This husband of mine…

Believes in the supernatural…paranormal…what have you…grew up that way…sitting around a fire under the Texas stars…men telling stories…cucuy stories…

Spooks that lurk in the woods…near the river…in the basement of the house nearby…

His lovely wife…not so much…grew up watching Love Boat and As the World Turns…she believes in the other magical entity…the love story…

Was cleaning the fixture in the kitchen…the getting ready for Texas deep clean…and noticed something strange…odd…a bulb was hanging by a thread…had fallen out of its base ready to crash to the floor…but yet had still been lighting fine…

Could see that happening…possibly a fluke…but what to my wondering eyes should I see…a second bulb…dangling precariously…exactly like the other…

Could see one doing this…but two?..randomly at the same time…ready to drop…shatter to pieces…and then the next day…the very next day…

The gas on the stove turns on…

Mentioned this to that paranormal lover of mine…who surprisingly took the Love Boat path…assuring his beloved that if there were any cucuyes in the house…the cat would let us know…

The cat?..like Pumpkin the cat?..who’s behavior has changed recently…who eats and leaves right after…doesn’t stay around like he used to…that cat?…

And so it is…those mysteries of life…can be funny…find the humor…make light of them…and just to be safe…change that TV of yours to the Hallmark channel every time one of those creepy cucuy shows comes on…
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And that husband of mine…who is not a fan of the Hallmark movie…would not…agree…

This old gal…

Feels like a child…not a run through the flowers chasing butterflies kind of child…but be careful don’t touch the hot stove kind of child…

Came up from the basement with a load of laundry…towels to be exact…was in the bathroom putting them away and smelled stink…putrid stink…and thought is that sewer gas or what?..

Stepped into the kitchen and there stands that husband of mine all in a panic…omg…he says…do you not smell that?..it’s gas…and sure enough it was…once again one of the burner knobs had been turned on…

Granted neither of us were cooking…neither of us HAD cooked for days…neither of us had been near the stove…however one of us HAD put dishtowels in the drawer to the right of it a few minutes before…

But SHE would have noticed if her butt blob or belly blob somehow…SOME CRAZY WAY HOW…accidentally pushed that knob IN and TURNED IT to the left…

In fact the hips don’t even reach high enough to hit the knobs…one of us is too short…but that husband of mine is convinced that’s what happened…or worse yet…worried his laundry doing wife is losing it…

Becauuuuuuussseee…coming out of the post office the other day she went to the wrong car…he sitting in the driver’s seat watching the whole thing…it easily explained…

When going into the post office there was a car to our right…that car drove off and a car that looked like ours parked to the left…so distracted me automatically went to the second car…plus…

She was lost in LaLa land because she’d just had the sweetest conversation with the postman…pretty much a postboy…real young like 25…talking about his little boy and school and the flu and blah blah blah…

Hard to imagine yappy me getting distracted by something like that you know…

Anywhoo…it’s still a mystery how that gas got turned on…a scary mystery not gonna lie…and one of has taken matters into his own hands…and removed the knobs just in case…

And so it is…in life…sometimes you just gotta own it…and sometimes you don’t…until there’s more proof…
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And that ghost in the house that’s shattering windows and knocking things off the walls…would agree…

This old gal…

Saw muddy footprints on the front steps…couldn’t quite place them…not a kitty or squirrel…not a dog or the postman…

Twas a mystery…but not one to dwell on…until it was solved…for there he was one sunny day…having a snack of long grass on the front lawn…

Our tenant…downstairs under the porch tenant…apparently made his home all winter in the comforts of that little square hole…

Mr. Groundhog caused a little panic in the household…what if Pumpkin and he don’t get along…what if there’s a fight…decided it was best to block the entrance…keep Mr. G from having access…

And so he did…that husband of mine…worked diligently fitting a board into the space…then watching as someone came home from a day in the ravine…to find he couldn’t get inside…

And so he did…that husband of mine…watching that sad furry guy waddle away…went back out immediately…and took the board off…

Because what was the harm…because everyone deserves a home…because what does it hurt to live…and let live…

And so for months…we had a friend and neighbor…who got along just fine with that cat of ours…

Until we didn’t…because people drive 45 in a 25…and sweet little groundhogs don’t stand a chance…
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And our hearts…were sad…

And this husband of mine…agrees…

The heart of little me…

Leapt for joy…watching a segment on the morning news…talking about the holidays coming up…highlighting gifts for the tiny ones…

And there it was…the toy of all toys…more than a toy even…a portal for the imagination…a confidence booster…a spend all day in the bedroom creating…

With the Easy Bake Oven…loved that oven of mine…tall…turquoise…those cute little baking pans…

Created culinary masterpieces…tiny cakes…tiny cookies…scrambled eggs…fried potatoes…lovingly made…heated by those two lightbulbs…served up on the plastic tea set dishes…

Hours and hours of imagination…pretending…not a chef…or a culinary artist…not a baker…or restaurateur…but pretending…to be a mom…

Because that’s all little me ever wanted to be…and what a blessing life has been…how thankful mama me is today…those Easy Bake Oven dreams coming true…

Those imaginary family times turning out to be exactly like real life…the best daughters in the whole wide world…years of talking…chatting…laughing…bonding…over meals…

And so it is…in life…let your imagination soar…follow your dreams…be whatever you want to be…start now…tomorrow…or 55 years ago…

It’s as Easy….Bake Oven….as that…
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And those daughters of mine…agree…

This old gal…

Got a notecard in the mail painted by a talented artist who just so happens to be a friend of a friend of mine…that friend writing the sweetest words inside…

It won’t be long until I see your girls…Thanksgiving is right around the corner…I’ll be sure to deliver those hugs…

Tugs at the heart a bit…those girls of mine all together for the holidays…family time in DC…family time with extended family…

The son-in-law’s family…welcoming them with open arms…and since one of us can’t be there…she’s decided to appoint a proxy…a hugging proxy…

To hug those girls like their mama would…cuz not gonna lie…mama me misses those hugs…almost as much as she misses those sweet little ladies of hers…

Who will be in good hands…caring hands…loving hands…the hands of a beautiful spunky hugging proxy who…when you get down to it…might just remind them of someone far away…

Someone who loves them…someone who misses them…and someone who knows those three little girls have always been the best huggers…in the whole wide world…
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And those ladies of mine…would agree…

Those DC daughters of mine…

Decided to have a little pre-Thanksgiving feast…spend a day in the kitchen…cook up all their favorite holiday foods…

Send pics!..came the request of their mother…she living vicariously from afar…enjoying those texts detailing the menu…

Chicken…stuffing…mashed potatoes and gravy…Mac and Cheese…cranberry jelly…homemade mini pies created by that youngest chef of hers…

Pumpkin bread…green bean casserole…all those favorites from Thanksgivings passed…

Touched base early that morning for updates on the prep…and then…the phone went silent…for hours…and hours…

Until almost bedtime…those feast photos coming through…an homage to days gone by…to family…to love…

And so it is…in life…get swept away in the fun…the joy of being together…take this time…this very special time to unplug…be present…and focus on what’s important…

Each other…
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And those daughters of mine…agree…

This friend and I…

Went for a little chat and walk…made the way up Cemetery Lane…she sharing stories…history…bringing to life those names on the headstones…

Passed a house on the way back…heard a dog barking…crazy-like barking coming from behind the picture window…distanced ourselves out of habit…

But needn’t worry about that dog…howling from his perch on the couch…what we needed to worry about…was what had triggered his angst…

And what was beelining their way towards two innocent cemetery walkers…

Turkeys…a group…gaggle?…flock?…whatever…a rafter apparently…waddling…gobbling…making it quite clear two cemetery walkers were fair game…

And here we were again…63 year old me…just when you think you’ve seen it all…you see this…

A sassy little turkey family feeling their oats right there in the middle of town…acting like they owned it…which we let them do…because you know what they say…

If you act like you own it…you own it…
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And those gobblers…agree…

This old gal…

Back in the day…was kind of picky about wall decor…maybe not picky exactly…but more like had to have what was cool…popular…all the rage…Thomas Kinkade…Longaberger baskets…Bev Doolittle…Home Interiors…going to art shops…attending home parties…

Fast forward years and years…have no idea what’s in style any more…how the cool cats decorate…what needs to be on your walls to be a part of the cool cat club…

And one of us doesn’t care…And she loves it…feels free…finds decorating these days a hoot and a half…

Goodwill…thrift shops…the place to go for home decor…the selection vast…the price is right…

Colorful…clever…quirky…come to mama…

Cute…quaint…cat themed…coming home for sure…

And so it is…in life…if it brings a smile…tugs at the heart…if it makes you happy…if it calls your name…

You do you…let go…break free…have fun…

Let your style shine…like the beautiful star you are…
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And this husband of mine…agrees…

That DC daughter of mine…

Takes the city bus to that job of hers…sent a text on the Besties chat…Omg…it said…our bus driver just gave everyone the biggest pep talk before dropping us off…he was like…

Ok, everyone, it’s Tuesday, November 18, 7:15 am.
Have a blessed day.
Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Don’t let anything get in your way, especially yourself.
If nobody told you they love you this morning, know that I love you and look forward to seeing you again soon.
Have a blessed day.

He also…she said…pulled over where there wasn’t a bus stop and asked three ragamuffins who were schlepping to the train station to hop aboard…

She followed up with…I’m crying, lol…I’m going to see if I can find his route and take his bus every day…

And this, my friends…is a hero…an every day hero…one to appreciate…one to celebrate…one to emulate...

Thank a hero.
Be a hero.
Make someone’s day.

And that daughter of mine…agrees…

Junior High School me…

Had one best friend…had been BFFs for three years…inseparable…just the two of us…did everything together…and then things changed…

One of us went out for basketball…the other didn’t…one of us started making new friends…the other one didn’t…one of us tried to include the other with the more popular crowd…the other one…was stubborn…

And so going into high school me…had no friends…until she didn’t…taken in by the best of the best…academic…musical…theater group…

And we had fun…tons of fun…loyal…trustworthy…can’t imagine life without them…and then graduation comes…and all you have is memories…

Until that thing called Wordscapes…or social media…or just plain old texting…you reconnect…catch up…it’s like time never passed at all…

Got a package in the mail…a gift from a friend…one of those high school friends…lives in Colorado…haven’t met up in years…has taken up the hobby of jewelry making…

Thought you’d love these colors…she said…threw in the earrings because I know you like cats and coffee…and she’s right…

Her old friend from high school DOES love the colors…cats…and coffee…and knows she’s lucky to have been taken in by those kids so very long ago…

Friends…friends forever…friends…til the end…
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And most likely those friends of mine…agree…