Lonely kitty

My daughter and her two little girls are in the process of moving.  Today while she was at work and the girls were with their father, I slipped over to the house she lives in presently to leave her some packing boxes.  I was greeted with much enthusiasm by the new family member, a tiny eight week old kitten, Taffy.

I gently lifted the softly purring creature to my face where she began gently nibbling on my ears and cheeks as if she was so lonely for any attention she would gladly smother me in her kitty kisses.  I had this uncontrollable urge to gather her up and hide her in my purse so that I could take her away with me and give her all the mothering attention she was missing.  I found myself softly cooing to her words of love. 

It occurred to me this small little animal was just like you and me.  We started our lives as babies caring for nothing more than to be fed and loved by our mother.  Only difference is that this baby was torn away from the love and security of its mother to live with children who have their own lives to live, often away from their home where the kitten must stay 24/7.

Yes, I know all the pro and cons of owning a pet.  I understand that this kitten will be will cared for all of its life.  It will never be left out in the cruel Illinois weather or search for food.  This kitten will be loved by its new family. 

Just the same, I can't help but feel sad for the little guy who no longer can curl up to her mother and feel the warmth of her body as she gently cleans her baby kit or can no longer romp and play with her brothers and sisters.

I know, I'm just saying .........

Do You Believe In Fairies?

Children are much more observant of nature than adults are.  A blade of grass is fascinating.  A cloud is a fluffy bunny hopping by and there is nothing as beautiful as the dandelion that we adults call weeds.  A child sees beauty in the bright yellow petals and a magical fairy wand when the petals turn into white seeds.  One strong blow and all the happy wishes of a small child float out into the fairy world where a fairy is waiting to receive the child's request.

"Do you believe in fairies?  Say quick that you believe.  If you believe clap your hands."  James M. Barrie author of Peter Pan

I believe.

And I know my grandchildren believe.  Why do I know without a doubt that my grandchildren believe?

Because one day while hiking in the woods behind Papa Les' house Abby came upon a big tree.  Not just any old tree but the home of a fairy.  She knew it had to be the home of a fairy because it was so old and gnarly and all around the base of the tree were growing wild flowers and mushrooms just as if they are been planted there.  She cautiously walked around the tree looking for further evidence. 

To her amazement down at the very base slightly hidden by roots pushing up through the ground she found something that didn't quite belong there.  A door.  Yes, a little door about four inches high with a tiny little brass door knob.  She squealed with excitement and yelled for me to come see for myself.

What should she do?  The proper thing to do would be knock on the door to see if anyone was home.  So she did but no one answered her knock. 

I fear her excited yelling scared the poor little creatures away.  They didn't know it was just a sweet little girl come to call and ask for their friendship.

Abby came back to the magical fairy tree often but never found anyone home.  But that has not stopped her from believing in the wee little people.

Attached is a picture of the captured fairy Abby's little sister Anna made.  She had quite a time chasing the little fairy around the house before finally capturing her and sealing her in a jar.

Bad Guys Beware

Nearly 20 years ago I bought the tiny little cottage I call "Home".  I live here alone with an occasional visitor, mostly grandchildren but also girlfriends and family members.   Les was the only none family member male ever allowed to spend the night with me. This is a "No Men Allowed" club house of sorts. 

Why?  Because I need my privacy and my time to create.  This humble little cottage is where I feel free to be me. 

So what is this leading up to?

I found evidence today while doing laundry where someone has been trying to invade my private domain.  Over the clothes dryer is a small basement window.  I noticed that is partly open.  I have never opened it in all the years I have been here.  (I actually figured it was painted shut.)  Also before I went to work last night I noticed the storm door in back was open slightly.  I remember thinking I always make sure it is secured tightly because I don't want a gust of wind to blow it off the hinges as has happened in the past.  When I arrived home later that evening the storm door was ajar once again.  This time I locked it to be sure it wouldn't fly open.

I don't believe anyone broke in.  Nothing is missing or out of place, but I am now sure a bad guy tried. 

I have never feared for my safety living here alone.  I still don't, however I don't believe in asking for trouble.  I am now going to walk around my home and check all the locks and try to eliminate any easy access from the outside.  If someone wants to break in bad enough they will.  Perhaps I can give them some unpleasant surprises as Macaulay did in Home Alone.  Since I am a "crafter" I have all sorts of things that could be used to booby trap my house.  And then of course there is the baseball bat Les gave me for protection when I refused to have a gun in my home.  I have gotten pretty comfortable in my routine.  Perhaps that also needs to be shook up.  I have some ideas.  It is just a matter of putting them in action.

Bad guys look out.  This little lady likes her privacy and will fight for it.  Trespassers beware!

I Love You

WHAT A WONDERFUL SURPRISE!

I got out of the shower this morning and looked into the steamy mirror to be welcomed by the childish writings of my nine year old granddaughter, Abby.  With an erasable magic marker she had written "I love you Grandma."

Abby is a people pleaser as is her mother.  She delights her teachers with messages across the top of her homework saying "You're the best teacher ever!"  She spreads sunshine everywhere she goes.  When I was growing up the chunky children were ostracized and made fun of yet my granddaughter is chunky and the most popular girl in the school.  I say school rather than class because everyone knows her.  I've walked down the school hall with her and teachers and children of all ages yell out to her by name in greeting.

I was raised to be cautious of showing affection so as not to give someone the wrong impression.  I now believe that is wrong.  I resolve to change that.  (Of course anyone who knows me well knows I have been changing that attitude for quite a few years now.)

I believe God created us in His image.  If that is so, we are good and worthy of love. 

Yes, I know there are bad people out there.  I believe the bad people were created not by God but by others who raised them, who they were exposed to or unfortunate circumstances.  They began their lives as sweet precious babies just as we all did.

I cannot change the world.  I cannot make everyone happy.  But I myself can be happy and one of the easiest ways to do that is to love and welcome love into my love.  I am not talking about the love between a man and woman.  I am talking about the love of all mankind.

So today I am sending you hugs and kisses and lots of love.  Have a wonderful loving weekend.  I know I will.

What is Courage?

Last month several of my family members and I went to Tennessee for yet another adventure.  This time our destination was Ocoee, TN to go whitewater rafting.

I do not swim so I was scared to death but determined to do it.  That morning I was unusually quiet as I contemplated what was before me.  A half hour before we were to board a bus with 20 to 30 other adventure seekers we were introduced to the five tour guides hired to take us safely over the rapids.  I solemnly looked them over and decided I wanted the big tall long hair hippie dude to be our guide.  He looked experienced and strong enough to grab me by the nap of my neck and yank me back into the raft should I fall out.

As luck would have it, the water god was on my side that day.  The big guy, Woody, was to be our guide.  Before grabbing our life jackets, helmets and oars Woody gave us safety instructions and asked if there were any issues he should be aware of.  With none being thrown out there, he suggested we all put on our gear and board the bus. 

I knew the issues Woody was talking about were health issues, but my fear of water was hitting me pretty hard so I pulled him aside and told him of my fears.  I told him I was a coward, couldn't swim and was afraid of panicking and hurting someone else who may be trying to help me.  He reacted in the oddest way.  He didn't say a word at first, he only looked at me as if to say "then what the hell are you doing here?" and I was thinking the same thing.  After a moment he said I didn't need to swim, if I should fall out I would float to the top and someone would pull me in.  He then walked away shaking his head leaving me alone to think about his answer.

I quietly followed him and boarded the bus with my family members and the other happy thrill seekers.  The 20 to 30 minute bus ride gave me time to think over Woody's response to my "true confessions".   What was I doing this for if I was such a coward?

Then it came to me.  I am not a coward.  I, like everyone else has fears.  So that my fears do cannot take control over me, I practice a healthy habit of facing my fears head on to show them that I am master of my destiny.

I have a fear of heights yet I have gone skydiving, rock climbing, rappelling. and zip lining.  I have a fear of water and yet I went snorkeling off the shores of Mexico and now I was going whitewater rafting.

Henry David Thoreau said "Cowards suffer, heroes enjoy".  Each and every time I have faced my fear and won I have felt like a hero even though I have done nothing heroic.  And yes, it has made me very happy so perhaps I am both coward and hero in my own heart.  I suffer when I face my fear and then I rejoice in my joy when I win the battle against my personal fears.

Are You Living Your Life Yet?

This morning I was browsing through the Web and came across a blog I had completely forgotten about; Wake Up Tiger.  The blog written June 22, 1012 caught my attention probably because of the cute baby picture or maybe the title; When You Were Born....  I have no idea where the author got his information; probably some ridiculous study our great American taxpayers paid for but it did make me do some thinking.  The blog went as follows:

When you were born....
You will share your birthday with 18 million people.
During your 12 years of school you will have an average of 17 friends.
By the time you're 40 that number will have dropped down to 2.

You will grow 950 km of hair.
You will laugh an average of 15 times a day.
You will walk the equivalent of 3 times the circumference of the Earth.
You will have eaten 30 tons of food.

On average you will spend 10 years of your life at the office.
20 years sleeping.
3 years shitting.
7 months in traffic.
2 months waiting on hold on your phone.
12 years watching TV.
19 days searching for the remote.

This will leave you with less than one fifth of your life to actually live.

So what the fuck are you waiting for...?!

Whoa! I'm 62 years old.  How much longer do I have to actually live?  Good thing I'm retired and already started this serious living process.  I plan to be one of those people whose completely worn out by the end of their lives because they tried everything.  As Conrad Twitty sang in Bye Bye Birdie "I've got a lot of living to do!"

Chicago Part 2

After spending a few minutes oohing and awing over the Buckingham Fountain we headed once more toward water, searching for the Navy Pier.  Although it was well past 6 PM the heat of the day was still upon us and we were weary from both the heat and our travel so we happily settled ourselves into the first sidewalk cafe we came upon.  Our plan was to have a quick drink and then continue our search.  However a pretty young girl was singing the blues while accompanied by a ragged looking jazz band and people around us seemed to really be enjoying the food offered there so..... what the heck, why not indulge?  We ordered something with "rainbow" in the name because another couple were eating it and seemed quite delighted with their choice plus I love trying new foods whenever I go out.  The waiter brought us a large plate of different fish carefully rolled around rice and something else I couldn't identify.  The different fish were placed on the plate by color creating a lovely pink rainbow effect.  Lovely, but definitely Sushi.  I have never been a fan of Sushi but I refused to start my mini vacation on the wrong foot by being negative.  I took a bite..... It wasn't bad.  Would I order it again?  Probably not, but I am glad we ordered it.

An hour later we had our tummies full and feeling pretty good from our alcoholic beverages so headed off once again on foot toward the ferris wheel that we could just barely see up ahead at the Navy Pier.  We were a short distance from the Navy Pier when we realized the sun had set and we were wandering around streets that were completely unfamiliar to us and not all the pedestrians looked trustworthy so we headed back toward Michigan Avenue with the knowledge that we had two full days to explore the Navy Pier.

Over the next two days we managed to sample everything on our list.  We went to the Field Museum and saw the T-Rex named Sue after the woman who discovered her remains.  The museum was enormous and would take several days to truly see but as we said, we knew we only had time to sample.  We had a Chicago Style Hot Dog in the park while feeding the birds and watching children play.  We toured the city on the double decker bus occasionally stopping to get off and explore on foot.  We planned to walk out on the Sky walk at the Willis Tower a/k/a the Sears Tower to witness the city at the top of the highest building in the nation.  That plan was thwarted by the hour and half line of sightseers ahead of us.  Oh well, we did get to take the elevator to the top and then take it back down again.  We ate at an Irish Pub, a fancy restaurant serving over priced food and wine, a pizzeria to try a thick Chicago style pizza and breakfasted in a small hole in the wall where local artist and musicians gather.

What was my favorite part of the trip?  Hard to say but I'd probably have to hand the award over to two events.   The Buckingham Fountain received first place and the Architectural and Historical Cruise down the river and out on Lake Michigan was close behind receiving second.   

There is so much rich history in Chicago.  Everyone who visits Chicago should take the Architectural and Historical Cruise.  This is not a pleasure cruise; however if you take the evening cruise as we did alcoholic drinks and snacks are offered.  The boat went through the locks and out to the Lake of Michigan along the shore line of Chicago with an extremely knowledgeable tour guide narrating the history of Chicago and pointing out the skyscrapers along the way.  The narration was fascinating.  She pointed out building after building telling us who designed them and any interesting story that may belong to the building.

Our last day in Chicago the weather was terribly hot and it took all our energy to walk the streets.  As much as we hated to waste any of our time we weakened and spent that last afternoon in our air conditioned hotel room.  We decided to venture out at night when it was a little cooler to tell Chicago good bye.  Our plans were to walk to the Navy Pier to join others for the night life but we never got that far.  To get to the Navy Pier from our hotel on Michigan Avenue one must walk through Grant Park, the home of Buckingham Fountain.  Every hour on the hour the great fountain sprays a jet of water 150 feet into the air.  Since it was just a few minutes before 9 when we left our room we decided to find a bench near the fountain and wait for the hourly show.  

I am so glad we did.  We felt sure something spectacular was about to occur when the crowd started forming.  There was such magic in the air around me just at that moment the beautifully lit fountain shot gallons of water 150 feet in to the air while patriot music was piped in.  The air was almost electrical with the patriot pride and excitement all around us.  I was overwhelmed with emotion and pride.  What a wonderful gift Kate Buckingham gave the people of Chicago and everyone who visits when she gave them the Buckingham Fountain.

We left the next morning for home, happy with wonderful memories to share with our family and friends.
Life is so good!

Chicago Part 1

Even as a child I have heard people talk about the joys of visiting Chicago.  Chicago the ultimate experience for shopping and sightseeing -- mostly shopping!  Yet, I have never felt that pull to visit the Windy City.  Odd, since I have lived my whole life a short 360 miles most this majestic city.

My buddy, Darrell has been talking about taking a trip to Chicago for the past two years.  He wanted to take Amtrak up and watch a Cubs game against our St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field.  Our opportunity finally arrived to take that mini vacation to Chicago and wouldn't you know it, the Cubs were out of town.  Oh well, when opportunity knocks you had better open that door.  It may not return.

We took Amtrak from St. Louis to Chicago on one of the hottest days of the year, 105 degrees.  We found out once on the train that heat causes critical problems to the tracks forcing the train to slow down from 65 MPH to 35 and 45 MPH changing the six hour trip to nine long hours. Not that I am complaining.  On the way up we had a sleeper car and I was able to nap in the upper bunk while Darrell stretched out comfortably below me in lounge chair seating.  Unlike air travel, Amtrak offers lots of leg room and a dining room with complete meals or snacks.

There were so many things we wanted to do but our mini vacation consisted of four short days and two of them were spent traveling.  We had so much to see in such a short time so we carefully planned our activities.  Chicago is known for its:

     1:  Chicago Style Hot Dogs
     2:  Deep dish pizza
     3:  Skyscrapers
     4:  Buckingham Fountain
     5:  Museums
     6:  Shopping
     7:  Navy Pier
     8:  Art and Music
   
We couldn't fit all into two short days but we figured we could get a taste of most of Chicago if we simply sampled each activity rather than indulged our self for the full experience.  I opted out of the shopping simply because my companion was a man who described shopping as entering store, purchase item, and leave immediately.  Shopping is best enjoyed with a girlfriend who know the joys of browsing.

Darrell had found a real deal on a room at the Congress Plaza Hotel and Convention Center.  We were told the hotel was old but nice.  What an understatement!  Yes, the hotel was old but I wouldn't describe it as nice.  This was a luxury hotel that had recently been restored to its original grandeur.  It had been the guest of 15 American presidents and a favorite hang out for Al Capone.  (The story goes that he had his private little get away hidden in one of the rooms and there were two unsolved murders there during his stay.)

It was still early after we settled into our room so we decided to take a walk and get a sneak peek of Chicago before retiring.  From our hotel room we could see the river and not knowing where anything was we decided to simply head in the direction of water.  With any luck we would come across the Navy Pier. 

As luck would have it across the street from our hotel was Buckingham Fountain, one of the world's largest fountains.  We were happy to be able to cross off one of our activities right away.  It was not just a fountain but a beautiful piece of sculpture and I was truly awed.  Little did we know that there was so much more to witness there at Grant Park if we had only stayed a little longer.  We didn't find out the true glory of the fountain until our final night in Chicago.