Writings by Diane

Each year I dread the first day of winter-- I have never been a big fan of the cold. I attribute it to being born where the weather was pretty much sunny and 74 degrees. Just like in the move LA Story , Santa Monica’s weather is sunny and breezy, the winters very mild. I seriously don’t remember having a large winter coat—a lined windbreaker was able to ward off the cold. When we moved to Las Vegas, we experienced hot and dry climate. We would replace our windshield wipers because they were so sun damaged that they would rot off! When winter came, it arrived with no warning. Around October, one day the weather was normal and the next day—WHAM! A cold snap hit the valley, dropping at least 20 degrees! A few Januarys ago, when I was a Junior at UNLV in January, classes literally stopped when it started to snow.  Granted, it only lasted a few hours and probably the technical term is a dusting, but it was the most amount of snow we had ever seen! Now living in Idaho makes me real...

Years ago when my son was an infant, nighttime feedings were really popular at our house, especially at 1 am.  It would have been enjoyable to sit and listen to the silence if I hadn't been so dead tired. The padded rocking chair was dangerously too comfortable as I sat there with my infant son feeding him his bottle. After he finished his formula, I held him against my shoulder and rubbed his small back, waiting for his contented noise (read burp) to let me know he was ready go back to blessed slumber.  However, the awaited noise came, but his bright, blue eyes stared back at me, no sign of going back to sleep.                 I figured this was a good time to sing a lullaby to him, a nice quiet song, not a toe-tapping Broadway melody. Besides, I was still in my pajamas.                 I had read many artic...

Each Christmas as our son gets older, he outgrows some traditions. Gone are the days of writing letters to Santa and putting out milk and cookies on Christmas Eve. However, I was surprised this year that he still wanted an Advent calendar. After Thanksgiving, he insisted on picking out a calendar that would offer the best chocolate. Usually, his criteria are how large the calendar is and if the days are mixed up, making it more challenging to find the correct day, I suppose. Then December 1, he starts the countdown to Christmas, with a daily chocolate treat. He’ll sometimes make a comment on the shape of the candy, for instance “What does a mushroom have to do with Christmas?” I guess you’re never too old for chocolate! Whoever thought of the Advent calendar was very clever. This simple concept of counting the days until Christmas, partnered with a sweet treat taught our son patience.  For an early age, he didn’t complain that the days weren't flying by until Christma...

Navigating through trying to figure out my husband’s ailments is a struggle. With all the doctors’ visits, the waiting for appointments, thinking it’s been figured out but then finding us going back to the drawing board is frustrating. Sometimes it’s like I’m running in a marathon. In my mind’s eye, I can see the finish line just a few feet ahead of me. As I am about to cross it, the officials appear out of nowhere and grab the finish line and take off with it, moving it further along to where I can barely see the waving banner.  I stop in my tracks, sweat poring off of my brow, completely out of breath, I am utterly defeated. As I’m bent over, staring at my blistering feet, I see a brief glimpse of how far I have run.  I straighten up, trying to catch my breath. Some runners whiz past me, but some stop to point out the first aid station to get patched up. As I go to it, I’m met with cups of water on the side lines. As I drink down the refreshment, I quit hearing my hear...

The news of the death of Larry Hagman on Friday included remembrances of his past work, such as I Dream of Jeannie and Dallas. Personally, I didn’t watch these shows and they aren’t the first things that come to mind. There was one memory of Larry Hagman I have and it still resides with me to this day. Years ago, I had seen him in an interview where he was describing advice his psychiatrist had given him “Don’t worry, be happy.”  This advice was life changing to Mr Hagman. He immediately took these words to heart and it became his motto. However, just hearing the words wasn't enough for him. He wanted to share this message with everyone. He made a large sign proclaiming these words. He added Feel Good and displayed it outside of his Malibu house at the time.   I don’t know what it was about this simple message, but it stuck with me.  Even to this day, if I notice I’m feeling the blahs, I think of these words and I actually do start to feel good and happy (...

I have always admired painters.   I myself am horrible at it. Perhaps I don’t have the painter’s vision to draw something that will resemble anything.   I prefer the minimalist approach—I can paint a slash of green on the page, believe it is minimalist and call it good! A few days ago, I was looking at a painting that my husband’s Aunt Dorothy created. It’s a humble barn in the middle of a green field with a royal blue sky background. I am glad to have a tangible memory of her. I remembered before she got ill, she would sit and paint while watching the show Bob Ross The Joy of Painting on PBS. She would laugh when he would say things like “ You know me,I’ve gotta put in a big tree”   Sometimes, she would talk back to him on the television, agreeing with him that a happy cloud needs to be added. I found this all confusing—Dorothy always struck me as a strong, pragmatic, full of spit and vinegar, no-nonsense woman. I found Bob Ross to be an odd fellow, to ...

I am an incurable multi-tasker. One way I found to multi-task was listening to books on CD while I drove. It was very enjoyable, since listening to a book on CD is very different than reading the words on the page. The reader makes a huge difference. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was a compelling novel, but SimonVance ’ s strong and distinguished voice made the story resonate within me. By listening to books on CD in my travels, I was able to absorb more books than I could by reading them. I felt I was accomplishing more than just getting from point A to point B, though my safety in driving was never affected. You will notice as I speak about this, I am using the past tense. This is why. A few weeks ago, I was listening to an audio CD in my car that was Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter , which coincidentally is in itself multi-tasking. The book combines historical data with whimsy, sort of like 2 books for the price of one. When the CD ended, I tried to eject it, but it wouldn’t...