Summer Ending

Summer is blowing past me, dressed in dark red & brown jackets that only yesterday were green.

Such is my life.

Tempus Fugit & Waiting for Nails to Dry

Early morning flight tomorrow (rather, in a few hours) & while waiting for nails to dry, watched an anniversary recap of the first lunar landing 40 years ago. Good Grief! How can I remember that?

I'd been asked to babysit for a neighbor for whom I had never worked... they asked me weeks and weeks in advance, so I assumed it would be for a very important and perhaps lucrative (50 cents an hour back then) evening !

While glued to the black-and-white screen (all any of us had back then), the youngest--a baby--awakened crying... odd that no one had indicated where I might find diapers? Then I noticed he wasn't wearing diapers, but a man's white t-shirt, folded into a diaper of sorts and assumed that was normal there.

He somehow settled back down in time for me to watch the grainy image of an astronaut stepping off and bouncing onto the moon's surface and listened to the immortal words "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". Unbelievable! All these years later ... chilling.

Not too long after, the couple returned from wherever ... not even out till midnight! Guess at their party, one of the hosts was already asleep and it was a short nite!

Returning home (not too many doors to walk alone back then), I noticed that my Mother had hung out the American flag on the porch ... and I went in to bed. Before falling asleep, I heard a gentle rain begin; in the 60's, it wasn't appropriate to have the American flag get wet and except for this exceptional exception, I don't think it was to be displayed at night unless spotlit ... so I got up, went back outside onto the porch in my pajamas and gently unclasped it, hugged it to my body, and it felt so amazing to be an American.

And somewhere, far, far above us.... men were walking on the moon!

If You're Lucky, the Number Doesn't Matter

A month ago, after a day of playing tourist at Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, etc., and navigating thru the Friday nite traffic exiting the City, my Cousin-in-Law and I stopped for a fill-up en route back to West Point where she was temporarily stationed. We exited the car and ran into the station when I remembered there was a "Big" Lottery due to be drawn that weekend.

We stood in line at the counter, and I bought a ticket--letting the computer choose whatever numbers it thought I should have; she spent some thoughtful time, carefully registering favored or 'lucky' numbers on each ticket, and labored to pick the very last number.

The Mini-Mart Philosopher (who probably long-ago tired of hearing 'sell me the winning ticket') offered up this bit of Life Advice to us... "If you're lucky, the number doesn't matter"

'If you're lucky, the number doesn't matter ! ' It hadn't occurred to me that nite, how profound a statement that is.

Last week, while shopping at a department store that was handing out scratch-off coupons at check-out, giving 15% 20% or 30% off your total purchase, I started to paw thru the tickets in the clerk's outstretched hands ... and remembered... "If I'm lucky, it doesn't matter which ticket I take". I re-inserted a ticket I'd drawn from the center of the pile and simply took the ticket on top of the pile.

He scratched the surface ... 30% off!

That day, I was lucky ... and it didn't matter from where in the pile it had come!

Mac'n Cheese'n Merlot

Somewhat brain-drained; the nite to tackle anything non-work related, but not happening.

Meetings and Life made dinner alone tonite rather easy. Leftover Mac'n Cheese (once a decade), and Merlot. Seems like a well-balanced meal to me. Might have added some of those chocolate Easter treats, but I'm trying to eat healthier (ha).

Long distance phone calls always tumble in at once; hate 'hold' buttons, and 'flash' buttons, and often cut off everyone at once--an art form, I think. Still, the connections, though brief, are still connections.

The moon at it's fullest, and maybe it's a good nite to be away from the Moon-Affected. Full moon ... First Sunday after the First Full Moon after the Spring Equinox = Easter on Sunday.

I'll drink to that!

I'm IN !

After several weeks of feeling somewhat buried under stacks of paper that routinely cascaded across the floor in the random avalanche, I attempted to enter some mini blogs, hastily scratched on mini pieces of paper only to find that I couldn't 'sign on' ...

Turns out, I had the password correct all along ... just forgot which username, from which e-ddress that would let me in !

So .... I begin again. (well... perhaps after retrieving those scraps from ?? which pile of paper?)

I Hate That Dress Nite

Once again, the Academy Awards Extravaganza is upon us ... but in my heart, it is always remembered as "I HATE That Dress Night" ... enjoyed for a lot of years with my daughter, accompanied by some snacks...

Don't always remember the movies or the speeches or the lackluster hosts/hostesses, but fondly remember that there was always reason to scream at the TV set "I HATE that dress"!!

So, here's to you ... Kate Winslet, I hope you win tonite ... and Christa, hope somewhere you are lifting a beer and that at least SOMEONE on the red carpet is worthy of our chant!

Enjoy, movie goers.     :D

Deja Vu (again)

It's 1986, and a friend (& neighbor) makes an impromptu visit one evening.. on a school night, most unusual. Somewhere between smiles, idle chatter and an offer of a drink, comes a rather muted and quiet " We're moving." What? Not sure we really heard that; repeat. ? Not totally unexpected, as it seemed my World was moving away; some neighborhood streets boasting a plethora of realty signs... house, after house, after house.

PAUSE. STOP. REWIND. PLAY...

It's 2009, and we are gathered--eight of us--at a fondue dinner party. All gathered, most sitting, and a relatively muted statement "We sold our house." Again, not unexpected as their Life had been in Limbo these past few months--neither here, nor there... existing in a neat, tidy though somewhat barren abode, awaiting someone to arrive with a contract and a checkbook.

In the interim, 28 years of friendship was entwined with memories, growing-to-grown children, their out-of-state move, and later a back-to-here move; weekend get-a-ways, hopes, dreams, family holiday meals, and immeasurable laughs and nearly a lifetime past.

Squabbling four-year olds, imaginary children, from racquetball to wallyball to cross-country skiing & kayaking & snowshoeing, Thanksgivings, Christmases, New Years, St. Patrick's parties; Quebec City at minus 27 degrees, sing-a-longs on road trips to the Sunny South.

So, we raise our glasses, filled with our own memories of this journey together.. and they'll be on their way.

We'll meet again in other places, making other memories, meshing 'what was', with 'what will be'...and all pretend that we're okay.