Category: family

dreaming out loud, family, Introspection

Over the Weekend

Not so long ago, I didn’t see a whole lot of difference between weekdays and weekends. Both seemed equally frantic with Responsibilities and Things to Do. These days, we’re trying to more consciously observe the downtime. Or the uptime, as the case may be. This is one of the challenges with working from home, I guess. The office is right there, and it’s so easy to stop at the computer “for a moment” to just take care of “one thing.” Though, to be honest with myself, it’s not only that, since I tend to get equally distracted and panicked by …

family, Seasons

Reviving a Tradition

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My grandfather loves his sweets. One of the best things about staying with my grandparents for an evening when I was in elementary school (ok, and later, too) was that I always knew there would be dessert after dinner. Dessert was a rare treat at home, but Grandma always had something, even if it was only a bowl of fruit or a scoop of ice cream. I can’t quite remember a time before the candy. I think Grandpa started making it after their house was finished (or what passed for finished – to this day, I don’t think my grandparents …

family, Introspection
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I’m afraid of losing my mind. Not in the popular sense, the tossed off turn of phrase. “A clean desk is a sign of a sick mind.” “Of all the things I miss, it’s my mind I miss the most.” This is a fear that sometimes keeps me awake at night and the kind that can inspire nightmares. That prompts panic attacks over forgotten words and misplaced keys. That makes me ache with worry when I realize I don’t like something as much now as I once did. I don’t do as many “brainy” things as I used to – …

family
 

Does anyone know how to find a good home for a tree? It’s getting to be time to let go of my Norfolk Island pine. And just thinking about it almost makes me cry. This tree has been part of the family since 1991, when Kathryn gave it to me as a Christmas present. We were in AP US History, juniors at SLVHS, and I still remember how spindly the poor thing was. Kathryn had hung an ornament, not a large one, just a red ball, probably ping-pong ball sized, on its one branch; the weight pulled the whole tree …

family

We took a little jaunt down to California for Easter with family. My grandfather was celebrating his 90th as well as Easter (he was apparently born on Easter, too) and got to do it surrounded by all available descendants. Caitlyn was exited by the trip, but extra-enthusiastic at the prospect of spending time with her cousin. The tissue paper from some Easter gifts was a big hit. We took Caitlyn down to the beach and watched the waves off West Cliff. There had been a bit of a storm the day before, so there were some good ones crashing into …

Caitlyn, family
 

It’s only a problem some days. Caitlyn’s school is in a room in the lower level of a Catholic school attached to a church. St. Joe’s has a lovely big white building, and if we get close enough, soon enough, we often get to listen to the bells tolling noon. Last year, we watched the lengthy process of stained glass window restoration/installation. But sometimes when we walk past the church to school, we walk past a bit of church life. If people would get married or christened at noon on a weekday, it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but …