Better With Age

I am 43 years old. I am a woman and proud to be 43 years old. Driving in my car this morning I realized that I am more beautiful today than I was when I was half this age. I am happier than I was when I was 21 or so. I am more confident, healthier, eat better, care about myself and my family and my friends much more; love more. I am certainly smarter.

I may wear reading glasses and I may have laugh lines, but I am close to the same size that I was when I was 21. I seem to have better control over my limbs. I took Tae Kwon Do in College and was in fabulous physical shape. It gave me a control over my body that I never had before. But now it seems that I know my limbs, my hands and feet, my digits, my backside, much better than I did back then. We are comfortable working together towards the same goals. Back then I had to convince my body parts to do things, even whip them into doing one more set of sit ups. Now I have a rapport with them and they tell me when they’ve done enough. I know when I just can’t go out tonight because my body just has to sit on the couch and rest. I know when I’ve rested too much and I have to burn off some nervous energy outside.

I did not know these things when I was younger.

At 43 I have a sense of humor. As a child I had a child’s sense of humor. You know; fart jokes. In my teens and twenties I couldn’t even tell a joke right. In my thirties I worked very hard memorizing long complicated jokes and loved telling them over and over again. Now in my 40’s I have a sense of humor. I see humor in everyday occurrences. I tell others self-deprecating stories that we all find hysterical. I point out funny little tidbits to others so that we can laugh at the sublime absurdity of politics or business or other drivers.

At 43 I am more beautiful. My skin may not be as tight, but my body is healthier, my mind is sharper, and my soul is happier. Thank God!

Seven years ago today

I didn’t watch the news last night like I usually like to do while I’m making dinner. I have to admit that I got a new PSP game and played it until my thumbs were numb and my shoulders were sore. Then decided we were going out to dinner instead.

Sometimes ya just gotta take a night off.

Then this morning I didn’t watch the news like I usually like to do while putzing around the house and getting ready for work. I got up a little early today and did a yoga class that I recorded on that wonderful little TiVo box. Love me my TVR!

After yoga “class” I turned on the Today Show to get my Matt Lauer fix and was promptly reminded that today is September 11th.

I was mortified that it never crossed my mind all day yesterday or this morning that seven years ago today the world changed just a little bit. Then I was frustrated with the news agencies that didn’t remind me sooner. I wondered why and realized that it was probably because of the elections. Covering election dirty laundry and soap opera scandals is SO much more entertaining news than covering the 7th anniversary of 9/11.

Let me tell you a portion of the story of my experience of September 11, 2001. I bought a new car. Now, I know that may sound bad, but I had ordered it a couple of months earlier, and the dealership received it special-order from the factory a couple of days earlier and spent those couple of days cleaning it and pampering it and getting my plates and stuff. Around 2:00 that afternoon I got a call from the Chrysler salesman, Chad, whom I had known for years and had bought my previous car from. He said “Maggie, I just wanted you to know that I understand if you don’t want to buy this car today. There is a lot going on and I don’t want to you feel like you have to come in, or that there would be any hurt feelings”.

I thought about this for all of 1.62 seconds and replied “Chad, really. I am a white, college educated, self-supporting, full-time working wife, mother and grandmother, who is able to buy herself a brand new American made car. There is absolutely nothing that these orthodox Muslim zealots would hate more than for me to throw all of that up into their faces and buy myself this car today. Of all days, today is the perfect day to by myself this car.”

Chad whimpered in a small but happy voice “I love you Maggie!”

The Meandering Vacation: Chapter 11

After waking up slowly on Sunday we packed up the convertible, said our goodbyes, and hit the road south. Neither the D.H. or I had ever been on the road known as "Alligator Alley" so we decided to take that route to my parents' winter home on Key Largo. I took this photo so you would know what Alligator Alley looks like. Well, it looks like this... for hours! Thick evergreen trees growing up to the shoulder of the road for a couple hundred miles. Really pretty for a half hour, but honestly kinda boring after that. And clausterphobic. There are almost no breaks in the trees until you get closer to Miami, and you can easily see why they film so many TV episodes and movies here.
It's creepy.
It's isolated.
It's long.
It's definitely worth the drive, and I loved it. But I'm not sure if I would want to drive my Harley down this road because if I broke down it could be a long walk to a gas station or at least quite a few minutes until a car came by. Oh yeah, not a lot of cell phone range here either.

I love anyplace where I can really unplug.

I'm back!

I just wanted to let you know that I'm back! I finished my schooling for a doctoral level degree last winter, and that school immediately hired me to write a course book for them. No, you won't find my name on it, but it was quite the honor. It's so very nice to have time to write "for fun" again and get back to my blogging.

The Meandering Vacation: Chapter 10

We planned on stying at Pete and Judy's house only two nights, but it was so comfotable we decided to stay a third night. But come Sunday morning we packed up the little convertable and headed down Alligator Alley towards Miami. Neither of us had taken that route before and we wondered what all of the fuss was about.

Well, it was beautiful, and desolate. Not the kind of desolate that you find in a desert, because this trip was nothing but hundreds of miles of green tree-lined highway. This was desolate in the way that there weren't many places to stop if you had a car problem or needed to use ther restroom. We certainly did go past a few Seminole reservations, and one very large casino that called my name, but thankfully Ron was driving at the time.

I think it was during this portion of the trip that I actually finished a sleeve of the sweater that I started in Kentucky. Knit two Purle two baby!

The Meandering Vacation: Chapter 9

After spending a wonderful day at the mermaid farm we drove to our good friends' house on Pine Island, which is just "inside" of Sanabel Island and isn't nearly to crowded. We both love Pine Island and spending time with Pete and Judy.

Soon after we arrived Judy fed us a fresh dinner of crab cakes and fresh veggies. Yummie!

The next day was Friday and I actually put on a slacks suit and drove to Napels to visit a couple of business customers. Yeah, I worked a day during vacation, but I didn't have to consider that day a vacation day. I got home late in the afternoon, showered and changed into nice, cool shorts and tank top, twisted up my hair, put on some lipstick and we all went to Octoberfest.

Yup, a German, a Irishman, and a couple of dutch women at a local Octoberfest. A giant tent with Oompa bands, polka bands, and lots of men in green shorts. It was 90 degrees, which is WAY too hot for us northerners, with carnival rides, at least 5 kinds of sausages, kraut, potatoes, and lots and lots of good strong beer. Wonderfully cool beer.

Judy, Ron, and Pete in the heat.

Look at thoses rosy red cheeks, which had nothing to with the 90+ degree heat and massive quantities of beer.

These were tastey little bottles of fig flavored schnapps, which were served by scantily clad young girls on trays of ice to keep the liquor cold. Sooooooo nice.

This woman was from Germany and was visiting with her husband and two kids. We got along great.

The Meandering Vacation: Chapter 7.5

I forgot! I forgot!

After leaving the nice little hotel in Inverness on our way to the incomparable Weeki Wachee Springs we did make one stop to refule... our stomachs.

We drove around and it didn't take Ron very long to sniff out this place:

Ron had bacon, hash browns, and eggs over medium. I had bacon, eggs, and (yummy!) grits. Real, honest, southern grits. And not the instant type. Not only were our stomachs refuled, but you could taste the love in the food and our spirits were refuled too.

The Meandering Vacation: Chapter 8

I know, I know. It’s been a couple of weeks since my last chapter, but there’s no more waiting! Here are photos from the highlight of our trip: Weeki Wachee Springs!

They performed a very accurate version of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid”. I told Ron that I wanted to retire down there and audition for the role of the wicked witch. I can cackle with the best of them.