Why is it that when the tank is full to the brim, the gauge arrow is loath to move. You can go 50 miles without the line moving.
Running on empty...
But once you get into the no-man’s land of a quarter tank of gas it appears that every mile is taking more fuel than it should. Suddenly, a ten-mile distance leaves you near the line of emptiness, wondering just why the gas station is not in sight yet.
As much as I love my mini-van, this is the one thing I hate about it.
What do you wonder ?
One of the things I like about January is that my schedule slows down – sort of. Instead of having something to do every day, I have things to do every other day. Some days are doubled booked but it is not as bad as during the month of December.
This past Saturday, for example, I dropped my daughter off to enjoy a day with the Girl Scouts as they kick off their annual Cookie Sales. In the morning my husband took in a local boat show with a neighbor so I had our kids plus the neighbor girl who spent the night. There was game playing with Lego Batman Wii and hair being brushed into designs. We picked up items for supper (Muenster cheese and bread for grilled cheese sandwiches) and I dropped the girls for their big trip. Then in the afternoon I was able to leave the house, sans kids, and do what I needed to do.
Image by Jentsoi
It was great. I stopped in a local resale shop that has great clothes, got my hair cut, picked out paint chips, pick up a present for my parents (from which last month’s brake job took money), stopped in the fabric store, picked up newspapers and rented dvds. Four hours of going around town doing what I needed to do at my own pace.
As much as we all like the holiday season, I believe there is a collective sigh of relief somewhere around epiphany. The holidays are over and there are no more forced celebratory gatherings till “The Big Game” or Valentine’s Day. No more egg nog or fruitcake. The champagne is all gone and the christmas ornaments have been put away for the next 11 months. There is a relief in knowing we can go at our own pace and not at dictated events.
Granted, there are a few things to the schedule. We have one child in volleyball. We have friends with children in basketball. Those winter sports will keep us active but not frantically so. We will have time to just relax and maybe take a nap.
It might be rude to admit but I am looking forward to that step down in busyiness.
How is your January schedule looking?
Wordless Wednesday
Rudolph the Red-Nose Ford
Dear Jane,
Image by Melodi2
I wanted to take a few minutes out of this holiday season to wish you a happy birthday on the 16th. If it is possible, I would love to share tea time with you but when is always the question. With all of the events flying around our family, I scarcely get a moment to breathe and think.
Last night, our daughter and her Girl Scout troop sang carols at a senior living facility. Later in the evening, our second oldest played in a band concert. I had to run youth group at church and missed out on the concert. Tonight, half of the family will take part in the 4H Christmas party while I attend my daughter’s band concert. Friday night is my office party.
My house is getting quite messy. Toys or pieces of toys are strewn about and the dog insists on shedding. Dust is everywhere. I am hoping to spend some time cleaning on Saturday morning before heading to the stores to buy a birthday gift and a grab bag gift suitable for a boy or girl. My daughter is voting for candy although one of her classmates is diabetic.
Saturday afternoon my daughter heads to the birthday party while I am off to a Christmas party for children at my church. Then there is a singing time at my church from 5 p.m. till 7 p.m. Our church choir will sing four songs and our youngest member will do a solo of “Emmanuel.” Then I plan to go home, eat some soup and go to bed. I am hoping to stay there till New Year’s but you and I know that is not practical.
Book Cover image from barnesandnoble.com
I am being quite rude as I have not asked how you are doing or if you are working on anything new. I look in the stores and hope some forgotten manuscripts have been found but I am always disappointed. I am hoping to begin work on the series by Rebecca Ann Collins which looks at the lives of various characters after “Pride and Prejudice.” Perhaps that will be my goal for the new year.
Please let me know when we could have tea together. If it cannot be in December, perhaps we could get together in January. Life slows down considerably and my biggest concern will be cleaning out the ‘closet of doom.’
Your devoted fan wishing you the best on your birthday,
etc….
Related Posts:
Notes From Rumbly Cottage: Curling Up with a Good Book
Notes From Rumbly Cottage: Wishing the Happiest of Birthdays
Notes From Rumbly Cottage: My Dream Casting Wishes for Jane Bites Back
Notes From Rumbly Cottage: Austenland – My Dream Cast
It is the middle of the holiday season and it seems as if our hearts are more open to pleas of mercy and understanding.
Image by Wcizmowski
On my Facebook account, it seems as if everyone has a tale that makes you want to be understanding whether the issue is bullying, cancer awareness or calling this holiday ‘Christmas’ as opposed to ‘holiday.’
But then it creeps in. The guilt line.
“I bet most of you will not repeat this or put it in your status.”
If you do not you are less of a Christian, less of a person, a failure of a human being. You have no heart, no spirit, no soul.
Or you are like me. You give the flying finger to the guilt inducing note by deleting it, ignoring it or, on one of your not-so-good days, write a comment saying how lousy it is to give these guilt trips.
After all, do we not have enough guilt about everything we are not doing for the holidays, for our kids, for our community? Have you given enough this season, volunteered enough, made your kids happy enough while working around the dysfunction that surrounds you?
Here is someone you know a little or a lot trying to guilt you into agreeing with their point of view. Suddenly, you are a bad person for not agreeing and you did not even get to hit the ‘like’ button yet. Chances are you might agree with them. But that line stands in the way of complete agreement.
Here is what I am telling you to do.
Feel guilt free as you do not hit ‘like’ or pass on the email.
Let it go un-noticed.
Kids have been dodging mothers’ guilt trips for years, sometimes successfully and sometimes not. Why not take a page out of that book?
Let this be your guilt free moment of not allowing someone else’s need to be insufferable right earnest and make you ‘less than’ because you are not in the 10% who are going to re-post their statement or forward their worthwhile-but-guilt-inducing message.
They want the drama, the top of the mountain feel of being right, and the knowledge that they can get other people to follow them.
Image from klondikebar.com
If you still feel the need to re-post, I understand. But leave the guilt at the curb because if you direct it to me with that line about how most people are not going to put this on their status, you can bet I am in that 90%.
Even if it means giving up a Klondike bar.
wordless Wednesday
A sign in the wine shop.
Wordless Wednesday
Today, I am sharing a few favorite tunes.
Image by Earl 53
This first tune has been around for what seems like forever. Apparently it was written for Sinatra but Babs has made it her own. There are versions by Sarah Vaughn, Shirley Bassey and Fantasia. I personally like this version because the music background is stark and never overpowering of the poetic lyrics.
Bobbi Jeam Wilson singing \”What are You Doing the rest of Your Life.\”
Image from GeorgeHarrisonDaily.tumblr.com
George Harrison recently was given the Martin Scorsee treatment in a new documentary. Paul may be the Tin Pan Alley songwriter, John was the experimental one, while Ringo was Ringo. But George was the poet, putting the most difficult feelings into melodic song.
The Beatles \”While My Guitar Gently Weeps.\”
Image from Wikipedia
Now the weather today is sad and gloomy. The skies are grey, the ground is wet. Leaves are matted and brown on the ground. That is when you need a song to lift your spirits and make you feet move. Chrissy, take us to the Middle of The Road.
Wordless Wednesday
Big Halloween Display
Osage Orange or Hedgeapple
Hanging Ghost
Combine in the Field
Bushes made into Ghosts
Unloading the Grain Truck into the Silo
Spider's Web
Wordless Wednesday
When is it too early to put out Halloween decorations? I am not sure. Some of these were taken last week, others this week. Nevertheless, there is something enjoyable about a good and safe scare.
Notice the flying bats
Notice the Mosquitoe Plant surrounding the ghost
Look at the figures in the TreeSpider's Web catches a pumpkin
Witchy Display
Ghostly Window
A display I saw on Sept. 29
Our ghoulie
Opening Act
Scary tree
Another flying ghoul farther back
Ghoulish gathering
Wordy Wednesday
There are times that using a phone camera to capture a moment is so wrong.
Like when you are driving.
The other day I was trying to get home when I passed a car with a dog hanging his head out of the back window. There were three people in the car and the dog was hanging his head out the passenger side back window. The dog was so happy to have the wind on its face.
It was like a commercial for happiness. And I wanted to take a picture but realized that it would be near to impossible as I was driving down the road at 50 miles per hour. By the time we got to the stop light the moment was gone, the mood was wrong.
So I moved on.
Then a few days later I was on my way home from work when I got stuck behind a school bus. I watched a boy, about 8 or 9 years old, get off and walk to the driveway. He got about ten feet in when he looked to his left and his face became excited. He saw someone and I am thinking it is his grandmother. The boy dropped his book bag and moved towards the other person.
That is when I see who the boy is looking at. It is a beautiful black long-haired dog, probably a mix of a black lab and golden retriever. I have to keep moving but I see that the boy and dog are playing together in a familiar pattern. It is a scene of such happiness I almost feel like a creepy person looking where I shouldn’t.
But I don’t turn my eyes away until I have to. Seeing such joy in so small a moment reminds us why we do it all. We do it for those quick joyful moments.
Because I have to get home and there are cars behind me so I move away from the scene. I have not forgotten it a week later.
These are the moments of joy I see. But during my day I also see people getting by, people walking with family or friends. I see families and kids on bikes – some happy, some not so much. Their worries are overwhelming.
Every town has that one ‘special’ person who goes all over and everyone knows them even if you have never talked to them. Our town has the doll lady who hangs around town with beautiful dolls about the size of a four year old. You know her when you see her. The woman is happy and I hear from others that her family work to keep her that way. Oh, and she will never sell one of her precious dolls.
I remember her every time I see her and her dolls. The image of her on the benches around town does not leave my imagination.
I do not always need a physical picture of these things; they live on in my mind for however long I am able to continue to remember.
What moments of joy do you see on a daily basis?
