Friday, January 30, 2015

It was a wrinkly day at the Ocean!

Our hearts were breathless when we made eye-contact with the wonder of the world that is the Atlantic Ocean kissing our country at Myrtle Beach. Oh my! The entire vehicle and the 5 of us in the car sighed in unison when we first caught the eyeshot of the wondrous spectacle.

I will never ever be satiated at looking at it and nothing will comfort my homesickness for Sunken Meadows, except the sight of the drive underneath the ocean to get to the beach. It seems fitting that I would see it again after uncle has passed. He introduced us to the sight. Every year it was his job to celebrate his beloved marriage with a party for his Helen on the beach.

We came to associate the sight of the ocean with His love of us and lots and lots of family and food. We would go to the beach and see everybody and know that we were a part of eachother there. "Will you meet me at the River" It was the ocean for us. The first that I remember was the huge storm that led me to respect Mu's knowledge of the elements. She is just trying to spoil my fun, I thought. But, I came to find that she was more right than we could ever know. The torrents were over us before we could pack our stuff and she saw it first.

Uncle led us to respect the most respectable. Follow me, ladies, he said in the unspoken. I will show you why I respect these women in your life. We watched him watch them. If Uncle can handle their crazes and still respect them, I guess we can learn to do the same. We are still learning that. I said, Uncle, where is your family from? He told me of his family and introduced us to some, but mostly we saw him respect our family and love them and give them a voice to grow their gardens of children. Sweet memories of his supportive uncling role. Love that was always there, like a huge and supportive tree. Love, that was masculine and directive, mostly silently.

I've been stuck on the first time I heard his voice over the phone. Ju had put her hand on the iron and Mom called them in screams and dismay. His masculine loud voice came through the line and pulled her together and I will never forget that power that he had to pull it together, when our feminine emotions couldn't. I have a blister right on the inside of my hand and I am kissing it and hoping that we are enjoying the memory while he is at his river with the family picnic on the otherside. The angel's ironed the reservoir here, he seemed to tell me. It is a wonderful peaceful Heavenly reunion with Jesus and the rest of the family that have gone on before us. I got to touch the iron on this trip and I am grateful that his voice is calming my fears that I can't be with the family for his day. The beach was wrinkly for sure on this side, but his side is calm and placid.

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Introducing Wunderlings by Emily

Wunderlings? Previewed story of Professor Owl's Teatime.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Thursday, January 8, 2015

We are enjoying the beauty of the frigidity in our area!

Yesterday's morning sky was ablaze with pinks and purples and grays all swimming and swirling together in the sky. My dear 11 year old Ezra had come down for his morning romp with the computer. I opened the blinds in front of him and said isn't that a beautiful sunrise. He said yep. I said that is not how we look at a sunrise, son. Get up and come to the window. He sighed and got up to humor his "naturalist" mother. I watched him drink in the sunrise with me. He was really mesmerized for about 20 seconds we enjoyed the view together. He broke the silence, first and said something like " that is nearly HD quality!" I said that is better than HD quality, son.

I giggled the whole day trying to remember the exact phrase that he used. I don't know the tech words so I am paraphrasing his choice words. How we shovel our children out of their devices is our distinct dilemma.

Today is a 2 hour delay because of the cold, lets see if we can catch another sunrise together and oogle at it?

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

An amazing video of starlings that I hope you enjoy!

BRRRRRR! Baby it's cold. {For the love of 106} Potato Soup.

I do celebrate 1/06 nearly every year. This year the concentration was soup! It is my conviction that soup is the best way to cram as many veggies into the young'uns. I can just imagine "Mu" cramming veggies down all her kiddies mouths. Ruth and my mother followed her, cramming veggies down our throats. I never really care about the taste of the veggies. Kale, broccoli, carrots, peas, etc. "YUCK!" I hate them. "You kids eat that MUSH!" I bellow. They complain and I buy tiny bowls that they must finish before they are allowed to eat the main course.

Yesterday's soup was a little different. I remembered, with fondness, a cup of soup that was part of my 20 something anniversary dinner. We went to "Carrabas" Ben and I and this cup of soup went right into my soul, it seemed. Delectable, was the only word to describe it. I don't usually like potatoes, but I had read a book called "Potatoes, Not Prozac!" so that is why I ate the potato soup that night, before my supper. It was delicious! I loved it. Yesterday, I tried to recreate it, thanks to a video recipe that I found. I ate 4 bowls throughout the day. Ezra ate it somewhat heartily and he is my most difficult to cram soupy veggies into.

Spinach in the mix and the last touch of celery, not totally softened into the creamery mix made it wonderful for me. I left out the bacon, for the most part. I baked a heavy bread and hopefully the results will stay on my college woman's ribs through the cold winter, when we drop her back to school this coming weekend. I celebrated Mu with the memory of watching my children enjoy the cramming of veggies into their bodies. that is love, eh?this is a link to the soup video, enjoy!

Title- The Studious One!

Title-  The Studious One!
artwork by Elyse

Of biscuits and syrup

Of biscuits and syrup
tasty treats

Happy Saturday!

Happy Saturday!
a day at the Raptor Center.

Widdle Emmie in outer space school

Emmie jumped on the bus and off it flew out into the atmosphere. There was a set of clouds with turbulence right above the house and it took a few minutes for my Emmie to buckle her seatbelt. They hit the bump hard and it knocked my Emmie out of her seat and she bumped her head. The video camera came on and the monitor looked through and stated, Ms. Emmie, where are you? You are not in your seat. Where are you? I am alright I fell because I hadn’t buckled correctly. Well jump up Emmie we have a long way to go and you have to be buckled there is entirely too much turbulence in the stratosphere for you to unbuckle now. As soon as we are through this weather system there will be straight sailing but right now you must buckle. Emmie scrambled into the seat with intensity and purpose now. She watched every cloud pass her window and her nose was pressed to the window trying to see the top of the house as it drifted slowly out of sight. Soon they were not only out of sight of the house, the sun came out brightly and just as quickly they were putting on the atmospherical breathing apparatus and the outerspherical lights. The ABA and the OL. These precautions were to make them appear to be satellites to the radar as they were out in the ionosphere. Emmie knew all about this now. She had gone to the orientation and had a good breakfast and it took them 20 minutes for her to get out past the atmospherical pull and to feel the zero gravity. It would be 15 minutes before the gravity simulators would take effect, a glitch in the system which was being worked on. Until then, they enjoyed the couple of minutes of floatation, while being connected to the seats by belt. The first thing they saw everyday was the strataflotsam. The items which had been dumped into the atmosphere by earlier generations. What would their generation do about this ecological waste area that remained floating above their heads? This was a question for the generations. For now it was the area that they had to guide through on the way to school.

Midnight at the OASIS

Midnight at the OASIS
Sunset in Huntersville

My little Emmie

ran to the bus on the first day of the last year of school. 2 buns on the side of her head. She kissed me and ran at dawn to the bus. She was starting the adventure of a lifetime. I would never see that little girl again, she was going to woman school!

My Father and I 1989

My Father and I 1989

to the tune of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme

A VISIT TO PAPA











Are you going to Mary Immaculate?

Apricots, Chocolate Cherries and Pie,



Remember me to the one who lived there,



He once was a true love of mine,



Tell him to buy me an acre of land,



Apricots, Chocolate Cherries and Pie,



Between the muddy Hudson in Jamaica Bay,



Then, He’ll be a true love of mine,

Tell him to sow in it seeds of pure cream,



Apricots, Chocolate Cherries and Pie,



And build Ice cream mountains and buildings of whipped cream,

Then, He’ll be a true love of mine,



Tell him to reap them with sickles of M&M’s,



Apricots, Chocolate Cherries and Pie,



And chew bubble gum and eat till we’re done,



Then, He’ll be a true love of mine.



Tell him to run it off down the motor parkway,



Apricots, Chocolate Cherries and Pie,



After your done 50 pushups



and jog down the West Side Highway,



Then he’ll be a true love of mine…

(Don’t wait for me today dad, The kids are sick again, My tummy’s bulging again, My heart is aching again, And now there’s no love there…)





He once was, a true love of mine….So, Girls, I do beg you don't miss your Daddy,Apricots, Chocolate cherries and Pie,You have one short chance to see him on this side, Go visit him and let your light shine.