Embrace The Suck

Bands of wind and rain. Had Nor'Easterns that were worse. Electricity out for a few hours last night. Good for sleeping. As if I needed any kind of sleep aid. Dog doesn't like to get her feet wet. The pool is about to overflow. Johnson and Maizey made two trips to the beach to check things out. You know the kind of crazy people you see standing behind the news guy getting pummeled by blowing sand and rain telling people to stay home. He's a grown man but still driving his mother crazy! With this much rain he's sure to be called to work. I'll keep you posted. Merry ME

Memorial Day ...  a time to remember the people who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of freedom. Memorial Day ...  a time to fly a flag, salute a flag and remember what it stands for.  I was raised by a military man whose actions, more than his words, instilled respect for and in our country.  I never fail to stand up and put my hand over my heart when a flag passes by or the National Anthem is played. The sound of a marching band sends shivers down my spine. A man in uniform makes me weak in the knees. Like my mother I shed a tear at the first few chords of "Eternal Father." And like my father I want - no expect - the red, white and blue colors of my country, the flag that has been carried into every battle by all men and women who ever fought for the things it represents, to be treated with respect. My father could recite the all rules of flag etiquette. I learned from him that if a flag is going to be flown round the clock, it needs to be illu...

Yesterday was the 3rd end of the year recital for my writing group -  Chat Noir Writers Circle. There is much to be said about celebrating one's growth and accomplishments. The first year our leader told us we needed to learn to be storyTELLERS as well as storyWRITERS more than a few us vocally rebelled.  I may have been considered one of the ring leaders. Then, as now, I understood the theory behind the whole show thing. Learning to address and make contact with an audience is a confidence booster. Its also a good marketing tool - for our authorship as well as our manuscripts. But I still wanted no part of it. I may have said it before on this blog, so forgive me if I'm being redundant. After my 6th grade valedictory speech, when I thought I was as close to being my all time best as I could ever possibly be, I was put back in my place by my father's cutting words. 50 years later I'm pretty sure he was not overtly trying to hurt me, but most of his words cut like Wi...

Gracie's not coming. Who would have thought there would be legalities involved when a baby girl wants to spend time with Grammy? It will happen soon enough. I'm a grandmother. Aren't grandmothers supposed to know how to be patient? Sweetie's back is healing pretty well. Except that it turns out he's allergic to adhesive so his 4" incision looks like it got hit with a hot frying pan. Surprisingly it hasn't bothered him much. The itching has subsided thanks to steroid cream and good nursing. Suzi shows no sign of a sore shoulder. She can romp and play with the best of them. I'm glad for this but my wallet not so much. I haven't been blogging much due to the fact that my writing group end of the year recital looms large on the horizon. Along with hunting for something new to wear, I've been revising my story. (Both equally difficult) I think down to 1000 words and it's still too long. The reader's digest version is definitely ...

A few weeks ago one of my writing buddies challenged the group to words get up early and write at least 300 words. Thus the Spartan 300 club was formed to remind us that victory goes to the well-trained. So for a few days I stayed up after putting the dog out and tried to think of things to write about. Then I got this brilliant idea to make a program for our end of the year extravaganza and the creative juices flowed through me like adrenaline. Seriously I was at the computer for almost 24 hours straight. I couldn't turn my mind off even when my fingers and back cramped. I amassed way more than 300 words so I had plenty to spare for my dry days.  I'm not finished with the program because I'm still waiting for a few people to send me the information I've asked for. Nothing curbs a creative process like asking for permission or waiting. But I understand how that works so I'm trying to be patient. Okay, I haven't been patient at all. I've asked, begged, na...

Gracie's coming to spend the summer with Great Grammy and her GPa. How cool is that? No more staying up til 3 am and getting up at noon for this nightowl. Did I say, I'm doing the happy dance?

Charlie Webb, Joseph, Ellis, Claude, Frank and Berlie Webb My grandmother was born 120 years ago today. Oh how the world has changed in those years.   Grandmother had 10 brothers and 1 sister. Her mother died when she was just a toddler. This picture of my grandmother, her father and some of her brothers is always a stark reminder of where I came from. Tennessee mountain people. Poor. Motherless. Some prone to drink. Others to meanness. But with hard work and determination each made something of themselves. Today many Webb descendants still live in the Smokey Mountains, the place where my youngest sister now lives - sinking her feet back into the soil my ancestors tilled.  As you can imagine, with 12 kids in one family, that makes for a lot of grands, great grands, etc. We're kind of all spread out now. Grandmother was partially raised by one of her brothers in Washington, D.C. She went to teacher's college and taught a few years of school before getting ...

There are all kinds of special times in the lives of moms and daughters. Weneki and I have celebrated birthdays, graduations, new babies (in the family), and weddings. We've also shared some sad times that made our hearts feel like Swiss cheese. Tonight, I'm thrilled to announce that my brown-eyed baby girl got engaged last week while in Texas visiting her dad. Weneki isn't a traditional girl by any means. Her wedding will be low key without a lot of the fuss her mother might like. If there is one thing I cannot picture, even with my vivid imagination, it is my converse tennis show-wearing daughter getting all dolled up in satin and lace. I asked if she'd consider joining me in Atlanta for a "Say Yes to the Dress" mother/daughter moment but she declined. No real surprise there!  I guess when her baby girl has entered  middle age, a mom just has to sit back and let things go her way.  Not to mention that I'm 3000 freakin' miles away from the planning ...

A couple of years ago when my father was dying and I was trapped in the body of a caregiver, I found a blog friend who was going through the same thing. Only the man she was caring for was her husband, not her dad. There were a lot of similarities in our situations, but a lot of differences too. Needless to say there are common caregiving woes and Patty and I were up to our eyeballs in the thick of them. I loved reading Patty's blog , but I also looked forward to the days she felt like painting and sharing. I was amazed at her ability to transcend her emotions and lose herself in a world of paint. I tried to do the same with words, without the vibrant colors. In the early morning hours, a short time before her Michale died, Patty pulled out her journal of permission slips to "find something positive to hold on to." Funny how your mind words at 2:00am - if it works at all. Patty realized that there must be others sitting in their beds, or chairs, at the kitchen table, o...