I could have danced all night...

I can't believe the night is here. I've been waiting weeks for this moment. The incomparable Willow Manor Ball is tonight. I'm breathless as I wait for my escort to arrive. I spent the morning having a wonderful two-hour massage utilizing essential oils. Smelling of lavender I was ushered, wrapped in my warm, thick, terry robe, to the manicure and pedicure area of the spa. Don't you just love this blood-red polish?

It goes famously with my Oscar de la Renta gown. Doesn't the model show the lines of my dress beautifully? I bought it after the show, right off the runway. It didn't need much altering because the model and I are the same size:

Such a beautiful bandeau neckline called for a simple chignon, with jewels, of course:

No necklace, the dress speaks for itself. Don't you just love these earrings? Harry Winston is my favorite jeweler:

And a simple little bauble of a ring:

I found just the perfect Manolo Blahnik shoes. The heels won't be a problem because I can dance for hours in six-inch heels. No problem, my feet are superior specimens:

And a gorgeous bag for those few essentials:

I was so excited that my escort was free this evening. He's between films. Of course, I'm used to seeing him in more casual attire. Here he is playing a round of golf right outside our hotel room in Kauai:

Was that the doorbell? He's here! Someone get the door! "Ohhh, hello, dahling!" (drawl, fluttering eyelids)

Is that look for me? I guess the preparations paid off:

Oh, is that for me? It smells heavenly. I will inhale the smell of rose and Hugh all the way to the ball:

What? A kiss? Well, maybe just one.....now what did I do with that fan?

Limo? Of course, I'm ready. Just let me grab my bag. After all, we have some dancing to do!

Won't you join us? It's going to be a fabulous evening!

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.

Are you going?

It's not too late! You still have time to shop. The ball is on the 13th, and I think everything is in place for the cyber event of the year. I am so excited - my escort is free to take me, and my dress should be here today. Come join us at the Willow Manor Ball.

After you're gone - who cares?

I've been reading about the Tony Marshall case going on in NYC this week. Mr. Marshall was convicted of embezzling his mother's money, which included amendments to her will. As her only child, he is facing a prison sentence at age 85. The crime was committed while she lay bedridden and suffering from Alzheimer's and/or dementia. Mrs. Astor was a very generous donor to the Metropolitan Museum and many other philanthropic entities. One of her favorite sayings was from a Thorton Wilder play, "The Matchmaker", in that "money was like manure; it wasn't worth a thing unless you spread it around." Of course, a scandal of this size includes a grandson, who accused his father of not caring for his grandmother properly in her last years, nurses and household help with their own stories, a lawyer, also on trial, for helping him with the dastardly deeds. Not to mention a greedy third wife, on whose behalf he was supposedly procuring these funds. After all, what more do you really want to buy at age 85? (Except for that pesky yacht?)

All of this brings to mind the thought - who cares? I mean, should you care what happens to your money, once it is out of your control? Do you really want to spend your last years worrying about money, of all things? She had made the comment to one of her nurses that rich people were like poor people - they always wanted more. I'm not sure that's true. Maybe if you spent your life knee-deep in money, that could be the case. After all, you become what you focus on in life. But for most of us, money is not the most important thing in our lives, people are.

Of course, if you have a bundle, you would want to see your favorite charities endowed, but after that - why worry about it? I would like to think my children will look after me for my sake - because they love me - not because they want to manipulate me out of whatever I'm going to leave behind. It would be theirs anyway. After my needs are met, who cares what they do with what's left? Hopefully they are good enough people that they will do the right thing. Be charitable, considerate, kind, thinking of others and the future. And if they're not? Well, they will reap what they sow. It's only money, after all.

Nor would I think I was entitled to anything more than what I had given in my life. We all have emotional bank accounts. Back to the old "reap what you sow" adage. By the time you are really old, and fragile, it's too late to change the outcome of a lifetime of wrong thinking and behavior. Best do it now.

As for Tony, it doesn't sound like his son will probably spend much time worrying about his father, either. Dad didn't set a very good example on caring for the elderly.

I guess my point is that all of this revolves around money and control. Two issues I really don't want to worry about in my twilight years.

What do you think?

Some things are just not cute!

Go here to see some equally amazing specimens on the Paris runways.

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?

Eventful Drive

We returned home to snow-tipped mountains. I guess Fall has arrived. Hot one day, snowing the next.

It was an eventful drive home from Portland. We came across two bald eagles sitting together on a transmission pole, four beautiful deer, and a bad car accident.

We were one car behind a Subaru driving erratically, swerving all over the road, including into oncoming traffic. After calling 911, we followed half a mile behind, holding our breath, praying no one would be killed, but fearing the worst. After about five minutes he swerved into a ditch and flipped. The car landed upside down and an elderly gentlemen, the only occupant, was unconscious. We're not sure if he made it our not, but it didn't look good. Fortunately we didn't smell alcohol, as he narrowly missed a school bus full of children. The reality of the road. After traveling so much by car this year, we've begun to feel very grateful that this was the first accident we have come across. Also a great reminder to take those keys from our elderly when we know we should. My father-in-law drove way beyond the time when he should have given it up. He was 94 and in very poor health. He could easily have been the poor man we trailed today.

I look forward to catching up with all of you. I'm sure I've missed a ton. Hope all is well with you, and that you are enjoying a new season, whatever it may be.