Retirement Homes & Spring

I had the opportunity to shop with three generations of women this last week. My takeaway - it doesn't matter how old you are, women like to have something that makes them feel pretty. It's spring, and I'm finally digging out of the snow here at Lake Tahoe. My thoughts have turned to flowers, tree buds, birds, and lighter clothing. A trip to the tropics is on our radar and my daughters have also planned vacations. One is going to Thailand, which included a stop at the Travel Clinic, the other to Costa Rica, which doesn't require much more than what she already has, plus a bathing suit. My MIL, who is 97, also needed a few things, however, so my trip to Portland required some time at the mall.

It's nice to know that at 97 you can still care about how you look. She lives in a retirement home that has a certain decorum. They all have apartments, but take their meals in a centralized location that just recently decided ties were a bit excessive for dinner. But forget about shorts, that requires special dispensation. They do not want you out in the hallways in your bathrobe and slippers with curlers in your hair. The expectation is that when you leave your apartment, you are nicely dressed with hair at least combed. There is a beauty parlor in residence, and a small sandwich shop for guests. Most of the people who live there are from a more formal generation. They follow the rules and like structure in their lives.

So I started thinking what the retirement homes will look like for my generation. I really don't think ties will be something even on our radar. We Boomers are not very formal. I hope I don't get kicked out for trying to slip out and grab my laundry in the localized laundry room in my slippers. It would be just like me to test the rules. Not to mention my slippers are rather ubiquitous. In fact it's just like my generation to try and test the rules.

It may be a messy group of resisters in our retirement homes. Chaos in the hallways, calls to our children ...

Branjelina

Say what you will about the infamous Branjelina - but they pledged the same amount of money as the entire Peoples Republic of China to Haiti - $1,000,000!

Hmmm ... couple that with the lastest on children's jewelery being produced in China high in cadmium - a known poison - sending parents to search toy boxes, and we can see who has the more generous spirit.

Purse shopping+husband = :-(

One of the very odd things about early "retirement" is that your husband comes with you when you go shopping. He would rather have pulled out his last hairs, by the roots, than join me on a shopping trip a year ago. He simply would have refused. His time was very precious to him back then.

I have a birthday coming up, and he kindly asked me what I would like, or what I would like to do for my birthday. I informed him that I wanted nothing more than a new purse this year. This sounded great to him. No worrying about the right size, color, or object for that matter. Just go buy a purse! Yay, he thought.

Macy's had a big sale today, so off we went to check out what they had to offer. Driving down to Reno from Lake Tahoe, we ran one errand and decided to split up - with me going to Macy's and him to REI, Lowes, and some other male-loved retailer. He asked when he should pick me up and I mentioned we needed to pick up my yarn that was being wound into balls by 5:00 - which gave us three hours. What!? His face registers extreme alarm! He was thinking a half hour! One hour at the most!

Needless to say, I had to set him straight.

A word of advice to my male blogging friends - if your wife, mother, sister, daughter, girlfriend, or grandmother says she needs to go bag shopping - be prepared. Do not try and rush her! You will only cause her to purchase one that will not do in the end, and only cause you another trip. So find someplace to settle, grab a snack, play with your I-Phone, bring your book along, whatever. But do not rush her!

It needs to be the right color for the season, it must hang the perfect distance from shoulder and fit snugly under her arm. Too high won't do - too uncomfortable - too low won't do - too uncomfortable. It must have the right and perfect opening - wide or narrow - it is a personal choice. Then it must have the right zippers, pocket for cell phone, additional inside pockets, and sturdy magnetic closures or other fun accessories. It requires that she do a pass through to see what is available. Then another pass to gather a few to take to the counter. Then she has to take everything out of her purse and put it into the new possibilities. Just to see how it hangs, how heavy it is, and what it looks like when she is carrying it. This is done with the saleslady urging her to buy the more expensive of the two or three. Which of course requires that she discuss this with other women standing nearby, who are engaged in the same activity. Comments and advice are appreciated, and exchanged.

You get the picture.

No, not to be done in half an hour. Not to be done in one hour. But less than three.

Stoned

No. Not that kind. The kind that twinkle and glow, are dark, light, smooth, jagged. The kind of stones that have stories and reputed special properties. I have taken to those stones lately.

I found this beauty in a shop on Hawthorn, in Portland, Oregon. It has a story, too.

I knew I wanted a crystal, but it had to be just the right crystal. I have always had one until fairly recently. I don't know why. Just because they intrigue me, I guess. I gave my daughter the one that always sat on my dresser before one of our moves, and she wasn't willing to give it back. She said it protects her from bad energy.

Anyway, The Gold Door has a massive array of crystals. Passing on the ones shaped like a penis - don't ask me why - I was drawn to this one crystal that was big and shaped into a more acceptable bedside accessory. (Fertility is not my issue at the moment.) It was a beautiful rose quartz crystal. It was the only one of its kind in the store. I knew it was out of my budget. So I looked at a clear one a little smaller - over $200. Moving on, I found one even smaller - same outcome. I was just about to walk away when I decided, just for fun, to see how much the rose colored crystal cost. I had to get the salesgirl, feeling guilty about having her go to all the trouble, knowing full well I wasn't going to buy it, based on the prices of the others. She struggled to get it out, and around, from all the other crystals without having a major catastrophe. Pulling it out she remarked how pretty it was. My daughter, standing nearby, agreed. It was a beaut!

She hands me the hefty crystal, and I'm immediately smitten. I turn it over to see what the price is, and it says....$25.00. Not the $250-$300 range for the others. Twenty-five dollars! I really couldn't believe my eyes! The salesgirl seemed very confused - she said it was obviously mismarked. But of course, since she took it out of the cabinet, she would stand behind the price tag. It now sits on a shelf beside my bed, in all it's rosy, $25, glory.

Rose crystal is proposed to be the stone of love for oneself, life partner, children, family, friends, community, the Earth, the Universe, the Divine. It is said to activate the heart chakra, dissolve boundaries of isolation, and heal the heart of wounds. It is recommended for the bedroom, around one's neck, and on the desk to keep one's interactions in the highest possible state of harmony. It carries the loving consciousness of the Christ, and other heart-centered spiritual masters.

So there you have it. If you want to attract love, wear the rose quartz crystal. Put it on your desk to remind you to get along with others, and keep it in your bedroom to draw loving positive energy to your dreams. Give it to those in need of love in their lives, who are grieving, or seem lost and alone. It might be a nice gift to leave on the desk of that person at work that is driving you nuts. It couldn't hurt.

I'm now in search of just the right piece of moldavite, said to be very powerful. I'll keep you updated.

A little addendum: Since a commenter felt this was a sefish and unloving act on my part, for buying the crystal at the price it was offered, I feel the need to further explain. The shopkeeper offered the crystal at that price - she was not sure what the correct price was of the crystal, it could very well have been the $25 that it was tagged. I asked her if she was sure she wanted to sell it, and she laughingly said yes, of course. I didn't make her sell me the item. If it was wrongly priced, I would never do that. I'm sorry if my post gave that impression.

New Economy & Clothes

We go to Oregon quite often to visit family, so I generally save any shopping for when we head in that direction. Oregon doesn't have a sales tax, and Nevada's continues to rise. Which brings me to an annual event my daughters and I share. Fall shopping for warm clothes. Both Portland and Tahoe require such expenditures. Some things just wear out by the end of the season, and warm boots take a beating in the snow and rain. I purchased just what was needed, and so did the girls. Basic layering t-shirts and a sweater or two, to spiff up last year's winter jeans and skirts. I looked at all of the things people probably wouldn't buy this year, and thought this economy is not going to improve through consuming. I think those days are over. People are being very conservative. Our country, and maybe the world, needs to retrain and retrench.

My younger daughter needed a few things in order to segue from college hippie to working girl. Baby steps with that one - she doesn't feel the need to dress up for much. But she actually seemed pleased when I took her shopping, explaining that going to work with holes in your leggings should be a thing of the past. That, no, it was not okay to save all of her good clothes for going out at night, and wearing the worn ones to work. (She doesn't work with the public, except by phone.) It was time to think about moving up from her basic job and maybe into a more interesting position in the company. Hers is one of the few companies actually growing in this economy. That if she wanted a different car, that held friends and camping equipment - she would have to improve her income. Parental units are pretty much finished with their responsibilities. She knows she is lucky to have a college education minus student loans. She is lucky to have a job that has health insurance, including eye care and dental. She is lucky to have the possibility of upward mobility. Her dream of farming may have to be on her own time, however, starting in her own yard. Travel will have to wait until she can take a leave of absence, but she is lucky to work for a company that will allow her to leave for three months and come back! In other words, it is time for her "to paddle her own canoe," as my father used to say. She graduated into a new world. A new economy less forgiving, and not at all conducive to moving around looking for just the right fit. More like the world her father and I knew when we graduated high school. The Vietnam war was raging and inflation was double digits. Gas lines were long, and finding a good job was a blessing.

I actually think she was listening.

Hmmm... Maybe we are entering a new era, she and I. She is growing up, and I am learning to let go. Maybe, just maybe, we did a good job raising her. She is capable and prepared. Smart and industrious. She is loyal, honest, and works well in a team environment. Good workplace qualities. She always earns an additional bonus at the end of each month, given to those making few errors.

In a country where one in ten Americans are out of work, an estimated 15.1 million and growing, I'm grateful. And more importantly, I think she is, as well. At least for the moment. And isn't that where we're supposed to be living?