Pieces of Me

I'm split into several pieces tonight . . . wanting to load multiple albums onto Facebook to validate the massive amount of time and energy I've spent digitally capturing every last cotton-pickin' moment of our lives (and I do MEAN every last one of them) over the past few months with my energetic Canon PowerShot . . . longing to engage in the writing of two vastly different but important blog entries . . . and simply wishing to cuddle up next to my by-now slumbering husband before this blooming sinus headache demands medication I'd rather put off taking until morning.

MOMENTS CAUGHT IN BUBBLES APPEAR LESS MUNDANE THAN THEY REALLY ARE!

So, here I am, folks!  Can I just state for the record that it's difficult to recall how I was ever able to daily log entries on my blog sites last year?  Of course, I didn't have Hank the Wonder Pup.  And, being in a writers' group stimulated my desire to daily discipline my hand to convey that which my heart and brain were saying.  My son's sports weren't so FULL ON until his freshman year hit and he decided that football, wrestling AND baseball should be on his docket.  (Not that this didn't require my agreement on a parental level.)  Nor was one of my trio of children in the process of graduating from high school.  Also, on a sub-level of self, once I began taking the anti-depressant and engaging in regular counseling sessions with a therapist who has been a delight to visit every other Wednesday at 11AM, all of those "Gotta Do This Or Else All The Dominoes Will Fall" niggling thoughts quit circling my head and sunk out of view.  Well, for the most part.  That included my urge to daily record my thoughts and happenings each and every day or night . . . OR ELSE!

DISTRACTIONS ABOUND . . . 

AND ABOUND . . . 

AND ABOUND . . . 

AND JUST PLAIN DISTRACT ME!

I love to write.  Believe you me, when I'm not actively engaged in the process, I'm thinking about it, stringing together ticker-tape entries throughout the day, imagining what exactly I would convey to you, the reader.  I long to improve and develop 'legs' in the writing sphere and have a deeply profound impact on every pair of eyes which light upon my particular words. . . but I also have this incredibly full life, brimming with moments awaiting love, laughter, delight, and every other emotion, feeling, and experience in the spectrum of this worldly existence.

Lately, I've been taking that tiger by the tail (or is it a certain soft white-haired canine?) and riding delightedly in its wake!  And it's about dad-gum time, I do declare.

So, what, pray tell, have I been up to lately?  How about I show you a fair sampling!  Better grab a cup of tea or mug of coffee.  Here goes:

I WATCHED MY SON PLAY A 'DREAMY' AND HUMOROUSLY WELL-ENDOWED SHAKESPEARIAN MAIDEN

I PLAYED BUNCO WITH MY MOTHER-IN-LAW! (SHE'S ON THE FAR LEFT.)

HELPED A M'LADY RING IN FIVE DECADES WORTH OF LIVING

I HAD ME SOME S'MORES . . . 

I TOOK DELIGHTFUL NOTE OF MY BLOOMING HYDRANGEAS

ENJOYED SHARING OUR CICADA SUMMER WITH OUR WYOMING COMPANY!

SPENT SOME TIME JUST HANGING AROUND.

I ADMIRED THIS YOUNG WOMAN'S HAIR WHILE SITTING THROUGH 21 VALEDICTORIAN SPEECHES AT MY DAUGHTER'S GRAD CEREMONY!

I PONDERED THIS WARDROBE CHOICE DURING A POTTY BREAK AT THE SAME GRADUATION CEREMONY

ME AND A HARDCORE GROUP OF STARBUCKS FANS PARTOOK 
ON A FREQUENT BASIS!

ALAS, I WAS FORCED TO SAY GOOD-BYE TO VERY SPECIAL PEOPLE WHO WEEP AS MUCH AS I DO OVER GREETINGS AND PARTINGS!

I CONTEMPLATED YET ANOTHER POSSIBLE SCENARIO FOR
 "DEATH ON THE HIGHWAY"

I ENJOYED THE COMPANY OF A HANDSOME COWBOY . . . 

AND A COUPLE OF PURDY COWGIRLS!

I ENTRUSTED THIS BUBBA TO GUIDE ME AND MY EXTENDED FAMILY THROUGH A TOUR OF THE JACK DANIEL'S DISTILLERY

I WAS FIXATED ON THE GENTLEMAN'S SUSPENDERS . . . 

BUT I'M BETTIN' YOU CAN SEE WHY THAT MIGHT BE!

THEN THERE WAS THAT WEDDING WHERE THE POOR BRIDE WAS FLU-SICK FOR DAYS BEFORE THE WEDDING AND THE DAY OF . . . 

BUT HER NOW HUSBAND CAME TO HER AID AND THEY MADE A SPLENDID EFFORT RIGHT ON THROUGH THE CEREMONY AND RECEPTION!

THREE TIMES I MADE MY WAY TO DOWNTOWN NASHVILLE WITHIN A WEEK: ONCE TO CATCH MY BRO-IN-LAW PLAYING WITH DARYLE SINGLETARY.

I CROWNED ROYALTY: "I DUB THEE QUEEN OF THE FON-DAUNT!"

OUR PASTOR KEPT ME ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW WITH SEVERAL HARD-HITTING SERMONS REPLETE WITH CHARACTER . . . AND . . . LEATHER?!

I WATCHED A STELLAR YOUNG MAN OFFICIALLY PLEDGE
HIS LOYALTY AND LIFE TO THE U.S. ARMY

AND THEN PROCEEDED TO WITNESS HIS TEARFUL GOOD-BYE
TO HIS MAMA . . . 

TO HIS BEST FRIEND . . . 

AND TO HIS MOST PRECIOUS GIRLFRIEND.

I SPEND A LAZY AFTERNOON VISITING WITH GOOD FOLK
ON A SOUTHERN FRONT PORCH WITH COLD TEA IN HAND!

THERE WERE A FEW DUBIOUS PILES OF DOG-RELATED DEPOSITS FROM
BOTH ENDS AND BOTH CANINES WHICH REQUIRED MY ATTENTION

I WAS IMPRESSED WITH MY SON'S SUCCESSFUL FIRST ATTEMPT TO MAKE
HOMEMADE TORTILLAS JUST LIKE HIS GRANDMA OLIVIA

I SPENT QUALITY TIME WITH THIS CUTIE, WHO'S A MUCH
HAPPIER MAN AT HIS NEW JOB

I ATE BREAD PUDDING AT AN IRISH COFFEE SHOP WHILE WATCHING
LOCAL SONGWRITERS PLAY THEIR MUSIC.

MY EARS TOOK GREAT PLEASURE IN LISTENING TO THE MELODIC
STRAINS OF THIS TALENTED YOUNGSTER'S VIOLIN AT THE LOCAL DOWNTOWN FARMER'S MARKET ONE SATURDAY MORNING.

MY GRANDPUP ENTERTAINED US WITH HER RIVER ANTICS . . . 

AS DID HANK THE WONDER PUP DURING HIS FIRST PLUNGE!

I FOUND A CUTE SUMMER DRESS ON SALE AT OLD NAVY . . .

AND WORE IT TO SEE TERRI CLARK ON THE WATERFRONT FOR THE CMA FANFEST/FARE, PERFORMING BETTER THAN
"PITIFUL ME" EVER COULD

SARAH AND I MET A MAN AND HIS HORSE.

WE WATCHED TWO COUNTRY DUDES YODEL ABOUT
"HILLBILLY BONES" 

ANOTHER SONGSTRESS WARBLED ON ABOUT
"KEROSENE"

WHILE THIS ALABASTER-AND-ROSE BEAUTY PLUCKED AT THE TOUGH AND TENDER HEART-STRINGS OF EVERY YOUNG GIRL IN THE STADIUM.

I OOHED AND AAHED OVER A FANTASTIC DISPLAY OF FIREWORKS!

I'VE DROPPED MY SON OFF TO SWIM COUNTLESS TIMES SINCE SCHOOL
OFFICIALLY LET OUT AND YE OLDE PUBLIC POOL OPENED FOR BUSINESS.

THESE SUPER CUTE ESPADRILLES ON THE SUPER CUTE FEET OF A SUPER CUTE FRIEND CAUGHT MY FANCY.

AND I RESCUED THIS BABY STARLING FROM THE GENTLE JAWS OF AFOREMENTIONED WHITE PUP; I CLIMBED VIA LADDER TO THE NEAREST HIGH NEST IN THE DYING ELM AND DEPOSITED IT BLINDLY WHERE 
I COULD HEAR SIMILAR NESTLING CRIES! 

Well, that's my story -- at least a good part of it -- and I'm sticking to it.  What's your late-spring/pre-summer been like?  I'd love to hear about it . . .