That husband of mine…

Decided it was time to say good-bye to the garden…or more like that grassy tomato patch in the middle of the backyard…

Had a healthy crop…ate his fill…ready now to mow and clean things up a bit…twas a team effort…he clipping…she tossing scraps into the big green bag…

And that’s when the memories started…little me and those brothers of mine…years and years and years ago…put to work cleaning the garden…

Not too happy about it…but didn’t say a word…not a grumble…not a pout…and then it happened…not sure by whom…but it went splat…

And so began the most outrageous rotten tomato fight ever…filled with laughter…and smiles…and icky sticky fun…

It crossed the mind briefly…oh so very briefly…little girl fun…a rotten red thing in the hand…but sometimes in life…if an old gal is smart…those delicious memories of the past…

Are best left…in the past…
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And if that husband of mine were aware…he’d agree…

This husband of mine said…

Let’s put the new grill together together…got it for his birthday…came unassembled…thought he’d enjoy working on it in the garage…

Gift giver me thought wrong…Little Weber sat in the box for weeks…unopened…untouched…

Started putting it together together…the instructions confusing…two old folks fumbling and bumbling…when one of us innocently said…

For thirty dollars extra they would have put it together for us at the store…

And that’s when her putting it together together buddy dropped a bomb…a shocking bomb…

Men would pay thirty bucks not to have to put sh** together…because men hate putting sh** together…

Really?…always thought that commercial with Dad throwing a tantrum assembling the Barbie Dream House was just a parody…

But maybe not…and maybe it’s not all men…maybe it’s just some men…or maybe it’s just this one man who’s wife would have paid the thirty bucks…if she’d had any idea…

And so it is…in life…see your people…hear your people and let them do the same for you…

Because that’s what love…is all about…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Had a meeting…a substitute teacher meeting…just up the road at the admin building…kicking off some new time clock thing…supposed to last about two hours…

Plan to sub before heading to Texas…love the kids…love teaching…love the extra money…but was dreading the meeting…

Scared to go to be honest…and that felt weird…not usually a scaredy cat…tend to be confident…but this meeting…in New Town…caused a panic…

Don’t know where to go…where to sit…can an old gal figure out a new computer system?..does she need to wear her badge?..

And then there it was…a text…from a friend…Are you going to the meeting? Do you want to sit together?..and just like that..the fear was gone…

And so it is…in life…reach out…be a friend…make a difference…
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And that friend of mine…agrees…

This old gal…

Loves the first day of school…little me…teacher me…mama me…over the years got to celebrate 53 of them…the thrill always the same…

New school shoes…pretty pink eraser…Dick and Jane…a snapshot before heading out…

Shiny polished floors…classroom theme…fun bulletin boards…greeting happy readers as they come through the door…

Character backpacks…fangirl folders…excited to see friends…a family photo with mom and her girls…

And now those ladies of mine…Big Sis welcoming college kids…Little Sis PE teacher extraordinaire…and Middle Sis…over there in Nebraska…working with UNL students…

The heart of mama me right there with them…because don’t we all deserve to enjoy the proverbial first day of school?..

A fresh start…a new beginning…fun…friends…and if you’re lucky…fancy new red patent leather shoes…

Of course we do…
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And those daughters of mine…agree…

Those shrimp socks…

Remind me of the book Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss…shrimp shrimp socks socks…socks for shrimp…shrimp on socks…open the door…when the little shrimp knocks…

Those shrimp socks…knitted so deftly by that lefty…who sent a picture of hobby time…apparently a thing young people do these days…get together and do their hobbies…

But mama me begs to differ…calling those shrimp socks a hobby…or anything that shrimp sock knitter knits…vests…sweaters…matching accessories for that adorable pup of hers…

Hobby Slobby…this is art…works of art…and so it is…find what you love…get out there and start…bring friends along…and for the price of a song…

Have fun…make memories…be your own kind of artist…create your own kind of masterpiece…
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And those daughters of mine…agree…

That oldest daughter of mine…

Sent photos from the park…she knitting socks…shrimp socks…while her favorite DC family tried out some sports…

Big sporty him giving tutorials to little sporty her…sharing activities that might be fun for her new job teaching…

Wait for it…

PE…Elementary PE…actually Health and Wellness slash PE…certified in Health…has taught Health…now certified in PE…ready to dive right in…hit the road running…

Spent an afternoon generating ideas…learning some tips…volleyball…basketball…tennis…Frisbe…shrimp sock knitter enjoying the show…

And so it is…forty years later…one of us…who felt like a failure in college badminton…and to be honest in every PE class she was ever in…will finally be redeemed…

Through that daughter of hers…who’s school motto is PE is for everyone…where supportive signs are posted outside her new classroom door…

Where this mama knows…because she knows that daughter of hers…that each and every one of those kids that enters that gym for PE…

Will feel valued…appreciated…accomplished…and will leave that class…thinking they are the best runner jumper hopper skipper thrower stretcher yoga-er in the whole wide world…

Because that’s what teaching is all about…empowerment…

And that daughter of mine…who has a heart of gold…has got what it takes…
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And those sisters of hers…agree…

This old gal…

Entering the final leg of college…expected to graduate with two degrees in five years…was coming up one credit short…

Advised to take a PE course…had already taken the required two…bowling and tennis…got them over early on because non athletic me is…non athletic…and not a fan of PE…

Took the advisor’s advice…enrolled in badminton…knew the game…played it in the backyard…how bad could it be…

It was bad…like super bad…like let’s make this class competitive badminton…pair tiny clumsy blondes against big strapping boys…

So she can be humiliated again…and again…and again…

Got the worst grade of the entire five years…was chastised for having a bad attitude…it was toxic…it was frustrating…because non athletic me…

Tried hard…did her best…but her best…for this teacher…was not enough…

And so it is…in life…sometimes your best…won’t be enough…keep your chin up…give it time…one day you will find a way…to redeem yourself…
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And badminton playing me…agrees…

This old gal…

Doesn’t think in city terms…doesn’t think in BIG city terms…got an excited text from that daughter of mine…waiting for my bike instructor it said…

That City Girl and her DC buddy taking the bikes out…not just for a spin…but on a mission…

Forge a path…a bike path…to her new place of employment…because yes she got a job…offered two in one day to be exact…and the mission…should she choose to accept it…

Reduce travel time…as much as possible…

And so it was…a delightful day…found a way…that proud sister of hers waiting at the finish line…

And mama me cheering them on from afar…happy…relieved…proud…this worry wart worried the mission impossible…

The change it up mission that is…relocate…find a new job…thrive…but shouldn’t have feared…

Because in life…when you have family and faith…any mission can be accomplished…
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And her DC pals…agree…

​Mama me…

Before the day of cell phones…got the shot…the perfect shot…of that little girl of hers…

Kindergarten Field Day…the gunny sack race…never gunny sacked before…coming in last…decided to pick up speed a bit…

And biffed it…fell flat…painfully flat…watched from the sideline…heart sinking…waiting for tears…but instead little her…rolling…struggling…pulled herself up…and finished the race…

And so it is…that city girl of mine…new to DC…sending out resumes…job applications…interviewing for this and that…

Kept on keeping on…never giving in…never giving up…and just like little kindergarten her…she’s finished the race…and could not be happier…
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And this family of hers…agrees…

This old gal…

Loves Fiestaware…the colors so bright…so happy…have many settings in lots of different hues…

Was chatting with a friend years ago…she too loved Fiestaware…but said she no longer used it…it was too heavy…she couldn’t lift it…

That’s odd…thought younger me…this woman is fit…healthy…but can’t lift her dish? What the heck is up with that?..

And now she knows…those hands of hers…those old hands of hers…arthritis…painful…unpredictable…sometimes can’t grip…sometimes give way…

And sometimes…can’t hold the dish…

And so it was…this husband and I had to laugh having breakfast at IHOP…hot coffee being served up in NEW mugs…everyone excited about the NEW mugs…everyone proud of the too heavy for old hands NEW mugs…

And that’s the thing with age…some things are out of our control…but we have choices…we always have choices…

And on those days when the dish gets heavy…you either find something lighter…or you use both hands…
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And this husband of mine…agrees