My Life as a River Rat

As you can see, this is not the river. It is the ocean, a favorite spot to visit in Rhode Island that I have been going to since I was young. It was Mom and Dad's place and we were always hauled off to see the waves crashing during and after a wicked storm. I found it to be thrillingly exciting.

So was walking the river banks during a hurricane where we mostly got the strong winds. I can remember fighting for my footing quite a few times during that excitement. If i lost my balance I would tumble down the river bank and end up on an overturned boat or in the drink.

I have an older brother who loved to fish. He would go off with his friends though, leaving me at home alone. I find it strange that he recently bought a bass boat and he fishes every night on the lake. If he catches a fish, he lets it go. He hates the taste of fish, any kind of fish. I find that extremely hilarious since we were brought up on fish.

When my brother was not around, Dad would nab me to accompany him in the boat for a fishing trip. I really loved it so can't act too surprised and put upon. The flat fish were abundant (they call it flounder in the market) but flat they were, with two eyes close together on the top side. They were ugly and slimy, bottom feeders. I cannot tolerate to eat them now as they always taste a tad muddy to me.

Often we would go out to the sand bar past Bluff Point at low tide, and unload our bushel baskets and rubber tire tubes. We put the baskets inside the tubes which we tied around our waist to keep them close. Then we would clam until the tide came in. Dad would feel with his feet for the clams and then go under to get them. I was very careful feeling with my bare feet, there were Horseshoe crabs along the bottom and they were big and had hard sharp shells. It wasn't nice to step on one accidentally. When I did feel clams, I would bend over very carefully, feeling with my hand for the prize. I only bent on one side because I couldn't stand water in my face. I held my breath until I found the darn things and then would start again. I'm very good at holding my breath now. Even out of the water!

On the way home, dad and I would just sit and fish. He would troll a little bit and we would throw our lines overboard. I especially liked trolling. It always made me sleepy and dreamy. I would get up on the bow of the boat and lay down, feeling the warm sun and the movement of the boat beneath me. Every once in a while we would hit a wave and the water would splash upon me. That was my favorite part of the day.

At home I would sit beside the bushel basket and shuck clams with Dad. I got to be pretty good at it too. I could almost keep up with Dad except for the scallops. They were a different deal entirely. I always marveled at the beautiful lining inside with the iridescent turquoise blue, like little eyes at the inside edge of the shell. After the shucking came the washing of the meat and cleaning of the shell completely. Then drying and at last, my joy in painting little scenes inside the shells. Scallops have a beautiful shell. Very decorative and many people use them to complete their sea scenes in their kitchens or bathrooms.

The oysters were a different story. They were hard to open and often cut my hands. I never did find a pearl inside. They had little barnacles on the shell and they could really do a number on the hands if not careful. I later learned to use special gloves, much later.

Oops, I got carried away in remembering and there is so much more to tell. That will have to wait for another time. A time to go back to my childhood and to remember again.

Have a good day people.

Hugs

Today is a Spot On Day!

Good Morning,

This little cutie was sent to me in an email from my aunt this morning. Perfect timing Auntie! I think he is just precious with that little wink, don't you?

I really haven't much to write about because I only went shopping last night in the rain and rolling fog, came home with my heart in my stomach from my uneasiness of driving in the heavy fog, ate and put some of the groceries away. Then I watched a little TV and went to bed. I did keep my window wide open and the hooting of the owls, coyotes cries and critter symphony sent me right off to sleep.

I won't be able to stand the colder weather when the critters will no long be, and I won't be able to open the window to hear the owls if they are still here. I'll have to try it at least once just to see. Of course it will get pretty cool in the room but hubby would close the window when he came to bed.

I have to get busy with the sorted piles of summer clothes I've got at the end of the bed before they fall and I have to do it all again. I bought those big plastic bags that you can put a lot in and then lay on the bag to squeeze out the air before sealing. I also have the ones you use the vacuum on to suck out the air. Those are fun to use. Small things amuse small minds you know.

It's pretty cool out there but I have a lovely cross breeze and there is a noisy cricket making such a racket that it sounds as if he is in the house. I just love to listen to them. We had one in our utility room last year and every night he would start in with his music. Hubby was going nuts and kept trying to find him/her?. I finally found him and quickly grabbed him up and let him loose outside to be with his family. Ooh, what a funny feeling with those scratchy legs going like crazy in the palm of my hand. And of course they always gifted me for saving them by leaving a bit of poop in my hand.

I remember shaming the boys into letting loose their frogs, lightning bugs, hermit crabs in buckets and so on, by making my voice sound sad and pretending I was calling my babies back home. It worked when they were small but later they got wise to me. We never had to worry about finding dead worms and such because they always let them go and with that trusting look up at me, would usually say, "Their mommy is happy now isn't she mommy?" I really miss those days of pure innocence and trust.

Now I seem to have become someone they are not quite sure of. Smile. It's good to keep them guessing. It makes up for all the times they stayed out late and I was up and worried until they came in that door. My hair didn't turn grey because I had angels.

I have so much to do today and I promised myself I would get it done. However this beautiful day might be one of the last for some time and I want to grab my camera and get out there and enjoy it. It will be a tough battle but I know the day out in the sun will win. We have errands to run and things to do and I'll take my camera for sure.

Have a nice day everybody and enjoy, enjoy.

Hugs

It's Raining, It's Pouring

My hubby is snoring. He deserves the sleep, he worked outside for hours yesterday with son, Mike, filling in a long ditch. They had it dug up and had to replace the PVC piping we had put in a few years ago to prevent our driveway from becoming a skating rink. They found it was all crushed and bent, making all the water go under our garage and it was washing away our fill. When he came in all hurting and out of breath he said, "I'm really hurting, I'm too old for this anymore." As if he didn't know it for the past few years. But keeping busy helps him to feel useful. You know, the mind is willing, but the body is falling apart underneath us.

We were both up a few times last night, he to take a pain pill and me to run to the potty as usual. Once from the sound of the rain pounding on the roof. I need to stop drinking water earlier nights. One of these times I'm going to get tripped up and fall on my face.

Would you believe it has been in the 30's and low 40's nights and yet tomorrow it is supposed to be like a summer day. Please Lord, don't play games like this. I'm confused enough as it is.

Later I guess we'll go grocery shopping in order to get some walking in. I try to just walk the store once without stopping and then settle down to actually shop. When I do though I find my grocery list has been added to since hubby can't walk that fast so he searches the aisles while I hurry to finish before he fills the cart with things not on the list.

Well, as you can see, I don't have much to say so will close and get dressed and get outside in the fresh air. You all have a good day.

Hugs

AT LAST!!

Hmmm, I guess I should keep this picture of the mechanic handy, I have a feeling I'll have lots of use for it.

Finally, the car has been repaired after much tearing of the hair. Late Wednesday night Jon came in to tell me. I asked him what he did and it turned out that chubby hubby had crawled under the car and worked on it, fixing the last of the work on the alternator. I had gone out earlier and I have to say, there wasn't much room for him to move about under the car and the car was up on jacks!! You can imagine how nervous I was about that!

Yesterday morning we had to get to the doctor's early and we were rushing about. By the time we were finally ready and in the car, we had 15 minutes to get there. Okay, he started the car and we set off. As we started up the hill at the end of our driveway, a heck of a noise stopped us. Kert said, "Oh I must have left one of my tools on top of the engine." Red flares were going off in my head. It turned out not to be so and we started off again. Midway we smelled a strong burning odor and again Kert pulled off the road saying, "Something must be burning" and jumped out of the car and threw open the hood. Surprise, nothing was burning. Well, something WAS burning but it wasn't the car.

I told him to hurry and get to the doctor's and if the car burst into flames, well he wouldn't have to work on it anymore. The car did fine and we got there a half hour late but they fit us in anyway. After that the car drove like a dream, but hubby kept stopping to listen and would start again. By the time we got home I felt as if I had whiplash.

Last night Jon and Kert went to the auto races. It was the last race of the season except for the BIG one in mid October which runs for 3 days. Now they are saving their money for that one. When we had the RV they would go and spend the whole weekend there, and others in their RV's would get together and have a good time talking with pit crew members and friends they hadn't seen since the year before. Now we no longer have the RV so they will be driving back and forth each day.

It will be nice not having to cook! It will be perfect to be able to read a book from cover to cover with no interruptions. Ha! My weekend to be wild. LOL, I'll probably order a pizza and watch old movies in my flannel jammies with my favorite blanket wrapped around me. Now that's my idea of a good weekend. I think I'll start saving too so they will be sure to go...

I left all the windows open last night and this morning it was darn cold in here. I've got a jacket over my MuuMuu and a blanket around my legs. I guess It's time to throw on warmer clothes. I'm staying inside because it's windy and cool out there and I don't think I'm going to warm up anytime soon. I will definite close most of the windows tonight so it isn't such a shock waking up to cold and taking a shower. Getting out of that nice hot shower and then walking out of the bathroom is really an energy boost. You just can't get dressed fast enough.

I guess it's time I got off this computer and ate some breakfast. My stomach is playing Taps against my back bone.

Have a great day!

Hugs

Still Waiting

I wasn't going to write today because we are still waiting for the car to be fixed and I haven't been anywhere except to the library so no excitement there.

Jon is bringing a testing kit home from his friends auto shop to go over our new alternator which doesn't seem to work. They think when the blow up occurred the other day, that it might have fried wires. Now they have to check them all out and see if they can repair it sooner rather than later. Now we can't put the other car in the shop until we have one to use first. Believe it or not, I'm keeping my cool. Haven't gone off the deep end but there's always tomorrow.

It was so cold in the house when I woke up, my hands were stiff and fingers couldn't type. I wasn't going to blog but after sitting on my hands for a half hour, they have feeling again so here I am, trying at least.

I was going to dump all my planters today and should have done it this morning while it was so cold, and the bees weren't active yet. They have been out in droves and all over my flowers which have been struggling to make it with this crazy weather. The only thing still blooming are the planters full of petunias. I think if I'd let them they would be going strong until the first snow. Tonight they will be gone, cruelly tossed over the bank by an uncaring frustrated gardener. Then the bees won't have anything here to be drawn to. And just maybe the petunia seeds will cause new plants to grow in late spring. I'm hoping so.

This summer was a bust and too much work to keep up with the flowers. We had more fall like weather than summer, so it's no surprise that this is the last day of summer and this afternoon brings in the season of Autumn. Actually it is called the Autumnal Equinox. I must look that up. :)

With the arrival of Autumn comes memories of my mom and dad. Their anniversary fell in October and every year they would go to Vermont for leaf peeping. Mom never failed to come home bearing gifts, Maple Sugar candies, gritty tasting on the outside and creamy on the inside. Maple leaf jewelry, delicate and dipped in gold. I thought Vermont must be a magical place.

With October comes our anniversary also, 49 years. And like mom and dad, every October we would haul ourselves to Vermont and New Hampshire where I fell in love with the many small towns with the friendly people. I can't leave out the chicken and biscuit suppers advertised outside the churches lining the road sides. The lovely churches with the high spires set within a cluster of beautifully attired trees, brimming with all the colors that autumn in New England is famous for. And yes, we bring home presents also. The same gritty maple sugar candies, funny wooden puzzles made by the local craftsmen. I also pick up my special address book with the woodcut cover. If I had a daughter I think she would follow our lead and keep the journey alive.

I seem to be rambling on and am in need of a cat nap. I needed one when I first started this blog today, thus the little kitty asleep on the ball of yarn. It's sleep deprivation, the odds and ends that come out in our thoughts, in disconnected ways and ramblings.

I leave this blog with a wish for all who read it to have a wonderful day and a Happy Autumn.

Hugs

Some Things Never Change

Yesterday afternoon while I was typing my blog, my son Jon came in from outside and brought me a present. On the cover of a book lay a big orange larvae. The boys have always brought me little gifts of nature since they were little, and because they expect me to automatically know what each and everything is. This specimen was a bit ugly and gave me goosebumps. I laid it in front of me on it's side so it couldn't make its way off the page, and began my research.

First I went to the webb and looked at images of moth larvae. There was quite an assortment of some of the creepiest looking specimens I've ever seen. Nope, this critter wasn't there. I studied the markings on the head of the gift and they looked familiar to a butterfly I had once seen. So next I went through all the images of butterfly larvae. At the very end, there it was, eyes, staring right at me. After reading up on it I discovered it was the Spice Bush Swallowtail Butterfly Larvae. The markings I had recognized were on the wings of the butterfly pictured next to the image of the larvae. How interesting I thought. The markings on the head looked like two eyes yet there they were, duplicated on the butterfly.

I then took my little gift outside and tried to put it on the branch of a tree to give it some protection against predators. It quickly fell to the ground. Mike came over to help me and he placed it on a wide leaf on a higher branch to give it some safety. Yea, it suddenly quit playing dead, grabbed hold and began inching its way along the leaf.

Maybe this isn't such earth shattering news, but it kept me occupied and I learned something new.

I'm so curious that I had to really have a closer look at the head, and while scrutinizing it, discovered that the real head was located deeper inside what I had first thought was the actual head. Nature's way of hiding the obvious. It didn't show itself fully until on the leaf when it came out and began its journey on familiar territory, free at last!

My lesson for the day was over. I did wonder how the poor thing felt lying here on my desk while I typed and searched. He played dead but he hadn't fooled me...

Today is a cool day but with sunshine. It is supposed to get up to 71 degrees but we shall see. I think I shall take a little walk out back and look on the ground to see if any more gifts await me. We just don't pay attention to nature around us if it isn't at eye level. When you walk with a cane, you are constantly aware of tree roots and other trip ups. I think it is sometimes a blessing. I find all kinds of gifts and each one is a learning experience.

Have a nice day everyone and be sure to search for your gift. It might be right in front of your eyes.

Hugs

Will This Ever End?

Cars, trucks, cars, Grrrrrr.

For the past month we have spent a fortune in auto repairs and again the gremlins have struck! My '97 Nissan which has been in for repairs twice in as many weeks would not start Friday morning when we needed to get our flu shots. After cleaning up and fighting my way into clothes and the damn bra (no muumuus allowed), hubby turned the key in the ignition and nothing happened. He put the battery on charge and after 5 hours, still nothing. That battery was a dead as it could possibly be.

I trooped into the house and just sat wondering when this would end. I mean how much can go wrong with an old car that has had almost everthing replaced?? Hubby said to heck with it and told me to jump in the truck so off we went to get our shots and then to the bank. When finished he then asked me where I wanted to go. I loudly said "HOME!" I didn't want any part of a car the rest of the day.

Today they have been working on disassembling the Nissan to replace the alternator. Earlier Hubby had to make an emergency run to AutoZone to get a metric wrench. Now he came in and told me he had to go back and buy a screw. He just came home with one part and now has to run back after another. I told him to buy nuts and bolts and screws while he was at it because it never fails, when they take a part off, it breaks. Nope, he didn't need any. So now he just left to get the screw that wouldn't come off and broke while removing the gizmo. This is like a never ending dance lately. It never fails to be a much bigger job than they first envisioned. "No sweat Hon." Sure, as if I'll ever believe those words uttered by his mouth again. I'm smiling, I'm smiling. Nope, I'm actually lying through my teeth.

Our '97 Chevy Blazer goes in the auto shop to be repaired this week. I want it done by a pro so if I want to scream at somebody, it will fall on his ears and I can make an arse of myself. Heck, I'm paying for it and if it isn't right then I ought to be able to yell at someone. I mean, we aren't made of money and our cars have been there more often then home the past month. Repair those old cars President O Bama says, they will last forever if you treat them right. Well Pres, that costs money and we certainly didn't get any of your Stimulus moola. And now we certainly can't afford to buy a new one.

Heck, I'm just so frustrated and wasn't going to blog, but then I thought, why not throw some of the bad in with the good. I mean, I don't want to come across as a Goody Two Shoes. Some things do make me want to tear my hair out and roll on the ground like a two year old having a tantrum.

Well, my rant is over so I will close and wish everyone a good day. Now I'm smiling!

Hugs