Fanning Flashes

Mark Your Calendar!

2012-05-31T08:26:00.001-05:00

Are You A Happy Glamper

This weekend marks the first celebration of National Glamping Weekend - a coordinated movement for those of us who like to embrace the wilder side of life but wouldn't be caught dead without our hair dryer and 1000 thread-count sheets to hit the road.

National Glamping Weekend is June 2 & 3

Growing up, our family did a lot of camping and most of my memories were happy ones. I loved getting out and exploring, eating by campfire and the quality family-time that camping offered. I wasn't so crazy about the port-a-potties, lack of air conditioning (we camped in the summer) and not-so-comfy cots.

When I started to read about Europe's glamping and the new movement to the U.S., I knew this was for me. In the next few days I will be writing more about my personal experience in converting a motor home into a glamper and the whole new world glamping has opened up for me. If I can do it anyone can!

Happy Glamping My Friends!

Fragrant Louisiana Memories

2012-05-03T08:26:00.000-05:00

Oh yes, the magnolias are in bloom in Central Texas. An odd place to see these fabulous flowering trees.

I am more familiar with their velvety bloom as they lazily adorned the magnificent trees that lined our streets in small town Louisiana. They rose proudly and, as their plate-sized blooms would slowly glide to the ground, they were snatched up quickly to compliment many a summer supper tables with their fragrant decor. Just the hint of their fragrant aroma carries me back to childhood memories of picking one for my momma's Sunday morning bouquet. A little to garish and gaudy, but my mother never let on that it wasn't the most beautiful gift ever as she wrapped the woody stem in a dampened hanky and glided down the church isle with that sweetness floating all around her.

A fond and fragrant memory

Mother Nature: The Ultimate Decorator

2012-05-01T23:00:00.001-05:00

Last year was a tough one for outdoor lovers in Texas. The drought hit early and it hard. Even the wildflower rainbow typically gracing the beautiful Texas Hill Country was too parched to peak.

But this year they are back as bold and beautiful as ever. One of the fabulous treats in my springtime camping adventures has been enjoying the ever-changing palette gracing the campgrounds.


We spotted our first Texas bluebonnet at Inks Lake State Park in February...Soon after this shot Taz ate the flower. I'm not sure but I think that might be illegal in Texas.

By March, Taz had miles of bluebonnets to smell.

On a glamping trip to Guadalupe River State Park in April, the wildflowers were unbelievable. I'm so grateful I started taking the time to enjoy all of the art that our environment has to offer. There is no more beautiful gallery of color and motion.

Guadalupe River State Park springtime hike.


These lovely ladies were captured on a hiking trail in Southwest Austin, Texas

Can't forget to give a a shout out to some other wildflower fans - all from the Guadalupe River State Park.

There are still a lot of fabulous flowers gracing the campgrounds just waiting to be enjoyed. Happy May Day!

iPhone is My Co-Pilot

2012-04-25T21:55:00.000-05:00

iPhone promoted free applications in honor of Earth Day last weekend and several of them are definitely worth a download for campers / glampers. The most exciting one for camping is "Oh Ranger". This fabulous little application provides you with a quick reference to campgrounds around the country and includes a comprehensive summary of perks specific to each park.


Screen shot of the front page and one of the search option pages

It's a great resource whether you are already on the road are just planning a trip. This is a great application and definitely a five star rating across the board.

Here's a view of a park summary

A shout out to Ford for sponsoring this application. Many of our parks around the country are challenged with budget constraints and it is nice to see Ford stepping up to the plate to support our parks in this way. This is a great application to plan your family summer camping vacation with tools to assist in mapping the route, planning what to do when you get to the destination and even plotting your next adventure down the road.

More applications to come...

Glamping Review of Inks Lake State Park

2012-04-19T22:44:00.000-05:00

Inks Lake State Park

Campsites -

Nice campsites with great views of the lake and spaced out for privacy.

Ease in Access-

Relatively easy to park a motorhome (although I did hit a tree on my second trip there). Trails are close to the camping area.

Hiking-

Lots of great trails with various degrees of difficulty. Everything from rock climbing to a casual park road stroll.

Swimming-

Roped area for lake swimming but most of the action is at Devil's Hole where spectators float in the water and watch divers jump from rock cliffs into the water. If you hike to the higher ground above the lake, there are clear water streams and waterfalls - truly beautiful.

Devil's Hole

Bathrooms/Showers-

There are bathroom/shower houses throughout the park. They are kept in pristine condition. If you need more privacy, several of the areas have private locked showers vs. the dorm style. In the winter the bathrooms are heated.

Park Personnel-

Some of the best employees ever. They work hard and truly seem to love working at the park.

Fellow Glampers-

Friendly environment with a good mix of happy glampers - everything from the fancy super coaches to the college students in tents. Lots of nice folks always ready to lend a hand if needed.

Activities-

In addition to the general activities (hiking, swimming, etc.), you can rent canoes, kayaks and paddle boats. There is a great park store with food, fishing stuff and camping supplies - a lifesaver for those of us who forget at least two critical items we need. They also have cabins for rent if you don't have a camper or tent.

Overall-

Just an all around great place to spend a weekend or more. I'm tempted to say something bad about the place just because it is already hard to get a spot there but I can't.

Link to Directions

Link to Inks Lake area

3630 Park Road 4 West
Burnet TX 78611
512/793-2223

Glamping: My Maiden Voyage

2012-04-19T09:17:00.001-05:00

Hello fellow glampers. The post below is from my alter ego...A Happy Glamper
I hope you enjoy...

A few months ago I bought a 1989 Fleetwood Tioga motorhome. She was a "mature" girl, but had good bones. My friends saw an eyesore but I saw a world of possibilities. Like any girl her age, she had seen some miles and in need of a little cosmetic work to get her back to her glory days. Fast forward five months, 5 gallons of paint, 6 boxes of hardwood planks, two luxury mattresses, a fireplace, curtains and a dumpster full of stinky old carpet - and my love project on wheels was ready to roll. All this girl needed was a name to suit her reputation and beauty. That was an easy one, of course this would be Miss Betty in memory and tribute to my dear beautiful momma. In future posts I will share the renovations with you.

My first trip was to Inks Lake which is a short trip from Austin, Texas, but a great initiation to the curves and climbs of hill country roads as a novice motorhome glamper. Inks Lake State Park is a beautiful park nestled in the Texas Hill Country between Marble Falls and Burnet. The camp sites are large and have great views of the lake.

The trails in the park are fun and challenging with lots of climbing. The reward is climbing to the next level of the hills and discovering clear springs and waterfalls and gorgeous vistas. Occasionally, a fellow camper will stroll by, but for the most part it feels like your own private sanctuary.

Great little slice of paradise with both sight and sound therapy to soak in and enjoy.

The weather was perfect for a campfire dinner with good wine and a view of the sunset.

Of course no glamping trip is complete without a happy hour.

It was a wonderful trip and the beginning of many adventures in glamping.

Tribute to a Modern Day Gypsy

2011-10-03T20:32:00.000-05:00

Ten years ago today my fabulous mom raised the white flag in her vicious battle with breast cancer. She fought the disease with the same passion and energy she lived her life. Today is a day of celebration for a beautiful women and a beautiful life.

A Modern Day Gypsy

She took the road less traveled -

Passion floating into the night.

A nomad with her caravan,

A drifting gypsy’s flight.

Called by waves crashing

And the tangy wet breeze,

She curtsied to the “good” life

Then pirouetted for the seas.

A southern gypsy belle,

I emerged from her seed

Floating near the breakers

With a wanderer’s need.

Hovering in the clouds

Her legacy she loaned,

Being blessed with the Son’s light

And a gypsy spirit of my own.

a tribute to my momma


I'm pretty sure that Betty Anne has a blender in heaven for all the fabulous celebrations.

Love,

Miss Fanny

They Say It's Your Birthday

2011-08-22T21:31:00.000-05:00

Gee, I missed you!

Me to Blog:
Long time no see. I've missed you blog and have ignored you way to long.I've thought about you a lot but just wasn't ready to make a commitment.
Blog to Me:
You don't call, you don't write. I feel used and neglected. Not even a comment to let me how the family's doing? Really!
Me to Blog:
I wanted to have something grand or profound to share with you, really I did, but when nothing came to me I just decided it's time to come back and beg your forgiveness.

Today's my birthday and I thought 'what better day to revisit my guilty pleasure?' - so here I am. I'm not going to tell you how old I am, but let's just say that I'm old enough to buy a margarita without the waitress even thinking of asking for my ID...although I don't recall anyone asking for it when I was 16 either!

This birthday is a birthday of reflection and gratitude. A time to remember that, even when there have been significant challenges, the good so outweighs the bad. Forgive me if this post is a bit self-indulgent...but wait that's what my blog is all about anyway. Gratitude. I could write for miles and still not list all my blessings, so I have decided to kick off my top five then toss in a few throughout the week, month and year. Hopefully, mine will remind you of a few of yours that maybe you haven't acknowledged.

My Job: This one could be divided up even further to subcategories but the fact is I really like my job, my bosses (there are many), my co-workers, the doctors and pretty much everything about the work I do. I took a huge pay cut four years ago to take the job and it wasn't anything like I had hoped it would be when I started, but I have grown to love it and all the people who make it what it is.

My Ex-Husband: A few months ago I sent an email to my ex that unfortunately had a link to my blog in the signature. He took that opportunity to link up and read my posts. I took it as an invasion of my privacy and closed out my blog. Okay, so now you know the real reason I stopped posting. What a silly thing for me to worry about! Duh, this is a public forum, so why would I think it was my little world. There are probably lots of things out there that rub people the wrong way. So let's get back to why my ex-husband is a blessing. He is the father to the most precious, beautiful earthly gift two people can share...a child. So to he who will remain unnamed in my blog - thank you for our little SweetPea!

My Friends: There's lots of crossover on this one because my friends also overflow into several of my blessings categories. Who would have thought that at my age I would have been blessed with a best friend - someone who was like the sister I never had. That's a really big blessing for me. I had two surgeries this year and significantly underestimated my ability to be a helpless, pathetic slug..thank goodness my friend did not. Hey, wait a minute, I'm not sure that was a compliment?!

My Family: Can't even begin to express the blessings that SweetPea has brought to me but there have been lots - mixed in with just a pinch of heartache every once in a while, but that makes for a healthy recipe for families in my opinion. Was/is my family the perfect Leave it to Beaver kind of family? Heck no, but man did our group make for entertaining holidays. I had awesome parents who gave unconditional love, a big brother who still keeps me in line, and cool grandparents who had interesting lives to share. Great extended family too with a rich mix of geniuses, religious right, liberal left, gays, physically disabled, traveling salesmen, oil company executives, and wing walkers just to name a few.

My Faith - The most important blessing in my life. It has changed everything for me. The fear and insecurities I carried with me most of life have been lifted and all from a little thing called grace. My only regret is that I let other people try to tell me what faith was for way too long instead of living it and learning it myself. Faith in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is the key to everything. For me discovering this was much like many things in this life...I believed it but I did not really understand it or live it. I am so grateful it finally clicked.

So that's it for me. It's nice to back and I look forward to visiting with you again.

Love,
Miss Fanny

Note to Self...Need to Get Out More

2010-02-21T16:53:00.000-06:00

To all my good friends who were concerned that I might get a little eccentric when I became an empty nester...

I believe there were a couple of you who warned that I might become a cat lady

or dress the dogs up in matching outfits...

Might be about time for an intervention or at the least a girls' night out!

I'm just saying!

Much love,

Miss Fanny

Running the Single Mom Survival Marathon

2010-02-18T22:10:00.001-06:00

Somedays it's everything you can do to survive as a single mom. No mother's day out or weekend with the girls. Just you and your family and the daunting challenge of trying to inch out a life.

Sweetpea and I have been a tiny family of two since she was three years old. I've thought about remarrying and been serious about it a couple of times, but life just kept and keeps getting in the way. But lately the marathon of motherhood seems more like a sprint with hurdles way too close together.

I've worked since Sweetpea was three and done a pretty decent job of supporting the two of us. Unfortunately the nasty bites of the economic times have nipped at our heels of late. A major step down in my career - my choice - partnered with my daughter's dad's decision to stop supporting her at age 18 have made things tight...especially with all the cost of college.

Training Tips on Single Mom Survival

Keep your focus on the end prize...raising a happy, well-adjusted kid.
Keep your faith and teach your family to have faith - you will need this in the good times and the bad.
Teach your children to know that there is something better for them out there.
Love your children unconditionally.
Take care of yourself so you will be there for your family.
Stress the importance of family however it might be packaged.
Let go of anger and regrets in your life - neither help you move on and grow.
Don't beat yourself up for your mistakes - do learn from them.
Live everyday - sounds easy but as you get older you will realize that it is a consious decision and not an involuntary action.
Don't wait for a better life...this is the better life.
Extend your family with a circle of good friends.
Ask for help when you need it.

Tip 12 was always a tough one for me. I never wanted to impose or pester, but have learned that it is okay to ask for help - whether it comes in the form of prayers or plumbing. There are special angels out there to intervene for us single moms in times of need. Just remember my dear friends to hold tight to your faith in the race and accept grace in the finish...enjoy the run!

Much love,
Miss Fanny

Border Wars - Tales from the Suburbs

2010-02-15T19:09:00.001-06:00

I am blessed to own a home that I love with great neighbors, good schools and few headaches. All that being said, I tend to be an urban girl who was redirected to a suburban life and occassionally look for the reason I should pull up stakes and move back to the city.

Do good fences really make for good neighbors? I never really thought about it until a couple of weekends ago - but can now attest to the fact that, although good fences do not necessarily make for good neighbors, bad ones (fences that is) can out the bad ones (neighbors). If you are a regular reader, you are already familiar with my pet beast, Picasso. Recently, she discovered a new bordering neighbor's dog and the rotting fence that separated them from a playdate.

The dogs worked in tandem to burrow a hole for their gateway of tailwagging fun, but somehow Picasso got the rap for the fence damage. For the past week I have been barraged with panicked calls at work that there is a hole in the fence and Picasso keeps coming into their back yard. Somehow, it was my job to fix it.

So on Valentine's Day, I spent six hours and several hundred dollars repairing a fence that I share with a neighbor while he and his wife relaxed in their TV room watching me do it. I'm not a do-it-yourself kind of girl when it comes to outdoor building projects, so I wasted a lot of the time missing nails and hitting various parts of my body. I was furious - more with myself than Picasso or my not-so-helpful neighbor - but was reminded that this was the exception and not the rule. In fact, most of my neighbors are great neighbors who will do anything for you at the drop of a hat...good fence or not.

Ghosts of Valentine's Days Past

2010-02-13T16:09:00.000-06:00

There has always been something magical about Valentine's Day for me. Not sure why...guess I'm just a hopeless romantic. Even as a child, I loved Valentine's Day...

I was the kid who would volunteer to decorate the classroom spending days meticulously cutting out construction paper hearts and stringing them together. My valentine-adorned shoe box was always the one a little over the top - decorated with hope of puppy-love to come. It was so exciting to open your box of cards and candy in nervous anticipation of that special "one". I can still feel that special little tingle in my heart when I think of those special memories. Many a sweet childhood romances stemmed from those little classroom valentine's boxes!

As an adult, Valentine's Day was a little more complicated. I remember my first VD with my ex-husband. We had not known each other long, but, being the hopeless romantic, I had envisioned an evening of celebration with hearts, flowers and romance.

I took the day off from work so that I could put together a guy goodie basket, primp and prepare a fabulous dinner. He had also gone to a lot of trouble to make me a special gift for the day. I can still remember how my heart raced as I ripped open the pink tissue paper...and there it was, a pink t-shirt with "Valentine's Day Is For Wimps" and his name embroidered in two inch letters across the chest. He was so pleased and I was crushed.

What an a-hole (sorry but I can't think of a nice way to put that). Strangely , I married the guy anyway...go figure? I never wore the shirt and charged something special for myself on his card every Valentine's Day after that.

I never lost hope in the magic of Valentine's Day. But now the little tingle in my heart comes from other sources. It's the homemade paper heart with a picture of mommy that is proudly displayed on my fridge and the clay heart with Sweetpea's name carved on the bottom where I keep my paperclips. It's the memory of my mom and dad and the love they discovered for each other late in their lives that kept a sparkle in their eyes until they left us.

There is the faith I have for Sweetpea to find a good man (learn from mommy's mistakes ) and her family to come when she grows up and is ready. And somewhere deep inside there is a tiny glimmer of hope that my valentine is still tucked away in someone else's heart...Happy Valentine's Day my dear friends. May this day be filled with the magic of hope, love and peace.

Never stop dreaming!

Love,
Miss Fanny

A Passion for Posting

2010-02-10T22:51:00.001-06:00

I'm still trying to decide what my little blog is going to be when it grows up and must admit that the journey is somewhat addicting. I can honestly say that I have been bitten by the blog bug. I come home from work in the evening and can't wait to check my blog for comments, new followers and plan a post. Blogging is keeping me up at night, but in a good way.

I originally created my blog this summer, but neglected it until a dear friend of mine (Sharon @ View from the Lily Pad) challenged me to start it up again at Christmas which I did. But this time I did my research and tried to figure out what I wanted to write, what inspired me and what fed my passion for writing. At first, I decided I wanted to be a "cottage blog", I experimented with it but changed direction. I find myself gravitating toward the irreverent humor blogs but can only aspire to be as clever as the successful writers in this category. No, my blog falls somewhere in between. I have some funny stories to share and some sad ones too. Hopefully, I will broaden my reach to offer encouragement to readers at some point.

We all write for different reasons and if you explore the blogging community for long enough you start to gain insight. Some of the people in the blogoshpere are givers and some are takers, some have deep roots while others are extremely shallow. In my short life of blogging I have learned that no matter what you write, you have at least put some thought into and gathered up the courage to hit PUBLISH. You have put yourself out there for all the world to see. Maybe that gets easier as you do it more often, but for me, I go into a cold sweat every time I put something on Fanning Flashes. It's even more intimidating to share a link to my site on my personal facebook - my heart palpitates, my palms get clammy and I hold my breath...and then I get that first affirming comment from a friend or two and take a breath.

For now, I am still transforming and I am so very grateful for the followers and visitors to Fanning Flashes and for all of the fabulous writers out there who are willing to share a little piece of themselves through the computer screen. I have learned a lot from some really good ones. A big thank you to Aunt Becky at Mommy Wants Vodka - one of the blogs I really admire...she left me one of my first comments and it gave me the confidence to move on. By the way, if you are new to blogging (or even if you aren't) she has a great post on blogging for dummies. Another inspiration came through comments from Lee @ Headaches, Hormones and Hotflashes, a delightful blog with great "roots". When you are new to blogging, every comment is gold and hearing from one of your blogging heroes - well that is platinum! There are many more really great writers out there - check out my profile for blogs I follow, I think they are all amazing.

I am still a "baby blogger" and have so much to learn. It's important to pause along the journey to acknowledge where you came from, where you are, where you hope to go and say THANK YOU.

With Much Love and Appreciation,

Miss Fanny

Coming Out of the Closet

2010-02-09T08:49:00.006-06:00

Shhhh. I have this secret I want to share with you.

Come closer. Promise you won't tell anyone? I'm a closet crafty girl. There I said it! I feel so much better now.

Martha Stewart...I'm not, but I do love changing things up and transforming old things into new.

In Austin, there is a fabulous Habitat for Humanity store for discarding home and commercial items that have the potential for a new life...everything from old doorknobs to doors. I found two sets of eight foot commercial oak french doors on one visit to the store. Yes, they are "well loved" but that's what adds to their charm. I wasn't looking for doors but they inspired me. I took out the windows and part of the wall in my breakfast room and went from this...

To this...say hello to Miss Picasso...just had to be in the photo!

It made a huge difference in my breakfast room. Did I mention that both sets of doors cost $200.00? Before, I could just look out that window and now I can open up the doors and dine al fresco.

Coming soon...what I did with the other set of doors.

Finding My Stride

2010-02-08T20:33:00.001-06:00

Four years ago I woke up and realized that I had to change my life. It may sound silly, but that's exactly what happened. There were no New Year's resolutions, life altering motivations or ultimatums, just an overnight fire in my belly to change. I woke up with hope.

I had hit the dreaded forties, gained weight and lost my passion for just about everything...I had given up. My job to raise Sweetpea was wrapping up but instead of dreaming of all of the fun things my new-found freedom could bring, I was trying to figure out how to sell my house since I was having trouble getting up and down the stairs.

Then one morning I woke up and decided to take a walk.

Then walking turned into...

running.

Once I started running, I didn't want to stop. I was like Forrest Gump ... I just kept going.

For four years, I ran every race I could run including my first half marathon last February. It was an incredibly emotional race for me. I didn't set any records but I finished. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that running had many benefits...increased energy, enthusiasm about life and a 90 pound weight loss.

Then a few months ago when Sweetpea moved away, I stopped- the fire was extinguished. I have slowly gained almost half the weight I lost, but I woke up this morning with that familiar spark. I am ready to find my stride and pick up the pace. I am learning to have faith in the race and grace in the finish.

Mean Girls All Grown Up

2010-02-05T23:04:00.000-06:00

Last night I watched The Housewives of Orange County, one of my guilty pleasures. Only I came to the conclusion that maybe it wasn't a guilty pleasure for me anymore. I won't waist a lot of space to describe the show other than to say that last night was particularly painful. The half baked realty show was a little too real and reminded me of some of the mean girls we have all encountered at some point in our lives

When I was growing up, my family moved every three to four years so I learned all about mean girls at an early age. In elementary school, the new girl was a threat because she might take your best girlfriend away. The new girl presented a whole different kind of menace as we got older...competition - for boys, cheerleading, drill team etc. God forbid you were attractive, that was a double threat.

My new girl experiences gave me an empathy for the underdog. I was the girl who took home the strays- people and animals. I never could quite figure out why people needed to be so mean and, even as a youngster, I didn't have a lot of tolerance for it.

In the second grade Sarah was transferred to our class. She was a walking hard luck story who, as an infant had been disfigured from an acid spell and left with only one eye and scars on her face and arms. She was human catnip for the older mean girl felines in our school. No one would talk to her except for the former new girl (me) and a handful of my friends. On Halloween we invited her to trick or treat with us, and Sarah was so excited that she would pass me notes in class with elaborate plans for the exciting adventure.

The big day arrived and Sarah ran down the sidewalk to my house, only, on her way she was ambushed by a group of particularly mean girls armed with tomatoes and eggs. I will never forget the haunting look of terror, shame and defeat on her face as she stood at my door in her brand new batwoman costume now tomato stained and sticky. My mom rushed to the rescue and we were quickly on our way both quiet and feeling a little more worldly if not wise.

All this being said because I will no longer be indulging in my Thursday night mean girl pleasure of The Housewives of Orange County. Although the victims on the show alternate, last night it disturbed me and brought back memories of poor little Sarah standing at my door.Yes, realty shows should entertain us, but not at such a cost. Just like poor Sarah, all of these women live with scars, whether it be from ridiculously blown up boobs, lips ....(fill in the blank here) or bad marriages which are obvious to everyone but the couples. Last night I lost my sense of humor for mean girls and remembered a little seven year old who grew up way too early on a forgettable Halloween night many years ago.

Us girls have enough hurdles to jump without turning on each other and lobbing the metaphorical tomato at one another. Being a nice girl may not sell commercials but it does contribute to a better life.

Do you have a mean girl story to share?

Witless Wednesday

2010-02-03T22:51:00.000-06:00

I've got nothing...no clever repartee, no loving mommy memories and no pithy posts. What I do have is a big fat stinkin mess. I came home to a bad case of writer's block and it looked something like this.

And this.

And this.

No real explanation for photo one and two. I can only speculate. Somebody came and took a bath in my sink during the day and separated it and the pipes below? A poltergist? Seriously, what could have caused that?

For the third photo, the explanation is simple...Picasso plus a rainy day in the house. See more on Picasso. Just another day in paradise!

Here's hoping for a better tomorrow.

For the Love of Picasso

2010-02-02T21:17:00.002-06:00

I have a love / hate relationship with Picasso. Not the artist, but a 100 pound rescue mutt named Picasso. She got her name because she resembled her namesake's self portrait in a twisted, cross-eyed way. An odd combination of cow dog, german shepherd and whatever else was running in the alley the night she was conceived, she has one brown eye and one partially blue, freckles on one side of her face and gigantic mismatched ears. Let's just say that she was ~~butt ugly~~ not the best looking dog at the pound and I was pretty sure if I didn't take her, she was destined for the doggy gas chamber.

We got off to a rocky start...

Picasso as a running companion? With great enthusiasm, we took to the trails for quality time together. I envisioned long runs with her at my side, strides in sync with all the other runners and their canine counterparts. I've never been completely successful in "trail training" her and she is terrible about crossing in front of me when she smells or sees something that fascinates that mustard seed brain of hers. Once on a run at one of Austin's well-traveled trails, she darted in front of me and I took a roll down a dusty hill. Covered from head to toe in dirt, I looked like a dirty powdered donut jogging the rest of the way back to the car. Oh, and there was the asphalt fall that landed me in the emergency room.

Protector? Again not...that is unless you are a squirrel or a cat. She has made life a living hell for my cat and the tree squirrels in my neighborhood.

Gardening Buddy? She's great if you need digging assistance or a hole in the fence. As I have mentioned in other posts her backyard name is A-hole. That's the name I give her when I look out and see a new excavation in the flowerbed. By the way, my neighbors actually think that is her name.

Loyal Member of the Pack?
I believe this picture speaks for itself. That's Miss P's nose trying to roll over Tootsie...whose full name ironically is Tootsie Roll so there you go!

So with all of these issues how can I possible love this ball of fur? At times I really ~~contemplated dumping her on an abandoned highway~~ finding her another home, but everything changed for us on an early morning run a few months ago. Oblivious to our fate, we were attacked by two roving Rhodesian ridgebacks. It was a vicious attack and, without going into the gory details, I almost lost Miss P that day. Because she was tied to my waist, she was trapped and couldn't escape the relentless attack as they ripped her to shreds.

It was a long haul to get her back in shape...she couldn't walk for a couple of weeks, was on an arsenal of medications and was completely helpless. On the day of her attack everything changed for the two of us. I fell in love with this big, obnoxious, misbehaving beast. She needed me and, truth be known, I needed her too. So true confession, I had always had a soft spot in my heart for her.

Today she is pretty much back to her old self with the exception of a new limp, some wicked scars and an anxiety when another dog approaches too quickly (we both have this anxiety now). We walk now more than run, she still trips me occasionally, pulls me into ditches, digs up flower beds and howls at squirrels. But now I am a converted art lover and a particular fan of Picasso, an abstract little piece who is a permanent part of our dysfunctional collection.

My GPS Device Is A Whore

2010-01-31T17:11:00.001-06:00

I am infamous for my potty mouth while driving - something I'm not particularly proud of and have really made an effort to clean up over the past few years. When my daughter was ten, I took her and her best friend on a road trip from Texas to Florida. By the end of the trip they had nicknamed me Sharon Osbourne...not a compliment and I'm pretty sure the mom of the other ten-year-old was not real impressed. I knew I had to clean-up my act...especially around the kids but have always been quite creative with my vocabulary and insults when I get behind the wheel. I toyed with starting a regular weekly posting about things I say in the car, but figure it might be a bit too telling and sabotage my driving-trash-mouth rehabilitation.

That being said I'm always searching for the tools to bring me closer to that curseless Zen place behind the wheel. That's why I decided to buy a GPS device the other day. With all the post-holiday hype about electronic gifts, I had convinced myself that this is something I couldn't live without. I travel between three hospitals and am on the road a lot - usually in a hurry to get from one meeting to the next. Traffic is terrible in Austin so I like to go off the beaten path when I can to avoid the gridlocks of the interstate. The GPS seemed like just the thing to get me to meetings off site without all the worry. If I diverted from the main road, no problem, this thing would recalculate my location and tell me how to get there.On the box, it said "Wherever life takes you, TomTom is your guide." It also had some b.s. in the manual about this device giving you the "ultimate driving experience." I could hardly wait to plug it in and hit the road - I was almost giddy to give it a test drive.

Well TomTom and I got off to a bad start. Every time I would get off the prescribed path, it would redirect me and tell me to turnaround...not once but every 30 seconds or so. Things spiraled so low on a recent trip to San Antonio that I started arguing with IT and called it a WHORE. It didn't seem to be offended, no, IT just kept baiting me - telling me to turn around for another 60 miles. Was I lost? Yes, but I certainly wasn't going to tell IT! At one point, I pulled over and changed the voice to a British accent thinking that might make IT more amenable to alternate routes. Since then, we have reached a compromise in our relationship. I only use IT when I am on the main highways and IT doesn't tell me where not to go.

Okay, I admit that I will occasionally test IT on a side road or back street here or there, but it is still too painful for both us. And yes, I admit IT tried to navigate me into a field the other day and I slipped and called it a dumb B, but I'm trying, really I am!

My Walk on the Wild Side

2010-01-30T17:41:00.003-06:00

Spent the morning finishing up a couple of articles and when I couldn't take it anymore, I pushed away from the computer for a wilderness adventure...

A few months ago when I became an empty nester I decided it was time to broaden my horizons and see the world...that is as long as it didn't cost any money and I could do it in a day-trip. I live in the Texas hill country and there really are a lot of beautiful places to explore close to home. I bought a book on hikes you take in a day in and around the hill country, spent a Saturday studying all the destinations and committed to exploring some new trail at least two days out of the month.

That was six months ago, so far I have seen ~~a few~~ none of the trails I had dogeared as my top picks. However, I do have a wonderful park across the street from my home with little pockets of the urban girl's version of wilderness and a clear water spring with lovely rain-fed rapids. My plan - take my dog for a walk and venture off the trail along the stream in hopes of catching a few nature shots for my blog.

Here's a shot of the bobbed-wire fence I climbed right next to the no trespassing sign I ignored to get to the "wilderness".

Mistake One: Thinking that there was a trail off the beaten path to follow...there wasn't. Picasso (my dog who is also called a%#hole on many occassions because I have yelled that at her so often for digging up my flower garden that my neighbors think that is her 'given' name) and I were dodging branches, cactus and at one point crawling on our knees. Oh yes, I guess that was just me crawling on my knees.

Mistake Two: Tying Picasso's leash to my waist and thinking she would weave through the thorny vines and trees intuitively in sync with me...she didn't. At one point, with the precision of the three stooges, she stepped on a small bush and diverted it into my face. So sweet! I think the only thing more tangled than the trail of vines and rocks was my briar patch of cuss words looming above us.

Here's a shot of one of the thorny vines. I took this pretty little shot of the thorns silhouetted against the sky before I knew I would be wearing them home.

Mistake Three: Standing next to a rapidly running stream with lots of slippery rocks with a 100 lb dog tied to my waist and thinking that she wouldn't jump in the water...she did...and took me with her. Oh yes, and mistake 3.1 would be holding my camera as I went into the stream.

Here's a nice shot of some rapids right before a#%hole and I went for a little dip...honestly, I'm pretty sure I heard dueling banjos in the background!

Mistake Four: Not doing a double once-over to remove the wilderness debris prior to returning to the main trail...I didn't.Couldn't figure why all the trail walkers (urbanite wussies as I now refer to them) were doing the double-take. Yes, I know Picasso and I are a couple of good-looking women, but seriously, do you have to stare and gawk at us so? Maybe they think we went into the woods to go to the bathroom? I couldn't figure it out. All I knew is I was glad to be out of the woods...so to speak.

When I got home this is what I looked like (there might have been more debris on me than this, but this is what made it home with me).

This photo really does not have a mistake attached to it, but I thought is was a pretty cool tree...I call it a baboon butt tree - not sure what it really is.  

Yes, another excellent adventure...

Not sure what my next adventure will be, but I am pretty sure it will involve martini's on the rocks and not me!

Let's Talk Some Trash

2010-01-26T21:31:00.001-06:00

So it's Trashy Tuesday and my day to organize. I have actually had a fruitful week of de-cluttering and found it very helpful to make a list to keep me on track. As I have mentioned in past posts, the motivation for Trashy Tuesday stems from Hoarders, this amazing show on A&E - truly the best thing for home organization and cleaning since the invention of the vacuum cleaner! Not to make light of their disorder, but it really does make me want to go into that junk drawer and just start tossing.

When Sweetpea left for school, I did an excavation of her closet floor and sitting room and unearthed four laundry baskets of good "stuff" she did not want. I took the baskets to the garage where they loomed on display five months for the whole neighborhood to see whenever I opened my garage. Mind you, they weren't lonely because there were eight other boxes of giveaways keeping them company. It had gotten to the point of actually having a stranger meander into my garage a few weekends back and ask when my garage sale opened.

Ironically, I was saving all that stuff for a garage sale, but I just never got around to having it. So all that junk just planted there, grew roots and sucked the air right out of the garage. With Sweetpea in college, I need all the $$$ I can get, but I am no longer going to plan for or procrastinate a garage sale - it is not worth the precious free time. Just makes more sense to give my "trash" away to someone who can make it there treasure and get it out of my way...might even get a little good karma in the process!

On another note, I received my first nasty comment for my post on Fuzzy Brain. Being relatively new to blogging (I signed up this summer but really did not get rolling until December), I was surprised that someone would take the time to write a derogatory remark. I mean seriously, it is not like Fanning Flashes is a scientific blog or directions for brain surgery...just a peek into the life of someone on the backside of a midlife crisis with a little humor on the other side. But then I remembered...a few years ago I did public affairs for a politician. He wanted to be in the newspaper everyday. It didn't matter if it was nice or not (although he did prefer the nice) just as long as the media was talking about him. That's how I've decided to look at my naysayer. Thanks for the comments and keep them coming...

Fuzzy Brain: A Menopausal Phenomenon

2010-01-25T13:35:00.001-06:00

Fuzzy brain is a weird condition of menopause...a well-documented syndrome in which the afflicted struggles to have a complete thought as a result of the cataclysmic evacuation of estrogen from the system. Who knew estrogen really made one think clearer? By the way, this is not a scientific theory, more of a menopausal hypothesis.

Earlier this morning, I was checking out some recent posts from my favorite blogs and came across one about buying things in multiple which made me think of a recent fuzzy brain faux pas story which related to multiples purchases. For those of you who aren't familiar with multiples purchasing, it basically means when you find something that looks good on you, taste good to you, or fits you, you buy it it in every color or flavor (for me that would be shoes and girl scout cookies).

So where does the fuzzy brain syndrome fit in with multiples purchasing you ask?

I believe this photo speaks for itself...

I took this glamorous ped-shot with my iphone midday at a board meeting after looking down in horror, apparently for the first time that day, to discover I had worn two different colored shoes. After my discovery I didn't hear a thing in the meeting. I was immersed in a detective-like retracing of my mismatched steps leading up to the sighting. My fuzzy brain was racing...Who had I talked to? Did anyone try to give me a clue? Would there be a new fashion rage at the hospital system of trendy wannabes working the two-different-colored-shoes look?

I wish I could tell you that this was the first time I had done anything like this but that would be a lie. No, fuzzy brain syndrome and I go way back...there was the time I went on three hospital site visits with an old band-aid stuck to the back of my head or the conference I went to with my shoes on the wrong foot and limped around a good part of the day before I realized it. Yes, I am no stranger to menopausal fuzzy brain ( as many of my loving facebook friends reminded me when I posted the foot shot on my wall), the only difference was that when I launched the two-different-colored-shoes look, I had a temporary lapse in fuzzy brain and the forethought to know that this had to be captured by photo.

Hope it made you smile. Thank you to Writing Without Periods (what a great name!) for dislodging my writer's block and giving me a topic for today!

On - Call Parenting

2010-01-23T22:06:00.004-06:00

So Sweetpea jumped back into the fishbowl for a brief swim this weekend, but was quickly out and in the bigger pond. I struggle with my new role as an empty nester mom and what that really means. Having spent the past eighteen years dedicating much of my life to growing and nurturing this little creature, it is hard to let go.

Hmmm, I don't remember ever having hair with that much pigment! Sorry I got sidetracked. Here's a shot of Sweetpea and me back when I could dress her up as one of my dolls. As she aged her hair ribbons got bigger and my hair got whiter!

Like the majority of parents out there, I want to do what's best for my "baby", but as she gets older that becomes more complicated. When our babies are little there are books to tell you how to raise them, feed them and even love them. In the spirit of full disclosure - I can't say that I ever invested in any of those how-to books since I never was one for reading the directions, but it was nice to know that in a panic I could always source Amazon for a quick fix.

So here I am at 50...something, trying to figure it out without a rule book. I am realizing that my proactive parenting work is done for now. I'm now on-call for parenting as needed...which isn't needed much for now except for the occasional financial infusion. In my heart I know that all this is good and that Sweetpea is doing everything that her family has prepared her for over the last eighteen wonderful years.

Every point in Sweetpea's life so far has been a blessing to me. When she was a little baby, I would think, 'oh I better enjoy this because the terrible two's are coming.' But surprisingly, the terrible two's were the terrific two's. Every season in her life has been something new and incredible for me as a mom. Even the dreaded teenage years...the foreboding public relations about teenage girls was over exaggerated and actually a delightful time to watch her beautiful spirit continue to grow. Don't get me wrong - it has not been easy but it has been good.

Sweetpea today

So I will be here in my new mom on-call role...not necessarily waiting for the phone to ring, but here when it does...happy to be of service in my newly assigned part-time position.

Hello Sunshine

2010-01-13T22:35:00.002-06:00

It's a dog day afternoon for Miss Picasso.

I've asked her nicely to get off the chair, but who can resist that face? From Miss P's perspective it seems to be the best seat in the house for holding court over the squirrels and birds that are dancing across the trees for her entertainment.

I took this shot a couple of days ago when the sun came out and we had a nice little break from the cold. Picasso is so happy to be in "her" comfy chair just enjoying the day. When I look at it I smile...until I see all of the leaves in the pool from the winter winds. Guess I have my work cut out for me this weekend.

Happy Wednesday. Hope you can find a cozy spot and a little piece of sunshine!

Talking Trash

2010-01-12T20:34:00.001-06:00

It's trashy Tuesday, a weekly event at our home that comes on the heels of one of my guilty pleasures...I love the television program Hoarders. It is almost painful to watch, but, like turning to look at an accident, I am magnetically drawn to the trashy tales. With all due respect to the poor people who are featured on this program, the show is one of the best cures for clutter in your home. Each week after watching Hoarders, I become obsessed with clearing the unneeded stuff.

I find 28 things ( a random number, but it works for me) in my house to either throw away or give away. Sometimes they are small items and sometimes they are big items - everything from shredding junk mail to giving away a pool table. You can't imagine how cleansing this can be - throwing out the junk and blessing someone else with treasures that no longer call to you. As a right-brainer creative-type, I am not naturally inclined in the organizational skills, but find it very empowering to clear and purge. It really does eliminate much of the "visual noise" so that there is room for the things you truly love.

Sidebar: Hoarders comes on the Arts and Entertainment channel on Monday night right after Intervention. I love Intervention too, but oddly enough, it makes me want to pour myself a glass of wine - not necessarily the action the producers intended.

Got any good clutter stories you want to share? Post your comments, tips, and ideas here!