Five, six, seven ... 25th!

Ok, I figure it need to write about something other than my cat ... God forbid I get labeled a crazy cat lady ... already too late for that. 

I have done other things since being in Austin other than obsess about the gato, although keeping him from being eaten by coyotes has been a main focus (thank you vet techs at South Shore Veterinary, who at my final appointment before leaving Maui FREAKED ME OUT about him getting eaten by coyotes). I have driven him, myself, and a few others crazy by this obsession, and perhaps deer will be his only encounter - in addition to Brodie, the lovable goofball Husky we live with - while we live in the motor home, yet I am all about obsession. It ain’t the first time and it won’t be the last.

So what else has been happening ... one thought I can share without reservation is that Christmas miracles abound.

First ... The ROCKETTES.

Past Tuesday night. Legs. Tap Dancing. Corny production numbers. Lots of Cheese. Dwarves. Live farm animals.

It was great.

Saw the touring company of the Radio City Music Hall Holiday Extravaganza with the Rockettes, 18 of them. Very cheesy show, perfect for the holidays. Great extravagant dance numbers, several big numbers with the Rockettes including a tap danced version of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Opening the second act was a big number with 24 dancing and singing Santas. Three dwarves in the line-up, nice to see them working this season. They played miniature dancing teddy bears, mini dancing snowmen, and of course, elves. Show ended as is has for the last 90 something years ... a living nativity. Complete with two camels, four sheep, and a donkey. 

I think only the baby Jesus was an actual prop.

It was whack. Kind of a downer after all the tap dancing and the dancing and singing Santas yet I guess the producers felt the “true meaning of Christmas” is important. And it was probably best not to open a dance show with live, large animals. Enough said.

Have had many other adventures in the getting-out-in-the-new-world scene. Jacquie is very social and involved and it is ironic that I have landed with her. I was an amateur compared to her; she has kids, works out, helps run the family businesses, and has many friends and folks to keep fed, delivered, entertained, nurtured and happy, including herself. I only did a fraction of what she did the past 14 days. Oh, and yea, IT’S CHRISTMAS. She is naturally a very calm person so she kind of flows along with each day. It is not untypical to leave the house with her around 8:00 am to return around 6:00. Shopping, errands, picking up/dropping off, procuring food, going the gym ... it makes for a full day. She is going to the gym a lot more than I am - she is a stud - yet I have joined their uber-modern, fancy gym called Lifetime Fitness and have begun working out again. Four workouts down, a few thousand more to go. Its a start. When I go with Jacquie, we do some aerobic warmup and then play racquet ball. When her husband Roger goes with us, we do some aerobic warmup and then alternate between the pool, the sauna, the steam room and the hot tub for about three hours. Then Jacquie, who has left us behind to languish, comes and picks us up and then we go eat.

I like going the gym with Roger a lot.

The night I arrived Jacquie had a Slipada jewelry party so I was able to meet many of her friends in rapid succession. It was kind of, in my mind, a “buy-jewelry-meet-Laura” party. The next night was a wine tasting at a franchise called Water 2 Wine which electronically makes wine you can purchase, bottle and affix with your own custom label. It was weird. When Jacquie was at the gym the next day, she said she was on the treadmill looking around for the wino who was working out near her. She realized the smell was coming from her. 

And then, not in any particular order, we ushered at Austin Ballet’s The Nutcracker (after while we were cleaning up, what I imagined was the 1st oboe of the Austin Symphony was going over some parts of the score with what I imagined was the 3rd oboe. It was beautiful, to hear them play in the empty hall), saw their daughter Caroline play cello in her jr. high holiday concert, went to the holiday Bunco party, have had an acupuncture session at a Chinese medicine graduate school, went to Houston for a couple days, been to Wimberly in the hill country to visit Bud and Jan, 91 and 73, for lunch (it is beautiful out there and I imagine even more beautiful when it is green. Drove by the Salt Lick, will eat there next week), have been to the flagship Whole Foods among a variety of other retail outlets, and enjoyed a ladies Christmas brunch at one of her friends-workout buddy-bunco gang this morning. (The houses here are huge and beautiful and the women who live in them know how to decorate them for the holidays. I am an amateur when compared to these women in holiday decorating. If I had a lower ethical standard I would have some NICE stuff for next year ... will just have to make my own holiday world next year and know I can’t compare to the big girls right away.)

Oh, and you can drink and shop here. The big liquor store, Specs, has tasting throughout the store (!) and even the supermarkets sample wine in their wine departments. At Central Market you can go to the cafe, order a beer or glass of wine and enjoy it while you are shopping. I am in Texas, Baby. God Bless America.

Ted and Bev from Toronto arrived last night around 1:00 am and will be here through January 2nd and much live music (FINALLY) and BBQ will ensue next week.

Good thing I don’t have to worry about a job. All I need to worry about is running out of money. Say a prayer for me .... :^)

The motor home continues to be an interesting challenge and Rudy and I seem to be making it a home, motor or not, a little more each day.

Much love to you and yours this Christmas Holiday. I hope your season holds some miracles of its own. ox ox