in the 1980's it was held in a section of Louisville known as Butchertown. An empty lot was fenced in and the vendors set up booths, a stage was built for the center piece and a tent was erected for Chicken dancing and other polka dances. Back in the '80's I could go and actually run into people I knew. But that was a long time ago before the world changed.

Now it is being held on Fourth Street downtown. It seemed like a fun place to check out, so Joe and I went down there. I expected to stay a couple of hours eating, watching Joe throw back a few beers, Chicken dancing all that great Octoberfest activities. The festival was spread out over the block between Broadway and Chestnut with the stage at the far end. The closeness that the fenced area demanded and the resulting camaraderie was missing at Fourth Street. The enchanting quality was gone. I threw back my one beer and settled in for people watching. Joe wanted to leave.

So we left.

I am the designated driver for several reasons. The most important is that Joe drinks much faster than I do. The result of that is that he has to go to the bathroom about five times as many times as I do. I think he was tiny tanks. I know every bathroom pit stop from Boston to Miami. And from Galway to Dublin in Ireland! It begins with Joe saying "You better start looking for a stop." Friday night I quipped back, "Is it an orange alert?" He replied, "It feels more like a yellow."

A minute later "IT'S RED, IT'S RED !!!!"  Hearing the frantic tone I knew it was serious.  I quickly made a right turn and pulled into a side road that runs alongside the Waterworks. I darted into the main drive way. To both sides of us was a large concrete retaining wall with huge columns at the entrance, Joe ducked behind one of them.

He must have really had to go, because he was back there for a long time.....and then the police officer pulled up next to me. I panicked.....Flashback to the 1970's......My heart was pounding and I was ineffectively trying to roll down my window, which is electronic! I could only think about the beer I had drank 15 minutes ago. My professional life was passing before my eyes. I finally wrenched open the car door and almost fell out, "Are you okay?" he asked.

All I could think of was, "Peeing in public is a crime," so I said the first thing that popped into my mind, "I pulled over to use my cell phone!", he nodded and drove through the iron gate that opened for him. Joe hops into the car, "That was a close one," he says.

It took five minutes for my heart to stop pounding. The '70's made me a crazy woman.

PHOTOSHOP ATTEMPT

SAINT JAMES COURT ART SHOW

The first weekend of October finally arrives! I look forward to it like a child looking forward to Christmas morning. It is the weekend of the St. James Court Art Show held in a section of the city known as old Louisville. 700 artists come from all over the United States to show off their art. It is a visual kaleidoscope of mind blowing proportions. I spent way too much money and had an absolute blast doing it.

My favorite was an artist from Micanopy, Florida, Sandra L. Russell, who had the most unusual photo's on display. She uses an old style Polaroid that takes several minutes to develop the picture. While it is setting up, she uses a hooked needle to manipulate the colors! The effect is very Van Gogh-esque. Then I fell in love with the art work of a women who works with textures combining photos, fabric, knickknacks, whatnots into collages and shadow boxes. Very interesting.

I spoke at some length with Ms. Russell about her photography, computer programs etc. I have the Photoshop program which I installed some three months ago. I have not taken the time to experiment with it. To tell the truth, it seems very difficult to learn. She encouraged me to launch into it and discover the delight of photo manipulation! The above collage is my first try. As you can see, we spent the day eating and drinking......a lot.

The weekend passed so quickly!

 

FETISH?

YOU THINK YOU KNOW SOMEONE AND THEN....

I had the greatest weekend! So many things happened that I am going to get at least three entries out of it! I TOLD Joe that I was going to blog about our Friday night escapade and he did not object...so I took that as a consent!

I spent a lot of time with my lovely daughter Bridget. We went to Impellizzeri's Pizza on Bardstown Rd in Louisville. We were a long time waiting on our dinner and a pizza to go ( the price you pay for going to a 15 table five star pizza joint).  I found out my daughter has a pen fetish!

Take a look at all the pens she pulled out of her purse! I kid you not! Half of the space in her purse was taken up with her obsession! The family at the table next to ours could not get over it either!

Aren't her teeth beautiful! ($5,000 dollars spent well! )