I’ve had a half-written post desperately waiting to be completed sitting in my Live Writer for about a week now.  I was all set to finish it when I received notification that a new article of mine has been posted at Life As A Human.  Trust me when I say the article is a lot more interesting than what I was working on, I enjoyed writing it and I think you will enjoy reading it.  It is a poignant tale that involves a ten-foot long, rainbow colored, stuffed fleece snake named Wilbur, preschoolers, some stitches in my leg and my grandmother.  (You never thought you’d see a combination like that, did you?) It’s called Needle and Thread and I would be honored it you would go HERE to read it. 

My Delicious is being published at LifeAsAHuman.com today.  I hope you join and let me know what your delicious is! 

Here’s a taste: I ponder all the Delicious things I’m lucky enough to have in my life. The strong arms of my husband holding me tight, the giggles of my two beautiful daughters or even the colorful flowers that dance merrily in my garden. There are so many wonderfully Delicious things to choose from. Yet, it seems as though I always come back to the same thing…

(psst…Mom…click HERE!)

It was one of those rare Saturdays when I had no absolutely no plans except to sleep in as long as I could.  So it was a bit of a shock to my system when my cell phone rang shortly after the Crack O’ Dawn.  If it had been the house phone, I would have sworn at the caller, then rolled over and happily ignore it.  Yet, this was my cell phone, a number that I only grudgingly give out to a select few.  I knew it had to be important. 

I stumbled from my bed and groggily made my way down the hall to the living room where my phone was.  A quick glance at the caller ID showed that it was only my brother calling. He sometimes “forgets” about the three hour time difference between our homes. (I’m pretty sure he wasn’t on my select list of people I gifted my number to…my mom probably gave him the number.  I’ll have to talk to her)  I dropped my cell back on the table with a snort and made my way back to bed.  Just as I had gotten comfortable, the phone rang again.  My sleep addled brain insisted that there was a dire emergency that only I could deal with.  I staggered back and answered the phone.   

Instead of the panicked voice that I was expecting, I heard the chatty soprano of my niece Eliza. She seemed so excited to be talking to me and jabbered on and on about anything and everything.  Despite having the distinct feeling that I was being used as entertainment for a bored six year old, it was hard to be upset at such enthusiasm.  (After all, how was she to know that I was trying to be coherent on a scant four hours of sleep?)  My brother, on the other hand, should have known better than to have her call so early. 

Somehow, the conversation with my niece turned to baths.  I happened to mention that her father never ever took one when he was a little boy.  She paused for a moment, then asked if he took a shower as that is what he did now.  My brain started to wake up a bit as I told Eliza about how her grandmother did everything she could think of to get him clean once he got too big to simply pick up and toss in a tub full of water.  The preferred method turned out to be squirting him with a bottle of dishwashing soap and then squirting him with the hose. 

After thinking my words over for a moment, my niece asked if people told him to his face how stinky he was.  I informed that they never has a chance because any time he got near someone they plugged their noses and ran away from him as fast as they could.  He wasn’t even allowed to go to school because he was so dirty and smelly!

Eliza was fascinated by my tale and asked a zillion questions about her father.  Questions that I was all too happy to provide elaborate answers for.  (I was pretty impressed with how imaginative I was without coffee) When we were finally ready to hang up, I told Eliza that her daddy was really embarrassed about his dirty ways when he was a little boy.  She could ask him all about it, but shouldn’t be surprised if he said that it wasn’t true. I informed her that she should just keep asking him all about it. 

I climbed back into bed feeling quite smug with myself.  As I drifted off to sleep I grinned as my over-active imagination thought of several other somewhat true stories to share with my nieces. lI could have a lot of fun with this.  Assuming a certain someone is foolish enough to have them call near the Crack O’ Dawn again….

Vacations are a lot of fun, but let’s face it, they are also a lot of hard work.  From the anticipation, the packing, and the endless driving to the disruption of routine, unpacking and loads of smelly laundry. I was so ready to be home when we pulled into our driveway late last night. 

This morning, I nearly threw my alarm clock against the wall when it went off shortly after the Crack of Dawn.  I must’ve set it out of mere habit last night before I wearily collapsed into my bed.  As I rolled over to go back to sleep, I realized that Shaun was wide awake…and wanted to chat.  He didn’t seem to take the hint when I sent evil muting stun ray towards him with my half-awake mind. So I made the mistake of grunting at him.  Instead of running in fear for his life, the foolish man took that as an invitation to continue talking.

I had nearly convinced him that I was actually a cooling corpse and not worth his time,when both the girls and some assorted pets decided to come bounding in our room as well.  (I still don’t understand why nobody seemed to realize that it was summer vacation and thus practically a law to sleep in until noon.) It seemed as though Mimi needed a ride to work, Shaun wanted to go get his Jeep that had been worked on while we were away and KT just didn’t want to be left out of anything. 

We spent most of the day just being together…just as we had been doing all week. Every time I would leave the room just to get some space, someone would follow me. It was slowly driving me insane. I seem to be one of those rare people that just needs time to be alone in a quiet place.  My family is anything but quiet. 

Please try not to think badly of me, I really do love my family, but I had to get away from them. I knew that I couldn’t go anywhere as they would catch on and want to come with me. I tried distracting them with fun places for them to go…but they didn’t want to leave me behind.  I was at a loss. 

Then I finally remembered the Monster Closet.  It’s a small closet tucked underneath our staircase that, until about a month ago had been crammed full of junk.  We are all so used to not even noticing the door anymore that I doubted anyone would even think to look for me there.  My plan is to gather up supplies such as a flashlight, good book and a snack then wait until everyone is preoccupied.  I’ll leave to quick note letting them know that I had been abducted by aliens and not to worry about me, then run and hide.  

I can’t wait to hang out with just the monsters…

Say hello to my new friends I met at Farm Sanctuary.  I like to call them the Gentlemen Turkeys.

My mom likes puzzles.  For her, the biggest puzzle of all is tracking down those that have come before her. For as long as I can remember, my mother has been obsessed with finding her “roots”.  She and my grandmother would write back and forth to each other, sharing facts, offering suggestions and just trying to solve the puzzle.  One of my earliest memories is watching Mom carefully open a white envelope containing a letter from my grandma, then sitting down with her worn spiral-bound steno notepad to down new names and dates. Then she would mutter to herself as she struggled to make the connections between family relations. Every once in a while, she would get excited and shout “aha!” when she made some sort of discovery.

When Mom knew she had a clue she would write a letter to the county clerk of some far-off exotic place like Michigan or North Dakota, asking them to search for and send her a copy of whatever record she needed. It could be anything from a death or birth certificate, a marriage license or military records.  She would always include a stamped, self-addressed envelope and a crisp dollar bill or two to cover any fees. Often times, the letter (and the dollar bills) would come back with a handwritten apology at not being able to find the requested records.  Mom would be heartbroken, yet still determined.  Every once in a while, the returned letter would contain the elusive record that Mom had been searching for.  Those were the days that Mom danced with joy up and down the hall. 

A month or so ago, one of my cousins contacted Mom through Facebook asking her for some family information.  In the blink of an eye, Mom’s interest in genealogy was back in full force. Luckily for her, the days of sending off letters, then waiting months for any sort of response were long gone. 

Mom dug out her ancient genealogy software and quickly determined that it was much too old to be of any use.  So she made a quick trip to the store, where she gleefully plopped down her money and ran home with a brand new Family Tree Maker software.  Then she stayed up all night playing with it.

Yesterday was the first time I chatted with my mother since she got her new tool. She was so excited about her new discoveries that she could barely speak.  She bragged that could find county records instantly with her new software. All she needed was to know what to look up. 

Mom decided that she needed to show me how wonderful her new, improved software really was. So, she looked up my marriage certificate.  She couldn’t find it.  As she had complete faith in her software, the natural conclusion was that I was never married. 

Huh…for the last twenty-one years I thought I was married.  As my mother always tell me, she’s always right, I must be wrong and have been living a lie.  I can’t help but wonder what other facts that that miraculous software is going to find out about me…

I’m a little behind in writing my new list of things to complete before my next birthday.  (Only 4 months…that’s not too bad is it?)  My 45 Things was hard enough, so to come up with 46 more? Hmmm, why do I do this to myself? So, here, in no particular order is my newest list, forty Six Things

1. Give blood
2. Go to a funky festival
3. Lose ten pounds (a couple times!) 
4. Grow sunflowers
5. Scan all my old pictures 
6. Write down our family stories
7. Write down stories from my parents/grandparents    
8. Create a rolodex of addresses
9. Make a quilt (just a little one!)
10. Submit something for publication
11. Pick berries and make jam
12. Organize my digital photo
13. See a play
14. Plant a tree
15. Go winery hoping again!
16. Write a book review
17. Learn to put in a zipper  
18. Take a class
19. Sew something for me 
20. Do NaBloWriMo in Nov  (or if I change my mind in the next year NaBloPoMo)
21. Do a blog giveaway
22. Fill up my art journal
23. Learn to belly dancing
24. Go to a concert
25. Watch KT graduate
26. Take her to college
27. Do a 5K
28. Make a doll
29. Pick a cookbook and start working my way through it
30. Send KT a care package at Whitman
31. Host a Bunko party
32. Meet my newest niece!
33. Go on a road trip
34. Eat something I grew
35. Write a book review
36. Tour Theo’s chocolate factory
37. Start using The Beast again
38. Take a photo a day (can she do it???)
39. Win something
40. Write a book…or at least have a plot and get started on one!
41. Fill our home with personal photos
42. .
43. .
44. .
45. .
46. .

You may note some repeats from last year and no, it’s not a full list yet, (I’m open to ideas!)

Holy cow, wasn’t it just Christmas? How can it be June already? Time really is flying by…

I had a post nearly ready to go…then I realized that I really didn’t like it.  Something about it seemed “off” and to be blunt…well…boring.  I can’t stand the thought of putting up a boring post.  (Ok, I may have put a boring thing or two up in my time, but if so…well, don’t tell me about it. That would simply break my heart and we can’t have that now, could we?)

Anyways, I realized that I have had too many days where I haven’t posted because I couldn’t come up with something to say or didn’t feel like it or whatever.  So…I followed an email that led me to the newest NaBloPoMo.  (National Blog Posting Month) This originally started out as a commitment to blog every day in the month of November.  Then a few years ago it was changed to add every month of the year. Only they all had themes, which I really didn’t care for.  (not to mention the pressure of having to post every day!)

The month of June has a theme of Now.  Hello? Everything I write about is in the now, I can do that! So…I kinda sorta signed up for the June NaBloPoMo.  So check back every day as I’ll be posting. 

Even if it is only a picture of Sam…

Shortly after my youngest daughter Mimi was born, my mom mentioned that she was glad I had two girls.  She had always felt bad that I didn’t grow up with a sister.  Aghast, I asked her what she meant by that, after all, I had a perfectly good brother.  Mom told me that it was something she couldn’t explain and suggested that I just watch them interact. 

So…for years I’ve been watching them interact.  I guess I can see where having a sister might come in handy.  Borrowing your brother’s shirt or smelly gym shoes doesn’t have the same appeal as begging to wear that really cute top or adorable pair of new flats.  And a brother isn’t much fun to watch chick flicks with or giggle when a “hawt guy” walks by. (but isn’t that what girlfriends are for?) As for tea parties…well…he’d always show up, but he never did understand the fine ritual of holding out your pinky as you slowly sipped your tea and tossed the fluffy pink boa around your neck. Of course, he always managed to escape as soon as the treats were gone.  It was all about the food for him. Yes, I can see where having a sister would come in handy.

I had to really think about what good a brother was.  The whole time we were growing up, he was nothing but a pest.  My baby brother wanted to do everything I did, and always wanted to get into my private stuff.  All I wanted to do was anything without him.  When I did deign to spend time with him though, we always had fun. 

Our kind of fun was a bit different than the fun I watch my daughters have.  We loved to play outside in what we called “The Dirt Place.” It was along the side of our yard and was just dirt.  We would build towns and have wars and weddings (my influence). Sometimes we would turn it into a kitchen and bake the most extraordinary feasts consisting of dirt, sticks and rocks. When we tired of that, we would wander off to explore the canyons across the street from our house. We could spend hours wandering around, creating hideouts and just enjoying the time we spent together. 

Then there was the game we made up. I think it was called Dodge Ball, but certainly not the one you are probably thinking.  I would position myself at one end of the yard while my brother would gather up ammunition. Then he would start throwing things at me…balls, sticks, rocks…anything that could be tossed through the air.  My job was to dodge back and forth trying not to get hit. Then we would switch sides so he could have the ammunition again. (Hmmm…now that I think about it, what a horrible game! I’m not sure why we were allowed to play it.)

My baby brother and I live on opposite coasts now. It’s been a few years since we’ve actually seen each other.  We keep in touch by phone, but not nearly as much as we should. It’s easy to get caught up in everyday life and forget about the important things in life. 

Today, I’m thinking of my Baby Brother a lot.  In fact, one of his favorite songs (no, not Blinded by the Light or Born Free) has been running through my head.  It goes like this:

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

You look like a monkey

…and you smell like one too!

Happy Birthday Baby Brother, I love you bunches! (of bananas!)

I’ve been sitting in my living room listening to the quiet. These quiet times are are rare and are something I truly treasure.  They are a balm to my soul. 

I live in a noisy home.  It seems as though there is always something going on.  The music my entire family loves to listen to to blasts through every room.  It can be anything from Zeppelin to Sinatra to the latest pop sensation…it’s always loud. The dogs are barking, the cats cry to be fed and people…just talk.  It’s just normal life, I’m sure it is much the same in most households. 

Yet, something inside of me craves peace and quiet. 

As I sit in the quiet morning hour, breathing in the heavenly sent of my freshly brewed coffee and savoring it’s bitter taste,  I realize that it’s not entirely quiet.  I listen to the gentle tapping of the rain falling on my roof. It’s a sound I never paid much attention to, but I’ve come to love since we’ve moved to Seattle. I can feel the vibrations of one of our cats as she purrs on my lap. My sweet Sam sits at my feet, gently snoring, his ears twitching every time I move. 

I take a moment to gaze out the window beside me, pleased with my blooming garden. My herbs, the lavender, basil and thyme are thriving.  The happy faced pansies, hot pink germaniums and wild roses are drinking in the falling rain. It amazes me that, despite my brown thumb, they are all flourishing. 

I hear someone stirring in one of the bedrooms. My heart sinks as I realize that it’s time for the day to begin.  Then I realize that after my few moments of quiet solitude, I’m ready to face it, and all the racket that comes with it. 

All is well in my world…

On Saturday I received a message from Peggy letting me know that her firewall was warning her of a threat on my website.  I (and by “I”, I mean my in-house tech support, Shaun) immediately looked into it and found that I had some nasty malware taking over the site.  In other words, I’d been hacked!

Shaun informed me that I knew more about web stuff then I did, gave me a few starting points and sent me on my way to figure it out.  (so much for in-house tech support!) Now, if you’ve been reading my blog for any time, you’ll know that I have a strong aversion to anything techie.  Well, not so much an aversion as a complete lack of understanding.  My brain simply doesn’t want to think like that and slowly starts to spin in circles if I try to make it. 

Thankfully, the wonderfully brilliant  Edie stepped in to offer her assistance.  Despite being on the middle of her nationwide tour/vacation, when Edie discovered I had a virus she dug right in and started sprouting highly technical terms such as “last modified date on the php files”,  “I’ll try to FTP in” and  “history thingie.”

Between Edie and the fine folks at GoDaddy, I now have a clean bill of health.  Whew, I’m so glad I’ve got computer gurus looking after me!

Now, just look at my beautiful KT!