So I have been MIA for some time now and it appears it will be that way for a bit longer.

I have had some personal health issues that are now ok and I had to cancel most of my RenFaire plans for the season.

The good news is I still have my job! LOL God willing I will have no recurrences and am happily planning on a 2010 RenFaire season.

I shall have alot of catching up to do with my friends........See ya soon.

Now I am the quintessential xmas baby, in that I love all things xmasy...mostly...and so I decorate and shop and overbuy and always swear I will not the next year. I truly did scale back this year, since the economy is so bad and since I really can do with less and I really don';t need a thing. That way when it's Ren Faire time again I can go to more. That's my game plan anyway. By the time I'm off work and I wrapped everything and baked and/or cooked it all........I'm pretty sure I'm stickin to the couch and a good movie tonight. Fa la la lala. I have friends all coming by tomorrow....and that is another day. I did miss the small ones. There is nothing as exciting as watching the little ones this time of year, and alas my 2 grandchildren are not here and no one else is small. And on to the new YEAR!!! Merry Xmas My Ren Family.

I m so grateful that  I have my daughter home today. I left friday and arrived at Miss Bonnie Pearls to attend TRF and hang with my sista. I spent hours makimg my really fabulous Barbarian attire, of which half of it I left in Oklahoma. (Guess i was a tad excited to leave) This was the half that was my leather top and my Redfox headpiece and my mink belt....SO...I made do with one of Miss Captain Pearl's shirts and off we went.

I enjoyed TRF on Saturday and was ecstatic to meet Rumy and Red, Vulture, Landrew and many others on my site. TRF is the bomb!! I just did not get to see or meet everyone I wanted and I was really psyched for Sunday; however, when I turned my cell phone on Sunday morning, I had several phone messages that my daughter was being lifeflighted to childrens hospital in OKC. Sheila and Brett threw me and my things together in about 3 minutes. I did 95 and 100 from there to Dallas before I got pulled over; whereby after explaining my haste he was kind enough to give me fast directions and send me off. We were able to bring her home late wesnesday and she is still with a touch of pneumonia and pancreatitis, but she made it and that is qll I can ask for now. Her Birthday is today and she is a 14 year old Thanksgiving baby!!!!

I will certainly post a few of the pics from TRF later and I will try it again another time. Until then; I hope to see you at a fair soon and I hope your holidays were less eventful.

THANK YOU SHEILA!!

So I lost my dear friend this weekend. He passed peacefully in his sleep, and for that I an grateful. I am so happy for all the days and fun conversations we shared these last 4 weeks; although they were not nearly enough. I just wanted more time and there wasn't any more.

I promised my friend, we had said all we wanted to say to each other and that I would be happy with that and quit mourning. Well, easier said than done, but a promise is as promise.

So I will be rallying around all my dear Ren Friends and I look forward to catching up with everyone and all the fun you have been having. Please drop in and say Hi and catch me up.

I MISSED YOU GUYS!!!!

REDFOX

I recently turned 50; the world did not stop and the sky did not fall for this monumentous event. This is the birthday that sounds really old, whether you feel it or not. When you are 40-49, you simply say: "I'm in my 40's." When you hit the big five-0; that sentence goes right out the door. OK, say age is only a number and your only old as you feel----and all those cliches. HMMMM......Let me just reflect on that for a moment.

Depending on the time of day, activity involved and amount of enery required; I may feel 18 or 80! I have acquired new body parts overnight....or at the very least; they have been rearranged. AND....GASP! Just the other day, I found myself thinking: "Am I too old to be wearing this-? AAAAH.

This is the part where real life thundered in with a reality check. It came in the form of a phone call to inform me a life-long friend-------same age as me..................was dying. He had just gone to Colorado and he was fine.............and then he wasn't. When he came to in the E.R., he was informed he had inoperable cancer. His liver and kidney were so enlarged they were cutting off the blood supply to his heart. They proceeded to offer a few possible experimental things; none with any certainty he would make it home. He chose none of those but came home to be with his family and friends. I go by almost every day, and I cherish my time with my friend who handles each day with such grace and dignity. No whining or self pity from this man, who is too busy making the most of each minute of each day.

Yes, I have had my share of hard knocks; as have most people; but I 've also done or experienced an incredible amount of wonderful things in my 50 years. I have been to all but 2 of the 50 states...and several countries. I've met many celebrities; some who were nicer than I had imagined and others whose attitude in general-----JUST SUCKED!

I've had great adventures in the sky, at sea; movie sets, designer runways and on and on....Have I done everything I want to do-? Not no, but HELL NO! Am I afraid of death-? NO, but that is vastly different than being "ready" to die. SO FOR EVERY DAY THAT I GO TO SEE MY FRIEND---I AM HAPPY I AM 50................................

I AM HAPPY TO JUST--------BE.