This old gal...

Remembers two other times she was told what was being said behind her back...not the Junior High gossipy backstabbing sort of thing, but grown up people...people she worked with...people she thought were friends...

Let one go...ignored it...addressed the other one...tried to talk it out which made matters worse...blew-up-in-the-face kind of worse...caused issues for years...

And learned that there are some things you're better off not knowing...don't need to know what's going on inside someone's head, especially if it's not nice...

Because haters are gonna hate...and it probably can't be changed...and it's not up to you to change it...

So find your village...a trusted village...surround yourself with good people and be a good person yourself...

Spread the love...save the drama for the llama...
​
And those daughters of mine...would agree.

This old gal...

Was a waitress in high school...had to wear a long red dress and white hat...served German food at one of the popular Amana restaurants...

Loved waitressing...meeting tourists...hearing their stories...laughing with them about the GIANT cinnamon roll they just ordered...

A bus kid went on break with a gaggle of other servers...middle-aged married women...decided to share with waitress-me that she was the topic of conversation while they ate..."They think you're fake," was his revelation...

Which was funny because if waitress-me was anything...it wasn't fake...she loved people...loved the interaction...loved joking...loved teasing...

And something in that boy-band-look-a-like-at-the-Hy-Vee-check-out felt familiar...looked familiar...a throw back to chatty-waitress-me...a vision of that daughter of mine ordering Subway with a bubbly smile...

A boy version of us...how a son would have acted had mama-me had had a son...vivacious...spunky...maybe a little louder than most...

But nothing to apologize for...

Because it's ok to be who you are...social or not...boisterous or soft-spoken...whatever type of you that you are...wear it proudly...
​
And that husband of mine...agrees...

This old gal...

Stopped at Hy-Vee for water...needed nothing else, just bottled water...and much to the surprise of impulse-buyer-me...left with JUST water(and maybe a few lottery tickets, but that's our little secret)...

Was heading out after paying and couldn't help but notice a young man...a young man about 20...a young man, about 20, chatting away with the older check-out lady while he paid for his items...

Cuter than cute...boy band cute...jeans-and-a-T-shirt-and-curly-blond-hair-Niall Horan-kind of cute...

But it wasn't his looks that made him stand out..it wasn't his looks that made an old gal stop and take pause...it wasn't his looks that made her pretend to look at the flower display so he could walk by her on his way out...

It was his check-out personality...

bubbly, kind, just loud enough one could hear what he said...a ready laugh...a twinkle in the eye...a hearty, "Have a great day!" as he grabbed his bags and exited left...

Right by an old gal...a gawking old gal pretending to look at the flower display...a gawking old gal who he said hello to when they caught eyes...

And it made her heart melt...not because of the interaction per se...but because it was all so wholesome...it was all so good...it was all—so rare...

And so it is...in a world where you can be anything—be kind...boy-band-look-a-like-at-the-Hy-Vee-check-out-kind-of-kind...because when it comes down to it, there's only 'One (logical) Direction' in life to take...

So why not?
​
And that husband of mine...agrees...

This old gal...

Loves olives...is obsessed with olives...eats olives almost every day...loves them on salads, pizzas, straight from the jar as a snack...

Can even wear the color...that green olive color...the House of Colour saying, 'Wear anything olivaceous, Old Gal. It'll make those hazel eyes pop!'—and it does...

Because olives are special...grew up with them...a dish of them on every holiday table...nibble on them while the big meal cooks...eat them as a side along with strawberry jello and oyster stuffing...

Was watching that Tom and Jerry Thanksgiving cartoon, amused at seeing the jello on the holiday table when what to my wondering eyes do I see, on the table, right next to the jello?...

Olives...a bowl of olives...and the mind of olive-loving-me went awww...

With the realization that, at one time, olives must have been a thing...a trendy food kind of thing...not just a random Bohemie family thing but a thing that was such a thing that it shows up on a popular cartoon...

And it makes an old gal ponder. Ponder the story of Mr. Olive—his story in the world of food...his popularity...his fall from grace...his inevitable fate...

Because in life...everything has a story...an ups-and-downs kind of story...a highs-and-lows kind of story...a happy-sad kind of story...

And rich or poor, young or old, black or green...that story matters...

And that husband of mine...agrees...

**While we're talking about jello and olives, a friend of mine shared that her family used to make green jello with green olives in it. This is a food marriage olive-loving-me has never seen or eaten. So let's take a poll...
​
Have you ever seen or eaten green jello with olives in it?

This old gal...

Sees herself in that friend of hers...so many connections...so many commonalities...but when it comes to plants...there is no reflection...

She—a master gardener...beautiful plants inside and out...can identify them all...knows the ins and outs of each...nurtures them...helps them grow...keeps them alive...

Unlike brown thumb-me...have never had a knack with plants...try to pick the hardy survivors—the ones that thrive in spite of gardening ignorance and even then, it can be a total 'failsauce'...

Those hydrangeas? Last year stunning; this year, nary a bloom. Those hibiscus? Last year took over the entire back corner; this year, not a sign of them...

Commented on a beauty that flower queen had in her backyard the end of last summer...yellow, happy, vibrant..."A cosmos," she'd said. "I'll get you some," she'd said...

And wouldn't you know, true to her word, a year later—with the onset of spring—that flower queen friend of mine did just that...

Planted them in the backyard near the stubborn hibiscus and the ornery hydrangeas and they have done nothing but flourish...

Because maybe, just maybe, it's not a green thumb this Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary needs to make her garden grow...but instead a gift from the flower queen...a gift that may just have been blessed with a little bit of fairy dust by someone who just so happens to have...the magic touch...
​
And those daughters of mine...agree...

This friend and I...

Were chatting in her kitchen when she opened her refrigerator door and what to my wondering eyes did I see?...cups...cute little cups...glass decorative cups...filled with jello...

And the heart of little-me went awww...

Jello-in-a-cup...grew up on jello-in-a-cup...red jello in a milk glass custard cup...didn't have lots of snacks in the house but always had jello-in-a-cup...and once in a while got to top it off with a dollop of Cool-Whip...

Was watching cartoons the other morning...that husband of mine turning on an old Tom and Jerry...a real old Tom and Jerry...a 1949 Thanksgiving themed Tom and Jerry and on that Thanksgiving table was jello...a big jiggly plate of jello...

And the heart of little-me went awww...

Grandmother's making jello...jello on every holiday table...bing cherry jello, mandarin orange jello, green jello mixed up with the dreaded cottage cheese...

Haven't made jello in years...haven't had jello-in-a-cup in years...like years and years and years...but did buy some milk glass custard cups recently...just in case...

Because sometimes in life...those traditions...those 'awww' traditions...those jello-in-a-cup traditions...those beloved family traditions that somehow got lost over time...

Could make a little comeback...find themselves in the present with nothing more than the opening of a fridge, by a friend, just up the road...
​
And that husband of mine...agrees...

Little me...

Grew up next door to that grandmother of hers...visited daily...ate toast at the kitchen table...watched TV in the soft brown chair...raced Hot Wheels down the stairs from the second floor...

Those stairs coming to a landing a third of the way down...a small four foot landing with a door on each side...one door led to a few more steps into the foyer...the other door...the one to the left...was a mystery door...

And little me was always intrigued by the mystery door...the mystery door that opened but went nowhere...the mystery door that seemingly had no purpose...

Until she learned that it once led to the kitchen but when the kitchen was remodeled in the 1960's the door was sealed and covered by wall and cupboards...

Felt bad for the door...wanted to see it in its prime...useful...busy...kids bopping into the kitchen as the door flung open...tried to picture it but never really could...

And then...admiring that beautiful home of that kindred soul of mine, noticed a door...a door on the upstairs landing...a door just like the door of the past...a door...just like the mystery door...

And the heart of little-me went crazy...and the mind of little-me went crazy...and the mouth of Curious George-me asked if she could see what was behind...the mystery door...

And so she did...and it was cool...so very cool...opened it up and it led right to the kitchen...a service door for back-in-the-day domestic staff...

And so it is...in life...that thing called closure...sometimes we don't even know we need...but when it comes...even 60 years later...how grand it is...
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And that husband of mine...agrees...

This old gal…

Has found a soul sister…a kindred spirit…a vintage glass-loving buddy in that sweet neighbor of mine…Pyrex, vases, hobnail, you name it and she has it…

Displayed beautifully, tastefully…in the windows…on shelves…adorning antique furniture…it’s stunning…takes the breath away every…single…time…

Each visit there’s something new…a new arrangement…a new display…a new table centerpiece…and this time that something new…was mushrooms…a canister set with mushrooms…

Had to laugh because, of course, she’d love mushrooms…there’s that vibe, you know, that kindred spirit vibe…and found out recently she'd been a mom to a toy poodle, too...

Will the wonders never cease?

And so it is...in life...a new friend...finding connection...the prisms of color in the morning sun...

Find the blessings...they are there...
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And those daughters of mine...agree...

This old gal…

Loves chatting with that neighbor of hers…sitting on a bench on the porch…the beautiful wrap-around porch…the neighborhood peaceful, calm…

There’s something about it—those chats…a throw back to the good old days…small town-like…Andy Griffith Mayberry-like…

The conversation about everything and anything…family, friends, cataracts…writing letters, local history, how you just can’t make brownies like you used to because chocolate chips don’t melt any more…

This neighbor so wise, so knowing…this neighbor so kind, so thoughtful…this neighbor with the twinkle in the eye and a smile in her heart…

This neighbor who was as confused about the kitties on the porch as kitty-loving me…

A new cat had come to stay…made himself the boss…he’s sweet and lovable but since his arrival the other cats seem to have gone astray…

Only Mama Cat and her kittens remain…Tony, Tiger, Grumpy and the others…Pumpkin, too…no longer are a part of the kitty cat porch club…

Won’t think about coyotes or drivers who run over animals on purpose…will choose the Pumpkin scenario—still close by but being fed and loved by someone else…

And so it is…that thing called life…ever changing…ever evolving…embrace each day…enjoy the ride…
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And that husband of mine…agrees…

That daughter of mine…

Has been blessed…blessed with skill…blessed with talents…blessed with amazing gifts…

Has worn many hats, you could say, in her few short years…hats going back to the toddler days…

Performer, Princess, Iowa State Cyclone fan…dancer, drummer, robot building Flying Pig…

Baton twirler, baker, Hugh Jackman super fan…academic, biker, big-city-slicker gal…

Cat mom, teacher, daughter, sister…creative, crafty, kind, courageous…

Might have been third in line, Thing Number 2, but is number 1 in anyone’s book who is lucky to know her as a friend...

And today she wears another hat…a special hat…a ‘Woot Woot! Today’s my birthday!’ hat…

So Happy Birthday, sweet daughter of mine! May your day be full of fun and your year be full of grand adventures. And wherever life may take you, wear the hat proudly…
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And those sisters of yours…agree…