Liz Flaherty's Blog, page 187

A Spring Splurge

There comes a moment every winter when I can't face the thought of pulling out my boots - not even the cute, suede ones that look oh-my-gosh-good with jeans. This winter it's happened a couple of times, because our winter has been stormy and filled with all sorts of yuk. No, we didn't get the 5 inches New York did a month or so ago or the 10+ inches that hit the lower Midwest. But we've had several snow storms and more gray days than I care to remember. 

Then, in the middle of it all we w...

It's coming up spring

          It’s coming up spring. If I close my eyes, I can remember my mom moving purposefully through the house with a bandana tied Aunt-Jemima-style over her hair. She carried a bucket of hot water and the broom with a towel over its bristles. She started with the ceiling and worked her way down, and by evening of the second day, the house gleamed with wax and polish and smelled wonderfully lemony. Though Mom didn't have a nice house or—I believe—grea...

Not older but better Yeah, right!

On July 19, I'll be forty-six years old. By no means do I think I'm heading into being decrepit. But, I have to admit there have been changes. Hubby keeps telling me, "You're not getting older, you're getting better." God bless him, but I see the changes. Here are a few.

Everything is pointing south. Remember when everything on your body was perky? So do I. But perky doesn't live here anymore. Boobs, butt, and stomach have retired to the south. Okay, this can be fixed. But I don't want more si...

You Have to Let Go

 I may have mentioned a couple of weeks ago that we took a family cruise. And I may have hinted that we swam with dolphins. Today, I'm sharing a couple of pictures with y'all, because I want to make you jealous  I've been thinking about the leap of faith we all took getting in to that water with those dolphins, trained or not.

Because it was basically open ocean, there was a storm coming in to the area that day (not set to 'land' until after dark, don't worry, we're not completely nu...

Not Goin' Back

I just read a book by a an extremely prolific author. I hadn't tried her before, but since her book was set literally in my back yard, I thought I'd give it a go. The setting was great, the author had done her research. She even knew horses and packing in the mountains.

I should have loved this book.

I didn't.

For one single reason--the heroine was horrible. She bitched and moaned and complained about everything. Maybe it's because I've guided this type on horseback rides since I was big enough...

The winds of change

Thanks to our own genius Kristi Knight for our new look. Isn't it elegant? 
I was thinking—a good thing to do when you’re supposed to be doing a blog post in a few hours—but no, really, I’ve been thinking about retirement. Leaving my job after 30 years was an emotional wrench and a complete joy. Two years and a couple of weeks later, thinking of the job is an emotional blip—I still miss the people I worked with—and a complete joy. As much as I’ve loved my entire adult life, I don’t think...

The Grow House

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Starting in the Wrong Place

Over the weekend, RadioMan and I picked up some on-the-cheap-rack Blu-Rays for our movie collection. I grabbed The Holiday (one of my favorite movies) and a copy of Rum Diary, which I hadn't watched yet but had heard great things about. And because Johnny is the star. I mean, who doesn't want a little more Johnny in their movie diet?

Right? Right.

So, we settled in to watch and...I can't say I'm disappointed but I can say that I expected more. Not slap-dash, laugh a minute hysteria. But I love...

Just Feed!

This is me. I know, bleh. Not my best shot. I'm not that photogenic to begin with, but here I'm really looking grand.

So why show off this dandy pic, you ask.

Because this is what I do every single day. Get up, put on three or four layers, and go outside to feed the horde, er herd. Eleven horses, six dogs, nine ducks and one outdoor cat. Plus the flock of wild birds that hovers for a bite of dropped grain.

Today I don't feel like it. I have a toothache that's pressing into an ear ache. I really...

Waiting for the other shoe

         This is an achy Monday. My kids visiting from up north have left for home after a great weekend here at the Winter House. The kids I haven’t seen in too long seem very far away. I watched the season finale of Downton Abbey last night and am still disturbed by it.           I’ve written today, brooding lyrics in the song that is a difficult manuscript. “I’m waiting,” says Carol in the story, “for the other shoe to d...