Just Like a Fool

hey y'all,

if a picture says a thousand words, what does a video say? well, if it's ME in the video, god only knows.

here's a v. candid (uncensored, unedited) look at my first go with the iphone video feature. and for those who might be wary (you know who you are!), no xanax was wasted in the making of this video. :)

so sit back and relax for the next 14:06 minutes. oh, and keep your ear plugs handy if you don't care for the eagles' lyin' eyes.

there's no stopping me now. ;-)

love and hugs,
terry lee

she wonders how it ever got this crazy
she thinks about a boy she knew in school
did she get tired or did she just get lazy?
she's so far gone she feels just like a fool ~~ eagles

An Affair to Remember

hey y'all,

i wrote this blog on the morning of the fort hood tragedy and then lost all heart in posting it. but i offer it up to you now with lots of thanks for the precious sentiments of love, thoughts and prayers for the families of this community.

it's been a slow week, inasmuch as i haven't gotten anything accomplished. okay, i've been terribly preoccupied with my new toy, the vintage stereo i found last weekend (see previous blog for all the gory details, if you dare).

oh. dear. lord. is it FUN!

i realize that the new millennium (albeit a decade old) has ushered in all manner of new-fangled gadgetry ... digital music, mp3, ipods, blah blah blah. and believe me, i'm just as thrilled with my iphone as the next guy.

but there's something to be said for the sound of a record dropping, the needle catching the groove and then ... there it is. the music you listened to when life was young and tender and you still believed in fairy tale endings.

sure, a little scratchy. not quite as clear and pristine and sterilized as the digital music of today. but that's okay. this is the music (scratchiness and all) that's been etched into our memories, our hearts for years. i had forgotten what it sounded like ... what it felt like ... until i put the first record on.

my hubby (who shook his head and grumbled when he had to unload my camry last weekend) had all but ignored the white elephant sitting in the living room. but when he heard glen campbell's voice, he casually strolled over to the stereo and picked up the album cover.

him: "hmmm. this album has "crying" on it."

me: "would you like to hear that song?"

him: "no, it's on the other side."

me: "i think i remember how to flip the record, dear."

him: "no, it's too much trouble."

so i get up (i'm at the computer of course), flip the record over and place the needle at the beginning of "crying". he stands there, listening ... listening ... perusing the album cover ... and then i hear him singing along!!

he likes it! hey mikey!!

i walk back over to him and take his hand. we sing the rest of the song together while dancing, slowly 'round the room.

yep. it's a keeper. which means i'll be painting it very soon. :-)

i made this little video just for y'all. it's nat king cole singing an affair to remember. love, love, love his music. i panned around a bit to show some of the LPs and 8 track tapes i got with the stereo. kinda boring ... but keep an eye out for the pink kit kat clock!! she's plugged in and watching for you! :-)



love and hugs,
terry lee

Deep in the Broken Heart of Texas

hey y'all,

most of y'all know where i live ... central texas. i was born and grew up in this military town; an army brat of a hard-working and dedicated soldier i called daddy.

having spent all of my 48 years in the shadows of fort hood, i always felt a sense of safety, security, knowing that the "good guys" were right next door. training and firing their "big guns" to protect us. everytime the windows rattled, my mama would reassure me that all the noise was to help keep us safe.

as the years passed, i told my own babies that. "shhh, sweetie. it's just the soldiers at fort hood practicing and training to keep us all safe." i guess it worked. they seemed to be at peace with all of the noise coming from ft. hood, just as i had.

at some point, it became a part of who we were. like hearing the birds chirp, the cars pass by, the military copters flying overhead and the sudden thunderous booms ... it was so natural, commonplace, that we didn't notice it any longer.

then on a beautiful autumn day, 18 years ago, our community's fragile innocence was shattered when a lunatic drove his truck into our luby's restaurant and shot and killed 23 people, wounding many more.

my hometown was never the same. shortly afterward, the killeen high school kangaroos won the football state championship title and that was the beginning of our community's long, painful path to something we could only hope would resemble life as we used to know it.

we have come a long way, this hearty military town called killeen. most of the soldiers here are too young to remember the 1991 tragedy, which was a national news event. we healed, each in our own way ... but with plenty of scars that remained (emotional as well as physical).

with the unfolding of yesterday's horrific events, i'm certain i wasn't the only one who experienced eerily familiar feelings: shock, disbelief, overwhelming sadness and yes, anger.

as a mother, i can't help but think of the little ones whose lives are forever altered because their mommy or daddy was senselessly gunned down yesterday. as a wife, i can't help but think of the spouse who is left behind to explain all of this damn craziness to those little ones.

i asked a friend last night, "what is WRONG with this world?!"

i don't have the answer. but i know that something is different today. we've lost another piece of innocence and a semblance of security that we've been rebuilding for the past 18 years.

and tonight, what words of assurance will young parents whisper to their babes?

my thoughts and prayers are for all the soldiers, their families and friends all over the world ... and for this place i call home: killeen/fort hood, texas.

love and hugs,
terry lee