Stranger Than Fiction

I saw this on TV last night.

What did you see?

Cathy

http://www.insideedition.com/news/6952/man-turns-dumpster-into-chic-home.aspx

Made In America.

One of the consistent topics in our get-togethers this year has been ‘products made in America’. There have been recent articles on TV lately addressing this topic. I have also found some websites listing manufacturers stateside.

Happy shopping! Go USA, USA, USA!!!

Cathy

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/MadeInAmerica/made-america-back-school/story?id=14428881&page=2

http://www.madeinusa.org/

http://www.proudamericantradingpost.com/

http://www.americansworking.com/

http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/

Haiku: Coloring

Searching for the Goldie-Oldies

As I settle in to bake a cake today, I turn on the radio for some mood music. I hit my favorite oldies station only to discover I didn't recognize the song. It’s too new. Not in my oldies category. I switch to another station. I still didn't recognize the song, but I’m holding out for my classics.

I proceed with the mixing of the cake…not from scratch today…mix, eggs, water, oil and continue to the goal of a finished cake. The oven is pre-heating. Finally a good mood song, Moondance by Van Morrison. NOW we’re cooking! Time to dance in the kitchen!

The batter goes into the greased pans. Pop in the oven. Set timer. I lick the beaters. Time to tidy up in the kitchen. YES!!! It’s Bruce with Glory Days. A great song for washing the dishes! I let the dog out. It starts to rain. We come back in. We’re enjoying the music together.

Recently I was on public transportation, tapping my foot to Yellow Submarine and asked the driver what station he was listening to. W _ _ _ was his answer. Really? I thought that went out years ago. Maybe there was a change in management. Expecting another classic oldie on the station, I was immediately disappointed to depart from the Beatles. The next song, a classic from my parents’ generation, sounded like it was dragging across a phonograph playing at 78 rpm. I date myself…I only read about them! (Ahem!?) I think the singer was once a photo in my wallet! The next song was from the big band era. I actually like this sound until I had this unsettling feeling in my stomach. The semi-quasi state of nausea was from the realization that the Beatles & my classic oldies were now lumped into the previous generation’s music. This radio station which shall remain nameless was one I (we?) made fun of in our teens. All these years later, this station is still thriving on the oldies…a lot like me.

The timer goes off. Out come the cakes. Flip onto the racks. Cakes are cooling. I make the pudding. I didn’t tell you but I’m actually making a trifle, not a cake. YUM!

Back to the music. The irony is that they have now mixed two complete generations into one. It’s the same with my other classic oldies stations….my generation’s classics with today’s classics. If I switch from station to station I’m covering at least three generations of music. Add in the other classical music station and we have many generations melding together through music.

The cake is cooled and it’s time to cut it up and assemble the trifle.

Some time ago I went to a concert and there was a request for a particular song. The artist replied, “I’m not doing that song tonight, but I have another with a lot of the same notes!” I found it clever and in keeping with the artist’s personality and good humor. The same notes can create quite the variety. That and music is timeless. What’s good for one generation is good for another. It may just take some getting used to.

Now, food is also timeless. It’s time to trifle with the trifle. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Excuse me while I crank up the music.

Cathy

PS: Perhaps the music and food should both be lumped together as they both feed the mind, heart and soul. My cake became a trifle. Some may say ‘let them eat cake’. I say let them eat both and that variety is the spice of life. One birthday trifle coming right up….and yes, it was very good, even if I do say so myself!

Haiku: Renew

Space Junk: Duck & Cover

It seems we have made it through the falling satellite episode safe and sound; BUT…are we really safe? Good Question. The U.S. Satellite System Network is currently tracking 8,000 satellites. Since Sputnik was launched there have been over 26,000 objects tracked. 


To make a long story short, there are 7, 999 more to go! Be forewarned!

Space vessels and debris are not new to today’s culture. I’m only mentioning this now because I feel you should be prepared for all possible occurrences in this genre what with the remaining satellites, meteors, UFOs and aging commercial passenger planes.

Let’s take a look at our recent past for inspiration. Remember when Ray Walston became “My Favorite Martian” by crashing on this planet? And let’s not forget Mork from Ork crashing in Boulder, CO from Mork & Mindy fame. There’s also the huggable crash-landed friends from E.T. and ALF.

Independence Day and Flight of the Navigator gave us another reason to look towards the skies more carefully. Yes, more crashed aircraft. Don’t get me started about ‘Area 51’. It seems Henny Penny isn’t the only one noticing the sky is falling.

Now there are ways of going about protecting one’s self from this space junk. The most popular idea seems to be the metal headgear approach ranging from colanders to foil caps. These are not for the heaviest falling objects from space, but protection from the approach of any possible mind controlling devices that are still active while entering our atmosphere. Technically speaking, we should probably be wearing them now while the other 7,999 satellites are still working properly! Let’s review some of the most popular styles of headgear.

First, please refer to the 1950’s style rounded, see-through helmet with side sound enhancers and antennae as worn by Ed Norton on the  Honeymooners. Ralph seems to have mixed emotions. Research does not indicate a breathing chamber. I’ll keep you posted. Next we have the more updated version modeled after the ‘Keymaster’ headgear from Ghostbusters. These two styles meet minimum safety requirements for a medium-to-heavy metal impact by space junk.

We shall now review the secondary style of the popular foil cap as seen in the movie Signs. Due to the flexible nature of the material, it will adjust to any size head. The pointed top will adjust the electro- magnetic force field around your head’s cranial vortex. With a little initiative, you can change direction (north, south, east and west) to redirect any unwanted energy. It is theorized that spinning in place will increase the energy field around you. This is just a theory as those who have volunteered their efforts got quite dizzy and fell down. Please use your best judgment when putting this theory to a test. Depending on your expertise in the electrical field, you may add a row of lights around the bottom perimeter for better night vision. If this technical talent eludes you, please carry a flashlight at night. Laugh if you will, but there are actually instructions on ‘ehow.com’ for constructing a foil hat.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2049858_make-tinfoil-hat.html

If you are seriously concerned about falling debris, there should be a secondary protocol in place. Please take a practical approach to your personal welfare. Have a plan in advance. Practice when you can. You must note that there are no Emergency Broadcasting System notices being flashed on our TVs or radios, therefore you must rely on your own initiative. In the past, ducking under a table or desk was recommended. It seems to be the mainstay of the ‘Duck-N-Cover-Method’ of self-preservation.

If you still have concerns, ask for directions to a shelter. Our own Major Mudd was a man of vision as seen in this photo. He knew about space and stuff; a leader to be admired from our childhood years…an out-of-this-world kind of guy! Don’t forget…IBBY…”I’ll Be Blasting You!” Now THAT was a motto!

I don’t want to be a harbinger of misfortune, but when we do not heed the warnings, graver events can happen. All I have to say about this is…War of the Worlds, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Day the Earth Stood Still

Please note, not all crashes have a negative impact. There was a very historical crash long, long ago and this has created for us a hero and symbol of truth, justice and the American way. He also looks good in tights! This is a good thing. J

If this is overwhelming, please don’t panic. Do what the cool guys do….. wear sunglasses. That’s right, get a pair of shades for every and all emergencies. It worked for K and J in MIB. It’ll work for you too.

Thanks for listening,

Cathy

PS: Another source says there are 13,000 satellites positioned over earth. Here’s the website. You do the homework!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydbbd-4oEds

====================================================================

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/nasa-satellite-uars-entry-predicted-friday-afternoon-north/story?id=14579881

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite

http://ask.yahoo.com/20010116.html

Rainy Day Recess

As this school year progresses my mind reflects our days in school. The rainy day indoor recess keeps popping into my mind. The rain pelted the windows with enough fog on the inside for each child to write their name. As a gloomy morning goes by, we have a fairly quiet lunch. Lunch concludes with the folding of our place mats and their placement inside our desks. Immediately following we would have our exercise with song.

First, one of the boys who had the ‘charge of the long pole’ for the opening of the upper section of window would get up & open all the top window sections. Don’t ask me why the boys were always put in charge of this, but they were. Each was chosen for the duration of a week. I’m trying to remember if a girl ever opened a window. I don’t remember it happening in all eight years….maybe once. Anyway…back to recess. A boy would open the windows top & bottom to let in the fresh air, rain or not.

We stand and get to have guilt free wiggle time. Arms up, to the sides, twist side to side, bend and reach for the toes. Actually touching the toes was optional, reaching a goal! This policy I still hold fast to today!  Ready, set…the pitch pipe played and we marched in place. Our knees up high and our arms swinging to and fro, we proceeded to sing and parade around the room. A classic song was “Old Folks at Home”. We sang… “Way down upon the Swanee River, far, far from home. That’s where my heart is turning ever, …” I can still hear it in my head today as we phonetically changed the words ‘turning ever’ to ‘turning liver’! Oh brother! I remember coming home from school and performing this at home with a friend (SMF of course!)  We were so proud to sing a new song with the hands and feet moving with the music. My parents had all they could do to stifle a laugh! Could you please repeat those words? A sure sign something was amiss! We still remember it today. God, we were cute!

The rainy day recess was over after the march. Fresh air in our lungs!  Twitching, wiggles and giggles out of our system to resume the afternoon studies at hand. The ‘window-pole-boy-of-the-week’ went about his business due diligently. Windows were shut as we opened our desk for the book needed for our next lesson.

Rain or shine, the day went on as planned.

Cathy

http://www.musicanet.org/robokopp/usa/waydownu.htm

Haiku: Autumnal Equinox

Happy Birthday Ellie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ632nmSZSY

Peace Day

Today is International Peace Day.

http://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1_____enUS439US439&aq=f&gcx=c&ix=c2&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=international+peace+day

Ev'rybody's talking about
Bagism, Shagism, Dragism, Madism, Ragism, Tagism
This-ism, that-ism
Isn't it the most
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance 

Ev'rybody's talking about
Ministers, Sinisters, Banisters and canisters,
Bishops and Fishops and Rabbis and Pop eyes,
And bye bye, bye byes.
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

Let me tell you now
Ev'rybody's talking about
Revolution, Evolution, Mastication, Flagelolation, Regulations.
Integrations, Meditations, United Nations, Congratulations
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance

Oh Let's stick to it
Ev'rybody's talking about
John and Yoko, Timmy Leary, Rosemary, Tommy smothers, Bob Dylan, 
Tommy Cooper, Derek Tayor, Norman Mailer, Alan Ginsberg, Hare Krishna,
Hare Krishna
All we are saying is give peace a chance
All we are saying is give peace a chance 

John Lennon

Haiku: Ode to Gourd

It’s Raining Bagels

This may sound farfetched, but it’s as true as can be. As I was outside today, I caught a glimpse of something whitish dropping from the tree. Thud. THUD?!!! What could that be?

I sit under the cedar tree often and am used to the falling of the blue berries. The squirrels dangle off the limbs and chomp away at them. As they gnaw at the branches the clusters of berries tumble down. This I understand. I take a gander at the thud location and find a bagel. Bagel you ask? That’s right, a bagel. I stare and ponder awhile, not too long a while, and say “you clever little squirrel, you!”

I do admire them so. While some will curse the clever little critters for downing too much bird seed, it only gives me greater cause to go out and buy more seed. After all, why stop at feeding only the birds? Birds are beautiful in all ways, but squirrels will give you a days’ worth of entertainment in a short amount of time. I like that. The squirrel ballet atop the trees as they find the best approach to a food source is quite amazing and amusing…from top of tree, leap to branch, jump down to a roof, across to the trash barrels, open the barrels, inspect, inspection complete, over the lawn, up a tree truck, a flying leap to the bird feeder, with discriminating taste to select only the sunflower seeds. WOW!!! This example of their prowess could take place in only a couple of minutes. I’d like to see Mary Lou Retton do that! Well, if anyone could, it would be her.

I’m sure the tenacity of the squirrel is capable of dragging a bagel up a tree. Last winter I was looking out the window viewing a different tree and spied a UFO (unidentified food object) in the tree. After a minute of squinting I surmised it to be half an English muffin laying on the branch. I kid you not. The squirrels in my yard have a hefty appetite. This could be due to a shortage of oak trees with no shortage of pines. Thank heaven for the pine cones in lieu of acorns! The pines do have the squirrels’ nests so they can hunker down for the winter. They may have a nice place for the summer too! If I was as ambitious as a squirrel I might just take a look up the tree; but alas, I am not.

Just for fun, this leads me to imagine a squirrel’s resume.

• ·        Athletic (able to leap tall buildings in a single bound)
• ·        Clever (good problem solver)
• ·        Gourmet (discriminating tastes)
• ·        A people person (plays well with others)
• ·        Assertive (problem solver)
• ·        Good sense of humor (I like to make people laugh)
• ·        Upper management potential (I aim high)
• ·        Well-seasoned (I don’t complain about the weather)
• ·        Punctual (I don’t miss a day’s work, absenteeism is never a problem)
• ·        Tree hugger (I believe in animal rights; Is Earth Day a legal holiday?)
• ·        Worldly (I’ve been around the block ; I have relatives everywhere)
• ·        Conservationist ( hunter gatherer)
• ·        CNA (Certified Nut Authority; Currently employed as hunter gatherer first class; nuts a specialty)
• ·        Visionary (Some call me a hoarder, but I disagree, I’m prepared for the future!)
• ·        Benefits (You’ll just love me, I guarantee! All else is a perk!)
• ·        Quirky (a little nutty)

A little nutty…just like me!

Cathy

Haiku: Enjoy

Haiku: Life's Web

Life Explained

On the first day, God created the dog and said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past.  For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."

The dog said, "That's a long time to be barking.  How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?"

And God saw it was good.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh.  For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span."

The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years?  That's a pretty long time to perform.  How about I give you back ten like the dog did?"

And God, again saw it was good.

On the third day, God created the cow and said, "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family.  For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years."

The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years.  How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?"

And God agreed it was good.

On the fourth day, God created humans and said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life.  For this, I'll give you twenty years."

But the human said, "Only twenty years?  Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?"

"Okay," said God, "You asked for it."

So that is why for our first twenty years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves.  For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family.  For the next ten years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren.  And for the last ten years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you.

There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. I'm doing it as a public service.  If you are looking for me I will be on the front porch.

======================================

Thanks to Rosemary for this delightful story.

Cathy

A Lucky Day

This morning as I stepped out I found a four leaf clover. It’s my lucky day. I’m not sure where it will go, but I’ll keep you posted. My "lucky quest" begins.

Cathy

Sharing

One of the greatest pleasures of friendship is the sharing. As we look back as SMFs we see a lifetime of sharing. As we look back over the emails from the past week we see more sharing…of thoughts, jokes, ideas, photos, laughs and future plans that are continuing since our get-together at Sue’s.

The amount of communication and sharing of ourselves is endless. Yes, there are ebbs & tides as life flows from each individual to each other…lulls in communication & emails. BUT…if we check our emails & phone calls before & after our event planning we will see a great rise around our get-together before & after. The energy is still buzzing & it’s so great to see. More that that…it’s just plain fun!

Hope you’re still enjoying it too.

Cathy

Haiku: The Orange gift

This photo taken at Sue's house.

Being Blasé

While enjoying the early summer morn while the season lasts, I mowed the lawn. No big deal. As I’m putting around I noticed that my dog was also enjoying the day giving no notice to me at all. I smirk and wonder how long this will last turning it into a cute mind game. Back & forth I go across the lawn. He doesn’t move. WOW. I think ‘to be that blasé as the world passes’. Good for him. How long can this last? Long.

I pass again & again and he rolls over. I laugh quietly and realize that I’m putting all the effort into this relationship. I now have a dog amidst tall grass. Sly dog.

Fine, I’ll mow the north forty and see if he notices. An ear twitches. I’m glad I got to see it. He stretches & yawns. I’m sweating my bunnies off and he’s rolled onto his back. Now I’m jealous! He rolls over again & moves to the north forty with me. Loyal friend. I glance back & see the tall grass he left behind.

Back & forth again I go mowing around the canine mound. I stop to laugh again, but he doesn’t know why. “Now stay there” I ask, hoping he won’t move while I get my camera. No problem in the not moving department. I’m not sure if he’ll make the cover of GQ, but he’s handsome to me. Click, click, click. Done. The morning is memorialized to the dog days of summer. He could care less. Blasé.

We move again, finish the chores, have a seat, share a Popsicle and give a hug & a kiss. It just doesn’t get any better than that. Perhaps in my next life I will ask to be a dog. I’ll have to think about that awhile. I had planned on being a horse in my next life as a horse will get new shoes every six weeks! Hmmm. This to ponder another day.

Cathy

Being blase = surrender to nature! Cooool!

A Good Time Was Had By All

Dear Sue,

It never ceases to amaze me how much food can be made, eaten and still have doggie bags from here to eternity. With Sue’s expert cooking, the platters seemed to multiply food….one turn of the head and more food appeared!

Thanks Sue. What a day!

SMFs

In Memory of 9/11

Love with Sacrifice

plus

Love with Forgiveness

equals

Love with Peace

Cathy

Haiku: The Road

Becoming a Bobble Head

Have you ever had a day where you feel that all you do is shake your head ‘yes & no’? Some days are like that for all of us. All you want is to sit down, have a cup of something, anything, and wait for the dizzying day to settle.

Recently I had a day like this and it dawned on me, that I was becoming a ‘bobble-head’. I felt just like the little dogs that had moving heads on a car dashboard. Yes I’ll do this, no, I can’t just yet but yes, I’ll get around to it. What did you ask me? Oh, yeah, right, I’ll see. And it goes on & on.

Fortunately not every day is like that. Then I thought that we should have reminders to not get that way again.  I said to myself, ‘self, let’s make a bobble-head’, thinking it was a great joke. For the fun of it, I checked it out on the web. Well didn’t I find not just one bobble-head website, but scads of them on the Internet.  Who knew?

So everyone, you can now memorialize your dizzying moments or create a new bobble-head moment to share with friends! Life IS good. And FUN too! If we coordinate things just right, we can have a ‘bobble-fest’!

Cathy

http://www.custombobbleheads.com/?gclid=CKeym4LN8KoCFUF75QodeEfQdw

http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&rlz=&q=bobble+heads&oq=bobble+heads&aq=f&aqi=g-s10&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=1447l4393l0l4848l12l12l0l1l1l0l243l1680l0.9.2l11l0

End of Summer Party

I'll be the one wearing white after Labor Day!

See you there!

Cathy

Haiku: The Age Old Question

Fashion Faux Pas

It’s here. The day after Labor Day and you know what that means…you don’t wear white after Labor Day. Arghhh! Who makes these rules?

White is good, but only on certain days for one season. White is the new black but only in summer in the Northern hemisphere! Grey is the new black, but only when black takes a holiday. Navy wants to be the new black but truly only succeeds in springtime. Black is good for all occasions as it makes you look thinner providing you’re not on TV which makes you look 10 pounds heavier regardless of the color you are wearing.

Now, for those of you who wish to wear whitish, I have enlisted the aid of a trustworthy source. Who else knows color like Sherwin Williams. Yes, I have chosen for your fashion aid, the online color palette of 183 whitish swatches with names to baffle the fashionable faux pas-ish snobbish personas in the world that adhere to these rules with the strictest attention to dates and details.

http://www.sherwin-williams.com/do_it_yourself/paint_colors/ideas/color/interior/whites/

Choose a name, choose a color and free yourself of the restrictions of basic white. You have three more seasons to conquer. Now do it in style!

Cathy

Have a Good One

Have a great Labor Day.

 Enjoy!

The Chestnut Parade

In thinking back of getting ready for school on Labor Day I had a neighborhood flashback. This contained both SMFs & PSKs. More than that, it was about boys against the girls. Boys loved to torment girls. Girls could tease too but boys were a pain in so many places.

If love is in the air in springtime, autumn is a sure sign of getting ready for winter hibernation….a last hurrah and good riddance. As the summer blooms fell from trees, so did the chestnuts…a crop of torment if ever there was one. What is it about boys that ‘have to’ wear chestnuts under their t-shirts and parade after the neighborhood girls like they had boobs? What made me think of it this week, I don’t know. They were the silliest creatures about!

Back in the dark ages of our youth we had clothes that fit tightly; not the baggy tees & shorts of today. Ladies, you know what I mean…the days when basketball players had tight shorts! Yes, great games to watch in more ways than one! Oh…you were looking at the scoreboard? Who won? I digress.

Anyway, the boys typically had jeans with striped t-shirts, like Opie. It always seemed to me that the boys managed at least one chestnut parade each summer, a ritual. The chestnuts stuck to their shirts like Velcro. They got in their best stance, mimicking the wearing of high heels, the butt sticking out while wearing a proud chestnut chest. The silhouette was a lot like the comic strip character of Miss Peach.

How silly were they? If you were an innocent bystander, what would be sillier…the boys sashaying down the street or the girls running away screeching in humiliation? It was an Alan Funt moment if ever there was one. After the parade was over, and the boys’ silliness diminished, the girls would then get pelted with the chestnuts.

There were so many kids in my neighborhood, no one went unscathed. It was brothers against sisters and neighbors alike. I don’t remember anything being said or done by the parents upon complaint. I remember the clichés of “well boys will be boys”, “well, what ‘r ya gonna do?”, “walk the other way” and “maybe they’ll grow out of it!” Parental eyeball rolling was not reassuring.

Now I don’t have to name names…you know them! They still attend our class reunions! The next time you see one of these guys at the class reunion, feel free to give them a little smile they won’t understand!

Cathy

Labor Day Flashback

As I was surfing the internet for a bit of inspiration for the blog, I came across the headline of “Labor Day Student Invasion”. I immediately couldn’t wipe the smirk off my face from so many summers before. Yes, this is the weekend for college kids to move into their apartments. Been there, done that.  This is a post St. Mary School story, but involving SMFs as we continued our life’s journey together.

I know many of you have heard the story before, but the smirk remains and the story bears repetition. The year was 1971. We had graduated high school & headed for the city at the end of the summer for higher education as so many kids do.

Now we have all helped one another move from time to time, but this time it was me & Linda moving Joe into the Seminary. It may have been the one & only time that two girls moved a freshman into the seminary. We had no trepidation about carrying all those boxes up into the dorm room. Halls were very quiet. We were the only sounds to be heard. No one else was moving in at that time. Yes, the Holy Spirit was present in the eerie silence…but not for long. It wasn’t until we were hanging curtains that one of the priests cleared his throat from the corridor.

“Ahem.”

Pause

“What’s this?”

The vision of us standing on chairs in our miniskirts, (denim, $12.99 at the Harvard Coop), hanging curtains, must have given him pause.

“We’re hanging curtains.” Certainly there were curtains elsewhere in the seminary. Are curtains not allowed?

“And who might you be?”

“We’re Joe’s cousins.” Point blank. Deadpan faced. I didn’t bat an eye. Linda nodded in agreement. Perhaps he was looking for the family resemblance! The Holy Spirit may have been silent, but we were sure He/She was smirking around the corner. It was a small fib, but only in a fashion. Joe was like a brother, definitely family, extended not to be messed with chosen family member. We belonged there helping him & no one was going to stop us.

“Really?”

“Yes, really.” Visions of a confessional circled the brain.

He paused, rocked back & forth on his heels with his hands behind his back.

“Joe, I will need to speak with you later.”

We continued with the curtains, waited for the clicking of heels to subside down the corridor and did a holy spit-take while breaking into laughter. Thus my smirk today so many years later.

To my knowledge, there were no repercussions; but I do believe there was good reason to keep an eye on Joe from thereon in.

Now we jump ahead thirty years to a related point in time. We were talking to one of our favorite priests, not Joe, and he started talking about his days in the seminary.

“My dorm room had quite a story attached to it.” As he progressed, he mentioned the legend of room # _ _ _ of the two girls caught in the dorm hanging curtains by one of the priests. This was time for another spit-take by me & Linda.

“What, you’ve heard the story?”

“Heard it, we are it! We were the ones hanging the curtains!”

“No way!!!”

“Way.”

It’s now a total of forty years later. It’s not easy being legends in our own time. We just muddle through with the burden of infamy!  We live to tell it another day. (Smirk & wink!)

Cathy

Haiku: Labor Day

Power At Last

Today we received power. It arrived in stages, first the cable & phone and then the lights. Complete at last. Thank you to the powers that be! I am hoping that all of you have had their power restored along with all storm related issues attended to.

There are still 47,000 homes in this immediate area without electricity. Let’s hope their problems are resolved quickly.

I’m still on the hunt for those “D” batteries!

Cathy

After Irene: The Quest

Wed. Day 4

The funny thing about a natural weather disaster, I stand corrected, the funny thing about us in preparation for weather in the making is us. Let’s take hurricane season. It lasts from May to November. That’s seven months. Now add a weeks’ worth of weather reports in preparation. Before I continue this blog, I don’t wish to diminish anyone’s pain & suffering from the storm. The point is…why are we not better prepared?

The quest is for “D” batteries for our lanterns. Not a store within thirty miles has them. We managed to find “C” batteries and “A” is plentiful but the illusive “D” is nowhere to be found. We have no one to blame but ourselves. Seven months of warnings and one week of intense preparation and a stash of PB&J, a couple cans of tuna fish, canned chili, hard boiled eggs, a small supply of fruit for a couple days of power loss still had us searching the local stores for tea lights and another loaf of bread as the rain started to fall. Where are those matches?

Oh, silly us!

The lanterns are dimming after four days…or are we just tired of squinting in the dark to read. Wasn’t it Abe Lincoln that had a single candle to read by while studying law in a small log cabin? What a guy!

After driving forty miles total today while doing errands, twenty miles each way, and stops at five stores for “D” batteries, anticipating disappointment, and not being disappointed in the lack thereof, my quest for “D’s” continues. I can assure you that when I find them, and I will eventually, I will buy them, hug them, kiss them, treasure them and hope we don’t need them for Hurricane Katia coming up the coast.

May you all find what you need on your quest.

Cathy