Today…this old gal…
Celebrates that middle beauty of hers…looking through photos…was amused…at how expressive little Smidge was…time and time again… Thoughts went to that Seinfeld episode where Elaine is obsessed with the exclamation point…feels that line with a dot…perfectly describes excitement… And so…it just has to be…that if this daughter of mine…were a punctuation mark…she would be…an EXCLAMATION POINT… Dynamic…bold…spirited… Energetic…strong…lively… Finds the humor…in herself…in her circumstances…is boisterous…and fun… Fiercely loyal…supports her people…sees the good…and fights for it… Anyone lucky to have Smidge as part of their story…knows that page…is filled…with exclamations of joy…and wit…kindness…and love… So HAPPY BIRTHDAY…my sweet young lady…here’s wishing you… THE MOST WONDERFUL OF DAYS!!! And know…that you are loved… Period… And this husband of mine…agrees…
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This old gal…
Has been cleaning out her Google Photos…got the warning that storage is almost full…and in a ridiculous battle over principle…has been trying to avoid that minimal charge… Photos go back as far as 2014…fun to reminisce…relive some happy times…find some empowerment…in pushing that trash can on photos…no longer important… Progress is slow…for this old gal finds herself more apt to pitch the Instagram perfectly posed pics…in favor of the rejects who would never pass muster…even with the filteriest of filters… It’s those shots before the pose…or after the pose…or between poses…that are priceless…the way your favorite people really look…when they laugh…or frown…or roll their eyes…those expressions…they don’t even know they have…but to you…makes them who they are… So…ok Google…you may just win this battle…Magicalmom can’t put a price on being able to tap an icon…and have her people right there…smiling back at her…filling a void…she didn’t even know was there… And this husband of mine…agrees… This old gal…
Picked up our plant child…Summer…from camp…that dear friend of mine…willing to care for her…during the crazy months of the move… Kind of dreaded getting Summer…not sure where she would fit in Little Cottage…those branches…blobbing this way and that…so disheveled…so sad… a plant…only a father could love… But this friend of mine…apparently didn’t hold just some ordinary Summer camp…oh no…it must have been some highfalutin health thing…cuz this Summer…has changed shape…slimmed down…looks radiant…not the Summer we left behind… This miracle worker friend of mine gives plant food and a trimming some credit…but truly…it was green thumb magic…and the loving care of a dear friend… Summer…likely slated to be hidden in a back room…instead residing front and center…proudly showing off her new look…says thank you…thank you…thank you very much… And her parents…agree… This old gal…
Is greeted every morning…with a smile…getting ready for coffee…lifting the lid to the pod container…there he is…that pizza making brother of mine… Saying hello… Enjoyed those college daughters of mine…three months during Covid lockdown…they doing classes online…the oldsters in the house going for Sunday drives…every day of the week… Came home one day…to a Where’s Waldo kind of game…14 pizza man photo heads…cleverly hidden by those nieces of his…throughout the house… Never knew where one would emerge…some hidden in plain sight…others a little more tricky…this one…coffee head brother…was the last to be noticed…even though the lid was lifted each and every day… So good morning…oh brother of mine…thank you for the smile…and thank you for bringing back memories…of a time…of uncertainty…and fear…where unplanned family time proved… That we are better…together… And those daughters of mine…agree… This old gal…
Has a confession to make…it’s kind of embarrassing…but it is…what it is… Many moons ago…when expecting me was expecting…she always wanted the baby to be…a boy…pictured herself the mom of boys…a little rowdy…a little ornery…the twinkle in the eye…no need to do hair… Didn’t have gender reveals back then…just a surprise…was so sure each was a boy…girl names…were almost an after thought… But Someone had other plans…and with each little girl…there was never any looking back…this old gal was gifted…with exactly what was wished for…a couple were ornery…one was definitely rowdy…and all three…have that twinkle… One…a talented stylist…did the sister hair…one…an obsessed rule follower…kept us all in line…and one…the ultimate cheerleader…encouraged the team…to support each other…and each…with that quick wit and beautiful twinkle…kept us all…seeing the joy…in our every day… So happy Daughter’s Day…late of course…but hey…with this old gal…every day…is Daughter’s Day…just like for those ladies of mine… Every day…is surely…Mother’s Day… And those precious girls of mine…had better…agree… This old gal…
Entertains herself daily…with inner dialogue…sometimes it’s shocking…where the head chatting starts…and where it ends… Started with Harry Potter…this old gal thinking she needs to get going on it…then ponders as to why she feels guilty reading during the day…like daytime is for chores…not reading… This morphed into how teenage me had no problem coming home from the morning shift waitressing…plopping on the bed…reading the day away…engrossed in those oh so realistic Harlequin Romances… Next thought detour…ended up at that teenage job of mine…loved waitressing…til one day a bus boy felt the need to share…what the other waitresses…grown adults…moms with kids…were saying in the break room… They don’t like you…he said…they think you’re fake…fake nice…and that’s where this thought journey ended… Fake nice…pfffff…what did those women know…this old gal raised three daughters…worked with thousands of kids… There’s no way…no way on Earth…that any 16 year old…at 6 am in the morning…could be fake anything…there’s just…no…way… And teenage me…would have agreed… This old gal…
Made egg bake for lunch… Love the dish…this time used sausage instead of bacon…it was still the bomb-diggity… Egg bake…funny enough…is one of those things…that is a memory trigger…good memories…happy memories…memories of that person…who introduced us… We all have one…a special person…someone not mom or dad…but just as important…who…when looking back…impacted your life…deeply… And so it is…with my egg bake person…60 year old me…smiling at sausage egg bake on the counter…celebrating all those valuable lessons gifted over time… How to garden…freeze corn…can beans…the deliciousness of creamed chicken…chicken casserole…and the knowledge that no one will ever make mashed potatoes…as scrumptious…as she… Demonstrating the importance of family…Birthdays…Sunday dinners…Christmas Eve oyster stew…homemade ice cream…on Fourth of July… And the lesson most needed of all…proof that love can be unconditional…Special Person…a no drama mama…a steady Eddie…orange slices on the counter…cookies in the freezer… A welcoming smile…caring heart…quick wit… Thank you for the gift of you…and thank you for showing this old gal… How to be the best grandma…ever… And those daughters of mine…agree… This old gal…
Loved Scholastic Book orders…the thrill of seeing that little white box…with the red lettering…on the teacher’s desk…knowing within…lies a printed treasure… Those Snoopy books…by Charles Schultz..were favorites of little me in the 60s…still treasured today…and makes one ponder on what…at this stage of life… Happiness Is…Let’s see… *Grand Adventures *Getting lost *Endless episodes of Seinfeld *Whole catfish *Getting lost again *Rock hunting *Pretending to hate squirrels *Trying something new…and liking it *Being brave *Getting lost again…then unlost *Getting rid of gunk *Hibiscus blooms and lilacs *Family…friends…foot rubs and Frosted Flakes *Finding humor in the every day Happiness Is…simple and complex…peaceful and raucous…growing old while staying young at heart… Happiness is five years of you…and me…together... Happy Anniversary…dear husband of mine. We are lucky…lucky indeed… And Happiness Is…knowing that my Mr…agrees… This old gal…
Had to be a real life Columbo…in the shower…solving the mystery of the heart beat pipes…on with the shower…so starts the heartbeat…rhythmic…loud…pulsating thumps…echoing in the small confines… Tacky horror flick expert me…first rules out spooks…thought maybe it was air in the pipes…but no…‘‘twas a steady beat almost like…a drip…pulled the little knob on the tub spout changing water flow…shower stops…so does the drip… Panic sets in…what if…it’s a steady drip…a fast steady drip…going on for years…in the wall behind the shower…wreaking havoc to the floor below… Overactive imagination me…sees rotting floor…mini tub with extra weight showerer…plunging to the depths below…not the way to go…and certainly not a sight any EMT deserves to see… Columbo me…ear against the stall wall…water pelting the face…hands fighting off the octopus of a plastic liner…searches for the heartbeat source…not near the shower head…lower…lower…closer to the spout…this gumshoe skillfully noticing…the sound is not coming from the wall at all… It would appear…dear Watson…that the shower head drips from the bottom…directly on the spout…causing some acoustical resonating echoing to occur… Case closed…let it echo…as long as this old gal is safe from the basement plummet…a little heartbeat…is no worry… And this husband of mine…agrees… This old gal…
Has to give the previous owners of Little Cottage credit…every bit of space in the house is designed to maximize space…to the point that Little Cottage…doesn’t really feel that little… Except when in the shower…thankful the effort was made to install a shower tub combo…but it’s obvious that space was an issue…this old gal isn’t particularly big…but upon stepping behind those plastic curtains…she becomes a giant… The drop ceiling only a foot above…the mini sized version of a standard tub bringing the shower liner elbow to elbow …with ginormous scrubbing me… Add to that…even with weights…the plastic shower liner…has a life of its own once the water starts…puffing in and out waving about…scrubbing me having to fight it off like some big old octopus mid loofa… But it gets the job done…is lime and gunk free…and saves water because there’s never any shower dilly dallying… And this husband of mine…agrees… |
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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