Thinking Of New Years Eve

What will you do this New Years Eve? That is what I am hearing, and Christmas isn't here yet. Are you going for the headache, or ignore it and go to bed? I know we will bowl, because it is a League Bowling night. Afterwards it will be dinner with friends and to their house, where we will have a game night, and I can tease and spoil their cats, and maybe we will just sit around and try to remember someone"s name. Our friends are younger than us, but everyone is younger than us, except God. Still, there is no age limit on this game My daughter is supposed to fly to New York with a girlfriend to watch the ball drop in Time Square. I am happy for her. New experiences make you feel alive, but I wouldn't go to New York to watch Obama drop. That is just me, and yet, I would drive across the States to see a pile of rocks, or a hole in the ground. I know it will be fun for her with a hotel room reserved where she can watch from a window, and not have to stand in the street with a press of strangers. Her friend knows people there, so maybe they can see some of the sights. I hope so. The Big Apple has theater, museums, and of course The Statue Of Liberty. I am looking forward to hearing about her adventure. Whatever your plans are, I wish you all a Happy New Year.

Redneck Christmas

If your beer cooler can be ridden like a scooter, you might be a Redneck. If your Christmas dinner is cooked on an outdoor grill, and includes Mexican food and sweet potatoes, you might be a Redneck. We joined Ricky Dannalley for his family Christmas get together this Saturday. Any one who was at our Garage Thanksgiving will remember him and his family. The food was good. The kids were full of fun, but the grown ups got to play too, when they brought out the beer cooler scooters, and started having races up and down the drive. I got to meet the youngest grand daughter, a beautiful three month old little doll. Their three year old grand daughter entertained everyone with her twin dolls, backpack, and an armload of stuffed dogs. The grandsons crashed their new Christmas cars into concrete until the wheels broke off. If you sat down inside, you were sure to have two or three small dogs jump up on you lap. Before the evening was over, there was standing room only, as family and friends came in out of the cold wind. This was a whole new spin on Christmas.

Collecting

I think sometimes, I am a pack rat. I have always collected something. When I was a kid, it was rocks. I ended up with shelves of them, all identified and labeled. We move and they were left behind. I collected lighters. I didn't smoke, but everyone else did, and they were happy to add to my collection. I had lighters that looked like coke bottles, cameras, pistols, you name it. I tired of them and gave them away. I have, over the years collected coins, stamps, bottles, shells, dolls, bears, old family jewelry, tiny Occupied Japan vases, and old records. They all take up too much space. I don't know where this trait comes from. My mother said the only thing she collected was dust. It is easy to come by, and no one would steal it from her. I think it is the "hunter, gatherer" in my genes. It is the thrill of the hunt. I think, now I am onto something. I can collect sunrises, and sunsets, and scenery wherever I go. Pictures don't cost like they used to. With digital camera and computer, there is no film or development. Thousands can be put on a single disk. Lovely. I can share them while I keep them. Now, I just need to get rid of some of my old collections that try to grow.

Sisters And Butterflies

I watched my sister's kids grow up, the three of them.With three there is sometimes one left out in a game, or slighted, as two bond in their growth. Even in this sometimes painful occasion, they were always aware of each other, and if one was injured, the others were at their side for solace. As the girls got older, they became closer, like room mates, sharing clothes, and adventures. When they were married, they planned to raise their kids together, sharing birthdays, holidays, and play dates. Fate separated them by miles, due to the jobs of their spouses. Still, they keep in touch, by phone and email, and try to visit. It seems odd that they are so far from each other by miles, yet their kids get sick at the same time. They battle the same demons. When there is a misunderstanding between them, it hurts like no one else can hurt them. What an awesome power this is, to bless, or to crush. What destruction there is within them. What a great responsibility they carry. Love, like a butterfly, is beautiful to behold, as it takes flight, but can be crushed and destroyed by carelessness. Sisters, unlike butterflies. are forever.