Dream a Little Dream (with me)

I’ve been thinking lately of how fun it would be to go backpacking along the Mediterranean. 

Sure, backpacking across Europe is for college-age young people, and I’m nearly 45 years old.  Yet, I would love to explore that part of the world and take my time.  What better way than hiking with everything you own on your back?

I would start on the Atlantic side of Spain, cut across France and Italy, and then, take the long way around Greece. 

Maybe travel as far as Istanbul, and if I got that far, maybe even down through Lebanon and Israel.

Of course, I’d only go that far if I was really feeling courageous.

What I would enjoy most about the trip is the food and the music — and of course, the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. 

Maybe, I’ll map out my course tonight.

What a nice dream.  I’d like to make it reality — at least before I turn 50.

Recliner Partner

After enjoying a walk in the frosty woods this morning, I got into the recliner to kick back and relax.  Igby, our oldest dog, jumped up with me.

Now, Igby is not a lap dog.  He is medium size, forty pounds at his heaviest, but I didn’t mind the extra weight.

I scratched his ears and whispered sweet nothings.  Then, I rubbed his belly and told him what a good dog he was.  Finally, I just hugged him against my heart for a while.

It made him very happy, but I think it made me happier.

My Favorite Things

Just fooling around.  This needs some work:

Freckles on noses and long naps on Sundays
crunching of acorns and moss covered trees
Chili in winter, guacamole in spring
These are a few of my favorite things

Driving my Mustang and kisses from Riley
Christmas and New Year’s and family reunions
The warmth of a bonfire under the stars
These are a few of my favorite things

Taste of burnt marshmallows and the smell of new leather
Dark hair and blue eyes and a mischievious smile
Music that makes me want to swing my hips
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I’m feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don’t feel so bad.

For Club Members Only

I positively detest snobs.

I do a pretty good job of avoiding that breed in my day-to-day life, but as a newspaper editor, there are times when I just can’t avoid brushing up against one.

(Shiver)

I am usually able to overlook a mountain of bad behavior, but snobbery is something I take very personally. 

It just makes me burn.

Sometimes it’s conveyed in a simple look.  Other times, it’s a question — such as, “How did you get an invitation?” 

Then, there’s the (seemingly) polite comment, “Thanks.  You can go now.”

Infuriating.  (Burn)

Is it human nature to form into groups that exclude other (different) people?

I think it might be. 

Although I pride myself in being accepting of others, in all honesty, it takes me a bit longer to truly accept someone new — whether it be a new employee, a new church member or a new son-in-law.

I’ve heard it said that the traits we abhor in other people are usually reflections of attributes that can be found in ourselves.

In that case, I need to stop dwelling on how much I hate snobbery, and begin the work of stamping it out of my own behavior. 

Oh, and another thing I dislike?  Dogs that think they have to bark (loudly) to get your attention.  Excuse me while I send mine outside.  (Grrr)

And, no.  I don’t think loud, annoying barking is a reflection of any attribute that I have. 

Really.  I promise you…I don’t bark…

Fishsticks

Fishsticks.

I have good memories of them.

Very unassuming.  They are best when hot and crunchy.  My grandson likes them frozen.

What Kind of fish are fishsticks?

Depending on the brand, I suppose, it could be one kind of fish…or a hundred.  Definitely lots of pieces of fish, all pressed together into a stick.

Great invention.

Ketchup? or Tartar Sauce?

My personal favorite is Ketchup, but as a little girl, I liked Tartar Sauce.

I didn’t get fishsticks very often as a child.  My mom bought real (cheap) food.  Fast, convenient food was a treat we got only once in a while.

I like fishsticks…even now. 

I snuck one of my grandson’s at supper tonight.  Don’t tell anyone.

I Love Porches

I love porches. 

Especially the old fashioned kind.  Those wide verandas with either wisteria or honeysuckle vines weaving in and out of the railing.

Covered, of course.  And, with enough comfortable seating for a small group of friends. 

A small table that holds iced tea and ginger cookies, and at least one small cat (or one large dog) lounging around.

Just thinking about such a place makes me want to curl up and snuggle in.

Comfortable, inviting, nourishing to the soul.

Porches are the first thing I notice about a house.

My house is relatively new, but my porch is fairly wide. 

I’ve got a hibiscus tree in a pot by the door, and two jasmine bushes that are beginning to curl around a small section of the railing.

No small table, but there are two rocking chairs, along with a plastic kid-sized table and chairs for my grandson.

Today is a perfect day to spend some time there.  A cool, fall breeze is blowing through with a bit of a mist to it.  Soon the sun will go down and the stars will take over.

I can’t think of a better way to spend the next few hours.  Come by and join me there.

Regrets?

My youngest never understood how I could possibly be content with the life I was leading.  She would always ask, “Don’t you wish you did ____ instead?”

I suppose her questions came from her own discontent with life at home.  Sure enough, just months after turning 18, she left our small town and moved out of state.

She’s much happier where she is now.  And, I am happy for her.

Whenever she asked whether I had regrets, I would always say, “No.  Because every decision I made in the past led me to where I am now.”

Now, that is not to say that, knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t have made different decisions.  But, thinking on those kinds of things is irrelevant, and a waste of time.

I am who I am based on the decisions I’ve made in the past, both good and bad.  And, I like who I am.

I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember.  Yet, in my younger years, I didn’t have the confidence.  I felt that I didn’t know anything about anything, and that no one could possibly be interested in anything I had to say.

Well, now that I have a few years under my belt, I do know a few things, and I certainly have the confidence to express my opinion.

Regrets?  My only regret is that the wisdom of maturity doesn’t come soon enough.

Perhaps my youngest will find it sooner than I did.

This Should be a Lazy Saturday

I’ve have some ideas for this new blog, but for now, I’d just like to vent.

It’s a beautiful Saturday.  The rains from earlier in the week have washed it clean, and the sun is out, but not too much.

It should be a lazy Saturday.  But, it isn’t.

I’m getting (just a bit) burned out from my job as a newspaper editor. 

There has been lots to do with this upcoming Homecoming issue, and I really need to spend some time today with that.

Then, there is a benefit tonight that no one else could take pictures for, so I will need to drag my butt up there myself.

I suppose I could just take an hour or so for a walk outside, just meander around, doing nothing.  But, I can’t.  Not when I have all this hanging over my head.

I need to learn the art of letting go.  Because, let’s face it, life never slows down for you, you have to make the choice to step back.

You’re right.  I’m the master of my own destiny.  If I want this to be a lazy Saturday, I need to be the one to make it so.

Glad we had this talk.  I’m going out to smell the daisies.

Trying Something New

Hello, world.  Here I am.

I recently started a new project.  My aim is to explore the new worlds of social media as a tool for the newspaper I work with.

After years of cajoling my publisher, and after at least one failed attempt, we entered the online world with a simple website.  That was a little over one year ago.

Just several months ago, I signed us up for Twitter, and thought, “That was easy.”  So, with new found confidence, I began to explore other avenues.

It’s been a steep learning curve.

And, now, here I am, learning to “blog.”  This will be interesting.