Blondes Tease...Redheads Please

As most of you know, I am a natural redhead. HA! HA! Actually, I like to joke that my husband has been with me through three hair colors! When we met in high school, I was a bleach blonde. My senior picture shows me with hair that is REALLY blonde.
Eventually, I got sick of the constant roots and decided to go back to my own boring brown color. I did it myself and it came out more grayish brown than brown brown. When the roots were about an inch or two grown out, I chopped it all off and let it grow in my natural color. What a process!
About 20 years ago, someone said to me, you'd look good as a redhead. Hmmm, I thought. Now that would be interesting for a change. I started slowly and just gave it a tinge of red over the brown. It got complements, fed the addiction, and a redhead was born. The red has gotten much more distinct over the years and often still gets comments. I met a new doctor for the first time and after we discussed my health she said, "Your hair color really suits your personality." Whatever did she mean?!
Red is a tough color to keep up. It fades as the month wears on and it has become a monthly bill. I sit in my hair dresser's chair every four weeks, without fail. I say it's because of the fading, but the strangest thing has happened. Where those roots were boring brown, they are now an ever increasing gray!! Right before I get it colored, I sometimes show my daughter these roots. She is appalled and makes me swear to never stop coloring it. She even promises she will have it colored every month when I am in a rest home. Gosh, that girl loves me!!!

Simple Pleasures

We all have simple pleasures that make us happy. One of mine is reading the newspaper in the morning over a cup of coffee. Oh, I know, newspapers are for us dinosaurs. This generation gets their news online, as it happens. You can read any newspaper from any where in the world on your computer screen. I read the MSN news feeds all day as well, but there is nothing that compares to the paper in the morning. See, that's part of it. I have to read it early in the morning, by myself. The news is "fresh" in the morning. I can't imagine reading it at night after work. Then it has become "old" news.
I know which day has the food section, which has the movie reviews, etc. As I walk out my front door and see that little bundle waiting for me on the sidewalk, it's almost a gift. It holds the promise of interesting things, knowledge and more. Over the last year, the Monday & Tuesday papers are so thin and paltry, I imagine they could fly away from lack of weight; cost cutting measures to save a dying patient. I can only hope they find a way to keep resuscitating it so this old dinosaur can keep her simple, morning pleasure.

Where Are Your Stamps?

I know in this fast paced world we are all into emails, texts, faxes, but I will never stop sending good, old fashioned cards and notes through the mail. Quick may be the way to efficiently get information from one person to another, but when it comes to touching a person's heart, I think nothing beats real paper!
I know how I feel when I discover a hand written envelope among the bills and ads that clog my mailbox each day. It makes me smile before I even open it. The very sight of it says that somebody cared enough about me to take the time to write something, address it, stamp it and put it in the mail. I love it! Often, I cut out an article that reminds me of a friend and send it off to them. It says two things. One, that I was thinking of them and, two, that I know them well enough to realize the article might interest them. It's almost like a long distance hug. All that for the price of a stamp! Now that's a bargain.

Manners

Ok, gotta complain a little here! I love to give parties and entertain, but I have a few gripes about it. First, why can't people be courteous enough to RSVP?? It means respond, people!! Tell me if you are coming or not! Don't think I just "know" you'll be there. I can tell you from experience, if people do not respond right away when they get an invitation, they usually forget to respond at all.
Much depends on a head count. I like to have the right amount of food and drink for my guests. I usually have "take home" treats. All these things equate to $ and time planning. Please remember this when you get your next party invitation, from me or anybody! Be kind enough to answer the hostess in the time frame she asked.
The other party complaint I have is the "no shows". Yes, I know, people get sick, babysitters flake, but I think most of the time it's just a lack of respect and consideration. They won't miss us if we don't show. No biggie, except when I will be eating Jalapeno's Mexican food for the next week with the leftovers!
Think what a better world it would be if we'd all be a little more considerate to each other...and RSVP and mean it!! :)
Thanks, I feel much better getting that off my chest!

"Our lives are changed by the books we read and the people we meet."

I have this saying taped to my computer. I love to read and would always pick a book over TV. My favorite author, by far, is Jodi Picoult. If you have not read her work, I highly recommend it. She has a way of pulling you along in a story that often includes the law, medicine, and family values. Usually, there is a twist at the end that you never predicted. Her latest, "Handle with Care" is one of her best. You can't go wrong with most any of them.
The second part of the quote is about people we meet. Being in sales, I meet and have to interact with all types of people. I think we are changed by the people we meet, some in small ways and others in big ways. Sometimes, we look at people we meet and think, "Boy, I don't want to be anything like them!" This, too has value. Witnessing the negative effect some have on others is a good lesson.
Often my quick tongue and sarcastic joking may hurt people in a way I did not intend. I must try and be mindful of this and be more careful to be sensitive to others. I would like to think I make people's day a little better, not worse, for having come in contact with me. As I am about to go out the door in the morning, my husband often says, "Play nice with the other kids." Simple words to live by...

Sunday Night Dinner

Remember when Sunday dinner was a big deal? Your mom probably made a big roast with all the sides and everyone was expected to be there. What seemed like such a pain long ago is now a wonderful thing to duplicate.
Sunday dinners are the night we try and make something a little special and open a nice bottle of wine. My son-in-law and I often collaborate on a BBQ dinner. Tonight it was at my house and it was total chaos!!! Noisy, kids running every where, adults talking and Pa getting stuck with most of the kid supervision. From the outside, it probably looked crazy and far from relaxing. It is also full of life and laughter. These are the ordinary times that create the memories and traditions. I hope when I am dead and gone, my grand children recall these boisterous Sunday meals and the fun we shared. I hope they continue the tradition with their own children and grandchildren.

Happy

"Not only is there a right to be happy, there is a duty to be happy. So much sadness exists in the world that we are all under obligation to contribute as much joy as lies within our powers."

This quote really spoke to me! We all need to ask ourselves if the people we encounter in our day are better off from having seen us or not. It is easy to jump on the misery wagon (especially these days), but I am going to try and stay on the happy wagon instead. It is harder to hang on to that wagon, but the ride is so much better!!