Dear Abmel, Thanks, But No Thanks

Dear Abmel,

Yours Truly hasn't stopped thinking of you since Christmas Eve. Not because she loves you. Not because she misses you. But because of a little blue bag you stuffed into her Christmas stocking. Okay, it was actually a BIG blue bag, in a Christmas present paper BAG.

In all intentions of turning a new, healthy leaf, Yours Truly placed said blue bag in the healthy food drawer.

(Note the Grape Nuts cereal box and Blue Diamond Roasted Almonds bag.)

Oh, but how could Yours Truly resist the Party going on inside said blue bag.

(Note the packaging description highlighted in yellow.)

 Yours Truly doesn't have the discipline to pass up a party. So everyday, as an appetizer before meals, as a dessert after meals, and as snacks between meals Yours Truly has been partaking in the nasty, oh-so-bad-for-my-jiggly-butt party inside said blue bag.

As Yours Truly said, you have been on her mind. She is making a voodoo doll with your cute patootie-unjiggly-butt and stuffing one party morsel into its mouth for every handful of party morsels she stuffs into her own mouth.

So, thanks, but no thanks!


Yours Truly

He'll Melt Your Heart

Among the countless talents at which Mateo excels, melting unsuspecting hearts is one of them. Case in point: Five-Star Scotty. Five-Star has an obsession of avoiding cold/flu like it were the plague, no pun intended. He washes his hands after meet-and-greets, before meals, keeps an arm's length from sniffling toddlers, and never, NEVER shares his food with the same utensils. He met his nemesis with Mateo.

 

So much for keeping an arm's length distance...

 Note: one fork for the both of them.

"Man talk is no place for children," Five-Star has been known to say. 

*Mateo is the exception.*

In fact, Five-Star had his own man-to-man with the little squirt.

Five-Star is also a firm believer that a little rain ain't gonna hurt. But as soon as Mateo objects to the light drizzle, Five-Star gives in.

*There, there...  is it better out of the rain?*

Mateo: *boy, I really have Uncle Five-Star wrapped around my finger!*

One thing Five-Star can't get Mateo to do is to wear the purple W.

Much to Mateo's Mom's relief. She's a Duck. For those of you who aren't familiar with the rivalry, the University of Washington Huskies and the University of Oregon Ducks are bitter enemies, especially in football.

Five-Star Scotty: That's all right Mateo; if I can't get you to wear purple and gold, I'll persuade you to play football instead of soccer. (Much to Mateo's dad's consternation.)

Really though, it's all up to Mateo. If he wants to be a jazz musician, he'll convince Five-Star to drop football and anything purple for an evening at Jazz Alley. Well, maybe Five-Star won't drop the purple; but for Mateo's first trumpet recital, he'll Tevo a bowl game if it's on at the same time.

That's how good Mateo is at melting unsuspecting, manly-man hearts.

See Monkey, Do Monkey

Mateo gets a monkey for Christmas. 

Mateo likes his little monkey.

Mateo shares his little monkey.

Mateo is a little monkey.

Mateo, see monkey. Do monkey.

I Confess: I'm Homesick

The moon has been my obsession these last few days. Maybe because try as I might, I haven't been able to take a good photo of her. Or perhaps because it reminds me of my childhood, growing up on Truk island, telling tütünap (storytelling) in the light of the moon during power outages. With the coming of the holidays I miss my family on my little island.

James Bond.
Frank Sinatra.
Grease.
Breakfast at Tiffany's. 
Max Surban.
Mother Goose.
E.T.

They all have The Moon in common.

I watched them on VHS, and listened to them on cassette tape, on constant loop because they were all we had to watch and hear day in and day out. There was no cable back in those days. Only the moon to keep us entertained on breezy balmy nights.

 

Moonraker. Fly Me to the Moon. Blue Moon. Moon River. Bulan. Hey diddle diddle.

Phone home.

In celebration of New Year, the Trukese beat cans accompanied by chanting dialects and quirks distinct to a particular island.

Lukuno kütüpüng!
Romolum tranana!
Oneop ochoch kon!
Kütü tipanmwiil!
Satawan pwaki-pwaki!
Uman chüri maram! There is a folklore from the island of Uman, where a man poked a stick at the moon. Well, he TRIED to poke the moon- it's reflection, anyway, in the water.

The moon has made me sick for home.

 Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon;
The dog had a laugh to see such a sport,
The fork ran away with the spoon. 



 

I Confess: Yours Truly Turns Party Girl

There's bound to be something exciting in the works when there's a 

bunch of handsome men wearing cowboy hats at 

[click] Slim's Last Chance.

They're not wearing cowboy hats, but they're rearing to go.

Palomino is excited for sure.

Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, here is The Rachel Mae Band.

The Boxster on bass.

He knows the perfect spot to hang out.

The Rachel Mae Band wraps up their opening set.

They opened for Rosie Flores, all the way here from Austin, TX.

 

 

The Boxster and Rosie.

No, that is not an eye patch. It's not a poker chip either.

It was a ticket to inebriation. Moderate inebriation.

Yours Truly doesn't need liquid courage when she has these.

These boots were made for dancin',

That's just what they'll do,

One of these days these boots are gonna 

dance all over you!

Yours Truly turns Party Girl.

Love,

Netty

Click HERE to see the rest of the pictures.

Mateo

This is Mateo. He is Alfonsina's nephew.

I can see Alfonsina in this little boy.

 

He's already climbing mountains at the tender age of one and a half.

 He's not afraid to go down fast.

He sees adventure in every obstacle.

I see her in him because Mateo is her brother's child after all.