thursday, thursday

so today i picked up a bunch of nectarines that had fallen. at first i thought there weren't many but as they ripened it is clear that Daphne has done it again...there are huge numbers, still with the weird scaly white stuff but peeled, these are fabulous. at the risk of being repititious, nectarines were Linda's favorite. i so clearly remember August 19, 1999 on Linda's second day in California, she picked one from the tree and called her mother to tell her "Mom, I can't believe this -- I'm eating a nectarine that I just picked off the tree!" it was the first of many, for 8 years. so this is the first summer that Linda is not sharing in the harvest. i have to eat (and share) a lot to keep up.

tonight as i was taking out the garbage, the sun was setting and the east foothills wore that wonderful golden glow. that's one of the reasons why i love living near the hills. remember, Lisa, how nice it is? oh, i forget: you have quite a view out your back deck...it's just further away....

today on the drive home, i thought i could get through an entire CD of Tret Fure songs without tears...but i was wrong. almost though. and i am hearing new things in the words, enjoying the power of the music, hearing fingers slide on the strings...and i can smile. "you are there, when i least and most expect it, you are always there..." wish you could hear the music. probably there are sound clips on her website, www.tretfure.com give a listen. she's amazing.

i'm so glad i put out the word about the Diane Sawyer show on Randy Pausch on Tuesday night. many were not aware of it. there's still time to watch it, i hope, at abc.com

i have faith that eventually i will be able to put in links and even photos here. something else i could have learned from Linda.

but in the meantime, i will do my best on the nectarines. summer is a good time.

success and interesting experiences

Audrey called to report a success on finding a cloth flower for the suit jacket, and a silver purse. Woo hoo!

Tonight I went back to the Great Mall and had a disappointing time.
Except that -- hold onto your hats, boys and girls --
I actually tried on Manolos at Neiman Marcus Last Chance.
wow. there was one pair that really would go with the blue dress but the fit was weird. there was one pair of Manolos, small heel, brown, less than 1 sq. inch of leather, some plastic beads, plastic chain. list price $750. much less on sale. you are paying for the name. omg. i also tried on some pink flats but also a strange fit. so Sarah Jessica Parker and I share something...except she probably owns hers and i tried some on. oh well.

listening to Tret Fure's music in the car.
one lovely lyric: "how in the world do we find each other?" made me smile.

so back to the beginning. it was really pretty amazing that one woman in Ohio could find one woman in California when the woman in California wasn't even completely out to herself. and, given all the horror stories of online romances that fizzle, get scary or are just weird, that the relationship should last for almost 9 years....that, too, is amazing.

so, through the tears, i am incredibly grateful that Linda found me and was so convinced that we were meant to be together...orchestrating the visits back and forth for the first ten months (15 trips total between the two of us) before she moved out in May 2000, that our families got along and felt connected, and still do...

Ketzl is out front, on the rock by the sidewalk, sitting on the rock, in the cool night air.

i hope that anyone who didn't see the ABC special on Randy Pausch last night will be able to catch it online. uplifting, inspiring and touching. yup.