Welcome back to SOLO at SIXTY!
I love Steely Dan… and always loved their song Deacon Blues. AND always thought it was written about the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. “They got a name for the winners in the world… I want a name when I lose… They call Alabama the Crimson Tide… Call me Deacon Blues…” But I just learned the song was NOT written about the Demon Deacons, but about 70’s NFL player Deacon Jones. Wow… All these years… but I was not alone in this assumption.
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.”
After winning our first 2 games in upset fashion, I thought our run might continue as I headed to Winston-Salem Friday to see Carolina play Wake Forest. Heard Deacon Blues on my favorite XM station – Yacht Rock Radio, except there were no Deacon blues Friday night… maybe a scare for the Deacs when Carolina finally got their act together in the 4th quarter, but the blues were all Carolina blue as we lost our first game of the season. All was not lost though – we had a great time tailgating! My sister and brother-in-law joined us for a barbeque tailgate in the “Carolina Town” part of the parking lot. I mean, when you are in Winston-Salem where barbeque is king, that’s what you have! We played cornhole, visited, imbibed, and had dinner before heading into the game. Expecting rain, I took my poncho, but amazingly, the weather held, and it was a beautiful night for football. I have not been in Groves Stadium in 25+ years. It has changed a bit. My last 2 years of college were at Wake Forest and the stadium seemed much bigger than when I was there, but when I mentioned this to my daughter, she googled it and said it is the smallest stadium in the ACC and all Power 5 conferences. Perceptions… sure seemed big to me!
First time our seats have been in front of the band and it was really fun. Band was very active and played all the fight songs plus so much more. Carolina crowd showed up and cheered hard. Just was not quite enough… no time to mope, chin up, there’s always next week!
Happy 90th birthday to our sweet Momma! Yep… Mom turned 90, but thought we were kidding her. “How can I be 90?” Two years ago, my younger daughter and I celebrated our 30th and 60th birthdays together (our birthdays are within 3 days of each other). So I thought I might bring the leftover “30” and “60” napkins to Mom’s party so she could pick whether she wanted to be 30, 60, or add them together and be 90! Wouldn’t it be fun if we could all do that!?! What age would you choose? If I could make some changes, I might go back in time, but truly, at this point, I would choose 60 (like Mom, I would definitely NOT choose 90!).
“The way I see it, you should live everyday like it’s your birthday.” Paris Hilton
We surprised Mom Saturday, and the expression on her face when my sister brought her into the room and all of “her people” yelled Surprise, was priceless. We celebrated with a lunch followed by a beautiful cake and ice cream. And were entertained by Sweet Jack and Izzie. What a fun and special day. 90. WOW! We are so lucky to still have our sweet Momma with us. Mom has experienced and sacrificed so much in her 90 years. She has loved and lost. Raised 3 strong daughters. Loved her kids unconditionally. Said goodbye to her parents and her sweet sister who she absolutely adored, her best friend. Suffered broken bones – an ankle and kneecap. Beaten breast cancer. Set a great example for her girls. And through it all, she has been full of grace and love. Mom is loved not only by her family, but also by her caregivers, because unlike so many of the elderly, she has kept her sweet and gracious demeanor. We are blessed.
“The golden rule of parenting it to always show your children the kind of person you want them to be.”
I said goodbye to my sweet Momma and my kids and headed to my happy place. Here for a week of perfect weather and special company! And SO.MUCH.FUN! More on this next week!
So… gotta share with you what I did last week. One of my girlfriends was about to embark on a BIG race and talked me into going to Cryotherapy with her. Know what that is? Well I didn’t… but I do now! Thought it might have something to do with Superman. Nope, that is Kryptonite. It is FREEZING your body! Yep, and I endured it for 3 minutes (that’s the limit). 225 degrees below zero. And if you know me, the fact that I even tried this is BIG because it was COLD y’all, actually freezing. Purpose is to reduce inflammation and pain – what I need with my knee. “Exposure to the sub zero temperatures triggers the release of anti-inflammatory proteins and endorphins.” And I am all about endorphins! Did it help? Maybe. Would I do it again? Yep, I think so. Luckily, you wear these really warm socks (thank heavens) and mittens and you march continually while in the “vat” so you don’t freeze (guessing here!). And I was told I could come out early if I needed to – NO WAY when I knew my girlfriend would definitely not come out early and I went first. After returning my body temperature to normal, I opted to also experience the “NormaTec Compression Recovery System” to improve circulation in my legs. Obviously, anxious to have my knee back to normal, I’ll try just about anything to help my recovery. Besides, it was fun because we did it together and got to talk the whole time.
“A single thread of hope is a very powerful thing.”
Keep your chin up, celebrate big and small moments, look for something good in every situation, and be thankful for every day you have with those you love, because as we all know, none of us is promised tomorrow.
Best,
Leslie
PS In 2 weeks Carolina plays Clemson (#1 team in the nation) in Chapel Hill. Maybe Steely Dan should change the words from “Crimson Tide to Clemson Tigers”. Here’s hoping we won’t be too blown out! You never know!
SOLO at SIXTY 
Love, love the expression on Betty Boop’s face at the big reveal !! I hope she can remember and continue to enjoy the love showered on her at 90 years.
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