Hi Mr. Blog,
Guess who called me this morning?
Brandy from Miami.
She is sending my airline ticket to Honolulu
and I leave March 5th.
So I am a seasonal youth staff from March 5th until May 1st.
Then I get reviewed by my superior and if that is positive
I can stay out there longer or come home.
I'm leaning towards staying longer if allowed because it can
be chilly here until August.
Somehow everything fell in place for me and I'll be home
to apply for the fall teaching jobs.
So after I hung up,
I just laid in bed for the longest time and a
patty-cake song from when I was a kid came to me:
A mother went to sea sea sea
to see what she could see see see
but all that she could see see see
was the housework she could flee flee flee
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
2/15/2011 So I Put the Valentines in That Special Place
Oh Mr. Blog!
I am so happy you are back.
You would not believe everything
that happened this week.
So I won't tell you.
But yesterday was Valentines Day
AND I had bought three, large and special valentines
three weeks ago.
One for Terry,
one for Troy
and one for baby Teddy.
They were lovely and very expensive.
Fifty cents each at the Kenmore Dollar Tree store.
So I had put them in
That Special Place,
so I could find them easily.
Ugh.
Yes.
You know what that means.
They are gone until the middle of July
or some other unlikely
to be close to Valentines Day day.
So, like all my other fine,
grand plans,
they were kaput.
I did find the cheap, cute schoolchild Scooby-Doo
valentines that I had bought for
my cruise ship coworkers that didn't materialize
and I attached them to the large dark chocolate
Hershey bars that I found in Teddy's backpack
when I was looking for a flashlight.
They were leftover from our trip to Yellowstone
with a large opened bag of marshmallows.
No wonder we have mice!
I put the cards and candy in Troy and Teddy's room
and right when I got ready to tape Terry's
Scooby-Doo to his chocolate
I had a fit of
chocolate craving.
I thought he wouldn't notice
one small square missing
BUT
he did notice all six squares missing with only
two left.
Darn.
I am so happy you are back.
You would not believe everything
that happened this week.
So I won't tell you.
But yesterday was Valentines Day
AND I had bought three, large and special valentines
three weeks ago.
One for Terry,
one for Troy
and one for baby Teddy.
They were lovely and very expensive.
Fifty cents each at the Kenmore Dollar Tree store.
So I had put them in
That Special Place,
so I could find them easily.
Ugh.
Yes.
You know what that means.
They are gone until the middle of July
or some other unlikely
to be close to Valentines Day day.
So, like all my other fine,
grand plans,
they were kaput.
I did find the cheap, cute schoolchild Scooby-Doo
valentines that I had bought for
my cruise ship coworkers that didn't materialize
and I attached them to the large dark chocolate
Hershey bars that I found in Teddy's backpack
when I was looking for a flashlight.
They were leftover from our trip to Yellowstone
with a large opened bag of marshmallows.
No wonder we have mice!
I put the cards and candy in Troy and Teddy's room
and right when I got ready to tape Terry's
Scooby-Doo to his chocolate
I had a fit of
chocolate craving.
I thought he wouldn't notice
one small square missing
BUT
he did notice all six squares missing with only
two left.
Darn.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
3/5/2011 The Memorial of Lois Ringstrom Helton Spinrad
Hi Mr. Blog,
It was nice to see all my Helton and Lemon cousins
and my Auntie Adelle for the
first time in years and years at auntie's memorial yesterday.
She was a marvelous person and lived to be eighty-six.
My Auntie Lois was one of the finest women I ever knew.
Warm, kind, friendly, helpful and zesty.
She was my role model.
The kind of person I want to be someday.
Her dad was widowed and remarried to my divorced grandmother
long before I was ever born.
They had a slide-show of her life which included pictures of her
with her dad hiking when he was a fairly young man
and she was a little girl around nine.
He was the most kind, trustworthy person I ever met
and to me he was the old grandpa always reading me books.
Nice to see him and auntie young and captured in
family love and vibrancy.
Auntie Lois was my mom's step-sister and they were friends too.
When I was twelve, she invited us to visit her house in
Beaverton Oregon.
It was the only train trip I have ever been on
and pathetically short in my young opinion.
Her youngest daughter, Holly, and I were the same age
and got along like salt and pepper.
She had three older brothers, my cousins Paul, Chris and Mark
and they were wild as March hares!
I thought my sisters and I could get rowdy,
but those older boy teen cousins were in a league of their own.
Auntie had a nice rambler house and was a
single mom like my mom
and boy did she have her work cut out for her!
We all sat down to her picnic table for a barbecue
in her huge grassy back yard on a hot August night
and she asked Mark to say grace and he said,
"Good food, good meat, good God, LET"S EAT!"
My mom and aunt looked all shocked and auntie Lois said,
"MARK!"
But then she just started laughing.
We all laughed and laughed.
It was so much fun.
She was so nice and very refined and elegant and classy.
Auntie and mom took just us girls to see the Portland Rose garden
and the next day, all nine of us went to a place called
Lee Falls for the day.
There was this outcropping over a small lake with a natural
rock slide and you could slide off or jump into the lake.
Well, those wild boy cousins were so wild!
They were much older than me and full of the devil.
They did all kinds of dangerous-looking stunts
but do you know what Mr. Blog?
Auntie Lois was just unflappable.
She trusted them not to kill themselves and they didn't.
That day with my Auntie Lois and Helton cousins
and my mom and my sisters
was one of the best days
of my entire life.
It was nice to see all my Helton and Lemon cousins
and my Auntie Adelle for the
first time in years and years at auntie's memorial yesterday.
She was a marvelous person and lived to be eighty-six.
My Auntie Lois was one of the finest women I ever knew.
Warm, kind, friendly, helpful and zesty.
She was my role model.
The kind of person I want to be someday.
Her dad was widowed and remarried to my divorced grandmother
long before I was ever born.
They had a slide-show of her life which included pictures of her
with her dad hiking when he was a fairly young man
and she was a little girl around nine.
He was the most kind, trustworthy person I ever met
and to me he was the old grandpa always reading me books.
Nice to see him and auntie young and captured in
family love and vibrancy.
Auntie Lois was my mom's step-sister and they were friends too.
When I was twelve, she invited us to visit her house in
Beaverton Oregon.
It was the only train trip I have ever been on
and pathetically short in my young opinion.
Her youngest daughter, Holly, and I were the same age
and got along like salt and pepper.
She had three older brothers, my cousins Paul, Chris and Mark
and they were wild as March hares!
I thought my sisters and I could get rowdy,
but those older boy teen cousins were in a league of their own.
Auntie had a nice rambler house and was a
single mom like my mom
and boy did she have her work cut out for her!
We all sat down to her picnic table for a barbecue
in her huge grassy back yard on a hot August night
and she asked Mark to say grace and he said,
"Good food, good meat, good God, LET"S EAT!"
My mom and aunt looked all shocked and auntie Lois said,
"MARK!"
But then she just started laughing.
We all laughed and laughed.
It was so much fun.
She was so nice and very refined and elegant and classy.
Auntie and mom took just us girls to see the Portland Rose garden
and the next day, all nine of us went to a place called
Lee Falls for the day.
There was this outcropping over a small lake with a natural
rock slide and you could slide off or jump into the lake.
Well, those wild boy cousins were so wild!
They were much older than me and full of the devil.
They did all kinds of dangerous-looking stunts
but do you know what Mr. Blog?
Auntie Lois was just unflappable.
She trusted them not to kill themselves and they didn't.
That day with my Auntie Lois and Helton cousins
and my mom and my sisters
was one of the best days
of my entire life.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
2/3/2011 Pins and Needles, Needles and Pins
Hi Mr. Blog,
I have no idea why I was thinking about this
schoolkid saying when I woke up.
Pins and needles
needles and pins-
Where one begins
the other one ends.
What goes up the chimney?
Smoke
What comes down?
Santa Claus
One
two
three
four
I declare a thumb war!
Then you have a thumb war.
I suspect it is one of those old English sayings
like we said as kids like,
Don't step on a crack
or you'll break your mother's back.
We used to carry rabbit's feet in the early sixties
for good luck and not walk under ladders
or pass a black cat.
My ancestors on my mom's came to America right before the
Revolutionary War but those sayings couldn't
possibly have been handed down could they?
I wish I could find out the origins of all these superstitions!
I have no idea why I was thinking about this
schoolkid saying when I woke up.
Pins and needles
needles and pins-
Where one begins
the other one ends.
What goes up the chimney?
Smoke
What comes down?
Santa Claus
One
two
three
four
I declare a thumb war!
Then you have a thumb war.
I suspect it is one of those old English sayings
like we said as kids like,
Don't step on a crack
or you'll break your mother's back.
We used to carry rabbit's feet in the early sixties
for good luck and not walk under ladders
or pass a black cat.
My ancestors on my mom's came to America right before the
Revolutionary War but those sayings couldn't
possibly have been handed down could they?
I wish I could find out the origins of all these superstitions!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
2/1/2011 Is Your Teen Trying to Get Out of Doing Chores?
Hi Mr. Blog,
Good thing I'm over my cold so I'll be tough enough
when the kids come home.
I just unplugged their X-BOX 360!
I hid it next to the TV under a cloth.
I'm too lazy to carry it more than two feet
and the easiest way to hide something
is always in plain sight.
Hahahaha.
I'm such a mean mom.
No games allowed until
their chores are done.
I'm talking clean the whole house,
put their laundry away,
do their homework,
and when it warms up
they'll have to do the yard.
That's how I roll.
Ciao!
Good thing I'm over my cold so I'll be tough enough
when the kids come home.
I just unplugged their X-BOX 360!
I hid it next to the TV under a cloth.
I'm too lazy to carry it more than two feet
and the easiest way to hide something
is always in plain sight.
Hahahaha.
I'm such a mean mom.
No games allowed until
their chores are done.
I'm talking clean the whole house,
put their laundry away,
do their homework,
and when it warms up
they'll have to do the yard.
That's how I roll.
Ciao!
Monday, January 24, 2011
1/24/2011 Ugly Socks, Clocks and Panties
Hi Mr. Blog,
I should just stay on your couch
instead of coming and going all day.
I wish.
But, I had a very disturbing incident last week.
I went out to Target to buy some white socks that
I had seen advertised.
Six pairs for $4.99.
Every other year
I buy three six packs of new white socks.
I don't believe in sorting socks
do you?
So I get to Target and guess what?
The socks on sale were so ugly
you couldn't PAY ME to wear them
for any amount of money.
I have some pride.
Not a lot
but if I have to go to the ER
for some reason
you can bet
I won't be wearing white socks
with gray toes and heels!
I ended up paying a fortune
for Hanes white socks
and I was still unhappy.
I feel ridiculous
having pink toes and heels.
Apparently
they quit making plain white socks
for ladies.
As if that wasn't bad enough,
I go to pick up a new travel
alarm clock
and they were all digital!
There is nothing under the sun uglier
than a digital clock.
I remember when they came out in the late
sixties and you could
hear the clunking sound as
the numbers turned over.
They were ugly then
and they are ugly now.
I took one of my expanded surveys
which of course included the sales clerk,
my sister and Brenny,
and it turns out that
all women think
digital clocks
are ugly!
Imagine how rich the person
will be that designs
attractive analogue
travel alarm clocks.
Same thing for panties.
All women born after 1954
like bikini panties.
Not those ridiculous
French-cut panties
or worse,
but good old
bikini panties.
Any woman baby boomer
will tell you
that the only comfortable
panties on earth
are Jockey for Her panties,
but they are ugly as sin.
Black, white, gray, pastels.
Ugh.
If Jockey ever made a series
with small print flowers,
the CEO
could buy
a brand new
Lear Jet.
I should just stay on your couch
instead of coming and going all day.
I wish.
But, I had a very disturbing incident last week.
I went out to Target to buy some white socks that
I had seen advertised.
Six pairs for $4.99.
Every other year
I buy three six packs of new white socks.
I don't believe in sorting socks
do you?
So I get to Target and guess what?
The socks on sale were so ugly
you couldn't PAY ME to wear them
for any amount of money.
I have some pride.
Not a lot
but if I have to go to the ER
for some reason
you can bet
I won't be wearing white socks
with gray toes and heels!
I ended up paying a fortune
for Hanes white socks
and I was still unhappy.
I feel ridiculous
having pink toes and heels.
Apparently
they quit making plain white socks
for ladies.
As if that wasn't bad enough,
I go to pick up a new travel
alarm clock
and they were all digital!
There is nothing under the sun uglier
than a digital clock.
I remember when they came out in the late
sixties and you could
hear the clunking sound as
the numbers turned over.
They were ugly then
and they are ugly now.
I took one of my expanded surveys
which of course included the sales clerk,
my sister and Brenny,
and it turns out that
all women think
digital clocks
are ugly!
Imagine how rich the person
will be that designs
attractive analogue
travel alarm clocks.
Same thing for panties.
All women born after 1954
like bikini panties.
Not those ridiculous
French-cut panties
or worse,
but good old
bikini panties.
Any woman baby boomer
will tell you
that the only comfortable
panties on earth
are Jockey for Her panties,
but they are ugly as sin.
Black, white, gray, pastels.
Ugh.
If Jockey ever made a series
with small print flowers,
the CEO
could buy
a brand new
Lear Jet.
1/24/2011 I Never Heard the Pitter-Patter of Little Footsteps
Good Morning Mr. Blog!
When sissy came over to watch a movie the other day
it reminded me of one
time when she came for lunch
years ago.
Troy was six and Teddy was four
and they were racing around the house
and she looked at me and said,
"You never did get to hear the
pitter-patter of little footsteps did you?"
It was then
that I realized I never had
and probably never will.
More like a herd of elephants.
They are so huge now
that if they start to rough house,
the walls shake.
I guess if your kids are born at nearly
ten pounds each
that pitter-patter is
out of the question.
When sissy came over to watch a movie the other day
it reminded me of one
time when she came for lunch
years ago.
Troy was six and Teddy was four
and they were racing around the house
and she looked at me and said,
"You never did get to hear the
pitter-patter of little footsteps did you?"
It was then
that I realized I never had
and probably never will.
More like a herd of elephants.
They are so huge now
that if they start to rough house,
the walls shake.
I guess if your kids are born at nearly
ten pounds each
that pitter-patter is
out of the question.
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