Oscar Sunday

Tonight the Oscar's are on. I'm not a big movie fan, and it's often hard for me to settle in early enough to watch an entire movie without taking a nap.
But I do love words and phrases - especially old-fashioned ones.
This week, AL & I stopped by to visit an aunt. She mentioned that she had been "to the picture" and it was not worth seeing. AL had seen the same movie, they chatted about it, and both had the same opinion: don't bother. In the car, AL noted this out-dated term.
This morning, on CBS Sunday Morning, the famous lyricist Marilyn Bergman, referenced the movie The Way We Were as "a show."
Tonight, I will sit on the sofa, with AL and maybe even Lucy, to critique the clothes and winners, because we do love a good picture show.

Question

I had a discussion this weekend about life being hard. It is so hard for some people, but I do not put myself in that category. Whatsoever. For my Dad, life began hard. He moved to Memphis during the Great Depression to help squeeze out a living for his family working their small farm in Gibson County, TN.

Life was hard for them and consequently, hard for him. He survived one season on turnips he grew in the backyard of the boarding house where he lived. (Which is another story for another time.)

He vowed never to eat turnips again. And he did not. But one Christmas, having heard the turnip-survival story for years, my brother gave him turnips. Honestly, I can recall we held our breath when he opened the package. Would he think it was funny? Had 40 years been long enough to ease the pain and fear?

In looking at these photos of him studying those turnips, I can only imagine the flood of memories. Remembering the fear of being hungry. Remembering the smell as they boiled and the taste that butter, salt and pepper could not mask. His pursed lips speak to the determination and grit that carried him through that difficult.

For my Dad, blessings were counted.

Even if they were turnips.

2010 planner - amended

The downsized planner that I noted a bit ago has now changed. I have upsized. Considerably. My sister has downsized her planner/calendar into her Blackberry. And I have inherited her fabulous planner.
I will freely admit that I coveted this particular planner. It is a Levenger, red leather beauty. I would quiet my envy and urge to splurge on a duplicate with the fact that it is large and heavy. It is stocked with a page-a-day type calendar, several mesh pockets with tabs and a small-sized legal pad in the back. I have never used one of this type or size before.
And while I am in an adjustment phase, I love it!
Why?
Of course, there is plenty of room for "stuff", one of my favorite weaknesses. Mainly, I love it because with all of the space on the page-a-day, I am noting things of importance. Such as geese in the Schnuck's parking lot that gave AL and I a morning giggle. Or the veteran in the Target snack bar. Or the snow day we are having.
Along with the grocery lists and birthdays, I will have a grateful accounting of my days.

November 27, 1991

Today is the day, 18 years ago, that Mother died. Really, her spirit had died six years prior with the death of my Father, and today was when her body left us too.

It was only an hour or two after her death that a neighbor came to my door with cucumber sandwiches. A platter of cucumber sandwiches, precisely cut circles of white bread to match the circles of cucumbers, smeared with a dab of cream cheese, and garnished with sprigs of parsley.

Then the hashbrown casserole came. And so it went, the bounty of sharing and love appeared at our door.

Gestures that were filled with giving during a holiday celebrating thankfulness.

It was Thanksgiving for my Mother.

2010 planner

I have bought my planner for next year. I have downsized over the years from the leather-bound, 6-ring binders to the week-at-a-glance style. The one I will be using for next year came from Walgreen's, and I paid $1 for it. It is pale green and is begging for decoration.
2010 has many important dates to remember, and I have already noted many of them on the blank pages.
But where did 2009 go?
Now I know why my Mother and my Grandmother kept their calendars from years past because as the years speed past, a concrete, tangible accounting of where some of it went certainly helps.

In Nanny's calendar entries, she made notes about things of importance to her. She kept a record of money spent on gas, groceries, rent she paid for Pop's garage, rent paid to her for the apartment behind the house. She noted visiting her sisters, letters and pictures from Lucille, attendance at church, who was in the hospital, the weather and what was blooming. Hunting and stews made from ducks, squirrels or deers they killed at "the camp."

Ordinary happenings that were the accounting of her days.

The ordinary becomes extraordinary when we are present to note what is important and how we spend our days.

A year of firsts and lasts

This school year will be a year of preparation for changes looming in our future. Anna Lynn will be leaving St. Francis and graduating 8th grade. Lucy will be graduating high school from St. Benedict. Today, I realized that I am wearing the sweater I wore to Trae's high school graduation. I have shed a couple of tears already this school year.

The first-day-of-school annual photo is down to two participants, but Brody is standing in for our boy. I wish Trae would send me a first-day-photo from college!

"But I have discovered that one of the very best ways of forecasting the future comes from listening to what people tell themselves, and their closest friends, in casual, conversational tones." TUT quote for today.

And our future is looking good - different, but very, very good! Happy September!

New profile photo

I changed my profile picture. Thanks to my big sis, the photographer. We must give credit where credit is due...those photographers can get rather testy about this...

She took this photograph for the "My Words" piece that ran in the CA. I think I'm posting a link to it here: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/apr/26/my-words-jury-duty-a-surprise-blessing-to/

I have cut my hair and purchased new glasses since the last photo. I really like these new frames. But then again, I really liked these frames too:

Happy Labor Day!