10/31 #solsc Just too Tired

 We’ve been gone from home for 20 days. We started home Friday and drove about 7 /2 hours. Another 6 hour Saturday, and finished up Sunday, getting home about 3:30 in the afternoon. 

Now, I love a good road trip. The snacks. The stops. Listening to the radio. Or, for a good listen, “Storied History” by Charles Chestnut. The man spins a great story and makes you feel like you are right there in the action.

But the downside to road trips is the tiredness that sets in. I could use a vacation from my vacation!

So, until tomorrow….

6/31. #solsc Don’t Forget to…

 smile at strangers                                                                                walk often

                                        call your mom                    be grateful

focus on the good                            be the good                                            always have a book

        take the pictures    (Print the good ones)                    cuddle Sophie

Don’t forget to….

listen to live music                        be kind                                           see the good in others

                move your body                                write something somewhere                take the trip

buy the best seats                        pay attention to the change of seasons

5/31 #solsc Crybaby

 My name is Deb and I am a crybaby.

Sad. Of course. I’m going to cry.

Happy. Yep, I cry.

Sappy Hallmark movies or commercials. Blubbering idiot.

I don’t mind those times so much. But when I’m really angry? Geez, I  hate when I feel the tears welling up. I just think I’m so weak when that happens.

Today it was frustration that set me off. Driving in an unfamiliar area, bad directions, a little stress. And there they were— the tears. And I snapped at my husband. 

But when I apologized and blamed the frustration for snapping and the tears, he said, “We’ve been together over 40 years. You think I don’t know what causes those tears?”

And then he shut up. Because that’s for the best.

4/31 #solsc Sounds of Silence

 

Sophie and I have a good rhythm going in the morning and it has carried over into our trip to Florida.

While my husband sleeps in, we enjoy our lazy morning on the patio; me in my pjs and a cup of coffee, Sophie with her rock (she’ll tell that story at a later date).

The birds sing out good mornings, easing us into the day, giving us all the background noise we need. I read and write in the stillness and Sophie sits and guards the yard.

As the rest of the neighborhood wakes up, the birds become silent. Replaced by lawn mowers and motorcycles in the distance, who sing out their own good morning. The leaves skitter across the roof as the wind picks up, Sophie pounces her rock across the cement.

Eventually, we hear the good morning barks of the neighborhood dogs. Sophie joins in, wishing them a good day.

3/31 #solsc Sophie Says Hi

 

Hi! My name is Sophie and I am 3 1/2 years old. Deb is my mom. She loves me a lot and even named the blog after me💕 

I’m a really smart girl, so Mom said I could write for her today She says sometimes I’m too smart for my own good. But she thinks maybe I need to go to puppy school. 

Huh? If I’m so smart, why do I need school? 🤔

I know how to tell time. When the sun comes up, it’s time to get up. And a little while after that it’s time to eat breakfast. If I leave a little bit, Dad thinks I’m not eating enough and he gives me a little milk and cereal.

I love milk and cereal. 😋

After I eat my first breakfast, Mom and I go for a walk. Or we play Frisbee in the backyard. Sometimes, we even do both! That’s the best.

Mom eats lunch after that, but she doesn’t share with me ☹️ She says I don’t need people food. Good thing Dad’s around or I wouldn’t get anything good to eat!

Sometimes, I take a nap in the afternoon, but I try to stay awake just in case Mom and Dad do something fun. We go play in the backyard again after that. Or, sometimes I go play by myself, but that’s not as much fun.

I also know when it’s supper time. I make sure to let Mom know so she doesn’t forget. Sometimes at supper she puts stuff in my dish.  Frozen carrots are one of my favorites. But I really like it when they have hamburger and rub the package on my food. Soooooo gooood! 😋

And every night after supper and before I go to bed, Dad and I share a banana. Do you know how good those things are? I could eat a whole one by myself, I just know it. But Dad says we have to share, dang it.

Well, it’s just about time for cereal with Dad, so I’m going to say goodbye for now. I hope I get to talk to you soon!

Bye! 😘 

2/31. #solsc I Was/I Am

 Just like every year, I looked over my opening blog posts to see how I introduced myself and my blog. This year I realized things have changed a lot in the past few years and so have I. Maybe it’s time to update. 

I used to be an English teacher whose favorite class to teach was Creative Writing. I loved mornings with students, all of us quietly writing. It seemed there was always something to write about. 

Nowadays, my writing comes in fits and spurts. I struggled sometimes with what to write about. I guess it’s why this blog has been dormant. I’ve lost my voice. But I do write in my notebook most days. I’ve joined the100 Days of Notebooking group on Facebook and it does keep me writing. 

Kind of.

I used to be so busy and I thought that was a good thing (most of the time). I taught three or four different English classes, coached competitive Speech, took part in many committees, and tried to keep up with grandkids, being a dog mom, and keeping in touch with family and friends across the state. It kept me busy, but there wasn’t really time for me. 

Today I sit here, lounging in my pajamas, sipping on another cup of coffee, and having to check my phone to see what day it is. When I’m done with this post I’ll shower and change. We’re going to brunch with friends later, so I’ll put on “real” clothes. I’m still a grandma and dog mom (a new dog for those of you who followed me before), but this time it’s different.

My life is quiet and peaceful. My time is mine to do or not do whatever I want. 

And today, I want to write.

1/31#solsc It’s March 1st

 Technically, I’m not a newbie.

.I’ve done this before.

But I haven’t really, truly participated since 2018.

That’s a long time. 

So maybe I am a newbie.

Because I’m going to try again.

It’s March 1st, and it’s time to write.

3/17 I'm So Lucky

 

I'm so lucky to have a birthday on St. Patrick's Day☘️

Everyone likes to celebrate my birthday (even if they don't like green beer)☘️

It's hard for family and friends to forget my birthday☘️

St. Pat's Day signals spring to me (even if the wind chill is zero and there is snow on the ground)☘️

My Facebook is filled with birthday wishes from friends and family and lots of former students☘️

My mom is still kicking at 88 and looking forward to our visit☘️

My brother and sisters will help me celebrate today☘️

My kids and grandkids will call (tomorrow I told them)

We're going out to eat (something we don't do often enough)☘️

I'll drink green beer (why don't they have green wine?) ☘️

16/31 It's Hard to Be a Puppy When It Rains

 

I can't play in the yard 

• it's too muddy
• it's too cold
• you'll get all wet
• you'll track mud in the house

It's hard to be a puppy when it rains.

I can't play inside

• settle down
• don't bite
• we're not wrestling
• stay out of the garbage
• what are you into now

It's hard to be a puppy when it rains.

I can't sleep all day, 

I have too much energy. 

I don't have any dog friends to play with.

I don't have any kids to play with.

It's hard to be a puppy when it rains.

15/31 Bad Slicer

 I have been a bad slicer the last few days and I don't see it getting better over the weekend. Life is taking over! How dare it!

I haven't written til waaaayyyyy late in the day. I haven't commented like I usually do. Usually, I comment twice a day. In the morning for the early birds and again after supper for those who post later in the day.

I'm setting a goal to write and comment on the next two mornings. Get me on schedule again. 

But Friday we are heading to my mom's overnight. It is the land of the internetless. I'm going to try and write a couple of posts that I can schedule them to post--or at least have them written so I don't have to write from my phone!

But my guess is, I'll write Saturday's post on my phone.

I can't be too organized. Can I?

14/31 They're Everywhere

 For the last few weeks I've been doing my "Welcome to Medicare" physical, as my doctor referred to it. So there was blood work, an EKG, and a bone density test. I also had a dental check-up. Now, this post isn't about those tests or Medicare, or even about growing old. Well, it is kind of about that.

I taught in our small town for many years. Taught a couple thousand or more kids. And now, many of them are adulting in our hometown. Most of them still refer to me as Mrs. Day

When I went for my EKG, a familiar face and voice awkwardly called my name. There was a little small talk as we walked down the hall and she introduced me to another former student who would be assisting. After all the explanations of what was going to happen (and they were pretty good at it!), we could talk and catch up on the years since we all left school. I like hearing about what's going on in their lives (another new school grandbaby is on the way 😊).

A few days later, the bone density test.

"Deb", an uncertain voice called. "Boy. Is that going to take some getting used to." 

It was one of my former speech kids, now working in radiology. We walked down the hall, chatting about nothing important. She introduced me to a trainee, who ran the test. While the test was happening, we caught up, and talked about vacations and her family. All the while, she kept an eye on her trainee and made sure things were running as they should. 

What's nice about this, is these are MY kids. MY school babies. And here they are. Adulting. Easing my tension and taking care of me. Like I tried to do for them all those years ago.

13/31 The Little Things

 It's The Little Things

The smell of coffee brewing☕️

Tulips pushing up through the ground🌷

Walks with Sophie🐕

My Birthday☘️

Comfy clothes💕

Ice Cream🍨

Dinner Out or brought in🥘

Grandkid giggles😂

Sophie zoomies in the yard😁

Sunshine😎

A glass of good red wine🍷

New pens and notebooks💕

Sitting on a beach🏖

Wander shopping🛍

Big hugs

Campfires🔥

Writing again!

12/31 The Toybox

All I know is that the toybox originally came from Grandma's Garage.

I don't know if my sisters and I used it and Mom gave it to me after my oldest was born or if Grandpa pulled it out of the garage after he was born.

I just don't know.

But it is the kind of thing Grandma would buy and keep in The Garage.

It traveled with us from my hometown and four moves after that. It held Hotwheels and GI Joes, Legos and Lincoln Logs. It lasted through our two boys and six grandkids. At the end, it held forgotten toys that no one played with anymore. It was relegated to the basement dumping ground.

Forgotten.

But then, Lucky #7 arrived. Mom and Dad were looking for a toy box...

It's circus animals fit in with her room decor. It needed a little TLC, but not much.

And now, it's no longer forgotten.

11/31 #sol23. Spring

 

Drip

     Drip

 Drip

Warm days

Melting snow

The sun warms me now

as we walk

Drip

   Drip

Drip

It creates squishy mud

That crawls between 

Puppy toes

She leaves paw prints

everywhere

Including my heart

10/31 #sol23 I Got Nuthin'

 

Seems about right. March 10, and the "I ain't got nuthin to write about" blues are here.

I wrote about my plants yesterday, for crying out loud.

I can't keep writing about Sophie--that would get boring. Although, she's been pretty cute lately.

Haven't seen the grandkids recently, so I can't write about them. Although, I love schools that livestream events because we did get to watch one of the kids' jazz choir concert the other night!

Maybe I could write a poem about spring or the snowstorm that wasn't yesterday.

We're meeting some lake friends tomorrow afternoon, but I guess that will be a post next week. Lake time is coming up! But I'm not ready to write about that.

I searched through my Blogging and Journaling board on Pinterest. 

Still nothing.

Looked through my notebook.

Still nothing.

So, this will do for today and I'll worry about tomorrow, well, tomorrow!

9/31 #sol23 Plant Babies

 

Mom says I got my green thumb from her mom. Could be. But I spend a lot of time taking care of my babies. Most of them I have rescued either from friends and family or Walmart. Wherever I get them, they all need a little TLC.

These are second-generation Boston Ferns. I rescued the original plant from Walmart three or four years ago. It started with four fronds. Last fall, before I took it apart, it was probably three feet across.

Seriously. It was huge. And it had overgrown its pot and made a horrible mess in the dining room where I hung it for the winter. I decided it was time to do something.

Websites I found said you could do one of two things to propagate new plants. The first was to cut the plant into pieces and plant them. The other was to take the little seed balls and plant them.

So I did both. And they are all doing great and ready for spring---if it ever gets here!

I also have some deep purple Morning Glories sprouting. My niece from Colorado sent the seeds to me because I loved these wrapped around her deck when we visited this summer.

This is from an African Violet from a plant I bought twenty years ago. It started dying off, so I plucked this little sprout off of the main plant and am hoping it will start a new plant. 

And this one makes me most excited. It's a bright orange hibiscus--another Walmart rescue. There are several buds on it right now and they should bloom in a few weeks. This is its third year. It started off spindling and about a foot tall. Now, it's about three feet tall. During the summer it lives on the deck and in the winter it's a dining room dweller. 

Now, if it would quit snowing, get warm, and stay that way, I could think about outdoor plants!

8/31 #sol23 Ohboyohboyohboy

 

Ohboyohboyohboy. Ohboyohboyohboy.  Ohboyohboyohboy

We're going for a walk! And about time. It's been so boring here. I better sit really nice while Mom gets ready, just to make sure.

Last night, I put my fleece-lined walking pants out so that when I got dressed today, I'd be all ready to go. I don't know how Sophie knows the difference in pants, but she does.

Oh, man. She's going to eat first! Well, at least it's Cheerios and yogurt. That doesn't take very long, and she does share the Cheerios. And I looooovvvveeee Cheerios.

She does. I used them as a treat to keep her off the table when we are eating. Now, every time I get the box out, she thinks they are for her😂

Here come the shoes!!!!! Now I know we're going to go for a walk! She only wears those shoes when we go for a walk. Ohboyohboyohboy.  And here comes my harness and leash (I wish she'd just let me walk without them.) Ohboyohboyohboy. And she's getting a poop sack!!!!! Ohboyohboyohboy

See you later. I gotta go before she changes her mind!

7/31 #sol23. A Walmart Trip That Made Me Smile

A lot of times, a trip to Walmart makes me grouchy. Too many people. Long lines. And I always spend more than I planned. Many years ago I took a class where a guy said every time he drives past Walmart, he should just throw $50 out the window. 

I kind of feel the same way.

But today, a trip to Walmart brought a smile to my face and it still hasn't gone away.

There I was. Standing in a random aisle, checking out random things when I heard

"Mrs. Day? Is that you, Mrs. Day?"

Five years after retirement, and I still turn and smile when I hear my name.

It was my teacher hater from my credit recovery class.

He gave me a big hug and shared his life with me. The first thing he did was whip out his phone and show me pictures of his two baby girls, and then, he introduced me to his girlfriend who obviously loves him. He's got a good job, although he's looking for something else. He just looks happy. 

Even today, the best part of teaching is connecting with students. Although now, I get to see them as adults and smile because they have created a good life for themselves.

6/31 #sol23 #CelebrateMonday

 Antoinette posted a slice this morning that dovetailed right into what I was thinking.

I have always liked Mondays. Probably because it seemed like I spent most of Sunday getting ready for it.

But on Mondays, I was ready for the week. I was organized and looked like I knew what I was doing. At least for Monday.

I was the annoyingly cheerful person who posted motivational Monday memes and used the #CelebrateMonday hashtag on Twitter.

But, now I'm retired. And Mondays are awesome! While the rest of the world is going to work, I am sitting in my pajamas, drinking more coffee than I need. I don't shower til 9:00 at least, and then I may put my robe back on. 

I sit leisurely in my recliner, watching the Today show, and making a to-do list of things I will try to do this week. But if not, they can be done next week, except for the bathroom. That is an absolute must-do today. Oh. And birthday cards. There are a couple coming up this week.

I may walk Sophie. I might go to the grocery store. I might dust and vaccum. 

Or I might read my book all day. 

5/31 #sol23 Down a Rabbit Hole

 I am not a late-day slicer, but I went down a rabbit hole today that threw off my whole morning.

Today, you see, would have been my grandparent's wedding anniversary. I don't know how or why I know that it is March 5th, but I always remember the date. It wasn't like they celebrated it (that I knew of anyway). I don't even remember them being overly affectionate. I just know the date.

But that started the trip down the hole.

I didn't know the year. 

First, I looked for a printed copy of my dad's family tree. Maybe that would tell me.  But no. Something I've put my hands on several times a year is nowhere to be found. 

Then I went to Family Search, a free ancestry site where I have an account. I did find out they were married in 1931, but, oddly, no marriage certificate.

I kept searching. 

When I clicked on Grandma's name, her family came up and some things had been added since the last time I was on this site. One of those things was another sister. One who died the same day she was born. Her birthday? The same as my grandma's.

Grandma was a twin?  Didn't know that.

Then I looked for a birth certificate. Nothing. But there was a death certificate for the baby that died. 

Curiouser and curiouser.

I finally dug myself out of the hole and moved on. 

But I have a feeling I'll be heading back down.

Just a little writing inspiration