In my job as an insurance agent, I talk to a lot of clients about their homes and yards. As you know, I’m always on the lookout for how to beautify my desert dirt lot. I have great tips on how (and what) to garden. I love hearing and seeing the different creatures Mother Nature nurtures.
Lately I’ve seen more butterflies. Who can forget this beautiful Hummingbird Moth I discovered at Lowe’s?
Hummingbird Moth
Or cute, tiny Fred?
A Lizard in the Hand
Two days ago I drove over to Mom’s for our morning coffee together. There was a rock in the driveway so I avoided it and any potential damage it might cause to my tires. As I exited Ursula (as I’ve affectionately named my car), Mom called me over with a twinge of excitement. “I want to show you something.”
She was watering her flowers and I thought perhaps a new butterfly or petals. Instead, she pointed to the rock and it was then I discovered it was no rock at all, but a stunning green and yellow Scarab beetle!
Scarab Beetle
Scarab in the Shade
Over an inch in length and content to be my model for the next five minutes, it reflected the peeking sun and dulled with the clouds. It’s a sight we’ve not seen in the desert. As I do with all things, I quickly named it. “Lucky”. For he (she? it?) is a wondrous shade of green highlighted with yellow undertones. It was impossible for me to not fall in love with this unique and magnificent creature.
The Scarab is an ancient Egyptian symbol of luck and wealth. It’s not lost on me that this Scarab should also be the color of money. And emeralds. And jade. All of which are considered lucky. All of which, coincidentally, are some of my favorite things in life.
Going beyond myth and legend, I have always been attracted to shades of green. I find them refreshing, soothing, invigorating, and energizing. My Narnia-inspired media room (or, Spar Oom, as it’s also known) is painted a peaceful Mountain Sage color.
The photos above don’t do it justice.
Shiny Scarab (the best photo!)
Look at the intricate detail of his glorious hard wings, large eyes, and all those legs and tendrils! Had I not needed my coffee and then to scoot off to work, I would have stayed for hours watching him. Just watching him as he watched me.
He must have known I had other things to soon steal my attentions, for he began to wander away. But not before I captured a short video of his journey.
Here’s the original video I captured:
But he must really be lucky. Because I decided to try my hand at video editing and after just a few hours, have something Lucky would be proud of. It’s rough, I’ll admit. I’m not a professional. And I don’t fully know what I’m doing yet. But I’m getting there. And Lucky? Well, he’s getting there, too… wherever “there” is for a green and yellow Scarab beetle.
Life at Bedford Manor is changing. Dot starts her second year of college this week. College! While some of her friends are going away to school, we can only afford for her to attend the local community college. Turns out, it may be the best decision anyway because it has one of the best nursing programs in the state. Yup. Dot’s gonna be the greatest Peds Nurse since Arizona entered Grey’s Anatomy.
So far we’ve navigated nicely. While I’m working the day job, she’s been taking care of the home front. Last week she earned her keep by nearly scrubbing every inch of our house in preparation for the jewelry party we hosted. Since then, we’ve both done much to keep it clean: wash our own dishes right away. Make the beds as soon as we tumble out of them. Dust the furniture when the furfamily moves. It’s been wonderful.
I love coming home to a clean ~ really clean ~ house. I like not having a huge list of chores to conquer. Just a short To-Do like check the mail, water the garden. Things that cumulatively take less than fifteen minutes. That leaves the entire evening free to spend with Dot.
And that’s about to change.
Because my wonderful daughter, friend, confidante, and house-cleaner just got her first job. You may have seen the news on my Facebook page.
It’s one of those it-could-only-happen-to-her things. We were at the right place at the right time when she heard about the opening and landed the first interview. The rest was all her! Dot doesn’t realize how blessed she is. But she’s starting to understand.
I’ve been mentally preparing for a few months. I knew once she went back to classes our closeness would shift. She’ll be doing homework at night. Some mornings I might be lucky to just get in a hug goodbye as she leaves.
And now she’s got a job.
Which makes me wonder, what other good things will go her way this year? Is this the year she moves to her own place? (I seriously hope not, but if so, please please please let it be a place that allows cats. Fluffy can’t be without Dot for more than a few hours before that mad howling kicks in.) Is this the year she goes out more than stays home? I told her “home” is not a pit stop. But I can’t fault her for enjoying these moments while she can. Is this the year I lose her as my baby finds herself? Yeah. That’s the tear-jerker statement right there.
At first, the thought of her working made me lonely. I imagine there will be nights when I’ll be eating alone. Nights when she’ll call and say her best friend is in town and they’re going out after work. Mornings when she’ll want to sleep in that extra half hour instead of having a morning chat as I get ready for my day.
The thought of her working made me lonely.
But it exhilarates her. And her exhilaration is contagious. Her future is in front of her, and she’s grabbing hold.
And I’m not so lonely as I anticipate a quiet zone that allows for more writing. More story telling and blogging and typing and wordsmithing and writing. Yeah. This job is gonna be a good thing for me her.
A job ~ this job ~ means new people. Extra income. Opportunities. Socialization… and many Pumpkin Spice Lattes for Da Momma.
My Own Personal Barista
But don’t tell her that. She thinks this moment is all about her.
I apologize. This week has zoomed by with such tornado force that I neglected to blog for an entire seven days. Seven days! That’s like… a year at Catford Manor, yah? Maybe not… but it certainly felt like it. I don’t know if you missed reading, but I certainly missed writing.
I’m happy to say the reasons for my Blogosphere Silence are good reasons. Strong reasons. And beautifully foundational reasons. And I (95%) don’t feel guilty about this time otherwise well spent. The other 5% is that control-freak-oh-my-gosh-I’m-gonna-die-if-I-don’t-write-this-out attitude that infiltrates every fiber of my being, every hour of every day.
I know the photos in this post are ones previously viewed on Frankly, My Dear… rest assured this isn’t a rerun. Rather more of an affirmation.
The first is the Theme for this year.
Expand Your Horizons
Boundaries. Some are meant to keep us in. Others are meant to be broadened. Whenever I think of Boundaries, I think of Louis L’Amour and the Wild West. If you’ve been around the Blog for any length of time you’ll understand my grand affinity for Louis and his writings. I even named last year’s nutcracker after him!
Louis & Louis
This is appropriate this week as I have once again picked up the book and have been reading. You would think, as a writer, I would read just as prolifically. While I desire to, I just haven’t made the time. Until recently. And it excites me. Living in some of the areas that he wrote about, still seeing the lavender painted mountains at sunset and still breathing the thousand year old dust in the wind, these things bring to me a sense of belonging and hope and determination. I feel an inner affinity with the Cowboy and his Tales.
I’ve expanded boundaries the last few weeks with New Inklings Press. I’ve determined even more to grow my writing and company and baby step by baby step, it’s coming along. I’ve changed banks to one that’s more friendly to the Little People, while offering Big Business perks. It’s a win-win situation and has been a breath of fresh air.
Monday I was abundantly blessed to spend time with a dear friend I haven’t seen in two years. One of my closest friends, my confidante. The one I can call and cry without words to. Or send a smiley face text to. We have the kind of friendship that time can’t whither, and I’m exceptionally thankful. We needed to see each other again. To look each other in the eye and know we were being honest. To hear what each one had to say. And through our wonderful albeit too short discourse, we reminded each other of the intimate power of prayer. What an absolute treasure to hear him tell me I’m doing things right. That he’s proud of my writings, proud to call me friend. Just as I’m proud to have his trust and friendship.
He gave me a new nudge with my writing. A step out of the shadows. And those boundaries were opened as I took a flying leap into the air, not sure where (or how) I’d land, and I placed The Unemployment Cookbook on sale at Amazon. [It’s on sale for only $12 through Saturday!] Which reminds me: would y’all mind doing me a favor? I need reviews to boost my standing at Amazon. Could you take three minutes out of your time and click here to offer your word gems for such purpose? That’s a fancy way of saying, could ya help with some free word-of-mouth advertising and tell others what you think of the Cookbook? Huge thanks for Janice and Jaye for already jumping on board this fast moving train!
The Unemployment Cookbook, Second Edition
I came to a revelation of why the more I get into a project, the slower it goes. I’m constantly editing! I read, add, edit, then read again. And the more I add, the more there is to read and edit and read again. My newly adopted habit now is to just write. Write at least 1,500 creative words each day, with at least half that for my New Orleans -based story. If I can keep writing, I will. If I need a break, that’s when I can review. Lightly edit. And when I find myself picking a paragraph to its death, it’s time to stop. Once the story is complete and a rough draft is printed, then I (and a few trusted friends) will review. And re-edit. But for now I need to be all about the writing.
As a reminder, I still keep this as my wallpaper on both my iPhone and laptop:
NOLA Inspiration
Yeah. I’m all about the N’Awlins these days. After weeks of calling it “The Untitled Molly Jo NOLA Project” or just “my NOLA story” for short, I’ve realized it’s already named itself. NOLA. It’s absolutely perfect. Here’s a thought from the protagonist:
“I often wondered if my parents knew the hardships they were thrusting upon me when they named me Penny. How much better life may have turned out if they’d instead named me something like “Ruby” or “Goldie”?”
My Darling Dot finally jumped on the YouTube bandwagon. She and her friends have been having fun making videos. She then edits them on her laptop in a manner that makes me jealous. She definitely has an eye for behind-the-lens action. She thinks she wants to be a nurse. I think she should be a photographer. Check out her newest video, making cupcakes for my jewelry party with one of her best friends, Hayley:
I would love to start making videos but I get in my own way. What could I possibly video that y’all would want to watch? Certainly two teenaged girls baking cupcakes is far better than if it were me…
