DECEMBER 25, 2012 – MERRY CHIRSTMAS

GOOD MORNING WORLD

Happy Birthday Baby Jesus.  What more can anyone say.  Last night we attended our Christmas Eve church services.  The message at the service was of good news of the birth of the baby.

One of the stories we were told was of a messenger that went to a village and told the ruler that he had a message for him.  He said that no one must know the words of the message.  The message was that ‘God is hidden among them’.  The ruler requested that the messenger take the message to the local monastery as well.

The monks, who had been bickering, began to treat each other differently as they did not know who among them, if he was there or in the village, was God.  The ruler began treating his people differently as he did not know who among them was God.  The people seeing this began to be nicer and kinder to each other.  They did as they were experiencing.  Perhaps that is what this world needs today.  Kindness and caring as we do not know who among us might need it.

After the singing of ‘Joy To The World’ we left church to walk out into a beautiful first snow of the year for us.  Joy was born this day.

I am leaving the rest of this entry to others wiser.  I pray your day is everything you want it to be.  I hope that Santa shared his bounty with you and yours.  It looks like he did here.  We are as I type awaiting the 8 yr old child to wake up.  The grown ups are already excited!  We will sing Happy Birthday to Jesus and then see what Santa brought.

From the Gospel according to Luke:

2: In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.

2] (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

3] And everyone went to their own town to register.

4] So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.

5] He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

6] While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,

7] and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

8] And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

9] An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

10] But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.

11] Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah,the Lord.

12] This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13] Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

14] “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

15] When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16] So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.

17] When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,

18] and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

19] But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

20] The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

AWAY IN A MANGER

(from awayinamanger.org)

The Author of Away in a Manger remains unknown. Some early works suggested it was written by Martin Luther, although this appears unlikely. It is probably a late-nineteenth-century American carol. The first published appearance is in the 1885 Philadelphia The Little Children’s Book for Schools and Families. Richard S. Hill, who was head of the reference section of the Library of Congress, researched the origins of the carol and concluded it was likely a poem read in Lutheran children’s celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the birth of Luther in 1883. The third verse did not appear until 1892 in a collection edited by Charles H. Gabriel.

Away in a manger, No crib for His bed

The little Lord Jesus, Laid down His sweet head
The stars in the bright sky,Looked down where He lay
The little Lord Jesus,Asleep on the hay

The cattle are lowing,The poor Baby wakes

But little Lord Jesus, No crying He makes
I love Thee, Lord Jesus, Look down from the sky
And stay by my side, ‘Til morning is nigh.

Be near me, Lord Jesus, I ask Thee to stay

Close by me forever, And love me I pray
Bless all the dear children, In Thy tender care
And take us to heaven, To live with Thee there

JOY TO THE WORLD

(from carols.org)

The words and lyrics of the old Christmas carol ‘Joy to the World’ were written in 1719 by Isaac Watts (1674-1748). The father of John Watts was a Non-conformist and so extreme were his views that he was imprisoned twice. His father’s influence over Isaac was demonstrated when he choose to attend Non­conformist Academy at Stoke Newington in preference to a University. Watts was ordained as a Pastor of an Independent congregation.

Joy to the World , the Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

May the Peace of Christ be yours today.   MERRY CHRISTMAS…..

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

CHRISTMAS STILL…BIRTHDAY TRADITIONS

GOOD MORNING WORLD

This weekend I accomplished much with cards going in the mail, wrapping of last mail away gifts completed and the sock project done for another year.  Hitting the UPS/USPS store today.  All this mailing includes my aunt’s December birthday gift as well – act surprised “Aunt Becky” when it arrives!!!

PHEW!!!!!  What you just heard in that one word was the expression of a sigh of relief and a breather that the holiday may just now be filled with less anxiety to enjoy the festivities to come.  Why do we do this to ourselves?

Each year I tell myself I am going to enjoy ever single second of preparation for Christmas.  I am not going to tear my hair out or react negatively to anything.  Failure this year as you all know so very well from my frenetic post about being fractured.

Imagine if you or a child has a birthday around Christmas as my aunt on the 20th.  Or my friend Peg – they share the same day.  Perhaps the 20th is far enough away to not interfere with the holiday and children get the same attention on their own day.  Though I have to stop here and mention that a young neighbor of ours always bemoaned she got shortchanged on her Dec 31st birthday as she said her parents had spent all their money on Christmas.

My great nephew was born on Christmas Eve.  His mother was determined that she would be home to have her mother’s Christmas dinner.  As I remember she did.  Each Christmas Eve he has his own birthday party.  A point is made to do that so his day does not get lost in the shuffle of the holiday.  Poor guy – his Aunt Kack is not so good at remembering and his gift is sometimes late.  Well actually I am late a lot so guess I cannot use the holiday as an excuse.

Went to famousbirthdays.com and discovered that Ryan Seacrest, singer Ricky Martin, author Mary Higgins Clark, actress Ava Gardner, cowboy Kit Carson and recluse Howard Hughes were born on Christmas Eve.

I discovered that Sir Isaac Newton, I mentioned him yesterday, Rod Serling, Jimmy Buffett, Humphrey Bogart, Sissey Spacek, Clara Barton, Anwar Sadat, Karl Rove, Cab Calloway and Larry Csonka were a few of the people born on Christmas Day.

Of course we know the reason we celebrate a birth on Christmas day.  That is a major part of our tradition in our home.  It was not always and glad we started it.

Years ago, and I am going back over 30, we lived on a back road in a small town in Maine.  We could see no neighbors.  On Killock Hill Road we had a stone wall as one border and a brook as another.  It was a great place to live for most of our children’s school years.  We moved in during the summer of 1976 before our oldest child’s first day of kindergarten.

We hadn’t been there long when a knock came on the door.  There standing outside were two little kids.  The tallest was a boy and the other (the Dec. 31st birthday) a girl.  The boy spoke and said, “You got any kids in there?”  I allowed that yes indeed we had two –  one a little boy and one a baby girl would they like to come in.  No they just wanted the boy to come out and play.  That knock started our new family ‘The Killock Kin”.

For the next 14 years we shared our lives with the family down the street.  There actually were two homes.  The elderly Father/Grandfather and his widowed, retired Army Lt. Col. daughter lived in one home.  On the hill across from them lived the children that knocked on our door with their parents.  The mother was a sister and daughter of ‘Gramps’ and ‘Aunt Robbie’ in the other house.  As time grew on we began to celebrate birthdays and holidays together.

One of the holidays was Christmas.  I wish I could remember if Robbie brought this with her as a tradition or if I suggested as I had read it in a book at the time and we already did it.  Does not really matter.  The first year we celebrated Christmas all together we sang “Happy Birthday” to baby Jesus before we began to open gifts.

That is how we start out Christmas mornings.  The mangers in our home are empty until then as Jesus has not yet been born.  On Christmas morning before we do anything we sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Baby Jesus and place the baby in the manger.  Not until all this has taken place do we open any gifts.  He is of course ‘the reason for the season.’

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

 

A DAY TO REMEMBER

GOOD MORNING WORLD

This morning I had planned to be someplace else except behind this keyboard.  It had been on my calendar the last two months that I would be in Arlington Cemetery helping the Maine State Society of Washington D.C. place wreaths on the graves of the heroes buried there.  Living less than 2 hours above D.C. if seemed logical to join this group.  Plus one of the officers is a dear friend of ours.

As I have often written about ebb and flow and highs and lows it did not work out as I had hoped.  I changed my plans.  Perhaps I can attend the clean up that will take place on January 26th.

If you are unaware of this project go look it up. Read the story of Morrill Worcester who began the project in 1992.  I am including much of it in this post. Go to the site http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/ to see the pictures.  It seemed to me important enough to simply copy it and paste it here.  My words are no better than the author of the site:

http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/about-us/the-arlington-story/

The Arlington Story

Morrill Worcester, owner of Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine, was a 12 year old paper boy for the Bangor Daily News when he won a trip to WashingtonD.C. His first trip to our nation’s capital was one he would never forget, and ArlingtonNationalCemetery made an especially indelible impression on him. This experience followed him throughout his life and successful career in business, reminding him that his good fortune was due, in large part, to the values of this nation and the Veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their Country.

In 1992, Worcester Wreath found themselves with a surplus of wreaths nearing the end of the holiday season. Remembering his boyhood experience at Arlington, Worcester realized he had an opportunity to honor our country’s Veterans. With the help of Maine Senator Olympia Snowe, arrangements were made for the wreaths to be placed at Arlington in one of the older sections of the cemetery, a section which had been receiving fewer visitors with each passing year.

As plans were underway, a number of other individuals and organizations stepped up to help. James Prout, owner of local trucking company Blue Bird Ranch, Inc., generously provided transportation all the way to Virginia. Volunteers from the local American Legion and VFW Posts gathered with members of the community to decorate each wreath with traditional red, hand-tied bows. Members of the MaineState Society of Washington, D.C. helped to organize the wreath-laying, which included a special ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

This project went on the same way by Mr. Worcester donating each year until 2005 when a picture of the wreaths on the stones in the snow appeared on the internet.  Requests poured in to Mr. Worcester.  In 2006 Mr. Worcester sent 7 wreaths representing each branch of the military and the POW/MIAs.  The Civil Air Patrol and other civic organizations helped place wreaths in 150 wreath laying ceremonies in 2006.  In 2007 ‘Wreaths Across America’ was begun as  501 3c non-profit organization.  Their mission is simple, ‘Remember. Honor. Teach.’

On December 9th the wreaths left Harrington, Maine bound for Arlington.  The Patriot Guard Riders have been escorting these tracker trailer trucks since 2006 in what has become known as the world’s largest veteran’s parade.  It arrived in Arlington this morning after several educational stops along the way.  In 2010 220,000 wreaths were laid in 545 locations.  In 2008 Congress unanimously voted December 13 to be “Wreaths Across America’ Day.  Go read more about it.  It is quite uplifting.

We need something uplifting today this day after the horror of Newtown, CT.  The news has been totally taken over by this tragedy of the 26 that were killed there.  Having young children slaughtered in a classroom is unheard of in this country.  These children were babies.  As our President said yesterday they had their lives ahead of them.  The most poignant thing I read yesterday was from my young cousin Lindsey, I think she is 11/12yrs. old.   On her facebook page she posted these words:

18 children dead? 18 futures, 18 personalities, 18 possible world changers, 18 children that aren’t making it home today.

My Prayers Go Out To All Of The Families In Newton, Connecticut.
RIP

I can add nothing except to suggest we keep all these people in our prayers.

The drums are already beating about gun control.  It is too soon and will not change a thing.  Here are a few facts – please check them out for yourself.

1]  Connecticut has the third strongest gun control laws in the country

2]  WashingtonD.C. has THE strongest gun laws with no guns allowed in the city.  This last year has seen a 40% increase in crime and twice as much of that is gun related.

3]  The bombing in Oklahoma City killed more people in a single action.

What happened yesterday was an act of evil.  I am predicting we will not ever really know or understand why this happened despite all the talk and conjecture.  I have heard that we need gun control.  Lack of faith has been blamed.  Video games and the culture of death we have in this country has come under discussion.  The shooter seemingly has been identified with an illness where he could feel no pain.  He also has been identified as a master gamer.  What he did was evil pure and simple.  No explanation will change this.

I was on a facebook thread yesterday with adult nieces and a nephew who believed very much in gun control.  Despite what I said it was their contention that gun control was the answer.  How else could so many be killed in a single action unless they had guns and gun control would stop it.  When it was pointed out that Oklahoma City bombing did the same the reaction was that  a bombing was rare.  Well so were mass murders with guns years ago.  Bombings though are not rare in London or other places.  I think 9/11 in NYC was evil as well.  An act without guns that killed many.

I was asked the following: ”Until we can agree on the problem it is hard to come up with the solution. Again I ask, you say guns aren’t a factor, so why are they always the weapon used in these horrible occurrence”.  My answer was simply that we did indeed need to talk to find a solution.  I asked did we have to agree or simply come to their way of thinking?  This was not perceived as an answer.  For me it was.  Until there can be meaningful discussion on the fullness of the situation nothing will be accomplished.

In order to understand the tragedy of yesterday I believe we have to examine our whole society.  It is not ONE thing and the one thing in gun control will not change it.  We have to look at how we are living.  Using a tired old axiom, in my day, kids used guns to hunt and there was even that occasional gun during hunting season in the rack of a truck in the school parking lot.  There was also respect for that weapon and the damage it can do.  The question can be asked here if the callousness with which people are killed in movies and in video games has any impact on the kids who watch and play them.  I used to watch the occasional violent movie and can no longer due to the graphic nature of the seemingly gratuitous violence.

We need as a society to look at the lack of faith we are experiencing in our world.  I believe fewer and fewer people go to church or have any form of religious education.  I can hear it now – ‘gun toting Bible thumper’.  No it is the morals that lay in most faiths that are important.  It is the respect for each other, our families and our world that is being lost with lack of any kind of religious education.

Our schools are teaching children that there are few consequences.  When I was a new school parent I remember a class of children where many had to stay back.  This was back in 1976/77.  This just could not happen we were told.  These children would be damaged.  Contrary to what the parents were saying, the school board went ahead and created a transitional grade to help these children achieve what they had not the previous year.  While I did not agree with this at the time or understand it, I can now see it as the beginning of the decline of consequences.  We do not let anyone fail anymore.  If no one ever fails we take away the ability to learn from failure.

Look at some other cultural issues.  The nuclear family is being lost.  Divorce effects 50% of our marriages.  Drugs abuse?  We have now legitimized marijuana in two states and chaos is breaking out as they do not know how to handle this new law.  Alcohol abuse?  Homelessness?  Abortion?  We are a society who has made it legal to kill unborn babies.  Cell phones, computers and gadgets allow us to stay isolated and  keep us further separated from any relationships whatever.  If we have no relationship with family, friends, faith then how can we distinguish right or wrong?   We are more polarized in our politics.  There is the left and right.  I believe Reagan and Clinton worked with their congresses to solve problems and find solutions.  Working with not setting against.

The solution to all of this comes from a large discussion not just the simplicity of more gun control.  As a society we are becoming less and less engaged with each other while at the same time believing through our technology we are closer than before.  No Skype will replace the touch of a hand in yours no matter how we try to tell ourselves that it is just as good.

I believe there will be wreaths brought to this school in Connecticut.  Wreaths to Remember.  These wreaths will also honor these sweet souls.  Hopefully they will allow us to learn the lessons to help change our world for the better.

As we remember all of those who are gone today let us please not let the deaths of the military be for nothing.  They died protecting our freedom.  Let us honor them and the sweet children and the adults in Newtown.  Let us learn that we as a nation need restore the values that made us great.  We need to come together as people of faiths.  Not one faith – the many faiths who share similar values.  We need to become bi-partisan not polarized.

Yesterday many of us, including our President, went to prayer and scripture.  I think that just may be the best starting point.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

TRADITION – THE CHRISTMAS TREE

GOOD MORNING WORLD

As I begin my writing each day I like to focus in on my topic.  If I do not have one I will check emails and facebook and the internet to see that strikes my fancy that day.  This morning, as with many actually, I awoke with an idea.  The idea started before I fell asleep.  It is Christmas Traditions.

Once I have an idea I will simply print that word or words into google and see what comes up.  Today I discovered that there is a swanky speakeasy style restaurant of this name in San Francisco’s Tenderloin District.  There is a boutique with this name in Beverly Hills, CA.  Lastly, certainly not least, there is a song with this name quite famous from ‘Fiddler On The Roof’.

If you have any familiarity with the play or the music I am sure the words repeated the three times are running in your head – ‘Tradition, Tradition – TRADITION!!!’  Poor old Tevye wanted so for his 5 daughters to keep the traditions of the family of birth even after they married and left home.  The whole song is on litany about how life had been lived and should continue to be lived the same way even though the girls married into other families with their own traditions.

I think it is safe to say that no matter who married the first two Thurston girls that the family traditions would carry on as they had been and would continue to do no matter what family traditions the husband might bring.  Little harsh perhaps yet not untrue for this oldest girl!  I was going to add the psychology I believed was behind this and then thought better of it.  I brought with me our traditions and together we have made our own.

THEN: Our traditions of Christmas started with the trek for the family Christmas tree.  We would go over to Grumpa’s and leave our car at his house and walk out back on his land in McKinley looking for the perfect tree, not unlike the Griswold’s in ‘Christmas Vacation’.

My mother was quite particular.  We looked and looked and looked.  The fun for my sister and I was skating in our boots on the small ponds that we came across, eating the spruce gum that Dad would cut off trees and being outdoors together.  Finally – and believe me it could have been hours – the perfect evergreen would be selected and cut and dragged back to Grumpa’s where we might also find hot cocoa and ‘Joe Frogger’ molasses cookies with sugar on them.   Then home to decorate.

NOW:  When we lived in Memphis, TN in the late 90’s we were faced with the situation of paying $100+ for a nice fresh tree from a tree lot.  We purchased a very pretty $99 non real tree.  The non real tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving every year.  I use the term non real as to not diminish the tree by using the term artificial.   The downside is no fresh tree smell. The upside is we can have the tree up safely from Thanksgiving to Little Christmas – Epiphany – Jan 6th with no fear of drying out.  There are also no sprills to clean up.

THEN:  The tree would come into the house and be placed in the very ornate tree stand.  As I remember it was white with red and I think it was a red poinsettia with leaves.  It really was quite gaudy.  In the tree would go and be tied off to the top of the nearest window casings with fish line so not to see.

Next was the lights and that was Daddy’s job.  Mummy would sit back and tell him how to do it.  Those were the light strings when if one was out they all went out.  The whole Christmas season we would be chasing light bulbs to keep them all on.

After the lights were all around the tree the gold garland would go on.  We had three strands of it as I remember one of them was well worn and not as fluffy so it went on last.  It was looped around the tree in a perfect way only my mother could do.

The ornaments came next.  My sister and I would argue over this one plastic Rudolph ornament and who put it on last year.  We had the neatest hanging candles – slim pieces of red glass that hung off many of the branches – fewer and fewer as the years went by.  The ornaments were really pretty and all glass then.  Different shapes and sizes.

Once the ornaments were done it was time for the tinsel.  Now this was a chore.  In our house it had to be put on one strand at a time.  It had to be neatly placed on every branch so there were no empty limbs.  It was boring and time consuming.  Who knew these were pieces of lead?  One year sadly we lost a cat to this stuff.

We had gotten Perri and Porro in the fall from Grumpa as his cat Snookums had yet another litter.  They were both yellow and they were named after two squirrels from the Walt Disney show.  Porro was fluffy and Perri had a stump tail that was an actual J if you pet it to the end.   Porro ate the tinsel.  Mumma was frantic to get Dr. Chamberlain to help this cat.  That man, Bless him,  opened his vet clinic at a late hour to let her in.  Sadly the kitten did not make it.  Perri had a long life with us alone!

NOW:  The non real tree is left up all year in the basement with the lights on it.  My husband simply uncovers it and brings it up to its perch in the corner between the windows.  The top star is placed in position and we begin the decorating.  The garland has given way to pearls or cranberry ropes depending on the year.  There is no tinsel on our tree.

Our trauma this year was the star.  The tree was brought up from the basement and awaited the star.  My husband then turned to me and started with, “I did not want to tell you last year……….”.  It seems that the star we had on our tree for 44 years fell apart as he was putting the tree away last year.  He had tried to repair it to no avail this time.  I was sad and what to do.  The tree was ready and waiting.  He said if I wanted a similar star he would go out and look for one while I put out some of the other decorations.  That was what he did though I think I watched a movie with our god-daughter who was here for Thanksgiving!

It took a long time and he came back with the closest thing he could find which is quite nice.  I am certain in my heart that was a long hard loving search as he knows how much Christmas traditions mean to me.

One of our family Christmas tree stories that we tell year after year is about the tree that my husband got on his own one year.  We had gone to our neighbors on Killock Hill – the ‘Killock Kin’ – on our cross-country skies, all four of us from the 4yr old and 8 yr old kids to the two adults.   ‘Grampa Smith’ told my husband there were great trees out back of his house and to go out and look.  The kids and I went across the street to visit ‘Grampa’s’ younger daughter and kids.  Before the tree expedition came about I believe there was talk of homemade dandelion wine to be tasted in the basement.   I went across the street at that point.

The next thing I know there is my husband standing ever so proudly with a live ‘Charlie Brown tree’.   It was sparse as could be.  I looked at it and the words ‘My God it’s a pine tree’ fell out of my mouth as the others fell to laughing.  The tree became swags around the house and we went the next day to find a real Christmas tree.

Our loved non real tree is up and decorated.  The manger is under it with the cradle empty awaiting the birth of the baby.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

 

FIRST FRIDAY IN DEC. 12-7… PEARLS AND MELANCHOLY

GOOD MORNING WORLD

The first Friday of the month is celebrated in the Catholic Church as a good day to go to Mass.  There is a devotion about going to 9 consecutive services.  I have not ever done it and really do not know much about it except that it exists.  It is a way to practice faith.  In these days when the church is under such attack it seems to me important to mention this.

Today is also the anniversary of my Grandmother’s marriage to her second husband.  I am sure this day is important to many others for birthdays or other anniversaries.

Today is also the anniversary of Pearl Harbor.   I am certain many reading this know for what this day is remembered.  I was interested to note for the second year in a row that Google, who changes their logo on their website according to whim, did not acknowledge the history of this day.  The news hardly acknowledges the significance of this day anymore.  As I was looking this morning I found an article from the San Francisco Chronicle about the State of Maine having their flags at half-staff by order of the Governor to remember this day.  I found this connection odd and glad there was a mention of 12/7 at all.

Pearl Harbor is a day which was supposed to live in infamy.  For some it has for others – well I am wary about what is being taught in schools.   I have been to the memorial in Pearl Harbor.  It is treated with the same reverence that one experiences when they go to the Vietnam Wall.  There is quiet everywhere and people looking silently.  Perhaps some have silent prayers in their hearts.  I know I was very emotional as I walked through the site.

I am in a melancholy mood this morning.  I get this way at some points off and on during the Christmas season each year.  While the majority of my Christmas memories are joy filled and bright not all of them fall into this category.  The melancholy comes when I think about being away from my family at this time of year.  Now I know I am too old to think that we would ‘all be nestled’ in our beds.  I do not do well with unexpected change.  Even expected change needs some easing into my life.  That is what melancholy is isn’t it – remembering changes good or bad?

Dictionary.com has it as a noun defined as a “gloomy state of  mind, especially when prolonged; depression; sober thoughtfulness; pensiveness.”  The one that applies for me is the sober thoughtfulness tinged with the ‘blues’ not full-blown depression.

Death made visits to our family around this time.  My paternal Grandfather and maternal Great Grandmother passed during this time in 1960.   My first step-mother passed Dec. 3, 1971 – this time of year – after being with us for only 9 years.

This dear woman, Marie Isabelle Meyer, had a brief stop in my life while leaving a major impact on it.  When she passed away I lost a friend not just a step-mother.  And she was not even that.  The word step-mother connotes ‘wicked’ to some.  Surely can’t prove it by me or our family.  We have been blessed with three of the best moms!!!

I met Marie as a friend of my father’s.  She was a nurse and had a young daughter who was very spoiled.  Of course my sister and I were not!  As a married woman I commend the courage it must have taken to marry a man with two girls coming into their teens.  I was already 14 and my sister coming quick to it at age 11.  On top of this they chose to have another child, my brother.   Strong couple.

I have always referred to Marie as my ‘earth-mother’ mother.  So many memories……Dad traveled and his youngest boss had to take Marie to the hospital for the birth of my brother.  She would not let there be any disturbances on the weekends so Dad could relax.  She made homemade bread.  She made jams and jellies.  She volunteered with our youth group.  She helped people in town with medical needs.  She would go give people shots (insulin and such) as they were prescribed to save them having to go to the Drs. office.

She loved us as her own.  I remember the Christmas I asked for a pearl ring.  I can see her face as I am sitting here typing.  I was getting a bit disappointed as the gifts were almost all done and I did not have my ring.  She had this sweet kind patient smile and told me to look ‘in the tree’ for more gifts.  There on one branch was a small gift wrapped box I had not noticed before.   Of course my pearl solitaire ring was in there.  Sadly it has been lost.  Memories remain and create melancholy on some December days.

My first Christmas away from ‘home’ was in my own home as a newlywed.  My poor husband.  I cried so much that year as I missed my family.  While we were to be creating our own traditions I could not let go of my familiar ones.  Every single Christmas show had me in tears.  Blessedly I married a man who put up with all this emotion I was experiencing miles from my family and hometown.  It might have been easier had I been in the same state.  I was not.  I survived as did we.  Today it is even hard when our children are not with us.  I would be happy if we all lived in the same geographical area.   We do not!  Life happens.  We remain heart close not logistically close.  Thank goodness for skype!

No matter where we were I tried to find ‘family’ for us or created an extended family with whom we could celebrate the holiday.  Our “Killock Kin” were some of those beautiful people.  ‘Gramps’ and ‘Aunt Robbie’ and ‘Shirl’ (absolutely no blood relation) would come for Christmas Eve pancakes if they could.  Usually it was only ‘Aunt Robbie’ and she would bring a Beaujolais for us to drink.  It was a real treat for her as she had been introduced to it when she was an army nurse in Europe.  It was a big deal she said.  To us it was awful dry red wine.  Her company was what we liked the best!

Depression and suicide are at all time highs this time of year.  While I cannot truly understand these depths of despair, with the melancholy that touches me I can get a glimpse of the sorrow this joyous time of year can produce.  We have many military serving us away from their homes  Children who do not have parents with them at this time.  People separated by illness or circumstances.  It breaks my heart.

I have no solution.  I can only offer a smile to those I meet.  I can offer an ear to those in need of a listener.  I can send a card with a faith-filled greeting.  I can give to the angel tree at church.  I can send money to charities.  I can continue our sock project which brings me such joy.  I can pray that all that feel despair may come to know the real reason for this season.  I can keep Christ in Christmas.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

 

OBAMA CAN GIVE AWAY HIS VACATION AND MORE

GOOD MORNING WORLD

THURSDAY THIS AND THAT

OBAMA VACATION COSTS

I was watching the hews as I was ironing yesterday afternoon and a man from Staten Island was speaking to Neil Cavuto about Sandy.  I had seen the same man speak on a news feed earlier.  He was at a meeting of Sandy victims asking for help.  He was also berating Obama for coming for a photo-op and promising help.  The man now spends his days guarding his home from looters.  He does not have all his utilities back on and wants to have a place for Christmas.

I had been contributing to a thread on facebook about the cost of the first families travels.  One of the contributors offered the following site referring to the cost of the upcoming Christmas vacation.

Residents Alerted to Obamas’ Hawaiian Holiday Plans

There also was a report in an article in Feb 2012 about the 16 vacations the First Family has taken since in office.  You can google this yourselves as there were a couple of choices to read.

As I was standing there doing the flat work it occurred to me that the Obama’s have a chance to be extremely generous.  Remember the post I wrote at Thanksgiving about the kindness of strangers.  The Obama family could not go on vacation, let the people of Oahu enjoy their holiday and give the cost of the travel to the residents of Staten Island to have a brighter holiday this year.  Remember the hospital in NJ that turned their $75,000 catering deposit into feeding many people.  I am betting the $4 M it is going to cost to fly the Obama’s to Hawaii could go a long way to helping those harmed by Sandy.   While they would miss the warm and the ocean I cannot imagine that Christmas in the White House or Camp David would be horrid and think of the kindness they would have shared.  Oh that is it – giving their fair share to the Hurricane Victims.

THURSDAY THIS AND THAT

I got an email from a man yesterday after my post about Kassandra Perkins.  HE was the victim of domestic violence.  His wife was drunk, yelling and screaming.  He tried to defuse the situation by grabbing her wrists and sitting her down.  Next this he knew she was calling the police.  They arrived, looked at the situation for what it was – overblown and calm now – and left no arrests or further action.  UNTIL a notice to appear arrived a week later.  This man had to go to court and was kicked out of his own home.  SHE was the abuser.

I watched, years ago, a woman spit on a man and try to kick his face in a drunken state.  After the email yesterday I realized I was witnessing domestic abuse.  It does not happen to women alone.

THURSDAY THIS AND THAT

Spell check is not infallible.  My post a couple of days ago went through spell check as  do all my posts.  I looked at it and saw no corrections then posted it.

HEROS and heroes were both accepted by spell check.  I do not understand why.

THURSDAY THIS AND THAT

I am hoping that some of you noted the new look of my blog.  I love the snow effect.  I am searching for a clear, appealing look.  I liked the one I had previously.  I like this new one as well.  Still fine tuning.

LASTLY

To the girls about Thanksgiving.  We evidently celebrated a couple of times.  Have a picture of the two of you with your Grandfather at the Carlson’s in 1980ish and you have matching outfits.  There is also a pic of all in 1984.  As well as an April photo celebrating Lucas’ birthday one year.  We visited often back then.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

SUNDAY MORNING SINUS

GOOD MORNING WORLD

I have suffered with sinus problems most of my life.  Sometimes the headaches are almost blinding.  Sometimes they are simply a pain in the neck only over my eyes and around my teeth – yes there are sinus cavities around your teeth.  Some mornings it is a struggle to get out of bed with this junk.  Medicine works and that to quote ‘Martha’ is a good thing.  It just takes longer some mornings to get going.  One day I will find a solution.  A neti pot does help.

My mind is scattered this morning to post much of anything.  I did some blog looking yesterday.  There are some fantastic blogs out there.  Really interesting and some are just plain fun.  One I like – and she sometimes reads me – is a blog called ‘iamrising’.  This girl is a true warrior.  I am not sure what all she suffers from in her life.  I have not read all of her blogs.  The ones I have read share her struggle with bulimia and pot.  The good news is she is succeeding.  Go look at her blog it is wonderful.  It is ‘iamrising.wordpress.com.’.

As I was reading her blog yesterday I was struck with the quality of her writing.  As you know I love words and language and the use of both.  I write my blog from my thoughts and feelings and my heart and try to go deep.  This young woman succeeds in writing her blog from all of those and includes her soul.  She leaves herself all across the page.  Such courage.  She challenges me to do better.

Another challenge I face daily is health in general.  While I am healthy I no longer have all the correct numbers on my chart – some are way over and some are under and all need to be reviewed to reach the best there is for me.  I have good genes – not talking levis here – and I need to do my part.

Last night I while attending a birthday party for my 70 yr old cousin I found myself walking down a hallway with other members of my family.  Now you know my Dad is 91.  While my mother passed away when she was 35, the rest of her family have longevity on their side.  As we, members of my mother’s family, were walking from my cousin’s apartment to the activity room I looked around to discover I was the youngest one in line.

We were being led by my 96 year old great aunt.  She is wonderful.  Sharp as a tack as ‘they’ say.  She hasn’t traveled much lately.  She read an article about a woman a 90 making a plane trip on her own and allowed as much as she thought she actually could fly from Bangor, Maine to DC once again for this party.  She packed her walker and VOILA!

Beside her was her 67 year very pretty old daughter.  Beside them was the birthday girl’s sister aged 79 and herself a really strikingly pretty woman.  My mother’s brother and wife were next in line.  My uncle is 87 and I think my aunt the same age or a year younger.  Then my husband at 66 and me at 65!  It has been a long time since I was the youngest in the group!  It was such fun.  There was my maternal history marching along – well sauntering – all healthy and laughing and in really good shape for all the ages.  It is a wonderment.

Today’s scripture talks about making our ‘increase abound in love for one another’ (1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2) ‘so to strengthen your hearts’.  Well last night as I looked around the room at my maternal family my heart swelled with love and blessings.

The six of the  younger cousins were there with their parents.  The youngest cousin there was aged 6.  There they were my heritage from 6 to 96.  The Gospel today speaks of signs referring the tribulation.  Ignoring the dark reference I think I will look at the signs I had before me last night.  Health, vitality, celebration, love – does it get any better?

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

HIGHS AND LOWS THAT’S HOW IT GOES

GOOD MORNING WORLD

For a very long time I have been planning the excursion I just made to New York City.  I believe my newly aged 30 companion had a great time.  We made the most of our 48 hrs in the city though sadly we did sleep in the city that never sleeps.  I was tired at the end of each day.  Today’s post is more journal than blog I believe as I want to document the fun and the rest.

Sat. we arrived and I was amazed at how easy it was to drive in NYC.  The directions had me going in from the Lincoln Tunnel and our hotel seemed a few streets over and in and voila Times Square!!!  The young gentleman checking us in upgraded us to the Times Square view when he understood the celebration!   We dumped our stuff in our room and hit the bus for a 6PM 2 hr night tour of the city!  The lights were great!  Interestingly we were left at another spot other than our boarding place and we had to walk from 42nd   St back to 49th – right by The Hard Rock Cafe!!  SUPPERTIME!!!

I have been in Hard Rocks before – my sweet friend had not.  They are loud and the burgers really are legendary.  The story the most fun.  Two Americans guys in London simply wanted a plain old American hamburger.  They opened their store June 14, 1971!  The rest is history.  The beginnings of the decor came when Eric Clapton a friend of the owners wanted a regular seat at the restaurant.  Eric asked them to put up a brass plaque or something to designate his spot at the unique original Hard Rock.  They said why don’t we hang your guitar instead and so it began.  His Fender Lead II was the first of all the memorabilia that now covers the walls of the more than 149 restaurants in 53 countries.  The largest one is in OrlandoFlorida.  Our waitress who really embodied the “Love all – serve all” philosophy was excellent and had recently relocated to New   York from Las Vegas.  She was young and looking to move up with the company which I am betting she will do.  I actually had been to more Hard Rocks then she as I’ve eaten in Maui, Nashville, New York and the mother ship London.

NOTE:  Favorite story….. In London we wanted our picture taken as we were in the original Hard Rock.  The waiter obliged.  We sat side by side under the memorabilia and the camera flashed.  In those days it was wait and develop the film to see the picture.  When it came we were appropriately dressed in red white and blue under a red white and blue poster of what I thought was a flag.  We were directly under a poster for the Sex Pistols.  It really is a funny photo and I have threatened to use it as a Christmas card one year – this ‘nice’ couple under the words Sex Pistols – just makes for laughs and fun!!!

The next day we headed to RockefellerCenter and spotted RadioCityMusic Hall where we were to see the Rockettes later.  We looked around the Center with a visit to the Lego Store and NBC Experience store and Papyrus a favorite store for paper goods.

The highlight of this part, for me, was talking with a man encased in a sawhorse cubicle outside looking at the work on the Christmas tree in the Center while they were taking down the staging from putting on the decorations.   He was standing there with a cup of coffee and I commented that he had a great job.  He told me this was the hardest part of all.  He had to make sure there were no holes in the tree.  I asked “Just like at home?”  To which he answered “Yes.”  We chatted for quite awhile as he had not much else to do nor did I.  It turns out he is the man who finds the trees and has done so for the last 24 years.  I commented that his must be the best job.  He said it was.  The stories of how they are all found and brought to the city are interesting.  The one there this year is the tallest at 81 feet and has about 40,000 lights.  He had identified a ‘hole’ and had his laser pointer on it to show the engineer on the scaffolding.  I watched as they attempted to bring together a couple of branches to close the space just like at home.  It was a fun part of my morning.  I am thinking I need a laser pointer for home???

Lunch and then heading to FAO Schwartz.  A very confusing bit of our day and it ended with us walking from 52nd to 59th and from 8th to 5th   Ave.  A hike by any stretch of the imagination!  We saw the BIG Piano and some shopping and hailed a cab for the trip back!!!

THE ROCKETTES were next on our list and we dressed then walked over to the Center again – not that far after the early afternoon!!!  I was interested to see how much people do not dress anymore for functions.  I was also dismayed at the lack of child control.  Two little ones next to me were jumping up and down a lot during the 90 minutes.  They did not bother me and not so sure about the people in front of them or behind.  Me, I was enthralled for the whole show.  I love these ladies and am amazed at the precision and grace.

This time I was fascinated one of the costumes.  They looked to be a brown velvet and were made to look like reindeer.  It was the ankles of the costumes that caught my eye as the costumer had captured the shading on the leg of a deer perfectly in the design of the fabric.  The whole thing was great!

The evening ended as planned with dinner at Serendipity III.  Now if none of you have seen the movie ‘Serendipity’ I highly suggest it.  Great chic flick.  John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale play a couple who meet, spend a couple of hours together, write their names and phone numbers in a book and five dollar bill, send them off to the universe by selling the book and buying something with the bill. They leave each other and go on to live their lives.  The few hours they are together included having a frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity III.

We arrived and waited for a seat.  It is a very small busy place having been around since 1954.   Go read their story at –  http://www.serendipity3.com/history.htm – it is fun.  Two guys took $3oo, basically all they had, and started BYC first coffee house.  They had no furnishings that matched and 4 tables and 16 chairs.  It also had a very large espresso machine.  In no time the lines began and the people outnumbered the chairs.  Before he was anyone Andy Warhol used to come in there and pay for his sweets and coffee in drawings.

Their menu says, “The Word was Serendipity. The art of finding the pleasantly unexpected by chance or sagacity. Invented by eighteenth century wordsmith Sir Horace Walpole, it evoked the ancient legend of the three princes of the island no longer known as Serendip.”  It has since moved and is in a larger still eclectic space.

We were living the gift I had imagined.  When our name was called for seating we proceeded up the stairs behind the hostess.  She turned as we ascended and asked of we had heard of the movie ‘Serendipity’.  We said that is the reason we are here as well as the 30th birthday celebration.  She said well good you are sitting at THE table.  Sure enough she seated us at the same table that the actors sat in the movie.  WHAT FUN indeed!

Yesterday we hit the M&M store right across the street and the Hershey Store right beside our hotel.  We got the car and I prayed I could drive out of the city without a dent.  I managed it easily as it was only a couple of turns and home we drove.  A really great celebration of life and love and family.

Today I am feeling the low.  I have to take this dear child – I know she is 30 and no longer a child – to the airport for her return to her own place.  It is rainy and that is okay as I am a wee bit sad.  Time passed so quickly between Thanksgiving and today.  Hopefully, it will pass as quickly till we can see her again.  In the meantime we have lots of pictures and some wonderful memories to hold us tight as we go………..

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

BTW: I can attest with 100% certainty that I was the only person that I saw wearing walking sandals in NYC this past weekend.  And NO my feet were not cold!!!

THE BIG APPLE

GOOD MORNING WORLD

TRIVIA: WHY DO WE CALL NEW YORK CITY THE BIG APPLE?

This commonly asked question got me wondering, why do we call New York City the Big Apple? While I’ve seen several apple trees in New York City, I don’t particularly recall them as being in notable quantity — there are certainly more pigeons than apples in New York City, but we don’t call New York City the “Big Pigeon.” As with anything New York, there are many opinions and contradictions.

In the early 1920s, “apple” was used in reference to the many racing courses in and around New York City. Apple referred to the prizes being awarded for the races — as these were important races, the rewards were substantial.

Based on the research of Barry Popik, the use of “Big Apple” to refer to New York City became clearer. Popik found that a writer for the New York Morning Telegraph, John Fitzgerald, referred to New York City’s races “Around the Big Apple.” It is rumored that Fitzgerald got the term from jockeys and trainers in New Orleans who aspired to race on New York City tracks, referring to the “Big Apple.”

In the late 1920s and early 1930s, New   York City’s jazz musicians began referring to New   York City as the “Big Apple.” An old saying in show business was “There are many apples on the tree, but only one Big Apple.” New York City being the premier place to perform was referred to as the Big Apple.

A 1971 campaign to increase tourism to New   York City adopted the Big Apple as an officially recognized reference to New York City. The campaign featured red apples in an effort to lure visitors to New   York City. It was hoped that the red apples would serve as a bright and cheery image of New York City, in contrast to the common belief that New York City was dark and dangerous. Since then, New York City has officially been The Big Apple.

In recognition of Fitzgerald, the corner of 54th & Broadway, where Fitzgerald lived for 30 years, was renamed “Big Apple Corner” in 1997.

Why did I lead off with this question today?  I am in Times Square!  What a wonderful town!  The plan for this day is to see the Rockettes at RadioCityMusic Hall.  I am so looking forward to this.  The last time I saw this show was in BransonMO in 1999,  It was Thanksgiving time also.

That was another wonderful Thanksgiving memory and a wonderful trip.  We were living in BallwinMO and my folks were down for the holiday.  They had wanted to see Branson and it was only 3 hrs away so why not!  We had no big responsibilities to take care of and were foot loose and fancy free.

The only thing we had when we left was a hotel reservation and enthusiasm.  It was too late to get tickets to the shows we were told.  Best to check in with a ticket store as you enter the town.  We did.  We got 7th row center seats for the Rockettes at the GrandPalace!  We also saw Andy Williams, The Presleys and more.  It was a great way to end the holiday!

This year I am making more Thanksgiving memories again with the Rockettes in their hometown.  The first time I saw them it was here in RadioCityMusic Hall as well.  It was the summer of my appendix operation and this was a treat for having to not play for the month.  My mother and I were here alone visiting cousins.  We went to RadioCity to see ‘Mr. Roberts’ the movie and the Rockettes were on before – maybe it was an intermission?  I was ten which was a long time ago.  I do remember the Rockettes and looking up at the EmpireStateBuilding.  New  York, New  York what a wonderful town!

This weekend we are celebrating a belated 30th birthday – not mine – our goddaughters!  And we are…………

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

THANKSGIVING 2012 GONE -WELCOME CHRISTMAS

GOOD MORNING WORLD

Yesterday was a great day!  Food, Family and Friends – the three F’s – cannot beat it!!!  All that is wrapped up with the laughter which cold be added as a 4th F – frivolity!  A good day.

A final review says that the last minute choices for different desserts was a hit.  Have not made Nobby Apple Cake for Thanksgiving before.  In the fall I usually make a couple of these as the apples are so good and have not done so yet this year.  Thanksgiving seemed a logical place to put it in!  Crème Brule – who knew it would be as good as, and maybe even better than Graham Cracker Pie?  Even better as it was made and ‘fired’ by a budding 14 yr old chef!!!  Walks, naps, skateboard runs, Wii – what a good day.

As I was preparing for the holiday and reading different posts here and there I came across a recipe for cooking a turkey like Trica Yearwood.  I think it was cooked at 500 for 1 hour and sat in the oven for 6 more as it cooked.  I am not sure how that tastes.  Not trying it.  The thing that caught my attention was the lack of stuffing in this recipe.  The cavity of the bird contained 2 celery sticks some carrots and an onion..  I had forgotten that stuffing the cavities of the bird is not universal.  Even less universal now that many are frying turkeys.  By the way my stuffing process was slick as ever yesterday morning.

The first time I ran across not stuffing a bird was a visit to our friends in Arkansas.  We were in the process of moving from our home in Mississippi to Maryland so we were depleting our freezer and food stores.  I volunteered to bring a chicken for one of our meals over the course of our visit.  The bird could thaw on the 3 hr drive to their home.  When I got there I proceeded to fix the bird and stuff it.  My friend inquired what I was doing.  We entered into a discussion of stuffing and I discovered that she had not ever put it in the bird!  I love finding out different information like that.  It had not been a custom in her family.  I discovered since it is not a custom in many parts of our country.  I love the differences!!!

I do not go shopping on this day after Thanksgiving.  Depending on what is going on the rest of the weekend we may or may not put the Christmas tree up on this day.  The tree  IS going up today.  While I await the helpers to return and wake-up I will remember Thanksgivings past over my coffee.

Most Thanksgivings when we lived in Maine were at my aunt’s home.  The Friday after we would go back as my uncle from D.C. would be there with his family.  One of the first Thanksgivings I made in our home in Maine my sister (the next in the line of three) and her family came.  I remember having fun with all 4 adults peeling vegetables and laughing.  She remembers a walk in the snow after.

Another favorite memory of the day after Thanksgiving for me was in 2004.  My folks were visiting us in Missouri for the holiday.  Prior to Thanksgiving we had made the required tour of “my arch” which is how Millie referred to the St. Louis Arch.  This was the first time Dad had to show proof of a knee replacement to go through the gate at the Museum under the arch.  In line he was chatting with people as he does and got the normal response of you do not look that old when he told them he was 83!   It was a wonderful time before and including the feast on Thanksgiving Day!

The day after we decided spontaneously to go see ‘The Polar Express’ which had just opened.  Our daughter and her two kids were back over visiting and it just seemed like a good idea to hit the 11:30AM show when it would not be too crowded.

I was not yet dressed from breakfast so whipped upstairs to get ready.  I came down all clean with make-up on raring to go.  Our grandson looked at me with an odd expression.  He said “Grandmama do you have lipstick on?”  It was a bright red to match my sweater.  I answered, “Yes, don’t you like it?”  He responded, “No, I like plain old Grandmama.”  You have to know what came next.  I wiped off the lipstick and got a big hug!  Great memory.  I am not done.

At the movie we all settled in our seats.  We took up a whole row!  We are movie people.  Some people like sports, others movies and some like both.  For the most part we are a movie family.

‘The Polar Express’ is a fairly dark movie.  Not in plot or focus, it is dark in the lack of lighting and color as it takes place at night.  I really enjoyed it.  It was a bit scary in parts and our 4 year old grandson chose different laps in which to find comfort.  It was the same with his 2 yr old sister.

I was reduced to poignant tears at one point when I looked across to the end of the aisle.  There I saw my 83 yr old movie buff father holding my 4 year old movie lover grandson both enthralled with what was on the screen.  It was a circle of life moment.  Our daughter and I in our youth had been in that very same spot of my dad’s lap.  Four generations of movie-goers in the same row and the oldest was holding the youngest.  It was a beautiful sight.

Memories are wonderful and warm your heart.  Blessedly we are all, from my 91 year old dad to my now 12 year old grandson and the rest of our family, still making more each day!

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

 

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

GOOD MORNING WORLD

There is not much more that can be said this day.  It is a day for giving thanks and enjoying those gathered in our homes.  It is a time to pray for those less fortunate and those not able to be with family for whatever the reason.  All week long a hymn has been running through my mind as I prepared our celebration.  I believe it says it all.

Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done, in Whom this world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms has blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love, and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace, and guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills, in this world and the next!

All praise and thanks to God the Father now be given;
The Son and Him Who reigns with Them in highest Heaven;
The one eternal God, whom earth and Heaven adore;
For thus it was, is now, and shall be evermore.

As the Pilgrims were grateful for the blessings they had survived I am grateful for all the blessings in my life.   If you are reading this you are on the blessing list!  Happy Thanksgiving to all where ever you may be.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

WHERE WERE YOU ON ANY NOVEMBER 9TH?

GOOD MORNING WORLD

I can share with you some events in history that happened on November 9th.

1992 Howard Stern’s radio show begins broadcast in Las VegasNevada on KFBI

1989 East Berlin opens its borders

1976 U.N. General Assembly condemns apartheid in South   Africa

1966 John Lennon meets Yoko Ono at a London art gallery

1965 5:16 PM, massive power failure in New Engl, and Ontario (New   York blackout)

It is also the day in 1918 that Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated and the Republic of Germany was formed.  Napoleon became the dictator of France on this day.  Carl Sagan, Mary Travers (Peter and Paul’s girl singer) and Spiro Agnew were all born on this day.  It is the day the Spencer twins were born, our daughter was baptized in 1975 and my brother got a BB in his eye on the same day.  Is it important for you?  Perhaps not.  For me it was life changing.  It was my wedding day.

Forty four years ago on this day I woke in my childhood home to a beautiful crisp fall day in Southwest Harbor, Maine.  It was amazing.  The day before had been a cloudy rainy cold day.  I spent some of the previous day at my friend Anna’s house as we waited for my bridesmaids to arrive.  I was bemoaning the fact that I had not heard from anyone especially my husband to be!

Forty four years ago on November 8th there was a blizzard across Massachusetts and Southern Maine and I had no idea how bad the roads were.  I did not understand this until the girls I had been waiting for had arrived.   We had no cell phones at that time.  I became very nervous for the others on the road and awaited a phone call from the hotel while I got the girls ensconced at Anna’s home.

At this point I was unsure whether my fiancée was coming north or had cut and run to Columbia, South   Carolina.  I remember I kept saying that and have no idea why the town unless it had been in the news at the time.  Eventually the call came, they were at the hotel and the rehearsal would begin on time.  The maid of honor and the best man did not show up as my sister and her boyfriend had gone to the airport to get my fiancées brother and his fiancée and the plane was late due to the storm.   We did the best we could and the night was gone.  I finished the evening with the bridesmaids at Anna’s and left at about 1AM.  What was tomorrow to bring?

The most glorious fall day I could ever imagine appeared before me when I awoke.  I got dressed and we had some pictures taken at home.  We did not have a professional photographer.  I could not afford it.  My girlfriend’s father was an amateur photographer and he did a really good job for us.  The girls had avocado green dresses.  They wore small little headpieces of fall colored leaves with a tiny veil.  When they were used for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding they were called ‘Fascinators’.  I was so far ahead of the time – who knew!!!

I wish I could describe the day so you could actually see and feel it.  The sun was shining bright and the sky was as clear a blue as I have ever seen it.  The breeze was not warm nor cold.  It had that feel of the breeze that comes the first day you know that fall is in the air.  It has a tinge of cool as it blows over your sun warmed skin.  It was a day when you could go without a coat yet be more comfortable with a sweater.  The water in the harbor had sparkles on it like diamonds as the sun rays touched it.  The water was moving to the deep dark color of winter’s cold green blue teal not the lighter blue of summer.   It is so funny that I remember the feel of the day more than the activities.

I do not remember getting my gown on the pictures assure me that I did!  I do remember waiting in the house for my young cousin Leslie to come to drive Dad and I to the church.  He had just gotten his driver’s license and this was a big deal for both of us as he is one of my favorite cousins.

I remember arriving at the church.  I had a momentary tinge that it was not my own church.  My husband is a Catholic so we were married in the local Catholic church.  One of the first weddings in the new design award winning St. Peter’s in Manset, Maine.  My minister was participating in the service and the Priest was a friend of my uncle’s which made it all a bit less different for me.

I remember walking in the door to the aisle and looking down to see this wonderful man looking back at me.  I had all I could do not to run to him.   Another of my uncle’s sang a song and someone’s pearls broke as I heard them falling to the floor.  I remember Father Gower telling us to leave a space for Jesus at our table or in our home.

The one other memory of this part of my day that stays in my minds eye and my heart was the beautiful blonde boy beside the priest.   I remember being filled with angst and joy all in one second.  I have no idea how to describe that to you except to say it was a cringe and smile within seconds.  There stood Steve, my young cousin.  I had forgotten to get an altar boy.  Not being Catholic I had no idea.  In the same instance Steve became a symbol of my deceased mother’s presence as he was her brother’s son.  It still is an amazing memory.  Mistake and love all at the same time.

Our reception was grand and fun.  We left for our honeymoon.  We had $125 to have a honeymoon and we had to be back in our apartment in upstate NY for work on Tuesday.  This was a couple of nights ‘going north’ we told everyone.  The storm had started to come so we went south for a one night then turned around the next day to get my things to head to NY to start our married life.  Our wedding day was a glorious fall day sandwiched between two blizzards.  I have often thought that this bode well for our marriage to be able to have joy amidst the storm. That was my best November 9th!

Today 44 yrs later it is still a great day.  The weather outside is almost the same as the original, maybe cooler.  I have given birth to two children as well as usurping another dear girl into our family.  I have been all over this country and some of the world.  My husband and I have had highs and lows and ups and downs and are still madly in love with each other.  We choose love daily and work hard to keep our marriage strong.

I have focused anniversary note to my husband on our day.  To focus on him and my love for him and the life he has given me would be way to personal.  I believe he is a gift from God for me.  There is no other explanation of how a man from upstate NY could find a girl from the coast of Maine through a pen-pal at a wedding and have it stick!  I am blessed.  WBT, I love you more today than yesterday and twice as much as tomorrow!

Next year we will celebrate our 45th!  TODAY I am declaring this coming year to Nov. 9, 2013 as a year of celebration for us!!!  This will be on top of the year I am already celebrating for my 65th birthday.  From now to June 23rd it will be mayhem for me with double celebratory festivities.  You see we are married a whole year before we reached our first anniversary so this next year is really our 45th year together so why not…..C E L E B R A T E   GOOD   TIMES – C O M E  O N!!!

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

WHO ARE OUR NEIGHBORS?

GOOD MORNING WORLD

(with apologies – I posted this at 10AM and evidently I did not do it correctly – learning curve)

In light of the devastation from Hurricane Sandy this seemed an appropriate question this morning. In church I heard the Mark 12:28-34 scripture that includes “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”.  Have we been seeing this in our world lately and will we see it in the coming week?  I hear there is another storm on its way.  Not just the election – a real weather related event.

We have seen some of this since Sandy.  I really would love to have a television station,, a news channel, as well as a website devoted to only good news.   As I type I am betting there is a website like this somewhere on the net and if not – voila – a new good idea!  What I am seeing on the news are stories of gas lines, people pulling guns, people complaining about lack of government help.  Where is FEMA?  Where is the help?

I am not negating the problems and I am certain help is trying to get there.  I read a post on facebook from a volunteer trying to get to NYC.  He said he could not find a room as all had been booked for the race.  The cancellation of the marathon he was hoping would release some place for him to stay to come up and help.  I was stymied as to why the race was even going to continue at all. I was relieved when the mayor canceled it.  I am certain help is on the way though delayed due to road closures and emergency help.

My heart broke when I saw a lady crying abut the loss of her home of 42 yrs.  I cried when I saw a mother whose two children were washed away from her.  I wished I could come up with some way to help other than send money.  I want to be a good neighbor and I do love those people who are suffering.

My mind quickly passed through another thought with loving thy neighbor.  This election of 2012 has had some on both sides saying some strong words.  It is my hope that when the election is over that no animus remains.  I heard Mitt Romney say in a speech that we must walk across the street and reach over the “aisle”.  He was telling those in attendance that he was going to work with all of congress and said we all had to work together as well.  He said walk across the street (his assumption is that he will be the winner) and go to a neighbor who has the other guy’s sign in their yard and talk with them as the friend and neighbor they still are.   We have been divided for too long.  I hope this works both ways for a real United   States of America.

As faith filled people we are called to love our neighbors.  As Americans we have shown over and over again that neighbor takes care of neighbor when times are tough.  America loves her neighbors and we are the first responders throughout the world.  It is hard to see failure in our own country.  Having had some not so nice neighbors I know this is a hard thing to do and it is done all the time.

In his homily (sermon) this morning Monsignor Hopkins told the story of a Jewish Rabbi.  I did not have a pen and pencil and found it on the web when I returned home.

http://www.myjewishlearning.com/texts/Rabbinics/Talmud/Mishnah/Mishnah_and_its_Times/Hillel.shtml:

For instance, much has been made of the Talmudic story (Shabbat 31a) in which Hillel, when asked by a prospective convert to Judaism to teach him the whole Torah while he stood on one leg, replied: ‘That which is hateful unto you do not do to your neighbor. This is the whole of the Torah, The rest is commentary. Go forth and study.’

This leads to the ‘Golden Rule’ of ‘do unto others as you want done unto yourself.’  This has been around since ancient China The Golden Rule existed among all the major philosophical schools of Ancient China: Mohism, Taoism, and Confucianism

Are we the neighbors to others that we want living next door to us?  I tried to find numbers to publish to help those effected by Hurricane Sandy and I could only find the Red Cross – 1-800-733-2767  or a text to the word REDCROSS at 90999.  Many churches are taking up special collections this weekend.  I am certain many local charities are as well.  Contact them to help Hurricane Sandy survivors.  I could find no individual numbers for the states of New York and New Jersey.  I will add them if I find them.

Who is my neighbor?  Anyone in need and I will help if I can.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

LITTLE GIRL – LOVELY LADY

GOOD MORNING WORLD

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRETCHEN ELIZABETH

I was going to entitle this ‘Happy Birthday to the mother of our two oldest grandchildren’ which I knew would elicit a growl from our daughter who turns 37 today.  Golly writing that I wonder where the time has gone?  She is convinced that we only put up with her now to get to the grandchildren.

This little girl was the second and last child to which I gave birth.  She was little at 6#1oz.  She was smothered with love and pink as soon as she arrived.  We had been enjoying the boy blue for four years.  The softer pink little lady would be fun to add to our family.   Then it seems we went 0-37 in seconds.  I cannot imagine trying to recap 37 years of history in one post.  Yet of course I want to honor our lovely daughter.

What can I say about her that will give people a flavor of who she is in our family and the joy she brings?  I might start by telling you that we looked and looked and could not find the chat button.  She has talked from the moment she was born I believe.  We were certain there was an on/off button inserted somewhere and we’ve never found it.  When she was little I swore she had hoards of kids in her room as there were so many different voices floating down the stairs.

Soon we realized that the voices were all hers and she had a wonderful singing voice and quickly became a star in her grammar school plays.  This carried her throughout her whole school career singing in plays.  She was Annie in ‘Annie’.  She was Nancy in ‘Oliver’.  She was Marty in ‘Grease’.  I think one of the hardest things she ever had to do was step down from a part her senior year due to mono.  Letting her friends down was something she rarely did – to this day still does not if she can help it.

Amazingly this little girl was not too much of a problem discipline wise until we got to North Carolina.  We had to move her sophomore year in high school and she was not a happy camper.  One night she informed us she was going back home.  Her father informed her that she was in her home and if she wanted to go back north she would have to do it herself.  She allowed as much as she had the money for a bus ticket then had th gall to ask if he would he drive her to the station.  While this brings laughter now,  that night there was a loud discussion that if she wanted this she could figure out how to get to the station and she had on hour to decide.  After that hour there would be no other discussion.  Our daughter graduated from high school in North Carolina!

All her life she wanted to be a beautician just like her Aunt Paula.  She did just that and was/is very good at here job.  In North Carolina she was one of a few who could do a ‘fade’.  In most shops she was the one who could deal with young children.  Our daughter at 5’+/- like her mother is vertically challenged so we are not much taller than most kids so I am sure that helped.  She worked herself right up to owning her own salon for a time. She has actually had licenses in 4 states!

She is tenacious and tackles most ‘stuff’ with energy and makes it work.  She, this year, completed her bachelor’s with a mixture of online and campus courses.  She is trying to decide if she wants a masters in business as well.  This beautiful young woman had to have thyroid surgery and her mother was petrifed for her.  She went in and had the surgery on Friday and I heard her singing in church on Sunday.  Can you say amazing?!

Those are a few of the stats.  The heart of this young woman is the center of the story.  She is happy and bubbly and lively and that is a good thing.  She opens her heart and home to the world.  She loves the seemingly unlovable.  She forgives the seemingly unforgivable and she lives her life as a F.R.O.G. –  fully relying on God.  Her faith is something to look at with awe.  If you read this blog at all go back to Witness Wednesday in August.  When it looked the darkest that her family would not be moved and reunited before school started our faith filled Gretchen just kept praying for God to show her the way.  He did.  They all are now happily living the next chapter in their lives.

There is much more that could be said yet warm tender tears of a mother’s love keep the keys a blur.   She is wonderful and I (we) am proud!!! 

Happy Birthday Gretchen Elizabeth…..I love you…Mom (and Dad too)

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE… 

 

 

SUNDAY QUESTIONS FROM CHURCH

GOOD MORNING WORLD

This is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it has been running around in my head all week long.  It is telling me that I planned to write something about faith all week long.  I simply did not know to what direction until this morning at church. 

I left church with two questions.  Deacon Watts left us with the words, “If you were on trial for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?”  The question before that came from the scripture when Jesus asked ‘Who do you say I am?”  It is almost too much to think about for one Sunday morning.  This will certainly give me something to ponder all week long and isn’t that what we are supposed to do – take the service home with us further than the parking lot?

The first question I have written was actually the question with which Deacon Watts ended his homily/sermon.  Would there be enough evidence to convict me?  That is a real life examination I believe.  There is a famous quote that says the unexamined life is not worth living.  Well I have enough to examine this week.

Are my efforts to help people enough evidence to convict me?  I think this goes more to just help physically and financially.  I believe this also calls us to examine our words that we have spoken to others.  Does what we say leave others uplifted or browbeaten?  Do we speak in the tongues of angels or like a clanging gong?  Do we revere our Lord and sing His praises? Do we give Him time by our prayer?  Do we honor him by visiting His house weekly or more?  I am going to have a thoughtful week with that question alone.

On top of all of this the Deacon reminded us that Jesus asked who did we think He was.  Who is He?  This question is the easiest of all for me.  Jesus is our loving Lord who told us that where two or more of us are gathered He is there.  He told us that whatever we do to the least of us we do for Him.  So these words lighten my burden a little.  I can see clear things I have done for others.

My volunteering at school for years, my volunteering to help the parks and rec program of our town all helped the kids so that will probably be a good mark for evidence.  In the course of my life I have served in groups that were two or more so another point covered.  I think you all can look at your lives in these terms and come up with some good evidence that you can say you know Jesus through some of your works.

The best place I see Jesus is in my everyday life.  I see Jesus as a woman helps a stranger with her bags at Wal-Mart.  I see Jesus in my parents as Dad at 91 continues as the head of our family to keep us all in his prayers.  Millie, mother and wife, does the same with her prayers as well as take care of Dad.  I see Jesus in our children, siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends as they care for their families and we care for each other. 

I saw Jesus in Mr. and Mrs. Fuller every Sunday, as I said in an early post, when I was younger as they cared for each other.  I saw Jesus in every person in the town of Southwest Harbor, Maine as they brought food to Dad and my sister and I when my mother died young at 35.  I know what it is to grow up in a village that takes care of everyone.  It is warm and wonderful like I believe it would be resting in Jesus arms.  I saw Jesus in Rev. William Mitchell as he came by our house daily to see how Dad was doing with two little girls age 10 and 12.  Mr. Mitchell stopped by our home at least once or twice a week for a very long time.  It did not occur to me until years later that he was being Jesus in our midst.  He left his own wife to fend with their three little children and ministered to us.  I was blessed to have the opportunity to write him a letter telling him that I saw Jesus in him and to thank him for his ministry.

The same is true for Rev. Bradford Payne.  My step-mother Marie died after she and Dad had been married for 10 years only.  The town and Mr. Payne repeated what we had experienced many years earlier.  Jesus came to visit our home yet again.  Jesus brings joy and peace and these men were living examples of this for us. 

This morning in church Jesus was Clare and Lewis and their parents sitting next to us.  This morning Jesus was at home in the tender touch of my husband as he put his around me while I was making coffee and said he liked to be close to me.

This all seems so familiar like I have written it before.  If I have I apologize and believe it can stand repetition.  The larger thought is: Who is Jesus for you today?   An even better question may be – How can you be Jesus to another this day?  Make it a great one.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE….

STORM WINDOW DAY

GOOD MORNING WORLD

Major shut off this morning.  I shut off the air-conditioner!  There is a touch of fall outside my door and windows.  It is 63 degrees and to go up to 76 today.  The wind coming in my window is chilly and I love it.  I love cold air.  I like having a cool house.  I like wearing sweaters.  I like fall and winter.

When we lived outside of Memphis I rarely wore a sweater or coat.  One of my neighbors was from Canada.  She commented to me one day when it was chilly and we had on sweaters that the natives of Memphis did not understand the mentality of sweaters.  She thought there was coziness to the chill in the air in ‘sweater weather’.  The sweater was a warm hug to ourselves and reminiscent of where we originated and the different seasons we lived in New England and the Canadian Maritimes.  I think she was right.

Fall was time to change the house in preparation for winter.  Our bedrooms would get makeovers.  Not expensive ones like on HGTV.  We simply would move our beds from in front of the window to the other end away from the window.  Our lightweight bedspreads would be swapped out for heavier winter ones.  The storm windows were put on over the windows.  The brush was put around the house.

The storm windows were put on over the windows.  Now this may sound the strangest of all to many of you.  What is that???  I can hear the questions.  ‘In the old’ days we did not have thermo pane windows.  What we had were windows that were made larger than the windows in the house.  They were attached to the house into the trim of the original window.  The fit like a Lego fits onto another with a perfect seal to create the insulation needed so air would not come in around the windows.  Only sometimes in the winter the seal would not be perfect and we would have the loveliest of designs as the frost adhered to the panes of glass.  Up they went in the fall and down they came in the spring.  It was quite a chore.  It made for a busy family day as we all cleaned them and got them ready for Dad to take up the ladder for placement.  The front upstairs were the easier of the second story.  There was a roof over the porch and Dad could stand on it while attaching the storms.  We waited until end of October into November to put these on as you might still want to open a window for fresh air.

Funny story time!  My aunt lived with us during high school.  I have referred to her as my sister-aunt as she is only 8 years older than I and more like an older sister.  When she wanted us to meet her boyfriend she brought him home to us.  He slept in the ‘little room’ which was mine and we all (Aunt Becky and my sister Paula and I) would bunk in the other.  Both rooms were on the front of the house.  This particular weekend of Jim’s visit was storm window weekend.  Up we all were and Jim was still sleeping.  We got the storms on the house finished excepting the front windows as Jim was still sleeping.  Finally Dad said he had to go up there and would try to be as quiet as he could.  The next thing we all knew Jim was running down the stairs screaming there was a man on the roof!  He was from the city and very frightened.  We on the other hand from the small town were laughing as we knew it was just storm window day!   Perhaps you had to be there!

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

THE HUMMINGBIRD/BUTTERFLY EFFECT

GOOD MORNING WORLD

John Popper the front man for Blues Traveler is not going to vote for Barack Obama!  That is news for me.  John is an independent voter leaning to the Libertarian side.  He voted for George Bush  2004 and Barack Obama in 2008.  He says he is going to vote for Mitt Romney in 2012.  He says it is not the man it is his stance.  He believes Obama has done a poor job.  One more vote for the Romney Ryan team.  It will happen I am convinced as one vote at a time is changed. 

Even more highly profile people like real estate and newspaper mogul Mortimer Zuckerman and of course Brad Pitt’s mom have been vocal about their votes.  Black Pastors are openly discussing why not to vote for the sitting President.  Young voters are doing the same.  It is my belief that much of the Catholic vote that he had the last time will not be there this time.   I believe that voters are smarter then the media makes them out to be in the news.  There is no war on women.  I am not saying that Mitt Romney does not have to sell himself – he does.  I am saying that the aura and era of Obama is fading away.

I had no idea what I was going to write about this morning.  My mind was blank last night as I headed for bed. It had been my desire to rough out a submission before then.  I could not think of one thing to write.  I finally got into bed and my mind raced for some time.  This morning I was brought back to an old theme when I heard a bird saying its name – Phoe…be    Phoe…be.  At least the clock read 6:24 so I had 5 hrs of sleep!!! 

That is the struggle for me of open windows and fresh air and I love both.  After being cooped up in air-conditioning most of the summer it is wonderful to have breezes.  When I get at the cottage I open the windows wide and they do not go down again until I leave unless it rains.  I sleep better and breathe better!  Fresh air is good.  I’ll take the birds!

Another thought I had about what to write is the lack of pressure I feel in this place.  Any pressure is self-imposed.  I can almost physically feel my body unwind like a spring uncoiling.  I walk slower and move slower and evidently I think slower as ideas are not popping to my head to write the blog.  Last night for the first time I was nervous about facing this blank white page.  I began to wonder if I would really make the year. 

I thought I could write about jobs I have had.  I’m taking Dad to Bangor the VA tomorrow to see about his hearing aids and I thought I could tell stories about hearing aids as I used to sell them.  I thought perhaps a post about nicknames or clichés or hometowns.  None seemed to stick.  I was grateful for the morsel of news to start my fingers moving to cover the white.

One of the things I like most about being at our cottage is that my folks come for coffee every morning.  We planted a butterfly bush in the front of our cottage last year.  This year it is above the windows.   Daddy commented on how entertaining it was to watch as he had his coffee.  He even saw a hummingbird.  We got talking about hummingbirds and how far they fly.  Of course the information junkie in me took hold once they left.  I found the following:

 http://www.worldofhummingbirds.com/migration.php

 Each time before a hummingbird starts migration, they need to eat a lot of insects and nectar to fatten up. A hummingbird will gain 25-40% of their body weight before they start migration. If a larger bird gained that much weight, they would not be able to get off the ground. During this time you may notice a hummingbird swarm around your feeders.

While hummingbird migration occurs on the same common fly zones, they do so alone. The best analogy is that hummingbirds are like commuters on a freeway, all going the same way on the same road, but doing so alone to get to their own individual homes. Hummingbird will migrate alone for many reasons. First of all, hummingbirds are so small that most predators have difficulty seeing them. If they flocked together, they would be a larger, more readily seen, target. Also, a hummingbird must stop frequently to feed at a flower or feeder, even during migration. To have a flock of hummingbirds waiting in line for a flower to refill doesn’t work. Plus, during hummingbird flight, there is just not enough body mass to make a wake in the air currents for others.

When hummingbirds are migrating, they usually do not stay very high off the ground. They have been reported to fly just above treetop level over land or pretty much skimming the top of the water ways. It is believed they do this to keep an eye out for a food or nectar opportunity on their long journey.

While migrating, hummingbirds generally will fly during the day and sleep at night. When the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds are flying over the Gulf of Mexico during migration, there is no place to land to sleep, so they must keep on going. Many years ago, fisherman and oil rig workers would report seeking hummingbirds zip by them out in the gulf 200 miles away from land. The hummingbirds could be seen flying low over the water toward shore. The workers started to notice this happening every year, recording the common migration routes taken by the Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds. It’s amazing to think that these little tiny fluffs of feathers would travel over 450 miles of water with a 20 mile an hour headwind (with more than 20 hours of travel time) to make it to their favorite breeding grounds. It must be love.

Many hummingbirds will also have to cross other obstacles during migration, like the Mojave Desert. There have been reports of an occasional Rufous Hummingbird falling out of the sky on the migration route to and from Alaska.

…….and there was more hope you check it out.

The urge for information is even stronger in me this morning so I looked up Butterflies and I thought they migrated as well.

 http://www.monarch-butterfly.com/monarch-migration.html

 Monarch butterflies are not able to survive the cold winters of most of the United States so they migrate south and west each autumn to escape the cold weather. The monarch migration usually starts in about October of each year, but can start earlier if the weather turns cold sooner than that.

The monarch butterflies will spend their winter hibernation in Mexico and some parts of Southern California where it is warm all year long. If the monarch lives in the Eastern states, usually east of the Rocky Mountains, it will migrate to Mexico and hibernate in oyamel fir trees. If the monarch butterfly lives west of the Rocky Mountains, then it will hibernate in and around Pacific Grove, California in eucalyptus trees. Monarch butterflies use the very same trees each and every year when they migrate, which seems odd because they aren’t the same butterflies that were there last year. These are the new fourth generation of monarch butterflies, so how do they know which trees are the right ones to hibernate in? Monarch butterflies are the only insect that migrates to a warmer climate that is 2,500 miles away each year.

The Monarch butterfly migrates for 2 reasons. They can not withstand freezing weather in the northern and central continental climates in the winter. Also, the larval food plants do not grow in their winter overwintering sites, so the spring generation must fly back north to places where the plants are plentiful. Would you like to help track monarch butterfly migrations? Visit Monarchwatch for lots of information on tracking migrations with a color map.

I discovered the migration has begun!! How topical of me!  Again check it out:   http://www.learner.org/jnorth/monarch/

It was ever so much fun to share this information with my grandniece Phoebe (aged 4) when she visited this morning with my sister, her grandmother LaLa, and her littlest sister Cassidy and cousin Jolene both 2yrs old.  It was a Phoebe day I told her from birds to butterflies!

AND there it is.  Blog written!  I faced the white page and began writing.  I stopped to enjoy family, relaxed and allowed the topics of the day take me through fear of a blank page to visits, conversations to information.  The Butterfly Effect of letting things interact not making them do so!  Life is good!

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

COUNTING MY BLESSINGS

GOOD MORNING WORLD

Today I am counting my blessings.  Later this afternoon I will arrive at 288 Main Street to give my 91 year old father a huge hug!  I am blessed.  The party and gifts will wait for tomorrow so cannot share the excitement about what I brought to give Daddy.  I am sure he will be “GREAT!”

I have already shared much about my dad and not sure what more I can say about this terrific man.  Perhaps I can tell you what I have learned from him.

I learned that being positive is just as easy as being negative.  He would come downstairs, walk by the mirror in the living room on his way to the kitchen and stop and throw his arms out speaking to the mirror and say, “Who is the best looking man in town and why am I?”  Now I am not sure he was convincing himself or trying to convince us.  Either way it was common.  He was gregarious and friendly and we became the same.  I think about him losing two wives to cancer and he married again.  That either says something about his positive hopeful nature or it says he cannot take care of himself and selects terrific women to do the job.

I learned that we have to help our friends and neighbors.  One of his best friends was Don Berry.  At an early age Don was diagnosed with MS.  In the 60s this was really a new disease.  Don worked and was active as long as he could be until he eventually was bedridden.  Don’s daughter Shirley was a BFF and one of the ‘Triumvirate’.  We were friends from the cradle.  She became a nurse.  She often would tell me that no one would believe what her father’s brothers and friends did for him.  She maintained that it would only happen in a small town and not sure it would happen in this day and age.  Once Don was bedridden his brothers or friends would go every single night – let me repeat that – every single night to get him up and let him sit in a chair to eat supper and watch the news.  Then they would go back a few hours later and put him back in bed.  Daddy was part of the friends.  While there are other lessons of generosity as well, this one really tells the story best.

I learned to try new things.  Daddy played on an adult hometown baseball team.  He took up golf and was very good at it.  He just stopped this year.  He helped organize a reunion for his army buddies and kept them all in touch.  He did not stay behind the counter in the store.  When it was offered he went on the road selling.  He was very good and became known throughout Maine as ‘Honest Les’!  When the company moved and was sold he went with them though he did not make us move as well.  He took on the job of getting back and forth to work.  He was a traveling salesman so he coordinated his travels to leave us stay put in our same town and home.  I remember the discussions about moving us all.  Got to say a big thank you for the choice not to do so.

I learned loyalty from my father.  If he was your friend he was your friend forever.  People would come and go from his life and he kept up the relationship if possible.  He would go visit friends who were ill even though he himself was slowing down.  One poignant memory comes to mind.  I was standing with Dad at the graveside as they buried one of his long time friends.  Dad leaned down to the ground for a moment and touched the site.  I was not sure what in the world he was doing.  He stood up and leaned over and said, “I just stuck a golf ball under there.  Fred might just need it.”

My dad cried!  He showed me that it was okay for men to have emotions.  What a gift to share in a world when men were not supposed to cry.  I know it mortifies him to do so and yet it tenderizes him while still being strong.  I learned that real strong men do have emotions.

I would not say Daddy is a God.  He has had his share of troubles.  I am however holding out for immortality.  I am grateful to be his daughter.  I am blessed.

Happy Birthday Daddio!!!

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

GREETING CARDS

GREETING CARDS

GOOD MORNING WORLD

I am betting we all have a draw full of greeting cards that we have never used.  I cannot believe I am the only one.  We get cards in the mail asking for donations.  We buy boxes of cards from local schools or youth organizations though a lot of this is done online anymore.  Christmas cards come from some ministry asking for help.  What do you do with the cards?  Lots of times I send some money and tell them to take me off their list.  If they do not next year I just keep the cards.  I have a whole small plastic file box filled with assorted cards behind the appropriately tagged divider.

I have decided to send these cards out and get rid of them.  If you are on my list and get an old looking card that is why.  The message is the same.  Some times I may even put a $$ in them.  Our goddaughter was the first to receive any of these followed by Leo who is 11 today (born on his grandparents anniversary) will be happy to just see the $green.  I have a lot of birthdays and anniversaries coming up so out they will go.  If the box is not empty by the end of the year I am going to toss out the rest.  I have this box as for years we lived in the woods and I was not close to a town and the local mom and pop store had few choices.

Today is my sister #1 and her husband’s 43rd anniversary.  Wish I had thought of this box last week!  A blog greeting will have to do.  They were married in the evening and the bridesmaid’s gowns were turquoise.  The bridesmaid, me, wore pink.  A color that at the time I detested and she knew it!  It was my payback she often has said for putting her in avocado green the year before!  Seemed fair.  She at least used the same dress pattern I had used so I could make my dress fit me!  They really were cute dresses and she had us all wear babushkas.  A couple of years ago as I was cleaning out fabric I came across mine and could not believe I still had it!

She is a real card sender.  She inherited the gift I believe from our grandmother.  Grammy sent cards to everyone for everything it seemed.  My sister has our mother’s birthday book so can easily be reminded of all of our families’ special days and of course has added the younger ones to it.  That is a good thing.  I have a birthday book, not sure many people do anymore, and rarely look at it.  Each year I used to transpose birthdates from one calendar to another and that has waned as well.  Anymore now we can put these things on our computers or smart phones.  Still have to have a card to send.

When I was 11/12 I decided that I wanted a new bike.  American Youth Sales had an ad in the magazines to get a new Royal English bicycle with a real leather seat and handbrakes.  That bike was a beauty.  I can easily compare my want and need of this bike to Ralphie in The Christmas Story’ and his desire for the Red Rider BB Gun.  All I had to do was to sell 60 boxes of greeting cards.  That was ALL I had to do.

I showed it to my folks and got permission and the first box of assorted cards arrived.  There were 20 units in this box and I would have two more to come.  I started out canvassing the town with my cards in hand.  I sold the first 20 units and the second arrived and then the third.  I DID IT!!!  I actually sold them all.  The bike was on its way to me from England!

I had some funny experiences along the way to completing this task.  The best was knocking on the door of Mr. Sam Black.  I went up Wesley Avenue one side and back down the other and he was on the other side.  I carried the picture of the bike with me to every stop and I promised I would be back to show everyone when I had it.  Mr. Black opened the door.  I really did not know him though in a small town I am sure he knew me.  I introduced myself and gave him my sales pitch.  He said his wife was upstairs and to wait a minute.  As he was on his way back I heard her holler ‘we do no need any cards’.  Mr. Black turned to me and said, ‘I’ll take two boxes!’

I paddled my bike all over town when it arrived.  It was a real pretty purpley blue color with a tan leather seat.  The local paper had a notice in the town column that said I had earned it only they spelled my name as Cathy!  I had that clipping for years.  This was the same bike that we put a child seat on so I could ride with each of our children on back.  I had that bicycle until the late 1990’s.  It was a real testament to the quality as it arrived in 1958, a very long time ago!

Greeting cards – cards in general – have had impacts on my life.  I think I mentioned I have all my valentine’s from grade school.  I have saved special birthday cards I have received as well.  I met my husband through a postcard!  I even sent a card to tell my husband we were expecting our second child!  So now I am sending out the old ones rather than throw them.  They have been with me a long time and I think they deserve to be mailed at least don’t you?

……ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS WICKET

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS WICKET 8-20-12

GOOD MORNING WORLD

Today will be an easy post to write as I celebrate the 30th birthday of our daughter from another mother.  She came into our lives when she was about 18 months old.  Her father was the son of our neighbor and both were my good friends.  This Christmas 1983 he was visiting from Texas to Maine and brought his daughter and her mother up for the holiday.  She and her mother stayed with us a couple of nights as her parents were already divorced.  Her parents had a volatile relationship and this little girl took it all in stride and seemed to not notice any of it.  She was simply cute and stole your heart with her blonde curls.

Later she returned with her father to live in Maine after her mother had sadly exited life by choice or chance from bi-polar self medications.  She spent much time with her grandmother as her father fostered his legal career, partied with his friends.  We got to know this little girl well.  In fact we had the luxury of babysitting her on occasion.  Then we moved to North Carolina and she was not with us as much.  We made sure she visited as often as we could have her.  As a minor and commuting between parents in Maine and Texas for 8 years she was an experienced flier.  The last time, think she was 12 or 13, I picked her up at the airport she had the identification tag as a minor.  She looked at me and growled under her breath – ‘get this thing off of me!”  I did!!! 

She was a very cute little girl.  She played softball and took dance and had varied interests ever willing to try something new.  Her upbringing could have traumatized this child and she has through most of it remained positive and willing to forge ahead despite any complications.  She was my ‘cookie girl’ – helping me at Christmas – for many years after our other two decided they did not want to cook or were in school when it was time to make the Christmas cookies.  She traveled with me on occasions from her home in Maine to wherever we were living.  We still laugh about the waitress at a fast food stop and the way she asked us if we ‘want a refill for your drink’.  It was one of those you had to be there moments and still brings us to laughter!

In 2003 when she was in college she called and asked us if we would be her godparents when she was confirmed in her faith.  We were thrilled.  I said to her that we now have a title.  Instead of explaining our relationship as I used to by saying ‘we were friends of her grandmother who lived down the street and I worked as a paralegal-sort of for her father for a little bit’, I could say now that I was her Godmother!

She decided to become a nurse and worked in hospitals through most of her high school years as a Candy Striper and CNA.  She chose a nursing school close to home and attended all 4 years with a scholarship and loans getting decent grades.  She is very independent. I maintain that she really raised herself with some financial assistance from her father who had lost most everything by then.  When she graduated she got a good job and then came some frustration.  Not to get mired in it she became a traveling nurse and had some adventures.  The last one before she settled down to where she is now was a nurse at a summer camp.

I remember the call we had in the summer of 2007.  I was at my computer in Maryland and she in New Hampshire was looking for another assignment.  I said ‘let’s Google where the most eligible men are’ to which she giggled.  We did and State College, PA had too much snow for her liking and she ended up in Charlotte, North Carolina which was 5th on the list.  This city also happened to be only 2 hrs from one of her good friends from college! 

It has turned out to be a good choice.  She developed a good group of friends who actually were able to help her through some medical issues.  She was close by when her college friend’s baby was born and to help the same friend when her marriage dissolved.  She is only a day from us and able to come home for holidays easier.

We began calling her ‘Wicket’ when she was the ‘cookie girl’ and didn’t like sticky hands.  I called her a ‘sticky wicket’ then and the ‘Wicket” part stuck.  She was just that for years.  A couple of years ago she was coming to visit and wanted to know who was going to be here meaning the other two kids or grandchildren.  I asked, “Why was that important?”  She said, “Well you know I demand a lot of attention.”  Oh we laughed and laughed and showered her with attention when she was here.  Got to respect honesty and the Princess was added to Wicket!  

I am so proud to be a part of this cute little girl’s growth into the beautiful woman she has become.  She has said often that the four of us are her only constant in life.  We all consider ourselves more than that.  We are her family.  We all long ago took her into our hearts and adopted her with our love. 

She is a devoted friend.  She looks at her struggle in life and figures out ways to work with them or overcome them.  She forges on when others would have quit.  She is a wonderful nurse I believe.  She is kind and caring and picked the best profession to share that.  She is astute and learns quickly.  Her future is bright.  One day I hope she finds the mate we have been praying for all these years to come to her. 

Last spring I asked what she wanted for her birthday and she said a trip to New York City.  That will be happening around Christmas time as we decided August in the city would be hot!  In lieu of her gift right now I have taken to using up all those old birthday cards we all have lying around.  I sent one with an iTunes card and one with a movie card and today she will get her yellow tulips, I hope if the florist can get them.  WOW! Tulips are costly out of season and of course that is certainly okay!  They are for our Princess Wicket and you know ‘she demands a lot of attention’!!!

Happy Birthday and I love you Sweet Girl.

…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…