Premature Honeymoon

Young people nowadays have a way of putting the cart before the horse---babies often arrive long before the wedding, co-habitation is a way of life. At the other end of the spectrum, seniors are doing the same thing (except for the babies, of course). My granddaughter and her boyfriend will soon be embarking on his sister's aborted honeymoon. The wedding has been called off, the honeymoon is paid for, so a free trip to Disney World is available. Go for it, kids! You're not the first couple to take a premature honeymoon.

Obsession

The DH is obsessed with re-creating his mother's cooking. I'm sure many of us believed our mothers were the world's best cooks, but get real---we were kids! Kids are expected to eat whatever is put in front of them. The latest obsession is focused on kuchen. After 3 tries, I finally got it right so kuchen will have to be added to the menu. Another favorite of his is anything made with ground cherries, something I'd never even heard of, but we now have seedlings growing in our kitchen. DH is looking forward to ground cherry pies and jam. If he expects me to make cheese pockets, I'm selling the stove!

A Leap of Faith

Life is not always easy. If it were, we'd be bored silly and would have no reason to be here. When confronted with a life-changing decision, it's often necessary to take a leap of faith and just go for it! Have confidence in your abilities, listen to the small, still voice of your inner self. Fear is an impediment to progress and achievement. A plunge into unknown territory can be frightening as well as exhilarating but each success depends on hard work, a certain amount of luck and a large dose of determination. Take a good look at yourself in the mirror and say, "I can do it!"

Staying Young

In many ways we seem to be healthier and happier than our children. The kids have had multiple medical problems---brain tumor, gall bladder, hiatal hernia, stroke, separated shoulder, back problems, arthritis, depression---just to name a few. This younger generation is behaving more like they're the older generation. We don't feel old, but I'm sure some of our children do. Well, they'd better get healthy because when we DO start acting our age, we'll need them to take care of us!

Harness the Wind

While we're traveling we are seeing more and more wind turbines. They're springing up like mushrooms across the country. From Texas to the Dakotas the huge windmills are becoming a part of the landscape. We often speculate on the tremendous task it must be to set up these giants. Thousands of years from now, our future progeny will be viewing them with awe, as we view the pyramids and Easter Island. Thanks to the enterprising people who harness the wind, the Earth may have a longer life.

Earth Day 2009

Today is Earth Day, a time to contemplate our role in keeping the Earth healthy. Small things do count, you know. Turn off lights when you leave a room, take short showers, open the door of your dishwasher to let the dishes air dry, hang heavy clothes on an outside clothesline---every little bit helps. Grow your own produce, plant a tree, shop on your side of town. Instead of buying everything new, trade with friends and family or shop garage sales. Donate unwanted items to the Salvation Army or the Goodwill rather than throwing them out. We only have one earthly home and it doesn't look like there are any other habitable planets for zillions of miles, so we need to treat this big blue marble with kid gloves!

Who ARE You?

Now and then, I'll be out shopping and a stranger will approach me asking, "Are you Janice?" When I answer in the affirmative, the person will invariably state, "I went to high school with you." Well, I have no idea who this wrinkled face belongs to, so I respond with, "...and you are?" All I can say is that this couldn't possibly be, because these people are way too old. When I mentioned it to my husband, he unsympathetically asked if I'd looked in the mirror lately---not if I can avoid it, my dear!

Canned

The DH is at it again! We haven't even been home a week and he's already started canning for next Winter. He's thinking the economy is going to get worse so he's canning everything in sight---pork, chicken, beef, whatever. When his garden vegetables are ripe in the Fall, he'll be packing those into jars also. It's too bad he can't can some of his excess energy---we'll be needing a shot later on.

Precious Treasures

When our children are young, our entire world revolves around them. They unerringly consume every minute for many years--our lives aren't our own. Does she have a temp? We'll need a sitter for Saturday night. The kids want to go to Disney World, can we afford it? He needs new shoes so I'll have to get by with my old ones. On and on, parents make sacrifices for their precious treasures. The hugs and kisses and the "I love you Moms" make it all worthwhile but when the kids are grown, we can't help but heave a sigh of relief--free at last! Then our time comes, when we can reconnect with each other and not feel guilty. After retirement we have a tendency to become very selfish, but we've earned the winters in Arizona, the trips to Las Vegas, the dinners out. We still love you, kids, but it's your turn to make the sacrifices!

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Upon arrival home the DH went directly to his garden. He was on his hands and knees all afternoon yesterday planting potatoes and onions. We have a neighbor, basically a good guy, who's always offering to help. So, while we were out rummaging this morning, he decided to plow our garden. Surprise! Of course, he started on the outside rows where the potatoes and onions had just been planted. Now we don't know where they'll come up but they definitely won't be in the nice straight rows that the DH planned. You can't be upset with somebody for doing a good deed or can you?

Home At Last

The only thing more frustrating than packing up to go home is unpacking when we get there. The house is filled with boxes, tubs, bags---you name it. The trip home was uneventful, thank God. Of course, no matter how careful the DH is with winterizing the pipes and appliances, something always happens while we're gone. This year it was a broken pipe in the basement. When the serviceman turned the water on at the curb, we had a waterfall downstairs. A handyman friend is on speed dial for just such catastrophes. If we don't call him by the middle of April, he thinks something's wrong. Now that we have water, it's nice to be in a real house again--until next Fall.

He is Risen

It's Easter! What a glorious morning. This is the yearly reminder of God's will and plan for us. He loved us enough to send a Saviour to show us the way back Home. Every Spring when the grass peeks through the ground, the trees leaf out and the flowers grow buds, we are seeing the resurrection first hand. From starkness comes rebirth and we have proof that the circle of life continues. God gave us all free will---let's try to use it intelligently.

Cut Those Calories

I always start the winter with good intentions: lose weight and exercise every day. This lasts for awhile and then the old habits return. The walks become shorter and less frequent, cookies and candy reappear in the pantry. Socializing with friends just isn't the same without food and beverages, so we all try to outdo each other. Add the eating out and it shows up on our expanded waistlines. Oh, well, the summer regimen will soon start and I hope it's more successful!

Home Again

We've been away from home for nearly 6 months---long enough. It's time to stop vacationing and restart our other life. The garden needs planting, the yard needs mowing, and the lake needs fishing. Besides that the grandkids need hugging. It's been a wonderful Arizona winter but the Sunshine State is luring us back. Who says you can't go home again?

Winter's End

Well, it's time to leave the old swimming hole and start the trek home. Packing and cleaning have begun and will be in full swing for the next couple of days. It's sad to close up for the summer but we can't hang around for 110-115 degree days. It's time to begin a new adventure and South Dakota is looking better every day, snow and all!

Home is Where You Hook Up

The old saying, "Home is where your heart is", remains true but for the Snowbirds, home is where you hook up. I marvel at how versatile we are in our advanced age. We settle into the RV, putting up with the one-butt kitchen, the walk in, back out bathroom and the wall-to-wall bed. It's like living in a doll house. We decorate it to fit our lifestyle and blissfully exist for 5 or 6 months. After awhile, I begin to long for larger spaces and a yard with grass, so we head for home. When we've been there for awhile, we start making frequent trips to our cabin on the lake. Needless to say, we love this nomadic life and are perfectly happy wherever we hook up.

Safety First

If there's one thing the DH has learned, it's the Arizona traffic laws and he's a very safe driver because of it. A year ago, we were stopped by a highway patrolman as we came out of a casino. The light turned red too quickly, we went through it and he appeared out of nowhere. The first question he asked was, "Have you been drinking?"---it was 8 AM and we'd just come from breakfast! Well, he wrote a ticket and wished us a nice day. Too late! After a trip to the county courthouse the DH was given two choices---pay a huge fine or spend a day in Traffic School. He opted for the class, which cost as much as the ticket, but it prevented an increase in insurance. He learned a valuable lesson, in spite of the fact that he took a lot of ribbing from his friends. There's a reason for everything and maybe that class saved our lives!

On a Mission

It seems like there are more and more homeless people in town. Yuma maintains a mission and a food bank that provide clothing and food for those in need. They offer huge meals on holidays, feeding hundreds of hungry souls. Thank God for these generous people. Our camp has donated thousands of dollars in the past, but nothing was done this year. Shame on us!

Fill That Van

It's finally happened. After spending several winters in the land of the ancient hunter/gatherers, I've become one. While they hunted for animals and gathered edible roots and berries, I've been hunting through the flea markets, gathering treasures to take home. Now that the long trek will soon begin, I'm searching the RV's nooks and crannies for items that have been stashed and forgotten. The biggest chore, however, will be to prove to the DH that everything will fit in the van!

Waste Not, Want Not

A favorite activity in camp is dumpster diving. Somebody is always tossing out a usable object and an observant soul soon claims it as his own. One morning we placed an old television set next to the dumpster and within a half hour, it was proudly riding in the back seat of a neighbor's car. Of course, it works the other way also. We've rescued rugs, an umbrella clothesline, a footstool, lawn chairs, etc. It's almost better than shopping at the Mexican flea market!