Spinning a Web

I glanced out the cabin window this morning to an awesome sight. A heavy fog had rolled in during the night and covered everything with dew, including a multitude of spider webs. As the sun came out they started sparkling like intricate jeweled necklaces. When you think about it, our lives are much like those spider webs. We're all connected one way or another. How many times have you met a stranger, started talking and discovered that you had acquaintances in common or attended the same school or your great grandmothers were cousins? There's a theory that we're all separated by only 6 degrees. Amazing isn't it? If you pay closer attention, you'll be surprised by the number of connections you can find. Actually, we're using the worldwide web right now!

Cherry Pickin' Time

The quest is complete! Ground cherries are ripe and the DH has commissioned a pie, something he's been waiting for all year. I'd never even heard of the husky little things, much less tasted one. I can truthfully testify now that they are delicious. They resemble a little yellow tomato enclosed in a husk and taste like a sweet cherry. Whoever would have believed it? Determination actually does pay off!

Drip! Drip!

This must be the year of the leaky roof. First the cabin roof sprung a leak and now the kitchen ceiling at home is dripping. We've discovered that 30 year shingles last about 12 years. What kind of a deal is that and what happened to truth in advertising? The roofer is coming tomorrow, so we'll be on pins and needles until the next storm and we're reassured that it no longer rains in our kitchen. Oh, well, I guess I'd be even more concerned if one of US was leaking!

Senior Perks

Being a senior does have a few advantages. For example, we don't have to work or get up early unless we choose to. We get monthly checks for doing nothing. Casinos and restaurants give senior discounts. We get cheap sodas and coffee at fast food joints and free admission to federal parks. If we don't want to participate in something we just say we're too tired and get by with it. We can be really nice to our grandchildren because we know they'll go home eventually. I guess the only disadvantage is that you have to be OLD to enjoy the perks.

Roger Wilco!

During childhood, most of us have had a favorite uncle. Mine was my mother's younger brother, whose given name was Alvin but everybody called him Bud. Uncle Bud served as a tail gunner during the Second World War. Whenever I saw a plane fly over, I would wave and yell, "Hi, Uncle Bud". After the war ended, he came home, acquired a dog and named him Wilco. I asked my mom what that meant and she vaguely replied that it was an Army term. Well, this AM as I watched "Sunday Morning", a musical group named Wilco was featured. They explained that their group is named for a military phrase, "Roger wilco" and wilco means "will comply". After 65 years, I finally have my answer.

Friendly Persuasion

Everybody needs to do a little "buttering up" once in awhile. Persuading another person to do something he or she really doesn't want to do often requires a certain amount of sweet talk. My 16 year old granddaughter needs a car and is in the process of buttering up her father. She also wants a trip to Japan but the car is a necessity and the trip is a luxury. So here's the butter, Rachel, go for the car first!

An Early Fall

The cool, cloudy days are beginning early this year. It seems like we barely had a summer. The kids are already back in school and are gearing up for football season, the garden is pretty much finished producing and the squirrels are harvesting sunflowers. All signs point to a long South Dakota winter. Thank heaven we won't have to be here. Retirement rocks!

Remembering Grandma

Today would have been my grandma's birthday. Since she was born in 1895, she'd be pretty darned old---like 114--but my memories of her are still fresh. Although she's been gone for 43 years, I can still picture her baking cookies, embroidering tea towels, doing crossword puzzles. She was the sweetest person I've ever known. That's probably why I've never forgotten her. She was a very positive influence in my life and I'm still striving to live up to her standards. Hopefully, my grandchildren will have such good memories of me 40 years down the road!

Guardian Angels

I believe in guardian angels with all my heart. When you think you've been lucky in a situation, chances are it was your guardian angel who saved you from an accident or a dangerous decision--luck didn't have anything to do with it. After my first husband died, I surrounded myself with angels of all shapes and sizes. They made me feel safe and gave me hope. They paid off bigtime because after a couple of years, I had a new life. Thank you, Greta!

The Cannery

There's a new casino in Las Vegas called the Cannery. It looks like a factory, a far cry from the glitzy buildings on the Strip. Well, they have nothing on us. Our kitchen turns into a cannery every summer and we win every time we play in it. Instead of quarters and dollars, ours pays off in pints of tomatoes, salsa, jam and corn. The DH gambled on a garden and won!

Back to School

There's an unnatural breeze today, generated by the sighs of a thousand mothers. School started this morning! The kids will be out of the house for the next 9 months---no more late bedtimes, no more teenagers sleeping until noon, the grocery bill will go down---the regimen has started. As their little darlings hit the books, moms can relax a bit. Summer is wonderful but sometimes it's just too long!

Pew!

We have a new odor in our kitchen and it isn't exactly delicious. The DH planted red cabbage this spring and is now harvesting his crop. The first item he requested was vegetable soup made with his cabbage. Well, guess what? The soup was bright purple! I told him there was no way on earth I was eating purple soup and managed to tone it down with tomato sauce. I'll have to admit, it was very good. Now, the latest project is sauerkraut. We have a crock of cabbage fermenting as I speak. No room freshener in the world is going to kill that smell!

Comfort

We're currently having a hot spell and everybody's complaining about the temps. Well, looking back 60 years, I've never had such a comfortable summer. When I was a kid, we had only a fan---air conditioning was unheard of. I remember sweltering in my little bed, trying to catch a breeze coming in the window. Sometimes we would sleep on the screened-in porch because it was a few degrees cooler. In the afternoons we'd beg the ice man for slivers of ice that tasted like little pieces of heaven. The folks had an ice box, not a refrigerator, and had blocks of ice delivered every few days. Mom placed a card in the kitchen window indicating how much she needed. Indoor toilets were still in the future, and necessary trips took place outside through heat, rain, wind and snow. So, if you're unhappy with your situation, how would you like to go back 60 years?

Shopping Service

The DH and I love to go to garage sales, but we really don't need anything. So if anybody in the family wants appliances, clothing, furniture, etc., all they have to do is contact us and we will gladly go shopping. I tell him that's our job on Thursdays and Fridays. It's obvious that we aren't the only seniors rummaging for entertainment---there are a lot of grey-haired shoppers right alongside us.

Honesty

There are times when nothing will suffice but brutal honesty. If a person is driving you crazy with his actions, you need to take the bull by the horns and confront him. Rather than sit and stew or lose sleep, tell him what's bothering you and present a possible solution. If your spouse serves a dish that you don't like, nicely suggest an alternative for next time. A friend who calls too often can be told gently but firmly that twice a week is enough. There's no need to be nasty, but there's also no need to be stressed out. Stress can kill---avoid it at all cost!

Desert Dreams

Fall is fast approaching and I'm hearing a faint whisper in the wind. It's the desert calling---come on down---I have beautiful flowers; I have swaying palms; I have cool nights and warm winter days. Now, how can a Snowbird resist that? In about 2 1/2 months, we'll be packing the van and setting our GPS for the southwest, where the vegetables grow all winter, snow never falls and a new set of friends awaits. How blessed we are to be able to enjoy the best of both worlds!

Another Reminder

We had another reminder this past weekend of how time flies. One grandson reached his 9th year and his brother his 4th. It seems like just yesterday that they were babies. As we witness this growth it is a grim reminder of our own mortality and the brevity of our time on Earth. Life is fleeting---enjoy every day allotted you!

New Age Cooking

Cookbooks will soon be obsolete. More and more we're turning to the Internet for our culinary delights. Drawers stuffed with clippings and cupboards overrun with church cookbooks are almost a thing of the past. Of course, there will always be a demand for Grandma's gum drop cookies or Mom's crispy dill pickles, but it's so much more efficient to hit Google and instantly have a hundred recipes to choose from. Just remember that the main ingredient in all recipes is LOVE.

Dear Husband

I tell the DH that he'll have to stay around for a long time because he's the one that keeps me on my toes. If he were gone, I'd have to spill tobacco all over the porch and then track it throughout the house. I'd have to sweep the kitchen, then go to the garden and leave muddy footprints on the clean floor. I'd have to scatter coffee grounds on the kitchen counter, smear grease on the stove, splatter the bathroom mirror and wipe jelly on the dining table. Sounds like too much work to me, so Dear Husband, please stay healthy for many more years and save my energy!

Sunsets

I never cease to marvel at the beauty of sunsets. I don't care what anybody says---they ARE all different. Whether in the Arizona desert or on a South Dakota lake, each sunset is unique and deserves to be photographed amid a chorus of ooh's and ahh's. God paints us a picture every evening and we are obliged to appreciate it!

The Dent Shoppe

I am so proud of my kids. They've met a reversal of fortunes face on and turned it around to their advantage. Things looked pretty bleak when my son-in-law lost his job of 16 years, but now he and my daughter have started their own shop. This was a dream of theirs for years, and now they've been forced to make that dream come true--probably the best thing that's ever happened. So, if you live in southeast South Dakota and have hail damage or other dents on your vehicle or need touch up painting, call The Dent Shoppe. You'll be pleased with the results!

Sunflowers

The DH planted a squirrel smorgasbord---a row of sunflowers. The squirrels are going to think they've hit the jackpot. Several years ago we had a couple of sunflowers that I just loved, until one day I discovered that the flowers were missing from one of the plants. Of course, I decided that a neighbor had stolen them and I was irate. A few days later, however, I witnessed the culprit harvesting the remainder of the sunflowers. This cute little squirrel had jumped on the stalk until it bent to the ground, expertly gnawed off the flower and scampered up a tree. Now the little robbers will be able to steal flowers with our blessing!

Kiss Off

On a recent shopping trip with my grandson, I purchased a new tube of lipstick. He gave me "that look" and said, "Why do you bother wearing make-up anymore?" I carefully explained that the older we get, the more we fade out and I didn't want to look like a ghost before my time. His reply was, "Why don't you just go with it?" No wonder men and women can't communicate---we're still eons apart!

Woe to the Grandparent

It's frightening to realize how the addition of one person can change the dynamics of a house. We have a tendency to become set in our ways and are quite unappreciative when those ways are changed. We've had a grandson at the lake with us all week and have enjoyed him, but he's interrupted our easy life. We're not used to finding soda cans in the freezer, ready to explode or endless cartoons on the TV or a gallon of milk gone in two days. The garbage set on the ground next to the dumpster has been scattered by a wandering dog and the laptop is producing games we've never heard of. Grandparents love their grandchildren but what they love even more is taking them home!

Go For It!

Yesterday was the annual Lake Campbell Carp Tournament. Fishermen came from miles around to pursue those ugly bottom feeders. Ordinarily, nobody wants carp because they're inedible, but they are fun to catch and it's even better when competing for cash prizes. There's not a fisherman alive that can resist that! After 6 hours of fierce fighting, 620 fish were caught, weighing 2001 pounds. Our boys didn't finish in the money but did have a wonderful time, which was what it was all about anyway.