Archive for the ‘Musings’ category

« home page
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

“Keep some souvenirs of your past, or how will you ever prove it wasn’t all a dream?”

January 3, 2016

Today is sunny and in the high 40’s. I have no complaints about this winter’s weather, at least not yet. We’ll see what January and February bring. A New Englander is an eternal skeptic about the weather.

When I went out for the papers, I found one of my decorative vases broken into several pieces all over the middle of the road. It had been taken from my front garden and smashed. I picked up the pieces, and in typical fashion managed to cut myself three times.

Every kid had a sled and a bicycle. Some of us also had roller and ice skates. These were all every kid needed, the rest was just icing. If stuck in the house, games kept us sane. We got a new one every Christmas so we had lots of choices. I still don’t like Monopoly. It took too long and was boring. My favorite from back then which we still play today is Sorry. I have even introduced it to my friends who are now fans in a Sorry kind of way. It’s a game you love because it can change in a heartbeat, and it’s a game you hate for the same reason. My sisters used to cry when I’d send one of their pieces back to start. My friends curse. It’s a grown-up game of Sorry.

When I was young, I had scrapbooks filled mostly with newspaper articles. I remember one book was all about the new Pope, Pope John XXIII. That was a huge thing in my life, the death of one Pope and the election of another. I sat in front of the TV watching the smoke and hoping for white.  That was the last Pope inspired scrapbook I ever made. I had one filled with articles from the paper which mentioned my name, no matter how slight the mention.  The drill team scrap book had programs, local articles, pictures and articles from the Globe when we won big.

I still have a couple of those scrapbooks. The tape no longer holds the pictures to the page. Where the tape was is discolored in the shape of the tape mostly in the corners. Every now and then I pull one out of the eaves and carefully turn the pages. At the playground one summer, I was the checkers and the horseshoe champion for my age group. I do have hidden talents.

Categories: Musings
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Comments: 16 Comments

“I want to caution you against the idea that balance has to be a routine that looks the same week in and week out.”

January 2, 2016

Today is windy and chilly. It is winter cold. Gracie and I will be making a dump run later. The dump is all open land with no trees or buildings so when the wind blows like today, it is so cold I always think of the Russian steppes. I can never empty my trunk fast enough.

I don’t remember it being all that cold when I was a kid, but I do remember the wind. It blew across the field at the foot of my street and the strongest wind would sometimes almost blow us away. We’d laugh and even raise our arms like sails so the wind could catch us. Some days we’d walk backwards as protection from the wind. Our collars would be up. Our hats were pulled down to cover our ears and to save them from flying off, from being borne by the wind. We’d hold the bottom of our jacket sleeves to keep the wind from sneaking up inside. I’d arrive home almost breathless and with cheeks reddened by the wind.

I never counted days until vacations. I counted days until Christmas but that had to do with Santa and new toys. Going back to school in January was no big deal when I was young. That was my lot in life so I just took it all in stride. Later, when I was older, I was far less pleased at the end of vacation because it meant back to my routine, to long hours which left little time for fun, for enjoying even the smallest piece of the day.

I figure retirement is a gift, a recompense for all those days. I have a routine of sorts which involves coffee and the papers and KTCC but then that’s it for the rest of the day. I fill the hours handily and usually happily.

Categories: Musings
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Comments: 12 Comments

“And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been”

January 1, 2016

Happy New Year!

The weather doesn’t look much different being grey and overcast, and I slept away the morning having stayed up way too late last night, but I feel a bit different, a little more excited for each new day. I have no expectations so whatever happens will be a surprise. I know I’m hoping to go back to Ghana in the fall with my friends, my friends from Peace Corps days. We traveled together all the time back when, and we lived in a duplex on school grounds. They are funny and are great travelers, and they love Ghana. It feels like home to them as well. How lucky we are!

When I was a kid, New Year’s Day wasn’t especially significant to me. It meant the end of vacation so it had a pall about it. I’d had a whole week of no bedtime and playing as long as I wanted with my new toys. I’d read my new books well into the night without being told to turn off the light. One week just wasn’t enough.

It really didn’t take long for routine to grab us right back into it. Get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, walk to school, sit there all day with just lunch and recess to break up the monotony, sit back down after lunch then with great hoopla run home at the end of the day hoping for some outside play time before it got dark.

The funny thing is I never thought of that as a routine. I just thought of it as the lot of every kid. Weekends also followed a pattern. On most winter Saturdays we walked uptown for a movie. The sun was always low in the sky when we’d walk home. I remember that for some reason. When I was older, we’d often skate on a Saturday. We would walk to Rec Park and skate on the temporary rink the town put up every year. It was circular, and we always skated one way.

Sundays were seldom exciting. They were masses in the morning and family dinners in the afternoon before we were free. Bedtime came early on a Sunday. My mother always used the excuse we needed our sleep for school the next day. We never bought it.

Categories: Musings
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Comments: 20 Comments

“Approach the New Year with resolve to find the opportunities hidden in each new day.”

December 31, 2015

We are all back into our routines. It is as if I didn’t go anywhere. Gracie hogs the bed and Fern immobilizes my feet by lying across them. Maddie is in the guest room. The laundry is in process, and that is the last of my welcome home chores though we do have to make a dump run. I had a great time, but it is always good to home.

I never make resolutions for the new year. I used to, but I was just setting myself up for failure. I am at the stage of my life when I can do whatever I choose. Life is wonderful. I get to sleep as late as I want, go to bed in the wee hours, eat unhealthy foods, have dessert instead of dinner, get together with friends even on a week night, travel any time of the year, spend the day reading and embrace being a sloth. This last year has been all of those. I figure I’m darn lucky.

When I was a kid, I always tried to stay awake to greet the new year, but most times I fell asleep and the old year passed without me. When I was older, I went to parties where we all wore silly hats, blew horns and welcomed the new year with hugs and kisses and toasts to a better year. Now a few friends and I get together to play games, have great food and drink a bit. We do wear silly hats and blow horns. I’m thinking the new year isn’t official without them.

New Year’s Day never carried a whole of importance for me. When I was younger, it meant I had to go back to school the next day, but that was it. Even when I was older, it was just an excuse for a party. Every year was pretty much the same as the year before. That’s not true anymore. The givens are far fewer. Surprises pop up more often. Life is much more interesting when you don’t know what might happen. I’m looking forward to finding out!

Happy New Year!!!

Categories: Musings
Tags: , , , , ,

Comments: 19 Comments

“Heirlooms we don’t have in our family. But stories we’ve got.”

December 29, 2015

Home again, home again jiggity jig! I arrived home about 9:45 last night. The animals were thrilled. All three of them followed me around the house and two of them slept with me as usual. Fern nestled beside me and Gracie slept at the foot of the bed. Around three I heard a crash. Poor Gracie had fallen out of bed. She jumped back up and decided beside me was the best spot. She got the other pillow.

Colorado was freezing, down to 7˚ one night. Outside was only a bit better so I stayed inside. Here it is warmer and raining, but it started as snow because all the road and walks are slushy. North of us still has snow, the first snow of the winter.

Getting the flu was not on the planned itinerary and neither was giving it to just about everyone, my sister being the only holdout. I’m sorry I didn’t get up to my niece’s, but I did meet her husband and two kids. I also met my grandniece. She is definitely her own person even at 1 and 1/2. Being stuck inside was actually serendipitous as I got to spend so much time with my family. We sat around talking and enjoying each other’s company. That was what the whole trip was about.

All three pets are in here with me. Maddie is standing under the lamp while Fern and Gracie are asleep. Gracie is snoring.

Today I am doing nothing. The laundry will sit in the hall. The bed will be left unmade. I will be warm, dry and cozy. All’s right with the world.

 

 

Categories: Musings
Tags: , , , ,

Comments: 10 Comments

“Nothing that I can do will change the structure of the universe. But maybe, by raising my voice I can help the greatest of all causes – goodwill among men and peace on earth.–Albert Einstein

December 24, 2015

Greetings from freezing cold Colorado. There have been a few bumps both before and after my arrival. On Monday I packed Gracie’s bag. There was so much you’d think she was going to camp for the summer. I was guilt ridden, but I didn’t look back. When I got home about fifteen or twenty minutes later, there was a message from the kennel. Gracie had gone crazy when I left. She tried to escape twice. The kennel owner wanted me to know given her age and heart issue. I called a neighbor to see if any of her kids were around. Her son was on vacation. Either she or he would go to let Gracie out and feed her. The cat feeder said she would let Gracie out. Problem solved and Miss Gracie was thrilled to be home.

Tonight is the annual Christmas Eve party.  My attendance if iffy as I’ve been sick. If I can get through the morning, I’ll be there. Isn’t this just wonderful. I haven’t been sick forever, but here I am. Ho Ho Ho.

Tonight all the kids will be here with their kids. The little one will be off the wall. The piñatas will get whacked, the adults will stay out of the way and we’ll make merry with lots of good food and good company.

Tonight we’ll all leave Santa a cookie and milk. The reindeer get carrots.

Tonight we will celebrate the birth of a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

 

 

Categories: Musings

Comments: 29 Comments

“For centuries men have kept an appointment with Christmas. Christmas means fellowship, feasting, giving and receiving, a time of good cheer, home.”

December 21, 2015

Today is warmer, and if weren’t for the wind would be almost tropical at 50˚. By Christmas Eve it will be in the low 60’s. That’s deck weather. I hope Colorado will be just as nice.

Today my to-do list runs for pages so when I finish one, I cross it off with a flourish! I love forward movement and am getting really excited at the thought that tomorrow is the day! My carry-on and Gracie’s bag sit in the hall just waiting to be filled. They’re on the afternoon list.

I watch Christmas movies most nights. Hallmark is always good for happy endings. No matter what happens, the main character will find love or a family or both. Royalty appears in more than a couple. The prince or princess hides his/her true identity, falls in love with a commoner, reveals the royal lineage and overcomes parental disapproval. The wedding occurs at the end of the movie. All is well.

The old Christmas movies I can watch over and over again. A Christmas Carol is a seasonal must. Alastair Sim is my favorite Scrooge. I love him when his hair is messy, he’s wearing his white linen nightgown and he’s giggling from pure joy. Patrick Stewart is a stern, almost frightening Scrooge so his transformation is amazing. Miracle on 34th Street is another favorite, but I’m not really all that choosy. I watch them all.

Christmas encompasses so much, but it all revolves around Christmas Eve and Christmas day. When you’re little, the day never seems to come. When you’re older, there never seems to be enough time to get everything done, but it happens. It all comes together. The presents are bought and wrapped, the tree trimmed, the cards sent and the cookies baked and decorated. We’re  ready for Christmas.

Christmas is so many different traditions and customs, but the one we share is spending Christmas with family, whether a family by blood or one by friendship. Tomorrow I will be with my family, my sister her husband, their three kids, their spouses and children. I am so very excited.

Categories: Musings
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Comments: 16 Comments

“Christmas is the keeping-place for memories of our innocence.”

December 20, 2015

Winter arrived yesterday. It was 35˚ last night, and I had to wear a jacket for the first time as the wind made it feel even colder. Today is also cold but not as cold as it was, but winter won’t staying long. The weird weather we’ve been having will be back by Christmas. It could reach 60˚ here.

The play was great fun. Christmas on the Air was about a radio station at Christmas in 1949. There was a bit of drama, a few laughs and some wonderful Christmas carols. Dinner afterwards, at Felicia’s, was delicious. We started with shrimp and then both had fettuccine Alfredo and I ordered a side of sausage. Frank Sinatra played in the background just as he should. The place was crowded, no empty tables. The festivities have begun.

My neighbor and his three boys delivered pumpkin bread this morning. They also have a baby girl born last July, but Tiffany found time to make bread for all the neighbors.

I find myself filled with feelings of nostalgia this year. Riding through the square of my old home town brought back a flood of memories. The store fronts mostly look the same, but the stores are different. I called out their names as I went by. Hank’s Bakery is now an extension of the restaurant next door to it. I don’t remember the name of the store the restaurant replaced as I never shopped there. It had fruits, vegetables and cold cuts. The Middlesex Drug is now a butcher shop. My sister said it is expensive. The Children’s Cornet is now an Indian restaurant. My sister and I ate them and it was good except for the green sauce which burned my mouth.

The square is all lit for Christmas. Each tree has white lights and the town green, a new spot to me, has a beautiful lit tree of colored bulbs and an ice skating rink not yet opened. The fire station had Santa on the old police station roof. He used to be on the siren tower.

So much in my old home town has changed but so much somehow stays the same.

Categories: Musings
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Comments: 20 Comments

“Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl. But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart…filled it, too, with melody that would last forever.”

December 19, 2015

Today is as close to winter as we’ve gotten. I felt the cold when I went out front to get the papers. The wind is strong enough to blow the chimes in my backyard. It is jacket weather.

Every year my mother took my sister and me to a play at Christmas then out to dinner. One year it was Death of a Salesman with Brian Dennehy who had won a Tony for the role. We joked with my mother afterwards about such an uplifting Christmas play. I have kept the tradition. Today my sister and I have a play, Christmas on the Air, and a dinner reservation afterwards. We’ll exchange gifts but save them to open at Christmas. I made her favorite fudge last night. She doesn’t have to wait until Christmas to munch on that.

Yesterday would have been the last school day before Christmas. That was always cause for excitement, but Christmas Eve, five long days away, was the magical day for us. I never thought I’d survive the wait. Every day dragged on and on. I’d go outside to play if the weather was good. I’d ride my bike or take the sled if we had snow. I’d watch for the mailman who came twice a day at Christmas bringing all those cards. My mother would let me open a couple, and if I were really lucky, they’d be a card for me usually from my aunt.

At night I’d sit and look at the tree. All the lights and ornaments were mesmerizing. I’d watch whatever Christmas programs were on TV. On weekdays I’d watch Santa in his workshop. He was also in countdown mode until his big night.

My mother played her Christmas albums on the hifi when she’d cook or work around the house. My favorites were the albums with lots of singers. We had Guy Lombardo, Andy Williams and Bing, the album where he is wearing a Santa cap. We also had albums from Grants who put out a new one every year and one from Goodyear. I have no idea the history of the last one.

Okay, I’m starting the countdown: five days until Christmas Eve.

Categories: Musings
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Comments: 22 Comments

“Christmas is not a date. It is a state of mind.”

December 18, 2015

We have rain again. The house is dark because only the windows lights are lit. I like it that way.

I’m in list mode. I have a few going so the sticky notes are starting to cover my table. One note is a list of what I need to do today. Another is the numbers for tracking the only package which hasn’t been delivered to Colorado. A packing list is for the dog and the kennel and there’s one for me and my carry-on. Another list is for the cats and their sitter. I’m thinking I need a list of the lists.

When I was a kid, there was always a church fair held in the town hall. We  got a half day of school so we could go to the fair. The nuns brought us in rows of twos in long lines. My mother used to give us money for a hot dog and a drink. That was a big deal. We also had our Christmas money in case we found just the right gifts. A kids’ table was filled with possible presents for my whole family which cost a quarter for the big gifts and a dime for the small ones. I remember my mother sitting behind a table where she was working one Christmas.

I have never lost my love for church fairs. Now I head first to the table where the knit goods are sold. That is always the first table to sell out. I buy mittens and hats from the ladies, usually old ladies, who sit behind the table and make change slowly counting each coin and each bill as they put them in my hand. Sometimes I buy centerpieces and homemade ornaments. I love the white elephant tables where I sometimes find the best stuff. I go from fair to fair on one December Saturday. I usually treat myself to lunch.

The lists are sitting in front of reminding me to hurry. I have much to do.

 

Categories: Musings
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Comments: 12 Comments

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »