Stories with Sophie

Quiet morning Waves lapping the shore Leaves rustling Both whispering Stay awhile longer Enjoy this time No need to hurry The day will wait A little longer

Chloe is a big dog...she weighs about 50 pounds and is VERY strong Trust me. When we walk, if she wants to go somewhere, she's going to go. And she's wild. Crazy. Jumps on people. Barks and growls. She can sound very ferocious. Max, our next to the youngest grandchild, is a little peanut. At a year and a half, he is fearless. The two of them are becoming great buddies. This may be part of the reason.... Friday morning, Max and I are sitting at the kitchen table in the cabin. Max has a handful of dry cereal on his tray that he is supposed to be eating. He jabbers away at me, telling me stories in Maxspeak, that I pretend to understand. I'm not really paying attention to what else is going on. Then I notice that Max's little hand keeps reaching down under the table. A big grin spreads across his face and he jabbers at me. Pretty soon, the hand goes under the table again. More jabber. "Max, no food for Chloe!" He looks at me. Must be wondering just h

I wasn't sure what I was writing about today. There are lots of things floating around in my head. But, then I read Katherine's post today about her exhausting summer schedule  and, suddenly, a post started writing itself in my head. Last Thursday, on our way back to the lake, my husband and I stopped and watched the t-ball game two of our grandchildren were in. I started thinking about all the baseball games I have watched in my life.  Now you see, I wasn't really a sports fan growing up. I had a PE based knowledge of most sports.  But then, my husband and I had two boys. And they seemed to have the sports gene. I swear the oldest came out throwing a ball and yelling, "Go Cubs" (And "Just wait til next year!). So, I learned about baseball and basketball and football from the boys' perspective.  I learned about squeeze plays, clipping and moving screens. I learned to keep my mouth shut when they didn't get a hit, grab a catch or make a basket. I y

Come on. You know you wanna. Come along with Chloe and I as we take our morning walk down the gravel lake road. Yea!  Come on.  There's lots to explore. And maybe today will be the day Mom will let me loose to run! Let's just start down the road! Chloe and I love to walk in the mornings at the lake, before it becomes too hot and the activities for the day start.  We walk along these little gravel roads that run along the lake.  Usually gentle breezes come off the lake to keep us cool. Unless, like Monday, they were hurricane force. Then it's not fun to walk! Here it is! Here it is!  The perfect place to let me run. Don't you think this looks like a great place. Lots of space and trees. Pretty please with sugar on top? Please let me off my leash...... Sorry, Chloe. The highway is too close. I'm afraid you would run right to the road.  But, it is tempting because I can just see you smiling as you race around here.  Come on. Let's keep going. Th

The Monday morning warmup from Jo Knowles was to describe a kitchen from our childhood.  Grandma's kitchen I decided, made a perfect slice.  And, yes, this is the same grandma as Grandma's Garage. Quite simply, it smelled of love. There was always something cooking or baking in Grandma's kitchen, especially on Sundays.  Sunday dinners put most restaurant buffets to shame. Grandma and Grandpa started cooking early in the morning, and it seemed like the stove or oven was going all day. A beef roast and a pork roast cooked together in a roaster (because it made the best gravy to cook them together), pork cutlets or chicken fried in a nearby pan. Potatoes boiled. Macaroni and cheese baked in the oven (called witch's brew when it was warmed up for supper). Pies cooled on the counter--lemon merengue, banana cream, French Silk chocolate, and always an apple.  Recipes never skimped on ingredients--real whipped cream, pie crusts from lard, butter for potatoes.  You didn

"Time is what we want most, but what we use worst."  William Penn Ahh, there's the trouble.  I know I waste summer days (but, really, isn't that what summer days are for?).  I putz around the house, often not accomplishing the task I started out working on. I get lost on the internet. Play too many games on Facebook. Watch reruns of too many old episodes of NCIS (I'm a sucker for marathons on USA). SO, how to "find" time to write this summer?  Hmmm.... I really don't have any excuses. I just need to schedule time and make sure I stick to it. Mornings are always my best time to work, so I plan to write every morning starting at 8:00. I'm up. I've had coffee. Chloe is in the yard. I will write. For an hour. BUT..... What will I write????  Who will read it??????? BREATHE I will write what I feel like writing--after all, it's the process, the experience of writing that drew me to this summer camp.  I can do this. And, there