The View from Here

White Vegetables

Okay, before I get to the white vegetables, let me just say that someone hit the “fast forward” button a little too hard! I received my Burpee catalog in the mail this week and that is normal. It’s always the first one to hit my mailbox. I love looking at it in the winter and planning out my spring garden. However, I also received my February copy of Woman’s Day. FEBRUARY! Now that is just freakish. Of course when I went to WalMart yesterday everything was turning red. What is wrong with us??

Back to the white vegetables. In the “New Burpee Exclusive” listings for 2008 is a white tomato called “Italian Ice”. White. I don’t know about you, but I find that bizarre. Why do we need to spend time and money and effort to take the color out of a vegetable? Not to mention the fact that we can already buy a dozen red, orange, or yellow tomatoes. Why do we need a white one? For variety? contrast? thrill? I’m betting it’s not for the taste.

My son says I’m not being fair or reasonable because I love white flowers and many of them are not “natural”, but bred to be white. True. However, if we are just talking about color then I would argue that white flowers balance out the garden and brighten bouquets with their contrast. I don’t think a white tomato is going to do much for my salad unless I intentionally make it with dark lettuce and throw in a few red tomatoes for contrast. Maybe that IS the point! LOL White tomatoes will force us to create better salads. But then I don’t think” looking good on a plate” is reason enough to drain the color from one of my favorite veggies.

I think maybe a small part of my psyche is offended by the idea that we are always craving something different. We could spend time and effort and money on making food cheaper, more available, more nutritional, (and I know someone out there is doing just that) but we waste our resources on making something different just for the sake of being different. If Burpee has a higher purpose for its white vegetables (corn, tomatoes, carrots, eggplant, pumpkins, radishes) I’d like to know what it is.  And don’t think I have anything against Burpee- I know there are hundreds of seed companies and nurseries doing the very same thing.

Maybe I’m just missing the point in my old age. Variety is the spice of life. Now there is a tomato to satisfy each and every palate and discerning eye in the world. We can all make creative, colorful, even artistic salads! Maybe this will be the last “new” tomato we need. Until someone figures out how to create a blue one.

White tomatoes- clearly not a national security issue, but I was just wondering as I flipped through the pages and dreamed of spring…what’s next? White strawberries? Now that’s where I draw the line!!

Granny's House

I've been scanning slides like crazy today. And it's been a wonderful trip down memory lane. There are so many I want to share, but this one really spoke to my heart. This is a picture of my Granny Simmons' house. Later it became Mom and Dad's house and the photo was taken when they lived there, but I always thought of it as Granny's house.

Robert and I were talking this afternoon about the things you remember from childhood- odd bits of information and glimpses of events. I showed him a picture of him taken during a trip to Iowa with my mom. Robert says he remembers that she held a tissue to the window during a rainstorm. As soon as he said that I remembered that there was a tiny gap in the rubber seal and water came in when it rained. Mom held a tissue to it to keep from getting sprayed.

That's the way I remember Granny's house- bits and pieces, glimpses, visions. Even though I was only in it a few times when she lived there, I remember some things quite well.  I can see her standing in the livingroom. She had a "Grandma Moses" style painting on the wall and it had lots of people in it. I don't remember what they were doing, but I remember staring at that painting and wishing I could paint. She kept rows and rows and rows of canned food on the back porch. The living room ceiling was incredibly low (there was an attic room above it). The kitchen was narrow and tiny. The floors squeaked. I think one room had pale yellow wall paper. There was wisteria all over the garage. Glimpses of another time.

Memory Fades

I've been scanning slides this week. We have hundreds because that's about all we shot for years. Now many of them are fading or simply disentegrating. Too many years in the Oklahoma heat and humidity. I'm trying to save the ones of our children first, then some of our favorites from trips, etc. I don't have a viewer anymore, so I simply pull out a slide, hold it to the light and try to decide if it's a "scan soon" or "wait 'til later". Some have turned out to be "scan right now, because this is just too funny!" These two were taken somewhere on the coast. I'd have to pull some old journals out to know for sure. I remember going somewhere or meeting somewhere with one of Gary's college buddies and they had a camper. Gary doesn't remember any of them having a camper and he thinks we went to the coast alone. If so, who took the photo? Oh, how the memory fades. LOL Anyway, it doesn't matter. What matters is...what was Gary thinking with the headband???

Not Today

I had plans for today. I was going to go to the museum. I was going to see a friend, mail some letters, drop off a movie, buy groceries. Not today. Instead I went out to my car, turned the key and heard that deep silence and soft clicking sound that usually means only one thing- dead battery.

Thank goodness Gary was still home. He gave it a jumpstart with the other car. Even though it started and ran without any trouble, I just didn’t feel confident enough to drive it around town and risk having the battery go bad again. Obviously something is wrong with it. We just bought it in July. So…tomorrow when he is off we will exchange the battery. 

Cars are like any other convenience in our lives. We don’t give them much thought as long as they are working and serving our needs. When they break down we suddenly realize how dependent we are on them.  Luckily today I didn’t really need to go to town. Gary mailed my letters and dropped off the movie. We have enough groceries to last until Sunday. Tomorrow will be soon enough to shop.

Today I cleaned my two aquariums. I set up a third one and moved two goldfish into it because their tank was getting too crowded. I used to have five aquariums, but this house doesn’t have enough convenient outlets for me to set up the others. (And I don’t have a sink or cabinet at school for the one that used to entertain my students.) Well, one of my projects gets a checkmark! Done.

I also worked on an article, finished the current puzzle,  read a chapter of Indian Yell by Michael Blake, and wrote a letter. Not a bad day. Just not the one I’d planned. Isn’t that the fundamental nature of life?

Joy to the World...

Christmas is over. I don't know why that is such a relief, but it is. As much as I enjoy the holiday and gifts and cards and the sappy movies, I'm just relieved when it's all over and it's time to start a new year. I guess part of my relief starts with the fact that I'm not a "winter" person. A new year means only months until spring and gardening and my real life begins(in winter I'm only going through the motions).

One of my favorite gifts this year was a copy of Dave Ramsey's book, "The Total Money Makeover". I'm ready for some financial changes in 2008! Dave says I can be debt-free in a few years. I'm reading his plan and I'll let you know how it goes. So far, I really like his no-nonsense approach. I like his writing style and I like his advice. Unlike other financial advice people, he doesn't assume I'm stupid- just ignorant. There's a big difference there!

I'm spending these last days of 2007 on some special personal projects. I like to wrap up the year by getting my office cleaned up. I have some old slides to scan. I need to move one of my aquariums. I want to sort through my older paintings and drawings and get rid of some of them. Just little things that give me that "clean slate" feeling in preparation for the new year. Silly really, to let some date on the calendar seem like a major turning point, but it does.

I want to thank everyone who sent cards and emails and letters this month. I appreciate your kind words about my blogs and I hope you will continue to visit with me in 2008. I have a few new things planned and I have a good feeling about the upcoming year. I also hope you will visit Caddo in person if you are ever in the area.

Enjoy the rest of your day...and take that tree down! LOL

Christmas Tree Lane

I've said it before- I love the internet!! My daughter mentioned Fresno's Christmas Tree Lane and that they had been praised by Sunset Magazine. Well, I looked up the article, read it, and looked at photos on the Christmas Tree Lane website. What a Christmas gift!

Christmas Tree Lane was one of my favorite places when we lived in California. Each year we visited the fantasyland of lights and entertainers. Some years there was a live nativity scene. Most years there were choirs from different churches and schools. Santa was at the end of the drive, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. It was a child's dream-come-true. I'm so pleased to know that it is still delighting visitors, despite higher costs for everything.

We've never decorated our yard or the outside of the house, but I certainly appreciate the work of others. Gary and I drove around Caddo one night last week and looked at the lights and decorations. There are several homes that are just gorgeous! I hope people know that they are lifting the spirits of those of us who drive by.

Just one more day folks. If you haven't finished your shopping you'd better get out there tomorrow. Don't look for me though! I'll be drinking coffee in front of the fire. 

Simple things

I like simple things. Uncomplicated days. We went to the library today. Bought one last Christmas present. Stopped by to see a friend. Drank some coffee. Worked on a puzzle. 

Winter is puzzle time in our house. There is one on the table right now and Gary is pondering the edges of a lighthouse. This is the third puzzle we have put together since the weather turned cold. One of us starts it and then each of us works on it when we have time. I'll put in a piece or two as I wait for the coffee to brew in the morning. Gary likes to work on it while I'm on the computer. Robert will add some pieces after we have gone to bed and he's listening to Letterman. Sometimes two of us will work together for a while. We usually like to work on different sections of the picture. Robert likes objects like buildings or boats. Gary likes little details. I usually end up doing the boring sky. I think either of them would just say "hey, it's sky" and leave the hole. I'm patient and stubborn enough to finish the very last piece.

Some of the simplest things carry on from childhood and bring us pleasure all of our lives.  Karen probably has a puzzle on her table right now. Katrina may not be working a puzzle, but I'll bet she and the kids have played Aggravation a time or two. That was my grandmother's favorite game and one we all played as children. My great-grandmother loved to play canasta. My grandfather taught us to play dominoes.

Simple things. Enjoy. 

Ready or Not

I can’t believe there are only five days left until Christmas. I’ve done all the basics. Most of my cards have been mailed. I bought ornaments for the kids and left everything else to gift cards. Not very original or creative, but sure saves on postage. And my grandchildren are so far away that I can’t possibly keep up with all that they have or don’t have, need or want.

Christmas is the best and the worst of our holidays. On the one hand it’s a time to celebrate Christ’s birth and be generous to our friends and loved ones. On the other hand we feel such a sense of obligation to do so many things, that it sometimes robs us of our joy. We often expect much more from ourselves and from others than is necessary or even possible. So we find ourselves on December 26^th  broke, exhausted, and relieved that it’s over.

It didn’t really occur to me until today, but there is great wisdom in my title. Ready or not, the holiday will still come. Whether we do all the things we planned or not, we will still celebrate in some way. We will still enjoy our family and friends. We will still manage to give a few gifts and get more than we need or probably deserve. We like to think that the holiday just won’t be the same unless we do everything on our list. We like to think that someone will notice if we don’t keep all the traditions we’ve always had. But the truth is that most of us are so focused on our own “to do” list, that we don’t even notice if others fall short of their goals.

So what really matters? It’s different for each person and I think that is the key to moving past “survival” and on to enjoyment. Do what is important to YOU and your family. Prioritize. This is not the time to keep up with the neighbors or other family members or even what you did last year. Ask yourself a few questions.

What really brings you joy during the holidays? For me it’s hearing from friends and family and knowing they are still alive and reasonably well. The older I get, the more I value my health and the health of loved ones. Cards and letters and phone calls are much more important to me than gifts.

What truly brings a tear to your eyes or tugs at your heart? I love to watch the reactions of  children. School parties, church musicals, parades…these are the blessings of the holidays.

What tradition is the most important to you? It’s just not Christmas without a tree. I tried it one year. Just had a little table tree because we were actually celebrating somewhere else. But I needed our tree. The tree isn’t special by itself- it’s the ornaments. As I unpack each one and remember other Christmases and other people it gives me a sense of continuity and community. I’m part of something much bigger and that gives me a sense of peace.

Who is important to you? We all have problems with neighbors or co-workers or family members. Christmas isn’t the magic holiday that will make those problems vanish. Christmas is a time to cherish those who are important to us year round and be a little more tolerant of those who aren’t. However, I’m not saying we should suddenly be phony either. If there is a situation you can’t tolerate, then don’t put yourself into it. I’m just getting stubborn enough to say “Hey, I don’t spend time with them during the year because our relationship is over. Don’t ask me to pretend for the sake of some holiday tradition.” I can forgive, but don’t ask me to eat, drink, and be merry!

Finally, try to remember why we celebrate. Christ chose us. We don’t deserve his love, but we get it anyway. We don’t deserve his gifts, but we are blessed anyway. We certainly don’t deserve his forgiveness, but he is always ready to give us another chance. We’ve turned Christmas into a frantic marathon of shopping, cooking, and responsibilities. It began as a simple celebration of the perfect gift. Ready or not, Christmas is here. Because it's not really about us.

Christmas morning

I found this photo recently. It's labeled "Christmas morning", but doesn't have a year. Let that be a lesson to all of us- label those photos! Now my dad can't remember if it was taken in 1953 or 1954, not that it really matters. I just think it's a sweet picture of my cousin Evelyn, me, and my aunts, Carolyn and Betty.

HO-HO-HUM

My son is probably ashamed of me, even though he doesn't say it. Instead he says things like "MOM, you are so weird!" "MOM, that is so strange." "MOM! Mom, that makes no sense at all." We're talking about politics of course. Robert loves politics. He knows about policies and people and well...stuff that scares me. I don't trust very many people, especially people running for public office. They say exactly what we want to hear and then deny all of it when they get elected. I'm just tired of trying to figure it out. Now they are interfering with my holiday spirit by being on the news every single night.

I guess what bothers Robert is that I'm not an "informed voter". I don't have the time or energy to investigate each candidate's background and examine their platform or whatever. Even if I care about an issue, like health care, what am I to believe- what they say they will do, or what I know will actually happen? So I find myself reacting to personal impressions and gut instinct, which I know doesn't make sense for an otherwise educated, intelligent person to do. What can I say? I checked one "O" off my list the minute the other "O" came out to support him. Didn't trust him after reading his book, can't stand her. The way another candidate talks bothers me because he seems "shifty eyed". My mother always said liars do that. :) Don't like the mayor. Don't want the womanizer back in the House, even as the assistant. Another man reminds me of "dead fish". Can't help it Robert!! Some people just remind me of animals. (You big cuddly bear!) So...I'm going to do what any weird, strange, unprepared Mom would do. I'm going to listen to my well-informed son for the next ten months and then do what feels right!

On a happier note, my students are all well and we've completed most of our holiday projects. Today they poured their little hearts and hands into making cards for their friends. It was such fun to see them work so hard for the benefit of someone else!! We can all take a lesson from that.

In case of future lapses...you can tell it's winter by how often the Internet is "down". Oh, the joys of satellite!