Sort of A Travelogue

 My trip to Italy began with a trip. A few days before I left, I tripped over an acorn, and managed to painfully bruise a large part of my body. There were no broken bones, so I was fortunate. I thought it very ironic, since I really like acorns. I even have a small collection of acorn related items. I have always thought of them as my lucky talismans.

I have been planning this vacation for several months, and felt more prepared for it than any of my previous travels. I was wrong. When we left, I was still limping on my bad knee. My friend had just recovered from Covid, and still had a terrible cough and sinus issues. We were a pair.

On the way to the airport, my suitcase almost fell out of the back of the pick-up which hadn't latched properly. A driver in the next lane spotted it, and we got it just in time. I also realized I had forgotten my raincoat. 

Our flight was pretty uneventful, in one of the most uncomfortable planes I have been in. There was very little room to move. I'm not sure why seats are so different, but they are. 

Once we got to Rome, we had a little miscommunication with our driver and found ourselves stranded at the airport. Yes, there really is a language barrier. Finally, things were sorted out, and we made it to our hotel, after the most harrowing hour long ride I have ever experienced in my life. Traffic in Rome is something I never would have believed if I hadn't seen it myself.  One man threatened our elderly driver, and demanded he pull over. After lots of shouting and hand gestures, the issue resolved itself.

Our hotel was beautiful. As were all three places we stayed. Everyone at the hotels and restaurants was very gracious and kind. I found that most of the other people were very abrupt. Even when answering questions, I never seemed to get the answers I was needing.

Everything is only "5 minutes away" . So many people told me to "just turn left and then turn left again, and there it is."  That is so not true. We had small private tours in each city. These were quite expensive compared to the regular tours, but so much better. Long lines are everywhere for every place that you go. And when I say long, I mean one to two hour waits.

The highlight of the tour for me was to see Pompeii. I have wanted to see it for as long as I can remember. We took the train to Naples, and were met by our driver and guide. There were just the two of us and it was an all day tour. Pompeii in the morning, then a "light lunch" (4 courses and delicious), and a driving tour through Naples. I was surprised by all the graffiti. It is everywhere in Naples. 

Pompeii is huge. We only got to see a part, because it would take much more than a morning. My only disappointment is that we didn't get to go to the museum of artifacts. We had 5 minutes in the book shop, and I bought the smallest, most lightweight book. There were so many, and it pained me not to be able to browse. Every building I saw on this trip was empty. I am so used to my trips to England with lovely cottages and manors, and cozy homes and shops. This was nothing at all like that. I guess big cities are not my thing! The guides always held up pictures of what the ruins used to look like. And we saw a lot of ruins, throughout the tour. And we walked by the outsides of many buildings. I want to see furniture! And the ways that people lived.

The Colosseum is spectacular. So is the Archway. And I really loved seeing the Roman Forum and especially the place where the Vestal Virgins lived. I am anxious to study these areas and learn more about them.

I liked Florence much better. Calmer and more beautiful. And we were able to find a small leather shop. I bought a very nice purse as a memento of my trip. It rained a lot while we were there. I missed my raincoat and bought a plastic bag poncho. I was still pretty wet most of the time, and was sharing Kris's cold by then. Ah-choo!!! We had a great tour in the rain, and went inside the Academie. There we saw the statue of David, and some beautiful paintings.

We had four train rides through Italy. The first one was Rome to Naples and then back again on the same day. And then another to Florence and to Venice with our luggage. By our last trip we were feeling like pros. The trains are very nice and much more roomy than the airplanes. The train stations are very crowded with 15 to 25 trains at each one. Everyone is looking for their train number. There is no place to sit. I read somewhere that it is easy to spot an American because we are always looking for a wall to lean on. That is true for me. I am not used to standing for long periods of time. The track number is announced ten minutes before the train leaves, so everyone rushes to the gate to the tracks. Coach numbers were written on the tickets. Ours was always toward the end. The train doors close one minute before the train leaves, so there is no time to dawdle. As I mentioned, I was feeling pretty good about it by the last train. Unfortunately, we were on Coach 9, the very last one, and there was no Coach 9. An employee sent us to Coach 7 with just minutes to spare. And then when the train was already starting, a man said I was in his seat. The lady next to me told me not to move, and he glared at me. The employee came along again and moved us to the end row. My luggage stayed in the middle though, and the nice lady said she would keep an eye on it. All ended well and we got off the train in Venice, luggage and all. Our driver met us and a water taxi took us right to our hotel.

Venice is a magical city. There are no cars and even no bicycles. There are 450 bridges over the canals. The streets are confusing because there are so many crooked alley ways. We walked and walked and climbed many, many stairs. We window shopped because every designer I ever heard of, has a shop in Venice. I don't think there are any regular stores. 

Every meal we had was wonderful. The restaurants were all very formal, with real linens and nice china. And all the food is reasonably priced. The restaurants mostly closed after lunch and didn't open again until about 7:30 pm. By that time we were often too tired to go out again. I never thought I would go to bed hungry in Italy!!!

Much of the time, I felt that I was in a dream scene from an old Hollywood musical. Everything I wanted to see was so close, but I couldn't seem to get there. It would just be on the other side of the city, or only a left turn away, or we couldn't find it. That was disappointing. I missed seeing a famous perfume store, a book store, and a yarn store. All were quite well known, but impossible for us.  

All in all, it was an unforgettable trip. And I was never so happy to be home after a vacation. And, of course there was a flight delay in Chicago. I know I would have enjoyed it much more if I hadn't been in a lot of pain. And I was not prepared for the walking, even though I thought I would be. Any pictures I have of myself are still on my friend's camera. And I look pretty bedraggled most of the time. By the end of the trip, I was feeling that I was much too old to ever travel again. But, now, after a few days, I am starting to revive. And from now on, I am not so sure that acorns are my good luck charm.

A Fable

Once upon a time there was a girl. One day she had an idea. It was a marvelous idea. She was excited by this idea and wanted to keep it forever. But she was so busy, and didn't have time to share. she wrapped it up in a pretty box with a big bow and put it in a closet. Safe and sound, she sighed with relief, because now that idea was there whenever she was ready for it.

Life continued on, as it does. Soon she had another idea. This one was even better, so she put it in another box. This was a bigger box, with shiny paper, and gold ribbon. Years went by, and she kept saving her ideas. Things to make, stories to write, things to do, and things to think about were all put away in boxes in her closet. Eventually she needed more space, so she transferred all the boxes into a bigger room. She marveled at how all the boxes were different. There were beautiful boxes with big shiny bows, brown boxes with string, and even several that weren't much more than scribbled words on a tiny parcel. Some she remembered, and some she did not. But, luckily, they were all packed away. And so she went on with her life, secure in her mind that someday, all these wonderful gifts would be opened.

It's not that she wasn't busy. She grew from a girl, to a woman, from a mother to a grandmother. Her life was full of joy and abundance. At other times it was filled with sorrow, and unfathomable grief. At times it went slowly, and at other times she could barely turn around before another year was gone.

Eventually she began to notice that her ideas were starting to show up in other places. She didn't understand, because she knew that they were all locked up in her secret hiding place. But it happened more and more. She was confused because she knew those were her thoughts. Finally she decided it was time to open the boxes and put her wonderful plans into action.

She picked a sunshiny day for her mission, but the sun didn't last. She opened the nearest box and it was completely empty. She turned it upside down and shook it, but it was still empty. How odd, she thought to herself. She picked another one. It was round with amethyst paper and silver stars. She was sure it was probably a good one. Empty again, except for a tiny bit of star shaped glitter. Now she was starting to worry, and tore through all the other boxes, finding nothing but a little more glitter and plain old dust. Paper and ribbons of every color were all around. The little room seemed to be bursting with them.

She was despondent. What had happened to all her beautiful ideas? 

And then she had one more idea and decided to open a Ribbon store. She lived happily ever after, selling ribbons and dreams. She would always give this advice to all her visitors--"Don't tie them too tightly and be sure to use them up".

NOT QUITE THE END

Every fable needs a moral. Remember that our great ideas are not really our own. They are floating around in the universe, waiting for some one to grab them. If you wait too long, they will find someone else.  Don't let that happen.

 So many times in my life I have considered something, and then watched as another person turned it into a successful venture. I'm not nearly as ambitious as I used to be, but I am trying now to use the things that I have been keeping in boxes and in my head.  This little story of boxes of ideas first appeared to me almost half a life ago. And now I have finally written it down.

 

75 at 75--Part 2

 As promised, here is the second part of my helpful hints and useless information. As a disclaimer, I have to say that maybe I haven't actually accomplished all of these. But I am on the path.

38. Make a plan to visit somewhere that you have always wanted to go. It could be a country or a bookstore.

39. Work on a memoir, or even a scrapbook. 

40. Keep some records of the past, but don't save everything. 

41. Read the book "Swedish Death Cleaning." Sounds dismal but it isn't. Years ago, when I was a teen, I liked a novel that featured two spinster sisters who made sure to leave their house 'in dying order' whenever they left. I can't remember the name, and I wonder if they went out much.

42. Hang your pictures, but not too many. Every wall in my house used to look like a gallery wall. Now I'm trying to be a bit more minimalistic. The struggle is real.

43.  Have something you really believe is true, but be open to other people's beliefs too.

44. Try to learn the correct way to do things, but then make adjustments. This is true in the kitchen and in life.

45. Have a regular bedtime. For me, this is one of the hardest things ever.

46.  Get up before everyone else, even if it is only to have coffee.

47.  Make a book of little family stories.

48.  Have a  little space that is just your own.

49.  Visit your happy place. Mine has always been a bookstore. Especially the ones where nobody talks to me. And a coffee bar is a plus.

50.  Have something that you do everyday.

51. Rituals are important. Especially little ones.

52.  Pick a goal. Every day do something that gets you a little bit closer to it.

53.  Do something that scares you. And then remind yourself that you never have to do it again.

54.  Take your turn. I saw a sign on a narrow road near my house that says "Take turns". I love it. It sounds so much like signs I've seen in England.

55.  Only compare yourself to yourself.

56. Take enough photos.

57. Have a favorite:  place, book, food.

58.  Always try new things.  This applies to places, books, and food.

59.  Compliments can make a person's day. Be generous with your kind words.

60.  When you have a brilliant idea, write it down right away. 

61.  Keep a small notebook with you and on your nightstand. It's amazing how quickly those brilliant ideas can disappear!

62.  Don't be afraid to love with your whole heart.

63.  Don't feel like you need to swear. It has become the popular mode of conversation. I like to save my obscenities for the times those words are really necessary.

64.  Re-read a favorite book from your childhood. It's good to see it as an adult.

65.  Become an expert at something. It's your choice. I've heard that you become an expert after doing something 1000 times. Or 10,000 times. You will know.

66.  Mise en place. This French culinary term means to gather all your ingredients and to have everything in place before you begin. I think it can be used in many other situations. Not just cooking.

67.  Leave a legacy. And I don't mean money.

68.  Three ring binders and sheet protectors can really be useful for random organizing.

69.  Start sending cards to people again. Especially for no reason.

70.  I think we should all decorate with buntings and garlands. There is nothing quite so festive.

71.  I got through the saddest times by telling myself "Don't think. Don't think" when I was with other people. And then I fell apart whenever I needed to. Probably not the best advice, but it worked.

72.  The words I've hated the most are "You're so strong".

73.  Using white out tape in a calendar or address book is a genius idea. I don't know why I never thought of it sooner. (Thanks Tricia.)

74.  Always, Always tell your people that you love them.

75.  My favorite quote. I think it is from Cinderella.

Have courage and be kind.

Where there is kindness, there is goodness

And where there is goodness, there is magic.

75 AT 75 Part One

 July was my birthday month. Yes, the older I get the more days I feel the need to celebrate and to share the things I've learned through the many years.  So here are "Seventy five at Seventy Five. A Compendium of helpful hints and Useless Information"

Several years ago I attempted to write a list of 100 Things About Me--after seeing it several times on a favorite website. I only got to 25! So this time I am dividing my list into two parts. As usual in my writing, these wise words are in no particular order.

1.  Stop expecting people to be surprised when you tell them your age. It usually doesn’t happen any more.

2.    Put a few drops of essential oil on a felt table/chair protector and stick it inside a lid (drawers, cupboards, small trash can, box, etc.) They never stick to the chairs legs, but are wonderful little scent keepers for other things,

3.    Don’t spend a lot of time picking out gifts. People will either love it, hate it, or get rid of it.

4.    Only give handmade gifts to those who love handmade gifts and appreciate the time and care involved. Other people haven’t got a clue.

5.    If you are worried about getting in and out of the tub, practice while fully dressed. That way you won’t have to worry when someone comes to rescue you. There are very few things more soothing than a bath.

6.    Always try to learn new things

7.    Travel when you can

8.    Enjoy saying No  

9.    Intermittent fasting. At least it keeps a person from late night snacking. So I keep starting it.

10.                           Stop trying every diet.

11.                           Just be sensible about what you eat

12.                           Take your vitamins

13.                           Keep a travel bag packed with toiletries

14.                           Discover the convenience of dry shampoo

15.                           Get rid of the duplicates in your closet and in your kitchen

16.                           Spend your time and your money on the things you care about

17.                           Read a little every day.

18.                           Notice the time you spend online and resolve to streamline it.

19.                           Don’t watch reality tv. You tube videos are fine

20.                           Make your bed every day.

21.                           Buy new products in sample sizes first

22.                           Love is Love

23.                           Stop joining everything. Be more selective.

24.                           Learn something new

25.                           Try not to be involved in so many conversations about poor health and symptoms, and surgeries.

26.                           Remember to understand that parenting is a world away from the ways we did it. Most moms and dads are just trying to do their best.

27.                           Even though we tried to get away from “the fifties housewife”, she has come back.

28.                           As has “70’s furniture”. And "midcentury modern"

29.                           I really want to have some sort of schedule again. Now most things I do are serendipitous.

30.                           We haven’t really lost the ones we love if we still think of them

31.                           After a certain time, our skills don’t get better. Don’t let that stop you from learning new things. But you may need to lower your expectations.

32.                           Enjoy having time to just do nothing

33.                           Remember the thrill of the hunt.

34.                           Find a new favorite author. Or rediscover an old one.

35.                           Listen to audio books

36.                           Label things

37.                           Always order tiramisu if it’s on the menu.

 I'll be back next week with numbers 38 to 75.

A Meandering Path

Many, many years ago, I began to write a blog. I think it was going to be a sweet little blog, about babies, and children, decorating and crafting. Perhaps I even pictured myself in a pinafore. Swirling.  I don’t remember. Years have passed, and life doesn’t always stay as sweet and magical. Sometimes it has to be lived in extremes. I think that now my musings (and my Muses) are on a meandering path, going this a-way and that-way, backwards and forwards. Just the way that our days go.

Life has been good to us since I last wrote. It's been good since John and I became a couple. Old People Romance. Sigh.  A lot has happened, yet I never recorded it here. We love our house. Moving was one of the best things. Not the actual moving, of course, but the result. Selling the old house felt like it took forever, and was a little bit stressful. I guess St. Joseph really wasn't very happy about being buried in our front yard.  Sadly, I miss my little white cottage (the she shed) and our front porch. The rest of the house never really felt like my own. Even though it was a charming old farmhouse, our new house is much more sensible. Being sensible was never one of my virtues, but it works for me now.  We actually have more space, even though it is smaller. And we are trying not to be the Keepers of Things!

We have traveled with friends, family, and each other. My two traveling friends and I revisited my favorite place in the world (England) last fall. Costa Rica with all the Braffords happened in February. There were fifteen of us!  Clear Lake and Le Claire here in Iowa. A girls' trip to Omaha with my three daughters and teenager Tess will be this weekend. And the grand finale for the year will be an adventure in Italy in October. 

With all the birthdays, graduations, and celebrations, time goes so quickly. I think a lot about what I really want to do. I just had a birthday, so maybe that's why I feel so introspective lately. I always feel that birthdays are the real beginning to a new year and a good time to make plans.

I have been working on a big project. I want to get my old writings into book form. I have saved a lot of what I wrote before I ever had a blog. There are bits and pieces of wisdom and chaos, After I get it all organized it may be a book just for me, and especially for my children. I've spent a lot of time reliving the past and reading my old newsletters, columns, journals, and poetry.  I would love for it to turn into a real book of essays. 

For some unexplained reason, I stopped writing online this year. And now I am wanting to get my pencils sharpened and my voice back again. Any cheering on would be appreciated. Recently, I have been trying to start a little column on Substack. That seems to be where all the people I like to follow are now. So far it isn't going too well, because I can't figure it out. Technology has once again gotten the best of me. I dream of taking a computer class that just teaches me the things I want to know!

Hopefully, I have broken the curse of not having a thing to post. Please look for me again soon. 

Happy Anniversary

 

Today is our fourth wedding anniversary. Time has really gone by quickly, especially since I am counting each year as ten. That way, we can have our Fiftieth next year and have a party! After that, I will go back to just one year at a time, and maybe we make it to our 75th. I'll be 95 so that's not impossible. Of course, I was never very proficient with math.

A lot has happened in our few years together. Our biggest project has been moving. It took John a long time to decide to leave his beloved acreage in "God's Country." He lived there thirty three years and has lots of wonderful memories. We only moved a few miles away, and I think he really appreciates that everything is familiar. My man is a creature of habit. But there is still enough of the adventurer in him to keep me surprised. Essential to a marriage, I always think. We are a good fit,  We never would have considered that we would end up together when we first met many years ago, but I am so grateful and happy that he came into my life. 

We closed on our new house while I was still on vacation, so he started moving in first. A few days after I got home, the movers came and we started staying here. Everything has gone slowly. Moving day was the only day of torrential rain that we had all summer. We needed it, but it did make things a little more difficult. We ended up moving a lot of the small things ourselves. This happens every time, and I always say I will never do it again. But I don't seem to learn. It's not just that it was a house. We also had four outbuildings. We found all sorts of stuff that he had no idea he even had.

Our other house hasn't sold yet, so we have had time to do this slowly. The plan was to not move anything we didn't want to keep. There has been lots of selling and donating, and putting free stuff out on the driveway. People really will take anything if it is free. Almost everything is moved now, but we still have one attic to go through. As the house has emptied, I have become even more aware of how much storage we really had. It is an old farm house, the kind with nooks and crannies, and rooms behind rooms. Lots of surprises in that house, and I have already said how I think surprises are necessary. Unfortunately, most of the people looking at houses right now don't appreciate the value of an old house. Many people want new and open, and none of the homey touches old houses do so well.  I will miss it, and I will especially miss my little cottage, which John built for me because he knew it was difficult to take over another woman's house. Have I said the man is a treasure?

Quarters From Heaven

 We never knew that Rich saved quarters. But, there they were, in his apartment, thousands and thousands of them. I don't think he ever spent one. When Jim took them to the bank, he wheeled the giant jars in on a furniture dolly. I can't remember how much money there was, but I know it added up to a few thousand dollars. Everything is pretty blurry about that time, even now.

Soon I started to find quarters. At first I thought it was a coincidence. But before too long, I knew that my boy was sending me messages that everything was okay. I didn't save the first ones, but after a while I started putting them aside. Now I really wish I had written down when and where I found them.

The quarters started to show up in unusual places. There was one right outside the door of the funeral home on the morning of his service. It was September 27, 2010. It was his funeral and also his birthday. For a while I was finding them every week or two. They still show up, but are less frequent now. Usually I will find one every few months. Always when I need a little reassurance, or am missing him even more than usual, I will find a quarter. 

Often I would find them on the floor of a room I had just walked through. All of a sudden a shiny coin would just pop up. Magazines and books are a popular spot. Once there was one on a stairway, I had just crawled up while playing with a grandchild. Driveways and parking lots are popular places. One time, in a grocery store, there was a coin in a basket of boxes of crackers. I took the coin, and replaced it with one from my purse. 

There are a few rules. (I always love rules) The coin has to be by itself, not part of somebody's spilled change. When I was House Mom at the fraternity house I was always finding quarters in the laundry room because the machines were coin operated. I never counted those.

I save them all now in a wooden box. I have 102 coins and a quarter shaped button (???). I know there have been more.

Many things have happened for me during the years. I lost Jim a few months later. For a long time I felt I was living in a continual fog. I changed jobs and changed houses. I moved several times. Now I am moving again. I was lucky enough to find love again and married John almost four years ago. This is the first home that John and I have had together. On September, the anniversary of Rich's death, John spotted a quarter in our driveway. Happy Birthday, Rich. I know you are always here.

Why, Hello there!

 I honestly don't know what happened, and now I am trying to blog on my phone! I'm on my way to London by myself!!!. Meeting my friend Sherry. My traveling companion, Gerry, had to cancel this morning. Everything is just a little discombobulated. 

Excuses, Excuses

 

Hello there.

I like to think that I have been on sabbatical. I’m pretty sure this is my longest space between posting. Maybe it’s my gap year. I have actually been very busy. I just haven’t taken the time to document anything. There was a time when I journaled several times a week. And now I have dozens of handwritten notebooks that I wonder whether to keep. Or whether to discard. I really don’t want them to be read. But, at the same time, I don’t want to erase anything I’ve written, just in case it turns out to be clever. Mostly it isn’t. Sometimes I think that I write more when things are not going well. I guess that is why I am not so prolific lately. I’m just so darned happy.

REASONS WHY I HAVEN’T WRITTEN SINCE APRIL

1.  I moved my computer to my “dedicated office” upstairs. I know that should make it easier, but for some reason, if I make a change, then I completely get out of the habit of a thing. This goes for dieting, and exercising, too. I’m good just as long as I keep to the path.

2  There just aren’t enough hours in the day. I used to think I would have more time when I got older. The truth is this:  I do a lot less, but it takes more time to do everything.

3\.I go out to lunch a lot

4. .  I have been on a few mini vacations. Many more than usual. Texas with friends. South Carolina to visit my sisters. Galena with more friends. Lutsen Resort in Minnesota with family. Several times to Clear Lake (Our Happy Place) Kansas City with more family. And a trip to California is coming up soon. All of these adventures would have made beautiful blog posts. There is no excuse.                                                                                                   

5.       A First Communion, Eighth grade graduation, High School Graduation, College Graduation, Iowa State Fair, an Anniversary and a family reunion.                                                                                                                                                                    

6.      .Two major allergy attacks. I’ve given more blood and had more testing than anyone should. There are still only guesses about why this happens. I have become close personal friends with an epi-pen over the years. I have finally learned to give myself the shot at the first sign of trouble. I’m learning a lot about histamines and mast cells and thinking they might be where the answer is. I would show a photo but it really isn't pretty. John says my face turns from Dr. Jekyll to Mrs. Hyde.

7.     .I have started working a couple of times a week at Brass Armadillo. Unfortunately, I want to shop whenever I’m there. My plan is to buy less and sell more, but I haven’t perfected that plan yet.                                                                                                        

8.     I may be lazy.   

              I'M HOPING I HAVE BROKEN THE CURSE OF THE BLANK PAGE AND THE EMPTY PEN

                                                                                                                                        

9

Birthday Memories

Today would have been my dad's 95th birthday. He has been gone since 1993, but lives on for those of us who knew him. He was a great father, but not a typical one. He was a man who lived by his own rules, and I think he expected the same of his children. Most of the time when I think of him, either cars or trucks come into the picture. He dropped out of school and worked as a truck driver around the country. He loved racing, and I think he was happiest when he was at a track. I went to my first stock car race when I was two weeks old. I was in a basket in the stands. I'm sure that Mom insisted we go, because the week before, he had brought us home from the hospital, bought her a pint of ice cream, and then he went to the races. Oh, and it was her birthday. He was a great dad, but I'm not really sure how he rated as a husband.

My parents moved to Texas twice in my first two years. I spent a lot of time with an aunt and uncle of my mother's because they both worked miles away. It's strange for me to think of my formative years being with family I don't ever remember meeting. Mom hated Texas. Dad loved it. 

Finally, she talked him into moving back to Iowa, and they bought a house when I was three. She needed stability while he thrived on adventure. When I was about four he was in a serious accident. During a race, he flipped his car six times. I was at the concession stand, buying cotton candy, and when I came back they were on the way to the hospital. She made him promise to quit driving. I think he could have just as easily promised to quit breathing. He kept it up, just using another name.

He used to have a truck route for a Des Moines dairy, and took me around to collect the milk cans from Iowa farms. During our long drives together, we would play "count the windmills," and "name the license plates."  I learned all about Dizzy Dean, his favorite baseball player. Dizzy didn't like to follow the rules either. We listened to country music, and Mario Lanzo.  He wasn't a religious man, but loved to listen to old time hymns.

He had a very strong sense of justice. Once, I took a pack of gum from a store. Probaby Juicy Fruit. When I showed him my treasure, he turned the car around immediatly, and marched me back into the store to confess. That ended my life of crime.  He was very big on sharing what you have with others, and passed that on to us. He liked to tell us about airplanes that he and his brother got for Christmas one year. A neighbor child hadn't gotten any Christmas toys. His mother made him give his away, and share his brother's plane. He wasn't happy about it, but knew it was the right thing to do. Dad always had a story with a lesson. I think they were true. At least most of them.

I was an only child for five years. By the time I was fifteen, I was older sister and babysitter to four siblings. He wasn't conventional. He was never like any of the other fathers I knew. We were the only family I knew with a giant milk dispenser in our kitchen, and regulation school playground equipment in our back yeard. The things he brought home for us to play on were considered too dangerous for our friends. For many years he sold cars and trucks, and once I learned to drive, I never knew what I would be driving to school. My most embarrassing was the car with "Joey Chitwood, Stunt Driver" painted on the side. There are so many stories, now that I am remembering. When he was Race Promoter, he managed to get the governor to be the flag man at one of the races. For my dad, nothing was ever impossible. Happy Birthday, Lefty. I miss you

                 

 

Epiphany

 

This is January Sixth, the Feast of Epiphany. It marks the day that the Three Wise Men visited the Christ Child with gifts of frankincense, myrhh, and gold. It also is the final day of the Twelve Days of Christmas. 

Traditionally this is the day to remove holiday decorations from the house.  Sometimes I actually do it on the sixth. It is supposed to bring good luck. Some years, especially when I had a real tree, I would take down the decorations as soon after Christmas as possible. Now we've gone artificial, so there isn't such a rush.

This year I removed garlands, and wreaths, and all decor except Nativities and the tree, earlier and finished with the tree today. Unfortunately, it won't all be put away until tomorrow, so I am hoping that good luck is still available.

The holidays happened without any Christmas posts. I have no excuses.

This is an unusual cardboard nativity. It folds away into a box the size of a gameboard. Everything is undecorated now except for a few little snowmen. It's time to get the house back in order. Another definition of epiphany is "to recognize the true nature of something and see it for what it really is."  I seem to have a lot of epiphanies in January. I really do like these days after Christmas when I feel like there is lots of time for everything. Of course, it doesn't last, and everything gets busy again.

Happy New Year to one and to all, and may you all have epiphanies, both great and small.

Celebrating Friendships

 

Today was my second Christmas party of the 2021 season.  Time is going way too quickly for me, but then it always does. This is my Craft Nite group. We have been meeting once a month since at least 1977. None of us can remember exactly when we began, but I know it was when my daughter Bridget was still a baby.(Sidenote: It's funny how we tell time, isn't it? Not so much by the date, but by what was happening. And by the ages of our children. So much of my timekeeping in the past several years has been by "befores" and "afters". But that's another story.) 

Craft Nite began with four of us. We were all young mothers who liked to create, but felt that we hardly had time alone to make and do. At first we all worked on individual projects, but later we would make the same thing. We've never had a shortage of ideas. We had some pretty elaborate crafts for many years. There is a lot of talent evident in this group of ladies. We have met monthly for many years now, and our numbers have expanded and contracted. We have lost one dear friend during this time, and others have moved away. We've had very elaborate dinners and sometimes two desserts.We used to stay up half the night, and once we even stayed until we heard the birds singing. Now we meet during the day, and seldom make anything. And if we do, it's very simple. It isn't really about the crafting.

We have been together through many joys, and just as many sorrows. We have been able to confide in one another, and laugh and cry together. We do have some unwritten rules. There are opinions about the world situations that we will never all agree upon, and things we know will never change, so those are subjects we ignore. There are many, many other things that keep us bonded.

We met today at a restaurant. Weeks ago we drew names for our annual secret gift exchange. We also bring small tokens for one another. What a patchwork of presents we had today!

There were ornaments, purchased and handmade, candy, pumpkin bread, panettone, potpourri, gift cards for coffee, chocolate, and the newest calendar from Cindee Moyer, who is an extraordinary doll artist. Last year she had my name, and I was lucky enough to receive her original Sally Hemings. 

I made a small fabric bunting for each of the ladies with three fabric pennants. The middle one has a Christmas tree brooch. I have a large one in my front room as an Advent calendar. Yesterday when I was finishing them, I feared I would have to take the large one apart and borrow a few of the triangles. But I found what I needed at the last moment. Which is of course, part of the lesson I am always learning............Remember to Plan Ahead!