Why that's Duchess the cat on my Facebook page

Last night's supermoon was gorgeous and hot pink, then orange, then ecru, then... moon-y. I tried for some photos but there wasn't enough light to always set the focus so the camera refused to cooperate. Then if enough light did leak in, by the time the automatic shutter speed for night-pictures went off, the moon had moved. Not that I could see if move, or you could see it move, but the camera knew what was what and it blurred.

So I just watched as it set apricot-colored this morning.

Then, tired of moving my capri pants one pair at a time from the other closet, I changed the winter and spring/summer wardrobes. This guarantees cold weather before Easter so consider yourself warned.

THEN, I decided to join Facebook. Supposedly, it's easy. Let me count the ways it might not be:

1. My profile photo. I held the iPhone up and took a today-pic of myself. Several times. Found one that didn't make me look too pale and ten years older than I am and emailed it to myself. Instant gratification. Uploaded it. Facebook turned it sideways. Yes, that's right, I was on my side. And I couldn't seem to get it any better. I finally figured out that maybe the parameters weren't right, so I loaded it into iPhoto, changed the shape and gave it another go. It worked! Five minutes later, the sideways one reappeared. That is why I deleted the sideways ones and put Duchess the cat up. She is the alpha female in the backyard. I am the alpha female in the house. It's fitting.

2. I made a password like you have to. Then when I went to check back in, it wouldn't work. Three times. Which is all the tries they give you before the message to re-do it comes up. And the two emails. And the code. And the warnings. So I made a new one. We'll see how long this works. I saved the emails.

So, welcome to Facebook?

Pulling memories from your pocket

For the second time this month, I grabbed my winter coat off the coat tree downstairs and hauled it up to its closet. Once before I'd thought that I wouldn't need it again and I'd been, obviously, wrong. This time, with the first day of spring on Sunday, I'm more optimistic that it'll stay put.

That being the case, I thought I'd better clean out the pockets. Not that I expected to find any money there--and I didn't--but I did find the detritus of our entertainment, three movie ticket stubs.

My coat pocket is a favorite place to stuff the stub as I hunt the theater. "Number 15, down the hall," the ticket taker may say, but I've got to find the ladies' room and number 15 and wait for my spouse to get a drink. Into the pocket goes the stub.

The yield from my pockets were three very different movies: from Thanksgiving with the family in Austin, Tangled. The girls went while the boys golfed. Tangled is a good movie and I was as rapt as my grandchildren. A lovely afternoon.

Next stub was True Grit, which we saw locally. Excellent retelling of the John Wayne classic. Better than it. Way better, because we'd just watched The Duke a few nights before in his Oscar winning role.

Finally, Little Fockers, again local, in early January. It was an okay movie and for the senior rate of $3, I couldn't complain.

Sometimes it's just as well to pull memories as money from your pocket.

The seasonal switcheroo

We had five inches of snow on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Five. Inches. Beyond mid-March. Beyond fathomable. It was almost a joke because then it was more melted than here by Sunday evening.

Hoping that was the last of winter (or of the unbearably cold winter although the temp didn't get below 30), on Monday I switched my closet. Out went winter, in came spring/summer. For better or worse, if it turns cold again, I shall have to dig.

Then, I made myself really look at items and decide not only if I was going to wear them again, but if I should wear them again. At the end of the hour, I had three Chico's shopping bags full for the secondhand store. To make sure I didn't have second thoughts, I handed them over on Tuesday morning. If it was a mistake, I'll have to not only pay to get it back, but hope it's still there.

I noticed a couple things about my wardrobe. My winter is heavy on jackets and vests. They don't go out of style and are available at bargain prices to shoppers like me who love to buy out of season. My spring/summer wardrobe (you'll notice there isn't a fall wardrobe because it's a mix of summer and winter) is heavy on crop pants. Again, readily available at bargain rates end of the season. That's why I have so many.

No excuses offered. No rationalizations. Just fact. Can't pass up a bargain.

Spring closet attrition

While I know it's too early to move my winter clothes into the other room and the spring/summer into the main closet (because if I do I know it will snow or do some other wintry thing just to get back at me), I have decided to let it happen by attrition. In other words, not finding what I want to wear, I'm going to raid the s/s closet and then leave it in the main one when it's time to hang it up. I'll even take sweaters into the other room. It wouldn't hurt to start making a box for the second hand store of those things that I think if I see them _one more time_, I'll start growling.

As to shoes, the boots are packed away and two pair of sandals have made their way out of hibernation. I hung one heavy coat. I folded fewer socks last laundry.

Oh, yes, I can feel the warmth starting in my bones, but I'm also wary of Mother Nature and her ill ways.

Getting ready for spring

The daffodils have exploded today in my yard. The King Alfreds started last week, but this afternoon the Ice Follies, white with yellow centers, are taking center stage. Daffodils here, tulips showing their greenery, hyacinths peeking through, must mean spring is on the way.

And not a day too soon. It's not that this winter has been worse than normal, because I don't believe it has. We've had cold and yes, there was that 6 inch snowfall in one day, but there's not been ice. What there has been is rain. And more rain. Our back area could have doubled for a rice paddy or cranberry field two weeks ago. We're tired of the wet.

The temps are warming, which means the day it hit 60 outside, I turned the heat off. The windows are cracked, the house is airing in stages, and I'm hoping I don't have to hear the click of the heat strips again until we turn it to the a/c side. I can almost hear my electric meter sighing in relief.

The big sign of spring however will be when I change over my closet. I am so tired of my winter blacks and browns. I think I get in more of a rut in winter than summer, wearing the same thing over and over. What's the adage: 20% of your clothes are worn 80% of the time? I can believe it.

But for the moment, I'll just be content to wear jackets instead of coats and lightweight socks instead of heavy, shoes instead of boots...