Journey of Time

There will be days
ahead of me-
That now I do not hear
or see.
But, yet, their journey
leads them far
Across the fields-
And beneath each star-
Down back roads
that fade to brown
Through silent snow
and greening ground.

The days will come
in perfect grace
and settle slyly
about my face
and seep into my
flesh and bone
with rhythm firm
and steadfast tone.
Until my reflection
soon will tell
that time has come
and made me pale-
has rusted me
and hung around
to place me softly
in the ground.

 But until then
I must learn to dance-
to dream-to fly-
to take a chance
to befriend time
on it's journey here-
to not taste regret
or engage fear.
For these days are mine
that come across
the emerald fields
and hills of frost
And I alone decide just how
I'll greet those days
that linger now.

 I'll hold on tight
and celebrate
what time carries
in his pack of Fate
And nevermore
will I take for granted
this awesome world
on which I'm planted.

Thank you, Lord
for earth and sky
for wind and rain
and birds that fly.
For eyes that see
and hands that feel
for hearts that love
and joy that's real-
For days ahead I do not see-
but, yet, they come
to strengthen me.

Inquiring Minds Want To Know!

Everyone that's familiar with my blog knows that my most loyal commenter is my sister Linda. Sometimes her little comment is a hundred times funnier and more witty than my whole blog post. And she makes me laugh.

When there are days when I just cannot bring myself to write a single thing, I always think about Linda and how she might be expecting a new post to start the day.

I don't know if you've all noticed lately, but she's missing. And people all over the world- including me- are asking the same question:

SisterLinda is about 5' 4, blond hair, blue eyes and a cross between Maxine and Walter. If you see her, tell her I miss her!

Spunky Old Broads- Unite!!!

**(Outrageous, unattractive photos: courtesy of  our Sister Weekends! Thanks girls!)**

"Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years.  We grow old by deserting our ideals.  Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. " ~Samuel Ullman

The fatter years

 I couldn't let too many days of February slip by without announcing that this is Spunky Old Broads Month!  Described online as a month long celebration for all women over 50 who are interested in living a regret-free life.

If you are still a young, vibrant, still-gives-a -crap- what -you- look- like- when- you- get -the mail kind of gal, then you can skip this blog altogether today. Or read it and weep...

Wanna live a regret-free life? Continue on to discover frightening coming events in your life- and lessons from the professionals.

"The years teach much which the days never knew."  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have no idea what we were doing here

I've been a Spunky Old Broad for almost five years. (Calendar wise.) But inside I think I've only recently taken hold of the spunky spirit within me and gained some type of control of this sucky aging process. Here's what I've learned:

Lesson One: 
Don't sweat it.
If you can still tie your shoes and wipe your butt, you're doing great! What you have to realize is that most of us still feel nineteen at heart. We still like rock music, cute clothes, good sex and deep dish pepperoni pizza.
Life doesn't stop at fifty. (Unless you die.)

Lesson Two:

You don't have to be a mean Spunky Old Broad.
Don't park your cart in the middle of the aisle at WalMart.
Don't be rude to the kid at the grocery store that short changed you two pennies.
Don't bark, curse, kick, screech or grunt in public.
Be polite. Smile.
Anger will not make you younger, richer, or more powerful. It just makes you look like a mean old lady that everyone wants to avoid... Or kill.

Lesson Three:
Dress according to your attitude - not your age.
Spunky old broads avoid elastic-waist stretchy jeans, granny pants, hair nets, rain bonnets,
ugly hats and orthopedic shoes.
Spunky old broads always wear a good-fitting bra, a hint of makeup, have their hair styled attractively, and continue to wear their dentures when leaving the confines of home.
There is nothing that shouts "OLD" quicker than a toothless, witchy-haired woman with boobs that are tucked into the elastic-waist of her stretchy jeans....(with an inch of granny pants showing).

Lesson Four:
Manage your bodily noises and urges. Listen to your body and silence it as necessary.
Refrain from farting, burping, creaking, shuffling, and polka dancing.
Don't attempt cartwheels, break dancing, high jumping or one-legged pirouettes.
Don't flirt with young boys, envy young women, or baby-talk to your imaginary pet.
Sit straight, don't drool. Avoid snorting, gurgling, snoring and gasping for breath.
But don't fool yourself. Always take the elevator.

Lesson Five:
Find your spunk.
Be who you are and not what your friends and family expect you to be. Personality and individualism shouldn't diminish with age- it should ripen.
If you want to ride a roller coaster, paint a wall purple, take a dance class, enroll in college or color that gray hair- just do it! Life is too short to wait-and-see.
Adopt a positive attitude, a charming smile, a friendly voice, and a loving ambiance.
Be you. Be your favorite age-and then don't look back.
(That being said- never embarrass yourself with mini-skirts, overflowing cleavage, pigtails, stilettos, or membership to a nude beach.)

Disco party 09

To all you Spunky Old Broads- let us celebrate! 

It's our month! It's our life! It's our world!

Wrestle it to the ground and give it a belly kiss...

Goodwill Wednesday: (On Thursday!) A Hopeful Heart

Well, we got really lucky yesterday and the worst of the storm settled north of here. But, we do have icy conditions and some scattered sleet. My husband is home today and I cooked a hot, hearty breakfast for us and ...we're just going to spend the day relaxing.
Sounds good to me!

NOTE: This was written yesterday, but I didn't have internet because of the ice. So- you're getting Goodwill Wednesday on Thursday this week! 
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I am always scouring the Goodwill store for things I can put on my porch. It's a rather boring porch. Small, no railing...no personality- other than what I can wrangle up. You might be surprised how cute a pot of artificial flowers looks when gathered in a vase there- or a outdated wreath given a sassy new look.

I almost always refuse to shell out lots of money for decorations. Especially when they're going out to withstand the elements and sometimes destroyed by inclement weather.
So, for Valentine's Day a few years ago, I found some red Christmas garland at my Goodwill and came home and made this:

It's just a wire coat hanger that I shaped into a heart and wrapped with the garland. I didn't have any small wire to attach it, so I used some plastic-coated red paper clips that I straightened out to secure the garland.

 

The pillows here are just some old throw pillows that had lost their luster. You could even buy some at Goodwill- I've seen plenty available. I would never lay my head on one of them, but to cover with fabric as chair cushions- I don't see why not.
In fact, I don't actually cover them. I just safety pin some fabric on. This way I can change them out with the seasons. (No one really sees the back anyway- and if they don't like it- they can get off my porch! :)
This particular red fabric was a table runner I found on clearance a few years ago at KMart. It's Christmas-y. but works well for Valentine's Day, too. Which is why I cut it in half, pinned it to my pillows, and wrapped it with a green ribbon. (For Christmas, I had ornaments tied to the ribbon.)


I bought the pink bag with feather trim at WalMart after February 14th one year. (Just a dollar). I've got it stuffed now with a heavy vase (in case of wind) and lots of pink, white and red cheap flowers. And dollar store bling!
Actually the rocking chairs were a bargain I got when I worked at a retail gift shop. They put them in their "porch sale" for $50 total. I immediately said "SOLD!". (But I rarely sit there. They aren't very comfortable.)
Valentines Day will be here and gone in a few weeks and I'm already on the lookout for something different for my porch. Too early for Easter, I suppose...But- I guess I'll never know what's out there until I make a Goodwill run!

Won't you join me?

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Here's what it looks like at my house on this Groundhog Day 2011:

Simple Pleasures

 Thanks for bearing with me as I redesign my blog. I was kinda tired of the coffee cup that sprouted birds! :) This new one has some flaws, but I kinda like it...for now!

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This morning as I was putting a clean trash bag into the kitchen waste basket, I thought to myself how good it felt to have a new, empty, and fresh smelling trash can. It was a simple pleasure, but welcome none the less- and it made me reflect on the simple joys in my life...

Some things that touch our lives are not always big things. Sometimes they are subtle, silent...small...

I love the simple joy of clean towels- the terry cloth touched with a hint of lavender- the way they stack neatly into a tower and await their duty after a shower. I love them hot from the dryer, fluffed with fabric softener and thick with quiet pureness.

I love the simple joy of birds. Of lemon-colored finches as they poke at a tower of thistle. Of cardinals as red as flame bobbing for sunflower seeds lost in a snow drift- and blue birds so blue that it almost hurts your eyes to see their pointed wings against a sea of grass.

I love the simple joy of my favorite chair. Worn slightly on the right side- the upholstery blotted with faint rings of spilled coffee... and the cushions hiding a smidgen of cookie crumbs. I love the way I can curl my feet up and be perfectly at peace... read a thick novel...take a tiny nap... or just sit and watch the world outside my window turn with the seasons.

I love the simple pleasure of the night sky. Especially when it glows with the dots of a million stars... and fireflies  pulsate with beating lights across the dewy fields...when the moon is so big and round and yellow that you can almost touch it...when it envelopes me with the songs of crickets and katydids and the smell of damp, sweet, perfumed darkness.

I love the simple pleasures of  smooth rocks. Of finding a round stone in the creek that's been polished by years of rain water and sand...Of odd shaped pebbles that fit comfortably in my hand...that beg to be rubbed with a tender thumb...that look like a collection of sleek, shiny soldiers when lined up on the window sill.

I love the simple pleasure of new socks.  Of the way they seem to wrap around my feet like a layer of cotton skin...how they gather my toes together in a sling of warmth... and slide across the laminate floor like woolen ice skates.

I love the simple pleasure of a sharp pencil. The way the lead comes to a fine point...its graphite tip leaving perfect lines of script on white paper...of its rubber eraser, pink with the power of eradication. Of how a group of them in a tin can, blossom like a graceful sculpture of yellow spikes.

I love the simple pleasure of a bologna sandwich. The white bread- soft as cotton and almost damp to the touch - and even its biscuit-colored crust, tender enough to eat alone. The thick slice of fragrant bologna- a hint of garlic- the tang of mustard- the way it is cut into a perfect set of triangles and laid upon a stiff, white paper plate.

My life is a quilt of simple pleasures that warms my heart.
Take the time today to find yours.

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If I don't post for a few days, it may mean that the ice storm has wreaked havoc on all types of communication here in Southern Illinois. Hopefully it won't be as bad as predicted, and I'll be back after it all melts and things are working again!
Be safe.
Stay warm.

And indulge in simple pleasures...