Friday on My Plate

It’s midafternoon on Friday, October 23. My oldest’s birthday was Tuesday, and we met for breakfast at Village Inn. I couldn’t tell you the last time we saw each other. He has crazy work days and since he’s in the restaurant business; he likes to relax when there is a rare day off. He works a second job cleaning the restaurant daily, so whether he cooks a shift or two, he is still up super early to clean. He has no responsibility other than himself, and he is a very hard worker. Always has been.

It became a standing joke between us what kind of card I bought him year after year. One year, I really goofed! I bought the same wordy, mushy card I bought the year before. Color me embarrassed! Plus, the mushy ones are long and – well, mushy. So this time I bought a funny one. It was a hit. He’s a good man, and I’m always happy when I’ve been around him. He just gets life. He is always happy, and contented, and doesn’t bother anyone. We reminisced about some stuff and laughed about many things. It was good. I walk away feeling like I did something right. What a great feeling for a parent.

It is a cold, windy day here at the home office in Gretna, Nebraska. Supposed to snow Sunday. I hope it does, Colorado desperately needs moisture. They predict a moderate snowfall to fall over the weekend. The edge of a fire is five and a half miles from my daughter’s house in Fort Collins. She sent the photo of their street yesterday afternoon. It was just like you see on the news. Orange, smoky sky. I pray she, her husband, and their babies and dog are alright. We appreciate prayers.

Rocky Mountain National Park is being pummelled by fire. A friend who lives in Scottsbluff posted on Facebook yesterday a call went out to anyone owning a horse trailer and truck, requesting they come immediately to help move some horses. The poor creatures! I also see photos of Elk herds, all gathering close to lakes in Estes. My heart hurts knowing this. It’s our favorite place to vacation and explore.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The Babe removed all outdoor furniture from the deck and patio this morning. Our empty turquoise planters are on either side of the garage door now, waiting for me to create some Christmas decoration to put in them. I need some zip ties and wire, probably, to hold them together and sink the wire deep into the flowerpots, so nothing blows away. First time they do, we’re done with decorating.

The kids and I used to have a lovely tradition of lighting the house up through the Christmas season. They would put up everything during the day on Thanksgiving while I prepared our feast. It was a great deal of fun. We would have dinner between four and five, then gather outside in the street (we lived on a dead end so no, we weren’t in traffic!), and Frankie would throw the switch and Voila! It was magnificent, each year better than the last. They could go on the roof, play with electricity, and have fun being the men of the household, planning the display and working together to accomplish something good. I miss those times, too.

I am going to do a lot of computer work this weekend. I need to upload some things for the VFW Post website and get more active for both Instagram and TWITTER accounts, both for the Post and my personal author one. I also need to reorganize my workspace. I spent the whole Zoom session with Sam without my printed copies of what we were talking about. Right after our conversation, I looked down and saw my open leather satchel, unzipped, with papers and yellow legal tablets sticking out of the top. My papers! I forgot to take them out after my writing session at Panera’s Tuesday, while waiting for Mom to get finished with her perm. It seems like it’s been a very long time since Tuesday. I need to just sit and read a book or two. It’ll happen again, this weekend.

Stay Safe, friends. Be Kind. Be Courteous. Be Careful out there. Hoping to see you again tomorrow. Thanks for reading today.

More Monday

I just had a scare. After the Babe left for the VFW Post to do bookwork, I saw a clip of the news with firefighters at yet another apartment fire at 106 & Charles. My pulse quickened, my stomach rolled, my heart was in my mouth. Not again. Not another crappy life event for my eldest, Frankie and the roommate, Ryan. Not again. Please God.

Luckily, the Babe was at 108 & Maple and could run over to see exactly where the fire was. Whew! It was in a different building, one Frankie lived in when he thought his girlfriend would move in with him. So glad he dodged the bullet – (both of them). All is well, my pulse is now normal, stomach back where it belongs, and my heart is back on my sleeve. Back to normal.

This morning is a trip to the dentist. I’m a teeth grinder. I’m not aware of it, I just do it a lot. I often wake up with huge bites in my cheeks that I have no idea where they came from. My son Nick does it, too. I have some triangular bone fragments in my lower jaw that are sharp enough to interfere with my partial bridge. Sometimes they dull on their own, other times a grinder has to have surgery to remove the bone fragments. Wow. I’m hoping they are better than a month ago and don’t need a surgical intervention.

Yesterday afternoon, we attended the Parents/Grandparent’s show for Addison. She has attended Acapriccio Dance Studio since age two and a half. She has come a long way from that little girl who, at her first recital, marched on stage and faced the back curtain. After her first twirl, she figured it out and was flawless the rest of that first performance. Now she can flip without putting a finger on the floor, she can twirl again and again and again and again . . . until I get dizzy watching. She is tall, beautiful, and man, can she dance. You can tell she has put ten years of hard work into competition dance. As has her family. The families dedicate themselves and all the members of each family to competition dance each year. It keeps the kids busy beyond belief.

Watching the girls yesterday – all of them, from the tiny tots to the high school girls – I saw little girls with dreams become young women with crazy skills. We have seen many of the high schoolers grow up in front of our eyes. They have all bloomed where they are planted. They believed and worked hard. It was a joy to see them.

None of the girls yesterday thought their dreams were dumb. They believed they could do it. The little faces of the smallest girls reflected fun, magical transformations. They were all in it to be their best. I don’t believe the dream I’ve had of publishing books is dumb. I’m on my way, and it takes a lot of practice, too. I’ve imagined myself at a book launch party. I’ve imagined being interviewed about the book. Only my son Frankie knows who I imagine is interviewing. He laughed and said, “That’s cool, Mom.” He is my best fan, followed by the Babe. I’ve just known Frankie longer!

Thank you for taking the time to read today. Go out and make it a great day, I am! A lot could go and it will still be a great day for us because the worst (a second apartment fire) did not happen. We are all forever grateful. Hope to see you tomorrow!

Wow! It’s Wednesday!

Good morning, everyone! It’s a cold, cloudy Wednesday at my Home Office in Gretna, Nebraska. Winter just doesn’t want to let loose of her grip on us. That’s ok. Before you gather outside my window to let me know how you feel about that, consider this: When I was in high school, the Prom was held on the first Wednesday of May. Always. The weather should have been beautiful. It wasn’t. We had a late spring snowstorm every time. Enough to mess up the hair, dress hems, and cast a pall over the folks who were able to go. You had to be a Junior/Senior, and someone had to invite you. A boy, to be exact. No group dates, no groups of boys or girls like they do now. No one invited me when I was old enough to go. My senior year, it did not snow. And I went with my then boyfriend, Frank. Never went to Homecoming, but did Prom. It wasn’t that huge of a deal after all. Oh well.

Have you ever waited and waited for something your whole life and then been disappointed? We all have. When I drive past the Gretna High School, I think back on how the athletes and cheerleaders seemed like their lives were perfect. They weren’t, but we didn’t know that. It was the height of wishing your life was different than whatever it was for you. Sad. I’ve not experienced that disappointment after my first marriage ended in divorce after twelve years. I wanted it to end, and I filed. I don’t think he ever really got it. The only part of the marriage was happy was about my kids. I loved being pregnant and wondering if it was a boy or girl. They were such a gift from God. No ultrasounds were done back then unless your doctor might be concerned about something, and even then, I think it was rare to see the sex of the baby. The happiness continued until the baby was about two years old. Something told me I had to let them learn their independence even at that age. I didn’t want to be a Mom who managed everything or hovered. My mom was like that, and I didn’t want to be. My three were responsible for their own stuff. After the divorce, they learned they had to help with chores or we’d never get to go to Blockbuster, get carry out, or have a fun night. I miss those days, but not the poverty. We were broke-ass-poor. That bad. Yes.

Ours was more frequent

Speaking of Beanie Weenies! This was the only dish my dad made. My kids laughed because Grandpa would take a kitchen towel and tuck it inside his belt, and use it for an apron. They giggled when he cut up the hot dogs and opened the Van Camp Pork & Beans. What a gourmet cook he was. They loved his concoction. It was the best. My little brothers had this often after I left home and Mom was gone in the evenings. Yep, Dad was great for making the best of a bad situation.

LOL! I’ll bet he is

I love cartoons like this. It takes a place like heaven, which I would think was quiet as a Church except for the choir singing, and does this. Until Michael Jordan arrives, Kobe will be bugging the angels for quite a long time. Then Jordan will show him!

Some of you have asked how my son has recovered from the apartment fire last October that left him and his roommate homeless and with only the clothes on their backs. They are doing ok. They were able to get the “stuff” for daily living and although devastated, Frankie is grateful he wasn’t home. If he hadn’t been at work, that was the time he took a nap everyday. He may not have made it out alive. He is the best at rolling with life’s punches. As his mom, I marvel at how he adjusts and looks forward. Never looks back. His employer, Union Pizza and Sports Bar, on 156 & Maple in Omaha, Nebraska has been incredible. They have offered every kind of help there is, and are sincere in the offers. They are a small business, but are a great place to work. And great food. Stop on out, you won’t be disappointed. They also run Two Fine Irishmen, and Voodoo Lounge, both in West Omaha.

Shoopy has it right.

I finished the book I was reading, The River People by Margaret Lukas, fellow Nebraska Writers Guild Member. It is the first in a series about the women who lived on the river long before this Nebraska Territory was settled and populated, and before women were treated as more than property. It is excellent. Thank you, Margaret, for this tale of fighting dying. It is very inspiring.

I’m looking forward to the Nebraska Writers Guild Spring Conference in April, 2020. It will be the third conference I have attended, and I intend to learn even more from this one than the last two. I look back to one year ago, when I started my novel, and how much I’ve learned. Holy Moly! It is unreal first how much there is to learn, then which things are the most important in the beginning, the middle, and the end of the journey to getting published. Glad I learned about vanity publishing, so I still have a nest egg to spend on publishing my book. The NWG is so great in teaching members how to use Social Media as a place to promote yourself.

Self promotion is hard to me to even fathom. As a good Catholic girl, calling attention to myself was never something that was acceptable. I am still kind of shy talking about myself, but I’ve learned if I don’t tell you about me, you won’t care what I do, it’ll be self-defeating. Can’t have that happen. Can I take rejection? Sure, in fact, I think I’m pretty good at accepting when things don’t work out. My ego isn’t fragile. Do I want you being rude about it? No, I don’t think that’s necessary for either of us. Just say, “Sorry, no,” and walk away. No need for anything else.

I can see by my Cubs clock on the studio wall it’s noon. Time to spend time with the Babe before we pick up Addison from school and go to the VFW for our weekly dinner night. More time with good friends. I love Wednesdays! Thank you for reading. I hope you come back again tomorrow. I’ll be here. I appreciate your support!

Pushing On and Through

It is quite chilly this morning, but my heart is warm. The turmoil of the past month is starting to resolve. That’s always good.

Dan has an infection in his incision from the surgery ten days ago. He’s on antibiotics so it should resolve. The staples come out Tuesday, October 29th. Hopefully, that is the last time the poor guy sees a surgeon for a long while. Prayers appreciated.

My son Frankie (his mom can still call him that) finally was granted access to the apartment. He and the room mate are working feverishly to go through things. Their damage was strictly water damage, which is a blessing. Now, the beds and furniture are so waterlogged the insurance company just paid them out. The clothes are fine just need washing. Good deal.

Some of the collectibles will now be sold as boxes opened. They’re generally fine. Unbelievable. Someone already gave them new kitchen furnishings, so none of that needs hauling, cleaning, etc. Time saver. Hopefully, the electronics are not wet. Otherwise, that will be a whole ‘nother story. By tihs time next week, they will be moved into an exact same apartment in a different building. Nice to be able to move efficiently! Things continue to look up for him.

Loves of my life, my kids.
This was ten years ago on Thanksgiving. Last time we were all together.
From left, Frankie, me, Becky (lives in Colorado) and Nick (lives in KC MO).

All in all, God has been very good to my family, and we all have a lot of thanks to give.

If you ever play those silly games on FB, even though the results are totally randomly generated, sometimes they’re fun. I like this one, and try to remember this is really how I try to be. All the time. In times of peril and in times of plenty. Whatever it is, Let It Be. This also happens to be one of my favorite songs, too.

Words to Live By.
That Paul McCartney really knew how to write.

In more ways than one, I am a Survivor.

It truly IS hard for me to talk about myself. I would rather tell you about my kids or pets or Dan or the grandkids or anyone but myself. In retrospect, I do realize mine is a very unique story full of a lot of challenges. I realize they all made me stronger, and that is a blessing as well as a curse.

When you are strong, people don’t think you need support. You do. You just don’t expect it. People are baffled when you are down. You are too! It’s hard to keep the braveness in full force sometimes. I have been scared for my immediate family this past month in a way I’ve not experienced before. It’s hard. My faith has returned, is strong again, and so am I.

I have always Let It Be, and known that tomorrow the sun will always still come up. No matter what. It will always rise and set just like always. I know enough of those new days followed by a good night’s sleep will help my mind ease, my body relax, and my worry wane. I need to be patient. How about yourself? Can you Let It Be?? Do you want to?? God does a pretty great job of managing if you ask me. I need to quit trying to grab His paintbrush. We all do.

Thank you for reading, please like and leave a comment to let me know you were here. I so appreciate it!

Meaningful Monday

After last week, with Dan’s emergency surgery and the fire at my son’s apartment house Thursday, my mind has been very busy with trying to find strength through the situations. It’s been hard to make my mind go where is should be. Being strong for my two big guys. I’m back in the groove now.

Picking back up with my novel is now on the front burner. I was able to insert some of the new paragraphs I wrote at the NWG Fall Conference into the existing part of the book. It’s hard not to repeat yourself. I have a few if those sections to fit to the story.

Being a new author, I’m just finding out about NaNoWriMo. It’s National Novel Writing Month and it happens during November. You should be able to write 50K words that month. I met a fellow author at the conference, and she offered to be a buddy during the month. People are so encouraging! Looking forward to it.

I’m hoping it won’t be too difficult to finish the novel while doing participating in NaNoWriMo. It will be a skill developing month for sure.

Entrance to our humble home.

Small Burning Bush shrubs and Sugar Maple tree in our front yard.

In the meantime, fall is in full swing. The bright reds in our yard and the yellow in the wetland behind our property are sure signs it won’t be long until we are wearing heavy winter coats and boots.

The strong winds are challenging too. Keeping your car on the road is hard these past couple weeks. It has brought to my attention the butterfly bush needs to be tamed. The branches are rubbing on the house siding. That could cause some damage if left until spring.

These small but necessary tasks are present in everyday life. Kind of like fitting new paragraphs into what you’ve already written. And you keep going until you know you are done. Yes, there will be a certain type of feeling telling me when the words are enough.

In the beginning, I left out a lot of description. I felt too much was overkill. I didn’t want to belabor some details. In the end, I left out too much to adequately tell the story. I’m so glad people are giving me honest feedback on the bits and pieces they are reading.

So until tomorrow, I’ll keep working on getting back into my daily writing. It will add peace to our little corner of this beautiful world.

What will put peace in your world today? Organization? Resolve? New hobbies?? Comment below, give us a Like, and let me know what you may like to have me blog about.

Thank you for reading. I appreciate it very much.

Thankful Friday

It has been a whirlwind week.

Dan is better after his surgery Monday. He is a work in progress.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10217908525659106&id=1662946209

I hope you can view this. If you have FB you can.

Yesterday, there was a terrible apartment fire in Omaha. And it destroyed the building and contents. And my oldest son lives there. He just came home from work and saw his home up in flames. I cannot imagine how he felt then. Fire has always been a fear of mine. Thank God he was not injured. His roommate is ok, too.

Sunday is his 48th birthday. He is an incredible man. He is always upbeat. He has a lot of friends because he is a great friend. People like him. He is a fiercely loyal and dedicated worker. Employers have always wanted to have 30 more just like him. I’m proud of him.

He is a person who is very contented with his life. His hobby of collecting comics, Pop figures, and other cool stuff is his entertainment. He’s happy. Very few people are this way.

This was my Frankie, at about three years old. We grew up together, and I’m so grateful to be his mom. A couple of prayers for him and my husband will be greatly appreciated.

He always lands on his feet. I know he will go on and rebuild his life. He had much more when he first left home. He said this is much worse than just starting over. Right now, aside from his car, he has the clothes on his back. Period.

Special thanks to the Red Cross for their Aid. The 50 people who were displaced by this horrible fire are grateful for a place to stay. They are grateful for waking up today.

Thank you for reading. I’m grateful for being able to write about things. It helps.