This old gal…
Got a piano…for her seventh birthday…little me loved playing piano…played it all the time…while singing show tunes…and hits from the 70s…took lessons for 8 years…majored in music in college…taught lessons…directed children’s choir… Old Poole piano following his friend through life changes…boyfriend’s block house…married split foyer…storage during divorce…family farmhouse…tiny rental…Old Pink…Little Cottage… Looked at new pianos time and again…but none played like Old Poole…none sounded as bright…as Old Poole...contemplated parting with Old Poole…don’t play often…have arthritic fingers…not sure there’s space…for a piano… But Old Poole endured the journey…and is nestled in a room…perfect for him…for Little Cottage…has no carpet…and high ceilings…and as this old gal was chatting away…she realized…the acoustics…were amazing… So she played…music from the past…sitting on that beautiful stool…of her grandfather’s… And Old Poole…sang…sang like he’s never sung before…sweet…mesmerizing …melodious tones…sharing a gift that had always been dulled…by his circumstance… Old Tattered Poole…has never….sounded more beautiful… And so it goes…Old Poole and his old piano playing friend…aged…but parts still work…battered…but can still bring joy…worn…but can still make…beautiful music… And that husband of mine…agrees…
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This husband of mine…
Packed two women in the PODs…could not be more opposite…but both add a little charm…to the decor… Didn’t bother to box them…or wrap them…just had faith they would jostle around in that big metal box…unscathed… And so they did…arrived safe and sound…each catching the eye of those college boys…hired to lug all that stuff…from box to house… Love that Tiki statue…says one…I bet the eyes light up in the dark…followed by a laugh…and a wow…and a that’s just…so so cool… Then came Mary…college-boy-in-charge carrying her gently…to her resting place…gotta be careful with this one…he says to his buddy…don’t want her damaged…could cause some bad juju… These college boys…from Uni-Movers…were funny…and kind…and chatty…but never stopped moving…or carrying…or lifting…and delivered our ladies…and then some…safely to their new home… Such a delight…and highly recommended… And this husband of mine…agrees… Those grandparents of mine…
Used piano stools…as side tables…held their coffee…glasses of Pepsi…and ashtrays…while they watched TV… Little me…didn’t even realize they were piano stools…hadn’t thought about it…since there wasn’t a piano in the house… Fast forward oodles of years…and one lone guy…gets handed down over time…and finds his home…tucked under that tattered piano…this old gal got…for her 7th birthday… But during the purge and move…as tattered piano was hauled to the POD…hidden stool took center stage…in the almost empty dining room… Out in the light…hidden stool shone…it’s intricate beauty…the sheen of the wood…the glass ball feet…this old gal’s attention…was drawn to it…time and time again… Hello beautiful stool…thanks for being there…while Grandpa read stories…while Gram did the crossword…during holidays…when the favorite cousins…came to visit… When this old gal…tickles the ivory…needs somewhere to plop the cross stitch…or needs a dangerous place to stand…when changing a lightbulb… Thanks for being a part of the past…a part of the present…and surely…a part of the future… You are beautiful… And this husband of mine has no choice but to…agree…. This old gal…
Loves lilacs…had a bumper crop this year…in the back yard of Old Pink…so pretty…smelled divine…it was flower heaven… Back in the day…when old fashion influencer Teen Magazine promoted expensive shampoos and body lotions…twenty year old me scoffed…declaring she would never…ever…ever…pay 5 dollars for shampoo or body lotion… Then there it was…several years later…15 dollar hand cream…beckoning…in some fancy boutique…dainty packaging…delightfully smelling…of lilac…challenging frugal me saying…you can’t resist this…it’s your favorite…smell…of all time… And resist…afraid not…homed that beauty on my school desk…and for 20 years…used it several times a day… Kids would inhale…when they entered the classroom…say it smelled good…would hold my hand…say I smelled good…and once even…little eyes looked up…and whispered…you smell…just like my grandma… Got a lot of mileage…out of that 15 dollar bottle of hand cream…my last year of teaching…had to cut the bottle in half…to rescue the remnants the pump wouldn’t reach… But…the disadvantage of long lasting hand cream…is that there’s no way to order a second bottle…it only comes in a tube now…and it’s not the same… There’s no pump pushing delight…the tube isn’t dainty…and it sprung a leak…in my purse…but the smell is the same…and is still lilacily divine…and now…best of all…I really DO smell like…someone’s grandma… And those grandkids of ours…agree… This old gal…
Read a poem today…the gist of it being…find joy in what you have… That mother of mine…was friends with the green monster…so much envy…so much jealousy…it was consuming…resented the people where she worked…was bitter when relatives went on vacation…or bought a car…or built a house… Resented those in relationships…even that daughter of hers…high school me was flattered to be asked out on dates…and there were some…just never a follow up…poor young men…always turned down…after a fun first date…because the green monster…was too hard to overcome… Covettess would give the silent treatment leading up to a date…and continue the snub after…throw in the meltdowns and tears…the why can’t it be me sagas…and dating trauma was just too much… The Covettess was blessed with lots…a career…family support…a sense of humor…physical beauty…good kids…no matter how much was given…it was never enough… Her first psych-ward-stay breakdown…came…the day of this old gal’s first wedding…none of us…should have been surprised… It’s not about keeping up with the Jones’s…or the social media influencers…being something you aren’t… It’s about finding what makes YOU happy…setting goals…that work for YOU…tweaking them along the way…and enjoying the treasures that come…no matter how seemingly simple…or small…knowing that YOU…made it happen… And this husband of mine…agrees… That daughter of mine…
Studied abroad in Ireland…those sisters of hers…and their mom…spent a glorious week…on the beautiful island… This trip…was like none ever…no words can describe the splendor of the landscape…castles…hills…cliffs…green terrain…colorful flowers…so mesmerizing… But what drew the eye…were the cottages…with hydrangeas…charming…quaint…delightful…this old gal found…her grown-up dream home… Looked into building a cottage-like house…in the Burg…not practical…planted hydrangeas at Pink Home…failed miserably… Then…realization hit…eyes popped open early one morning…this house…this new house…is a cottage…quaint…charming…colorful… Without knowing it…that Ireland dream house…forgotten when buying Pink…was waiting for this old gal…all along… And with a green thumb…and a lot of luck…will one day be adorned…with hydrangeas… And this husband of mine…agrees… It was kind of a family joke…that no matter where this old gal went…
She would find someone she knew…California…Florida…St.Louis…it didn’t matter…toodling along and hey…I know that person…say hello…haha fancy seeing you here…and on our way… So when my Mr. and I headed to Walmart after our first night in Limbome…it wasn’t too shocking to maybe see a familiar face…but I kid you not…no matter the direction of my gaze…there was someone I knew…from the Burg… One friend greeted me with…hey…are you going to write about Walmart in your blog…gesturing to our meat counter surroundings… And honestly…the thought had occurred to me…there is something to be said about the Mart… Not the fact that we got lost in the parking lot walking to the wrong vehicle after celebrating our prime right by the door space upon arrival…we shall leave that part out… But the realization…that no matter where life takes this old gal…the Burg…the Mart…Timbuktu…I won’t be alone…a familiar face may pop up…and if not…with a few friendly chats…faces will become familiar… So…if you are reading this…my friend from Walmart…hey…thanks for saying hello…fancy seeing you there… And this husband of mine…agrees… This old gal…
Has little notes hidden here and there…all over the house...have done it for years…ever since those daughters of mine were tykes…take a sweet handwritten message…and stick it somewhere…to be rediscovered sometime down the road… The same was done with a few random fortunes…tiny little things…emerging here and there…enlightening this old gal…with their wisdom… So as the sort and purge continued…these treasures kept popping up…in the sock drawer…the recipe box…the box of vintage scarves… The note…from a wise 6 year old…declaring she wouldn’t trade this old mom for Jessica Simpson…and providing a little foreshadowing…concerning a move…some 17 years before… And then those fortunes… You never know who you touch… Your kindness will help brighten a dark room… And this old gal’s favorite… What’s that in your eye?…Oh, it’s a sparkle… Tiny little treasures…taking up very little space…evoking a smile…warming a heart…and reminding me…to never lose that sparkle… And those daughters of mine…agree… This old gal…
Snapped a photo of a letter board…lying precariously on the floor…of that teacher-daughter’s apartment…fell off the sill…she said…and hadn’t had time to fix it up… But that letter board…used to celebrate her FIRST first day of teaching…kind of represented…the year in a nutshell… That first year in the classroom…confused…lost…stressed…doubts…fears…should-haves… But the ABCs…like each year with students…are the building blocks…for creating greater things…rearrange those letters and get…confidence…strength…connection…friendship…knowledge…experience… And with that…comes joy…joy in knowing you’ve done your best…joy in knowing you make a difference…joy in knowing that to teach…is to touch lives…forever… So happy first day of school…my lovely teacher friends…my former little readers…and especially…that amazing and talented daughter of mine… This old gal…thinks you…KNOWS you…are Rock Stars! And this husband of mine…agrees… This old gal…
Is a golfer…a mini golfer…that is…went on a date once…in high school…to a movie…and then mini golfing…date didn’t end well…because high school me…beat that date of mine…couldn’t let him win…because when it comes to mini golf…this old gal…goes for the gold… Fast forward 40 years…been forever since hitting the mini links…that husband of mine and his Mrs…taking those grandboys out recently for a round…that daughter of mine…along for some fun… And fun it was… Perfect day…perfect course…those boys getting the hang of it in a flash…this old gal…a grandma golfer now…still had the touch… And although…it was clear…it wasn’t about keeping score…when it comes to mini golf…one of us…hasn’t lost that competitive spirit…and may have…just may have… Claimed the gold…one more time… And those golfers of mine…agree… |
This Old Gal
Devoted Wife Magical Mom Retired Teacher Embracing life's grand adventures with humor and grace. Archives
July 2024
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