Month: June 2009

How lovely it is here after arriving from steaming Central Florida. It is a blessing to enjoy the gentle breezes and listen to the birdsong. Amen.
I neglected to write for a week due to out-of-town company; but, ahh!, the joy of grandchildren. It was worth the precarious balancing of work and housekeeping and pleasure.
Here is a little poem that I wrote yesterday AM from my front porch.

It is Father’s Day, and even though it is a holiday created by Hallmark to sell cards, I do keep it and respect it. Father’s Day is a time to reflect on your parent or other manly role model and to give thanks for that person in your life.
When I was a child, I did not get to spend much time with my Dad. He was a full time plumber/electrician, and a part-time farmer. That part-time farmer thing meant that he farmed before he went to work, and when he came home from his day job.
As a result of this my Dad was pretty tired in the evening. As children, we really did not appreciate this; we were pretty wrapped up in being kids.
I have a memory of one summer night long ago; it was the 4th of July. The weather was pleasantly cool. I must have been 12 or 13, and we had just returned from watching the fireworks burst over the lake, and shower the hillsides. We got out of the sapphire blue Galaxy 500; and I went to take my Dad’s hand. He grasped it and I felt a thrill run through me; I knew then that my Father loved me.
Here is a poem that I wrote yesterday, for my Dad.

I grew up in a family that had three girls. I was the middle girl, so I got the hand-me-downs from my older sister. As you can imagine, I was not thrilled with this. Like everyone else, I like to pick out my own wardrobe; but, this was not the time when many children were able to do this. We simply did not have marketing to children on television, or other media. Most of our clothes came from the local J.C. Penneys store, or from the Sears Catalog.
Anyway, one winter when I was probably 13 or 14, I inherited “the” coat. It was garish, I thought, hot pink plush with big round buttons. As I had outgrown my other coat, I had no choice but to wear it to school. I was mortified!
I vividly remember arriving at school in said coat. I walked head down to my locker with rubber boots sloshing the air. Were there snide looks and comments? Probably, that I do not remember; I just remember my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
But, you see I survived that. The funny thing is that today if I found that coat in a vintage shop, or as new vintage style, I would think that it was kicky and cool. And, as it turned out, pink has become a favorite color of mine (especially hot pink!)–too funny.
I guess the moral is you never know how things will end up. Therefore, let’s make the best of what we have and count our blessings!

Good Morning Campers!
It is Thursday, and sooo close to the weekend! I thought that a couple of good quotes would get us through the day.
Regret is an appalling waste of energy; you can’t build on it, it’s only good for wallowing in.
–Katherine Mansfield
Financial Tip: If you have been in therapy for the last fifteen years over your failure to live up to this image of Womanhood, not to mention your inexplicable lack of desire to do so, you can save the cost of the therapist and whatever drugs you’ve been put on by just buying your own copy of Betty Crocker and burning it. You may stomp on it as well, before, during, and/or after the burning, but be sure to wear properly fitted footgear for this activity–your own personal do-it-yourself therapeutic exorcism.
–Jill Conner Browne; The Sweet Potato Queens’ Big Ass Cookbook (and Financial Planner)
Have a wonderful day!
Joan