by jphilo | Aug 26, 2014 | Top Ten Tuesday
10. The temperature soared as soon as the municipal pool was drained.
9. Our property tax bill, due at the end of September, arrived.
8. My waking hours are spent trying to think of a gift Mom would like for her birthday in September. The only idea so far is to put a big bow on our property tax bill and give it to her. But I have a feeling she’ll just give that back.
7. Despite all the rain we’ve had lately, the leaves on the trees are now more yellow-green than vibrant green.
6. The cricket that found its way into our bedroom likes to sing. At night. We are not amused.
5. For the past week or so, the daylight’s been pretty dim when I leave for my morning walk.
4. Unless you arrive at Hickory Park the minute they open, there’s a 5 to 15 minute wait for a booth, now that the college kids are moving back to ISU.
3. My to do list includes trips to Walmart and Target to check the back to school aisles for clearance bargains.
2. Every once in a while, soup and other cold weather comfort foods like Balkan Meatballs sound like a good idea for supper…even though it’s still way too hot to enjoy them.
1. Every time I walk by the empty Boone Municipal Pool, I feel sad. How much longer until spring?
by jphilo | Oct 1, 2013 | Top Ten Tuesday
Being a spring kind of girl, I am always surprised by people who say fall is their favorite season. But with summer turning to autumn, I’m focusing on what’s good about this new season. It didn’t take long to come up with this top ten list:
10. Longer nights mean my morning walk begins by moon and starlight. Beautiful!
9. Acorn squash, Hiram’s favorite side dish, is in season. Menu planning is easy this time of year.
8. Earlier sunsets make it perfectly acceptable to put on jammies after supper and curl up in bed with a good book.
7. Early fall=perfect sleeping weather
6. The does and summer fawns are less skittish and easier to photograph.
5. Apple season is here!
4. Deal’s apple cider is in the grocery store.
3. The dry, spicy scent of fall leaves and crops drying in the fields.
2. This time of year feels like the world’s being tucked into bed for a good night’s sleep.
1. Our grandson’s birthday and the opportunity to celebrate his young life.
What do you like about fall? Leave a comment.
by jphilo | Oct 22, 2012 | Out and About
For more than a week, I’ve been on the road. Whether the travel’s been for personal or professional reasons, the time behind the wheel left plenty of time for this Monday’s musings.
- Being a grandma is the best job ever.
- Fall is a lovely time for traveling in the Midwest.
- Panera has the healthiest fast food (and tastiest coffee) of any franchise chain.
- My new mission in life is to explain to food service workers that “dairy-free” means more than no visible cheese, yogurt, or ice cream on whatever you order.
- Box elder bugs are taking over the world.
- Dorothy knew what she was talking about when she clicked those ruby slippers together and said there’s no place like home–even when you get home and find box elder bugs are waiting to greet you–lined up three deep on the threshold.
What are your latest travel musings? Leave a comment.
by jphilo | Sep 28, 2012 | Walking Down the Gravel Road
It may be impolite to brag about one’s accomplishments, but I’m gonna buck convention and admit my absolute genius for self-delusion. In the past month, I’ve convinced myself that:
- eating large amounts of chocolate won’t result in weight gain if combined with exercise,
- our new grandchild would be born before his/her due date,
- and publishers would snap up my book proposal about post-traumatic stress disorder in children.
If it weren’t for cold, hard facts like:
- my jeans fitting a bit to snuggly,
- our daughter-in-law now a week past her due date,
- and the sweetest rejection letter ever from the first publisher to respond to my agent about the book proposal,
I would still be wrapped in those delusions. Instead, I’ve moved onto new ones. My two favorites are:
- It’s still summer.
- Mom’s holding her own in the fight against Alzheimer’s.
But brilliant foliage of the trees along our gravel road forced the abandonment of the first bit of self-delusion. Two phone calls with Mom shattered the second one.
She called yesterday morning, something she rarely takes the initiative to do. “Any news on the baby?” she asked.
“No,” I answered, “and it’s getting really hard to wait. I was hoping the baby would be born today, on your mom’s birthday.”
“That would have been nice, ” she agreed. “But Jolene, if the waiting’s hard for you, think how much harder it is for Abbey.” She sounded so much like her old self, I wondered if the prospect of being a great-grandmother was winning the war against mental decline.
But she called again later in the afternoon. “What’s my old address?” she asked.
I told her and asked, “Why did you need that?”
“I’m filling out this registration form to prove I live in a different county. It asks for my former address.”
“Is this so you can vote for president?”
“Yes,” she replied. After a pause she asked, “What’s today’s date?”
Now it was my turn to hesitate. Every year until this one, my mother spent all September anticipating her mother’s birthday, talking about her, telling stories, saying she missed her. This year, she didn’t know what day it was, even though I’d mentioned it in our last phone call.
I swallowed and said, “September 27. It’s your mom’s birthday.”
We chatted for a few minutes. I teased her about who she would vote for. I promised to call her as soon as we heard anything about the baby. Then I hung up, let go of my delusion, and faced the truth:
- Mom’s memory is failing.
- Alzheimer’s is chewing more holes in her brain.
On the other hand:
- She knows who she’ll vote for in the presidential election.
- She’s eager for news of her first great-grandchild.
- She can still call and talk on the phone.
She may be failing, but her life, and ours, are rich with memories. And when she can’t remember anymore, we’ll remember for her.
- That’s not self-delusion.
- That’s love.
by jphilo | Aug 28, 2012 | Top Ten Tuesday
What comes after an early spring and a summer of drought? An early fall, of course. My morning walks have been full of signs that autumn is right around the corner, and here are the top ten in my book.
10. The begonias on the north side of the garage are lush and full.
9. The leaves of the burning bush outside the kitchen are tinged with red.
8. Sunrise comes later each morning and sunset comes earlier.
7. The sumac is starting to turn.
6. We’re planning menus for the Labor Day Extraveganza.
5. The goldenrod’s got the Man of Steel sneezing.
4. Rain doesn’t make the pond scum disappear.
3. The spots are fading on this summer’s fawns.
2. The parks department drained the swimming pool.
1. The trees,
the trees,
the trees.
What signs of fall are appearing where you live?
