24 Hours Later

I already miss you all. Disregard the last paragraph in yesterday's post. I love ya'll.

Later...almost bedtime.

I guess I had to see what it felt like not to have the blog. As the day advanced I found my mind picking up this thought and that bit and that photo-op that I'd like to share on the blog. By early evening, I'm in a stew and thinking, "What am I doing!!!? Here I am sitting in Kimmel Center, Yo Yo Ma is onstage making music with about 120 young cello players. Aidan is one of them and his Grandma Judy stopped doing something she loves. How dumb is that!"

Yes, I do love this communication with you. It's late now and I haven't sorted out the pictures and video. Aidan is going to send me one of Yo Yo that he took of him onstage. This will be a first test to see if the new iPhone 6S replacement for my dead iPhone 5 does any better with the lighting of the production. I'll work on it early this week.

So, this communication has a lot deeper roots in my being than I knew. Thank you, for bearing with me. The tide came back in pretty fast.

Toby reminded me that we're all mad here.

Ebb and Flow

I never was a fan of Elvis, but appreciate the clock on the wall in the guest bedroom at Jim and Nancy's...





It's all about time--and not. Just as Elvis' time surged to the fore it ebbed to some best-remembered songs and times. Our television set was relatively new when he first appeared on a Tuesday night Milton Berle Show--singing, strumming and gyrating in FULL view of a surprised audience. (Later, waist-up only on Ed Sullivan's Show.) Elvis' television debut that 1950's Tuesday night filled our living room with hysterical laughter. Mom, choking through her hilarity managed to say, "Look at that addict!" Of course, the debut moved others differently and Elvis was hurtled into the dimension he still claims though gone now 39 years due, sadly as it turned out, to what was in Mom's prescient remark.

Toby and I set out on a journey nearly three years ago and I recorded much of it here in these posts which somehow made a connection with my old and new worlds that now has its own best-remembered images and times. The parallels with America's past icon are limited to just that since neither fame nor fortune has visited. However, even better, the warmth of connection to those of you who've followed or joined in along the way are now part of a richly endowed consciousness. I am glad for that.

As life in Pennsylvania has settled into its own routines and concerns, so, too, have Toby's. He made the transition from little, bitty kitty condo cat growing into a humongous tomcat only to be stuffed into a wire crate and hauled across America where he was unwelcomed by three housecats who beat him to the PA household by a couple of weeks, and equally unwelcomed by Jasper the Barn Cat leaving Toby a Gaza Strip of semi-sociability between the house and the barn. Therein, he became ruler of the back porch/deck and as Carol in Tucson has pointed out, turned himself into a dog. A dog king, in fact, as he has been observed controlling three dog friends' access up the porch stairs and, at times, he regresses to an extra-large tomcat taking invitational play swipes at his friends as they go by. Not, however, on cold, wet spring days, as today, when all three dogs and Toby huddle together on the huge back porch dog cushion in a blend of wet cat and dog aromas.

And, the muse has indicated these postings have had their surge and the flow is now ebbing. This will be the last posting for Beyond Dust Fuzzies as I discern what the returning tide brings to me.

Adios, mis familias y amigos.

Beware, mice and rats!

To Dallas and Back

Wow! That was fast. Spirit Airlines spirited me away to see Cousin Jim and Nancy in Dallas over a long weekend. I traveled light so no laptop postings this trip.

Memorable places we went were The Perot Museum of Nature and Science on Friday; on Saturday we went to the AT&T Stadium, home of the Cowboys football team, where we saw the Dallas Opera's streamed simulcast of the musical Showboat (where else would you expect to see a simulcast of a musical in Texas?); and, Sunday, the Dallas Arboretum where there was also an art and craft show happening. Sandwiched in between were really good eats at an array of wonderful restaurants. We even worked in senior rejuvenating naps. Plus, their daughter Laura self-produced birthday cupcakes to celebrate her birthday Sunday evening as we dined with her beau Brandon and his daughter Reagin who has blended in with Laura's daughter Jessa (granddaughter of Jim and Nancy) in a happy, energetic, sibling/friendship.

Nancy and Jim added a Yamaha to their household. Jessa has showed a solid interest in recent times. Nancy is getting back to playing, too.

A restaurant picture from the first night there. Brandon, Laura, Jessa, Reagin, Jim. Nancy was working.
 Note my "side salad" in the right front. Yes, we were in Texas.

At the Perot Museum Hall of Collections. The Cowboys, of course.

Jim next to someone's vintage bicycle collection. 

I was taken by someone's collection of junk and trash necklaces. These parts are cut from yogurt bottles.

And these are from egg cartons.

Driftwood pieces with red string.

There are 11 halls so Nancy and Jim are grabbing a breather.

At the Perot 3-D movie about to see Sea Monsters.

Jim on Saturday outside AT&T Stadium.  

Showboat was a highlight for me. It was a grand, ambitious production with lots of absolutely wonderful songs that we've all heard all our lives and didn't really know they came from Showboat--except, maybe, for Old Man River--and, oh my, what a great rendition we heard of that.

On Sunday at the Arboretum there were many beautiful young ladies in all sorts of spring-colored gowns being photographed for their quinceaneras.

And a ballerina smiled a hello.

The art show long-horn steer.

Jim and Nancy at one of their favorites. The giraffe head moves kinetically and inspired Jim to make plans to acquire a welder and junk to show Jessa how to weld while they make something together.

This one is my fave.

Another beautiful day in a lovely setting did not go unappreciated.

Nancy's business found her for a few minutes.

I found the Wright brothers and sat down for a conversations, but they didn't have much to say.
The lake behind has nine miles of paved pathway around it and sometimes Jim and friends ride their bikes around it.

Many water features flowed down to the lake with cascades and pools along their way.

You know I hardly ever remember names of anything. Nevermind, these.....were everywhere.

Nancy and Jim.

This was a first.

Reagin and Jessa finishing up the restaurant playground evening.

Toyota is moving to Plano. There were 10 or 11 cranes at the multi-building site.

Back home again yesterday and Aidan and I went to the park on his day off from school this mid-day before thunderstorms swept in. He kicked the soccer ball around and I voted. Will be interesting to see the PA results tomorrow. We stopped off for chocolate chips for the crepes he wanted to make.

A tree planting at Franconia Park. How I wish I'd had this auger in Tucson.

The crepes were delicious.

Music and Pink Cacti

Two trips into the city, lots of church newsletter work, painting and prepping for a short visit to Dallas has kept me out of trouble. I leave in the morning to see Cousin Jim and his wife Nancy, their daughter and grands. And take in some of Dallas' offerings.

I won't be taking along the laptop so posting will be limited to the iPhone as will the amenities on Spirit Airlines, but it's non-stop both ways so I guess that makes up for a lot. Yea! wave a flag.

Still, I'd rather saddle up my pony Subaru.

Aidan and I were the recipients of Philly Orchestra tickets for last Friday afternoon's performance of Prokofiev's Seventh and a couple of debut pieces that were very different and interesting--Composers were in attendance. Aidan thinks he was the youngest person in the audience. I'm certain he was right. Outside Kimmel Center afterward, there were buses and big vans lined up curbside for three or four blocks that were all from various senior centers.

Out seats were wonderful. Thanks to our friends here, Yvonne and Kirk.

Afterward, with art work we were seeing.,

In case you're wondering why I mentioned painting, I am trying to come to terms with acrylics and have yet to say I've enjoyed them. It's good I tried out the Del Val U. drawing class because it is teaching me that what I love is something else--I have fun when I do the soft pastels and other drawing mediums. Yes, to oils, but no to their toxicity. No final conclusions, Just paying attention.

Incomplete. Stay tuned.

Sunday was another day in the city because Aidan had his recital at The Union League. I only captured part of his piece from inconvenient seating, and it blocked some of the sound. Still, I love this piece he's been developing, and this time hearing it with the piano accompaniment was a treat. Wish it recorded better. But, Wendy will have it on Facebook, though she has been so sick with a very bad cold this last week that had some days of high fever before that subsided enough in time for her to go to the recital.

The program.

Cookies, lemonade and hanging with the boys afterward. I had cookies for supper.

Wendy and John.

Aidan and Mrs. dePasquale, his teacher. She plays in the Philly Orchestra. Her brother-in-law was Keoni's violin teacher, Robert dePasquale.

Time to go home.

A gorgeous day ending.

William Penn keeping watch.

Monday, it was time to take in free tickets to watch the Iron Pigs of Bethlehem play the Chiefs of Syracuse. Sarah's husband Bill is a policeman up that way and tickets were from law-abiding, appreciative residents. What fun to be at a ball park again! Good company with Sarah, Bill, and Melissa, their daughter, too.

The program.

The park.
Wonderful, spotless, well-maintained park.

Larry the cable guy's brother sat in front of me.

In Tucson, the pink cactus I bought about eight years ago at Oro Valley Farmer's Market has prolifically produced spring flowers and pups that you can see in this picture that friend Paula sent recently. This momma cactus (maybe its a euphorbia) is a generation or so beyond the original. 

And, a second photo came from Gloria who planted some of the constantly forming pups years ago, too. I love this connection with my Tucson friends and the wonderful, springtime, pink happiness bursting open.

Thank you, Paula and Gloria.

Weather Report: All Sorts

Backing up to the concert weekend there also was the neighbor's Men's Sale going on...

Tony's place over in the woods. Aidan and I had a look. I said he had to chaperone me since the sale was for men. All the guns and weaponry were inside the garage. The rest was mostly what you'd expect at any yard sale except for the canoe which Aidan found had a couple of active wasp nests. He let Tony know.

It happens that the frog pond we've been visiting is on the property of Tony the Yard vendor. We had a conversation about the pond one afternoon when he was working on his sale signage and postings guiding cars back to the sale. The pond resulted from some construction on his property that needed a place to pile dirt and he pointed out the edge of the naturally wet area to bank it up more making it a small wetland today. Especially, recently. The weather didn't cooperate for the sale...

With a few days of exceptions the weather has continued to do memorable things; tree-limb killer wind, torrents of rain, temps in the 70s and almost down to 'teens, and snow...

Frezz didn't mind Saturday's snow one bit. Toby does a lot of meowing which I think is complaining. The two short-hair dogs prefer indoors.

On Saturday's walk...

...and Sunday's.

At Marge's yesterday. all those pods hanging on the trees in the back are major clean-up messes it turns out since the mowers can't cut them up.

 The dandelions didn't mind the snow one bit either. They are thriving everywhere.

And, so are the onions...they are the tube-like narrow vertical stalks. I chopped some up for my omelet. They are strong. There are millions of them growing out in the fields.