Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Well, the wedding is in three days and I still don't know what I am wearing. The problem is all my clothes come from two places - the thriftshop in Tivoli and the Free Table at the gym. Well, acutally, there are two tables at the gym, one is FREE and the other is LOST AND FOUND, but Timmy treats them both as the same thing. Right now I am wearing New Balance sneakers from the free table that I saw at Kohl's for over $80. You can't beat the free table.

And the same is true about the thrift shop, most clothes are marked under $5 and once a month there is "bag day" where you can fill a grocery bag with clothes for $5. Hence, the problem why I can't buy clothes. It just doesn't make sense. ButI haven't seen anything recently at the thrift shop that would be good for the wedding.

So I started pulling out old dresses from the closet. One was so old, it was falling apart on the hangar. Well, time to get rid of that one. I showed one of my favorites to Sabra, and she called it "frumpy". So that's my latest dilemma.

Last week it was my car. I needed to get it inspected, but the "service engine soon" light was on. I told the manager that when I made the appointment, and his voice saddened, as he said, "well, that's going to be a problem." So I took it to the garage, "Needs three new tires to pass inspection", so feeling hopeful about the light, I said "Well, you might as well make it four", and went home to await the phone call. It came. "Well ma'm the light indicates the emission valve might be stuck , we can get a new one for $290". Go ahead, I gave approval. I have to get the car inspected. But when I picked it up, no inspection ticket. You have to drive it now for 50-100 miles and bring it back with the light still off. So I drive for 50 miles, bring it in and my friend Chris who was behind the desk is not there. "He was taking over for me last week", explained the new face. When I told him I drove over 50 miles, he shook his head, and said"You have to drive it more than 80 miles." But we will check it anyway. Sweating bullets I watched them attach the computer to the car. Then, the mechanic drove it into the shop. Oh, No, this isn't good. I watched thru the window as he typed in information on a computer. Finally, I saw him open the driver's side of the car and do something with the window. GREAT...he was putting the sticker on. $21 more dollars on top of $653. No wonder I can't buy a dress. Maybe something will turn up at the FREE table.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Courage has come up several times lately - Kathy send Laura a courage pin from Maria, the cowardly lion, and Maureen sent her a cup from Maria that had one word on it - COURAGE. So, it came as no surprise when the priest yesterday quoted Robert F. Kennedy: "Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change."

Courage - I have been interested in that word since I read Anne Morrow Lindberg. She questioned what courage was....was the person afraid to face the world that managed to get out of bed and face his fear any less brave than the soldier on the battlefield? Good question. She was also quoted as : "It takes as much courage to have tried and failed, as it does to have tried and succeeded."

Lots to think about - COURAGE...you can almost see the Wizard of Oz lion when you say the word. Courage ---Anne also said, "Don't wish me happiness...Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor. I will need them all." So my wish to you today is COURAGE.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

It's been a while, I have been in a scattered frame of mind and today is no different. I am thinking about turtles and thunderstorms. Turtles first. I saw a painted turtle on the road and I always have the urge to stop the car and pick them up. I used to do this for the kids. We would bring them home, look them up in the turtle book to identify the type and watch them for a while before releasing them. 40 years ago there were a lot of turtles, painted turtles, box turtles, snapping turtles, etc. Today you are lucky if you see one turtle all year. We had turtles, as I recall Maureen had them and gave them to us...Romeo and Juliet? Something like that. They were big painted turtles that lived in the living room window, eating flies, vegetables and ground beef. When I couldn't take the smell anymore I released them in the creek here in Tivoli. They got caught in the current, and I saw them going downstream, heads lifted high, watching out for each other.

My favorite turtle story is from Paul. He and Steve were going somewhere when they saw several cars stopped, watching an enormous snapping turtle slowly crossing the road. Now snapping turtles are scary to look at and if you hold a thick stick by them, their jaws can snap it in a second. Paul and Steve got out, and unexpectedly, Steve picked up the snapping turtle and carried him to the side of the road. The people were amazed. "Is that the direction he was going in?" asked Steve, and was told that actually, he was going the other way. So Steve picked him (or her) back up and carried him to the other side of the road. The turtle watchers loved it.

Thunder storms are another thing that comes with summer. Today was just a small one, but we've had some boomers. When I was a kid Bucky would go crazy when lightning and thunder arrived. "Take the bobby pins out of your hair - it attracts lightning." And, we would pull out the bobby pins quickly. Another thing, "Get off the phone - you'll get electricuted". This I almost believe because one storm hit close by and our phone made a strange noise. When I lived on Beacon Street, we had some terrible storms, and I would gather the kids and run into the hallway. There I would be joined by the woman and her daughter from across the hall, and we would hear Helen from downstairs, hurrying to join us. Actually, that is a good memory, we would all look at each other embarrassed, laugh at ourselves and wait for the thunder to stop.

I heard on the news this morning that they are expecting more than the usual number of hurricanes this season. Then when I saw Sabra this morning, she said one of the future hurricanes is named Maria. This gave me goosebumps...I mean that, so I think we better be ready for that one.