Tuesday Musing #14

Rewrite the following classic nursery rhyme as it applies to your life -

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

For example -

For want of a wipe the diaper was lost.
For want of a diaper the errand was lost.
For want of an errand the groceries were lost.
Etc., etc., etc.



Library Animal Show - reality

For want of the keys, we left late.
Because we left late, parking was tight.
For want of a space, we drove and drove.
Because we drove far, we had far to walk.
For want of proximity, we were more late!
For want of punctuality, we missed half the show.
For want of the show, we missed baby hedgehogs : (
And all for the want of the keys!



Almost Everyone is Gone - almost total fiction

For want of a paycheck, the dad left for work.
Because of a big kiss, he was distracted.
Because of distraction, the door was unlocked.
For want of a lock, the door swung open.
For want of a door, the baby was lost.
For want of a baby, the mother went looking.
For want of a mother, the breakfast was lost.
For want of some breakfast, the toddler was hungry.
Because of his hunger, the sisters were cooking.
While they were cooking, a fire was started.
For want of an extinguisher, the kitchen was lost.
For want of a kitchen, the kids were still hungry.
Because of their hunger, they went to buy donuts.
Because of the donuts the kids were all hyper.
Because they were hyper, the tied up the toddler.
While he was tied up, a hot air balloon was fired up.
For want of an sandbag, the toddler was lost.
For want of a toddler, the sisters were crying.
For want of a tissue, mascara was running.
For want of some makeup, the police were not summoned.
For want of police, the family was scattered.
For want of the family, the house got too messy.
For want of some neatness, Kelly was lost.
For want of the Kelly, the Gwen went looking.
While she was looking, the laundry collapsed.
Because of collapse, Gwenie was buried.
For want of a Gwen, Heather went searching.
For want of some root beer, she was distracted.
For want of some pizza, Rachel left walking.
For want of her siblings, Summer was lonely.
And all for the want of the money for donuts!

Tuesday Musing #13

List five things that drive you crazy and make you want to go live in a cabin on a mountainside and never see another human being. Then, list five things that make you smile even on the rainiest of days.

Here's the icky stuff...

People who are manipulative

Ergh!! For example, my health plan insists that I give them my FULL address and phone number EVERY time I call for ANYTHING, "for the security and protection of my account". Ha! They just want to make sure they have my current address. Why can't they just tell the truth about why they ask for it?!? If they REALLY cared about the security of my account, they would ask me the password I had put on the account after my purse was stolen. They remember to do this about 3 % of the times I call.

Women who expose themselves

I am so tired of seeing women's breasts falling out of their shirts (can those really be called articles of clothing?) when I go anywhere! Esp. the mall - I've seen women wearing less to the mall than I wear to the beach - much less. Sometimes I'm tempted to take post-it notes wherever I go and help them out.

People who disregard the flow of traffic

Just yesterday, I almost collided with someone trying to cross my lane, coming out from behind a semi where I couldn't possible see them when they didn't have the right of way. I sympathize with the frustration of having to wait your turn, but it is part of life - adjust!

Authors who write nasty books and market them to children

I spend much more time reading children's books to see if they are OK for my darlings to consume than anything else. You'd be surprised at how many we return to the library unread.

Car manufacturers

OK, so we have a car that seats eight and gets 28 mpg. Why can't they make more like it? Everything has to be so BIG! I dread the wagon dying and having to buy some monstrosity. Ergh and ugh, again!!!


...and now for the good stuff.

My boyfriend

He calls me from work, buys me jewelry and flowers, looks good on the beach, kisses well (that's probably more information than my kids wanted to know) and has put up with being hitched to me for almost 16 years -amazing!

Nature

I would probably get a lot more of this if I lived on that mountainside, but a trip to the beach in Feb. on a weekday morning when it is almost empty or to the desert in the spring to look at flowers or to the mountains in the fall to pick apples always make everything look brighter.

Our seven kids

They are so much fun, from Summer's stories to Michael's jokes, from Gwen's hugs to Naomi's kisses, from Rachel's curiosity to Heather's kindness and Kelly's giggles to top it all off, they make my life so much more rich and wonderful.

Modern conveniences

Not much gives me such a sense of satisfaction as having the dishwasher going full of dishes that I didn't have to scrub by hand simultaneously as the washing machine full of clothes I didn't have to wring by hand. I am so glad I live in the age of microwave popcorn, electric toothbrushes, drive up atms and freezers (love having that ice cream handy).

Our chickens

Sometimes they drive me crazy when they go hormonal, but I love having them in the back yard, laying eggs and clucking expectantly when they see me coming.

Tuesday Musing #10, Part B

I'm not 40 (yet!) and the laundry isn't done...

...but I am admitting it probably never will be until we join a nudist colony, so here I go, trying again...

Do you collect anything? If so, what? If not then, why…or what would you collect if you had to start a collection?

Here is one problem with procrastinating my Tuesday Musing - I have much more time to think of what to say and it is more work to say it. At first, I thought," I don't collect anything" but I've thought of so many odds and ends I collect, I'm starting to wonder if I need to go to Pack Rats Anonymous. Either that or move across the country without a U-haul...

I have my large collection of unfiled, left over from last school year, papers and books.

I have an always growing collection of nail polish which I mostly use on my toes and then blog about. (Speaking of blogs, I have a small collection of them.)

I have a collection of unfinished sewing and beading projects. Another name for these is "unrealized dreams".

I also have plenty of beads that I didn't buy for a specific project, but that I've acquired for the same reason females throughout the ages gathered stuff - because they are shiny and pretty.

Speaking of pretty, I like vases and whenever someone is going somewhere exotic and kindly asks what they can bring me, I'll say "a vase". These are from India, The Philippines and China. Thanks Lorna, Richard and Dad.

Finally, what I wish I could collect an entire collection of first edition books by and about P.G. Wodehouse. I reconcile myself to collecting reprints. On the bright side, I still laugh as hard when I read my copies, and I let myself read them a lot more often than I would if they were actually valuable.

Tuesday Musing #12

If there is anything in your lifetime that you regret and could take back and if so what?

I am sure there are lots of things I could have/should have done differently and better, but one in particular comes to mind. Usually, I am a basically nice person (I hear my siblings raising a hue and cry) and the mistakes I make are usually at least well intentioned, if not well judged. The sad, sad story I am going to tell, however, is one time I was blatantly selfish and knowingly uncaring about someone else's feelings. That is why I would want to take it back, not just because I was caught! Although, I have to admit that being caught definitely seared the experience more deeply into my consciousness.

So, here I was at college, or the Happy Hunting Ground, as some called it. I was young and (I now this just sounds like a lame excuse) immature. I met a young man at a friend's party named Andy, let's call him Andy "A". Can you see where this is heading? He thought I was cute, asked my friend for my phone # and called to ask me out for Friday. He seemed nice enough in a sort of nondescript way (I'm immature, remember?) and I had no plans, so I agreed. Friday came along and the guy in my apartment complex that I had a huge crush on, Andy "B", finally got around to asking me out, FOR THAT NIGHT, to a dance on campus. Ugh!! I am embarrassed to say I hardly hesitated before I said, "Yes" and rushed home to plan my outfit.

Once I got that done, I called Andy "A" and told him "something came up" and I couldn't make it to our date, much to the disgust of my smarter, more mature, kinder, and all around better roommates.

Why did I do it? Andy "A" was probably a fascinating person, but I didn't even give him a chance. I was so selfish. I wish I could go back and do it over again. I wish I could listen to Andy "A" tell me about his hometown, or his major, or anything, but, no, I threw it all away in pursuit of Andy "B", who was nice enough, but definitely a flitter. I was just the flavor of the week to him, and I hurt someone else's feelings for that?!? Dumb, dumb, dumb!

Anyway, to top it all off, (you have probably guessed) Andy "A" decided since he was stood up that night to go to a dance on campus. Yep, the same dance Andy "B" took me to. It served me right. Part of the reason I feel so bad is the feeling that I was judging both of these men superficially and there were depths to Andy "A" that I didn't take the time to delve into. I got a glimpse of his character when he came and said,"hello" to me and my date. He was so polite when he had every right to be rude or at least confront me. I was stuck timidly introducing Andy to Andy. I was so embarrassed and I certainly deserved to be. I wish I could tell him I am sorry I was a jerk. I don't remember if I ever tried to apologize, or was too embarrassed to face him (more likely), but now I don't even remember his last name.

Are you out there, Andy? I'm sorry!!!

Tuesday Musings #11

Growing up what extra curricular activities did you get to try? Which activity was your favorite and which was your least favorite? If you didn't have an opportunity which do you wish you could of tried?

Hmmm, I went to ballet class for a year or so and took piano lessons for a little bit longer. I don't think I showed much talent in either direction, or maybe it was a lack of practice. Anyway, I don't know why I stopped.

When I was in junior high school , my math teacher invited me to join the math team, which I did. We would compete with two other schools about once a month and we ALWAYS took the bronze. It was fun anyway; the main draw was the ice cream bars they gave us at the end of each meet.

The summer before high school, I went with my sister as moral support to a children's community theater audition and ended up landing the main male lead - the villain. I think mostly because I had watched Rex Harrison in "My Fair Lady" the night before and was channeling him as I read the part. All the theater's regular teenage boys were annoyed that I had cut them out. I had a blast doing my first and last gig as an actor (except for roadshows which entailed more giggling than acting). Later in life, I did go and audition at an adult community theater with a friend from church. She and I were both surprised at just how adult it was when the guy playing the the opposite part, kissed each of us rather actively during the reading. We had gone in separately and had no time between being called for the first one of us to warn the second. We were both really grossed out by the whole experience and didn't get parts in the play. Maybe it was the look of revulsion we each gave the casting director.

When I went to high school, I had a one and a half to two hour commute, so after school activities weren't really an option. When I was a freshman, I did ask whether there was a math team, probably hoping for more ice cream. I ended up joining even without frozen confectionery bribery. I really enjoyed it and I was the best person on the team, even doing better than the boys in higher grades than I was. Of course, this was an art school; maybe the mathematicians weren't those with the highest ability.

Speaking of art, even though it was a curricular activity in my case, it felt extracurricular because it was so much fun. I applied for and went to an art high school in New York City. It was fun to go to school with crazy, artsy types. Here's a picture of me during one of my classes.