Describing the first cross-country trip with Charlie...
My writer's block has lifted.
I remember it well...
Newlyweds....travelling to California...from there to Hawaii....
My little green Ford sedan suited me for getting back and forth to my teaching job in Mclean, but my dad insisted on swapping his newer one for this trip....
"Why don't we save our money and sleep in our car?", I nai
Monday, December 19, 2016
Friday, December 16, 2016
Music....at last!
Waking as I do at unpredictable hours. I have decided to use that time productively.
Trying to return to sleep just doesn't work.
So I'm blogging now. It's quiet.... My music is on....Life is good!
The Boze Wave Radio I bought on Ebay arrived yesterday. I can play my carols.
Sorted through them, discarding some....
Turned on the FM feature. WETA coming in clear....BLISS!
Early morning, when my 80 year old brain is clear is when I'll write down the things I want to remember.....IF I can remember....
We'll see!
Trying to return to sleep just doesn't work.
So I'm blogging now. It's quiet.... My music is on....Life is good!
The Boze Wave Radio I bought on Ebay arrived yesterday. I can play my carols.
Sorted through them, discarding some....
Turned on the FM feature. WETA coming in clear....BLISS!
Early morning, when my 80 year old brain is clear is when I'll write down the things I want to remember.....IF I can remember....
We'll see!
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Day 2 , 3:33 AM
Awoke eager to resume writing.
For so long I've only had my phone to communicate. That worked; I was grateful, but folks didn't like it much when I accidently hit a wrong button and phoned them at 3 AM.
Dating Charlie was a challenge. It was not allowed in any form during a Midshipman's Plebe (first) year.... But when one feels as we did, it was gonna happen....and often!
My Mom loved Charlie....really loved him. But I was starting my first year at Lynchburg College.
She "suggested" I date while there.... If he was "the one", dating others wouldn't interfere, but confirm our feelings.... Besides, it was an important part of my young experience.
So I did....until 1 January, 1956 when he asked me to marry him!
His parents went to Annapolis often to see him...and I went along.
Would I be his sister? Would they buy that?
Probably not....a sister wouldn't look at him like I did.
Until 1956, when we were officially engaged, I continued to date.
Lynn Llewellyn had asked me out Saturday night.
Charlie's folks called and invited me to go along, promising to bring me home in time, and, of course, I wanted to go.
They often brought a high school male friend as a decoy so no one would know I was there to see my Charlie....
They pulled up in front of my house....
I climbed in.....
I was horrified....there, in the back seat, sat Lynn!
For so long I've only had my phone to communicate. That worked; I was grateful, but folks didn't like it much when I accidently hit a wrong button and phoned them at 3 AM.
Dating Charlie was a challenge. It was not allowed in any form during a Midshipman's Plebe (first) year.... But when one feels as we did, it was gonna happen....and often!
My Mom loved Charlie....really loved him. But I was starting my first year at Lynchburg College.
She "suggested" I date while there.... If he was "the one", dating others wouldn't interfere, but confirm our feelings.... Besides, it was an important part of my young experience.
So I did....until 1 January, 1956 when he asked me to marry him!
His parents went to Annapolis often to see him...and I went along.
Would I be his sister? Would they buy that?
Probably not....a sister wouldn't look at him like I did.
Until 1956, when we were officially engaged, I continued to date.
Lynn Llewellyn had asked me out Saturday night.
Charlie's folks called and invited me to go along, promising to bring me home in time, and, of course, I wanted to go.
They often brought a high school male friend as a decoy so no one would know I was there to see my Charlie....
They pulled up in front of my house....
I climbed in.....
I was horrified....there, in the back seat, sat Lynn!
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Misguided trust
This is a sad time in all our lives. It is also a frightening time.
Our home has always been open to others. From exchange students to our children's misunderstood classmates....to relatives needing temporary shelter...
It seems that there was always someone other than immediate family visiting or staying in our home.
We have always enjoyed folks dropping in. There was always enough food for them to stay for dinner. There were couches to sleep on when needed....It worked for us.
This past year was no different. But the outcome has been a disaster.
A friend of Bob's was welcomed two years ago..... He had been gravely ill (a pulmonary embolism)...I hadn't seen him since Bob died, so when I saw him pulling out of a side street, I waved at him and gestured for him to drop by.
He looked terrible...weak...could barely walk.
Over the next months, he was a frequent visitor.... The babies loved him....he would ride our tractor and mow our yard till it looked like a golf course....he insisted it was therapy for him, that his own yard was done in minutes....and he needed something to do.
He opened up to us....his mother depended on him for her care...he had a brother and sister who lived away, so this care fell to him. He opened up to us and didn't stop...day after day we listened to how hard his life was and how he had no help from his family...
We were his sounding board, and we tried to understand and give him a "soft place to fall"
We drove him to Charlottesville to visit his doctors.... he was here day and night, sometimes till 10 or 11.... But we felt sorry for him, so let it continue until the day he began to change....
He began to preach....to say strange things...he threw his meds over the bank and lectured a guest on The Ten Commandments...for three hours! We knew something was very wrong....stress? We tried to understand.
When it began to very negatively affect our family, we asked him to please give us some space...come when invited...
We talked to his family, hoping for insight, hoping they would help....friends reached out to him...
Very long story, but his behavior after this kindly stated request became extremely hostile....Voice mails...text messages...carefully veiled threats.
We are fearful...our once unlocked home has become a fortress....we have upgraded and use our security system.... We have a large dog, bought for our protection.
We have mace....
We have a protective order against him, which he immediately violated.
He is, for the time being, in jail. He needs to be evaluated, but his family must request it; we can't...
Unless he is totally out of our lives, we will have to live this way.....
We loved him...we trusted him.
This goes against who we are...we do not like how we feel...we do not wish the destruction of anyone, but this is where we are now.
But I, for one, will not let this one experience make me wary of others.
I will be watchful, but this is what I believe:
" Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels
unawares"
Hebrews 13:2
Our home has always been open to others. From exchange students to our children's misunderstood classmates....to relatives needing temporary shelter...
It seems that there was always someone other than immediate family visiting or staying in our home.
We have always enjoyed folks dropping in. There was always enough food for them to stay for dinner. There were couches to sleep on when needed....It worked for us.
This past year was no different. But the outcome has been a disaster.
A friend of Bob's was welcomed two years ago..... He had been gravely ill (a pulmonary embolism)...I hadn't seen him since Bob died, so when I saw him pulling out of a side street, I waved at him and gestured for him to drop by.
He looked terrible...weak...could barely walk.
Over the next months, he was a frequent visitor.... The babies loved him....he would ride our tractor and mow our yard till it looked like a golf course....he insisted it was therapy for him, that his own yard was done in minutes....and he needed something to do.
He opened up to us....his mother depended on him for her care...he had a brother and sister who lived away, so this care fell to him. He opened up to us and didn't stop...day after day we listened to how hard his life was and how he had no help from his family...
We were his sounding board, and we tried to understand and give him a "soft place to fall"
We drove him to Charlottesville to visit his doctors.... he was here day and night, sometimes till 10 or 11.... But we felt sorry for him, so let it continue until the day he began to change....
He began to preach....to say strange things...he threw his meds over the bank and lectured a guest on The Ten Commandments...for three hours! We knew something was very wrong....stress? We tried to understand.
When it began to very negatively affect our family, we asked him to please give us some space...come when invited...
We talked to his family, hoping for insight, hoping they would help....friends reached out to him...
Very long story, but his behavior after this kindly stated request became extremely hostile....Voice mails...text messages...carefully veiled threats.
We are fearful...our once unlocked home has become a fortress....we have upgraded and use our security system.... We have a large dog, bought for our protection.
We have mace....
We have a protective order against him, which he immediately violated.
He is, for the time being, in jail. He needs to be evaluated, but his family must request it; we can't...
Unless he is totally out of our lives, we will have to live this way.....
We loved him...we trusted him.
This goes against who we are...we do not like how we feel...we do not wish the destruction of anyone, but this is where we are now.
But I, for one, will not let this one experience make me wary of others.
I will be watchful, but this is what I believe:
" Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels
unawares"
Hebrews 13:2
Sunday, February 28, 2016
Then...Now...Wow!
I was born in 1936.... Ages ago to my great-grandchildren.... Ages ago to any of my relatives left to read this blog...... I am 79, "Pushin' 80"., as I say to the younger ones...... But today that's not considered so old; Granny Mary is "Pushin' 104"!
And this is the subject of today's blog: Comparisons of my early life and the way things are now.... WOW!
I was born October 22, 1936...in a Nursing Home....
A "nursing home"? That's where old people, infirm people, people who can no longer care for themselves stay.... Yes, I was born in a nursing home, Mom told me....
In Falls Church, there was no hospital.....back then, a lot of births were home births, many attended by whoever was there.
But Mom was modern, or her doctor was, so she went a few blocks away to the nursing home and had me. I don't think she had anesthesia, either. Mom never said.
Dad paced back and forth, smoked cigarettes, as was the custom, and saw me when I was presentable.
They brought me home to the brand new six thousand dollar brick home they had built next door to the Victorian home of my grandparents... I lived there for the first 21 years of my life.
My brother was 5, Mom was 30...so was Dad. A family of four, the perfect size, and we remained this "perfect example", Mom, Dad, brother, sister and our English Setter, "Spot".
School was four blocks away at the end of our street, and we, of course, walked....But my (private) kindergarten was farther away, in a house.....Billy walked me there and then returned to Madison School. More than one time, I remember riding on his back through the snow to get there.
When I was old enough, I walked with him to school... On my first day, I remember vividly being put in a room with Mrs Snodgrass.....a skinny old maid, she yelled a lot..... Betty Hughes used to cry before school, throw up sometimes...I was terrified!
But, just as my chin was trembling in preparation for howling, another teacher came for me and took me to a second grade classroom. I had tested second grade level...saved from Mrs. Snodgrass!
Mrs Fravel was soft spoken...she smiled....and I thrived there.
This was a very interesting thing, in retrospect. I wasn't allowed to enter the public school because the cut-off date for first grade was September. My birthday was in October. So, I was put in private kindergarten.
But I could read! And that made the difference....I tested second grade level. No pre-school at age 3 or 4, just a good kindergarten teacher who used (Gasp!) PHONICS!!!!
Today's babies are expected to leave their homes at age 4 and attend pre-school so they'll be "ready" for school....They come home with a list of requirements, homework to complete, school papers marked with happy faces or sad faces... It is now February. At the end of the year, like all children in our public schools, they will be tested.
Some may be able to read....some will have perfect handwriting....some will be mature enough, some will not...They will be 6, but some will still be 5....
I, the youngest in my class, tested (definitely not on a computer) well.....
But God forbid they teach PHONICS!!!!
And the parents, who with few exceptions, work all day, come home with dinner to prepare, having spent very little time with their children, must supervise homework with cranky children who have spent all day "learning" and riding the school bus, must convince their offspring that an hour of homework (for a six-year-old) is appropriate!
Tossing a football with Dad is "appropriate" .....playing with siblings is appropriate....Legos are appropriate....fighting with siblings is appropriate!
Listening to a story is appropriate, so is snuggling with Mom.... etc., etc., etc.!
Antidepressants, anyone?
And this is the subject of today's blog: Comparisons of my early life and the way things are now.... WOW!
I was born October 22, 1936...in a Nursing Home....
A "nursing home"? That's where old people, infirm people, people who can no longer care for themselves stay.... Yes, I was born in a nursing home, Mom told me....
In Falls Church, there was no hospital.....back then, a lot of births were home births, many attended by whoever was there.
But Mom was modern, or her doctor was, so she went a few blocks away to the nursing home and had me. I don't think she had anesthesia, either. Mom never said.
Dad paced back and forth, smoked cigarettes, as was the custom, and saw me when I was presentable.
They brought me home to the brand new six thousand dollar brick home they had built next door to the Victorian home of my grandparents... I lived there for the first 21 years of my life.
My brother was 5, Mom was 30...so was Dad. A family of four, the perfect size, and we remained this "perfect example", Mom, Dad, brother, sister and our English Setter, "Spot".
School was four blocks away at the end of our street, and we, of course, walked....But my (private) kindergarten was farther away, in a house.....Billy walked me there and then returned to Madison School. More than one time, I remember riding on his back through the snow to get there.
When I was old enough, I walked with him to school... On my first day, I remember vividly being put in a room with Mrs Snodgrass.....a skinny old maid, she yelled a lot..... Betty Hughes used to cry before school, throw up sometimes...I was terrified!
But, just as my chin was trembling in preparation for howling, another teacher came for me and took me to a second grade classroom. I had tested second grade level...saved from Mrs. Snodgrass!
Mrs Fravel was soft spoken...she smiled....and I thrived there.
This was a very interesting thing, in retrospect. I wasn't allowed to enter the public school because the cut-off date for first grade was September. My birthday was in October. So, I was put in private kindergarten.
But I could read! And that made the difference....I tested second grade level. No pre-school at age 3 or 4, just a good kindergarten teacher who used (Gasp!) PHONICS!!!!
Today's babies are expected to leave their homes at age 4 and attend pre-school so they'll be "ready" for school....They come home with a list of requirements, homework to complete, school papers marked with happy faces or sad faces... It is now February. At the end of the year, like all children in our public schools, they will be tested.
Some may be able to read....some will have perfect handwriting....some will be mature enough, some will not...They will be 6, but some will still be 5....
I, the youngest in my class, tested (definitely not on a computer) well.....
But God forbid they teach PHONICS!!!!
And the parents, who with few exceptions, work all day, come home with dinner to prepare, having spent very little time with their children, must supervise homework with cranky children who have spent all day "learning" and riding the school bus, must convince their offspring that an hour of homework (for a six-year-old) is appropriate!
Tossing a football with Dad is "appropriate" .....playing with siblings is appropriate....Legos are appropriate....fighting with siblings is appropriate!
Listening to a story is appropriate, so is snuggling with Mom.... etc., etc., etc.!
Antidepressants, anyone?
Friday, February 12, 2016
Mrs. Brooks
I called her Mrs. Brooks.
To her, I was Betty......
Thus began a relationship that has lasted nearly fifty years.
Longer than any I have ever had.
She is my best friend, my confidant, my conscience....
She is my copilot behind the wheel, my social secretary, my finder of parking spaces.
I am her Taxi, her sometimes hairdresser, her landlady,....you get the picture!
Pattie had her first. Then Jane....Jane's daughter, Tammy, named her.
She called her "Brooksie", because that was as close as she could get to "Mrs. Brooks".
Tammy also noticed that she took off her shoes the minute she came into the house.
"We need to get that MAID some shoes"....
But Brooksie was NOT a maid!
She cleaned our houses, but, from day one, she was our FRIEND!!!
"What's she like?" both Jane and I asked Pattie.
"Do you think she'd clean for us?"
"I'll see", said Pattie.
Jane, Pattie, and I were friends....best friends is an accurate description.
Our husbands worked at Dahlgren, and they were best friends, too.
We spent every New Year's Eve together 'round our kitchen table....sometimes we even lasted till midnight!
We girls would have coffee several times a week. And we often were together when Brooksie was cleaning one of our houses....and when it was lunchtime, we would never even consider going to lunch without Brooksie.
As I said, we were friends!
Brooks has three children. Two girls and a boy. Her younger daughter was a year older than my youngest. Gail was the best dressed of all my children, because Brooks would
come frequently with her daughter's beautiful outgrown clothes and give them to her.
Brooksie cleaned because she wanted to; not because she needed money. She told her then husband she needed something to do, and he asked her what she'd like to do, and she told him she'd like to clean houses.
He was a good provider, but not long after, the marriage failed.
I'll never forget the day she came earlier than usual to our house. Charlie and I sat and listened to her and she cried......
Years later she started taking care of the elderly. She had job after job, taking loving care of them until they died. She cared for my dad when he needed her. She cared for my mother-in-law, which saved my marriage...much as I loved "Arbo", I desperately needed help when she came to live with us... Brooks was our ANGEL!!!
I could write a book about Brooks....There has never been another person, including kinfolk, who has had a bigger impact on this family.
I have to get ready. In a few hours I will pick her up from the beauty shop. She will spend the weekend with us. Tonight we have friends coming, and we will eat and laugh and it will be fun. Brooks arranged this a few days ago....she called me and told me so.
To her, I was Betty......
Thus began a relationship that has lasted nearly fifty years.
Longer than any I have ever had.
She is my best friend, my confidant, my conscience....
She is my copilot behind the wheel, my social secretary, my finder of parking spaces.
I am her Taxi, her sometimes hairdresser, her landlady,....you get the picture!
Pattie had her first. Then Jane....Jane's daughter, Tammy, named her.
She called her "Brooksie", because that was as close as she could get to "Mrs. Brooks".
Tammy also noticed that she took off her shoes the minute she came into the house.
"We need to get that MAID some shoes"....
But Brooksie was NOT a maid!
She cleaned our houses, but, from day one, she was our FRIEND!!!
"What's she like?" both Jane and I asked Pattie.
"Do you think she'd clean for us?"
"I'll see", said Pattie.
Jane, Pattie, and I were friends....best friends is an accurate description.
Our husbands worked at Dahlgren, and they were best friends, too.
We spent every New Year's Eve together 'round our kitchen table....sometimes we even lasted till midnight!
We girls would have coffee several times a week. And we often were together when Brooksie was cleaning one of our houses....and when it was lunchtime, we would never even consider going to lunch without Brooksie.
As I said, we were friends!
Brooks has three children. Two girls and a boy. Her younger daughter was a year older than my youngest. Gail was the best dressed of all my children, because Brooks would
come frequently with her daughter's beautiful outgrown clothes and give them to her.
Brooksie cleaned because she wanted to; not because she needed money. She told her then husband she needed something to do, and he asked her what she'd like to do, and she told him she'd like to clean houses.
He was a good provider, but not long after, the marriage failed.
I'll never forget the day she came earlier than usual to our house. Charlie and I sat and listened to her and she cried......
Years later she started taking care of the elderly. She had job after job, taking loving care of them until they died. She cared for my dad when he needed her. She cared for my mother-in-law, which saved my marriage...much as I loved "Arbo", I desperately needed help when she came to live with us... Brooks was our ANGEL!!!
I could write a book about Brooks....There has never been another person, including kinfolk, who has had a bigger impact on this family.
I have to get ready. In a few hours I will pick her up from the beauty shop. She will spend the weekend with us. Tonight we have friends coming, and we will eat and laugh and it will be fun. Brooks arranged this a few days ago....she called me and told me so.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Reality
Today I want to write about reality.
We go through life observing others. We wonder what it's like to be "them".
They're so lucky.... (Not luck, hard work!) I wish my husband was that generous..... (But yours is a good father!) Her home is immaculate......(But you are one helluva cook!!) I'm glad MY kids don't act that way....(Oh, but your kids DO!) Look at their beautiful home.... (But there's no money left for fun!) They are faithful Christians....(To others, but not at home)
I wish I could do something for Humanity....(You are raising good kids; you are doing your job and doing it well. THAT is, for now, your contribution to Humanity)
We get so caught up in appearances, do we not?
We think that by saying "no" to someone's request, we are being selfish.
We think our kids will be harmed if we deny them something.
My point is, we all have happenings in our lives.
We have births and weddings and funerals and birthday parties and arguments and picnics and bonfires and job interviews..... Our cars break down, our son gets suspended, our plumbing gets clogged.... We get past due notices in the mail, our dog chews up a neighbor's shoe.....
Happenings....constant demands, both good and bad.
We all have expectations of others that they can't meet.... and neither can we meet theirs.
And therein lies a clue to getting along with others:
Just stop before we make judgments about our friends and relatives....we are ALL dealing with life as best we can.....FORGIVE the shortcomings of others.... (we have them, too!)
'Nuff said, don't ya think?
We go through life observing others. We wonder what it's like to be "them".
They're so lucky.... (Not luck, hard work!) I wish my husband was that generous..... (But yours is a good father!) Her home is immaculate......(But you are one helluva cook!!) I'm glad MY kids don't act that way....(Oh, but your kids DO!) Look at their beautiful home.... (But there's no money left for fun!) They are faithful Christians....(To others, but not at home)
I wish I could do something for Humanity....(You are raising good kids; you are doing your job and doing it well. THAT is, for now, your contribution to Humanity)
We get so caught up in appearances, do we not?
We think that by saying "no" to someone's request, we are being selfish.
We think our kids will be harmed if we deny them something.
My point is, we all have happenings in our lives.
We have births and weddings and funerals and birthday parties and arguments and picnics and bonfires and job interviews..... Our cars break down, our son gets suspended, our plumbing gets clogged.... We get past due notices in the mail, our dog chews up a neighbor's shoe.....
Happenings....constant demands, both good and bad.
We all have expectations of others that they can't meet.... and neither can we meet theirs.
And therein lies a clue to getting along with others:
Just stop before we make judgments about our friends and relatives....we are ALL dealing with life as best we can.....FORGIVE the shortcomings of others.... (we have them, too!)
'Nuff said, don't ya think?
Thursday, January 14, 2016
The way it is.
God?
Yes...
You there?
Always.
God, I've been meaning to ask: What were you thinking?
What do you mean "What was I thinking?"
What were you thinking when you changed us elderly people's sleeping patterns around?
We're miserable!
Miserable? How?
We wake up at (excuse the expression) "Godawful times"!
And?
Well, we're MISERABLE!
I heard you the first time you whined.....Is this your biggest problem?
As a matter of fact, it is! We sleep for two, three, four, if we're lucky, and then, BOOM!!
Two, three, four WHAT?
HOURS! We just can't sleep any longer like we used to... We wake up and there's nothing to do.... We wait to see if we'll fall back to sleep, but nothing happens...we are awake and we are alone....
Oh, come now.....is that all?...You have Books...TV..... You can raid the refrigerator...heat up some milk....I don't care if you spike your milk, if that pleases you!
And you can nap in the daytime.
You don't understand...You're not listening to me!
Oh, but I am.....You're old......you can be happy or you can fight it...but you are never alone.
And I am with you....always.
Yes...
You there?
Always.
God, I've been meaning to ask: What were you thinking?
What do you mean "What was I thinking?"
What were you thinking when you changed us elderly people's sleeping patterns around?
We're miserable!
Miserable? How?
We wake up at (excuse the expression) "Godawful times"!
And?
Well, we're MISERABLE!
I heard you the first time you whined.....Is this your biggest problem?
As a matter of fact, it is! We sleep for two, three, four, if we're lucky, and then, BOOM!!
Two, three, four WHAT?
HOURS! We just can't sleep any longer like we used to... We wake up and there's nothing to do.... We wait to see if we'll fall back to sleep, but nothing happens...we are awake and we are alone....
Oh, come now.....is that all?...You have Books...TV..... You can raid the refrigerator...heat up some milk....I don't care if you spike your milk, if that pleases you!
And you can nap in the daytime.
You don't understand...You're not listening to me!
Oh, but I am.....You're old......you can be happy or you can fight it...but you are never alone.
And I am with you....always.
If I win
The Powerball, of course!
This afternoon I bought 5 more Powerball tickets.
On the front of our friendly neighborhood 7-11 these numbers were posted:
999 22.
I know the 999 indicates the millions collected, but not sure about the 22.
But 22 is my number. Born on the 22nd.....my Email is Nonny 22....22 is spoken "tutu"....and "tutu" is the Hawaiian name for grandmother....and I'm definitely a GRANDMOTHER!!
Jenny and Billy married October 22, 2011 (my birthday) .....They bought and closed on this house on October 22....Cowboy and Dee married years ago on October 22....And Chelsea (Jenny's sister) and Bo have chosen October 22, 2016 for their wedding day.
So, naturally, I gambled a little more than I would have, but for those numbers!
Based on this scientific suggestion on the front of 7-11, I believe I have as good a chance as anyone of winning some cash....a whole LOT of cash!!!
Haven't gone so far as to check my tickets. That can wait till I've decided how to spend it.... Mustn't put the cart before the horse.
Ask anyone how they will spend their winnings. They all have lists, but foremost in their minds is GIVING..to family, to the homeless, to everyone who needs it.....Kinda nice, don't ya think?
So, what would/will I do?
Travel? I don't want to go anywhere, especially anywhere out of the country.....I might go to California to see my brother and sister-in-law and their family....my son and family in Seattle....in a fancy, paid for, MOTOR HOME.... Yeah...that would be nice!!
New House? But this one is perfect....could fluff it up some....new tin roof, finish the basement, put in Billy's inground POOL ....in the FRONT YARD!!!
We would NEVER move from this incredibly perfect spot on the river!!
But what am I talking about? It's not mine anymore!
BUT: Don't touch our deck, my side "widow's walk", my bay window...Billy built those...DON'T touch them!!!
Don't change my tiny, cozy room...I LIKE it cozy....My flowery bathroom is beautiful, I think....
What would I do for amusement? I don't like TV...and mine is too big, already...
I'd sooner go to Chucky Cheese than Disney anything....Our little kids running all over the place on weekends is all the excitement an old lady needs.
I would like someone to vacuum for me...I don't much care for that chore....maybe would buy that Ford Transit Connect I've had my eye on....a RED one....maybe hire someone to drive me to Walmart (the all night one) when I can't sleep...my eyes, you know!
There's more to consider, but that's enough for now. Pretty soon the sun will come up....always does. ... Then I can check my numbers. We can proceed from there.
But don't even THINK I'll give up Goodwill.... I have friends there!
This afternoon I bought 5 more Powerball tickets.
On the front of our friendly neighborhood 7-11 these numbers were posted:
999 22.
I know the 999 indicates the millions collected, but not sure about the 22.
But 22 is my number. Born on the 22nd.....my Email is Nonny 22....22 is spoken "tutu"....and "tutu" is the Hawaiian name for grandmother....and I'm definitely a GRANDMOTHER!!
Jenny and Billy married October 22, 2011 (my birthday) .....They bought and closed on this house on October 22....Cowboy and Dee married years ago on October 22....And Chelsea (Jenny's sister) and Bo have chosen October 22, 2016 for their wedding day.
So, naturally, I gambled a little more than I would have, but for those numbers!
Based on this scientific suggestion on the front of 7-11, I believe I have as good a chance as anyone of winning some cash....a whole LOT of cash!!!
Haven't gone so far as to check my tickets. That can wait till I've decided how to spend it.... Mustn't put the cart before the horse.
Ask anyone how they will spend their winnings. They all have lists, but foremost in their minds is GIVING..to family, to the homeless, to everyone who needs it.....Kinda nice, don't ya think?
So, what would/will I do?
Travel? I don't want to go anywhere, especially anywhere out of the country.....I might go to California to see my brother and sister-in-law and their family....my son and family in Seattle....in a fancy, paid for, MOTOR HOME.... Yeah...that would be nice!!
New House? But this one is perfect....could fluff it up some....new tin roof, finish the basement, put in Billy's inground POOL ....in the FRONT YARD!!!
We would NEVER move from this incredibly perfect spot on the river!!
But what am I talking about? It's not mine anymore!
BUT: Don't touch our deck, my side "widow's walk", my bay window...Billy built those...DON'T touch them!!!
Don't change my tiny, cozy room...I LIKE it cozy....My flowery bathroom is beautiful, I think....
What would I do for amusement? I don't like TV...and mine is too big, already...
I'd sooner go to Chucky Cheese than Disney anything....Our little kids running all over the place on weekends is all the excitement an old lady needs.
I would like someone to vacuum for me...I don't much care for that chore....maybe would buy that Ford Transit Connect I've had my eye on....a RED one....maybe hire someone to drive me to Walmart (the all night one) when I can't sleep...my eyes, you know!
There's more to consider, but that's enough for now. Pretty soon the sun will come up....always does. ... Then I can check my numbers. We can proceed from there.
But don't even THINK I'll give up Goodwill.... I have friends there!
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Don't push; Persist!
Up at 5 AM....rested...feeling patient, no rush to do anything.
On the side of my bathroom sink sit the vintage sterling candlesticks I found at Goodwill the other day... A new can of Wright's Silver Cream beside them.
I remember polishing my wedding gifts years ago....twisting, rubbing, and hurrying to get the chore done.... twisting and wrinkling and denting them!
Today I'm in no hurry. I stand there rubbing them carefully this time....rubbing softly over and over....amazed at the ease of polishing them without using my usual "elbow grease".
Wondering who in the past told me it was necessary....for sterling silver!
People I cherish are much like sterling....they really are....I have made that connection this morning.
There's no need to push and twist....ever!
On the side of my bathroom sink sit the vintage sterling candlesticks I found at Goodwill the other day... A new can of Wright's Silver Cream beside them.
I remember polishing my wedding gifts years ago....twisting, rubbing, and hurrying to get the chore done.... twisting and wrinkling and denting them!
Today I'm in no hurry. I stand there rubbing them carefully this time....rubbing softly over and over....amazed at the ease of polishing them without using my usual "elbow grease".
Wondering who in the past told me it was necessary....for sterling silver!
People I cherish are much like sterling....they really are....I have made that connection this morning.
There's no need to push and twist....ever!
This is not a restaurant!
I am amused at the lengths some parents will go to make their children eat.
They won't.... They will drive you nuts if you let them....They will make everyone miserable at the table, if you let them..
They won't.... They will drive you nuts if you let them....They will make everyone miserable at the table, if you let them..
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Fixing
I'm a "Fixer".
I've been told that more than once..... Chances are, if you're a woman, you've been told that, too....
And it's not a bad thing, a gratuitous compliment, it really does ring true with a whole lot of us older women!
On a good day, we go at it with a "Bring it on" fervor....we switch into automatic, and with seemingly little effort, we git 'er done! We don't even notice...and neither does anyone else.
And it is assumed on an unconscious level that we will do it.
Nobody notices....until we don't!
This has been quite a week.
EVERY week is quite a week, for me!
I'm 79....pushing EIGHTY!
I don't know how that happened, but it happened so fast that I still can't believe it!
And yesterday, I didn't fix something.
I decided it wasn't in my job description, for once...... I gave the job to someone two full generations younger than I. And I haven't even checked to see if it is being carried out the way it should be.
But I do know that it's morning now....my phone isn't ringing. My stomach isn't in knots.
I'm seeing that the world will go on without me, and it's a good feeling!
I will have to choose whether to let that little nagger whisper in my ear that I should have fixed it myself and not put it on that inexperienced being.....but I won't.
I'll resist the urge to bore the onlookers with a list of excuses why I couldn't be there in my expected role of FIXER.....
I'm tired.....let somebody else do it, and, the outcome, whatever it is, will be good enough.....
I've been told that more than once..... Chances are, if you're a woman, you've been told that, too....
And it's not a bad thing, a gratuitous compliment, it really does ring true with a whole lot of us older women!
On a good day, we go at it with a "Bring it on" fervor....we switch into automatic, and with seemingly little effort, we git 'er done! We don't even notice...and neither does anyone else.
And it is assumed on an unconscious level that we will do it.
Nobody notices....until we don't!
This has been quite a week.
EVERY week is quite a week, for me!
I'm 79....pushing EIGHTY!
I don't know how that happened, but it happened so fast that I still can't believe it!
And yesterday, I didn't fix something.
I decided it wasn't in my job description, for once...... I gave the job to someone two full generations younger than I. And I haven't even checked to see if it is being carried out the way it should be.
But I do know that it's morning now....my phone isn't ringing. My stomach isn't in knots.
I'm seeing that the world will go on without me, and it's a good feeling!
I will have to choose whether to let that little nagger whisper in my ear that I should have fixed it myself and not put it on that inexperienced being.....but I won't.
I'll resist the urge to bore the onlookers with a list of excuses why I couldn't be there in my expected role of FIXER.....
I'm tired.....let somebody else do it, and, the outcome, whatever it is, will be good enough.....
Friday, January 8, 2016
Uncertainty
I wonder if, when I complete this blog, I will push "publish"...I may or may not, but I am needing to write about it tonight, and so I am....
As in all families, we are given good times and some pretty dreadful times, and we understand that. To say "That's life" is an oversimplification, but it's true.
At this time, our family seems to be on overload for the bad times....That is why I am writing about it. And that is why it may be erased and not published.
Tomorrow morning, John goes to court. He is scared. His mom is scared....I try to call on my faith that right will prevail. I am trying...but I, too, am scared......John may go to jail.
He has had an altercation with his father....months ago it took place. ...And now, it seems to me, his father wants his pound of flesh. Today it will be decided. It makes me sick.
I was so mad at Larry yesterday that I posted an angry message on his Facebook page....but I deleted it.
YEARS ago, I wrote a letter of concern to Larry... I said that I observed behaviors in John that could cause problems in his life.... I begged him to unite with Mary Beth and address them. .....The letter was never acknowledged.....I knew nothing about Asperger's at that time. Few did.....but I was right..... And I was ignored.....Not only that, but when medical help was sought, and medications were prescribed, they were denied him by the part of the family that believed it only a discipline problem...
So John never was able to communicate with his father...no bond was established...and today is the day of reckoning when we will see John stand before the judge, his dad as his adversary.
Another sad, desperate situation.:
Grandchildren have allegedly been molested by the husband of their principal caregiver.
The caregiver is defending the molester.....he lives next door, and although forbidden contact with the children, the courts are allowing this living situation.
All contact between the children and the outside world has ceased. And those who love them are frantic and heartbroken.
There is no logical explanation for this decision....but there it is.
So this is a sad time, a frightening time for my family. All I can cling to is my faith that, in the end, right will prevail.
Please, dear God, dear Jesus, place Yourself in the midst of these horrible situations.!
Calm our hearts, our fears, and let our FAITH get us through this!
As in all families, we are given good times and some pretty dreadful times, and we understand that. To say "That's life" is an oversimplification, but it's true.
At this time, our family seems to be on overload for the bad times....That is why I am writing about it. And that is why it may be erased and not published.
Tomorrow morning, John goes to court. He is scared. His mom is scared....I try to call on my faith that right will prevail. I am trying...but I, too, am scared......John may go to jail.
He has had an altercation with his father....months ago it took place. ...And now, it seems to me, his father wants his pound of flesh. Today it will be decided. It makes me sick.
I was so mad at Larry yesterday that I posted an angry message on his Facebook page....but I deleted it.
YEARS ago, I wrote a letter of concern to Larry... I said that I observed behaviors in John that could cause problems in his life.... I begged him to unite with Mary Beth and address them. .....The letter was never acknowledged.....I knew nothing about Asperger's at that time. Few did.....but I was right..... And I was ignored.....Not only that, but when medical help was sought, and medications were prescribed, they were denied him by the part of the family that believed it only a discipline problem...
So John never was able to communicate with his father...no bond was established...and today is the day of reckoning when we will see John stand before the judge, his dad as his adversary.
Another sad, desperate situation.:
Grandchildren have allegedly been molested by the husband of their principal caregiver.
The caregiver is defending the molester.....he lives next door, and although forbidden contact with the children, the courts are allowing this living situation.
All contact between the children and the outside world has ceased. And those who love them are frantic and heartbroken.
There is no logical explanation for this decision....but there it is.
So this is a sad time, a frightening time for my family. All I can cling to is my faith that, in the end, right will prevail.
Please, dear God, dear Jesus, place Yourself in the midst of these horrible situations.!
Calm our hearts, our fears, and let our FAITH get us through this!
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Uncle Peter
SOMEBODY has to remember Uncle Peter.
Uncle Peter mattered a lot to Charlie and Butts.
So, I'm going to remember him from my first hand experience.
There were five brothers in the "Yarber" family (California pronunciation)
There was Henry, Burr, Bill the Butcher, Peter, and John (my father-in-law)
Some were farmers, some were ranchers, one was a butcher, one was a cowboy, and one farmed rice.
Uncle Peter was the rice farmer.
He lived his life in a tiny house in California, and off and on, he would visit his brother John and family wherever they happened to be.
Charlie remembers Uncle Peter's bed making skills: He would exit from the head of the bed, pulling the covers with him, and when his feet hit the floor,the bed was made. He always did that....he was a considerate house guest!
But back to my visit with Uncle Peter.
Charlie and I were headed to Hawaii for his first duty station. Uncle Peter lived in California, so, naturally, we paid him a visit before we sailed.
We surprised him when we pulled up to his front yard. He was sitting on a chair on his front porch, his profile visible through the screen. A strong profile, definitely a Yarbrough.
But out he came, big grin, big burly hand reached out for a handshake. He was glad to see us.
I looked around at our surroundings....a tiny house. A front yard with vegetables: squash, pole beans, cucumbers...... cantaloupe! (You can't eat GRASS, was Uncle Peter's comment!)
A gate with a bell on it to keep the critters out.... I loved it!
Inside, we first passed through Uncle Peter's porch. His chair piled high with cushions, added one by one as it sagged so that he could see out his screened window. Practical...innovative...no pretense at all. That was Uncle Peter...
He sat there day and night, and I could see why. It was his way of relating to his neighbors, talking from his perch on his porch, keeping an eye on who passed by on that barely graveled road.
He didn't act particularly surprised when we pulled up. But he was definitely happy we did.
We walked directly into his kitchen. A tiny sink in front of a tiny window. A drainer with one dish and one fork and one glass in it....
A BED in the middle of the floor!!
That was where he slept, and it was made up exactly as Charlie had described it!
A long string attached to the bedframe led to a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling.
Uncle Peter had things totally figured out. His needs were perfectly met in that cozy little house!
Well, of course we would stay the night....In the guest bedroom was a small chest of drawers, and in the bottom drawer there were sheets for me to make up the bed....
I opened it. There were the whitest, sweetest sheets I had ever seen....and they were ironed! And they were STARCHED! Yes, I do believe they were starched...
At that time I experienced "class" in the truest sense of the word....
When I finished, I went back to the kitchen where he and Charlie were having coffee....good, strong coffee. Uncle Peter was standing by the wall phone. He turned the crank (really!!) and in his booming voice said "Operator!! This is V.O. Yarbrough. Ring me the market."
We climbed into his truck, I in the passenger seat between these two huge men.....V.O Yarbrough drove us less than a mile for supplies for dinner....his nose 5 inches from the windshield, determined to get us there safely.
STEAKS!! I don't remember what else he purchased, because most of the accompaniments were there for the picking in his front yard.... Oh, I remember: Cake...dessert was a must!
We dined like kings...I was pregnant and hungry, and loving every minute.
Time for the men to go back out on the porch...... I would do the dishes. They needed time alone, and so did I....Filled the sink with hot water and soap. Picked up the dish rag.....
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!!!! Ohhh!!! HOW was I going to wash the dishes with THIS?
It was grey. I could deal with that....but the texture....Ohhhhh!!!
Dear Uncle Peter....I gritted my teeth and used it. And I'm still alive today.
They were discussing politics. I excused myself and climbed into that sweet bed. Crisp, cool sheets...sheer bliss.
They discussed....and discussed...and discussed....There was no arguing...(well, maybe just a little) but it went on and on.... And the guest room was situated less than ten feet from my men....and I was pregnant, I told you!!!
Don't know when I finally drifted off...don't know if Charlie made it to join me, but I awoke to those two outside my window touring the garden, and then in the back yard inspecting the goat he had tied up to mow what little vegetation was back there....
I was well rested, and happy to find myself in this fascinating, magical place!
Breakfast...some wonderful, thick slab bacon! I
Uncle Peter lit the stove and handed me the skillet. OhhhKAY!!! I like bacon....I did like bacon.... I'm pregnant, I told you! Thankful the bathroom was one step outside the kitchen stove....Poor Uncle Peter (a bachelor)....wonder what he thought!
This was in 1958...I've remembered that visit all these years. I'm so glad we stopped there....
We did see Peter years later when we had our family. He slept in our guest room....and he made his bed exactly as he always did.
We had a stillborn, who would have been our fifth child ...we named him Thomas Vann. It was sad he did not live, but somebody had to be named after him....and he said he was pleased ...and honored...And that was our intention.
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