It's December...

It’s December and the Christmas season is upon us once again. It’s time for the grumpy among us to start complaining about the music, the snow, the crowds, etc. However, I really enjoy this time of year and view it as a nice diversion from our regular daily lives. I like the different music, and the snow, but not the crowds, only the collective excitement of the season. People are on a mission. I don’t care for the commercialism, true, and so I try to keep my shopping low-key. I try to keep a “let’s count our blessings” perspective going with the kids. When I go to the stores I have a plan, I know where I’m going and what I’m looking for, and gone are the days of schlepping from store to store until my feet are screaming and my temper is flaring. I also try to get the kids minds off the merchandise they hope to receive and get them to enjoy the other little things like beautiful Christmas trees everywhere, and decorations, the smell of pine in the air and the beauty of lights on cold, crisp nights. The elegant and the gaudy all come together for one shiny bright show. Okay, I like presents, too. I love the colorful wrapping paper, and tearing it up to reveal something that I really wanted, and it feels good that somebody knew me well enough to get it just right. In the end though, I love a peaceful Christmas Eve sitting by a lit tree, and sometimes I’ll take a quiet, late-night walk and see other lit trees twinkling through windows that have little electric candles glowing in the dark. The little things that you don’t find in the store…ya know?

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

In late spring I went to my Doc thinking I was dying. I'm not usually a dramatic person but my symptoms were very similar to my husband's when he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, and I know I didn't want that trouble. It turned out to be borderline high blood pressure and I breathed a great big sigh of relief. On the down side I needed meds and I AM paranoid when it comes to the pharmaceutical companies. I hate pills. I told my doctor, as I clutched my prescription, that I was definitely getting off these pills. He looked skeptical. I guess he has a right since I expect most people ignore his advice, but I knew that I'd gone off-track lately and was ignoring my health, so I left his office with a determined "I'll show him" attitude in my head.

My first, and best, change was to make friends with our local high school track. I'm kind of lucky because I have the summer off from work. As a school cook I was able to peel out of the parking lot (just kidding) on 6/22 and not look back for over 2 months. I get unemployment, which is less than my already low pay, but it's better than getting nothing, and I know that so I don't kevetch. So, I was off to the track, just about every day. I started at a modest 3/4 of a mile and by August I was doing 2 miles a day, and sometimes more, like 2 1/2 or even 3 miles. There were some regulars there that started to say "hi" as we passed and I found that I really enjoyed getting up and spending my morning at the track. I felt like I was really doing something positive. My blood pressure is way down and I just plain feel better.

It's getting into Fall now and it's verboten for people to use the track during school hours, but I have to work anyway, so I go at night. Even in the dark people are still walking. I feel really proud of myself because I walked on the hot days and even on the rainy days. Most people didn't show up unless it was nice but a few of us pressed on no matter what the weather. I wonder what it will be like when it snows...

One Summer Morning...

My husband and I were in the car one morning when I happened to look over and see this bird sitting on a fence. (This picture is from the Internet) I was very excited and thought it one of the most beautiful birds I had ever seen. In the morning sun its feathers glowed a brilliant orange contrasted by the black of its wings. It was one of those moments where I kick myself for not having brought a camera along.

Now, every time I drive down that road I look over every bit of the fence to see if the bird is around. I expect it was a one shot deal, but it's that kind of moment that just makes my whole day. Once I saw a beautiful green orchard oriole, and I've been lucky enough to see a few great herons. Once in a great while I even get to see a cardinal. Catching glimpses of colorful birds is one of the simple, and free, pleasures in life.

Memorial Weekend

Rare freedom! My daughter was off to Girl Scout camp for her first overnighter so we just had to do something. I didn't want to put in too much effort though because I was feeling lazy so my husband suggested we pick up some sandwiches and head to Saybrook Point, a favorite drive of mine. This time we decided to take along our chairs and sit awhile so after taking in all the scenery by car we found this nice shady spot and and just set a spell.

An old couple had a picnic at a nearby table, fisherman came and went, a gardener was sprucing up the place and people were walking all around. Nearby, at a marina and restaurant, a photographer was taking pictures of a happy wedding couple and their party.

Maxie and I took a stroll and passed by the most potent smelling honeysuckle bush I've ever encountered, and truth be told, I gagged from the sickening sweet aroma.

We sat and enjoyed our sandwiches with iced tea and the moderate wind blowing off the water, so it only goes to show that a fun day out really doesn't take much work or planning. Just find a scenic spot and park your backside.

Maine State Line

While vacationing in northern New England we decided on a drive into the very western fringes of Maine. Probably an area most tourists have never even heard of since the coast is where people usually choose to visit. We couldn't have asked for a better day. Blue skies, temperatures in the fifties and the bugs haven't really woken up yet so it was a great day to be out driving around.

We enjoyed looking down at the Androscoggin River as it flowed along just below the embankment of route 2 and then route 26. We passed dormant campgrounds that would soon be filled with the smell of woodsmoke as people connect with the remote outdoors. Shabby buildings offering antiques appeared every few miles just outside of very small towns that actually had no strip malls or chain stores. What a concept!

Ah, but nothing is ever perfect and while there may have been plenty of peace and quiet on this sleepy Maine road, there was also a little construction too, and we found ourselves sitting in a minor traffic jam for just a few dusty minutes until it was our turn to pass through. No matter though, since I was able to sit back and look out at the rolling pine cover hills, watch the river water flow smoothly over hundreds of slick, shiny rocks and glance at some of the worn-out, rusty wares being offered at a nearby antiques barn. The air was fresh and filled with unspoiled earthy scents (except near the spot where they were working on the road) and it was nice being in a remote area so far from home, even for just a little while.

A Day In The (new) Life...

It was one of those hard weeks that makes you actually appreciate boredom. I had paced the floors for two nights, jumping up to look for text messages from my daughter, there were plenty, and I still got up early to go to work.

My daughter was having her second baby, my first grandson, and although she was suffering from terrible contractions, as little as five minutes apart, the hospital staff sent her home...twice, but before the second night was over she was back at the hospital and this time they saw it was for real.

After work I went straight to the hospital and spent all afternoon and evening marveling at the new addition to the world, little Gary junior. Two days later I was back at the hospital helping to get Gary packed and ready to venture beyond the walls that had kept him safe for his very first hours of life. I had the privilege of taking little Gary for his first ride home (and I was lucky enough to do the same for my first granddaughter nearly two years ago) but there were still everyday chores to get done, like grocery shopping, and this week that job was well overdo and couldn't be put off any longer. I drove into the city and helped the new mom, dad and baby into their apartment and then joined the many hundreds of people flowing out of the city, who like me were heading for home.

The afternoon was waning but close to home I saw this stand loaded with tulips and spring flowers for sale and I decided that no matter how busy I had been all week I just had to stop and look at these flowers waving in the late afternoon sun. I walked around the flowers looking at all the beautiful colors; white, yellow, red and all the greens, and I watched them blowing in the wind and basking in the sun. Once again I came to realize that there is no point coming into this world, like Gary just did, if you don't take in the wonderful things that are around us everyday we breathe.

I'll keep this picture for Gary and one day show him the flower that lived and bloomed on the very same days he started on his own journey under the sun.

When The Adventures Never End

When we got out of the car, in this Rhode Island state forest, my daughter immediately spotted a giant rock near the lake shore and within seconds had climbed to the top. I kept repeating "be careful" but meanwhile I was a little envious. How great it must be to have the kind of adventurous spirit that comes with being a kid. I kind of remember what it was like, climbing everything, exploring everything and fearing nothing. Getting "filthy dirty" (as my mom would say) and not have to be thinking about the tons of laundry piling up at home or if your hair will still be clean enough for work on Monday.

A real vacation for us adults would be to travel back in time and be a kid again for just a week. I would love it! To spend the days playing until dirty and exhausted, and even after the sun has set, when everything is growing dark, to still be running around knowing every minute Mom doesn't call for you is another minute of pure fun. To have one of those great days where you tell your Mom that you wished it would never end as she's carting away your soiled play clothes. Now that would be a vacation!

Mourning Winter

Okay, it's officially spring and all the winter haters are really happy. These are the people who have been complaining since the last colored leaf was blown to the ground. They hate snow, cold, wind, gray skies, etc. Well, I love winter and I'm here to say that they're not looking on the bright side during those cold gray months, and I for one, am sorry to see them pass.

First, I love having most of the outdoors to myself. Like this beach shot I took last month, for example. I was completely alone on this beach. Totally alone, enjoying peace and serenity and the blissful sound of the lonely surf, all for me. When I return to this beach in the summer it will be crowded from one end to the other with people who wouldn't dare stand on it in February, and it will be hot, loaded with bugs and noisy. Oh. I'll still go, and I'll still have a great time, but having the beach totally to myself is pretty damn good, too.

Second, I love to walk the dog after dark and as the weeks go by the dark will be coming later and later, and then there's those bugs again. Like on the beach, during the winter months, I have the streets to myself but soon I'll hear the constant jingle of dog tags and see dark shadows moving about in the night and I'll have to share the streets for awhile, too.

I love a big snowstorm and when it's bitterly cold I love having an excuse to just hole up in my house with things like a good book and a supply of hot chocolate. I can go to bed early if I want without feeling like I'm in a nursing home, and for those of us who rise somewhat early to go to work, I prefer a little dark quiet over sun blazing into my house like dozens of police spotlights and the deafening cacophony of millions of birds.

Not to worry, I'll enjoy the colorful blooms of wildflowers along the roads, the mild spring breezes and seeing the trees all green and leafy again, and what the heck, fall is only about 6 months away!

Meet Maxie

The animal shelter was loud! Dogs were barking from every section of the building as we were led to the room where a few small dogs remained available for adoption. By the time the shelter had opened for visits most of the small dogs listed on their site had been adopted out already and I had a feeling a let-down was coming for our daughter who was expecting to finally have a dog in the house. The attendant brought us into a little room that had 4 cages on the floor. Two were empty, one had a small dog that had proven a bit aggressive and was not recommended, and the other had a black miniature schnauzer barking furiously from behind the cage door.

He had been at the shelter for a week by then and I imagined his bravado was a plea to not be forgotten. Once out of the cage and on a leash it became obvious that this little guy was very depressed. He moped slowly along behind us, his head and tail drooping, and when we went outside he showed no interest in his surroundings. We took him into a fenced-in enclosure so we could play with him but he kept heading back to the gate where he would stand facing the door waiting to be let back out. We walked him some more but he still wouldn't perk up and I'm sure he was wondering what had become of his people and why he had been left alone in this strange place. He had lived with his former family for seven years. He had probably been excited at the prospect of a ride only to be left behind at the shelter never to see his family again.

Back indoors the little dog stood in the lobby and just stared at us while we talked with the shelter worker who had picked him out for us, and after a few minutes of discussion, we decided to take this sad schnauzer home. The dog stretched out and flattened himself to the office floor while we worked through the papers and after awhile we were driving away with “Maxie” riding along in the back seat.

Nearly four years later Maxie is still here, a little older and slower, but life for him has been good. He's traveled to all of the New England states and has even visited Canada, and he gets to spend a week at the beach every summer. He's also won ribbons in the town dog show, but his favorite things to do are sleep on the bed, patrol his back yard, ride in the car and walk in the park. His least favorite things are trips to the vet and thunderstorms. It's like there was never a time when he wasn't here. For some there really is a “happily ever after”.

Expect the Unexpected

When returning from a short drive I noticed a traffic jam ahead on a road that leads to my neighborhood. Cars were backed up in both directions on this normally quiet street. I immediately became interested in what had everyone in such a mess. Cars began swerving this way and that way and before long I was close to the source of the confusion. Wild turkeys were strolling all over the road, oblivious to the frustration and the gawking they were causing. My husband was driving, so as we passed this one turkey, I asked him to stop very briefly and I was able to snap a shot as this one bird made his way slowly by our car.

Any moment can bring you a surprise, a story, or a laugh so be ready to live in the moment as you journey through everyday life!