Welcome to My Planet

I appear to be suffering from blank canvas syndrome.  This is my new, blank blog and, oddly, I don't know what to say.  I'm not usually at a loss for words, except those that escape me these days.  When I stood in front of a blank canvas, afraid to make a mistake with paint, my teacher would take the brush from me and slash it across the canvas.  There's no one here to do that, so I'll put down some words and hope that as we get to know each other, things will get easier.

You should know something about me.  I'm in my very early 60s and grew up in Pennsylvania.  But I followed the love of my life to Boston when I was twenty.  Jack wisely decided to marry me, and we lived in New England until 2005, when we decided to move back to Pennsylvania to be closer to the three nieces I adore and their growing families.  It was an unwise move.

We hate Philadelphia.  I can think of only three redeeming features:  three art-type movie theaters within walking distance, the beautiful Ben Franklin Bridge, and several bar / restaurants with excellent vegan options (thank you, Royal Tavern!).  Everyone is busy, so I don't see my nieces often.  We talk about moving back to New England, but moving is such a chore.  I also wonder if we want to move back to a place we love or if we want to go back to a time when we were happier.  I'll try not to dwell on my hatred for Philly, but it colors my world.

I love books and reading and, like many of you, I'd go insane if I couldn't disappear into other worlds with frightening frequency.  I also love animals and respect them, so I don't eat them or wear them.  I spend a lot of distressing and depressing time advocating for their lives.  So many people never stop to think about or question everyday actions that have devastating consequences for animals.  I have a tattoo of the Sanskrit word 'ahimsa':  do no harm to any living creature.  I also love fountain pens and ink, blank paper and notebooks, 'The Avengers' (the original British TV series, of course), old mystery movies, silence, old houses, archeology, and bubble baths.  I don't suffer fools gladly, or at all.

My parents were the best in the world.  Even though they died almost fifteen years ago, I miss them more each day.  I still reach for the phone to talk to my mother.  I have one sister, seven years older than I am.  Our oldest sister, Joyce, died just before her second birthday, before either of us was born.  I often think about her and wonder what she would have been like and how our lives would have been different if she had lived.

I started out as a writer and probably should have opted for art over money, but I didn't.  As a journalist / writer, I could have pursued so many interests.  But money won out.  I worked for investment companies and then became a silent (but active) partner in my husband's heavy equipment appraisal business.  I dropped out of college after three weeks.  That used to bother me, but it doesn't any more.  I know I'm smart and capable and I don't need a piece of paper to prove it.  I know a lot of stupid college graduates.  (Maybe a few flakes of that chip are still there.)

My life now seems tame and sometimes dull.  I consider that I'm an 'ex' these days:  an ex-equestrian, ex-drag racer, ex-gardener, ex-writer, ex-sailor, ex-traveller.  I hope to add more exes before I actually exit.

That's enough for now.  I hope I'll hear from some of my blogging friends and I hope I'll make some new friends.  The ice has been broken;  let's plunge in!