"Ma'am, I'm just a cowboy"

I am in Prescott, Arizona visiting my mother. Walking about the town in the early morning light yesterday, I realized that I feel at home here. The buildings, highways, hills and tree lined river beds remind me so much of Cottonwood, where we lived until I was 14. I suspect that no matter how far we go, or how much we think we have changed, where we first put down roots defines us in ways that never change. I am sure that these two towns have also changed in ways that can't be counted, cable TV, Internet service, five lane main streets, but there also remains a simpleness reminicent of the time when I was growing up, a time when children could run freely along the streets and men were gentlemen. On Sunday, coming in from Phoenix on highway 17, driving east on 69, I had to stop for a soda and a walk to clear my head. The man at the counter of the market had one of those handlebar mustaches. Just to make conversation, I ask him if he rode motorcycles, and he laughed softly and in a gentle softspoken way said, "ma'am I am just a cowboy". No need to be more, no regret at being who he is - understanding of what values defines him - this feeling is what makes us at home in our own skin - then the place - the space - where we live is no longer important.

This little house although not the same shape or color, reminded me of the house the seven of us grew up in - small and poor - and after all these years still representing home.

'more' bigger

A trip to the local garden center took Patty and I 1 hour and 35 minutes - a 5 minute drive and an hour & 1/2 to walk around. We walked up and down all the rows enjoying the fresh air, moderate morning temperatures and a complete selection of spring flowers, trees and bushes that are best planted now, before the heat of summer.

I bought some bulbs to plant in Friburgo and, of course, more seeds. The seeds I take back never grow into viable plants, but I get warm feelings starting them in the greenhouse. I have started to give the baby plants to Lucia and Manuel to take home. They live down the hill from us and seem to be able to get a vegie or two from the plants - mine grow just enough to allow me to walk around the garden and eat a handfull of peas, green beans or cherry tomatoes, pulled straight from the "vine". This Houston Garden center is another example of the 'bigger' in the States. One that I can't help but fully enjoy -

Rio de Janeiro - 1936 City of Splendor

Don't expect to find this city in 2008. It was wiped out long ago by dictatorships, military governments, modern unchecked violence, widespread banality, pervasive drug traffikkkking and profound political corruption.

BiG!

I am now at five years in Brasil. In those five years or 60 months, I have probably spent 6 months here in Houston. This visit, I have started to notice that I now have a different perspective of the States. BIG, and BIGGER. The doctor's office where my daughter works with its long halls, high ceilings, and soft lighing accenting the feeling of space, the new house of a friend - Rhonda and her hustband Terry (no children at home/one very small dog) just purchased this last December has a kitchen the size of our Rio apartment (somewhat exagerated to make the point), the parking garage under the Galeria that has long open drives and parking spots that are easy in and easy out - everything Big! Part of this perception of BIG, is the wide open spaces of Texas, its wide flat plains that are now filled with people, 14 lane hishways, and three story stores that have only one story of showroom floors. BIG! Every shopping center is surrounded with parking spaces - Bigger! Restaurants Big! and the serving sizes Bigger!
It has occured to me that the well publicized weight problems of the North Americans are rooted in the world of BIGGER! In order to not feel small in this world of BIG - they feel the need to be BIGGER!.

visiting HOME

I will take a minute to say I am sorry that Rosemary gave up writing on the blog - her humorous entries offset my serious nicely and I will miss it if she doesn't come on and make comments from time to time. Back in the USA!

I've been here for three days and think that today is the worst of the Jet Lag. The first days are always so great to be back that I don't feel any fatigue - but today is bad. Droopy eyes, dragging butt, and lagging spirits.

These are the things I miss when in Brasil.

Marissa - Granddaughter - age 12: Carl- Grandson - age 17 (18 in April): Louise a long time friend here celebrating her birthday with ME and her daughter-in-law Lilibeth.

And (but not as much) shopping. The thing now being featured in BEST BUY is flat panel HDTVs - it was just announced that TV transmission will from now on be in HD format only - my understanding is nilch / nada / zip - but it seems if you have an older TV you

have to buy a new one or purchase some special 'black box' to convert the transmission or not watch TV the great American PassTime. This should help China's and Japan's economy right? Prices seemed to be good though - 21" flat panel only! US$229.00 to a 42" Sony US$1300.00 - JEEZ! The NEW National personal debt will now be US$GAZILLION after everyone runs out and charges a new flat panel HDTV. Maybe this was Bush's great economic salvation plan.

A Final Goodbye from RoseMary

I think every foul, heartbreaking, frustrating thing that could ever be written about the country of Brazil and the state of Rio de Janeiro in particular has been written. . . That is why when I started to write this blog I chose to write about the good things as best I could. Doing so was necessary for me to maintain my sense of humor and mental health. In the last few months I have not been able to blog positively about Brazil. In fact I seem to have lost my sense of creative writing and interest in writing. I also find myself struggling with English as I delve deeper into the Portuguese language. I tried to blog a few times but it all came out wrong and foul and heartbreaking and frustrating.

Ginger has been enthusiastically writing the blog now by herself for many months and I will now turn the reigns over to her by signing off as administrator. It seems only fair. She takes great photos for this blog and for her flower blog, why should I tip the balance into negativity when she has such a lovely thing going.

I wish I could change the name of the blog but I don't have a clue of how to do it and still maintain the readership. As of now I will just move her photo up above mine and make a small addendum to my home page screen. There is a possibility that I will sign on as her guest writer once in a while.

So for now, I thank all the people who have been patient and those who have been loyal readers even when we did not blog. I have enjoyed my online friends and I hope someday to meet some of the readers.

Kisses Always
RoseMary

Lights Out

All I can say is it is rainy season again. EVERYDAY it rains, sometimes the whole day is cloudy and dreary but generally we have bright sun, beautiful skies and birds singing in the early morning. At about 10 am, the darker clouds start building and by around two in the afternoon, we start hearing thunder at a distance, moving closer and by evening it has either rained and cleared, or is into serious storms. I suspect this has a lot to do with the heat in Rio and the Macacu valley (reserve) pumping inland and up into the cooler air in the mountains but regardless of Mother Nature's reasons, for us it means NO LIGHTS, telephones or Internet. EVERYDAY! we have an outage of electricity at some point. The last 4 days it has happened right at dusk, duration of an hour to 5 hours. For all of you that live in a city, this means dinner by candlelight, solitaire with cards (for you fellow addict - no spider solitaire), no 'law and order' and COLD showers. Compensation, we get to wake to a view of the valley that takes your breath away. The world washed clean of smoke and haze, and the forest a healthy bright green.

All that TV and Computer is bad for your eyes anyway. Yep! bed by nine and awake as the sun rises - that's the way to live(?).