I am off to Indianapolis today to celebrate Easter with my in-laws. It will be a busy weekend so I just wanted to wish everyone a happy Easter. Did you know that the Easter date is based on a complicated formula of the solar and lunar year but generally falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox? The earliest day that Easter can be on is March 22 and the latest date is April 25. It would take 5,700,000 years for Easter to fall on each of the dates during this period. The most common date for Easter is April 19. In 2038 Easter will fall on my birthday, April 25, so plan now to attend my party!
The Easter egg tradition is thought to have been a result of eggs being forbidden during Lent, therefore an over-abundant supply had to be used up quickly. Eggs were boiled to preserve them during Lent. Prior to the start of Lent eggs had to be used up so Pancake Day became a tradition in Europe. A red egg is symbolic of the blood of Christ. The Easter bunny tradition is thought to have originated in Germany.
I have to hop to it now. Happy Easter!
Saturday, March 22, 2008
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Lucky Ducks
I am writing today in honor of my grandmother. She was born on March 17, 1903 and died on March 16, 1994. She was an incredibly selfless person and probably the closest I will ever come to knowing a saint. As I have mentioned before she lived just a block away from my childhood home and was almost as much a part of my daily life growing up as my own mother. My brothers, sisters and I ran in and out her door as freely as our own, never needing to knock. She always welcomed us in.
Grandma lived simply and frugally. Her small four room home remained pretty much the same through all the years I can remember. Other than repapering and repainting when necessary she did not spend a lot of money for decorating. She had the same simple bedroom furniture, the same kitchen table and chairs, and a lot of the same wall decorations and knick-knacks for years. Pictures of all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren adorned the wall above my grandfather's stereo console. Assorted religious statues and pictures were displayed throughout the house and a cross hung over her bed. When walking into her home it was plain to see that family and God were most important to her. She worked full-time for as long as I can remember until she finally retired at the age of seventy-six. The same little red Corvair carried her around town for more than thirty years. She spent money wisely and recycled or reused everything that she could. Nothing was wasted. My grandfather died in 1966 and my grandmother devoted the rest of her life to her family of two children, nine grandchildren, twenty-one great-grandchildren, and, prior to her death, one great-great grandchild.
While growing up, my little sister and I spent many overnights at my grandmother's house along with my cousins, whom she babysat for nearly every weekend while their parents worked. We would play in her basement, sometimes roller skating on the concrete floor or pushing each other around as fast as we could go on chairs set onto movers' casters. Grandma kept her ear tuned in to what we were doing, calling down every now and then to check on us. We would sit cross-legged and play card games on the living room floor. She would bring out rolls of paper for us to draw and color on, keeping us busy for long stretches of time. In her backyard we would play tag and on sultry hot summer afternoons she would fill a big metal washtub with water and let us play in the sprinkler. My grandfather stretched a rope tautly between two trees and attached a looped rope on a pulley so we could go sailing through the air across the yard, careful to stop ourselves with our feet before hitting the tree. When we wore ourselves out and came in for a break Grandma would treat us to cookies and kool-aid. She was very strict about taking naps and we would stretch out on pallets of quilts and blankets spread on the living room floor, trying to make each other laugh without getting caught while she sat in her chair. If she caught one of us giggling we would be sent to the bedroom to nap alone. In the evenings after supper we would play on the front porch, taking turns sitting on the porch swing with her, singing songs while she read the evening newspaper. In the mornings we would wake to the sound of the kitchen radio tuned in to the local news and the smell of buttered toast and hot cocoa wafting through the house.
Grandma was very involved with church and civic activities and we learned from her the importance of giving of our time. Every week we gathered around her kitchen table to help make tray favors to take up to the hospital, adding a bit of cheer to those confined by illness. We were called upon to help set up tables and chairs for the various club meetings she attended and presided over, spreading out the table covers and adding the decorations and favors, filling tiny paper cups with nuts or mints, mixing up punch and setting out the cups and napkins. Sometimes we stayed for the meetings, donning sheer white aprons, serving little sandwiches to the attendees. Afterward, we helped to clean up and haul all the supplies back to my grandmother's house until we did it all again for the next meeting. A perpetual fundraising effort was supported by our strong arms and backs as we were recruited to pick up bags of newspapers from people all over town to store in my grandmother's shed until a truckload had accumulated. Then we would load them all into the truck where they were hauled ten miles down the road to the paper plant for recycling. The money that was received for those papers was donated to the church. We were usually rewarded with a quarter for our efforts. Whenever there was a need for a child actor for various skits to entertain the guests at her meetings we would don costumes for the part. I have played many roles, including an elf, an angel, an Easter bunny and Mrs. Claus. With her prodding we helped clean the church, collected money at bake sales, sold popcorn and sodas in the school gymnaium, and served meals to bereaved families after funerals. We manned the carnival game booths at the annual spring fling held at the Catholic school we attended, collecting the tickets and instructing the players on the rules of the games my grandfather and uncle had built. We were forbidden to play the lucky duck game because we knew which ducks were marked for the best prizes. She rewarded us by giving us dimes to walk to the ice cream shop two blocks away from her house to buy the best malted chocolate ice cream cones in the county and on Sunday mornings after church we were sometimes treated to breakfast at a local cafeteria-style restaurant. Occasionally on Saturday afternoons she would take us for burgers and fries at the diner downtown. Since eating out was not as common like it is these days, these were special treats and we were always excited to go.
Grandma always believed that too much idle time led to trouble and she kept us busy. I remember helping with spring cleaning, washing her windows with ammonia water, drying them with newspapers until they were streakfree and squeaky clean. The sheer curtains were handwashed and attached to stretchers to dry in the sun, then carefully rehung. Baseboards and trim were wiped down and spots scrubbed off the walls. She would coat the screen doors with a fresh layer of varnish to prevent water damage. Metal porch furniture was cleaned and repainted if necessary. Everything was freshened and aired out after a long winter. Then she would walk up the block to our own home and help us do the same there. My grandmother never owned an electric washer, dryer, or a dishwasher. Clothes, towels, and bedding were all washed by hand, passed through the wringer and hung on the line to dry. Dishes were washed and dried by hand. Consumption of electricity was kept to a minimum to keep the electric bill low.
The attic in my grandmother's house was off limits to all of us unless she gave special permission. There she stored all kinds of craft items, fabrics, a trunk full of old baby clothes, formal dresses hidden away in garment bags, wrapping paper, glitter, glue, candles, vases, punch bowls, bingo cards, those lucky ducks, table covers, virtually anything she would need for a party, a meeting or other special occasion. To a child it was an enchanting room full of treasures and to be allowed to ascend that flight of steep stairs hidden inside her bedroom closet was exciting. Sometimes we would sneak up there while she was gone so we could peruse this forbidden treasure trove, always mindful not to get caught so as to avoid the ensuing lecture we would hear for disobeying.
My grandmother rarely asked for anything for herself. She was not frivolous or extravagant in the way she dressed. Simple dresses were her garments of choice. Her best dresses were carefully hung and brought out only for special occasions and meetings. Her makeup was simple with just a bit of pink on her cheeks and red on her lips. She loved to have one of her grandchildren brush her silver hair while she relaxed in her chair watching television or reading. I learned to pincurl her hair for her in between the perms and haircolorings that my aunt gave her occasionally. I am glad that I had this opportunity to do something nice for her routinely. Her one indulgence for herself was an occasional bus tour with other ladies from her various civic clubs.
As we grew older and started having families of our own, Grandma was still very much involved in our lives. She was a part of every family celebration - birthdays, holidays, graduations, weddings, showers, baptisms, first communions, school plays, ballgames. She babysat for her great-grandchildren as she had for her grandchildren, providing them with the same loving care and memories of childhood. I can still visualize her rocking the babies in her lap, patting and singing them to sleep with her lullabyes. The older children would play under her watchful eyes and were taught the same moral values that we had been taught. She loved us all and spent her years helping us in so many ways. When I look back on those years I am truly grateful for having had such an opportunity to spend so much time with her. With families today spread all over the globe not many children have the good fortune to have their grandparents so heavily involved in their daily lives. We were truly the lucky ducks and the grand prize was her love and influence.
Grandma lived simply and frugally. Her small four room home remained pretty much the same through all the years I can remember. Other than repapering and repainting when necessary she did not spend a lot of money for decorating. She had the same simple bedroom furniture, the same kitchen table and chairs, and a lot of the same wall decorations and knick-knacks for years. Pictures of all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren adorned the wall above my grandfather's stereo console. Assorted religious statues and pictures were displayed throughout the house and a cross hung over her bed. When walking into her home it was plain to see that family and God were most important to her. She worked full-time for as long as I can remember until she finally retired at the age of seventy-six. The same little red Corvair carried her around town for more than thirty years. She spent money wisely and recycled or reused everything that she could. Nothing was wasted. My grandfather died in 1966 and my grandmother devoted the rest of her life to her family of two children, nine grandchildren, twenty-one great-grandchildren, and, prior to her death, one great-great grandchild.
While growing up, my little sister and I spent many overnights at my grandmother's house along with my cousins, whom she babysat for nearly every weekend while their parents worked. We would play in her basement, sometimes roller skating on the concrete floor or pushing each other around as fast as we could go on chairs set onto movers' casters. Grandma kept her ear tuned in to what we were doing, calling down every now and then to check on us. We would sit cross-legged and play card games on the living room floor. She would bring out rolls of paper for us to draw and color on, keeping us busy for long stretches of time. In her backyard we would play tag and on sultry hot summer afternoons she would fill a big metal washtub with water and let us play in the sprinkler. My grandfather stretched a rope tautly between two trees and attached a looped rope on a pulley so we could go sailing through the air across the yard, careful to stop ourselves with our feet before hitting the tree. When we wore ourselves out and came in for a break Grandma would treat us to cookies and kool-aid. She was very strict about taking naps and we would stretch out on pallets of quilts and blankets spread on the living room floor, trying to make each other laugh without getting caught while she sat in her chair. If she caught one of us giggling we would be sent to the bedroom to nap alone. In the evenings after supper we would play on the front porch, taking turns sitting on the porch swing with her, singing songs while she read the evening newspaper. In the mornings we would wake to the sound of the kitchen radio tuned in to the local news and the smell of buttered toast and hot cocoa wafting through the house.
Grandma was very involved with church and civic activities and we learned from her the importance of giving of our time. Every week we gathered around her kitchen table to help make tray favors to take up to the hospital, adding a bit of cheer to those confined by illness. We were called upon to help set up tables and chairs for the various club meetings she attended and presided over, spreading out the table covers and adding the decorations and favors, filling tiny paper cups with nuts or mints, mixing up punch and setting out the cups and napkins. Sometimes we stayed for the meetings, donning sheer white aprons, serving little sandwiches to the attendees. Afterward, we helped to clean up and haul all the supplies back to my grandmother's house until we did it all again for the next meeting. A perpetual fundraising effort was supported by our strong arms and backs as we were recruited to pick up bags of newspapers from people all over town to store in my grandmother's shed until a truckload had accumulated. Then we would load them all into the truck where they were hauled ten miles down the road to the paper plant for recycling. The money that was received for those papers was donated to the church. We were usually rewarded with a quarter for our efforts. Whenever there was a need for a child actor for various skits to entertain the guests at her meetings we would don costumes for the part. I have played many roles, including an elf, an angel, an Easter bunny and Mrs. Claus. With her prodding we helped clean the church, collected money at bake sales, sold popcorn and sodas in the school gymnaium, and served meals to bereaved families after funerals. We manned the carnival game booths at the annual spring fling held at the Catholic school we attended, collecting the tickets and instructing the players on the rules of the games my grandfather and uncle had built. We were forbidden to play the lucky duck game because we knew which ducks were marked for the best prizes. She rewarded us by giving us dimes to walk to the ice cream shop two blocks away from her house to buy the best malted chocolate ice cream cones in the county and on Sunday mornings after church we were sometimes treated to breakfast at a local cafeteria-style restaurant. Occasionally on Saturday afternoons she would take us for burgers and fries at the diner downtown. Since eating out was not as common like it is these days, these were special treats and we were always excited to go.
Grandma always believed that too much idle time led to trouble and she kept us busy. I remember helping with spring cleaning, washing her windows with ammonia water, drying them with newspapers until they were streakfree and squeaky clean. The sheer curtains were handwashed and attached to stretchers to dry in the sun, then carefully rehung. Baseboards and trim were wiped down and spots scrubbed off the walls. She would coat the screen doors with a fresh layer of varnish to prevent water damage. Metal porch furniture was cleaned and repainted if necessary. Everything was freshened and aired out after a long winter. Then she would walk up the block to our own home and help us do the same there. My grandmother never owned an electric washer, dryer, or a dishwasher. Clothes, towels, and bedding were all washed by hand, passed through the wringer and hung on the line to dry. Dishes were washed and dried by hand. Consumption of electricity was kept to a minimum to keep the electric bill low.
The attic in my grandmother's house was off limits to all of us unless she gave special permission. There she stored all kinds of craft items, fabrics, a trunk full of old baby clothes, formal dresses hidden away in garment bags, wrapping paper, glitter, glue, candles, vases, punch bowls, bingo cards, those lucky ducks, table covers, virtually anything she would need for a party, a meeting or other special occasion. To a child it was an enchanting room full of treasures and to be allowed to ascend that flight of steep stairs hidden inside her bedroom closet was exciting. Sometimes we would sneak up there while she was gone so we could peruse this forbidden treasure trove, always mindful not to get caught so as to avoid the ensuing lecture we would hear for disobeying.
My grandmother rarely asked for anything for herself. She was not frivolous or extravagant in the way she dressed. Simple dresses were her garments of choice. Her best dresses were carefully hung and brought out only for special occasions and meetings. Her makeup was simple with just a bit of pink on her cheeks and red on her lips. She loved to have one of her grandchildren brush her silver hair while she relaxed in her chair watching television or reading. I learned to pincurl her hair for her in between the perms and haircolorings that my aunt gave her occasionally. I am glad that I had this opportunity to do something nice for her routinely. Her one indulgence for herself was an occasional bus tour with other ladies from her various civic clubs.
As we grew older and started having families of our own, Grandma was still very much involved in our lives. She was a part of every family celebration - birthdays, holidays, graduations, weddings, showers, baptisms, first communions, school plays, ballgames. She babysat for her great-grandchildren as she had for her grandchildren, providing them with the same loving care and memories of childhood. I can still visualize her rocking the babies in her lap, patting and singing them to sleep with her lullabyes. The older children would play under her watchful eyes and were taught the same moral values that we had been taught. She loved us all and spent her years helping us in so many ways. When I look back on those years I am truly grateful for having had such an opportunity to spend so much time with her. With families today spread all over the globe not many children have the good fortune to have their grandparents so heavily involved in their daily lives. We were truly the lucky ducks and the grand prize was her love and influence.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Future Play
Yesterday we spent the day with six of our good friends. We started in the mid-afternoon for a day of eating, drinking and general merriment. We met up at one couple's house about an hour north of us. With their new 60 inch tv screen and surround sound we were able to enjoy a few concert DVDs while we played games, talked, argued politics, and plotted our futures. Since we are all approaching or already in our fifties with our children scattered all over the country and abroad we have been considering a plan to build our own semi-retirement community where we would each have a small home centered around a swimming pool and clubhouse. We would make the homes energy efficient and wheelchair accessible for the future with wide sidewalks leading from one home to the other, allowing us to be available to help each other out as our physical capabilities change over the years. With the pool and clubhouse available for use anytime we would always have a place to gather with our families and other friends. By having our own community of friends we would stave off the loneliness that many couples experience after their children are grown and gone. We all enjoy each other's company so much and have known each other since we were kids and I can't think of a better way to relax after work than to head to the community room to see what's going on there-to get a game of euchre started, to cook out on the grill, swim laps, or simply sit with a drink and chat. The clubhouse could be set up to accomodate all sorts of hobbies to keep us busy, an exercise area, a video area for watching movies together and perhaps a library area where we could all share our books. We would limit the amount of upkeep on the exterior by choosing building materials wisely and each of us would be assigned specific responsibilities for groundskeeping. Of course we would have an annual fee to cover certain maintenance expenses that would be hired out. And a legal contract to avoid misunderstandings and problems down the road.
I know it may seem a bit early to be considering this plan but we all know it will take years to see it to fruition. And without our children living nearby we all see an eventual need to help each other in the future as we have struggled to meet the needs of our own aging parents over the past several years. Our community plan may never happen, but it definitely will not happen if we don't start the planning process now. And that planning is half the fun! All suggestions are welcome.
I know it may seem a bit early to be considering this plan but we all know it will take years to see it to fruition. And without our children living nearby we all see an eventual need to help each other in the future as we have struggled to meet the needs of our own aging parents over the past several years. Our community plan may never happen, but it definitely will not happen if we don't start the planning process now. And that planning is half the fun! All suggestions are welcome.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Ocean of Trust
My 23-month old granddaughter has been sick for the past several days. It breaks my heart to hear her tiny voice whimpering instead of her usual robust chatter on the phone. I want so much to be able to fly off to London to help out and to hold her and my daughter in my arms, to offer comfort, love and assistance. At these times, the distance between us seems immense. I am so very grateful that my son-in-law's parents are so wonderful and willing to help out when needed. It eases my mind enormously to know they are just a phone call and a short drive away for the most part. I can't imagine raising children without family nearby. I realize how incredibly lucky I was when my own children were small to have my grandmother, parents, two siblings, and an array of in-laws just minutes away in our small town and an army of additional family members and friends just a phone call away if needed. A child can't have too many relatives and friends who love them. I firmly believe in the village concept of raising children (as long as they're not the village idiots). When a child has many people looking after their well-being they have a reasonable chance of growing up to be happy, productive adults. As the saying goes, "More the Merrier". So I send our love across the vast ocean and put my trust in my daughter's in-laws and friends to be there for her in our absence. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Leave of Absence
I have three words to say: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
I have been so very tired these last few days so I haven't taken the time to post anything. I will be back soon after I recoup.
I have been so very tired these last few days so I haven't taken the time to post anything. I will be back soon after I recoup.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Light of Spring
Gracious dawn slowly rising into sight
Spilling through the dark of night
Leeching into the shadows of my sleep
Lifting winter's heavy air of gloom
Pooling bits of spring into the room
Promising another day to keep.
Light of spring marching ever near
Teasing hopeful rays of cheer
Shining tender on my saddened heart
Slanted beams off the walls are bouncing
On the tail of winter's doldrums pouncing
Coaxing savored sullen dreams to part.
Reaching out in endless spokes of glory
Rewriting every person's story
Nourishing the fragile seeds of joy
Heaven's magic spreading warming light
Casting out the worries of the night
Awakening to early springtime's ploy.
Spilling through the dark of night
Leeching into the shadows of my sleep
Lifting winter's heavy air of gloom
Pooling bits of spring into the room
Promising another day to keep.
Light of spring marching ever near
Teasing hopeful rays of cheer
Shining tender on my saddened heart
Slanted beams off the walls are bouncing
On the tail of winter's doldrums pouncing
Coaxing savored sullen dreams to part.
Reaching out in endless spokes of glory
Rewriting every person's story
Nourishing the fragile seeds of joy
Heaven's magic spreading warming light
Casting out the worries of the night
Awakening to early springtime's ploy.
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