One Part Inspiration...

In the late, late summer, my husband announced an end-of-summer celebration. We went to the P.N.E. (Pacific National Exhibition). There we enjoyed a wide range of entertainment. My favorite of the day was the Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride - where officers from all over the country showcased the talents of their horses in an inspirational one-hour show. The first time we'd seen the show was about twelve years ago, when my youngest son was calling horses "Yee Haws". I was so excited to see them again. They put on quite a show. We got there in time for the warm up. Each horse has a Maple Leaf shaved into it's flank. The reason I know this is because of where my husband found seats for us. Right in the front row. I could have reached out and patted the horses. I 'd never been that close before. It was incredible! And I found out that horses kick up a lot of dirt as they go by. There were lots of impressive maneuvers . One had the look of a wagon wheel. Th...

Mrs. Hansman was a friend of my Mom's. She made this book for me many moons ago, when I was just five years old. She understood little girls get restless in church and need something to do, other than kick the pew in front of them. The outside is leather( ette ?) and each page held something different. When I first got it, the flower smelled of perfume. I used to spend lots of time switching the hands on the clock to make it say different times. I took the felt dog out of his house and pretended he was eating from the dish. Then I would make him walk back into his house. He had a leash made of yarn. Sometimes I would make up little stories in my head about him. The dog no longer lives in the house. He fell victim to too many trips back and forth for food. I especially loved this pocket. I would zip and unzip it, pretending to be surprised at the contents - a little book to read to myself while the pastor expounded on the theological aspects of the genealogical order of Adam's ...

So many new things have crowded my mind this week. It has left me having some pretty crazy conversations inside my head. Here they are in no particular order, because I am too overwhelmed to categorize them. " Man, there's a lot of paper used in the pursuit of knowledge. I can't possibly read all that stuff and retain it ." " Every sector of learning has so much to know. I can't possibly be expected to figure it all out ." " Wow. Look at that. Another load of paper stapled together - this one is highlighted with the key points that I am to learn and execute. That's not going to happen anytime soon. " " By the time I learn this job, it will be over ." "Y ou know what I'd like about now? A cup of tea and a chance to do what something familiar. Something I know how to do, because I have been doing it for so long, that now I'm just tweaking it to suit the occasion. ""I 'm never going to be able ...

A suburban mother’s role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after.” ~Peter De Vries ~ The thing about being a soccer mom/ gymnastics mom/art club mom/theatre mom is that a mom has little bitty blocks of time to use. These have to happen quickly because there's not enough time to get too involved in errands, when in less than forty five minutes, she has to make a return trip to the field/gym/gallery/theatre. A mom who ferries her kids around, rarely has a whole evening to while away the hours. But she recognizes that little bits of time are better than no time, so it's best to plan a bit of 'mom time' for herself, while she is waiting. If there's no use in going home for two minutes before she has to turn around and go get the child(ren), then she might as well use the opportunity to do a couple things she wants to do, so her own soul gets fed while they get their exercise/paintings up to snuff/lines memorized. Here's a li...

I just noticed that I have 424 posts. [Didn't know I was keeping track, did ya?] If I think of something to say, I will have made it to 425. I told myself that when I got to 400, I would do something with it all. But that didn't happen. I wonder what my next target should be? Maybe 500. The 500th post should have something really significant in it. Maybe an announcement of some kind. Winning the lottery? [didn't get a ticket] Having a baby? [not this month]. Tried a new recipe? [not likely to happen anytime soon] Moving? [now we are getting closer]. New job [Check]. I'll have to think on it. For now, I will say that I have had a wonderful weekend. I reclaimed the role of soccer mom [have to remember to hoot and holler straight ahead, instead of into my husband's ear...I think it was the h/h that helped the team win though]. I got a bit of housework done [long overdue]. I had tea with a friend [spontaneous and special]. I uncovered some of my daughter...

The other day I was reading the "REAL SIMPLE" magazine. They have a section in it where readers are invited to write in with their answers about a chosen topic. This month's topic was 'What does home mean to you ?" The answers mainly had to do with the senses -the smells, the sights, the tastes, the touches, the sounds of home. Some were really touching - " Home means sanctuary . "; some were funny - " Home is where I can take off my bra ."; some were thought-provoking - " I work at a nonprofit organization serving the homeless, and they have taught me that home is where you are treated with dignity and respect and where you feel safe and deserving, even on the worst of days .". It was an interesting read. Of course I began to think about what home means to me, and mentally wrote it up. It's a bit longer than I could fit into the required space for "REAL SIMPLE", so I am going to put my two cents into this post. Home m...

“No person who can read is ever successful at cleaning out an attic.” ~Ann Landers~ These days before moving, I am faced with many decisions about what to keep, and what to throw away. I am tempted to leave it all in piles and thumb through them another time. The other day, we went through the dining room . For three hours we went about packing away all the good china, the bowls and the platters - some of them wedding presents - along with any knick knacks that would fit into the boxes. I found myself wondering how long it would be before I would see them again. I rescued a few for the boxes to be immediately unpacked, once we arrive. They will take part in making our next house more homey. The rest I bid a -Fond farewell -- auf Wie·der·seh·en - Until we meet again - So long, it's been good to know ya. Later on in the week, I made the big decision to take a load to the local charity. These were mainly garage sale remnants, -the ones we unsuccessfully tried to sell on that fateful...