I've been gone from California for the last five weeks. Five weeks ago, I received a call from my sister in New Jersey that my mom had had a stroke, fallen and broken her neck, and was in a lot of pain. None of this was good news. I hopped on the next flight and headed to my home state, my childhood home, and my childhood bedroom. Everything was the same as when I was growing up but my mother wasn't there to greet me at the door. My brother, sister and I, went to the hospital each day, all day, for the next two weeks. Although my mom couldn't speak and was in a neck brace, she could communicate by nodding her head slightly up and down or left and right. I think they were the longest two weeks of my life. This wasn't my mom's first stroke. She had one two years ago but recovered almost overnight. This one was different. She didn't regain her voice or the use of her legs and arm. She could move only her left arm and tried desperately to communicate. We couldn't figure out what she wanted to say. At the end of two weeks my mom gave up her struggle. It was a peaceful ending. She lifted her hand to her heart and closed her eyes. It was a privilege to be with her during her transition to her next great adventure. The next three weeks were full of things that had to be done. And now only the memories remain. 

Last week my youngest granddaughter got her ears pierced. A rite of passage for a 5 year old. I wasn't there but I heard all about it as soon as she got home. My daughter, a professional photographer, documented the ordeal and posted next day pictures. Take a peek at:

 http://jennifermoonphotography.blogspot.com/

My mother never got her ears pierced and my aunt pierced her own ears with a hot needle. When I was 5 my aunt wanted to pierce my ears. I'd always admired my aunt's long dangling earrings that would flash and twirl as she spoke and I wanted, more than anything, to wear earrings like that. I begged my mother to let my aunt pierce my ears but my mother would have none of it. She told me that my ears could fall off from infection and they would ooze pus and blood. It didn't take a lot of talk like that to convince me that my dreams of long dangling earrings were really a nightmare. Five year olds are very literal.

The years passed. Finally at 21 I married my high school sweetheart and I decided it was time for the mutilation that is ear pierceing. I still longed for those long dangling earrings. I didn't need my mother's permission and, by then, I knew that women's ears weren't falling off from having their ears pierced. I gathered my courage and a friend and the mission was accomplished. As soon as my ears healed, I put in long dangling earrings and I've never been without a pair in my ears since. My mom, bless her heart, still wears clip earrings.

My graddaughter wears diamonds. She would settle for nothing less. Hooray!

Today was a day for R & R. My hubby and I took the beautiful drive to Lake Tahoe to drink in the scenery and do a little gambling. Now I don't gamble too often-just when the spirit moves me. I've sometimes questioned what kind of spirit moves anyone to gamble but I'd rather not go there. So off we go. Perfect temp. James Taylor playing on the radio. Windows down. Hair blowing. California poppies blooming. Sweet! We drive over Donner Pass and there she lays like an ice blue crystal shimmering in the sun. The most beautiful lake in the world flanked on the Nevada side with casinos. The air is thinner and cleaner in the mountains than it is in the Valley and it invigorates every pore of my body. Then we walk into the smoky casinos and so much for clean air. My husband heads straight to the slots. He doesn't play craps, doesn't have a clue as to how the table works and doesn't want to know. I learned to play craps at the 2 dollar table at the Horizon many years ago. I love craps. I like the fact that mostly men huddle around the craps table oozing testosterone and counting their chips. They look at me kind of funny when I ebow my way in. I like the fact that for a few turns you get to control the game by throwing the dice. I try not to throw them out of the table because the pit bosses really frown on this. I know because something happens to my coordination when the dice are in my hands. Everyone standing around the table watches you and blames you if the wrong dots show up and roll their eyes if the dice land on the floor instead of the table. Geez, don't they know it's just a game? Well, the wrong dots kept coming up on the craps table today so I found my hubby and started to pull some handles. This can be pretty boring. All of the slot machines now take your bills but not coins. It's hard to keep track of how much you're spending. I used to love the buckets of nickels, dimes and quarters you could collect at the slot machines just a few years ago. Now you get a paper voucher printed with how much money you have left. I know this is more sanitary and more efficient for the cansions but I loved going home with with gray finger tips and the smell of metal on my hands. Well, we had lunch, didn't win a dime and had a grand time. Tommorow it's back to the ebay grind. 

This is a lazy Tuesday in Sacramento. I'm sitting at my computer thinking about all the things I have to do. I have new jewelry to post but first I have to take pictures. The place that I take the pictures is covered with tax papers that need to be filed. The file cabinet where I put the tax papers needs to be culled of obscure and unwanted folders and receipts. The unwanted receipts and old papers need to be shredded. The shredder if full and needs to be emptied. When I empty the shredder, I'll need to take the bag to the garbage. Tuesday is garbage day for us so I'll need to bring the garbage bag and recycle bin up from the curb, unlock the gate, and take them to the side yard. Then I can recycle the shredded paper. Of course, whenever I empty the shredder, shredded paper flies through the air and lands all over my office. I then need to vacuum. Seems like there is always something to do before I can get around to what needs to be done. Does anyone else run around in circles or is it just me?