A Walk Down Memory Lane

One of my goals is to get my pictures organized but I spend as much time with my memories as I do sorting. These pictures were taken when both boys wanted to stay up New Year's Eve for the first time. Here they are, starting out strong - there is four years between their ages. Same mom, same dad, different coloring. With DGS's#2 coloring, he attracted lots of attention. Still does.

Going strong - at this point they both think they'll make it to midnight.

Oops, one down. Actually as I remember, he lasted longer than DH did.

Okay, laying down on the floor for a bit - but not sleeping!

Whoo-hoo! Made it. He was sound asleep within 5 minutes.

I remember the first time my parents let me stay up until midnight. I expected something magical, mystical to happen when the next year rolled around and was surprised to see we really just moved from one minute to the next. But I still stay up every year to see the new one in. One year I ate a whole bag of Doritos to stay awake - haven't been able to eat them since. Any special memories of the first time you stayed up on New Year's Eve?

Mothers & Daughters

Our local paper is asking readers to finish this sentence: “I knew I became my mother when............”

When my mother passed away, one of the first things my aunt said to me was, "You know what this means, right?" I nodded. Just to make sure I understood what she was intimating, she said, "You’ve moved up a notch." Yes, I knew that but what I mostly knew was that I’d lost my best friend.

It was many years before that when I wondered if I had become my mother. It happened when I had finished getting ready for work and was about to walk out the door. Taking a quick look in the mirror, it was my mother’s face looking back at me. I froze and stared at the image – in the navy suit I was wearing I looked just like she had some years ago in her navy suit. I’ve never had that experience since but every so often DH will say, "Wow, right now you look just like your mother." It must be a certain look or manner that I’ve unconsciously adopted because our temperaments and personalities were very different.

I’ve often heard women friends sort of groan and complain or laugh when/if they think they’ve become like their mother but I’ve never heard men say or worry that they’ve become like their dad. Wonder why.

So, did you ever say or think: "I knew I became my mother when............"

Studying the Studies

This is going to be a good year for our roses.Did you hear about the University of Michigan study showing that having a husband increases a woman's housework by seven hours a week? However, having a wife saves a husband about an hour of housework a week. Our local TV news reported (tongue-in-cheek I hope) that after marriage a man gets a slave, the woman becomes one. It's better than it used to be though; in 1976 woman did an average of 26 hours of housework a week while a man did 6. It seems that men have pitched in more as more women began working outside the home. My opinion? I think male and female, we all work too much.

I sort of stumbled into the work force when our children were both in school. That necessitated a slight shift in our sharing of household duties. A slight shift because we had fairly "traditional" roles. Since then we've learned what each does best and we divide what needs to be done that way. Funny though, it's still fairly traditional. I handled all of his outdoor chores when he was in the hospital and nearly killed all our plants with kindness - watered everything way too much and had the biggest water bill ever! Now I just help tend to the flowers - a labor of love.

Yada, yada, yada........

Our new computer arrived Friday, I put it together Saturday and turned it on for a few minutes to make sure everything was okay – it was. Today DH had his first lesson. Before retiring he worked for a privately owned company, efficiently run and very productive. It was a good target for a much, much larger corporation that bought this well-run, productive, and-did-I-say-profitable company and changed just about everything. One of the first things they did was bring in lots of guys in three-piece suits and computers for everyone. DH learned a few computer basics but work just wasn’t as much fun for these corporate types and he was glad to retire when he did.

Bad news: DD’s car is gasping its last breath. Good news: There is a buyer for the car, breathing or not since he’s a VW fan who has eyed this car ever since it belonged to DGS. I asked DD if she could take the bus to work but she didn’t think that was very funny. Tomorrow she starts work at 4:00am and will be driving in Hemet three days this week. They bid on these bus routes by seniority and she knows it will be a couple of years before she gets a good schedule. She enjoys it though and the benefits are worth hanging in for.

DH and I are starting to get some things done around the house that had been postponed while the boys were here. This weekend I removed the wallpaper in DGS’s room and we will paint it next weekend. I’d like to add wainscoting in the computer room, and in the kitchen – well, the cabinets need to be refinished. And now that I’m thinking about it, our bedroom could use a new fresh coat of paint.

Want to major in bagpipes? Last fall UC Riverside began a degree program in bagpipes and Scottish drums. The chairman of the music department is convinced that once word is out as to the who their pipe and drum directors are, people will flock to the program. And what do they consider a flock? Ten students in the program three years from now! Apparently music tastes and numbers constituting a flock are subjective.

Just Stuff

Green Thompson seedless grapes - in progress. Our Red Flames are a little slower but it looks like we are going to have a bumper crop of both this year. We (DH) is also growing tomatoes, green and red peppers, and swiss chard which we're already enjoying. The avocado trees aren't doing well but the small meyer and eureka lemon trees keep us and our neighbors in lemons.

As I was driving home today, my phone rang; it was DD. "Did you see me? Did you see the RTA bus? That was me." She was going into Orange Co as I was heading out and had recognized me on the freeway. Unfortunately the traffic was extra heavy through the canyon and I never noticed her bus - too busy watching the fenders in front of me.