Friday, August 31, 2012

Summer of ‘66




Our eighth grade of St, Mary’s would have begun immediately after Labor Day weekend. We were probably still singing our favorite tunes from summer vacation as we walked through the door that first day back. Just to jog the memory a bit, I have found the top songs of 1966 for you to reminisce with. These songs have become classics! Many are still played on the radio today. What a great year for music!

May you all have a great Labor Day weekend. Don’t forget to sing along with the oldies as we close out the summer! Till then…’See you in September!’


Cathy

Top 100 songs of 1966:





Songs of 1966:



Thursday, August 30, 2012

Blue Moon






As the blue moon rises, please take some time to appreciate this moment. There will not be another for three years. This, our second full moon in August 2012, is full on the thirty first. I can think of no better way to start our Labor Day weekend, than with the appreciation of this full moon.





If you choose to go out this night, you may find this ‘wikihow’ guide helpful to search for a fairy in the blue moonlight.


Enjoy the night!

Cathy





Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Summer Fun





The summer is closing in on us. Labor Day is just around the corner. Where did it all go? Well, it’s not gone yet. Take a look around and ask the kids if they are concerned about time flying when they are in the park. There’s still time for meeting new friends. So often we go to the park alone and the next thing you know is that it’s time to announce your departure…

“I gotta go now. Maybe I’ll see you here the next time.”

Parents talk and share while the kids are going about having fun. Teens are playing sports. Dog walkers are nodding and comparing their pets as the pets wag their tails. New friends are made every day with a smile and a nod.

Summer’s not over yet. Go out and enjoy this great weather!

Cathy



Monday, August 27, 2012

Saturday, August 25, 2012

The Tea Guest




an impromptu moment
the time is right
the garden is prepared
a table cloth laid
flowers and candles
complete the setting
china appears
the teapot is filled
sugar is presented
one lump or two
crumpets are served
conversations ensue
memories for the future
are made in the shade


Cathy

Friday, August 24, 2012

Summer Rains





There is something so glorious about running outside in the summer after or during the rain and not worrying about being warm or cold. The summer rain guarantees warmth. The warm temperatures of land, air and water means that everything is at least eighty degrees. It’s like bath water. Don’t think twice about it. Just run outside and stand in a puddle. You don’t even need shoes. Umbrellas and raincoats are optional.

Look to the skies and follow the clouds. Pray for rain!

Enjoy!

Cathy

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Just Tell It Like It Is!



It’s time for Maxine to make another appearance.
Pearls of wisdom they are!
A good way to start any day.
Enjoy!









Sunday, August 19, 2012

Rerun, Rerun, Rerun



So often in the summer months we see reruns of shows and movies on TV. While having my cup of tea this morning, I turned on the TV only to see one of my favorite stories in a movie. Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol” was on and I sat mesmerized yet again. It’s funny, but even though we know the ending, it’s a story that holds our attention again and again.



The bottom line in this story is simple. Ebenezer Scrooge got a credible ‘sign and warning’ from Jacob Marley for what was to come. He also got three chances:
      1.     to learn from the past
      2.     to review and assess the present
      3.     and an opportunity to create change for the future

To quote:
Jacob Marley: In life, my spirit never rose beyond the limits of our money-changing holes! Now I am doomed to wander without rest or peace, incessant torture and remorse! 
Ebenezer: But it was only that you were a good man of business, Jacob! 
Jacob Marley: BUSINESS? Mankind was my business! Their common welfare was my business! And it is at this time of the rolling year that I suffer most! 

The miraculous part of the story and movie is that it only took a moment for Scrooge to determine his future. A single moment, a decision to create change affected not just his life but that of his fellow man. In just twenty four hours there was a 360 degree turn-around. What a difference a day makes!

And that’s it. Do we want to keep seeing ‘reruns’ in our life or make a change? Charles Dickens certainly knows how to tell it like it is. The rest is up to us. Change…it’s a good thing and every day can be Christmas!

Cathy

Saturday, August 18, 2012

As Days Shorten



With shadows growing and the summer days growing shorter, my heart grows sadder. The loss is felt already as the sun shifts behind the trees where there was no passage just a month before.

I think back to childhood as we would start to prepare ourselves for going back to school. The nights seemed eternal as we would beg to stay up late…”but it’s not dark out yet”! Just how late could we stay up in summertime?  Let’s find out! In the month of August as days grew shorter, we felt cheated at the lack of light each night. “But it’s not dark out yet” lost some of its punch as the night sky crowded our day. It was a quiet loss. It gently snuck up on you. Perhaps it was to force our attentions on other things. Perhaps the seriousness of school pending? Better yet, the appreciation of the summer play left in the time allotted till Labor Day weekend. Either way, the memories return in my life today.



I love the freedom of summer. I’m sorry to see it leave so soon. I know, I know, it’s not over yet. I can grab that ‘summer-to-do-list’ and check off a few more items in a mad dash or just sit back and enjoy what comes my way. For the moment, I’m enjoying each sunrise and sunset. Let’s see what delightful events happen in between!

Enjoy!

Cathy

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Move Over Tim



All I have to say is this…”move over ‘Tim-the-Toolman-Taylor’”!



Tuesday gave us an opportunity to let three SMFs follow their collective mind with determination and cooperation. In a spur-of-the-moment cosmic event, Patti, Cathy & Sue met at Patti’s house with confections in hand. After brownies, apple pie and watermelon consumption for our afternoon snack, the question of the hour was ‘what needs to be done?’ You need some wood cut, you say? Where’s the skill saw, safety goggles, measuring tape, pencil and point to the direction of the wood at hand. With Patti’s dad’s tools at hand, the project of the day was done in half an hour!

We had the tools …we had the power…we had the knowledge!

We had everything we needed but the newest color coordinated fashionable tool collection in pink and purple with matching aprons.



Next comes sanding, priming, assembling and painting. Let’s get the color swatches! Patio furniture near completion! Did you want the bulkhead painted to match?

Look out Tim, we’re “Girls With Tools!”

Cathy

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The Fairy Princess



the fairy princess
celebrated her wedding
in a summer garden
of colorful flowers
butterflies and damselflies
were maidens of honor
while the birds sang
under the orchestration of angels
hummingbirds danced
and the kittens purred
under the grape arbor
as the fireflies lit
the garden path
to her happiness
everafter


Cathy




Saturday, August 11, 2012

Our Summer Olympics




During our summers as kids, we did not have had the 24/7 inspiration of sports on TV that children do today. Our summer sports were more limited in the neighborhood. Baseball, roller-skating, biking and swimming at the pond were about the sum total of our sporting activities. Yet, we were not without inspiration to excel at many physical activities.

Just as the marathon began with a single purpose…to deliver a message… we too had many inspirations in our youth. Necessity has proven time and time again to be the ‘mother of invention’ and in the hands of children it is often turned into fun and games.

Consider these activities as inspiration for Olympic possibilities.

  • ·        Running for the ice cream truck =100 meter dash
  • ·        Swinging from a rope into the pond = high dive
  • ·        Hula Hoop = rhythmic gymnastics
  • ·        Jumping a fence = running the hurdles
  • ·        Walking along a wall = balance beam
  • ·        Swimming to a raft = freestyle swim
  • ·        Playing ‘tag’ = relay race
  • ·        Skipping rocks = discus
  • ·        Inflatable rafts = kayaking
  • ·        Somersaults & cartwheels = floor exercise
  • ·        Cannonballs = diving board
  • ·        Tricycles to bicycles = BMX racing
  • ·        Sword-play with sticks = fencing
  • ·        Playing with ‘sparklers’ = carrying the Olympic torch
  • ·        Being chosen first on a baseball team = Olympic athlete


The only difference between any of these activities and their possibilities is the vision to see them through. And for those of us that have not made the Olympic dream a part of our everyday life, may we remember each dash for a Popsicle and splash in the water a cherished memory of our lives.

To those who carry the torch today, continued good luck and good sportsmanship.

Cathy

Friday, August 10, 2012

Summer 1962


…and speaking of summer vacations…
I found this picture of me & Linda with family on vacation in 1962.

                                                              

If you have any photos of your summer vacations from SMF days…send them in!

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Happy Birthday Sue


Happy Birthday Sue!




Wishing you the best of birthday wishes
today and the whole year through.




Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Monday, August 6, 2012

Summer Bummer!






In the lower grades of the SMFs, our summers were casual and carefree as every summer should be. We were footloose and fancy-free as children were meant to be. Daydreamin’, popsicles, playgrounds and swimming were the course of each and every day. On the last day of school, we ran out the door with nary a thought or care. For grades five through eight though, it was a slightly different story.

On the last day of school each year, our school had the custom of advancing each grade to the next classroom during the last hour of school. This formality allowed you to be introduced to your next year’s teacher and find get fitted to your new desk. It was a mini-graduation of sorts from grade to grade. It was a lovely tradition. As lovely as it was, we still eyed the clock waiting for the last day of school to end. Just before leaving the class we were handed our summer homework list. BUMMER!!! A summer reading list was handed out and received with a slightly masked look of disappointment and a stifled groan. This list was of course to the teacher’s discretion. We didn’t want to get ‘rusty’ over the summer months. Sometimes it was to get a ‘jump’ on the reading for the next years’ courses.  

For some of us there was a brief moment of hope that this might be overlooked. Our hands politely folded and our eyes averted from the clock with a devil-may-care attitude of nonchalance, we were secretly praying that the list might be lost. Out from the teacher’s desk drawer came the stack of papers. ARGHHHH!!! A definite BUMMER!!!

As adults, we now have the luxury of choosing our own summer reading list. To read or not to read…THAT is the question! Whatever you choose, have a great summer!

Cathy


Sunday, August 5, 2012

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Hazy, Hot& Humid!




On these hazy, hot and humid dog days of summer, it’s often too hot to think. So today I leave you with a cool summer song.


Enjoy!

Cathy


Thursday, August 2, 2012

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Murano Glass



Sand and fire
Molten glass
Summer’s heat
Reflected in art
Elemental
Metamorphosis


Cathy

Photo submitted by Sue from her vacation.