Close Your Eyes; Make a Wish!

When we married in Virginia this day many

moons ago, it was mild and overcast.  Intermittent

rain.  Several years later in another state, we have

snow.  How did the thirty-eight years pass so quickly?

Two wonderful angels later, we sit indoors and

reminisce and are astounded at how fast the years

flew by.  We saved a wishbone to make a wish.

growing up in a household with four girls, we

often fought over who could get the wishbone

when our mother had made a turkey.  Taking

turns did not come easily, but by the time the

wishbone had dried sufficiently, we forgot whose

turn was next.  Customs and traditions remain.

As one of our gifts, we received fresh fish from

the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle.  Salmon,

oysters and halibut.  Red roses and card on the

dining room table, we will have a romantic

anniversary dinner for two and watch the snow

fall much like ivory snow. Fluffy flakes and birds at

the feeder.  Closed eyes now, we make a wish!

Odiferous Encounter

A good brisk walk has multiple benefits.

I let my mind wander and all sorts of

thoughts enter.  Does anyone else think

in “poetry?”  Words, odds and ends?

So, it was one morning before work that

I had my encounter which jolted me

quickly back to reality. Black and

white, sauntering across my path,

paying me no heed.  Oh, but that stripe

down its back!  If I was sprayed by this

animal out of fright, how would I ever

drive back home?  How would I ever

remove that odor?  My mind thought of

a tomato juice remedy.  Did I have any at home?

I halted abruptly and waited as this

creature continued minding its own

business past me.  Whew!  Skunks are not

my favorite.  A few days later in the

early morning light, I spotted Mr. Skunk

waddling back and forth and under fences.

Your Turn!

While many folks play board games when the

family comes together for a visit, we modify our

Scrabble games a bit in the way we keep scores.

We list players with initials, and also add

the date, time, weather, and temperature outside.

We have a mini family history to read when we

next play.  Our son is here for a visit and always

loves the competition of words on the board.

Last evening, I pulled out an older game with

wooden tiles and all past scores and the stats

kept.  Imagine his surprise to find a game from1980.

After 1983 there was a lag in the information.

I mentioned that some of the missing history

was BC or before children.  My husband and I

were both busy with work and children for

the early years.  Hence, the missing scores.

Now, whenever we come together, the goal

of the game remains the same: let’s see who

can “destroy Mom” and be the victor in the

game.  With a lawyer and nurse, the goal is easy.

So, who won this time?  Ha!  Mom!  But

only because she had the X, the Z and other

high-scoring letters.  Poor Dad was stuck

with a Q at the end.  Rematch tonight?

Last of the Golden Beets

Family visited at Christmas time. We harvested

collards and golden beets from our garden to

accompany the main dish.  How satisfying to

enjoy our garden’s bounty.  As we

welcome the New Year 2021 with temperatures

in the 30s, we look forward to another visit:  our

Florida son.  During the last days of December, we

enjoyed Scrabble with our daughter and her husband.

Naturally, our son wants a match of Scrabble and

loves to use his lawyerly words to beat Mom.  Who

knows if Mom will win or not? The last of the

golden beets went home with our daughter.

Many neighbors ring in the New Year with a

stroll through the neighborhood.  To accompany

our garden’s offerings, we shall enjoy fresh

swordfish for dinner.  A real treat.  Happy New Year.

Stables Available

Beautiful Christmas Eve service with my husband singing O Holy Night and then both of us singing Stille Nacht in German.

Merry Christmas/Fröhliche Weihnachten!

Outsmarting the Bushy Tail!

With amusement I observed my husband’s

handiwork at hanging the bird feeder using

a “squirrel-proof” method, this time with

a chain.  As he donned his winter jacket,

I inquired where he might be going on

a snowy winter morning. Just to the backyard

he replied.  I glanced at the bird feeder to

see an odd sight: hanging on the bottom

sideways was a manner of large

bird.  With a bushy tail.  Mind you, I had not

donned my spectacles this morning. Oh

dear, oh dear!  His hopes dashed,

I watched my husband form a

snowball and throw it directly at

this exceptionally large bird with a bushy tail.

But wait!  It was a squirrel hanging on

for dear life as he fed on the birdseed in

the feeder.  Adjusting the chain a tad higher,

my husband proudly announced he had now

solved the problem!  Do I have news for him!

Oh no, not again I thought.  It is a big source

of entertainment – this human versus the

bushy tails!  Annoying too.  It gives pause for

new methods of problem solving!  Maybe!

A Standing Family Joke

When our children were teens and driving in

winter weather, I used to post weather forecast

and alert pages on our kitchen cabinets.  Snow removal

in our Upstate New York area is efficient but

unexpected storms and snow might fall during

school hours.  A small weather radio which

pronounced the weather conditions in a “robot”

voice informed me of what I should wear outside.

Thus, with amusement, I had occasion to turn on

the weather robot for conditions when there

was a dusting of snow outdoors.  My husband texted

our two that Mom had the weather robot on.

Our son responded with “in the kitchen.” Our daughter

remarked that “nothing says Christmas like the robot.”

So, they have me pegged.  The weather radio is

handy and efficient.  We all hope for a white Christmas.

As I glanced outside early this morning, the sunrise

colored the sky causing me to remark “red in the morning,

sailors take warning.”  Our current mild temperatures

are probably hiding an impending storm.  Such is life.

It is My Turn!

Racing through the yard helter-skelter, the pair

of bushy tails approached the tasty prize awaiting.

Black bushy tail arrived first and brown bushy tail

had to circle and wait its turn.  I do not recall seeing

a black bushy tail in the yard.  Against the

orange pumpkin, the black bushy tail was quite

festive looking.  Diving into the substantial hole

in the pumpkin, it reappeared with tasty morsels.

Fascinating to watch the ravenous creature

repeatedly dive into the pumpkin.  Suddenly

it scampered to a tree perch to clean its fur

much like a cat does.  Next it stretched out

its tail the length of its body much like a

Daniel Boone cap and seemingly took a nap

in this position for a few minutes.  Odd.

Whoa!  As if on cue, brown bushy tail took

its turn headfirst into the pumpkin hole.  It too

scampered up the tree to a branch, cleaned itself

and paused to rest with its fur stole extending

the length of its body.  Odd behavior.

Perhaps the pumpkin is in the process of

fermentation which caused the strange

behavior.  Snow has covered the lawn now.

The bushy tails are in retreat and taking a long

nap.  What grand entertainment I have!

 

 

Tempus Fugit

 I blinked and they were in school.

When a neighbor commented to me

after our son was born: “before you

know it, he’ll be in school.”

It sounded odd when she made

the comment.  I thought to myself that

she was simply jumping the gun so

to speak.  I had plenty of time before

he would be in school.  I blinked and

he was off to kindergarten.  How can that be?

When our daughter was born a few years

later, I still thought I had time until she

was in school.  Not so.  I blinked again

and soon school was in Germany this

time.  One entire year.  We had plenty

of time.  Not so.  I blinked again.

Several blinks of the eye later, we

were back in school in Germany.

One more year.  Plenty of time.

Not so.  I blinked again. Tempus fugit.

Hard as it may be to accept,

Our two children graduated high school

and college. A few more blinks

and they finished grad school,

moved away and worked in other

states.  How is that possible?  Did

I blink and forget the time?  It seems

to move slowly when we want it

to move quickly and vice versa.

I blinked and they married.  My

reflection in the mirror is now

older, wiser and more tired.

I delight telling new parents

holding their newborns to

watch out and remember not to blink.

Before they know it, their kids will be

in school too.  Time just seems to

fly all too quickly now.  Tempus fugit.

We cannot make it slow down so

blink, live and enjoy life to the fullest.

 

 

 

One Century

 My husband and I sang at a funeral today.

The deceased was 100 years old.  She experienced

many historical events.  Women could vote in

1920 in the US.  Fashion included flapper dresses.

The Charleston was the dance of those days.

The era was known as the “Roaring Twenties”

and the Jazz age and the Golden Age Boom

because of the economic boom after WWI.

The average life span in 1920 was fifty-four

whereas today it is 77 in the US.  She had

excellent genes to have lived to be 100.

A touching rendition of Ave Maria was

sung by my husband.  Since my teen years

of being church organist in Colorado, I

have sung for numerous funerals.  It

is my music ministry.  I silently pray for

the deceased.  Today’s funeral was relatively

small.  We not only honor the deceased,

but also, those left behind.  We hope our

music is a comfort to family and friends.