The First Day of Spring 2009

Today seems as good a day as any to write a few scribblings down for the sake of the blog within me. It is not for lack of stuff to talk about or think about that prevents me from blogging every day or even more often than that.

What prevents me from writing is sheer volume of content and willingness to lay it all out and sort through it.

It is kind of like why I do not recycle. I have lots of various types of trash to reuse. I have envelopes and cardboard from old boxes that once I was saving for a 'souvenir' , like those old Wheaties boxes I just pitched out last week. They could be recycled. I have old spaghetti jars saved, because there is a cute little measuring guide on the side of the jar and who knows? sometime I may need to measure something, be out of a measuring cup and need to use the inside of an old jar. OK I should get rid of that too. I have cans galore because I used to make things from scratch and feel so worthy , noble and domestic, until I noticed nobody could tell the difference between beans from a can and beans from a bag filled with pebbles that may crack your aging teeth. So now I just buy the cheap canned black beans in the Latino section because somehow they are cheaper there. Go figure that one. I have egg shells and potato peels that technically could go into my compost pile if I had one, but I don't have one because I have a dog(remember Perfect?) and she will dig up any compost pile I try to maintain as an act of spite. Plus I have a pile of rubbish already piling high that is covering up a sink hole in my back yard. Oh my, that is just another day's blog.

See what I mean? The volume of content is often enormous, but the desire to process it all, now that is amazingly minuscule.

Furthermore, can you even believe that was my introduction? Holy Cow, c-o-w as Ethan would spell.

Well, to help myself along, I already called this Blog the First day of Spring, thinking that by labeling First , rather than Last as I usually do, it would help me define my goals.[ Did not work, make note to self.]

One of the interesting parts of going from full speed ahead large family mode to empty nest mode, is that suddenly there are choices to be made. I used to just do whatever was necessary for the good of the family. I used every opportunity to instruct and interact with my 7 children on a daily basis, if not hourly. There were schooling decisions and educational goals (I home schooled some of them, some of the time), there were meals to prepare and grocery bargains to be discovered. Laundry piles often exceeded the height of the washing machine. Gardening was minimal and yard work on a need-to-do relationship.Shopping meant finding a yard sale, goodwill store or hand-me-down pile to sort through.

For the most part, all of those daily activities have ceased and are being replaced one by one. Choices are needed rather than obligations being done blindly. I putter in the garden and try to keep up with my very energetic and enthusiastic about her yard neighbor, Luba. Just today she came outside to tell me that it was time to get the free mulch at the local park and did I need to use her pitchfork and bags? I mumbled something about "maybe next weekend" and in exactly 3.5 minutes she had returned thrusting the black bags into my arms for 'when I was ready.' The grocery store is no longer my best friend, but has dropped on the list to at least 10Th place and is right below the Goodwill store in places I enjoy going. I definitely spend as little time as possible in either place.

Another choice I have now is how to spend my time off work. I am actually given time off, when the school closes for various things like Spring break, or Teacher In Service Days or Summer. Right now we are on Spring Break and I had choices to make which nearly threw me into total meltdown mode. Should I fly to my daughter's home in New Mexico or drive to my son's home in North Carolina? Maybe I could take a train to my friend's home in Florida? perhaps reconnecting with family in Indiana or Tennessee was a good idea, maybe staying home and babysitting grandchildren should be my priority. Good grief, why don't I just garden and make Luba happy? Do lots of choices in life make a person happier, more content, free as a bird? I might just place all of these choices on top of my own personal sink hole and cover the problem up.

The reason I sat down to blog in the first place was because I had free time and could not decide whether to pick up the book by Fannie Flagg I am reading and just bury myself in it's story, or if I should have a cup of coffee, alone, or if I should go look for a sale and spend money I don't have on something I don't need. I also have talked to all the people of Facebook that I could possibly talk to in one hour, so my conclusion was to sort my thoughts out here.

There is always that one last idea ruminating around in the back of my crowded mind.

Today, the First Day of Spring, Rita's water ice locations throughout the East Coast all have an annual promotion that I am madly in love with. They celebrate Spring by giving everyone a free cup of Italian Water Ice. FREE. NO strings attached free, as in better than Goodwill free. I think that is a good choice for the first day of spring, 5th day of my Spring break, don't you?

Good bye to Carol's Mom

Around my heart this question goes,
Where it stops nobody knows....

How does a person live on when their mother dies-
Who will understand their deepest heart cries?

How will they pick up the phone for a call
or want to just talk-for no reason at all?

Who's left to tell them the story of their birth
or remind them when down, of their value and worth?

Why is the whole world still functioning well
When the issues of Life are of heaven and hell?

Death creeps in silently, we knew it would come
Why do my cumbersome feet want to run?

Run from the sorrow
Run from the pain
Run to the sunshine and
out of this rain.

Run to the Savior
Who knew I'd be sad
Run to His arms
He's all that I had

From the moment of birth
to the second of death
He is all that I have
He's all that is left.


Written upon hearing of the death of my friend Carol's Mother, a precious friend and woman of God. February 27, 2009 with Jesus.

This woman is also the great grandmother of my twin grandchildren Evelyn and Aidan Lacock.

Celebrating Surprises

I had made plans with some single gals at work for Valentine's Day night. We would get together and then eat a quick dinner,laugh and have fun and see a movie, forgetting completely(hey!not even caring!!) we didn't have a real date or someone making us lobster tails or lavishing flowers on us. I was stoked. The date was marked, plans confirmed, time ticking forward and at last the BIG WEEK was here. I told my kids I couldn't babysit because, of course, I had plans.

Two of these newly discovered friends, soon to be plain co-workers, said they were not really feeling up to a night out. That's OK , I valiantly told them, there are three others of us to be together. Two more told me a bar could be fun, even dancing on the tabletops was all right by them. I knew I was in trouble, so casually mentioned I don't drink nor do I dance well on a floor, let alone a tabletop. We parted plans there.

But, not to be discouraged, I had one more friend who said that no matter what happened, she and I were going out. I could still claim to have a life!! I would not even think about romance and ridiculous sentiments, I was ready.

Friday morning I was informed that this friend of mine, potential soul mate, budding buddy, would be too tired from helping out her yet closer friend move houses, so she decided to back out. Wham. The woman who loves love and Valentine's Day was to be alone, scratching out the datebook plans, not babysitting for her children's children, having nothing to do but sit. I suppose there are television shows to watch and facebook people to stalk, but really, I had been in the mood to live a little.

Saturday morning brought sunshine in my hallway window, so immediately, if I was an omen believer in-er , I would say this was a good sign. I read my Through the Bible in a year chapter book, enjoying that the laws of Moses were not to be troubled by anymore, but that I could just be thankful we are freed from them by grace.

I totally savored to the fullest my first cup of coffee, hot from the percolator and doctored exactly right with my fat free vanilla International creamer. I think the creamer was made and distributed in Colorado, so why do they insist on making it sound so exotic? For losers like me who don't have Valentine's dates and whose husbands left them and who haven't travelled internationally in several decades? Hmmm?? I ask you, why not call it , Cow's Creamer? America's Moo Milk with flavoring?? Well, I digress, so back to my point.

The phone rang around 10:00 am and as I picked it up I wondered what could be better than the feeling I had of peacefully sipping my coffee and having a 4 day weekend ahead? Daughter Becca, asking me to go shopping with baby grandson and granddaughter, that's what! I was delighted to meet them, laugh at the latest antics and then lunch together. How could Valentine's Day be any better?







The phone rang again almost as soon as I placed the receiver on the hook. (Or, does anyone use that saying with cell phones and portable phones anymore?) I am so old.

A tiny little voice, barely audible, was saying something that started with "Grammy, hi it's me, Simon." He then politely asked me to please come to dinner and share the 'red meal' with them !! Oh my, things were looking up and the day had barely begun. Of course, I calmly said "yes, Simon, I can come over, what time?", all the while my insides shouting "Yay!!!!! I have plans and they don't involve work and they are with people who I know love me!!"



The afternoon fairly flew by as I shopped and chased two little people around stores, looking for red gifts to carry along to my supper engagement. Red is the color of choice, you understand. I found pajama pants for the boys, under $3.00 each and pink heart sweatshirts for the little girls. When I arrived at their house I made a trade-they sit for a picture, I give them a bag of goodies. It worked.








When I arrived back home, my mail was in my box, and as if life could not get any better, there was a pink envelope and a squishy package!! I am so not kidding, isn't God wonderfully kind to me??!! I had a Valentine gift from my special west coast friend Becky, who, although half my age and who has never really had a relationship that involved face to face talking with me, continues to lavish me with love that is a sweet reflection of God's love for me.

[OK, that was a run-on sentence, ask Rachel my English teacher daughter who also called me and said those precious words "Happy Valentine's Day, mom, I love you", earlier in this glorious day I am relaying]

I feel as though it is a direct gift from God each time Becky reaches out to me in love. My pink card was from a church friend who is starting to know who I really am, and not the person who co-workers think they have figured out.

Well, lest I bore the 2 people that might be reading this blog, my evening was hilariously perfect, concluding with dinner and children who not only can balance a spoon on their noses, but who listen intently whenever I tell a story, then when asked who their favorite person to love is , say Grammy with NO bribing involved whatsoever!!



Have I mentioned I love that thing called Love??