Halloween, Halloween

A Touch of Nostalgia

My mother had to sell my grandmother's house last week. My grandmother has been deteriorating in health for, well, as long as I can remember really, but she's actually gotten to the point where she can't be alone. I totally understand this. I also completely support my mom in what she had to do. And Heaven knows, no one else was helping her out. But, I can't help feeling a wee bit of the nostalgia. It is again the ending of an era of my life. A lot of my childhood was spent in and around that house.

Here's what I remember.

I remember the dogwood tree in the front yard. It was no good for climbing, but we would pick the red berries and put them in this little metal bucket that must have been 5o years old. I remember the tree in the back yard. I think it was an elm. It had a perfectvbranch for a swing and my grandfather made one from a piece of wood and rope. I remember that you could climb out of the upstairs window and get on the roof, not that I ever did it, of course. I remember going into the stifling hot attic and getting out the old board games, "Uncle Wiggly", "Go to the Head of the Class", a totally old school "Cootie" and something I think was called "Spirograph" (and it was, I just checked it out on ebay, and am totally getting one). I remember playing with my brother in the dark and moldy basement. We played a game we called (bag over head embarrassed right now) "Jerry and Tuffy's Cheese Factory". It involved pretending we were the mice from Tom and Jerry and using hula hoops to make cheese. I remember how they decorated for Christmas the exact same way every year and that the star on their Christmas tree blinked, which my Dad hated, because he hates blinking lights. I remember interminably long Christmas dinners, in which we ate very little ham and turkey in anticipation of present time. I remember after we went to Christmas Eve service, my grandfather would always slice up some Hickory Farm summer sausage and some cheese. I remember going trick or treating on their street because we never lived in a neighborhood. I remember my grandmother would always count how many trick or treaters she had. I remember my dad would always turn the house number sign on their lamppost upside down. I remember that my grandparents would always sit out in their front yard every summer night. All the neighbors did. It was just what people did in that neighborhood. I remember the fake fruit that hung in my grandmother's kitchen, and that she had a shelf that pulled out underneath her wall oven where she always made her morning toast. I remember she used to make real popcorn and we would eat it and watch Hee Haw. I remember that one night I got locked in the bathroom because the door was so old and hard to open. I had to crawl through the window, which was no easy feat either, because the window had been painted shut. I remember being sick there one day, and lying on the bed in the guest room, underneath old heavy quilts, the sheets feeling so wonderfully cold.

I remember lots of things. I'm sorry that it had to come to this. I'm sorry that life is so incredibly long, yet incredibly short at the same time. I love you, Nan. I wish you had been able to stay home.

9 is the new 20.

My oldest daughter turned nine earlier this month. It's still very young, but anyone with girls can attest to the fact, that it's not as young as it used to be. Overnight, my little girl has turned into a deodorant wearing, eye rolling, skinny jeans obsessed teenager. She has become more excited about deodorant than any person I've ever seen. Both Husband and I have seen her sniffing her pits with glee and applying more "Degree Girl". Because it's "for girls, Mom".

How?

I have no idea. None. She's even asking about shaving her legs. (Not gonna happen any time soon, my dear. And you'll thank me for this later.) To quote a John Mellencamp song I particularly enjoy, "That's okay, I knew that this would happen, but I was hoping not today". I knew she would eventually start to transform from wide eyed child to dreaded tween. I knew she would. I just didn't think it would happen yet.

For now, I guess I'll be content that she still loves me more than she hates me, and isn't completely disgusted by my very presence. It's probably the best I can hope for at this point.

The Wizards of Oz

(As told by Ally)

A few weeks ago, Ally's preschool teacher let Ally color some pictures in a Wizard of Oz coloring book. Ally was hooked. Despite never having seen the movie, or knowing anything about it, she fell deeply in love with it. She wanted the movie, the dolls, wanted to be Tin Man for Halloween. She was ga-ga for it. Thanks to her Mimi, she now has the movie (and the dolls!) and has watched it a few hundred times. And the witch, who used to scare the living pee out of me, doesn't bother her a bit. So, in her words, pretty much, here is the story:

"Okay, Mom. Here's what happens. Now, it all starts out brown, because Candace is brown. It's just all brown. But don't worry, because the Wizards of Oz is beautiful and colorful. Just wait for it. Dorothy falls into the pigs, then then mean woman takes Teddo, but he escapes. See, he's a smart dog. Then, the tomato comes. It's a big tomato, and it takes her house away. Except, Mom, it doesn't really do that. Really she's just having a dream. But, she gets to the Wizards of Oz and meets Scarecrow and Tin Man and Lion, and they are really her friends from Candace. Teddo is the bravest, because he helps save Dorothy. Then, she pours water on the witch and she disappears. But, remember, Mom, it was all just a dream. Then she wakes up and it's brown again, and all her friends are there."

Yep. Sounds about right. She did change her mind about the Tin Man costume, because she liked the ruby slippers, so now we are going to be Dorothy. We even have Teddo in a basket. It promises to be great.

Just thought this was funny.

see more Political Pictures

God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy.

This old man and me, were at the bar and we
were having us some beers and swapping I don't cares
Talking politics, blonde and red-head chicks
Old dogs and new tricks and habits we ain't kicked
We talked about Gods grace and all the hell we raised
Then I heard the ol' man say;God is great, beer is good and people are crazy

He said "I fought two wars,Been married and divorced"
What brings you to Ohio?He said "Damned if I know"
We talked an hour or two about every girl we knew
What all we put them through
Like two old boys will do
We pondered life and death
He lit a cigarette
He said "These damn things will kill me yet;
But God is great, beer is good and people are crazy"

Last call at 2am I said goodbye to him I never talked to him again
Then one sunny day, I saw the old mans face
Front page Obituary, he was a millionare
he left his fortune to some guy he barely knew,
his kids were mad as hell
But me, I'm doing well
And I dropped by today, to just say thanks and pray,
I left a six-pack right there on his grave and I said:
God is great,beer is good, and people are crazy.


That's such a funny song. My daughter loves it because it's "Christian" music, and she thinks it's funny that someone other than me likes beer.

I heard this song yesterday on the radio as I was driving in the beautiful fall weather, and I just thought, yeah, that's so very true. We've been talking in Bible Study about revelation and the different ways that God reveals himself to us, one being nature. And while it doesn't give you a personal relationship with God, so to speak, the beauty of nature, especially this time of year, always hits me hard again. I look at the mountains, the leaves, the pumpkins, and feel the cool breeze on a sunny day, and think again that God has made such a perfect creation for us to enjoy.

Then, when I watch my beloved Hokies play on Saturdays, usually enjoying a beer or two (or three, but whatever, right? It's a long game.) I remember what a perfect season autumn really is. Rarely does a cool beer taste better. And while I'm long beyond my party days, I don't care, because I now savor the taste and enjoy the moment.

And you know what? A lot of people really are crazy. But I don't worry about them. I can't worry about them or how they affect me. I know now that worry and fretting are merely a waste of time. I find myself repeating this verse so often that it's become my sort of mantra: "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future". (Jeremiah 29:11) I can only praise God and thank Him for helping me to understand that all the worry in the world will not change anything, and that all I really need worry about is keeping my eyes heavenward, and my faith constant. I just need to soak in the beauty of nature, enjoy the good things in life, the good food, the good friends, the hobbies that bring us joy, and TRUST. Trust that the Lord is there for me, not just when I'm doing well, but when I'm stressing out. Trust that the Lord will help to guide me through all patches of my life.

So, I'll continue to enjoy the gorgeous fall atmosphere, write my football blog, enjoy an afternoon of snacks, beer and football, and be thankful that God is with me.

Clearing away the clutter

Guess what I have?

AN EMPTY IN-BOX! Inspired by a blog by an old high school friend I read yesterday, I completed a task I had been doing in fits and spurts for ages now. I wish I were smart enough to know how to do a screen capture, because really, this is a thing of beauty.

Empty. Nothing. Nada. All the things I had been hanging onto, either gone, or put in their proper folder. All of them. I can now literally see the forest through the trees.

Wow. I wonder what life would be like if we all did this. Purge our in-boxes, our closets, our junk drawers, our memories, our stored hurts and grievances, and just let them go. It's unbelievable the things I've been hanging onto.

I wonder how much freer my soul would feel without all the anger, doubt and fear bunching up in there. I wonder how much better my body would feel. I wonder how many fewer headaches I would have.

I wonder why I haven't done this already.

(Stay tuned. I have a feeling this is going to turn into a project. Empty your in-box, empty your cluttered life.)