Category: Monday Musings

Memorial Day memories

On By Jo Mayne CaseyIn Holidays at Sonnystone, Monday MusingsLeave a comment

I’ve spent a little too much time in the Way-Back Machine this week, thinking about my Dad who died 25 years ago May 22; it was the Friday before Memorial Day. Quite a bummer, to say the least, and I try not to take myself back to those times for too long, just stopping by to look at who I was, who was my family, and how we survived our grief. Even before that, back in 1967, my Grandpa Eaton died just before the Memorial Day week-end, just as our family was moving to California; it was another horrible time, but a more ancient memory that doesn’t quite evoke the sadness of losing my dad.

Seventeen years ago, on this week-end, we attended the beautiful wedding of Michael and Jessica–such a happy memory!

Back in the 90s we had a pop-up camper and Every Memorial Day week-end we were out in the woods, first years down at Barkley Lake, then moving up to Harmonie State Park, taking along the kids friends and meeting up with Our friends in their campers.

Since the kids have grown up we’ve not had a tradition, though we hit up the cemeteries every few years. Last year we visited the graves of some ancestors who hadn’t been visited since my great-grandmother died — her grandparents and uncles– but I didn’t find her mother and father. Now I know where to look (2 different cemeteries, actually) and I want to make a trip over there, but not today. What we formerly called “Decoration Day” and was supposed to be for all the dead has morphed into a holiday to honor our veterans. Nothing wrong with that, but I think I’ll start a Day of the Dead tradition this year and seek out the ancestors’ graves in November. These pictures are from last year…

Oak Hill Cemetery, Parkersburg, IL
Marion Church Cemetery, West Salem, IL

My Mom and Dad are in a mausoleum over by Helfrich Park Golf Course and I change their bouquet frequently, marking the seasons and holidays. They are due for their “Patriotic” bouquet, but I’m going to wait and take the Jr kids with me later this week.

Coincidently, I did some time travel to my high school daze this week, too. A gentleman DM’d me on FB to ask if I had gone to Harrison, something anyone could know, so I was skeptical. I checked out his profile and could find nothing that triggered a memory, though his profile pic is a young-him and he’s good-looking, so I should have noticed… but he seemed safe, so I answered. I’ve strained and still haven’t been able to remember him, but he’s really a nice guy and we chatted away. Seems he’s a UCC minister, retired, but we all know that pastors never really retire, so he’s still preaching. He posted this on his FB timeline, and I’d like to share it with you:

This is my Pastoral Benediction for Sunday morning, written by the 19th century Swiss moral philosopher Henri-Frederic Amiel. I wish it for all of you:

Life is short so we do not have much time to

gladden the hearts of those who travel with us.

So be swift to love,

Make haste to be kind,

And go in peace to love and serve the Lord

posted by Robert Walker, my new imaginary friend…

I wish I’d said that…

Peace

My mind wanders, but it is not lost…

On By Jo Mayne CaseyIn Monday Musings2 Comments

I am adept at wasting time, especially on a cold, gloomy day like today. The bird garden, just outside my window occupies my thoughts for a while as I watch a fat jay trying to get the proper grip on the suet feeder, finally giving up and perching awkwardly on the sunflower houses. But my mind wanders…

Wassily Kandinsky, artist

That Prednisone really messed with my gut, not just in that killing-your-natural-flora way, but also it made me ravenously hungry and I have no willpower, so I ate every sugary treat I could find and then ordered more. I hate when I do that…but I do it for less reasons than Prednisone, so you’d think I’d learn my lesson. In yet another attempt to placate my guilt, I’m embarking on trial of probiotics. I tried the flora-fixers about a decade ago and didn’t stick with it (no surprise), but I’m more impressed with them nowadays and I hope to reset my gut biodome…

Back at the birdfeeders, a cardinal family has arrived and I watch them picnic together, admiring how the babies have grown. But my mind wanders…

Wassily Kandinsky, artist

I’ve never had much of a routine since retirement, happy to change with the seasons and the needs of the day, but it seems appropriate to set a schedule for Summer Vacation that involves Family and camping. I’m set up to hang out with the Jrs. two days each week; there are some good library programs to attend and I’ve got an idea to visit some of our local parks each week. A couple of months ago, Casey and I started going up to New Harmony to check out their auctions every month, so that’s on the calendar. But my mind wanders..

spinach-and-feta-turkey-burgers

I had to trim my basil and was wondering what to do with it. Handily, I had planned to have turkey-feta-spinach burger this evening and I’ll just trade out the spinach for the basil! Brilliant! But my mind wanders..

…what am I going to about my hair? my shape? my face? my Age? Perhaps lip plumper could change my life, give me more energy; maybe I should get a perm; I need to walk Every Damn Day; how old am I really??? But my mind wanders…

Wassily Kandinsky, artist

Well, if nothing can be done, I’ll make the best of what’s around and play some Dave Matthews…

Peace

More Monday musing…

On By Jo Mayne CaseyIn 2019, Monday Musings, Summer at Sonnystone1 Comment

Since the girls left, we’ve gone back to our no-routine routine.  Casey’s always busy with something, as usual, but even he stopped to just relax in the pool yesterday.  A Big Wind blew through yesterday afternoon and he’ll stay busy this morning cleaning up the leaves and branches.

I still won’t go out in the grass (chiggerphobia) until this Thing on my thigh is completely healed.  To that end, I have an appointment with a surgeon on Wednesday.  I feel a little silly because it is now so small, but I want to hear what he thinks about potential re-infection.  I’m on another round of antibiotics and would like to stop that pattern.

I’ve got to do Maintenance this week:  mani/pedi, hair highlights.  I’m working my way through the vegetables, eating a lot of buttery zucchini, sliced tomatoes, and dipped bell peppers.  I think I’m losing weight, but my scale is still weighing in stones…I think I like it better that way…

It will be three weeks until we set out on our NM-CO Adventure.  Our first Long trip in the trailer was three years ago to Santa Fe, NM.  We were so green and learned so much.  Casey was still working, so our time was restricted—six days driving, three days there!!

We went to Bandelier National Park our first day.  The hike we took was perfect for me, though I did not climb too high on the ladders…

August, 2016
August, 2016

The next morning, trying to take a decent picture from the overlook of the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, I tripped and fell…bloodied both knees and scraped up my hands…I soldiered on, griping and with a few tears…

August 2016

I limped around Taos and we enjoyed lunch at a nearly-empty La Fonda where the chef came out and brought us extras of his soups….

August 2016
August 2016

But the Pueblo was closed and we missed the High Road going back to Santa Fe and that just clinched it:  we’d have to go back someday.

I fell in Love with Santa Fe.  It vibrates with history.  I loved the Plaza and the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi (the Mother Church).  As we had our dinner on a balcony, we could see the musicians beginning to arrive to busk for the evening.  We didn’t have time to see the Georgia O’Keefe Museum, so we knew it:  we’d have to go back someday.

August 2016
August 2016

Someday is nearly here, but there’s little to do but plan it right now.  I’m dubbing it the KOA tour, as we’ll be staying at KOAs in Joplin, MO,  Amarillo, TX,  Albuquerque/Bernalillo, NM,  Pueblo/Colorado City, CO,  and Salina, KS.  As members we receive a 10% discount on already-low-prices; we’ve collected $20 worth of reward points, and one night will be $0 as part of their semi-annual Free Night…maybe I should call it the Cheap-o Tour.

We’ll take the High Road to Taos this time and I’ll watch where I’m stepping.  I am pumped for the O’Keefe museum and a tour of her home and studio, Abiquiu.  Petroglyphs National Park has long been on my list of places to see, not only because I’ve heard of alien sightings there, but also because I’m intrigued by petroglyphs.  Nearby is Old Town Albuquerque which deserves a visit, if only for the shopping.  There’s plenty more to do and we’ll be staying five days so we can get it all done and still have some time in the pool…

We decided to return home via Colorado, but you may have guessed I’m not into those Really Tall Mountains except from afar. The air is way too thin on Pike’s Peak for an old smoker.

We’ll stay a couple of days and do some tourist-y stuff…

Until it’s really time to get ready for the trip, I’ll be hanging out, doing whatever. I’ve been on a not-reading-books binge for a couple of months, but the night before the Joses left I broke the spell and stayed up all night to finish “Relative Fortune”.  I uninstalled Candy Crush and I’m on a Reading spree!

I’m going to get out the Ancestors photos and get started posting those over at the Ancestry blog.  Maybe I’ll see you there.

I’ll let you know if there’s any News…

Peace

Rainy Day’s a Monday…

On By Jo Mayne CaseyIn 2019, Monday Musings, Summer at Sonnystone1 Comment

It’s been a tough week, guys.  What the H is going on with me?  It’s one weird malady after another. On the one hand, I don’t want to talk about it.  On the other hand, damn,  why shouldn’t I gripe…

Shortest version: A small cyst on my upper thigh suddenly blew up into a Giant Invading Mound of Infection and I had to go to the doctor and get it lanced and get a shot of Rocephin and take a bunch of doxycycline  and the swelling in my thigh was serious and cellulitis set in and I only had one dress (that fits) to my name so I have worn it out and bought three more but two haven’t arrived and it hurts when I walk and I’m worried we didn’t get all the goop out and it turned out to be a rare strain of staph and I prefer average everyday staph and nobody gives you good pain medicine anymore…   >stops to breath<  But it gets better every day…

Yeah, so I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired… Hmm…you didn’t need to know that at all, did you?  Judging by my productivity — 4 blog posts, about 5000 words — you never noticed and had no idea I took all those naps, did you?  Damn, I just blew my entire superwoman image…again…

I was heartened to be with my Jr. girls again.  Saturday we went out to the mall and messed around and I bought them some new shoes, at a real shoe store where they measure your feet and put the shoes on them and feel for your toe…  They both chose converse, Olivia’s in Orange and Sam’s in Rainbow.  I got a little carried away and got Samantha a unicorn dress and unicorn headband, and Olivia a sweet yellow top.  Their parents barely recognized them when I took them home.  I had forgotten my phone, so this picture is one I stole from their mother’s fb page…it does not show the cool shoes, just my pretty girls.

Sunday we got together again and went to Central Library.

We needed this rain today– I thought I’d never say that again after Spring! I’ve got more beans to snap and cook and the last of my cilantro is going into a lime marinade for some chicken breasts.  This year’s bell peppers have been the best I’ve ever grown and I’m dipping them and the cucumbers like a fiend.  I couldn’t do much in the garden last week, so it was all on Casey, and he came through like a champ and planted three rows of green beans.  If you’re not keeping with the Gardens at Sonnystone, you should!

I think I’ll take advantage of the rainy weather to do more Ancestry, as usual.  I was so relieved to finish up all the Eaton family work, but there is no real finish to it!  I’m ready to get back to the Maynes soon, and as long as I’m still solving mysteries, I’ll keep going. Check out Last Week’s Work…

  Peace