Tic, Tic, Tic

Loving all the seasons of life, and doing OK.

 

This year my birthday was one of those that was divisible by 10.  I am not going to say,  "Where did the time go", because in contemplation,  I know where it went.

 I didn't notice it going by so fast when I was raising four loving children, nor did I notice it as I accumulated lifelong friends.  I didn't notice it when working in my gardens because every summer I would plan what to do the next year.  I didn't see it when my children reached all the milestones in their lives because I was always so proud.  I didn't notice it when I went on vacations and had wonderful adventures and made memories.  I didn't notice many things, because I was living life.

However, I did notice it when I held my first grandchild in my arms and knew that part of me will continue on for generations.  Time tapped on my shoulder again when I retired and I missed people who I had come to see everyday and loved being part of their lives.  I also missed purpose, but then I reinvented myself and found joy. 

I am more mellow now, life is not as busy, but still interesting.  I can walk six miles without breaking a sweat (on cool days), put in large gardens that fill my soul, and hold my grandchildren close. I always look forward and attempt to ignore the negativity that surrounds me.  I try never to say no, although fear now creeps in.

I embrace my age as I have lived longer than many, but gosh darn it, I wasn't done being young.

The Way We Go

Almost done with my gardening and besides having a bad back, I am doing OK.


Admit it, one of the first three things you read in the newspaper is the obituaries.  We look to see who younger than us has died, what they died of (wondering if we have any of the symptoms of that disease), and possibly in these days of high unemployment, a new job opening. 


Some obits are just the bare facts, some are lovingly written, and others detail all the wonderful things the deceased has experienced in their lives.  Then there is this trend of showing a picture of the dearly departed that was taken decades before.  I like that and am thinking I would want to have a head shot of myself when I was 21 photo-shopped on the bikini clad body of Marilyn Monroe for my memorial.  I think that might generate more interest in reading about my rather ordinary life.  This would be my last hurrah and why not go out leaving that memory behind. 


Last week our local newspaper printed a rather long obituary about a man who lived to be 80, had contributed much to society, and was quite an interesting character.  However, it was the first paragraph that got me.

 "Joe Smith (not real name) departed this earthly cathedral for his last trip on June 6, 2012.  The mode of transportation was unannounced by the Lord, but it is hoped it was by air to meet St Peter, though it may have been a short cruise across the River Styx to meet the horned fellow." 

I wonder if his ex-wife had anything to do with this.  My feeling though is that this was the work of the late gentleman who had a sense of humor.

It is always good to leave them laughing.







 

Photo Prompt, May 28, 2012

A holiday weekend and I am doing OK.


Photo Prompt Monday



Mondays PhotoPrompt is a laid back project wherein anyone at anytime can join in..post a picture on a Monday, write something generated by the prompt (prose/poetry/long/short/fiction/nonfiction), read, critique...whatever stirs your pot. You have all week to think about what you want to write (or not). That's just how we roll lol.

If you are going to post a PhotoPrompt or are going to write about a PhotoPrompt or are planning to do some reading and may enjo critiquing please leave a note in comments so everyone can follow
over to your place and see what's happening.

Current list of participants:

Austanspace

thecontemplativecat

Empty Nest Insider

Elephant's Child

That Amy Saia

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe

Sweet Tea Reads

June, the wedding month, is almost here. So here is a picture of a young couple taking the chance and committing themselves to each other.  It is a start of a new life and there is much to look forward, much to dream about, and much to share.  May the years be good, may the troubles be few and may the memories be filled with times of laughter and joy.

Radio Days

The ants have left the building and I am doing OK.




Amy Saia,  http://thatamysaia.blogspot.com/,  a very talented writer, singer and all around nice person.wrote a post recently which included an old Bill Cosby album detailing his childhood experiences listening to "scary" programs on the radio. It was so funny and it made me remember running from the room in fear while my parents sat closely around the radio listening to The Shadow on Sunday evenings. Oh, how the radio could spur the imagination and take you in like no other medium.  The voices, the music, the sound effects, all put you right inside the story.  You were a part of the drama and you felt every little bump in the night. 

                                      

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?

The Shadow knows. . . . .

Years ago my mom recounted the story to me of the famous Orson Welles' narration of the radio broadcast of "War of the Worlds".  For those of you who are unfamiliar with this, it happened in 1938 on Halloween night.  The 60 minute broadcast of the H.G. Wells's novel was presented as news bulletins on The Mercury Theater on the Air and described how aliens had invaded New Jersey. It was only announced twice that this was a docudrama, once at the beginning and the other near the end.  There were no commercial breaks which made it seem all the more real and as people turned their radios on to that station, they believed that the Martians had landed and we were at war.   There are tales of panic and people running from their homes.  Fifty-five minutes into it,  Welles' reminded the listeners that the broadcast was a Halloween presentation, and then anger ensued. My mom never admitted that she was one of the victims, but she did tell me that my grandfather was very upset by the whole matter.  The outrage over this incident was played up by the news media ( which at that time was only the newspapers) in order to disparage the radio industry which was their only competition.

In this year of a presidential election, we are having our own War of the Worlds or even more suitable, War of the Words. Frightening things will be said, monsters will be created, and this docudrama will be played out 24 hours a day until November.  Lordy, lordy, it's time to panic and head for the hills, but really, is there anyplace to hide?  Those political telemarketers will find you, no matter what.  I'd rather the Martians land.

I Got My Love to Keep Me Warm, or Is That a Hot Flash.

A day of romance and I am doing OK.

Forty-Four years ago I got myself a man.   He is now somewhat  paunchy around the middle and his feet maybe flat, but he still has that certain something. Not quite sure what that something is so I'll stick around a little longer to try to figure it out.



Oh yeah!!

Happy Valentine's Day.  There are no calories in chocolate today!

Me, Myself and I

It's a real November day here, but I am doing OK
Austan of Austanspace  was kind enough to think of me with this Versatile Blogger Award.  Since I have lived a life that some may say rivals that of any of the Kardashians, I want you to be prepared with all your oohs, and aahs.

So here I go with my list of 10 things you might not know about me:      (Sound the trumpets!)



1. My spice cabinet contains seasonings that I have had for over one year, well, maybe two, some might be three, but I am positive they are all less than 10 years old.  When did A&P go out of business?


2.  I have two sizes of clothes in my closets. They are my pre-Weight Watchers and goal weight wardrobes.  I "bounce" between them every two years.


3.  I am an introvert in an extrovert's body.

4.  As a child,  I was a thumb sucker.  I was contented then. When I am older and frail and have been put into a home, I hope they give me a Binky.

5.  I have a love/hate relationship with Christmas.  The love part is having my family around, the hate thing is putting up the damn tree that I have to have perfect.  I keep adjusting things till the day I put it away.

6. I used to be covered in freckles, now my skin doctor refers to them as "maturity spots".   Sounds better than liver spots.  Like the notches on a belt,  my hands are beginning to show the notches of my life.

7.  In the past few years I have grown 2 new breasts, one under my right arm, the other on the left.  The newer ones are definitely perkier than what  the originals have become. 

8.  I love sad, touching movies, especially old ones like Beaches, Fried Green Tomatoes, and  Steel Magnolias. I went through a half a box of tissues watching The Notebook last week. 

9. I am still close to my first friend who I first met at age 3.

10.  Hard to believe, but I have never worn a thong.

Hair-Raising

Feeling nostalgic, but I'm doing OK.

Memories of

My youngest daughter stopped by for dinner the other night and while we were munching on appetizers, hubby brought out this large suitcase filled to the brim with pictures.  He had just found them recently while looking for something else in the basement.   We opened it up and there were envelopes upon envelopes filled with memories of our lives.

These pictures range from the 1960's to the late 90's.  Now that is a big chunk of history right there.  What I could not help noticing, was my change of hair styles.  It told a story in itself.  The early 60's was the" bubble or bouffant (preferred by many white-haired women of today), to the Sassoon cut at about '64 (Beatles), to the Afro in the 70's (anarchy) . I can say this last one was not the most natural look for a blue eyed, red haired Irish-American, but I thought I looked really cool. As the years progressed my hair seemed to get bigger and bigger, with it  reaching it's pinnacle in the 80's.  I don't think Marie Antoinette had hair so large.  The big do's of the day and the need for hair spray might alone have done more damage to the Ozone Layer than anything else.  The 90's brought it down, and I think it might have to do with getting comfortable with myself.  I have kind of kept close to that style since, only there is less, shall I say, body to it now. 

We had a great time looking at those old pictures.  There were those that I took when I met my hubby on a vacation to Michigan to visit my sister in the late 60's.   Three days after our first hello, I knew he was the one.  He proposed on our 12th date and our 30th date was our wedding ceremony.  Looking at the pictures, I remember what a cutie he was, blond hair, all-American, Robert Redford type boy - he was what we called in my youth - a hunk!  Over the years his hair turned dark, then gray, and today he remains with  a full head of hair, and is still quite a handsome man.   Nothing  has been easy, like most marriages, but we have weathered it through and will be celebrating our 45th anniversary next year.   It is mind-boggling when I think about it. When we started out, we were not unlike the characters from the movie, he a mid-western conservative and I, well, a strong willed, left leaning liberal who was all for protesting the war.   We felt like strangling each other many a time, but after an argument, he realized that I was always right -  not. 
I am happy to say though that I have brought him to my political thought of mind, albeit it, a little more moderate.

Have you seen a picture of Robert Redford lately.  His face has aged (he is 75), but his hair hasn't.  However,  he will always be Hubble to me.  Be still my heart!

So, it's the laughter, we will remember, when we remember The Way We Were.