Episode One!

Offending Hair Barrette

On Wednesday I will be at home in Ireland for two weeks. As per usual, my journey turned into a stranger than fiction drama of assorted delays.

The day was sunny when I left the house at 10AM. The drive to Minneapolis airport went without a hitch. Boarding pass in hand….getting the bag check went like a breeze. Husband left me in the security queue. TSA passport examiner looked at my passport, I smiled and he scowled. He proceeded to scan my passport with his little flashlight thingy and looked at me again. Maybe I should stop smiling was the thought that ran through my mind. Finally he waved me on. Whew!

I began the removal of shoes, cardigan, laptop, etc. and  walked over to the friendly looking white haired TSA man. With a friendly smile he beckoned me to walk through the metal detector. Horror upon horror, red lights began flashing and the whirring of a siren silenced the hum of chatter as all looked in my direction. Nice grandfatherly TSA man said, “Do you have keys or change in your pockets?” “No” I replied. “Maybe it is your watch or earrings. Why don’t you remove them?” I did as requested and walked through the metal detector once more full of confidence, sure this time I would pass through without incident. Not a chance! Red lights flashing, buzzer shrilling through the air and Grandfatherly TSA man beckoned me back again. “Maybe it is your cross and chain” he decided. I went back to the rolling assembly line and put my cross and chain into another one of the little bowls. I walked through the now intimidating metal detector holding my breath. Why…well maybe breathing was setting the damn thing off. Nope it wasn’t the breathing. I really hate that sound!!!!

Grandfatherly TSA man looked at me sympathetically bringing his walkie- talkie up to his mouth and requested a female agent for a search. The female TSA Agent looked me up and down as she donned her white plastic gloves, asking if I had a metal hip or knee… and then if I agreed to a body pat down. Well I thought to myself…do I have a choice! “If you must,” was my reply. Sure what else could I say! She patted me down the front as other passengers passed by craning their necks to get a good look at this suspicious traveller. Finally she moved around to my back. “Oh,” she said, “It must have been your hair barrette that set the detector off. Of course you had a man at the station you came through…he wouldn’t have noticed that!” I wondered why if she had discovered the culprit she continued the pat down. Giving a small nervous little giggle I replied, “I totally forgot about that. I will make sure to remove it at the next airport.” Pat down finished, she wished me a pleasant journey. I walked barefoot over to the multiple bowls containing my belongings and began putting myself back together.

Oh there is more to this journey, much more……

A Perfect Day!



Yesterday I decided enough was enough! I needed to get back to my writing and blogging routine. The planned two week break turned into a month. How did that happen????

The frenzy that was wedding preparations is over. The never ending ’to-do’ list that dominated my days and nights for weeks, months sits abandoned. The deadline date to finish all the glaring hit you in the face unfinished projects around and in the house has passed. The wedding is over and my batteries needed some serious re-charging. Exhaustion had became my constant friend.

The only words falling from my lips for the past month were, “What’s next on the list.” But this morning I woke up with words that needed to be put down on paper. The first morning this has happened since the frenzy took hold. To be honest I was getting a bit worried words had abandoned me. I have gone to the new post page on more than one occasion in an attempt to get back to the blogging world and all I did was stare at the blank screen.


Today I decided even if I couldn’t come up with something clever, interesting or entertaining I would post anyway and let the comments fall where they may.

Anyway, the wedding was wonderful. The glowing bride was the picture of happiness. The groom was handsome and attentive, as he waited expectantly for the love of his life to join him at the top of the aisle. The Sun enveloped them in shimmering light as they exchanged vows of love and commitment. A red tailed hawk was spotted flying overhead by my brother-in-law, an added blessing.


Mr. and Mrs.

This mother spent the whole day trying to suppress the constant barrage of tears. There were tears of pride. There were tears for the bygone days of young motherhood. There were tears for joy as I looked at my son’s face and saw his happiness. There were more tears as I watched my other three children walk down the aisle to support their brother and welcome his choice of partner with warm smiles and nods of encouragement into our family. Then there were the uncontrollable tears when my youngest son (best man) stood up beside his older brother and told all gathered that his brother was his hero. The person he has looked up to all his life. Yep….that brought on the ugly tears. Professional make-up how are you!!!!…..well it seemed like a good idea that morning.

I promised to post a photo of my “Hat”. Well this is the best I could find. There are very few photographs of me smiling. My face is taunt, lip biting and almost stern looking in most of them. Maybe I should have just let the tears flow…..professional make-up be darned. 



LS, Me and the  Hat

PS It's good to be back!

Taking a Break



Engagement Party, Ireland 8/10
Dilin & Katie

 Having lost a few followers I thought it might be a good idea to pop in and let you know....I have not fallen off  the blogsphere cliff. I am taking a small bit of a break.

The reason for this break?  In five days, family members begin arriving from Nashville, TN and Co. Waterford, Ireland for my son's wedding.  The past week has been spent trying to get the garden in some sort of usable state.  Due to the winter that refused to loosen its grip well into May everything is sooo far behind.  Then there are those pesky half finished jobs in the house that went unnoticed until last week.  Funny how that happens! 

I will be back in regular blog mode in about two weeks.  Do pop back in a few weeks....even if it is only to see the'HAT'.

PS Hope this works...Blogger has been very unsettled lately!!!  Fingers crossed.

Ohhh My Aching Back!!!!!!!!!

How did you spend your weekend? I spent mine digging in the dirt. I have 17 days to transform the mess I call my garden into a Garden of Eden before my son's wedding. Yesterday it felt like I was fighting a losing battle. Where did all those weed trees come from and how did they manage to sprout up when all the plants that cost me a kings ransom didn’t survive the ravishes of winter or haven't had the courage to break ground yet.

Last night, even though the day was lovely, sun shining with temperatures in the high 60’s there was a frost advisory. In a panic I ran out of the house to bring in or cover newly purchased young plants. While stretching to reach the hanging baskets, one slipped out of my grasp and narrowly missed my head..but did splatter all over the patio. First casualty of my rescue mission. I shoved the potting soil back into the basket and plopped the flowers very unceremoniously back into the basket. I have yet to check the poor basket to see how much damage has been done. Hopefully I can salvage it.

Next I grabbed the very large and very heavy wooden barrel. I planted the barrel with an assortment of vividly coloured pansies only a few hours earlier. The barrel stood a few feet from the back door. I grabbed it with both hands and with a grunt heaved it up and headed for the back door. Just as I stepped over the threshold of the back door, I lost my footing…did I mention the barrel was quite heavy.  I became distracted as I tried to right myself, not wanting to land on the floor. The basket suddenly felt much lighter. It was then I noticed I was holding an empty barrel. Yes indeed Bloggie friends the bottom had fallen out of the barrel. All the soil and the now not so pretty pansies lay in a large splat on my mudroom floor. Unladylike words spilled my lips and filled the air as I went in search of a new pot to replace the bottomless barrel.

Next hurdle was to get down on my knees to retrieve and re-pot the soil and pansies.…not an easy feat after three days of major weed pulling dragging, digging and raking. I was moving like the newly discovered Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz.

I wonder if the frost would have done as much damage to my plants……….

Hard To Let Go!

A strange thing happened to me some months ago. I experienced a waking dream, a vision of sorts. In this dream/vision I saw a lovely young woman in a beautiful blue silk gown dancing at a ball. I felt her...for a split second in this strangest of waking dreams I was her. I had the oddest feeling I was glimpsing a fragment of my own distant past through the haze of time. Her name was whispered in my ear. I felt the need to write her story and yet I hadn't a clue what her story was. Only that glimpse.




I put pen to paper and slowly words began to fill a page and then another and another. Other characters in this young woman’s story began to take shape. The story begins with a tragedy in her young life. A close and loving relationship with her father is revealed and the loving relationship between her parents. There is animosity between her father and her paternal grandfather. Her grandfather’s distain and unmitigated rudeness towards her mother unfolds. Quietly standing in the background is her grandmother. The woman married to this rude incorrigible man. She is a woman of quiet grace and dignity who unconsciously commands the attention of all when she enters a room. Despite the many trials and tribulations in her life, she maintains integrity of spirit unlike her husband.


About five thousand words into the story the grandmother emerges and dominates. For some reason her story unfolds before my eyes with ease. For a while I was oblivious to the fact this story was veering away from my original MC.  Her story began to fade as I unconciously moved in a new direction.  When I realized I was losing my beloved Main Character I put the story aside in frustration.

Last week it occurred to me maybe this story is indeed about the grandmother. Maybe I should stop resisting and scrap the first couple thousand words. Did you ever have a character in your head and have her opt out on you?

An A-Z Survivor

Thank you Elizabeth!

Thank you to Arlee Bird @ Tossing It Out  the A-Z Guru

and co-hosts:

 

Jeffrey Beesler @ World of the Scribe
Alex J. Cavanaugh @ Alex J. Cavanaugh
Jen Daiker @ Unedited
Candace Ganger @ The Misadventures in Candyland
Karen J Gowen @ Coming Down the Mountain
Talli Roland @ Talli Roland
Stephen Tremp @  Breakthrough Blogs

A big Thank You to Elizabeth Mueller  who graciously bestowed this wonderful award on all who finished the A-Z .  I love it. The Laughing Zebra!!! I am wondering though Why is this Zebra laughing... never mind.  Maybe it's best I don't know. 

The Summing Up:
 I discovered very early in the A-Z process, writing a post everyday was not the only Challenge. Attempting to get around to all the blogs participating was another Challenge. After the first week, I gave up on that. There were just not enough hours in the day and the night for that matter.  I decided to keep to the blogs I followed before the Challenge began, the ones I discovered in that first week and then anyone who stopped by and left a comment here.

Many a night letters of the alphabet hounded my dreams, chasing me as I attempted to hide and escape them.  Now that April is past I am looking forward to alphabet-less dreams.

I met many new, wonderful and interesting bloggers.  I read insightful posts, humourous posts and  posts dealing with serious issues.  I learned many new words and collected some terrific recipes. So many I had to purchase a new recipe book. I was pleasantly surprised when I received emails from bloggers in response to comments I had left.  It took me a few days to figure out how that was done. I felt like a bit of an eejit when I discovered all you did was click reply!!!! Well we can't all be Einsteins!

I would like to thank all my followers, new and old for all your support and encouragement as I muddled along from A to Z.   Ta!

Join the Blog Hop

Z is for

is for

ZZZZZZ's

It's finally here!   'Z'.  I made it!  The finale of the A-Z Challenge.
 !ZOUNDS!

I started the A-Z Challenge with Zest.  I Zipped from A to B with Zeal.   Traveling to a Zillion Zappy blogs reading Zazzy posts.

Zounds again bloggie friends the time has come to take a break and indulge in a Zakuska of Zabaglione or some such!

Yes this Challenge has been Zappy but to tell you truth I am Zonked.  

Spring Break Nashville....over and out!

Can I sleep now!

Y is for

is for

Yay!

I made it to 'Y' But what now????

Yep! Mista Yella!

What will I Yap about today! I could subject you to Yarling about the way my three wheeled week old bag Yawed as I Yomped it from the terminal to the not so ‘short-term’ car park! I could tell you how I Yikkered when Minneapolis's  frigid air hit me on exiting the warmth of the terminal. The shock causing me to Yex and Yex and Yex some more. 

Or I could say, I hope you enjoyed the reminiscing’s of my Spring Break in Nashville.

And now it is time for me to Yede to bed.
Yawn! Until 'Z' time.

X is for

is for

X-tra, X-tra

read all about it!

Spring Break in Nashville (con't)

The night before I left Nashville, I attended the Opening Night of University School of Nashville's (USN) stellar production of Neil Simon's, Brighton Beach Memoirs. 

Miss H is the eldest of LS's (Little Sister) three daughters.   She is an active member of USN's High School Student Theatre Guild and holds the position of Guild Secretary.  The USN Student Theatre Guild is solely student run, from Freshmen to Seniors all dedicated to promoting theatre with student produced plays throughout the school year. 

Brighton Beach Memoirs is a two act play that takes place in one set designed and constructed by Miss H's fellow Guild members.  The play consisted of seven cast members.  Set in Brighton Beach, NY in 1937 an extended family play out rising tensions induced by grief, cramped living space and loss of income.

Miss H did a wonderful job portraying Nora Morton, the teenage daughter of a widowed mother, living in her aunt and uncle's home.   Nora grabbles with feelings of displacement, an interloper with no privacy in the cramped living space.  She expresses all the angst of a young woman frustrated by her mother's lack of ingenuity and strength of character to forge a life and find a place to call their own.

Miss H is a graduating Senior and the week I spent in Nashville was a week froth with nervous tension for her.  This performance in Brighton Beach Memoirs was her last in USN and she was anxiously waiting for replies to her University applications.  She received many acceptance letters, but it wasn't until the day after I left she received the ONE.   Acceptance into the University of her dreams. 

The World is your Oyster Miss H.  Go out there and grab it!