Haiku 7: Kachina Winds

The one that got away

Have you ever been somewhere & wished you had a camera for that perfect picture? I think we all have.  Small regrets. The important thing to remember is that just ‘being’ there is the greatest treasure. Just the same, isn’t it nice to ‘document’ a moment in time?

In saying this, the first mental image is ‘the one that got away’ with hands held wide suggesting the size of the fish that jumped off the hook! The audience of friends & family are all nodding their heads in unison with a ‘Yeah, right! Sure you did!’

‘No really, you should have been there!’

Well, this is what I did to myself just this week. I had the good fortune to see one of the most spectacular sunsets ever. Did I have my cell phone/camera on me to take a pic? NO! Silly me. I did have the good sense to stand there & watch for about fifteen minutes and be a part of it. During the following day I was still mentally kicking myself in the butt for the one time I didn’t have the cell phone/camera on me….but the memories are clear….at least for the time being. Some day the memory may get cloudy. Maybe that’s why we want the pictures today…for the future. In the meantime, tell the story. We will share them and piece them back together if need be…. as a group, as a family.

So…I dedicate this blog to the ones that got away….to honor the moment instead of the picture. Here’s to being there.

Cathy

Could you repeat that, please?

It seems that as we get older, we have a need to check our hearing. How often have you heard yourself say: ‘I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly.’ ‘Please repeat that.’ ’Pardon?’ ‘Excuse me?’ ‘What?’ ‘What the blankety blank are you talking about?’ ‘You said what?’ And the overused…’Huh?’

Well, I’m reminding you today that this began long, long ago, in childhood. That’s right. We have been conditioned to do so. Older kids taught us a game in fun & innocence. I like to think now that this was programming to prepare us for adulthood! If there’s anyone to blame, blame them!

Do you remember the whispering game? We would line up or sit in a circle & have one person start by whispering a single word in the next person’s ear. The next person would then repeat what they heard (or think they heard) to the next and so on and so forth. The last person would say the word aloud. We would all laugh to hear the changed word. Good fun, huh?

It used to be good fun until we realized as adults that this is now a way of life! So to alleviate your hearing concerns, laugh along with this reenactment of what could be one of the reasons we are the way we are!

Cathy

The Emerald Necklace

 I had the good fortune of going into Boston the other day. It was a perfect day: blue sky surrounded by the greenest trees ever. The best part was the fact that I wasn’t driving. It allowed me to appreciate the view. It’s been a while since I was in there as a tourist without the rat race of traffic jams.

I past all the ole stompin’ grounds: where my parents lived, where I was born, where I went to college…and so much more. The funny thing is that it almost felt like I was seeing it for the first time. The trees were taller, the buildings renewed, smiles on the faces of the passersby. There was a ‘glow’ to the city. As we drove through the different neighborhoods we couldn’t help but notice all the flowers & shrubs in full bloom. Such attention to the details of the window boxes, gingerbread on the homes, and the beautiful mowed lawns gave me a fresh view of the city. The parks were also well manicured for the next game to be played. Everything was at its finest.

I felt a sense of renewal. Along the Jamaica Park, Arborway, The Back Bay Fens, past the museums, it was like a homecoming. I remember my outdoor landscape painting classes along the Riverway. Perhaps it was a perfect moment in time, the perfect weather…not too hot, not too cold…it was just right! Maybe my opinion would beg to differ on a winter day, but not that day. It was perfect in all ways.

The ‘Emerald Necklace’ of Boston is truly our jewel: the string of parks & gardens through the city.  The concerts, tours, flower gardens, museums, bike & foot paths, all gifts from our forefathers who had the forethought to provide places of beauty & cultural interest to its people. Their legacy continues.

You really ought to get out to see it. If time is tight, as it is for most of us, you should take a gander at the following websites. Enjoy.

http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/

http://www.starthereboston.com/emerald-necklace.html

http://www.masspaths.org/eng/

http://www.everytrail.com/guide/boston-s-emerald-necklace

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&source=embed&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=108110672100246365020.00048db8b98941a33b887

Cathy

PS…If you do go in to the city, let someone else drive!

http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/

Haiku 6:Dreams

The May Procession

There is something so special about May. In the movie Camelot, they sung of the ‘merry month of May’. Each spring we shed the heaviness of the winter months. In May, the spring comes to full bloom and with the warmth of the sun we come to fruition also.

Many cultures over the ages have celebrated with flowers & song for any number of reasons. In parochial schools, we celebrate Mary. This is Mary’s month world round.

As students of St. Mary’s School, we didn’t just get ready for the annual May procession, we prepared for it. THIS was a celebration! The time honored tradition dictated hymns, flowers, our best clothes and mostly…our best behavior. We memorized hymns, practiced our singing, and perfected our posture while standing still! I can’t be sure, but I think we said extra prayers for the boys’ best possible behavior. If we didn’t, I’m sure the nuns did! After all, this wasn’t just a St Mary’s Fairy thing. The entire congregation was invited! This was a celebration of Mary in front of the entire town! We were the principal celebrants, all eight grades participating in flawless harmony.

As this was all-inclusive within the parish, that meant full family participation too! Get out the Easter clothes; polish the shoes; matching purses, shoes, gloves & hats for the ladies; men dusted off their best Sunday suits, ties with a tie tack, cuffs with cufflinks; girls had their locks curled with ‘Dippity-do’, boys got their hair combed with ‘Brylcreem’. Where are the camera, film & flashbulbs?

Baths for everybody!!!

In the best fashion known to us, we donned our finery, placed wreaths on our heads and carried bouquets. We took family & parish photos, smiled a lot, sang our best, fidgeted a little. This day carried our tradition for another year. The celebration instilled in us memories for a lifetime. 



We can now smile politely at the ‘flourish & formality’ of the times. As we pull out the family photos, some wrinkled in the backs of bureaus & boxes, the black & white memories come alive again. (Smile.) I like to think we made our families proud. I hope the Sisters of St. Joseph felt the same way. Mary too!

As we the SMFs gathered this past May, we set aside time to celebrate in the same fashion. (Less pomp, less circumstance.) Hot off the press (downloaded from the Internet) were our hymns, headpieces prepared in advance, fresh flowers cut from the garden, matching capes, and our hand painted Madonna all ready for a procession of honor. The voices were slightly off-key (practice lasting only minutes) for a much smaller audience. The procession only went around the yard instead of the streets surrounding the church. We sang. We laughed. We cried. We cheered. We celebrated. We were one in memories. We were one in honoring the past as we carried our tradition fifty years into the future to our present day. We knew Mary was there smiling & celebrating with us. We could feel it in the air.

Cathy

Our May Procession 2011

Bring flow'rs of the fairest,
Bring flow'rs of the rarest,
From garden and woodland
And hillside and vale;
Our full hearts are swelling,
Our glad voices telling
The praise of the loveliest
Rose of the vale.

 O Mary! We crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May,
O Mary we crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May.





Wired!

Everywhere we go people are wired! We have computers, laptops, tablets, ipads, ipods, cell phones, etc. When we were young, we said our prayers before going to bed. Now we memo, tweet, blog, email, Google, cut, paste, save, back-up & plug-in to prepare for the next day. HOW DID WE SURVIVE BACK THEN? By our charms, wit & good looks of course!

Those were the days when you had to use a rotary dial on a phone & get off your butt to change the channel by turning a knob on a black & white TV. Certain death for a fingernail! Today we have remote controls, wires, plugs, earbuds, batteries & memory cards hanging out of our backpacks & pocketbooks instead of pencils & notepaper.

Rather than go on & on about being in fast-forward today, I’ll just let you reminisce on the things we did to occupy our free time during our elementary years. Life was slower then, for sure. Enjoy!

Cathy

Haiku 5: Canyon Winds



It happens to the best of us!

Brain cramps, brain farts, menopause, senior moments, whatchamacallits, what was I talking about?

Oh, yeah, I forgot, I was saying we all do it. Um, do what, oh yeah, forget!

That reminds me…what was I going to have for lunch? What time is it? Where did I put my cars keys? Car keys…where was I going?  Did I eat breakfast?

Did I change my underwear? If I can’t tell, it doesn’t matter! Mind over matter. If you don’t mind it doesn’t matter! HA! Who was I picking up? Soccer? T-ball? What day is this? Where’s my calendar?

Did I have my coffee? Maybe I need a second cup. Who emptied the coffee can? Do I have time to go to the store? Nah…I’ll go through the drive-thru. Where did I put those keys?

It’s always the last place you look, isn’t it? Who knew they were in the ignition after all?! Where’s the cell phone? Is it charged? I’m not, why should the cell phone be? Glasses. Do I have my glasses? (pat the head, pat the chest, feel the nose) Oh, they’re under the sunglasses! HA! Am I the only one that does that? Now I can look for the cell phone.

(fishing thru the pocketbook…feel, feel, feel, dead French fries, broken granola bar, application to the health club…yoga class?…HA…good one! sticky note with an unknown phone number, AHA!!! A cell phone…half charged…good enough)

Where am I heading today?

(ringing cell phone…..)

Hello. Hi, I’m great and you? What do you mean you’re at the baggage claim? Airport?

(@ r * //!s_ _ _ !# ~ * & _ _ _ # `!#)

(vague recollections)

I’m almost there. Why don’t you grab a coffee…one for me too!

caTHy

Becoming a PSK

This blog finds us eight years ahead; a major jump from my first grade memories. After graduation from 8^th grade, the majority of us went to public high school. Only a handful went to the parochial high school in the neighboring town.

This turn of events was a defining moment in our lives. ‘Not a big deal you say?’ Going to the public high school presented us face to face with the PSKs (Public School Kids) who named us Saint Mary’s Fairies in the first place! No more sticking your tongue out at a passing bus.
No sir-eee Bob! Face-to-face time presented itself at last.

First I shall name the joys of going to the public high school:

• No uniforms
• A different classroom for each subject
• A different teacher for each subject
• Private lockers
• Hot lunch, 3 sessions (of course hot lunch could be debatable!)
• Sports, cheerleading, pep clubs & rallies
• Dances, lots of them
• Activities & clubs
• No religion class (OOOPS!) J
• Many, many new friends
• A lot more boys to choose from!

Now for the downside… St. Mary’s had an excellent reputation for its academics. How can this be bad? Well, we were automatically placed into the advanced classes in freshman year of HS, at least till we found our academic footing in a public school. Math & Algebra 1 was right up there. English was also well noted. We were masters of grammar. Then there was French. We had 5 years of French before entering high school, some of which was tutored by the lovely, local teacher from WGBH on PBS television…“Parlons Français’’ with Madame Slack. Advanced French…here we come! Our penmanship, the Palmer Method, was better than most teachers’ handwriting!

The downside was seeing the faces of the freshman that didn’t know you from Jr. High School. This was the first ‘fairy’ giveaway. (Oooooohhhh, you’re from THAT school!)

Being able to speak to the French teacher, in FRENCH, was also a giveaway. PSK eyes shot across the room faster than you can say “OOO-la-la!” We were also great at math, graphs, equations, fractions, integers & most of the good stuff I can’t even remember now. These were the subtle daily burdens to bear. It should wear off by sophomore year. (I hope!)

There were three biggies that could possibly mean scarring for life. For the Harry Potter fans of which I am one, there are “three unforgivable curses!” Our ‘three unforgivable fairy giveaways’ are right up there with them!

1.      Raising your hand to ask a question

2.      Standing to ask the question

3.      Standing in the presence of a teacher entering the room

I’ve done all three. I guess most all of the fairies have. We were laughed off the face of the earth, or so it felt! It was humiliating enough for the classmates to laugh but we could see the teachers trying NOT to smirk! Perhaps the teachers were identifying with similar transgressions from their past! (I hope!)

ARRRRGGGH!!! It’s a Charlie Brown blockhead moment! You would tell yourself over & over again to not do these three things…and you would forget. It should wear off by sophomore year.  (I hope!)

It probably took most of the year, but eventually we transformed from a fairy to a PSK….or so we thought.

In hindsight, the nuns prepared us well. Academically we were very good. As students we tried very hard. We tried to blend with the new kids while not forgetting how we got there. What’s so wrong with good penmanship, good math skills & being polite? Nothing of course!!! C’est si bon! As I look around at our gang of fairies, the gifts of the Sisters of Saint Joseph have traveled with us through our lives: random acts of kindness, doing unto others, paying it forward, prayers, sharing & caring with friends, family & children. These are the gifts that continue from generation to generation.

Our penmanship is still a dead giveaway! “Oh, you must be from a parochial school!”

Yes, how did you guess!

Once a Fairy, always a Fairy! 

Cathy

Reflections

 I had the most ‘scathingly brilliant idea’ this past week. (Yes I stole the expression from the movie The Trouble With Angels with Haley Mills. I love that movie!) We hear about wearing rose colored glasses to make our world cheery, rosy & better than it is. We hide behind dark shades if we don’t want to be noticed or make eye contact. Then there are the mirrored sunglasses that reflect the person you are talking to. Well, what if we had glasses that reflected our thoughts…. ok, only the good thoughts. The daydreams!

We wear T-shirts that reflect our ideas, our likes, dislikes, fun times, favorite concerts, rock group, organization, schools, city, vacation spots, etc. Instead of a virtual reality headset attached to a game, we could wear glasses to reflect similar ideas. As we walk down the street, people would know what was on our mind…’I’d rather be sailing’! At work the boss might frown on ‘I’d rather be fishing’ but the boss might eventually figure he could liven things up on the job a bit!!! (Doubt! but worth a try!) Instead of “I’m with

stupid a” there’d be a picture of a happy couple & ‘Just Married’! The next pair of glasses would read ‘Baby i’!

How many times have you heard…”I’m NOT a mind reader!”  Well, maybe not, but now you will know!

So, what’ll it take to put a smile on your face?

Cathy



Id rather be canoeing!



Haiku 4: The Silver Moon



Perspective

We begin as a wide-eyed 1^st grader. Can you remember walking into grade one on the 1^st day? The classroom seemed so large.

The desks were strange compared to coloring at the kitchen table at home. The tops had inkwells with some leftover ink. Yuk! Blackboards surrounded us on 2 sides. The ‘press’ (coat-closet) was to the back across the room with a supply closet. Above the blackboards was the alphabet in cursive…no printing for us. Embellishing the alphabet was seasonal artwork; eg: autumn leaves, snowflakes, etc. It was always colorful & usually handmade. Seasonal feast days were displayed to the side of the front blackboard. Centered over the front blackboard was a crucifix. A clock was over the door. Always in the front corner was a statue of our Blessed Mother Mary to watch over us all day long.

Included in the first day were a lot of new friends. Our first grade class had 52 students. You heard me right…52!!!  That is unheard of now. For all I know, there may never have been another class so large, ever! Overlooking the 52 angels-in-waiting was Sr. Mary Theona. That’s right too…only one teacher; no aids or assistants. Back then nuns seemed to operate with the grace of the Holy Spirit in perfect balance with the fear of the Lord. Add to that the mysterious quality of being a nun in the first place and you knew your place.

Speaking of place, everywhere we went, we went single file according to height. For eight years I alternated being 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd in line. I do feel the tallest girls at the end of the line had the best perspective there. They saw all that was going on. Being on the short end of the stick, we did have the luxury of bowing slightly lower to not be observed at all should the occasion arise.

Usually we sat in rows by height also; shortest to the front, tallest to the back. So, as usual I sat in the first row. I’ll never forget my perspective of the tall veiled nun looming over my desk as she passed by. I doubt I had my mouth open in awe, but it felt that way in my mind. What a view! She was SO TALL as I sat at my little desk, hands folded.

Eight years later at graduation we had the alumni of both students & teachers joining in our pomp & circumstance. We filled the school hall. As we were being introduced to all who came to celebrate, I was called over to be reunited with my first grade teacher. I doubt I had my mouth open in awe, but it felt that way in my mind. What a view! She was one of the tiniest people I had ever met! As I looked about through the crowd, I believe she was the shortest adult present. For the first time in my elementary school life I felt like one of the tallest in line! It’s all a matter of perspective.

Cathy

Haiku 3: Rosa Rugosa