Friday, March 9, 2012

Melancholy days of old


I am a Marshall’s girl through and through.
I love a bargain, but I guess I am a product of my upbringing.

Both my parents lived through the Great Depression in the 20's and were very frugal.   My mother describes us as a poor family with 5 kids.  At the time, I didn’t think we were poor, we had a roof over our heads, several bedrooms and two bathrooms, 3 meals a day, a family car and presents under the silver Christmas tree.

So, I guess you could say we weren’t “dirt poor”, we just didn’t have a lot of money for the extras.  Hand me downs were expected, both the toy and clothes variety.  Not that there were a lot of toys roaming around our house, but it felt like forever waiting for some puzzle or game.

I thought my mother was just mean and wouldn’t buy us chips, cookies or ice cream.   Milk was for breakfast only.  Forget Kool-aid or lemonade, we drank a lot of water.  I was forever looking for lost change in the street to save up for some Lemon Heads, Boston Baked Beans or Red Hots which were probably about a nickel a box.   And, if we were really lucky, my mother’s bridge club ladies wouldn’t eat all the Brach’s Bridge Mix chocolates and we were free to indulge.   I think its where I developed my love for Brazil nuts. They were usually the only chocolate covered nuts that remained, as the  almonds, toffee and peanuts were preferred by those gentile bridge ladies of the south.

Just the simple pleasure of scarfing down some left over candy could bring great joy to a kid.  These days, if you don't have a smart phone with texting and internet access by the time your 8, your a loser to the nth degree.

Makes me a little melancholy for the simpler times when a Saturday trip to the library  was an adventure to find a great read;  trees were climbed and games invented with the kids on your block; and puzzles and board games were a completely acceptable thing to do on a rainy day.  

Where's the hammock? I'm ready to unplug.......



Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The earth is round and I didn't drop off its face.

Nope, I did not fall off the face of the earth.
No earth shattering catastrophe has happened.

Like most of my favorite bloggy reads, time and life just caught up and interfered with our little hobby.

It's hard to believe that it's been 2 years! A lot has happened in those 2 years:
My son moved out.
My son moved back in.
I had custody of my nieces for several months.
I've been fingerprinted.
I've been travelling.
I've become politically active.
I've dieted and exercised and stopped (several times).
I've been to a major high school reunion.
I've been remodeling my house.
I've remodeled the remodel.
I've been through a bout of depression.
I've been addicted to Facebook and now my new Pinterest addiction.

I have NOT been reading.
No blogs
no books
no magazines.
I've tried, really I have, but the desire to read just stopped.

I've missed the blogs and the friends I've made.
I miss comment love (or hate).
I miss the journaling of my life events.

So, this may be a resurgence or merely a fluke.

I guess, only time will tell.

Binks


Friday, May 22, 2009

Friday Fill Ins

1. Moving day is sad when your friends are leaving. I love those McD's & I'm sure gonna miss 'em! .

2. Born free. Remember those lions?? Anyone?

3. My best quality is my brain. Sad, but true.

4. Don't sweat the small details.

5. In nearly 10 years, I will be able to join AARP. Where did all the time go?

6. Energy is what I need right now!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm not looking forward to getting on a plane in this tropical storm weather, tomorrow my plans include visiting all my buds in North Carolina and Sunday, I want to swim with my NC boys and lounge by the pool. Fat ass and all!

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I'm making no excuses for my absence, but I do miss y'all!!

Friday, May 1, 2009

Friday Fill Ins


Trying to get back into the swing of things.
We'll try the Friday Fill-ins.
(Why am I speaking in the third person? This sinus/ear/throat/chest infection medicine must be affecting my brain.)
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1. The first rule of working in an office and getting along is finding out who the REAL boss is and making sure you don't piss them off.

2. Leather clams? ( maybe you've read this, maybe not - may be a tad off color)

3. When I think of carnivals I think of clowns. And when I think of clowns I think of IT - ewww, creepy.

4. White Ranunculus are my favorite spring flower. (I bet you had to look that one up, didn't you?)

5. Things on my desk include cough drops, gum, cell phone, crazy ugga bugga pen, 6,000 pens & pencils, pliers, giant crystal paper clip holder with 900 paper clips, anti bac lotion (for mini vacation getaways), flowers from Salty, Frontgate catalog, magnifying glass, various papers - files- notepads, computer stuff. What can I say? I have a big desk.





6. Coughing makes me wanna puke. *cough*cough*cough*varp* - excuse me.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a secret getaway and dinner, tomorrow my plans include chillaxing (wink*wink) at the secret getaway and Sunday, I wantHAVE to clean out my son's room for my BIL to stay in next week, while he is in town working.



Now, in light of the current panic mode of the entire planet.....







Thursday, April 30, 2009

The mind of a child haunts me

And that mind is my own, of course. For some reason, every time I hear the word anniversay, this is what I hear in my head.






(beware, you can only listen to the first verse or you will be plagued too.)


Now, since this is my actual anniversary, it has been playing in my head tormenting me all day long.
(And I find it especially fitting, since I work in a rock pit!)


But Salty was very sweet and bought me flowers


and is planning some secret destination for tomorrow.
I know, I know, we've already celebrated (of which, I have neglected to share anything about my trip -but I've been horribly uninspired).



So maybe just writing something will get the juices flowing.
(get your mind out of the gutter, the writing juices - DAMN!)



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(So, in case my wonderful husband is popping by, looking for some acknowledgement)






I love you baby!