Fall Day at the Gardens

Mom is here, visiting with us for Thanksgiving. Today I took the day off. I spent a little time preparing a few things for tomorrow's dinner, but still had plenty of free time, so I took Mom to the Botanic Gardens, where we strolled a little bit. There are lots of benches, scattered here and there, so it was not too tiring for her. We both enjoyed getting out in the fall weather for a while. The sun was shining and it was around 65 degrees.

Mom, at one of the garden gates.

New Mexico's state bird is the roadrunner. I was happy to get a clear photo of this one. Roadrunners can run up to 17 miles per hour, and are "skittish," making it very hard to get their picture. This one, though, was wandering around some tables at the entrance to the Gardens, where people often feed it, so it was a little less camera shy.

Some dried tree pods hanging in front of a clump of pampas grass.

In the courtyard, just outside of the gate to the Gardens, is this bronze sculpture that I love. You can see, in the background, some flocked trees. They are setting up for the month-long River of Lights.

After the Botanic Gardens, we went to the 66 Diner, on the old Route 66 (currently Central Street, in Albuquerque), and had lunch. Here's Mom with Betty Boop.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day. I wish each of you a wonderful day with your family and friends.

When I Grow Up

Let me tell you about Isabella. Isabella is a beautiful, elderly widow lady in our church congregation. She has been battling cancer for the past two years, going through surgery, chemotherapy, recovery, remission, and relapse twice. Now she's facing another round of chemo. I never see Isabella without a smile. It's true, last Sunday night I saw her with tears in her eyes . . . but she was still smiling! She has amazing strength of character, abiding faith, and a thankful heart. I want to "grow up" to be like Isabella.

You've Got to Watch This!

Be sure you go to Kelsey's blog at: http://juddstuff.blogspot.com/2008/11/claras-first-dance-recital.html to see Sweetpea's first dance recital (which was back in the summertime). She's third from the left, as you're looking at them. The part I love best is when she stops her performance to point to the spot on the floor where the little girl next to her should be standing. Pretty dog-gone cute, if you ask me.

For those of you who are her adoring fans, I think her second recital is coming up sometime before Christmas.

Date Night

Dan and I usually go to dinner on Friday evenings. It's our "date night." But last night we did things a little differently.

We went to an afternoon movie matinee, to see "The Changeling," starring Angelina Jolie as a single mother, living in Los Angeles in the 1920s. When her nine-year-old son goes missing, in 1928, she frantically turns to the LA Police Department, which, at that time in history, was known for rampant corruption.

After five horrible months of waiting and grieving, she is ecstatic when told, by the police, that her son has been found! But when he arrives in LA and steps from the train, she comes to the awful realization that the boy is not her son at all. In his attempt to make the police look like heroes in the eyes of the news reporters, who are crowding around to capture the happy reunion, the police captain (played by Jeffrey Donovan of Burn Notice fame), refuses to acknowledge the mother's protests, and sends her home with the boy. "It's been five months, Mrs. Collins," he tells her. "The boy has been through a lot. His appearance has changed, that's all."

The movie is based upon a true story. I won't divulge any details or reveal the ending, but will say that it left me, both, angry at the injustice of the situation and full of admiration for the unbending courage and determination of the mother, in what appeared to be an impossible situation.

For Dan and me, "date night" started, this week, with an afternoon matinee, and ended with a trip to Costco, where we each enjoyed a Polish sausage on a bun for dinner - best dinner bargain in town (hotdog and drink combo for only $1.50). The movie and the bargain dinner both get a thumbs up from me.

The Changeling (Directed by Clint Eastwood).