Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Tears
It seems that tears have filled a great part of my life lately.
The loss of my daughter’s kitten to an accident on Cindyisms.
The story my granddaughter wrote on Degrees of Oddity
The terrible hurricane disaster in Louisiana, Mississippi, and elsewhere.
The moments when I stop to feel the slow loss of mobility.
The struggle my children face to obtain a way to make a decent living.
The emotion that seems to grip my husband in moments of stress,
I guess that tears are the release that old age provides so our minds don’t explode and we can retain what common sense we have survived with!
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
THE CLASS REUNION!
This hit me because I graduated from High School in 1953. I have had reunions like this. Thank you Pam and Sally for sharing!
Every ten years, as summertime nears,
An announcement arrives in the mail,
A reunion is planned; it’ll be really grand;
Make plans to attend without fail.
I’ll never forget the first time we met;
We tried so hard to impress.
We drove fancy cars, smoked big cigars,
And wore our most elegant dress.
It was quite an affair; the whole class was there.
It was held at a fancy hotel.
We wined, and we dined, and we acted refined,
And everyone thought it was swell.
The men all conversed about who had been first
To achieve great fortune and fame.
Meanwhile, their spouses described their fine houses
And how beautiful their children became.
The homecoming queen, who once had been lean,
Now weighed in at one-ninety-six.
The jocks who were there had all lost their hair,
And the cheerleaders could no longer do kicks.
No one had heard about the class nerd
Who’d guided a spacecraft to the moon;
Or poor little Jane, who’s always been plain;
She married a shipping tycoon.
The boy we’d decreed “most apt to succeed”
Was serving ten years in the pen,
While the one voted “least” now was a priest;
Just shows you can be wrong now and then.
They awarded a prize to one of the guys
Who seemed to have aged the least.
Another was given to the grad who had driven
The farthest to attend the feast.
They took a class picture, a curious mixture
Of beehives, crew cuts and wide ties.
Tall, short, or skinny, the style was the mini;
You never saw so many thighs.
At our next get-together, no one cared whether
They impressed their classmates or not.
The mood was informal, a whole lot more normal;
By this time we’d all gone to pot.
It was held out-of-doors, at the lake shores;
We ate hamburgers, coleslaw, and beans.
Then most of us lay around in the shade,
In our comfortable T-shirts and jeans.
By the fiftieth year, it was abundantly clear,
We were definitely over the hill.
Those who weren’t dead had to crawl out of bed,
And be home in time for their pill.
And now I can’t wait; they’ve set the date;
Our sixtieth is coming, I’m told.
It should be a ball, they’ve rented a hall
At the Shady Rest Home for the old.
Repairs have been made on my hearing aid;
My pacemaker’s been turned up on high.
My wheelchair is oiled, and my teeth have been boiled;
And I’ve bought a new wig and glass eye.
I’m feeling quite hearty, and I’m ready to party
I’m gonna dance ‘til dawn’s early light.
It’ll be lots of fun; But I just hope that there’s one
Other person who can make it that night.
Author Unknown
Monday, August 29, 2005
Oops!
When working on the brush pile we decided to move the truck. A slippery shoe and a gas pedal do not help to stop a vehicle when backing up.
When said vehicle met the corner of the immovable shed it was lose-lose situation!
Who did it? My lips are sealed. Shit happens!
Much Ado About Nothing!
After several months of staring at the pile of old tree branches we finally dug in and two days this was the result.
A lot of raking and loading the trailer by hand to fill the burning barrel the first day and start this burning pile the second.
Jay applies the match.
The flames signal the start of disposing of this eyesore.
Safety first always.
Now it is all gone.
And not a hot dog or marshmallow in sight!
From Out Of State And Out Of The Past!
Company from out of state is an exciting way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Even more exciting is when the company knew you when she was a teen and a friend of your oldest son. Yes this is Darlene and daughter Chrissy from Holbrook, NY. Darlene is the author of the new blog Too Much To Say
Along with husband Michael and their two pups (Lady And Cammi) they came to visit before returning home. We got to know Micheal and share time with Dar reminiscing about the old days. Dar is originally from Michigan and renovating a home in Monroe to move to when Chrissy completes high school in a couple of years. Megan their oldest daughter is in college back East.
After dinner we gave them the ‘fifty cent tour’ of the dome and the property and let the dogs run a bit before they had to get back in the van to go back to Monroe. Time is limited because they want to be back in Holbrook before the Labor Traffic starts.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
One Flaw In Women
A big thank you to Skyline for these thoughts!
By the time the Lord made woman, He was into his sixth day of working overtime..
An angel appeared and said, “Why are you spending so much time on this one?”
And the Lord answered, “Have you seen my spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap that can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart -and she will do everything with only two hands.
The angel was astounded at the requirements. “Only two hands!? No way! And that’s just on the standard model? That’s too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish.”
But I won’t,” the Lord protested. “I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick AND can work 18 hour days.”
The angel moved closer and touched the woman. “But you have made her so soft, Lord.”
“She is soft,” the Lord agreed, “but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish.”
“Will she be able to think?”, asked the angel.
The Lord replied, “Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate.”
The angel then noticed something, and reaching out, touched the woman’s cheek. “Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one.”
“That’s not a leak,” the Lord corrected, “that’s a tear!”
“What’s the tear for?” the angel asked.
The Lord said, “The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride.”
The angel was impressed. “You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything! Woman is truly amazing.”
And she is! Women have strengths that amaze men. They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy. They smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry. They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous. They fight for what they believe in. They stand up to injustice. They don’t take “no” for an answer when they believe there is a better solution. They go without so their family can have. They go to the doctor with a frightened friend. They love unconditionally. They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards. They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding. Their hearts break when a friend dies. They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left. They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart. Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They’ll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you. The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning. They bring joy, hope and love. They have compassion and ideals. They give moral support to their family and friends. Women have vital things to say and everything to give.
HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,
IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
38 Years!
Thirty-Eight years ago today my father had just landed at Detroit Metro Airport. He was returning home from a job at Bell Aircraft in California. My mother was waiting at the airport to pick him up. With her was my eldest son Wesley Roy, not quite six at the time.
In Detroit the 1967 Riot was going on. Burning and looting had occurred just blocks from the hospital I was in. During the last weeks of my pregnancy when visiting my Doctor’s office I saw National Guard personnel in jeeps patrolling the city. At Brent General Hospital on this day were my husband Verl, myself, and my brand new baby. When he was born the Doctor held him up and my first thought was he looked like a chicken hanging in a butcher shop window. Eight pounds of baby and 15 ounces of nose and a girl no less. But the Dr. quickly corrected me by turning him around and saying, “Does this look like a girl to you?” Sheer delight--another son who was later named Lesley Troy.
Happy Birthday son and many more. May the coming year bring a brighter future, good health, and a whole lot of well deserved happiness.
Love Yah!
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
Aprons
I don’t think our kids know what an apron is.
The principal use of Grandma’s apron was to protect the dress
underneath, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans
from the oven.
It was wonderful for drying children’s tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.
From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.
When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.
And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.
Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.
Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.
From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.
In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.
When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.
When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.
It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that “old-time apron” that served so many purposes.
Send this to those who would know, and love the story about Grandma’s aprons.
REMEMBER
Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.
Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw!
For Us Seniors!
Thanks to Skyline for sharing we seniors now have a new product and new hope for getting a restful nights sleep. I’ve waited a long time for an excuse to drink and I think I’ve found it.
(Of course this is all in fun but it was a great idea.)
To Cindy And David
A Happy Anniversary to Cindy and David today. Nine years togther if my ‘social calendar’ is right because the mind is bad when it comes to dates anymore. Anyway we wish many more with bigger and better things happening as time goes on.