Sunday Simplicity

Day 280

Yesterday, I was feeling a bit puny as my sister would say. Nothing major or drastic, just not feeling up to par. Hubby and I had plans to go see a local bluegrass band play at a small venue near us. I decided I had best not try to go since my stomach was a bit queasy. I encouraged hubby to go on as he had been working all day making his wonderful all from scratch vegetable soup.

I lounged around watching tv and nursed my stomach by eating a few small portions of soup throughout the night. I had a difficult time finding sleep, but eventually I drifted off.

I slept in and, surprisingly, I was the first one to rise. Morning tasks are not my forte, but I was feeling good and decided to go put the bird feeders out and water the plants. It is so dry here. It was a nice cool morning but I could tell the humidity was inching up so I enjoyed my time outside while the weather was nice.

Three of the sunflowers I planted survived the squirrels, possums, and the crazy wet and dry periods we have experienced. They are each in a different stage of blooming and they are such a joyful flower to see.

When I came inside I thought how my sister would laugh if she could see me. She had a house far out in the country and went outside in her pajamas or robe all the time. She had very few neighbors, but I remember telling her she really should get dressed before venturing outdoors. She would just laugh at me. Here I was kicking off my slippers and wondering what she would say knowing I had gone outside in my nightgown. It is not revealing so there is very little concern. There is literally no house within sight especially now that all the trees have filled in.

I do think age makes us feel differently about things. The things society would have you worry about are far less concerning than they once were. There is something freeing and joyful stepping outside to just breathe in the air without concern. It is moments like these that remind me why we chose this house.

Today I am feeling better and I am thankful. The birds are content and I have a few tomatoes almost ready to pluck from the vine. We have a family of hawks that have moved in nearby. We hear them constantly and see them frequently. They are magnificent although I fear for my little feeder birds. We also discovered a yellow jacket nest to be wary of. A small patch of wildflowers has a few blooms and right in the middle a sprig of poison ivy seems to have taken up residence.

Such is life in the country. Full of life and abundance and a few hidden dangers. It’s all about balance.

And besides, I like having the ability to walk about outside in my night clothes without worry. I get it, Sis. I finally get it.

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SoCS – Discovering Golf is a Full Contact Sport

Day 279

We are back with another edition of Stream of Consciousness Saturday sponsored by the lovely Linda G. Hill.

Today’s prompt is:

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “for/fore/four.” Use one, use ’em all, use ’em any way you want. Enjoy!

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We lived in a rather rural community during my high school years. We had a typical ranch house on a rather nice corner lot.

My mom was an outdoor person all the way. She would play flag football or badminton with us in the yard over choosing to do any work inside the house. She loved the lilac tree on the corner and spent time tending to her planters that contained portulaca or bleeding hearts.

A lot of our conversations took place sitting on the front steps of the house. There were four of us kids and I was the youngest. After my older siblings started moving away after high school, mom and I spent a lot more time together.

For a reason unknown to me, my parents took up playing golf on Saturdays. They had both come from country roots and at that time, golf was not something we ever heard much about. I suppose after moving to Ohio, their new-found friends had a broader range of interests.

I caddied for them once or twice, but frankly, it was not fun. So, one Saturday, mom decided she would give me a few lessons in hope of sparking my interest a little more.

She rolled her golf bag into the side yard where we often played badminton and began to go over the basics with me. She covered the grip, the stance, the swing, and of course the follow-through. We talked about the choice of clubs, and what situation might call for each. It was then my turn to swing the club.

I hit the golf ball, but unfortunately just on the edge. It limped a few feet into the grass and not into the vacant lot which was my intention. Mom explained that I had lousy follow-through and took the club to show me again. “Watch closely.”

And watch closely I did. I joked as she started to swing and I called out “Fore!”. Before I knew it, I was lying on the ground. Mom had followed through right upside my head.

Luckily I was not hurt although my siblings often said that hit on my head certainly explained a few things about me! I think they were inferring it had affected my ability to think.

From that point forward, I told my mom I would not have agreed to the lesson that day had I known golf was a full contact sport.

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Saturday’s are a lot easier when you can just let your thoughts flow. If you care to join in the weekly challenge, saunter over to Linda’s blog to get the skinny. Make sure you take the time to read how many takes there can be on one idea. Then come on and join in the fun.

Happy Birthday, Sis

Day 278

Today is my sister’s birthday. I have thought about her all week knowing her birthday was coming up. It is still hard not having her here physically, but I feel her spirit everywhere. I am not sure I will ever get over missing her, but I try to focus on the joy that celebrating her life brings to me.

My sister was a spitfire. Very politically minded and very family-centric. She never met a stranger. There was always someone who had fallen on hard times living with her family. Both my sisters had that trait. I always used to kid them and tell them I was born without the ‘come live with me gene‘! She would literally give you the shirt off her back.

She loved a debate. Especially concerning the two things most people try to avoid — religion and politics. She called them like she saw them and would argue her point until her last breath.

When the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky debacle was revealed, my sister always wanted to see Hillary throw Bill’s clothes on the White House lawn. Of course that would never really happen, but that’s how she said she would have responded.

Political news was her drug of choice. She would watch C-SPAN any time she could. I could never argue with her — she was well armed with knowledge and had a proclivity toward the politics in our country. She could tell you anything you wanted to know about Watergate and she always thought Ted Kennedy should have gone to prison for the death of Mary Jo Kopechne.

For me, however, she was my big sister. Our relationship ebbed and flowed over the years, and thankfully we were really close in the years preceding her death. I look at this photo of her on Easter morning. She sat on the porch beside my grandfather ready to take on any challenge. When I think of her, my heart always remembers her this way. Dark hair, happy-go-lucky, and full of a zest for life. This brings me great joy.

There is a great sadness in losing someone you love. Grief can be a viscous taskmaster, but if we allow it to run its course, there is great joy in remembering their life rather than their death. I am so thankful I have reached this point. There is a lot of love, joy and memories in sixty years. She was much more than her death.

I am forever grateful knowing she was my sister and my friend.

The Lies Women Tell

Day 277

I am reblogging this in honor of my sister. Her birthday would be tomorrow and she was never able to meet her first born. I am always in hopes we will find him. Just to tell him he was loved.

A Life Worth Living

I wrote this a couple of weeks ago, but felt it was important to have my niece and nephew read it before I put it online. I love them both for they are extensions of my sister. I dedicate this blog to them and the love I hold in my heart for them. Thank you for letting me express these thoughts of your Mom. You mean the world to me.

It has been such a long time since I have written here. I guess it’s because I write for a living now and it makes writing for pleasure a little more difficult. Finding the right time and the right temperament and a smidge of creativity is a concoction I have not been able to muster for a while. I am inspired to write to tonight because of a movie we watched last night. I had it earmarked knowing it would…

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Today We Wait

Day 276

Today we are waiting.

We are praying.

We are filled with hope.

We hold on to positive thoughts.

This is family.

This is love.

“We only have what we give.“

~ Isabel Allende

#1LinerWeds