Estoy Nueces

I write in this journal less when I am ecstatically happy and enjoying life, so it is usually good news if I'm not writing here. I don't think I've written in the last couple of days because I've been out and busy and visiting people and having fun. I've seen my grandmother, Grace and sweet Sam, Perfect Carolyn and my old roommate from San Antonio and her grandmother and baby came up to see me too. It has been almost like a vacation! Wait! I am on vacation. Everytime I have spent money in the last few days I have told myself that it is certainly cheaper than a real vacation trip would have been so I might as well enjoy the spending.

I went to the Herb Bar on Mary Friday and got several essential oils. I want to take the grapefruit oil to work to see if it spurs my creativity and keeps me alert. Tomorrow it will be back to work and I am almost ready for it.

I made some absolutely fabulous rolls last night. They are like cinnamon rolls except the flavor is orange instead of cinnamon. If you ever buy the canned orange rolls, these were just like that, icing-wise, but a different texture. Really different and good. I'll have to try them with a few variations next time to see if I can make them even better. Trouble is, they are already so good I can't stop eating them.

My sister called last night. Her husband was out of town and Mark was playing in San Antonio and out for the night. We talked for two hours. I sure miss living near her. If we still lived 1/2 mile from one another I would have just said, "Let me come over and we'll drink wine!" We lived close to each other for fourteen years and became very accustomed to running back and forth for a glass of wine or cup of coffee or a quick visit or meal. Of course, most of the meals were at her house, the wine at mine!

I have a maid coming tomorrow to give me an estimate on cleaning the house every couple of weeks. I've had a maid occasionally in the past but it has been a while. I decided that that would reduce a lot of my stress and guilt if the house were clean. Of course, now I have to cope with the guilt of not being the perfect homemaker that can keep a clean house alone.

I saw a book yesterday at Half Price on "Living with Guilt." I snatched it up to see if it could help but it was about past-life regression and the things we did wrong in past lives. I must have been a crappy housekeeper in past lives and some member of my family choked on the dust or slipped on the greasy floor or something.

Took some books and magazines to Half Price yesterday. They gave me a whole dollar for them. Which I turned around and gave back to them along with seventeen more. The store was too crowded to really spend a good long time there but I found a few fun things---yoga, Spanish and country music (for work).

Also went to a nursery yesterday that I hadn't been to before although I've passed it many times. It is in Manchaca, not far from where we live in South Austin. It was much bigger than I expected it to be and they had more varieties of herbs than I have ever seen in one place. I got some cool things: comfrey, bronze fennel, lamb's ear, Cuban oregano. I don't take advantage of the herbs I grow as much as I should but I love nothing better than just "being" in my garden and stroking the rosemary or lavender and practicing on-the-spot aromatherapy.

Am I the only one that thinks John Madden and Pat Summerall should quietly retire? They are calling the Tampa/St. Louis game and I'd rather listen to fingernails on the blackboard:

MADDEN: Pow, he hit him, pow.

SUMMERALL: Yes, he hit him.

MADDEN: Reminds me of the 1942 offense of Notre Dame.

SUMMERALL: It reminds me of the 1942 offense of Notre Dame.

I surprisingly have not heard either of them call St. Louis the Cardinals or refer to the Rams as Los Angeles. I do the same thing but I'm not paid the big bucks to keep them straight.

Any good writer would now make some pithy statement to complete the circle of this essay and sum up all the preceding with a witty and wise summary.