When the truth is found to be lies

Why do people lie when the truth serves just as well? For some reason I never stop believing people are basically honest -- and then some people continue proving me wrong.

I'm assuming the divorce will, at last, be final this week. The delay has been ridiculous. But this week has been the end of a chapter in many ways. I finally met my ex's new love and we had a long conversation. I actually like this person in spite of myself. Not that I want to interact socially. And clearly my help is still needed to help my ex get back on track. I find myself in a strange situation even more so than in the past. But I will help.

I've neglected the yard too long, and I will return to that place of comfort this week and get it ready for winter.

The Beatles "Love"

Ron gave me a CD, The Beatles "Love". He knows I love the Beatles, but neither of us knew the background of the CD. So I listened and was completely enthralled. I immediately recognized it was some sort of remix of original recordings and not simply other recordings of the Fab Four songs. Ron had listened first and he commented to me how impressed he was with the "transitions". I thought he was mocking me for an earlier statement I had made wherein I had told him how songs in albums are arranged according to key transitions. But when I then listened, I realized what he meant. Perhaps the loveliest would be Gnik Nus moving into Something. Just try not to get goosebumps.

We went to Las Vegas for a conference last weekend where Ron had to give a presentation. Our stay was so short, there was no time for shows, but I saw that my Beatles album is a Cirque de Soleil show at the Mirage hotel. One day I will see that show, though at over $100 per seat, I'd better start saving now.

Ron left a huge collection of CDs for me to listen to, but I keep going back to Love. It is amazing to hear the mix of bass from one tune with the melody of another -- so apparent to a fan like me who has dissected the Beatles' music and listens to all the individual instruments and voices. It starts out with Because in simple a cappella, showcasing the perfect pitch and harmony of the group. It continues from one tune to the next, with variations not only in the mix of two or more tunes, but adding pauses, or bringing up the volume to accentuate a certain part more.

I finally read the booklet that accompanied the album and learned the idea was conceived by George Harrison and his friend, Guy Laliberte, the founder of Cirque de Soleil and fellow racing fan with George. They selected former Beatles arranger George Martin to produce the music. He brought on board his son, Giles Martin. Apple decided from the start that the music would be only from original recordings. The one exception ended up being an arrangement for strings by George Martin for Harrison's While My Guitar Gently Weeps. And it is truly special, I miss George when I hear it.

The album was finished first and then the Cirque de Soleil acts were developed around it. It is a work of genius, taking those wonderful old Beatles songs and weaving something totally new, fresh and intriguing,

Checking In

Busy is not the word for it. Between family events, work, the yard, and my new favorite friend, I've had no time for blogging. Right now I just want to get the yard ready for winter. I'm getting ready to tackle some indoor projects, but must finish up outside first. Still planting, hope to get more bulbs in in the coming weeks. Still waiting for the leaves to drop. I'll be back.

Hurry - these won't last long

I made a trip to Cache Valley via the ever lovely Sardine Canyon on Saturday. At around 8:30 a.m. the canyon was so breathtakingly lovely, I could scarcely keep my eyes on the road. The mountainsides are literally awash in autumn colors.

This was before all the rain, and I don't know what effect that may have had now, but if you want a real autumn treat, take a little drive to Cache Valley. If you're smarter than I, you'll take a camera.

Thyme Marches On

Stumbled across a sale of perennials, 3 plants (gallon-size) for $10. I picked up eight woolley thyme and one pink chintz thyme (I think). The pots were so full, they were easily divided into three plugs each. That's 30 starts for $30- excellent! I managed to place them all between my checkerboard-arranged patio tiles that cover part of my back yard. They will do fine there and will fill the blank spots between the tiles. I already have pink chintz elsewhere and just one year of growth can fill each spot. Perhaps eventually I'll remove the tiles and have a complete lawn of thyme, soft lush, low water required, and no mowing. We'll see. For now I'm happy just to have them in the ground.

Working From Home: Part Deux

I like this so far. People are keeping in touch just fine. I am getting a lot done. I am handling rush jobs okay. When I stopped for lunch around 12:30, I walked by my patio doors, and there was a doe just five feet away. She walked down the hill by my deck where she joined the other doe and two fawns eating apples that had fallen from the tree. Working is about working, I know. But it's so much more pleasant when you can enjoy a lovely interlude with wildlife visitors. I will keep the camera handy for future visits. These four are regulars now.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Title: Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Author: Lisa See
Rating: *****

This author was recommended to me by two friends -- sisters and avid readers. It seems they actually liked another of the author's books even better, but this is the one I happened to pick up first.

The story itself is intriguing and entertaining indeed, as well as terribly tragic and sad. But I found the back story about the ancient Chinese practice of foot-binding to be fascinating. The story was told from the viewpoint of Chinese women who embraced the concept that their beauty and desireability to a man depended on the successful creation of "golden lilies" feet. The process was described in painful detail.

"As the eldest,I went first, and I was determined to show how brave I could be. Mama washed my feet and rubbed them with alum, to contract the tissue and limit the inevitable secretions of blood and pus. She cut my toenails as short as possible. During this time, my bandages were soaked so that when they dried on my skin, they would tighten even more. Next, Mama took one end of a bandage, placed it on my instep,then pulled it over my four smallest toes to begin the process of rolling them underneath my foot. From here she wrapped the bandage back around my heel. Another loop around the ankle helped to seure and stabilize the first two loops. The idea was to get my toes and heel to meet, creating the cleft, but leaving my big toe to walk on. Mama repeated these steps until the entire bandage was used. Aunt and Grandmother looked over her shoulder the entire time, making sure no wrinkles saw their way into those loops. Finally, Mama sewed the end tightly shut so the bindings would not loosen and I would not be able to work my foot free . . . by now growing daggers of pain were shooting from our feet up our legs."

This takes place when a girl is just six or seven years old. Bones are broken repeatedly and the bindings are adjusted to create the perfect lilies. The story goes on to describe life for the cultured Chinese women, doing embroidery confined most of the time to an upper room, having a husband selected for them, with very limited walking as a result of the foot deformities--and the sometimes tragic results of this practice. Apparently, Chinese men found especially erotic the cleft in the foot formed by the toes being bent back to meet the heel.

Lisa See weaves an entrancing story, beautifully written, with wonderful characters and scenes from Chinese history. Her book is well researched and is said to be quite accurate historically, though the characters themselves are fictional.

Just after I read this book, someone forwarded pictures to me that could very well have been the main character in the book in her later years. I don't know where the pictures are from or who to credit for them, but they speak for themselves.

Teleworking

As of today, I'm working from home full-time. A sudden and stunning development. But we are just out of space at the office and teleworking is a good option for some. Writers can certainly work just as well from home. Might get a little lonely, but I do like the environment. And we are connected electronically all day. And just think: no commute, no gas, no driving in snow, no lunch expense, no dress code -- today I worked in shorts and a t-shirt. I still have a small cube for when I need to be in the office for a meeting, etc., but small is fine with me. No problem. This will be a major change. May take a little getting used to.

Labor Day

It's the end of summer, time to get the yard ready for winter. Today we drove out to Farmington Bay and watched birds for awhile. Still too early for migrating flocks, but we saw a fabulous great blue heron, pelicans, Canada geese, a white-faced ibis, and a small bird we have tentatively identified as a grebe. The wetlands are peaceful. Hot today, but still so nice walking along the water's edge with someone special.

It's the end of some things and the start of some other things. The future is as uncertain as ever, but the present is lovely and it's enough.

It has taken five games, but I finally beat him at Scrabble. I think he let me win.

Two Bucks

At 7:30 a.m., getting a little watering done in the yard, I'm playing the piano and singing some tunes in between sips of coffee, when I see a deer crossing the street in front of my house. But this was not the doe nor fawns I've been seeing all summer. It was a 3-point buck. It wandered to my neighbor's front yard and joined its 4-point friend. They casually ate apples that had fallen on the ground, and passing drivers seemed not to notice nor even slow down to look. I had enough time to find my camera and batteries to snap a few shots (albeit through a window), but missed the 4-point and only got the two of them as they disappeared over the hill into the gully.

Every time I think about how much work it is to take care of my big yard and house, I am rewarded with some of nature's best surprises--it is all worthwhile.

Oooo, Baby, Baby

Tonight Celia, Pat and I saw Linda Ronstadt on concert at Symphony Hall. We started the evening early at Caffe Molise dining on the patio since the weather was so moderate, a live jazz band playing, great food, a little wine, and wonderful friends and conversation. We had a toast to best friends. It was hard to leave and make our way to the concert, but leave we did. And what a concert it was. She started out with one of my personal favorites, "What's New", from her Nelson Riddle days and then did half of the program from the Great American Songbook era, followed by her rock and roll hits: Poor, Poor, Pitiful Me; Ooo Baby, Baby, and others, ending with Blue Bayou, and an encore with Desperado. It was a perfect evening all the way around.

Tomorrow Celia and I are starting a mosaic project. Off to bed now as we are starting early in the morning.

I have to remember, I stashed some money to buy a new guitar. I miss my old acoustic guitar I gave to my son. I really need one. I wonder if I'll be able to remember the Linda Ronstadt tunes I used to do like Desperado and You're No Good. I have kept that money stashed for over a year in case I needed it for something else, but maybe the time has come to buy the guitar. I feel inspired after that concert.

SKUNK!

What a lovely evening it started out to be. The sunset was all reds and golds, rain clouds gathered toward the east, occasional flashes of lightning and rumbles of thunder. Too nice to spend indoors. Covered patios are made for this weather and I went outside to sit in the coolness of a light rain turned downpour and thought about recent events in my life.

I have met a man who has brought happiness back into my life. He meets my initial criteria of "nice", "intelligent", "playful", but he's so much more. He challenges me, he makes me think, he pampers me without suffocating. Our time spent together is fun and we don't ask much more of it right now. Both are awaiting divorces to be final - we know we're in the rebound zone. But he is in California attending his daughter's wedding, and I must admit I miss the company of my new, dear friend.

I sipped the beverage and looked out at the flashing lightning to the east, the waning sunset to the west, when a movement caught my eye at the edge of the patio. I looked. Just at the edge by the gutter downspout, where the deck meets the patio and the ground drops precipitously away, I thought I saw an animal in the dark. In less than a second I focused clearly on black with dual white stripes. I screamed, I told it to get out of here (I did!)! I gauged the distance from my comfy lounge chair to the back door, triangulated by the distance to the skunk. I hesitated no longer, made a run for the door, and then collapsed on the floor laughing at myself. I turned on the patio lights, but my visitor had gone.

What a lovely night this has been. If this isn't nice, what is!

Balance

Having a social life can interfere with taking care of the loves in my yard. Poor things. I'm taking a day off work today to take care of some neglected yard work. Then it's fun with my new friend this weekend. I'm so used to filling up my time with house and yard work, that I'm having to figure out how to balance all of that now so I can enjoy my new-found social life.

How nice it is to meet someone so nice, so kind, so intelligent. And he tells me he plays a mean game of Scrabble. We'll see about that . . .

Mailbox Success

It thrills me to solve a problem that I don't necessarily have the skills for. When I took the mailbox off it's wood mount, I discovered more problems. Besides the fact the the wood was too wide, it was also being held in by what looked at first like a very large bolt, but by the time I got it out, turned out to be one of those huge 9-inch spikes we used to build our railroad tie walls. I was using the wrench at first and progress was slow until I noticed there were no threads on the thing. So I pried as far as I could with the claw hammer, and then just pulled and twisted from the top holding on with the wrench. It let loose and came out. With everything disassembled, it was a fairly easy matter to cut a new piece of wood to the proper length (I bought pine so the screws would go in more easily), attach it to the bottom of the mailbox, and then mount the whole thing to the post using the angle brackets I had already mounted to the post. That mailbox is not going anywhere now! Now I think I will go back to the store and get some new letters and numbers to identify the box. Whew it was hot out there. I'm going to cool down first.

The new white curtains I had ordered for my bedroom were delivered Friday, so I think I will hang those up this afternoon. I should mow and trim the lawn, but I may let that go for a couple of days and get more done indoors. There's always so much to do.

I met someone very nice on the internet. Just the right sort of person really. We are just getting acquainted for now. Maybe we will meet for coffee or something. I think I would like that.