It’s beautiful this time of year. The changing colors of the leaves, the wind whistling through the forest and the house, and the temperature dropping into the wool sweater zone. Everything changes so drastically in the fall, so obviously and so impossible to ignore. And there is nothing we can do to stop it. It makes me think about life in general and about relationships. Things change. Our bodies get older, our experiences hopefully make us wiser, and people weave in and out of our lives. Are you ever amazed by the way people change? There are those I’ve known for years yet discover through a turn of events, I’ve never really known them at all. And then there are those who’s lives change so drastically we no longer have a common bond and sure enough, the time comes when you realize you have drifted apart. I guess that’s why family is so important. We need to know there are those in our lives that won’t fade away, won’t change so much we hardly recognize them, and won’t forget us. Siblings are so important – who else do we know from the get go? Who else do we share those…
Category: Randomness
Testing the Water
While the majority of society forges ahead, myself and a handful of others gingerly test the waters. We have an aversion to technology yet we are aware we must surround ourselves with all kinds of technology in order to stay out of the department of dinosaurs. I know people who are there. They refuse to own a computer or a cell phone or anything else modern and awesome. I might be afraid of the tech-y stuff, but I’m blown away by it and constantly try to wrap my brain around it whenever I can. I admit I almost always need someone to hold my hand as I venture out, as though I were taking a walk on the moon. When no one is looking, I experiment on my own. Sometimes I’m actually successful, and then other times…well, you know. So, I’m proud to announce the picture above was taken from my very own digital camera and I posted it on this blog without anyone else in the room. I know…most of you have been doing this since you were born. But I haven’t’ and it’s a big deal to me! I’m going to be taking my camera everywhere…
A Sliver of Significants
I was struck by the beauty of the moon at dawn today. Although it was a mere sliver, it was intensely brilliant, as though making a statement, or several statements. As the saying goes, great things come in small packages. What might appear to be insignificant occasionally surprises us. Take for example a puppy. A retiring couple we know recently adopted a puppy they’ve been eagerly awaiting; a rat terrier. She is so tiny we were sure to watch our step around her, terrified we’d break bones if she were stepped on. She might be tiny, but the impact this little dog is having on her new parents is enormous! Suddenly, their lives are no longer their own. Their sleep is constantly interrupted, they take her in and out, in and out, cheering on her tiny bowels and bladder. Hold her, console her, love her. She weighs five pounds. Her itty-bitty self is huge. Same thing goes for babies, of course. We are fooled, as naive young parents, by the size of the person coming home with us. We think we’ll always be the boss of them, don’t we? Yet, as the years fly by, we are blown away by…
Letting Go of Control
Have you ever noticed how seldom long term plans pan out? Life just gets in the way and nothing ends up “being” as we thought it would by now. What happened? Seriously, what happened to our economy and our retirement funds? Where’s all that home equity we used to be able to count on? And why don’t I still look like I did when I was forty? I work on it; work out all the time. Try an assortment of wrinkle-be-gone and youth enhancing creams. Do yoga. What the heck? I’m starting to look like the women I always see and tell myself “you will never look like that!” And, as long as I’m going to look like a grandma, where are the grand-kids? I’m sick of pretending all those dogs are grandchildren. They’re not! It’s a good thing I waited this long to get a tattoo. Now I see what parts of me are staying in place so I won’t end up with a saggy tattoo. The end is close enough for me to trust if I have it put it on my “end” it will swing low around my knees right where it is anyway. Hopefully, it won’t…
How to Dress for Fall in the Pacific Northwest
It was miserable the other morning, rain coming down in sheets sideways, wind howling like a banshee. And it was cold, the first morning I’d considered actually cold this fall. What to wear? I was setting out for an entire day of errands and a long meeting with my writers group. I imagined getting in and out of the car and running for my destination would require an umbrella or at least a good rain coat. I dressed for the weather, at least the weather as it was at that moment. Wool socks and comfy fleece lined boots for my feet, jeans, a long sleeved cotton shirt with a mixed blend sweater and a rain coat. My hair in a hat – it had no chance at all in the wind as it were. As I headed out the door, I considered running back in for a scarf and gloves, but I was going to be late if I didn’t get going. So, I left feeling uneasy about the possibility of cold hands. I hate cold hands. My first stop was at a small cafe to meet with my writers group for coffee and a bite to eat before…
Sail Away!
This is my dream – beautiful boat sailing into the clear blue warm waters of the South Pacific. Reality is a little bit different, on more than one count. Our sailboat came to us “free” by way of an acquaintance of an acquaintances friends brothers girlfriends nephew. It was thrilling! I’ve always wanted a sail boat and my husband could hardly argue with “free”, right? It just needed a little work, just a little – couldn’t he see that? It wouldn’t cost much at all and in two weeks in would be done and in the water. What a deal! In the months that have past since we legally signed the adoption papers from a guy who could hardly wait to sign it over, our lovely lady has sat at the marina, in dry dock. She looks less than dreamy, her worn old sails wound tightly around the boom, a boom that houses hornets we can’t seem to get rid of. Not that the entire interior was dry rot, just about ninety percent of it I’d say. And it would have been fine without the exterior paint job and new stripping, it just wouldn’t have been quite so cute,…
Slipping Through the One Year Mark
Mom died a year ago. Actually it’s been a year and a few weeks. The date came and went, slipped by without anyone falling apart. Thank God for memories. If I closed my eyes and spoke with her, my imagination would put me sitting side by side on the glider at the lake. She would be speaking clearly, the stroke not yet having arrived and confiscated her life. We would be discussing the kids and she would be reminding me to pick my battles carefully and not make an issue out of the small things. I miss her. They say making it through the one year mark is huge, the sailing should be smooth from then on. I hope “they” are right. Yet somehow, as time goes by, I feel her absence more and more. Well, we can’t expect these fragile bodies to last forever, right? I mean, death is a part of life. It’s so simple, so matter of fact, yet for most of us, so hard to accept. The world marches on, with or without us, proving just how insignificant we are, how precious life is, and how important it is to live each day to the fullest.…
By The Light of the Moon
It was about midnight when the light of the moon woke me. A flashlight in my face wouldn’t have been brighter or more affective. We’d left the doors open to our bedroom deck because it had been so warm when we’d gone to bed about two hours earlier. At the time, I’d looked for the moon but couldn’t find it although an abundance of brilliant stars dotted the blanket of blackness overhead. The street lights across the bay twinkled as if they too were stars fallen from heaven. I heard something splash in the water, maybe a fish jumping, or a seal. The sound of the splash echoed off the still waters and a ripple traveled into the moon light. Sweet salt water permeated the heavy air. I’ve always thought if we could bottle that smell we’d make a fortune. Moon light was cast all the way across the bay. In my mind I could see a ship slowly passing by or a whale gently breaching by the light of the moon. But nothing actually did. There was only stillness and deep quiet. Occasionally, a loon would call out and be answered by another far away. I saw something…
Chocolate and Sleep
Two things I just can’t get enough of; chocolate and sleep. I have recently become a closet connoisseur of fine dark chocolates, hiding them in my car or in my backpack. On those busy days when two in the afternoon rolls around and I feel myself slipping, I sneak a nibble or three and am energized for a few more hours. Then it happens again, around four. What’s another little bite? I’d prefer to have a little chocolate with a nap, like fries with a burger. A few small nibbles on the chocolate bar, slowly biting down on the solid chunk of heaven, making sure all the taste buds have a chance to revel before chewing and swallowing. Then, I’d curl up with my favorite quilt and softest pillow and close my eyes for an hour or so. Dogs next to me snoring softly, sunshine peaking through the windows. A little breeze rustling the leaves. Heavenly. If we don’t have our dreams, what do we have? I think this is what I’ll request for my birthday next year; the whole package and maybe throw in a massage or a pedicure. Chocolate goes really well with those, too. I’ve decided…
Good Times with the Old Timers
“I’ve been working all day,” I defend myself to my ninety two year old neighbor. “Just look at me!” I indicated the mess that I am, as surely anyone can see. “I haven’t even had time for a shower!” “You need to do something. You’re just lazy. And you need to clean yourself up. You’re a mess.” “But I’m not lazy. I’ve been working since seven o’clock this morning! And I know I’m a mess. I’m going to clean up as soon as I’m done cleaning the house, re-potting my plants, pulling weeds, dead-heading the flowers, and scouring out our bathroom. ” “Look at your dogs,” she reaches down to pet one. “They’ve been locked in the yard all day. They haven’t even been over to see me.” She peers closely into Rita’s eyes and asks, “Does she ever take you for a walk?” “I walked them first thing this morning as I do every morning. Really, they’re spoiled beyond reason.” She continues to pet the dogs while talking to me. “You are a terrible dog owner. You should give them away.” “I am not a terrible dog owner. They get a good walk every morning and they get…