That Woman

I suppose from time to time I have been considered "that woman"- although my transgressions were mostly of the milder variety. ("That woman" is taking pictures. "That woman" lets her children ...) so I am aware of the taint of ignominy. But after finishing the recently published biography of Wallis Simpson by Anne Sebba, I felt a renewed sadness for the price these two people paid to be together. Reading about their routines engaged by superficial activities while wearing beautiful clothes and important jewels I felt no envy whatsoever. It was noted that at the Duchess of Windsor's funeral most of those in attendance constituted her personal service bureau of assistant, nurse, florist, lawyer and couturier. Apparently neither money nor the public's fascination ever brought the Duke and Duchess the contentment they craved. It must have taken a unique toll to maintain the pretense that life in exile was the best thing that ever happened to them.

Little People

When my kids were small, I fell in love with vintage Fisher Price toys and their Little People collection of play sets. I accumulated a nice collection through garage sales and the like. My daughter, Sarah, especially enjoyed playing with them and they brought a lot of pleasure. As a parent, you're always trying to eliminate the many items which are no longer needed but still of good use. This play set shown above is my last stash of Little People and it's time to leave. I'm still hanging onto a Playmobil toddler set. Funny how nostalgic we can be for our own nostalgia.

Yes

We purchased this rebounder a while back from a neighbor in hopes it might interest our kids in lacrosse. It didn't. In a burst of de-accessioning, I put the rebounder on Craigslist at 3 p. m. on Saturday. At 4 p.m. I got an email to see if was still available and by 8 p.m., a very happy father and son drove from New Jersey and put it in their van after paying our asking price in cash.
In my world of re-use, re-purpose or recycle, it doesn't get much better than that.

Signs of Life

Winter 2012 in the Hudson Valley has been one for the books. No blizzards, no slush nor ice and mostly mild temperatures. Most shocking of all- there has not been a single snow day for the school aged set. Talk about frustration of purpose. Now that the early daffodils are up and blooming, it appears that Spring is on her way. Happiness is flowering bulbs, budding trees, blue skies and the smell of fresh earth. Here's hoping it lasts.

Getting Physical

Lately I've shifted my attention to my health- something I have mostly taken for granted. Last summer I had an MRI that revealed moderate arthritis in my left hip so I am debating what course to take medically. Last week I had a consult with an orthopedic surgeon in the city as well as an annual physical by our internist here. This week I will start physical therapy. Surrendering my body to the trained hands, probes, blood work, x rays and the ekg machine reminds me how fragile well being can be.

Cindy

An excursion to a cultural destination with my signficant other always elevates my morale.
Added to the excitement of our outing is that we were going to see the Cindy Sherman retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art. I was struck by Peter Schjeldahl's review in the New Yorker and his opinion that "She is the strongest and finest American artist of her time." With the respect due such an important figure we wandered the galleries and took it all in. It was inspiring and monumental to say the least. We looked at a few other, very interesting exhibits and then took a break to eat a delicious lunch in the cafe among the very chic types in attendance.

Post motherhood, trying to figure myself out in the scheme of things. The strongest and finest anything is unlikely to be mine. Ego, ambition, desire and obsession. Always a lot to contemplate at the end of the day.

I'm In

A quiet week around here without much drama meant a chance to work on learning Adobe Indesign. It was very satisfying to start to put the graphics puzzle of my words and images together on a page. As everyone pretty much did everything according to plan, I wasn't interrupted constantly. Quite a boost to maintaining my sanity. I watched the much hyped premiere of NBC's "Awake" and found it confusing in an intriguing sort of way. The show is definitely high concept. I guess I'll have to keep watching (along with everyone else who cares) to try and figure out what the heck is going on.