The Earth is Full- Enjoy!

I just downed some Tylenol, noted the appearance of three new bruises and multiples scratches on my appendages gathered from working in the yard, checked the rising temperature, and enjoyed the music of a choir of birds.  It’s spring and this a good time to be alive.

          For most of April I hope that snow will not be in the forecast except in higher terrains and that unpaved roads will dry out and be graded.  And when that comes to pass, then winter is truly over in Vermont.  It’s time to welcome spring with all of our senses.

          Sight –Daily, hourly the land becomes greener and early flowers are bursting forth to gladden hearts.  People are outside raking, weeding, planting, walking, jogging, biking, talking, laughing.  Pale, sun-starved legs and feet appear even while the upper half is covered with layers to be discarded through the day.  Yesterday, Trinity, 2 ½, saw her first dandelion of the season.  She picked it and ran to show Paacha.  “My lion!  Isn’t it pretty?” she cried.  Even though a dandelion is technically a weed, the first ones are a thing of beauty even when you are over two.

          Sound – Chain saws burr as dead trees are removed.  Snatches of music are heard from the opened windows of passing cars; many times the bass thumps and pulses at stop signs.  Chirps, caws, tweets, peeps, chatters, screeches, yips, are nature’s addition to the celebration.  We were awakened in the wee hours by the screaming of an animal near our bedroom window.  A tomcat on the prowl?  A red fox passing through? We were never sure of the origin, but acknowledged it as a sign of the changing season.

          Smell – Campfires, brush piles alit, freshly turned soil, worms, manure, sun warmed earth tantalize the nose.  Laundry dried on the clothesline, bedding and throw rugs aired outside bring spring into the house as does throwing wide the doors and windows.  Let it all come in, unless or until the farmer is spreading manure and fertilizer.

          Touch – Prickly nettles, sharp thorns, crumbly moist soil, dew-soaked grass, velvety moss are all encountered in any gardening effort as snow peas and root crops are gently worked into the soil   Bare feet linger on warm asphalt, scurry over gravel, massage garden soil, glory in zephyr breezes. Sometimes I find myself touching the earth believing that I can almost feel its heart beat.  And I whisper to the seedlings and bulbs, “Grow.”

          Taste – The first barbecue or Creemee or toasted marshmallow is just the promise of more to come.  And what a promise it is! Lunch eaten at a picnic table, dinner served outside on the deck, an apple munched while in the hammock and food never tasted so yummy.  Now is the time to add extra vittles on the grill and invite friends, new and old, to partake.

          This season is a gift.  It’s a time to look around and realize the truth that the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.  May you gather in that goodness and benefit from it.  Happy spring!  

False Fire Alarm

I was calmly uprooting dandelion taproots when I became aware of 2 men in large black trucks speeding by and then conversing at the end of my drive.
I thought that perhaps they were going to take the small file cabinet I had at the curb with a FREE sign perched atop.
Then one truck squealed into my drive with the other pulling into the neighbor's.  I paused, looked up, and said, "Did you need something?"
The elder man growled, "We got a report of a pellet stove being on fire with smoke billowing out of the basement."
"Well, I have a pellet, it's in the living room, and as far as I know everything's fine."
"You better check it."
My neighbor joined me  as we entered to house to see the stove merrily warming the living room.
"Clearly," I said to the neighbor, "The stove fired up, emitted a lot of smoke, and someone panicked.  Not unlike when you called me last fall when it was running."
We both assured the ex-fire chief that all was in order.
Glad to know that the neighbors are on alert, now it they'd only help me pull up dandelions.

            Too Old to Die Young

            I recently had another birthday.  I am now officially too old to die young and I’ve resigned myself to missing a variety of experiences.

            I won’t be President of the United States and will never run for office, mainly because I’m not interested.  But it’s a relief to no longer wonder what it would be like to roam around the White House at night and sneak a nap on Lincoln’s bed.  And that recurring nightmare of being poorly dressed for the Inaugural Ball should cease.

            Rafting down the Amazon, climbing Mt. Everest, running with the bulls in Pamplona, snorkeling in the Barrier Reef, finishing the Boston Marathon, and skydiving won’t happen for me.  It’s a sure thing that I won’t go 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu.  I may, however, view these events on DVD while on my trusty exercise bike.

            The awards for a Grammy, an Emmy, and a Tony won’t be mine and poor old Oscar will have to go home with someone else.   Martin Scorsese and Tim Burton will remain unaware of my wonderful untapped acting ability; Brad Pitt and George Clooney will need another leading lady.   And, shucks, I won’t be auditioning to be the new Bond girl.  

             I won’t be the advertising face for Lady Clairol or Cover Girl. Pillsbury will not choose my recipe for its bake off, Publisher’s Clearing House won’t be writing me a check for two million dollars, and I won’t be able to imagine the feeling of winning the Vermont Lottery.  All Nobel prizes will go to someone else.

From the summit of 57 years I want to pass on some aging and aged thoughts that have proven true in my lifetime thus far.  If you pass up the deal of a lifetime because it is out of your reach financially, be prepared for an even better deal to come at just the right time.  Good things come to those who wait.

Sometimes you may have three equally great opportunities before you.  If you examine each choice and they come out the same, choose any.  You will grow in knowledge and experience on whatever road you walk and will end up exactly where you were meant to be.

Avoid ‘if only’.  You can get so consumed over what might have been that you will miss what is happening right in front of you now.  Embrace, grab, hold on to the life that you’ve been given and LIVE it honestly and with abandon.  You only get the one chance.

Think before you speak. Sticks and stones may break bones, but words bruise, sting, bite and become etched in the heart and memory.  Sadly, that’s why years after the fact some wounds still bleed.  In your relationships always speak encouragement into lives.  Being kind is always appropriate. 

Above all things, walk in forgiveness.  Forgive yourself; forgive others.  Don’t keep accounts of wrongs suffered and make it your aim to not cause suffering.  You’ll sleep better at night if you do.

As I begin my descent “over the hill”, I find that though the days are flying by I’m already beginning to move a little slower.  I’m saying “yes” to those things I’m meant to do, “no” to those things I’m not, and trying hard to know the difference.   And even if I’m officially too old to die young, I’m still young enough to create change.  In me. This year.

Grandchildren Bring Joy

There are few things in my life that bring me more than joy than my grandchildren. They spent two days with us and delighted us again with their perspectives and their personalities. 

Antonia stated that she now knew how to sit like a lady and could wear a skirt without a pair of shorts underneath. We were treated to fine art work from the boys, kitchen help with meals and dishes, and random hugs and kisses. 

I am so glad that I had my children young and that I am able to enjoy the gift of these grandchildren.

catatacts, surgery, and pirates

Aarrrrr! It’s Time to Walk the Plank 

 For the last few days I've been living with a pirate. And that pirate happens to be my husband. 

 His resemblance to a pirate is enhanced by the eye patch that he has been wearing as he recovers from cataract surgery. One eye done, the other to come. 

 The day after surgery he was assured that he would be able to work, driving would be no problem. And it wasn't. The problem came when he had to read. The eye still wearing a prescription lens could, the eye without could not. 

 Hence, not an eye patch but a yellow post-it hanging over his glass frame. Aarrrrr! Not a pretty sight.

Sleeping ok? Yup!

My youngest granddaughter doesn't like to sleep through the night. She prefers to jabber, sing, dance, thrash, and generally let her presence be known. 

At 2 she is usually ready for bed by 6 p.m. and can barely function past that time, but check her at 2p.m. and she's vocal and alert. 

 If her older brother gets up to use the bathroom she sings out, "Hi, Karl." She will report on the whereabouts of everyone in the house i.e. "Nia...sleeping. Domi...sleeping. Mama...sleeping etc." It's especially irritating if you are on the list and are awakened by her declaring that you are asleep. 

 When she's told to be quiet, she is silent, but will then lift her legs and drop them onto her mattress. Repeatedly. Over and over. Again and again.

 One night when she was over I thought I heard her cry out. I crept into the room and checked her while she lay in bed. I heard steady breathing through the darkness and ventured to ask, "Trinity, are you ok?" "Yup!" was her reply.

Freedom costs

Let Freedom ring – For Kathy’s Four New Freedoms

Whenever the 4^th of July rolls around and I participate in the festivities, I am reminded of Norman Rockwell’s famous four Freedoms paintings, depicting the Freedom to Worship, the Freedom from Fear, the Freedom from Want, and the Freedom of Speech.  I value all of those and have thought of for more that I plan to add to my personal life.

·        Freedom from Comparison.

Keeping up with the Jones’s has always meant living your life in comparison to your neighbors. Years back it meant car models, landscaping, remodeling, job advancement, and expensive vacations.  Today it is all encompassing and includes savings accounts, retirement plans, fashion, and pedigreed animals.

Sadly, it extends to children’s after school activities, clothing logos, school choice, and the electronic gadgets they possess.  My plan is to keep my rusting Kia until the death of its engine parts us.  Adding satellite is still not happening, nor is switching my VCR/DVD TV to something more digitally mastered.  My work for a  non-profit doesn’t come with fame or fortune, the work is the reward.  I will continue to scour thrift stores and clearance racks for bargains. My goal is to be content with what I have.

·        Freedom from Judgment

People have different parenting styles, hobbies, passions, likes and dislikes. Often times my ideas and ideals differ.  I’m attempting to free myself from judgment.  Although I might not consider it endearing, respectful, beneficial or necessary, parent your way.  Public of private school? Homeschool? To immunize or not? Your choice, not mine.  It’s your child and I’ve seen some wonderful children grown from what I consider wacky parenting ideals and plenty of troublemakers from sound ones.

Politics? Religion? Whole-grain or white? Processed or organic? Imagine just how long this list can be.  Classical? Opera? Country? Rock? It’s all music to someone.  Enjoy.  You live your life I’ll live mine.  But as I live mine, I will try my best to talk with you, befriend you, and listen.  My responsibility lies in being a good neighbor and only I can accomplish that.

·        Freedom from Appearance.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a ban on the constant media bombardment on aging? Those headlines that read “50 is the new 30,””Woman, 72, is top in her field of weight lifting ”(how large is that field, I wonder) or “You too can have abs like these”. WHY????

I am making better choices than I did five years ago concerning my eating and exercise habits.  But as the years have passed I’ve acquired allergies, arthritis, and aches and pains previously unknown.  It’s happening and I’m OK with that.

I don’t want to live counting every calories and bite, refusing cake at birthday parties, wearing the lastest fashion, or stressing over aging skin.  I want to erase from my vocabulary the sentence, “I’m being bad,” when I’m referring to an eating choice.  Life is not meant to be lived at either extreme of fasting or feasting.  I’m going to celebrate life and attempt to live in balance.

·        Freedom from Perfection.

I don’t make fudge because my friend Debbie Nolan makes it really well.  Sadly, I haven’t seen Debbie in 26 years and I’m still not making fudge because I’m afraid it won’t be perfect.  There are much better quilters, writers, rug makers, bakers, home decorators, guitar players, singers, and dancers than me.

In the past, the idea of how inadequate I am compared to others has been my excuse to not attempt new things. No longer.  My home is a hodgepodge of homemade items.  Some are well done, others you need to not look at too closely.  The satisfying part is that it releases a spark within me and brings me pleasure to create something.

So for this July 5^th and onward, I am on a mission to add these freedoms to my life.  Adopt these or make your own list.  Whatever you do, begin now.  Let freedom ring.

Ring those bells!

(appeared July 5, 2012)