Where I Am From

I am from summer long skinned knees, and Band-aids peeling off and bicycles pedaling faster and faster.

I am from a long, winding road, a Grandview in every way.

I am from the Wild Mountain Blackberry, the hunt, the clothes catching, skin scratching thorns, the better patch is just over the next hill, the filled to the brim buckets, the more precious than gold pie.

I am from Ogres and the secret to safety: biting fingernails, humming, whistling, all at the same time, from Christy and Dan and Amy and Lisa.

I am from weak arms after side splitting rounds of laughter and furniture mover extraordinaire, as long as I haven't been laughing.

I am from Let's Go To The Movies and You Are My Sunshine.

I am from Jesus Loves Me and This I Know and faith just because it is faith.

I am from the one place that has never changed, from Grandpa coming in for tea, and Grandma in the kitchen baking, from a cookie jar never empty of chocolate chip cookies and tales of lutefisk and pickled herring.

I am from yearly sister trips to Seaside, the feel of cold sand under our bare feet, blankets and jackets for wrapping up in, and the way watching our kids play on the beach makes us glad.

I am from a place of love and pride, of senior pictures lining hallways, of fridge doors held together by Masterpieces, of the knowledge that my family is behind me, beside me, united with me, all the way, all the time.


This post is inspired by prompt #1 at Mama's Losin' It!

What It Is, What It Isn't

Love isn't just some words I say
Reading them by rote off a page
Little kid anticipating a gold star
Trembling, hoping, Teacher recognize me!
I'm reading real good today.

It's not an accidental habit
An uncontrollable tick
A compulsion that overrides my brain
In thoughtless repetition
As everyday routine as breathing in and out.

I will take this fragile hopeful feeling
And I will grow it in the cold dark moments
Greenhouse style with humid warmth
So in the sunshine glory days
It will cover us both and we can't help but grin.

Moment of Perfection

That moment when you turn on your car, and the best song in the universe is just starting, and you turn it up louder than  you usually would because it is that good, and the sky is pale, pale blue with the sun throwing it's chilly day glow around and even though you've become one of the three little kittens and lost your mittens, the steering wheel isn't so cold you can't stand to touch it, and you can't help but smile because everything about this moment, in this day, is absolute perfection.

The Fives Have It

Five things you don't know about me:

1. I take a lot of selfies.  I'll take a selfie on a family vacation because I know exactly the right angle that makes me look fantastic!

2. I'm crazy for vintage Christmas.  When eBay opens up, it wants to show me all the recently listed vintage Christmas things, and I usually let it.

3. I wear my hair up in a messy bun every night to sleep.  If I didn't pile it up high (crazy Kim Kardashian break the internet high) I die of heat stroke.  Even with the fan blowing on me.

4. I hate the word 'slacks.'  Consequently, you won't find any of those things in my closet!

5. I'm a terrible speller, the worst actually, but I read so much entertainment news, I had no problem at all spelling "Kardashian".....but I spelled 'consequently' wrong.

I know tons of stuff about:

1. Vintage (Christmas especially!)
2. Mac Davis
3. Walking three dogs at the same time
4. Forgiveness
5. Anne of Green Gables (I'm re-reading the series.  Again!)

I know nothing about:

1. Statistics
2. Mechanics
3. Training for a Triathlon
4. Raising more than two kids
5. The sanity of a one dog house

I believe in:

1. Don Williams
2. Love
3. Things I can't explain
4. My Mother senses will never stop working
5. Family

This post inspired by prompt #5 at Mama's Losin' It!

Show and Tell

As a child, show and tell was this glorious, wonderful, hideous day at school.  I'd search the house for just the right show and tell, the perfect treasure to share with my classmates, and most of the time I would not share it.  Getting up in front of the class was terror inducing for me!  But I never lost the joy of the hunt, and the hope that I might be brave enough to share.

Years ago, I bought this book about dogs, because it has a lovely page all about Beagles, and I love me some Beagles.

 But I also love me some books, so I couldn't bear to cut apart the book to look at the picture on a daily basis!  So instead, I put the book on my shelf and enjoyed the knowledge that it had pictures of Beagles.

Yesterday, I took a me day.  I had the day off and the desire to thrift shop, and the urge to drive far and away from my usual thrifting haunts.  I had a great time, pushing the cart up and down the aisles, piling the booty up, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a Beagle in the framed art section.

I pushed my way through two old people and scooped it up.  I didn't even think twice about the price ($14.99 is a bit spendy at a thrift store!) but I was so in love with the picture, I had to have it.

Because it is my book page, all framed up like I thought I might have done!  Now to find the perfect spot to hang it up....I mean, it can only sit at the table like a member of the family for a week before members of my human family might get tired of a dining room chair being claimed by a framed picture!

This post inspired by prompt #1 at Mama's Losin' It!

Real Talk

I may not always say the right thing.
Actually, I know I won't always say the right thing.
I know I won't always have the right words.
I will make mistakes,
I will make huge mistakes,
That make you harden your eyes
And give me a well deserved glare.
But I promise I will always try.
I will always give of myself, over and above,
I will always love and support and care for you,
All ways, all hows, all time,
Because that is what Moms do.

Inspired by prompt #5 at Mama's Losin' It!

Day Three

It's day three with the dogs, in this terrible daylight savings time, terrible because they can't actually tell time by looking a clock, even a digital one, so they let their bodies rule their roosts.  Thus, it's day three of dogs barking at 5:00 AM.

They like to argue that it is only 5:00 AM because we archaically still set our clocks ahead an hour.  It's really 6:00 AM and I should know how much they want to get out of crate at 6:00 AM.

Isn't that just like a dog?  Always trying to turn it back on you, so you know how wrong you are while they remain supremely right.

Or maybe that's just my dogs.