My mind doesn't need much encouragement to travel to out-of-the-way places and it happened this morning......already!
I heard the words "seventh heaven", as in, "I'm in seventh heaven!" and I began to imagine just what would be in my 'eighth heaven'. Since this is a term that I have never heard of or seen in print before, I decided I could put whatever or whomever I wanted in my personal 'eighth heaven'.
As you know, I love lists, so here is my current list of what or whom would be in my 'eighth heaven':
My beloved, departed dog, Max
My deceased friend, Kathy
My @#$* kitty, Frances, because I am her only friend
Charles Swindol, theologian and pastor
My family, of course
Frozen yogurt
Good coffee
A primo coffee maker
A red, S-40 Volvo
Oskar, the black lab that we rescued
My long-ago cat, Duke
Intermittent deliveries of Godiva chocolate
A good Reisling
A daily newspaper delivery
A good chiropractor
A good window-washer
Some good friends
A dictionary
The world's best pipe organ
My Bible
Johannes Brahms
Charles Hindemith
Peter I. Tchaikovsky
Enya
There is one item you will never find in my new 'eighth heaven': Cat litter or a cat box. My kitties would have to find their own solutions.
There you have my current list of what and whom would go in my 'eighth heaven'.
Think about what you would put in yours!
Ancora imparo
Friday, August 7, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Good News Bytes
I thought I would share some good news 'bytes' with all of you.
Ancora imparo
- Being in a small space for a protracted amount of time makes you thankful for your home.
- God is good and, this week, demonstrated twice to me that He does answer prayers.
- It is soooooo much easier to do laundry in my home than anywhere else.
- I was able to talk to both of my children today.
- My grandchildren are healthy.
- My refrigerator isn't inadequate after all.
- God provided time for my SO and I to get to know two people better this past week.
- My cat was so happy to see me that she didn't try to bite me when I brushed her today.
- My one outdoor plant survived our three-plus week absence.
- My two indoor plants survived, too.
- Nothing in the refrigerator spoiled.
- We never lost power so all is well with the freezer contents.
- My newspaper delivery resumes tomorrow!
- It was so dry outdoors that hardly any weeds grew in my absence.
- I never fell out of the kayak.
- Washington D.C.,the Great Illusionist and his cronies gave me new food for fodder during July.
Ancora imparo
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
The Long Ride Home
Do you like long car/vehicle trips?
I used to, when I was a wee bit younger. I always imagined that our vehicle would be one of those that stopped when something interesting came into view, such as a tourist attraction or a restaurant or an antique store..........but we never did. However, the possibility that we might was a carrot that dangled before my imagination and kept me motivated to ride and ride and ride.
I suppose that I shouldn't have been surprised that, as an adult, my vehicle experience would be any different than when I was a child. My dad would never stop, either. I guess I was born and doomed to be in a car that only moves from point A to point B. Heaven forbid that there should be an A.5.
Soon, my SO and I will fold ourselves into our car and spend about six hours traveling homeward bound. We pass our time with conversation or listening to a book on CD. We stop for 'necessary' breaks and coffee purchases. When we are fortunate, the two occur at the same location, thereby cutting down on the time-per-stop issue.
Sometimes, long rides can be good fodder for thinking and pondering the meaning of life. After all, what else is there to do when you are a prisoner in a rectangle with four wheels?
What else is there to do when you are a prisoner in a rectangle with four wheels?
Why, make lists, of course!
Extended car rides are the perfect breeding ground for detailed lists about absolutely everything. Concerts can be planned, entire menus for dinner parties can be organized. Some individuals knit or crochet whilst they ride, others sleep or read books. Today's youngsters spend their 'riding time' on their cells or texting each other. Twittering helps the miles go faster, so I'm told.
I will appreciate my long ride home because when I arrive at home, the washing machine will get a workout, the cat will need lots of attention, the car needs to be unloaded, and the vacuum sweeper will hum. Then I'll wish I was back in the car!
Happy trails to all of you.
Ancora imparo
I used to, when I was a wee bit younger. I always imagined that our vehicle would be one of those that stopped when something interesting came into view, such as a tourist attraction or a restaurant or an antique store..........but we never did. However, the possibility that we might was a carrot that dangled before my imagination and kept me motivated to ride and ride and ride.
I suppose that I shouldn't have been surprised that, as an adult, my vehicle experience would be any different than when I was a child. My dad would never stop, either. I guess I was born and doomed to be in a car that only moves from point A to point B. Heaven forbid that there should be an A.5.
Soon, my SO and I will fold ourselves into our car and spend about six hours traveling homeward bound. We pass our time with conversation or listening to a book on CD. We stop for 'necessary' breaks and coffee purchases. When we are fortunate, the two occur at the same location, thereby cutting down on the time-per-stop issue.
Sometimes, long rides can be good fodder for thinking and pondering the meaning of life. After all, what else is there to do when you are a prisoner in a rectangle with four wheels?
What else is there to do when you are a prisoner in a rectangle with four wheels?
Why, make lists, of course!
Extended car rides are the perfect breeding ground for detailed lists about absolutely everything. Concerts can be planned, entire menus for dinner parties can be organized. Some individuals knit or crochet whilst they ride, others sleep or read books. Today's youngsters spend their 'riding time' on their cells or texting each other. Twittering helps the miles go faster, so I'm told.
I will appreciate my long ride home because when I arrive at home, the washing machine will get a workout, the cat will need lots of attention, the car needs to be unloaded, and the vacuum sweeper will hum. Then I'll wish I was back in the car!
Happy trails to all of you.
Ancora imparo
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
The Things I Learn
So, you can teach an old dog a new trick or two!
After all these years, not I might add, leading a particularly sheltered life, I learned about jello shots last night. How I ever got to this age and never heard of this alcoholic treat is beyond me but that is the way it is.
Who knew that jello, the beloved treat of children and adults everywhere, could be turned into head-back, neck-tipping concoctions poured into everything from shot glasses to bathroom-sized paper cups. Why, I learned that people actually go to food-type warehouse stores and buy those small, styrofoam cups that come with lids, in packages of two hundred. Now that is a lot of jello shots!
Once I heard about this beverage-hiding-in-flavored-gelatin phenomenon, I went to an online search engine and discovered hundreds of hits. You can find recipe after recipe, along with videos that demonstrate how to make them. One enterprising website has gone so far as to list what liquors go the best with each jello flavor. There are pictures galore showcasing the rainbow of colors that can be achieved with jello shots.
Who knew?
I'll most definitely sleep better now.
Ancora imparo
After all these years, not I might add, leading a particularly sheltered life, I learned about jello shots last night. How I ever got to this age and never heard of this alcoholic treat is beyond me but that is the way it is.
Who knew that jello, the beloved treat of children and adults everywhere, could be turned into head-back, neck-tipping concoctions poured into everything from shot glasses to bathroom-sized paper cups. Why, I learned that people actually go to food-type warehouse stores and buy those small, styrofoam cups that come with lids, in packages of two hundred. Now that is a lot of jello shots!
Once I heard about this beverage-hiding-in-flavored-gelatin phenomenon, I went to an online search engine and discovered hundreds of hits. You can find recipe after recipe, along with videos that demonstrate how to make them. One enterprising website has gone so far as to list what liquors go the best with each jello flavor. There are pictures galore showcasing the rainbow of colors that can be achieved with jello shots.
Who knew?
I'll most definitely sleep better now.
Ancora imparo
Monday, August 3, 2009
More Alike Than Not
There are some realizations in life that shouldn't be. Commonalities between humans, genders, ages, etc. that bind us all in one way or another. Commonalities that may come, initially, as a surprise, but when we have the time to ponder the interaction we conclude that we knew 'this' already.
Now that I am a grandparent - grandmother to be specific, I have discovered, in many conversations, that we grannies, for the most part, are all the same. Softies, you might say, when it comes to our grandchildren. We all melt when we see our grandchildren, become reluctant to let them out of our hug, and, get 'blue' when they (or we) leave.
On my walk this morning, I had the pleasure of conversing with a woman that I see infrequently, but always have an instant connection with. Today, during part of our twenty-minute-or-so chat, she mentioned her three-year old grandchild. Since I,too, have a three-year old grandchild, you can guess where the conversation went. We were each giggling after we revealed that both of us get 'blue' when the grandchild (or children) leaves. And, we each work through our 'blueness' by cleaning and cleaning, and then cleaning some more. Having identified that commonality, an instant bond was formed and will be a bond present every time we chat in the future.
We grannies are more alike than not. I love being a granny.
Ancora imparo
Now that I am a grandparent - grandmother to be specific, I have discovered, in many conversations, that we grannies, for the most part, are all the same. Softies, you might say, when it comes to our grandchildren. We all melt when we see our grandchildren, become reluctant to let them out of our hug, and, get 'blue' when they (or we) leave.
On my walk this morning, I had the pleasure of conversing with a woman that I see infrequently, but always have an instant connection with. Today, during part of our twenty-minute-or-so chat, she mentioned her three-year old grandchild. Since I,too, have a three-year old grandchild, you can guess where the conversation went. We were each giggling after we revealed that both of us get 'blue' when the grandchild (or children) leaves. And, we each work through our 'blueness' by cleaning and cleaning, and then cleaning some more. Having identified that commonality, an instant bond was formed and will be a bond present every time we chat in the future.
We grannies are more alike than not. I love being a granny.
Ancora imparo
Sunday, August 2, 2009
What's Your Lemonade?
You know the old 'saw', making lemonade out of lemons? Taking something less-than-perfect and making it into something delicious or desirable.........
I was sprinkling raisins into my oatmeal recently and my mind suddenly went to the life-altering question: Are raisins the chocolate ice cream of the grape industry?
Being married to a food scientist/engineer, I've long been aware that nearly every food processing segment has their own 'chocolate ice cream'. To the dairy industry, chocolate ice cream is to ice cream as relish is to the pickle-processing industry. All of you chocolate ice cream lovers can sit back down after rising up in protest to my comment.......I did not say that chocolate ice cream is a 'second' in any way. It is, however, the ice cream that is made, primarily, from 'leftovers', if you will. Just the way that pickle relish is made from all of the pickles that were substandard in terms of size, shape or fracturing.
The lowly hot dog is the chocolate ice cream of the meat packing industry and so is that marvelous gelled meat that comes in a rectangular-shaped can that actually is the basis for an annual sculpturing contest. The cereal industry probably has their version of chocolate ice cream but I am not aware of what it is.
And so, I repeat my question: Are raisins the chocolate ice cream of the grape industry? My inquiring mind wants to know. If you tell me, I promise not to let it affect my impression of the sun-plumped raisin, formerly known as a grape.
Is there a chocolate ice cream in your life? What is your lemonade?
Ancora imparo
I was sprinkling raisins into my oatmeal recently and my mind suddenly went to the life-altering question: Are raisins the chocolate ice cream of the grape industry?
Being married to a food scientist/engineer, I've long been aware that nearly every food processing segment has their own 'chocolate ice cream'. To the dairy industry, chocolate ice cream is to ice cream as relish is to the pickle-processing industry. All of you chocolate ice cream lovers can sit back down after rising up in protest to my comment.......I did not say that chocolate ice cream is a 'second' in any way. It is, however, the ice cream that is made, primarily, from 'leftovers', if you will. Just the way that pickle relish is made from all of the pickles that were substandard in terms of size, shape or fracturing.
The lowly hot dog is the chocolate ice cream of the meat packing industry and so is that marvelous gelled meat that comes in a rectangular-shaped can that actually is the basis for an annual sculpturing contest. The cereal industry probably has their version of chocolate ice cream but I am not aware of what it is.
And so, I repeat my question: Are raisins the chocolate ice cream of the grape industry? My inquiring mind wants to know. If you tell me, I promise not to let it affect my impression of the sun-plumped raisin, formerly known as a grape.
Is there a chocolate ice cream in your life? What is your lemonade?
Ancora imparo
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Majic Star, Hats Off To You
This posting goes out to a sailboat named "Majic Star" out of Detroit, Michigan. I'm sure the owners/occupants of the Majic Star will never read this posting, but I'm writing it just the same.
The Majic Star was next to our boat at the DeTour Village public marina recently. What caught my eye, at first, were the five bicycles on her deck, two of which were children's bikes. Shortly after the boat docked, in the rain, two 'youngish' children appeared on deck with PFDs and later rain slickers and umbrellas, clearly having fun. When the rain stopped, an adult male, perhaps the dad (?) had the kids help him 'swab the deck'. All three appeared to be having a good time.
I'd like to take this opportunity to praise whomever the adults were with the children on the Majic Star. I remember when our children were younger and we would pile all of our gear into a mini van as well as fill up a seventeen foot fishing boat, and have bicycles on a bike rack on the back of the van. Family camping is a wondrous thing but, still, a lot of work in terms of bringing everyone's 'fun stuff' plus all of those 'things' deemed as necessary. For theadults reading this, you know what I mean. When we were children, we could not wait until our family trip occurred. Now as adults, we understand what has to take place in order to make the vacation or trip happen.
Back to the Majic Star.
I am not a sailboater - I am one of those boaters that most sailboaters deride - but I do respect the sailors for one basic reason.......it is a lot of work to sail. If you look closely at a sailboat, there is just a lot of 'stuff' to handle, manage, move, wrangle with, etc. There are lines everywhere and where there isn't a line, there is something big and bulky to deal with that probably has a line attached to it somewhere. So, not only was the Majic Star a sailboat but it was a sailboat on a vacation with a family on it. Imagine the memories that those children will have as adults and imagine what life skills they will learn because some adult took the time to take the time to help make those memories.
I salute all parents who are working hard, not only in the world, but working at helping make memories for their children, who may, in turn, help make memories for their children.
And so it goes.
Ancora imparo
The Majic Star was next to our boat at the DeTour Village public marina recently. What caught my eye, at first, were the five bicycles on her deck, two of which were children's bikes. Shortly after the boat docked, in the rain, two 'youngish' children appeared on deck with PFDs and later rain slickers and umbrellas, clearly having fun. When the rain stopped, an adult male, perhaps the dad (?) had the kids help him 'swab the deck'. All three appeared to be having a good time.
I'd like to take this opportunity to praise whomever the adults were with the children on the Majic Star. I remember when our children were younger and we would pile all of our gear into a mini van as well as fill up a seventeen foot fishing boat, and have bicycles on a bike rack on the back of the van. Family camping is a wondrous thing but, still, a lot of work in terms of bringing everyone's 'fun stuff' plus all of those 'things' deemed as necessary. For theadults reading this, you know what I mean. When we were children, we could not wait until our family trip occurred. Now as adults, we understand what has to take place in order to make the vacation or trip happen.
Back to the Majic Star.
I am not a sailboater - I am one of those boaters that most sailboaters deride - but I do respect the sailors for one basic reason.......it is a lot of work to sail. If you look closely at a sailboat, there is just a lot of 'stuff' to handle, manage, move, wrangle with, etc. There are lines everywhere and where there isn't a line, there is something big and bulky to deal with that probably has a line attached to it somewhere. So, not only was the Majic Star a sailboat but it was a sailboat on a vacation with a family on it. Imagine the memories that those children will have as adults and imagine what life skills they will learn because some adult took the time to take the time to help make those memories.
I salute all parents who are working hard, not only in the world, but working at helping make memories for their children, who may, in turn, help make memories for their children.
And so it goes.
Ancora imparo
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