Life in the Slow Lane

Howdy, all.  I know, I know, I said I wouldn't be such a stranger, but ya know what they say about the road to hell.  I told myself, "Myself, make time to blog and do some catching up," but myself sometimes can be a stubborn bitch!

I hope this post finds you happy, healthy and enjoying the upcoming warm weather, unless you live in Alaska or other cold places in the world.  Summer started here in March, but Winter decided it wasn't quite ready to say, "bub-by," so we've had a few colder days in the last 2 months, and I'm not complaining either.  However, all is on track and the temps are heating up and summer is in full gear to make things a bit miserable for some of us, especially those of us who still have evaporative coolers.  This area has been in a drought for many years now and causing great concern; the Rio Grande River down this way looks like the Great American Desert.  The rest of Texas caught up with those of us out here in far West Texas and the Southwestern U.S. and are they having some problems adjusting!  We're ol' pros at this drought stuff, so we can teach them a few lessons or two.  One of the things the city is asking it's residents, is to convert to air conditioning since evap coolers use a H2O and at times, can leak like a cascading waterfall when something breaks up there.  I say, great, city of El Paso, we'll do it, but are you willing to pay us a $6-8K for converting to that system???  Didn't think so.

Ok, here's an observation/rant.  In the last few years, well at the onset of menopause, I gained lots of weight.  I have always had a weight problem, but it became exacerbated by the Big M.  I now shop in the "fat chick" section of department and discounts stores.  Please don't take offense to fat chick, since I have always been a fan of the cartoon strip, "B.C." and love the "fat chick"  and the snake.  Anyway, the other day I was at Macy's and was looking at the regular size clothing and thought, "What gorgeous colours and cool flowing fashions!"  The racks were bursting with beautiful, cool Spring and Summer colours, linens and lose fitting, flowing tunics and pants.  Then I looked across at the WOMEN section, just a matter of 2-3 feet away from the regular fashions, and asked why is it that designers of large sizes think we big girls like the "English Garden" look, bold horizontals or the friggin' graphics as big as the Aztec calendar emblazed on our chests!!!???  REALLY!!!??  I shall also add that the tight, short skirts, the width and length of a 4'x4'' is not appropriate wear for those younger fluffy types or the older fluffy types who think she's "stylin!"

Now I will say that my mother had a lot to do with my attitude about colours, designs and all that is fashion.  Like I said, I have always been fluffy, on and off throughout my life, but never as I am now.  My sister, who is 4 years older, was a picky eater as a child and according to my mother, didn't really start eating till she was 10 years old, after her tonsils were removed, or so the story goes.  I, on the other hand, was a very enthusiastic baby, toddler and child when it came to food...no problems here.  However, as I got older, the "baby fat" wasn't melting as quickly as she preferred, so at age 12, she took me to a diet quack and there, he gave my mother all kinds of colourful little pills, which I obediently swallowed every morning and during the day.  I recall in the dead of winter, I perspired, no, sweated in class, looking as if I had just run a 20 mile marathon in the Amazon Rain Forest.  Well, in less than 2 weeks, I had dropped 20 lbs., hadn't slept in those 2 weeks and was completely miserable...she gave the pills to my aunt instead who wanted them.  My weight was always being scrutinized and eating became a game...what can I sneak and eat and won't get caught.  In the summer of my 15th year, my braces came off, my hair was cut in the Sasson short style, I lost weight and this ugly duckling had become a swan, but I didn't know that.  All my young life, all I saw in the mirror was that fat 10 year old.  My sis also suffers from weight problems and was also under the same scrutiny as I when we were young.  We're both amazed at seeing pictures of ourselves of those days of yore, and can't believe what beauties we really were, but neither of us could see it.  I recall a knit shirt I bought at 18 and it had pastel horizontal lines in lavender and my mother told me it wasn't a good choice, made me exaggerated my hips.  Later, I found a picture of me wearing said shirt with a pair of white pants, standing next to my now ex when we were dating, my arms were skinny and the pants were hanging off of me...I looked as if I were wearing a wire hanger...I was a bone!  But that wasn't the message I was getting.  I don't blame my mom, she was watching out for us and didn't want us to suffer, plus, it was just a thing of her generation since many of my friends were also under the same sort of  fat watch,  but it taught my sis and me a lesson, accept our children's body no matter.  Encourage when needed and always tell them they're wonderful.  Case in point, my daughter has lost 70lbs. in the last 8 months.  She was told she was on the road to an early grave and she had just turned 34, so she changed her lifestyle, began to run and looks wonderful and better yet, feels wonderful.  She has to be on her best physical shape with five children, ages ranging from 13 years-20 months.  I'm so very proud of her, but I was always proud of her.  She knew what she looked like, no one needed to tell her or ridicule her, her mirror worked just fine, but she needed that scare to get her in motion, physically and mentally.  Now she's one of those obnoxious runners!!  LOL

Wow, sorry about that..sometimes I just get on a roll and go with the momentum, as I should be doing soon in my studio. For those of you who do not prescribe to  FB, you haven't seen some of my latest  creations, so here they are.  I have yet to open up my new Etsy shop, so if anyone is interest, let me know.  For the exception of the chicken, donkey and yellow headdress doll, who all have new homes, everything is up for grabs, so please "grab!!"  LOL

 Well, it's time for me to get motivated and get my arse up and out of this office and do some fun work in the ol' lab.  Have a great week, take care and as always, peace out.  Oh, P.S., I know I mentioned a Giveaway...still working on that, folks, but I'll get back to you  later.