My blogging tree

Old tree, 2nd Street, Odessa, Texas. Cypress I think.

As per Neda's suggestion, I'll climb my blogging tree. A lovely, twisty one with lots of nuts on it.

My Family:

Bobbie (aka Great Grannie) is my Mom. She lives in East Texas. I live in West Texas. And if you know Texas, that makes it quite a distance, around 350 miles. My mom is artistic, gentle, vigorous, and an adventurer. I count all my good qualities as coming from her. (Although I didn't get them all. I guess my baby brothers might have got a few of the others.)

Star Bright (aka Kitten's Momma) is my oldest daughter. She lives about 1.2 miles from me. She is expecting again in February! Bright Star is nothing like me (so we say), yet we have hundreds of the same interests, and I value her wisdom in just about everything. Kitten her daughter, of course, is my grand daughter. Look for her own blog soon. She's 3 years old and keeps talking about it.

Star Light (aka Far From Home) is my youngest daughter. She lives across the country from me, all the way in northern New York state. She's been "far from home" for a little over a year. It's been an adventure for all of us. Her move is when we all started blogging in earnest. Star Light is my girl with the traveling shoes always at the ready, a Moleskine always at her side, and with a heart as big as Texas. And just as warm, too. I can't wait until Saturday when she comes home for a week!

Son of Adam is my soon-to-be son-in-law, Audrey's fiance. (April 19 2008 will be their wedding day, here in Texas.) He is my favorite musician on the planet. And second only to Star Light, I love to hear him sing best of anyone. If you want to hear them sing together, go to his link and listen to "Weird Bird." It is his awesome composition and guitar playing. It's a tribute to the poet Shel Silverstein. Quite possibly my favorite song of all time. Ok. Ok. I know. I'm a proud Mama and Mama-in-law to-be.

My Friends I Know...

Donna (aka Chafin Photos) is my friend from our college days and she currently lives about two hour's drive (if you don't stop to take a zillion pictures, like I do) north of here. The strange part is we lost touch for almost 20 years. She came back into my life last winter. She is a remarkable fifth generation Texan. Doesn't that just throw your hat in the river?

Sarmad & Linda (aka, well, aka Sarmad & Linda) are my friends from Brummana High School. They are married (and were high school sweethearts) reside in Lebanon, being our lifeline to that Garden of (troubled) Eden. Together we three co-host the BHS70s website and blog. Linda was my best friend in high school where we got into all kinds of trouble (caught and otherwise) together. I didn't see her for 24 years until I returned to Lebanon for a reunion in 1999. I don't think I ever had so much fun in my whole life as I did that week. And later, for the 2000 reunion, Audrey went with me; now our kids are friends too!

Friends Made Through Friends...

Frances (aka A Carpet Full of Holes) is also a BHS alumnus. Our years didn't overlap, yet never having met doesn't make any difference at all. Frances is "silly," as she likes to put it. Me, I think she's an angel -- ok, so an angel playing with her halo like it was a hoola-hoop. I have promised myself that if I do take that 50th Birthday trip to travel the canals of England in 2009, I'm going to make a special point to look her up (consider yourself warned, Frances) .

Fawzan (aka ArtEzan) is another BHS alumnus. He is a plein air artist living in Canada. I "met" him through a comment he made on the BHS blog (or was it Sarmad's blog). As soon as I linked over and saw all his watercolors, I was in heaven. He had a recent job change and didn't blog much. I see now though he has been busy and I need to catch up over there! Fawzan, I owe you a big hug for the joy your watercolors bring me (including the one I have framed in my home) and for putting me in touch with the next two ladies.

Rima (aka Marazine) is married to Fawzan. I can't imagine not knowing her; she has become a light in my life. I could go on and on about her endearing qualities, but most of you have the same pleasure I do of being in touch with her and receiving her endless enthusiasm. She is a creative whirlwind -- in digital art, in word-smithing, in being a hoot, and in making us all feel good just being in her brilliant presence.

Neda (aka Papier Colles) is Rima's sister. Neda, lucky for me, lives in Austin (about 250 miles from here I think) and I can't wait until I meet her in person. She used to blog with her sister, but branched out on her own. The rest is history, wonderfully joyful history enjoyed by many around the world. Every collage of hers I've seen is jaw-dropping awesome. You will never meet another artist so willing to share, to encourage, and to inspire. She's my hero.

Friends Made through Comments...

Windy & Hannah (aka Everything Hannah) came to my blog by clicking "next blog" and what a bit of serendipity that turned out to be. Windy is now part of my soul sista circle and has made me fall in love with Arizona and especially little Hannah -- plus other points between like eating right, books, organizing, and desert beauty. These are another two I can not imagine not having in my life. Seems like I've known them always.

Beverly (aka Eleanor's Mum) writes one funny blog post after another from Hull, England, which I believe is on the western coast. I visited her blog after she left comments on Frances' blog. And now I see others have gone over there in droves as well. Long Live Blog Links! I've never read anyone with her unique sense of humor. I anticipate her posts with an eager grin on my face. She once said had never talked to anyone from Texas. Well, she can't say that any more. Can she, y'all?

Irene (aka Sweet Irene) last but not least, Irene is the newest member I consider part of my blog vine. It was through Beverly's blog comments I first "met" her. (See how beautifully linking and commenting works?) She is English I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) and lives in the Netherlands. She has picked up on all our blog goings-on and has dove right in there, becoming one of with us, tackling Digital Art and even Jung. She fascinates me with her Senseo, her Eduard, and her fearless ponderings. Oh, and there is someone in her life named Joost. I love that name, Joost.

That's the branches thus far. Aren't we just the most global and fun bunch of leafs and twigs?

P.S. I used to subscribe to a lot of blogs, about a hundred of them in fact (using Google's Blog Reader). I was ravenous, looking for something, but didn't know what exactly. I've now found it. This group blows all those hundred professional and specialized bloggers out of the water. What I was looking for is what we have here -- bloggers with authenticity, struggles, humor, creativity, and camaraderie. Nor do I use the Reader any more (I use Firefox's ability to open a saved group of pages in multiple tabs) because I like to visit you at your place, at home with all your dots, color-schemes, links, books and news items. You miss that homey feeling with a feed reader.