Every cloud.....

Apparently,....... has a silver lining.
And,.....rarely do we see that lining while the storm is raging.
I almost never do...
But after the fear has passed...
and the air is clean and fresh....
I receive little wisps of feelings that say,
"you don't know the whole picture here, just wait."
And when I have the where with all to just sit and listen..... it usually comes to me.
Never while I am distracted by the clouds and the rain and the lightening, and the thunder, ooh the thunder is the worst part of it all.
Loud, raucous, impolite, and scary.
I feel like a child again and try to hunker down a little, and wait for it all to pass.
I am so grateful for the storms though, because life feels so sweet as the storm passes, and the sun starts to peak out from behind the clouds.

Chick's Kick weekend....

My girlfriends from junior high school and I go to the beach every once in a while.
We sit around a catch up on all the kids and men in our lives. We re-acquaint ourselves with each other and we relax.
This time is a little different, we are missing one of our parts.
Not all of us can come, because of prior commitments, and one of us is no longer living in this dimension.
We miss Anne.
We have not been together since the funeral.
We will have to confront the sadness.
We will do it together.
But it is difficult, especially when we all are not able to attend. I have to admit, I go this time, merely because I feel I should. My closest friend will not be there. It is hard to think in those terms, but it is the truth.
I want us all to become closer somehow.
It is like our childhood is slipping away so fast now, that I can hardly remember it.
Example;
As I "googled" the route, and the address of the condo (which I had been to before, but couldn't for the life of me remember) I realized that this condo is within blocks of where the oceanfront house of my childhood was located.
It belonged to the grandfather of my best buddy, growing up. We spent many an evening there, conspiring how we would sneak out and check out the beach at night. It is no longer there either, it is now replaced by a high rise something or other. It was a very cool house, even without A/C. It had a massive fireplace and mantle, a gigantic family room and screened in porch that stretched the length of the house on the ocean side. Hammocks from Pawleys Island, rockers painted white, and lots of breezes, even in August. It was magical.
I have always been a beach person.
Most people are one or the other,
Beach people or Mountain people.
My parents are Mountain people.
They do not like the beach, too much sand, salt and hot.
I loved it the moment I stepped foot on the sand.
Going there this time is packed with emotions.
On the one hand,
I can't wait,
and on the other,
I dread the "reality hit".

Summertime...

Is there anything better than the smells of summer?

I just don't think so.... I love the smell of fresh brewed tea...
and the aroma of freshly cut basil.... and Roses.........and the ocean....and Coppertone suntan lotion......and dirt, yes I love the smell of dirt, even red clay, which I have grown up with....
All of this means that I am outside and loving the fact that I don't have to put on a sweater, coat or even a scarf....I actually love to sweat while sitting in the sun, pretending to soak up some rays...
Just the thought of sitting for a few minutes doing nothing, makes me extremely happy. I treat myself these days to just that ....a few minutes everyday to do nothing. I feel amazingly refreshed after about 20 minutes of horizonal living. I shut my eyes and breathe, smell the smells, and thank God that I have this luxury.

Sunshine....

I love sunglasses.
Especially cheap ones. I buy tons.....
then I have them in all the cars, all the purses, and by every door.
Even though I like my eyes, I really like the feeling of hiding a little behind those dark lenses.
When I am a little puffy-eyed, from lack of sleep, or pollen, I like the confidence that the shades give me.
I love driving along with my sunglasses in my sporty new red Fit (Honda), because young men turn and look, ........if they only knew.
If I had tons of money, I would still buy cheap sunglasses, as I tend to forget where they are and sometimes, I sit on them.
I love the way little girls look when they try on my big ol' glasses, like an odd fish of some kind.
The dollar store is the best place to buy them.

Piggies...

My Piggie Bank is one of my favorite Desk occupants.
Penelope is sweet, and quiet.
She goes by Penny for short, especially when she is full.
She never tells me what to do, or criticises....
She is soft, and innocent.
She is just like me in the weight department.
We gain, we lose, we stay slim for a while, and then out of the blue, we are plump again. How does that happen, Penny ol' girl?
Well, one thing for sure, I never have to worry 'bout my sweet piggie. She will stick with me thru thick and thin, no pun intended....
Well, maybe.
The one thing that Penny has, that I am a bit jealous of...Her cute little curly tail. How sweet is that ? Check it out. I'll bet if I could manage to grow one of those, all the boys would be checkin' out my back side. Guess for now I will just have to be content with our relationship as it is....Pig and pal. Ciao!

The eyes have it...

Yes, this is what your nightstand looks like when you turn 50. Dozens of cheap reading glasses, in a pile, so that you are never far away from being able to read.
You might wake in the middle of the night and be unable to fall
asleep, you'd better be prepared. Only a stack of glasses is sufficient. If you only have one pair, you will be searching for the rest of your so-called middle age.
Conveniently, I have this wonderful mother of pearl, and wood tray in which to keep mine for just such emergencies.
Other things you will find in your nightstand are;
Advil,
Aspirin,
cough drops,
Kleenex,
earplugs (especially for spouses of snorers),
pencils and paper, so you won't forget the thing you thought of in the middle of the night,
lip gloss,
nail clippers,
a magazine or two,
bible,
heating pad,
phone,
phone book,
children's parents' numbers,
God box (for dreams),
Journal,
meditation books,
more magazines,
lint,
eye drops,
and yes,
more eyeglasses......
Now you know,
middle age is not for sissies.