Saved by a bird and monsters

 Imagine minus fifty degrees, whipping wind, and pitch dark at 2:30 p.m. when the school buses rumbled down our gravel road plinking loose gravel at the sides of our faded green, old trailer on School Road. The stars looked so bright and close you could almost reach up and pluck one. But going outdoors caused breath clouds that froze in midair.

Entertainment was limited to personal interaction with other army wives who played Yahtzee, or watching the only television show, Military History Channel on T.V. Boring! 

In the evening, the six o'clock news was aired live from Fairnbanks, 100 miles away. When the male newscaster came on live, he was often caught licking his palm and slicking his hair down. After local news, Walter Cronkite broadcasted DAY OLD world news. The news reels had to be flown from Seattle to Alaska EACH DAY after the late news in the lower forty-eight. 

You could say we were a day late and a dollar short. We seldom had six cents left over at the end of the month for a postage stamp to write home about our daily lives in Delta Junction, Alaska, a small frontier town at the end of the Alcan Highway.

I discovered two major things in November 1969. I was expecting a baby. YAY! A new television show made its debut. In the first episode, Gordon took a little girl, Sally, on tour of the set to meet Gordon, Susan, Bob, and Mr. Hooper. Names not familiar? How about Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch?

Suddenly my TV viewing options improved. I snuggled in long johns, pajamas, socks, wrapped myself in an olive drab, woolen army blanket, and sat on our couch (a discarded school bus seat with a spring popping up) for most of winter that year. Sesame Street saved my sanity when everyone was going stir crazy from the deep freeze and dark days and nights.  

Happy fifty-third bithday, Sesame Street! 

One ringy dingy; one hour or two; volunteers needed

 Ashley, my great grandson Charlie's mama, looked just like him when she was his age, except she had shoulder length blonde curls. She was as smart, talkative, bold and bubbly as Charlie, too.

I saw a commercial on TV today for the Salvation Army bell ringers. They are  notorious for their red kettles in which they collect donations for the needy. They are in need of bell ringers.

          This is not Ashley. Photo credit: Salvation Army website.

I was reminded of when Ashley was three years old and verbose. My daughter and I were holiday shopping, and at each store we gave Ashley a handful of coins to drop into the red kettles to help the needy. 

Each time she did, the bell ringer would hand her a Salvation Army magazine and say, "God bless you!"

After the third time, she stopped and looked directly at the man and said, "Why do you guys always God Bless me when I don't even sneeze?! And why do you keep giving me the same Karate Kid magazine?"

The cover was a shepherd wearing a head band.

Oh that girl has given me some laugh lines over the years. The hilarity continues. Her two littles are four and five, and they say exactly what they think, too. Thank goodness for eight-year-old Liam who tries to temper his little brothers' freedom of speech. LOL 

Just no stopping it!

There is no stopping some things.  

The boys are growing like weeds. The littles are reading simple words and so proud of themselves; they are very interested in learning. 

Liam is going to be taller than me by his ninth birthday. He was off school for voting, so I took him and his brothers to Suson Park/Farm. They played at the playground, walked around the lake, visited farm animals, and then we headed to Wendy's for $5.00 meal deals. Home for a nap for the littles. Liam thinks he's too big, so he played video games. 

No stopping it. When your body talks, listen! After Charlie and Alex woke up I couldn't find Liam anywhere. Discovered him completely under the covers, stretched across the foot of my bed, snoozing. Had to wake him when his mom came. 

My story, Grease Generously is being read around the world in Chicken Soup for the Soul, My Wonderful, Wacky Family. This one is hilarious. Every family has a wackadoodle. In this case, it was ME. I hope you get a chance to read it.

I also had an essay published in Prairie Times, above the fold, front page! This story is near and dear to my heart about zooming. No, not what you think. This is about a winter day with my son and grandson when I took a dare. 

I have been missing from blog reading and posting because I foolishly ate popcorn with chocolate drizzle. No stopping it, diverticulosis as a result.  Ouch! A week of liquid diet and rest. I am better now, and I am back. I missed you.

The weather in St. Louis, MO has been delightful. Today it is going to be 80 degrees. Can you believe it? But there is no stopping it: winter's arrival. Tomorrow and thereafter, 40s for highs and 20s for lows.  

Alex and Charlie nailed it!

October has been a fun month with the boys. They were happily surprised to find a large pumpkin in the classroom. They tried coloring it with crayon which didn't work very well. Then they decorated it with markers, which worked very well for my little scribblers.

We took it outside on a sunny day and sat in the driveway using hammers and golf tees to pound into the pumpkin. We extended the activity by hammering words and alphabet letters that they recognize. 

By the time they were finished, they had nailed those words and letters, and they had a fun time doing it.

This week we will remove the golf tees and send the pumpkin home so they can watch the deer and wildlife come eat it.

 

Nature's thrills

Autumn is my favorite season. I am in my glory, love the sights and smells of the changing season. Have energy! Even though I do not like or look forward to the shorter daylight hours, I love the majestic trees and thrill at the secrets that float through the back door on a breeze: someone is cooking cabbage. A pizza is in someone's oven, and I know who is going to have pumpkin pie or muffins for desert.

As the leaves let go, the sound of the freight train off in the distance, on it's predawn run, seems louder with fewer buffers to dull the rumble.  My imagination runs along those rail tracks from state to state imagining...

Alex and Charlie and I went to the park to crunch in leaves, look for colorful baby maple leaves, and sing songs to squirrels. 

They rode their trikes on downhill paths, one zooming out of sight and the other bellyaching it was too hard to peddle back. But they did, with a little help from me. We had fun, made memories, enjoyed the sun on our cheeks and the breeze in our hair. Ahhh, fall.

The boys posed for me, and I developed the photos of them "blowing" then pressed the leaves we collected between contact paper to preserve them. I can't get Alex's picture to post correctly, but it is equally as cute. 

Are the leaf colors peaking where you are?
 

I've been shot.

I scheduled my second Covid booster for Friday evening at a local pharmacy.

I thought I knew what I was in for since I have had terrible reactions to the vaccines. Literally wiped out and suffering from teeth-chattering chills, but no fever, for one and a half to two days. Doctor tells me that means I have a strong antibody.  

If only THAT had been the worst of it. I filled out my paperwork and when the pharmacy tech called my name, she asked if I was back in town. I told her I'd never left town. She asked my birthdate and middle name again. Then she said, "I see you have recently received the vaccination."

Nope! "Well that's weird, there is another person with your exact name and birthdate, and she lives in your zip code.

I laughed and explained I had received her birth control pills once when I was waiting for antibiotics. We had a laugh. Then she asked when I returned to St. Louis from Kentucky.

"Never been there, didn't reside there, but last year when I received my first booster the paharmacist entered my address as a town in Kentucky. 

Her eyes widened and she said, "Wow! That is jacked up! Should have never happened. Has fouled up everything in the system. This is serious."

I had caught the error and asked the pharmacist to enter my correct address, and they claimed they did. I even called the next day to confirm. They said it was taken care of.

Pharmacy tech said, "Obviously if they changed it, they didn't SAVE the changes. Serious stuff!"

I asked, "As in sue the pharmacy, serious?"

"Oh no-no-no. I can take care of this, but it sure is jacked up."

Now, I ask you, would YOU have chosen that terminology even if it WAS jacked up?

Perhaps, in my heading I should have said I've been innoculated or vaccinated instead of shot. See how words matter?

Hey, Teacher!

 There is something amazing about friendships that survive pandemics, long distance division, and the imminent arrival of a hurricane.

Dianna Graveman, Mary Menke, and I met through St. Louis Writer's Guild. Dianna, a fabulous writer/editor moved to Florida six years ago, and Mary also a fabulous writer, who lives in town, has been busy teaching and editing.

Dianna and I each developed anthologies for Publishing Syndicate and produced titles in the Not Your Mother's book collections. We've done book signings and presentations together at conferences and writing workshops. We are writers who write! 

Former teachers (grade levels from prekindergarten through college) and published writers, we all felt a strong connection.

When Dianna mentioned she was coming in town for a brief weekend stay, we reunited. The best part about seeing our dear friend (and how much weight she's lost) was being able to pick up right where we'd left off six years ago. Now that speaks to our close friendships despite absences and life's ups and downs. 

Schlafly's outdoor patio on a fall afternoon was the perfect place to gather, gab, and grab a bite. 

I have lost so many friends early in life, so I know how important it is to stay connected. I treasure these friends. 

Dianna's family had minimal hurricane damage and now we are all off in our own whirlwinds doing what we do best, writing, editing, living life's crazy ups and downs. 

How do  you foster friendships?