THE DUST WILL WAIT

This is the furbaby that rolled in the dust until she was brown instead of black and white. ************Then cleaned it all off on my bed.

I am not strictly a vegetarian.  I just prefer not to eat meat. I will have a small amount of turkey at Thanksgiving Dinner, chicken is acceptable if I am truly hungry, and I won't turn down a fresh halibut or salmon dinner.  But, I sure do pay attention to their origin.  I prefer free-range poultry and wild fish or I say Pass the Tofu, please! You can't be so picky when you go to a restaurant. Restaurant food is, of course, my favorite food because I don't have to prepare it. It is getting easier to order non-meat dishes at restaurants.  Years ago a picky eater was pretty much confined to green salads and bread when dining out.  Now even my favorite Mexican restaurant here in town has vegetarian choices.  One of the local Chinese restaurants offers non meat eaters a soy or gluten based substitute in their chicken dishes that are delicious.  It is a rare menu that doesn't at least offer a "garden-burger" to the vegetarian diner.  It may be a...

I love all my flowers.  Each one is my favorite when it blooms. But, sometimes I admit to bias towards the Ligularia that grows beneath the Smoke Tree. When I bought it, the Ligularia was post bloom and nearly dead in its little container.  It was some kind of late season sale and I could buy everything for 90% off.   That was probably 15 years ago. It grows a bit larger every year but doesn't seed.  The blooms last for a short time, but I leave the stalks to dry until I can't put it off any longer and then clip them off.  It appreciates the shade of the smoke tree and wilts if the sun reaches the greenery. This photo was taken in 2007 --  but you can see how large the leaves are and how perfectly the yellow spikes display their confetti style blossoms. This  was an early morning capture this summer -- a brave stalk sneaking a peak through the branches of the Smoke Tree. I guess I admire the fragile beauty and its stubborn resol...

November is a month "Thank" full. If I allowed myself to pause each morning, just the daily list of overlooked blessings would go on forever.  Starting and ending snuggled warm and cozy in my own "blankie."    Yes - I do admit that I have my special bedding that goes with me everywhere.  I'm thankful for it. Thanksgiving is the holiday during the month that most Americans celebrate in some way.  Our traditions are anchored in family and food and football.  That last one slipped into the national mood over the last quarter of a century, and our household has not been exempt.  This year we will be with daughters.  They are my special reason for giving thanks this year. Another day of remembrance in November is Veterans Day.  The saddest part of this day is that we are not running out of them . . . the Veterans. We keep adding to their ranks.  My prayers for these men and women are always of grateful reverence.    The old...

Molly left me a note yesterday to remind me that her last request as Fun Monday hostess is for bloggers to write about a child hood memory.  She knew that I would be drawn to this topic like a fly to manu… Er… No, I mean a bear to honey. A memory had already been evoked in me earlier this month when suffering with a horrible fever blister that covered the end of my nose and part of my upper lip.  While doing some errands for Auntie Fern,  one of the owners of the retirement village suggested I slather my affliction with Bag Balm.  Immediately two thoughts popped into my head.  One was of that big fat wedding movie –  where the father character pulls out a spray bottle of Windex (window cleaner) every time someone appeared in the script with a skin ailment. * * * The other sentiment was of my dad.  My dad would never have been so bold to suggest his remedies to strangers, but he did share his opinions freely with family. If you had a headache i...

The theme for Fun Monday this week carried me back to the double bed that I shared with my sister Trish.  There was a time that it sat in the unfinished basement where its headboard and the headboards of my other siblings beds were flush against the cold concrete.  It was probably a lot like going to summer camp (and I sure wanted to go to summer camp), except we slept there in formation out of necessity.   Lucky for Trish and me, Mama pestered daddy until he allowed a small addition and some remodeling that added two teeny bedrooms to what had been a one bedroom main floor.  That saved us from the nightly routine of descending those cold basement steps. In that ancient squeaky old bed I remember waking up afraid.  I would cry “Mama” or run through the house in search of her comfort.  She would get out of her ancient squeaky old bed and walk me me back and tuck me in and softly rub my back. That is when she would ask me, “What would you buy if you ...

As I sit here at my computer in the darkest night of winter chowing on Gourmet Chocolately Caramel Crunch, I am sure that this yummy snack would be the only thing required to survive the winter chill. But, Ari , who is hosting the weekly Fun Monday meme, was serious when she asked, “What's in your winter weather arsenal?” We’ve had some seriously cold days and a few inches of snow scattered here and there so you have to know we own a snow shovel and a container of de-icer.  (Thank God I am married to a man who loves to bundle up and take care of those early morning chores.) The past few years have also found us in the dark more times than we care to repeat.  Thus, we have a small gas powered generator to see us through any extended periods without electricity. The wood stove is roarin’ right now and we have a fair supply of kindling and logs to feed it when the temperature drops.  (It is 14º F on our patio right now.) There is long-underwear, polar fleece masks,...

I don't have a favorite photo.  But Faye, acting on her duty as Fun Monday Host, asked that we share our favorite old family photo.  So here I am and this is the one I have chosen. The one above is a favorite family photo from when I was a little girl. Favored because my mom, dad, and all my brothers and sisters were together for the pose. In the upper left is my sister Nelda who died from leukemia in 1994. She was always beautiful.  The two oldest brothers, Ron and Tom, are wearing identical suits.  No. They are not twins. Interestingly, they appear much the same today. They look pretty fantastic in their suits at the ages of 74 and 75. My sister Sandra is wearing a dress that I loved.  She is also wearing a Lauren Bacall expression. Today, Sandra is my favorite breast cancer survivor! And, she still has that Bacall attitude! On the lower left, Mike has a mischievous grin on his face and I suspect he is poking Trish in the back of her best blue dress...

The last one  --  Fern is 101.  But her best friends, her sisters, are still very close to her heart. Fun  Monday is being hosted by Mariposa today.  And, It's All About Friendship.

"I'm ready for my close - up , Mr. DeMille."   * * * * * Our youngest daughter had to leave her apartment quickly when the building was sold to be converted to condos.  "Mom, can you take Little Girl until I can find an apartment that takes cats?" That was 3 years and 4 months ago.  We figure elGee is our cat now.  Well, she's WR's cat.  Spoiled little feline. * * * * * Sayre is hosting Fun Monday and invites everyone to primp your pet and post it.  Dog-gone it! Go grab your camera and join in.  

One early spring day 1979 I was surprised to receive a small check in the mail from my paternal grandmother’s estate.  Not only had she never met me in person, but she had passed away 23 years earlier. The check was enough to fill my car with a load of groceries. Or not.  I chose the latter.  I went shopping. I don’t remember what I purchased for myself or for the two girls.  (Our third was still a twinkle in her daddy’s eye.)  But, I DO remember the gift I purchased for my husband.  It was a striped shirt of multiple blues in a very popular loose knit style.  It was the most I had every spent on a single item of clothing. We had a little package opening party that evening when I arrived home from work.  “Wow!” He exclaimed.  “This is really nice!” He tried it on and it was a perfect fit.  I suggested he take it off and hang it in his closet. “The directions say ‘dry clean only.’ “ I warned him.  “And, I would like you t...

It wasn’t long ago I wrote about my early childhood memories of Laundry Day .   Nor does it seem that much time has passed since I spent endless quality time with a top load two-speed wash machine and a quantity of diapers and kids clothes. Mind you, I didn’t complain about the bottomless diaper pail and kids hamper. Stories from my mom about wash boards and heating water on a wood stove (or even over a camp fire) convinced me I was blessed with what I had. Our house was built in the seventies – when architects and contractors decided that you could squeeze a hot water heater, a wash machine and a dryer into a closet and call it a utility room.  For years we listened to the daily wash cycle while we conversed around the table or watched Television. We eventually turned the closet into my computer desk and cupboards and moved the laundry into the garage.  Then, two years ago we bought the front load washer and dryer, each sitting atop a storage drawer. ...

According to Wikipedia , the free encyclopedia:  An umbrella or parasol (also called a brolly , rainshade , sunshade , gamp or bumbershoot ) is a canopy designed to protect against rain or   sunlight.. The term parasol usually refers to an item designed to protect from the sun; umbrella refers to a device more suited to protect from rain. But not wind.  That weather phenomenon has been blowing for days now, and this is what has happened to our patio umbrella.  At least it wasn't open, or it may have flown across town by now.  I hope it will still function properly. We have at least three regular sized umbrellas that find places to hide in our cars or closets.  They are rarely where we remember putting them. One is black, one is brown, and one is red.  And -  because of their ability to conceal themselves in plain sight - rarely used.  Gattina wants to know if you're all wet, ..or do you let your smile be your umbrella?  Jo...

I get edgy at the first sign of spring.  It is a tradition for me. I start wondering if winter (or some underground pest) killed my favorite flower.  Then as the green tendrils emerge I worry that I may miss the blossoming moments.  Spring flora thrives in the cool weather, so a few extra warm sunny days can deteriorate them rapidly.     As these thoughts assail me,  I begin to stress about life in general.   I count the season changes I’ve experienced and ponder how many more I will enjoy. This leads to an obsession and I look for every primrose, crocus, daffodil, tulip, and spring bulb unfolding wherever I walk or drive. As I am restive in my pursuit, I wonder aloud to my husband, “Could I pinpoint the day spring begins in the northern hemisphere and follow it north with the sun.  How many miles would I drive before I ran out of daffodils?”  He only shakes his head.  I begin to marvel about spring and the opposing ...

It’s been more decades than I care to admit, but I can still remember carrying my little metal lunch bucket each day and hoping that mama gave me something besides TUNA in my sandwich. Sadly, there was no cafeteria or hot lunches at my tiny school. The “cloak room” was like a large closet without a door that seemed to draw and store the heat from the clicking radiators in our classroom. Our home-made lunches were also stored there, along with any wet coats, hats, and boots that accompanied us to school. By the time the little hand and the big hand met on the big round clock, the co-mingled smells of lunch box contents and musty mittens overpowered the chalk board dust and assailed our noses.  I was always starved by 12 o’clock – a condition that encouraged me to consider a peanut butter and homemade jelly sandwich a gastronomical delight.  Sometimes a sliced cheese or bologna sandwich (with too much mayo) was a change of pace.  But, in spite of my tummy in growl mode,...

The Church Lady is snowed in in Pennsylvania – and decided to host a “What do you do when you’re snowed in on Fun Monday” meme.  Actually, her question was “What do you do when you’re stuck in the house,” and or “in the doldrums” sort of way.  Having two feet of snow dumped her way this weekend certainly gave her the impetus to go that direction with her theme.  (A year ago I remember writing about our two plus feet of snow.)  Other than the first few weeks after childbirth, my closest experience to being housebound happened in 2004, when I broke my leg.  My husband waited on the crippled me with lots of grace and patience.   He kept me sane. But, the doldrums?  I used to get those way more often than I care to admit.  Sometimes I escaped them by diving into books.  There is no place better to switch realities than in a well-written book. Books can be acquired with little investment – especially if you visit the library or have book...

I do not like chores no sweeping, mopping, waxing… not even poetic *** Lil Mouse asks, “What is your least favorite chore?”  Obviously, I got distracted just thinking about it and wrote poetry instead of getting down and getting dirty. But, you can rant about the one you hate to do and scamper on over to leave your link with Jill .  Then come back and do my dishes.

Gattina, Writer Cramps , has asked to see our favorite Christmas decoration for the Fun Monday project this week. Mine happens to be alive and blooming - for well over 50 years. We always call it  "Mom's Christmas Cactus," because I retrieved it from her home when she passed away sixteen years ago. It did not bloom for several years and I was afraid that I didn't have the green thumb for zygo-cactus.   Fortunately, it grieved and I found a rhythm for feeding and watering. Now it is a faithful provider of lovely blossoms every winter.  Three years ago it bloomed from November until April. The plant is very large - and thus susceptible  to breakage from the people and pets who move about.  The pieces that break off are placed in water to root and then shared with other family members.  Each of my daughters has their plant growing from "Mom's Christmas Cactus."  But, now I think that "Mom's" refers to me. In November 2006, I posted ...

Cynagirl wants to know which Christmas songs drive me bonkers for this Fun Monday . The fact that I heard Christmas music playing in Sears before Halloween gave me reason to get that crazy feeling entirely too early this year. But...for a particular song, I allowed myself to go back to a childhood memory. My mom had an LP with all the Stars of her day singing the season favorites.  She would play that album quite often during the holiday season.  Oh How I hated to hear Silent Night moaned out with despair by Marlene Dietrich.  I couldn't find that particular recording available on the web.  But, lucky you!  I found her rendition of  Little Drummer Boy.  It's equally endearing. If you dare to hear it ... Oh.... SHUDDER!! There are several more that I love to hate - but I'll save those for another day. Share your hair pulling holiday songs and  link your post at C is for Cynical Girl .

Wendishness has asked us to share our thanks for this week's Fun Monday fare.   My contribution is a copy of my daily note of thankfulness to which I committed on Facebook.    11-23-09   So thankful for infrastructure! Every Monday morning our garbage and recyclables are removed from the street by some sanitation workers. And I'm thankful that my recycle grew this year while the garbage decreased. 11-22-09     found it easy to be thankful this morning. ----Yesterday we stood in line at the theater to attend "The Blind Side." I also just read the book "The Glass Castle." Both true stories of children surviving adversity. I'm thankful that I had a childhood. Mine wasn't perfect, but it was blessed. 11-21-09   needs to be thankful for more things. Julie  had a "favorite quote" contest on her blog and one of the winners was: What if God decided to take away the things you forgot to thank him for? I sit here and gaze a...