“Celebrate your journey of life.”

Posted August 17, 2025 by katry
Categories: Musings

The lovely mornings continue. Today is bright, sunny. We have a breeze, a strong breeze. I can hear the chimes from my backyard. I can feel the breeze from the back door. According to the weather, we can expect light rain. That seems improbable given the sun and blue sky.

I was born in the wee hours of the morning. My father, never a patient man, left the hospital a few times before I was born to go to my grandparent’s house in the same town as the hospital to give updates. That infuriate my aunt. She was getting married that day and needed her sleep so she told my father not to come back. He did anyway. He was pacing in the hospital waiting room when the nurse came in to tell him I had been born. He said she ask for Mr. Ryan. Given that he was the only one in the waiting room, he got a bit exasperated. When he first saw me, my mother and I were just being wheeled out of the operating room. He kept asking her if it was a boy or girl. My mother remembers wearing her wedding corsage on her robe when she was still in the hospital. My aunt never liked we shared the day especially when I reminded her I was born before she got married so it was more my day than hers.

I used to wonder how it felt to be old. I can now attest I feel no different than I did when I was young. The surprise comes when I look in the mirror and see an old woman with a wrinkled face. I know. I know. Old is relative. I always hear that from old people. It is supposed to be comforting.

My sister sent money and said I was not to use it to pay bills so I’ll treat myself to Chinese food. It has been a long while since I last had it. I’m thinking jumbo shrimp for one appetizer and maybe crab Rangoon. Lo mein is always a good choice. I can almost taste it now. I always use the hot mustard. I remember my father used to put so much mustard on his Chinese food his eyes watered and his nose ran. Luckily he always had a handkerchief at hand. I don’t use as much, just enough for watery eyes!

Today I celebrate!


Locomotive Breath: Jethro Tull

Posted August 16, 2025 by katry
Categories: Video

Old Freight Train: Lloyd Snow

Posted August 16, 2025 by katry
Categories: Video

Casey Jones: The Grateful Dead

Posted August 16, 2025 by katry
Categories: Video

Don’t Sleep in the Subway: Petula Clark

Posted August 16, 2025 by katry
Categories: Video

“The train is a small world moving through a larger world.”

Posted August 16, 2025 by katry
Categories: Musings

Tags: , , , , ,

Today is a lovely day. It is pleasantly warm. The sun is bright and glistens through the leaves on the backyard oak trees. The house has a bit of night chill, and my den is still dark. The dogs are napping.

The other night I was sitting with Jack. I had given him treats, filled all his bowls and cleaned his litter. I was reading, and he was getting pats. That was when I noticed the mouse. It came from under the bed across from Jack and me and went right to the snack bowl. The mouse looked as healthy as any I’ve seen. Cats snacks can do that. Jack noticed, jumped down and checked under the bed. He didn’t catch the mouse. I need another have a heart trap.

I grew up as part of the wandering generation. The world seemed so safe back then. I could go anywhere without fear. I’d leave in the morning and, if I brought my lunch, I’d be gone all day. I had no route, no idea where I’d go. I just went. My mother didn’t worry. I’d ride and keep an eye out for adventures and for treasures like the golf balls I’d find across the street from the golf course. I’d sometimes have my lunch on a bench under the trees by the town hall.

I had favorite places. I am a lover of trains, and it started back then. I loved sitting and watching the trains at the station the next town over. I imagined the trips I’d take. I’d ride across country on a sleeper train. I’d eat in the dining car. I’d sit and watch the world from the observation car.

I have had some wonderful train rides. My dreams came true. In Ghana, I’d go first class from Accra to Kumasi. I’d sit in a compartment with big easy chairs and a door which slid open. Usually I was by myself. I’d always sit and look out the window. I never wanted to miss anything. I was on a sleeper train in Ghana which derailed. That woke me up and I had to get off the train. No one was hurt, and, for me, it was an adventure, a tale to be retold. I slept in a couchette in Finland. It had six bunks, but there were only three of us, my friend and I and a Finnish woman. She and I spoke by using the Finnish-English dictionary and pointing at words. I woke up at a train station in the Arctic Circle.

I still want to go across country in a sleeper train. It is at the top of my dream list. It always been there.

Hard to Say I’m Sorry: Chicago

Posted August 14, 2025 by katry
Categories: Video

More Than Words: Extreme

Posted August 14, 2025 by katry
Categories: Video

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious: Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke

Posted August 14, 2025 by katry
Categories: Uncategorized

The Hut Sut Song: Horace Heidt and His Musical Knights

Posted August 14, 2025 by katry
Categories: Video