Hello, February–and Winter

We had almost a week of snowy/icy weather, which is fairly unusual for us. School was cancelled for most of the week and a lot of businesses were closed. I didn’t leave the house all week, which reminded me of pandemic days! We are not big football fans but we did watch the playoff game since Philadelphia was playing and that’s my family’s “hometown” team (closest to South Jersey). Rich made us Philly cheesesteaks in their honor. I did a lot of knitting and reading, along with some housework through the week. It was kinda nice!

Finished the first book from my book challenge: a book with a plane on the cover. When I researched books with planes on their covers, Skyfaring came up and I ordered it, only to have it arrive with a different cover, no plane haha, but oh well. It was quite an enjoyable, rather poetic, book written by a pilot. I liked his descriptions of his experiences and learned a few things, too. Also finished my second book: a book about art or music. I am trying to buy used or bargain books and found The Commitments, which I’d loved as a movie years ago. It was a fast, fun read about the rise and fall of a scrappy band in Dublin in the 80s. Then Rich and I watched the movie one night. You know how sometimes you remember something as being really good or fun and then when you revisit it, you’re disappointed? I was kinda worried about the movie since I saw it in 1991! But we both actually liked it a lot and enjoyed the music so much that I downloaded it all. 🙂 I am reading The Badass Librarians of Timbuktu which is my third book from the challenge: a book set in a place you’ve never been. It’s a fascinating tale about old manuscripts that have been kept by generations of families throughout the Mali area and a quest to gather them and preserve them. Meanwhile another night I started on my book 4: a book published the year you were born. I was surprised to see how many good books were published in 1954! I looked through the bargain bin at Thrift Books and found My Left Foot, another book I originally saw as a movie and liked. It’s a quick and interesting read about Christy Brown, an Irish man who was born with cerebral palsy and learned to write and paint with his left foot, the only extremity he had much control over. Thankfully he had a lot of support from his large family and the medical establishment at the time. Amazing how people’s brains and bodies can adapt. Although he couldn’t speak very understandably, it was obvious he was intelligent and creative. I think about others who may be trapped in a body that doesn’t allow them to reach their full potential and who don’t have interested or knowledgeable people around them to seek out resources and adaptive equipment that would make a difference. Especially that long ago it is sad to say he was probably one of the fortunate ones.

Anyone else reading something interesting?

Happy Birthday, Corey!

Our son in law Corey turned 39 at the beginning of Feb. He’s our youngest and the only one left in his 30s. I remember when I first met him when he was still a teenager coming over to my house to see Susan. He was always super helpful, taking out my trash for me and doing little jobs I needed done. He has always been a hard worker, has raised Aidan as his own and has been a great father to Aidan and Ally both. We have lots of good conversations when we’re together and Corey regularly cracks me up. Happy birthday to one of our three great sons in law!

Sporty Weekend in Tyler

We went over for Elle’s soccer game on Friday night and then Beck and Jack’s basketball games on Saturday. Elle is a rockstar on the soccer field and always fun to watch! Beck is doing great as a defender in basketball, really hustles on the court, gets rebounds and steals the ball. Also made a basket! Jack is hilarious and is all over the place. He can dribble pretty well and likes having the ball (Sarah says he’s a bit of a ball hog :)). He made quite a few shots but only one basket. Elle had spent the night at a friend’s but we picked her up before the boys’ games. I love it that their whole family comes out for each other’s games and lends their support!

Sarah and Miles also took us to see some land they’ve purchased for a new housing development Miles will be doing. It’s really nice and they hope to preserve a lot of the woodsy look.

Winter Formal

Well, the kids sure are growing up on me! Ally attended her winter formal and, by all reports, had a great time. Her date is a friend…their parents are friends and they’ve known each other since they were young. She said she’s not that interested in a boyfriend right now and I say “good for you…plenty of time for that!” In fact, she sent me some pix from the dance and they were all of her and her girlfriends so I am not sure how necessary the boys were. haha I wasn’t expecting the cowboy look but they do live in small town Clyde TX so I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. She doesn’t usually wear makeup so I was a little taken aback at just how mature she looks all done up! She’ll be 16 soon. I’m glad she’s enjoying high school and having fun with her group of friends.

Happy Anniversary to Us

The 18th was also our anniversary–when we decided to get married in Alaska, we randomly chose our “next day off” and it happened to be my mom’s birthday. Easy to remember that way!

We had a nice day at home, took some money out of retirement to pay off some bills so that was a really fun start to our anniversary, LOL, but it felt good to get things back to zero. Later we went to dinner at a French place not too far from home–more and more I don’t want to be driving (or riding) all over Dallas in the dark. It was good but not excellent and that always makes me wonder why we spend the money to eat at a restaurant when I can have much better food at home. But I suppose the chef needs a night off too. 🙂

We’ve had lots of adventures in our 18 years and we’re looking forward to what’s next!

92!

The 18th was my mom’s 92nd birthday! She is quite the inspiration to all of us and we always say that she is the coolest Granny around, one that we all aspire to be like. I probably say the same things about my mom every year but they remain true! She grew up in a small town in New Jersey, with her parents and three siblings. She had an older sister, Mom came next, then a younger sister and brother. She went to Catholic school, including Catholic high school, where she is still proud to say she was a member of the drum and bugle corps. 🙂 She had lots of friends and there are still a few of them that she sees today.

She wanted to go to college but her parents couldn’t afford it so she went to work as a secretary for a time, intending to save her money to go to school. Along the way she met my dad who had (I think) dated one of her friends first. He had joined the Air Force and they got married in Dec of 1952 when he was stationed in France. He went back to France and then she traveled across the sea on a ship by herself–I always marvel at this small town girl who left everything she knew for a new life and new adventures far away. She still remembers having lots of fun on the ship, made some friends and they sang and danced and played games all the way to their destination. She mentions a young man from Ireland by name and wonders whatever happened to him.

Luckily she had taken French in high school so she could get by in her new home. At some point, she and my dad lived in a small apartment at a winery. A few years ago, she found some old movie reels from that time and I had them digitized. There’s no sound, but it was a little freaky to see my parents so young and myself as a baby in France. Mom and Dad became close friends with their landlord and landlady and their daughter and kept in touch for many years. Once when I was about 12 and we lived in Germany, we traveled back to visit them.

Mom and Dad had four kids in six years as our family moved from base to base in the military: France, New Jersey, Louisiana, Georgia, Germany, back to NJ, then Texas. We had fun traveling, got to see lots of sights, meet lots of people, make lots of good friends, learn about different cultures and traditions. We had our drama–not much money, a father who was big on authoritarianism and drinking, many rules and landmines for a rebellious teenager. Mom was the glue that held us together, taught us to read early, to recite poetry, to write stories, to sing along with the radio, to do our best in school, to strive for better while trying to keep us out of trouble with Dad.

Dad died young from lung cancer and many years of smoking and drinking, only 42. Even then I knew that was young, but now I marvel at just how young it really was. My sister and I were out of the house but Mom was left with 12 and 14 year old boys to raise on her own. She moved back to NJ, to the same small town where she grew up, where her parents still lived and her sister was in the next town over, where some of my dad’s siblings were nearby and treated her as one of their own. There she got those boys through to adulthood, no easy task with those two. haha She decided to go to college after all and started part time at the local community college, then on to Rutgers to get her Master of Social Work in the class right after mine. We always say with a smile that she followed in my footsteps into social work. 🙂

She worked for many years for the County Office on Aging; she and a friend created a widowed person’s support group while they were still in school and it was implemented throughout the state. She was the director for a long time and eventually retired, stayed on the board for awhile, and is now a board member emerita. She’s been honored a couple of times for all of her work.

Now she has a ton of grandkids and great grandkids, still lives alone and does pretty much anything she wants to do, though she is a bit slower and more unsteady on her feet. She reads constantly, plays games online, gets together with her sister and friends, was in a Red Hats group till it recently disbanded because as she says, “too many died or are infirm now.” She plays dominoes with a group of friends and works out with a trainer. She and her remaining brother and sister take a “siblings trip” every year. She’s always looking for something new to learn or do, whether it’s a new restaurant to try, a place to visit, or a skill to learn. She says she’s not ready to go yet, still having fun!

We try to visit at least once a year; she isn’t that keen on traveling all the way to Texas any more. We had a blast last summer and hope to make it to NJ again soon. She had a good birthday and said she didn’t want to go anywhere because she didn’t want to miss any calls or texts from her many family members and friends. That’s my mom! Lots of people who love her!

Healthy Living

We are constantly a work in progress. I laughingly (or maybe not so laughingly) say that I lose and gain the same several pounds over and over again. When we’re on a plan, we’re really good. Unfortunately, our plans almost always get sabotaged somewhere along the line. We’re back “on” and will see how we do. We’ve been walking more again, and also went back to our gym that we haven’t entered since the pandemic.

I really wish I were one of those people who learned physical fitness habits and other healthy traditions from a young age but I did not. I was always small and skinny so I never worried about calories or exercise. I did not think of myself as athletic and “in my day,” girls were not given very many opportunities to participate in organized sports so my history with sports or physical activity is very checkered and not very proficient! Now I find myself at 68 with a lot less flexibility and strength, as well as needing to lose some pounds. I read an article the other day about various tests you can do to see how healthy you are…one is getting up from the floor with no hands, which I have not been able to do for a couple of years now. Another is standing on one leg for at least 10 seconds, which I can do, but wobbily. So I definitely need to work on those.

Anyhoooo, we took a nice little walk along part of the Santa Fe Trail the other day and had a delicious dinner of grains and veggies with a small piece of halibut on top.

Soccer

Elle’s high school team began their district play this week with two games in Dallas. We love it when she comes to town so we can watch her play without having to travel too far! Her team’s first game was Monday night against Cristo Rey, which ended up being about 40 minutes away with the 5 o’clock traffic. It was quite a blowout with Elle’s team winning 9-0. She had 4 goals and several assists as well. It was sad for the other team and I hated to see such a lopsided game but we always enjoy watching her. That girl has skills!

Tonight their next game was against Bishop Dunne Catholic High, again about a 35 minute drive with evening traffic but not too bad. The weather turned cold so we were all bundled up after Rich wore shorts to the game earlier in the week. He even got under the blanket I brought, claiming this was “the first day I’ve ever been cold in the 7 years we’ve been in Dallas.” I find this hard to believe since we have been out in the snow before but he says he was not cold since he was wearing a coat. Okay I will give it to him….though today was certainly not the coldest I’ve ever been in Dallas. 🙂 Bishop Dunne’s team was shorthanded and only had 9 players. They spent the whole first half playing defense only and we surmised they were trying to tie the game 0-0 rather than losing. Eventually Elle made a goal and then we went to halftime. When they came back, the other team did try to play some offense but we still ended up winning 4-0. Elle had another goal but someone was called offside so it didn’t count. Later she had a nice assist. The boys came this time and we were happy to see them, though they spent the game mostly running around with their friends and not visiting too much. 🙂

Happy Birthday, Susan!

My youngest daughter turned 40 on the 11th. I am having lots of feelings about all three of my girls now being in their 40s! 🙂 Here’s hoping these years are some of the best. xoxo

January Happenings

Lue’s daughter Susan stayed with us for a few days while she was here to visit her mom and brother in assisted living. We all had lunch together yesterday and we always enjoy having her here, talking about life, having dinner and wine, playing board games and hanging out.

I went to my knitting group yesterday and am steadily working on a few scarf projects. We donate these to organizations serving people who are unhoused, who certainly need hats and scarves to keep them warm this winter. During the pandemic, just like I was out walking almost daily, I was knitting all the time, finishing 20 or more scarves to be donated. Now I am lucky to get one finished in a couple of months!

After our knitting group, a few of us stopped by a new yarn shop on our way home. It’s a lovely space with lots of beautiful yarn and various sundries for those who knit and crochet. The store also hosts classes and a knitting group–quite a few people were perched in a couple of cozy seating areas, knitting away on items that were way more advanced than anything I can do! Since I still have lots of yarn at home, I refrained from buying anything else but it was fun to look. We haven’t had a yarn shop nearby in several years so I am glad there’s a new place to periodically peruse.

My book challenge books haven’t arrived yet but I bought a novel I’d read about online, The Slowworm’s Song, by Andrew Miller. I have mentioned I am in my “Irish phase” since our trip last summer and this book is about an English soldier who served in Belfast during “The Troubles,” looking back on his life and a life-changing event through a letter to the daughter he never really knew till his later days. It’s beautifully written and sad and moving and I hope ultimately redemptive but I will let you know. 🙂

My mom, sister and I play Word Chums online (like Scrabble) and for a brief moment one day, we were all tied at 113 points. 🙂 My sister probably went on to win. Though we all have decent vocabularies, she is a retired English teacher and taught gifted/talented for years so she’s a bit more advanced than Mom and me. I can beat lots of people in Scrabble but I have a hard time getting past her. Dammit. 🙂