Month: July 2010

Friday Flap

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

.:Routines

My day is filled with many routines. One of my favorite routines is enjoying a fresh cup of coffee, while the house is still quiet. I set my alarm early in the morning, specifically to sip my coffee in silence. I enjoy my last routine of the day, too: going to bed.

Most every night, when I go to bed, I lie on my right side reflecting about the day. Oftentimes, ideas for posts fill my head, but because I am comfy in my bed, I don’t make an effort to write my prize winning thoughts down. Though it rarely happens, I continue to tell myself I will remember my ideas in the morning.

In addition to blog ideas, I think about my friends and family. I review what took place during the day, and I consider what may take place tomorrow. And finally, when I have exhausted my mind with thought, I say a prayer.

Once I am done praying, I turn and lie on my back. I listen to the insects of the night and feel the wind on my face from the ceiling fan rotating overhead. I lie there quietly for a few minutes, until I get the urge to turn and lay on my left side. Once on my left side, I snuggle in and drift off to sleep, dreaming of my coffee in the morning.

~

Starting my day with a cup of Joe.
Quiet time moving nice and slow.
The sun rises up and fills the sky.
Soon, the day passes quickly by.
And, off to bed I go.

.:Surprises

Joe and Charlie came running out of Suzann’s house. “Mommy!” They yelled. “We have a surprise for you!”

They were running towards me, each holding a Ziploc bag. As they grew near, I could tell they were not bringing me cookies. I began to get nervous.

“Look!” Joe said proudly. “Cicada shells.”

Yes. My boys surprised me with two Ziploc bags containing several Cicada shells. They love me. My boys really love me. (And, I love Ziploc bags!)

~

Creepy, crawly bugs
An Entomologist’s dream
Lurking everywhere

.:Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end

Look, Joe! Look!

Today, I took Joe to Suzann’s house for the last time. He starts kindergarten on Monday. If you’ve grown tired of me talking about Joe’s first day away from Suzann’s house and in school, rest assured the topic is nearing the end.

I walked into Suzann’s house with a bag full of small containers of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for the classroom. Suzann greeted me, while busily blowing up balloons. On the buffet I noticed three freshly made blueberry pancakes on a plate in the shape J, O and E. The preparations for celebrating Joe’s promotion were underway.

Before leaving, I handed Suzann a book I created, documenting the years Joe spent with her. We both looked at each other, holding back tears. She has played such a big role in Joe’s life, for which I am grateful.

As Joe closes the door to Suzann’s house and opens the door to his new school, I am reminded of an excerpt from Robert Fulghum’s book, ‘All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten‘:

All I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sand-pile at Sunday School. These are the things I learned:

Share everything.
Play fair.
Don’t hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life – learn some and think some
and draw and paint and sing and dance and play
and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic,
hold hands, and stick together.
Be aware of wonder.
Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup:
The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody
really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even
the little seed in the Styrofoam cup – they all die.
So do we.
And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books
and the first word you learned – the biggest
word of all – LOOK.

I believe Robert Fulghum nailed the simplicity of life; though we continue to junk it up with gunk – or gunk it up with junk. Either way, as I watch Joe begin his journey in school, I hope he ignores the gunk and junk and keeps life simple. And, I will do my best to remember the lessons of kindergarten, making my life simpler, too.

~

So begins your school age years.
No doubt I will shed some tears.
Go forth, have fun, keep an open mind.
Listen. Question. Look. Be kind.
And do your best to face your fears.

.::.

What is it about you?

~ Lenore Diane ~ Leave a comment

Today’s commentary is brought to you by my parents. Thanks to my parents, I have picked up many idiosyncrasies and/or obsessions. For instance, today I mowed the lawn. And, thanks to my parents, I mow the lawn in a different direction each week. This morning, I had to mow in the up/down direction (vs. side to side).

I’ve talked about mowing the lawn in previous posts. My parents always mowed the lawn in different directions. And now, I cannot bring myself to mow the lawn in the same direction every time. This obsession stinks, because we have a hill in the front yard and a hill in the backyard. I do not enjoy the days I have to mow up and down the hills; mowing side to side is much easier.

One morning, while I was mowing the lawn (up/down) our neighbor, Ed, walked by our house. Apparently, due to my red face and slow pace, he could tell I was not having an easy time. I noticed he stopped walking, so I looked over to see what he was doing. He was making a side to side motion, letting me know side to side would be easier than up/down. I stopped the mower. “I blame my parents.” I huffed. I didn’t huff because I was mad; I huffed because I was tired.

“My parents always mowed in a different direction.” I explained to Ed.

“You need to get over that.” He said.

“Well, it’s the only exercise I get. It’s not so bad.”

He smiled and said, “Join a gym.” Then he started walking again, and I started the mower and resumed my obsession.

Rearranging furniture is another quirk about me that I believe comes from my parents. Well, my Dad didn’t rearrange furniture, but my Mom sure did. And, I rearrange a room in our house about once every two months. The boys have come to accept my habit of rearranging to the point that they will ask me to rearrange certain rooms. In fact, Charlie recently asked me to rearrange the kitchen. Unfortunately, the kitchen is pretty much nailed down. Aside from rearranging the counter-top, the kitchen will remain ‘as is’.

Another idiosyncrasy I possess relates to my Dad’s smoking habit, though I do not smoke. When smoking and driving, my Dad would rest his elbow on the car door, while holding a cigarette between two fingers and having the tip of his thumb in his mouth. When I am driving in the car, I catch myself in the same kind of pose my Dad had when he was smoking and driving.

Like my Dad, I also possess wrinkles around my mouth and lines on my forehead. (I realize wrinkles and facial lines aren’t considered an idiosyncrasy.) The wrinkles were more noticeable on my Dad’s Mom, as well was my Dad’s sister, though my Dad had the wrinkles, too. And, I speak in past tense, though my Dad’s sister is still very much alive. (My Dad and his Mom died 16yrs ago. *gasp!* Still seems like yesterday on some days.)

I think the wrinkles around the mouth stem from worrying. “Her pursed lips showed concern and frustration.”  Yes, my lips are in a constant state of ‘pursedness’, as I simultaneously raise my eyebrows in concern and shock, creating lines on my forehead…

Our parents pass down more than genes. They pass down habits, addictions, obsessions, idiosyncrasies, looks, etc. And no, we don’t necessarily welcome everything they pass down to us. Still, what is it about you that resembles your parents?

I feel my Dad’s presence every time I catch myself in the ‘cigarette’ pose. When I look in the mirror with pursed lips, I see my Dad in my reflection. Then I raise my eyebrows and see his same lined forehead. As I sit and scoot on my butt, dragging a dresser across the floor, I laugh to myself and wonder where my Mom would put the dresser this time. Though I may curse my parents when it comes time to mow the lawn in the up/down direction, I quite enjoy their presence in other things.

An Escape

~ Lenore Diane ~ 1 Comment

She could hear the rumble of thunder in the distance. Another summer thunderstorm was brewing, triggered by the hot and humid day. She snuggled herself closer, finding comfort in him. She smiled and nudged him, as he wrapped his arms around her.

“Are you ready for tonight?” She asked. “Oh, let’s not talk about tonight, right now.” He said, pulling her closer. “I was hoping we could just enjoy this moment.” She smiled. She was enjoying this moment, as well as the countless other moments of the weekend. She hated that they were heading back tonight.

He surprised her on Thursday, walking into her office unannounced. “We’re leaving.” He said. Startled, she felt her face get warm as she blushed. She had met him only 3 months ago, and the chemistry between the two of them was intense. Lust? Certainly; still, the love was undeniable.

“Our flight leaves in two hours, giving us just enough time to get to the airport and board the plane.” He informed her. “But, what about work?” She asked. She didn’t care a thing about work, but she felt the need to question him a little. “Forget about work. I am taking you away so we can marvel at each other without interruption.” He said with a smile. She laughed. He was a true romantic, but it was his sense of humor she loved most. Well, she loved his hands, too.

Within 4hrs, they had reached a secluded cottage on the shoreline. She remembered how the cottage was set up when they walked in the door: candles, fresh fruit and wine.

The wind picked up, as the thunder grew louder. She stood up, and walked to the bay window, watching the storm approach. He walked over to her. “Maybe the storm will delay the flight.” He said, as he began to run his fingers through her hair. She loved how he played with her hair. “Mmm..” she said. “That would be just terrible.”

She felt a blaze across her dress, as he reached and turned her around to face him. He started kissing her neck, and she heard herself sigh. She placed her hands on his face and brought his soft lips to hers. His hands slid down her back, unzipping her dress.

“The flight.” She moaned. “We’ll catch another one.” He whispered. Her legs became weak, as he looked into her eyes and smiled.  Slowly, he brushed her dress off each shoulder causing it to fall to the floor. She closed her eyes as he started to caress her . . . “Mom! Joe just flushed my wubba nub down the toilet!” And, I’m back. Closing the book, I return to my life as a Mom.