Ever since they were little, the boys have gifted me with wildflowers. Dandelions, mostly, but sometimes wild violets or delicate white morning glories. And I dutifully tuck them behind my ear or put them in a glass of water or press them into a book for preservation. Even now, at 8 and 10, they still bring me flowers. These sweet souls, may they always share their love and happiness with me, whether it’s in the form of flowers, hugs, or I-love-yous. I’m here for it.
When I was nineteen, I wrote a poem about getting older. This is that poem. Time is tricky. Not in a dramatic sense, but in the sort of gradual sense where years go by and suddenly you realize that you’re not twenty anymore. Yet there are still those days when your back doesn’t hurt and you get enough sleep and you eat properly and you may, in fact, still feel twenty. They say – these same people who once advised that time will creep up on you until it smacks you in the face – that a similar phenomenon happens…
There is a saying – you know the one – that goes, “Jack of all trades, master of none.” I think we tend to view this as a negative thing. If we start something, we should finish it. We should master it. We should be the very best that can ever be. Which leads to… if we don’t think we can master a thing, why even try? So we don’t try. And we never experience the joy of trying. That’s not to say there’s something wrong with mastering a skill. Of course there’s not. And, frankly, some skills require mastery,…
I can be a bit of a technology hoarder. My office closet houses two filing boxes full of miscellaneous cords. I own a VCR. Although, to be fair, I recently purchased the VCR at a thrift store, so that I could watch a couple of childhood home videos and transcribe them to a digital format. But, still, I own a VCR. And we won’t get into the flash drives and external HDD full of bits and pieces – old photos, creative writing, college schoolwork, miscellanea. They, at least, do not take up much room. I’m also pretty sure I have…
One year ago, the 30th of January was a Saturday. Our oldest son had a basketball game, so Chris and I and the boys loaded up into his truck and started on our way. As we drove past our detached shop building (how we refer to the metal building that serves as a garage, workshop, and multi-purpose space), we noticed our wheelbarrow, lying tipped-over in the grass outside. The wheelbarrow that is usually stored inside our shop. We pulled up the driveway, opened the shop door, and peered inside. We had been robbed. Of course we did all the usual…
In college, I went through a phase. We’ll call this my Californian-college-girl phase. I was a blonde, tan, busty, sorority-girl lifeguard in California. I fit a stereotype, despite the fact that only one year prior I was an acid-washed jeans, tie-dye-wearing, brunette, American transplant living in France and studying the intricacies of the newly-minted European Union along with sixteenth century French literature. What can I say… your twenties is about finding yourself. Anyway, the point of this story is that I was a lifeguard for many years. I’ve always loved swimming, and since lifeguarding was a summer job, when school…
Okay, I’ll admit, I didn’t really learn anything new about my husband. The photos just confirmed what I already knew about him. He likes: Football, Classic Cars, Red Tractors, Fishing, Car Parts, Tractors (Green isn’t is preference but any tractor he gets to drive is all right), Fast Cars, My Cat (I think he’s secretly getting used to her), His Dog (of course). And there you have it! I wonder what my phone photos would say about me? There are probably too many pictures of my cat, I’m guessing.
Today on the freeway I passed a mustang convertible, top down, with about 6 patio chairs crammed in the backseat at odd angles. The driver who, for some reason in all his 50+ years of living did not have a better solution, must’ve figured that his wife holding on to the legs of one of the chairs counted adequately in place of a tie-down strap. I will say that one thing I’ve taken for granted since meeting Chris is the convenience of a pickup truck. Between him and his friends, there is always someone with some way to move lots…
An Open Letter to my west coast friends on the open road: ** Side note: the fact that I just signed up for my online defensive driving course to defer a speeding ticket has absolutely NO BEARING whatsoever on this letter.** EDIT: Actually, it does have some bearing – in my favor. Below is an excerpt from my class: Driving slowly in the left lane: If you are in the left lane and someone wants to pass, move over and let them by. You may be “in the right” because you are traveling at the speed limit, but you may…
Look at the photo below and answer the following multiple-choice question. Does this photo represent: A) I’ve finally learned how to use the “super macro” function on my cameraB) I have keys that are both purple AND sparklyC) WE BOUGHT A NEW HOUSED) All of the above Obviously, the answer is D. Which is why my blog has been suspiciously silent for the past week. If anyone has ever told you that buying a house is “fun”… watch out. THEY LIE. Oh, sure, looking at houses is fun. It’s the actual contract, negotiations, and loan part that sucks monkey butt. Here’s what…