Birth of a New Poem

Have you ever had an image of something swirling around in your head for days, nagging at release in some creative form or other?  From time to time I see something, taste or smell something that triggers a memory from the past.  It can be a smell that hurtles me into the home I grew up in or a smell that brings back one of my grandmothers. 

Recently, I thought about the dress I wore at my high school graduation.  It was THE perfect dress!  I loved the way it fit, the way I looked and felt when I wore it.  Naturally, I can't put my hands on a photo of me in the dress although I know I have several stashed away in some box or other.  Anyway, I asked a couple of female friends if they ever had a "special" dress or outfit that stood out above all others in some way, for some reason.  Turns out every one of them said they did.

This morning I felt the need to make time to be creative.  Another half-formed poem was germinating in the back of my mind, so I sat down to bring it to life.  I also needed to "do something" with THE dress.  And so I did.  Here is the poem that sprung from that need:

The Dress

Most women,
I suspect,
wear one dress
(or two, perhaps)
that lingers in memory
as perfection,

that gift wraps
a pearl,
one crystalline stitch
in time.

Mine
was white cotton,
gossamer-
with sleeveless bodice
of delicate pleats
tightly
cinched
at the waist,
cascading in gentle folds
to just below the knee.

Twirling before the mirror
I could find no fault
in my reflection-
a rarity, I dare say,
in the feminine psyche.

Graduation Day,
threshold of the time of milk and honey
and I was Aphrodite,
Cinderella,
cloaked in clarity
with one glass slipper atop
the translucent pattern
that paved the road ahead.

~~~Pam Patterson 6/30/10

My Three Amigos

Three amigos or stooges, depending on how the wind is blowing at any given minute.  We have small, taller and tallest!  Number one grandson just keeps on reaching for the sky!!  Soon to be 17 (July 8th), he's 6'4" and growing.  Puberty has been slowly but surely morphing Connor into a looming teenager (Nov).  THIS, I'm not ready for!  He is now my height.  Sam, on the other hand, has been doing more growing out than up this year. 

Last summer was the first summer Bryan didn't have time to come up from San Antonio for a visit.  It's good to have him in the pack this week.  Yesterday we spent the day at Six Flags, braving both the difficult-to-take-anywhere younger two boys, and the weather.  Storms were predicted but held off until we had spent the majority of the day at the park.  Sam, as usual,  was piss-poor the entire time.  By the time we got home he was in timeout and lucky we hadn't thrown him out of the car on the way home.  I rode in the back between Connor and Sam and my sanity was hanging by a thread!

All in all, it's good to have Bryan visit.  Next year he'll graduate from high school and visits will probably be even harder to come by.

Clean Sweep

There's just something immensely satisfying about cleaning and cleaning out.  Actually, I've always been a bit of a neat freak as well as a list maker.  Over the years I've managed to relax my impossible standards, somewhat, on the size of my lists and the scope and meaning of "neat" or "clean".  Although I'm not always in the mood to clean the results of my efforts never fail to bring about that satisfying feeling.  I love a neat and clean home.  No matter the chaos or messiness of daily living that swirls about me,  clean surroundings provide a necessary calmness that keeps me sane.

Since school's been out I've been binge cleaning and purging.  My to-do list on these tasks is ambitious.  So far, I've made huge strides in whittling down the list.  The above photo shows the result of the first of my two major projects:  the attic.  I've been wanting to do this for several years, but it was more than I could manage by myself as there were large items like no-longer needed baby furniture that needed discarding.  When my 17-year-old grandson said he was coming to visit, I recruited him as my strong man.  So, Saturday morning, between my daughter, my 3 grandsons and me, Project Attic was accomplished and crossed off the list.  This coming week is my 'bulky waste' pick up by the city trash collection.  We get one free bulky waste pick up per month during a predetermined week.  Mine, coincidentally, is the last week of the month. 

Next month I plan to tackle the second major project:  the garage.  Due to the amount of stuff that needs to go from there I might need to make this a 2-month project so I can get things hauled away for free.  Perhaps I'll wade through one side of the garage in July, the other in August.

In the several weeks since school's been out, in addition to the attic, I've overhauled my closet floor, my bathroom as well as the boys'.  Also, I've cleaned out kitchen cabinets, drawers and reorganized the laundry room.  My feeling of accomplishment on the clean-sweep front is soaring! 

Of course, one project leads to another and I've already added new vistas to THE list:  hall closet, boys' rooms and closets, dining room....... I can keep the feeling coming the rest of the summer.

hmmm....if I run out of places to purge I can always clean the blinds, wash the outside windows, meticulously dust  EVERYTHING..... 

I get goose bumps just thinking about the realm of cleaning possibilities!!  :)

Smokin!!!!

                                     


It's HOT!  Just plain H-O-T!!!!!!!  What a brutal start to summer we're having!  Early mornings and just before dark is about all one can stand for any length of time without dragging and wilting.  I feel like I"m moving in slow motion when I'm outside. 

Even the new furkid is not liking the heat of the day.  I have to drag his butt outside to do his biz unless the other 2 pups are headed outside.  Actually, Smokey, the Beagle likes to sun in this heat.  Mac and Spanky either dig in at the door and refuse to go out without a push or find the shade to pant in.

Speaking of Mac, our little explorer, back from his not-so-excellent overnight adventure after escaping through the gate the lawn service left open, he is eaten up with bug bites and miserable.  The heat does NOT help his misery!  What a miracle and relief to have this little lost furkid back in pack again, tho'!!! 

Spanky, on the other hand, has discovered the joys of ice eating and playing.  It's fun to watch him wrangle with the cubes as they melt. 

Not much heat relief on the horizon, I fear.  My 17-year-old grandson Bryan comes to visit on Thurs.  I'm looking forward to that.  First time in 2 years.  A trip to Six Flags is on tap while he's here.....   Someone needs to invent a portable, battery-operated AC unit.  Purse size.  We're sure to be Five Fried heading home from Six Flags.

Time to crank up the snow dreams...

Summer Time and the Livin' is Crazy!!

"Chaos= Christ's hope amid our suffering. Chaotic circumstances are opportunities to hope and trust in Christ." (Zoe Elmore).

I got this quote off a friend's Facebook page.  What a great way to think of the chaos that rules my world!  Put's a whole new and positive spin on the word and the situation.  I like it!

This is, officially, week 2 of my summer vacation.  Last week was  dotted with doctor, vet and installation appointments.  This week started with a less than pleasant screening procedure (finito and good to go for 10 more years!) while tomorrow I round out the necessary-but-not-fun screenings with my annual mammogram.

Several more days this week are dotted with repairmen, pest control and the garage door annual servicing.  Then, hopefully, I'm done with docs for humans, animals and inanimate objects for awhile! 

Since school was out I've been on a cleaning and purging spree.  I actually love to do this whenever I have the time.  The BIG projects on tap this summer are the garage and attic.  Both are challenges and need to be done around the set day when our trash service collects bulky trash such as that which come with the BIG clean-out jobs!  I'm hoping to schedule the attic purge during the time my oldest grandson, 17, comes to visit in July or August. 

The other purging projects consist of cabinets, closets and drawers, all of which can be done in small doses over the summer.  Amazing how satisfying these jobs can be.  I've already made headway in my closet and several cabinets and drawers in the kitchen.  I've also gotten the yard mulched and the container pots planted.  The fruits of these chores are some of the little joys of life. 

I've always liked a certain amount of order and neatness in my surroundings.  These days, when so much daily chaos abounds, cleaning gives me a certain amount of control when I can't really control what goes on around me.

It's so hot right now, there's not much going outside, just to be going outside.  I water plants, feed the birds and sit out with the furkids in the early morning and in the evening.    When I have the choice I run my errands early, too.   Speaking of outside..

about a month ago we found our Beagle Smokey barking at butterfiles buzzing his head.  What an amazing sight!  Dozens of Monarch butterflies were covering one of my dying trees in the side yard.  They were feeding on the oozing sap.  I've never seen so many at one time!  And, they were bugging Smokey who was sunning under the tree.  Last night when I walked out on the patio there was a HUGE, gorgeous butterfly flitting around one of my butterfly-friendly container pots.  Loved it!

Spanky's still enjoying his days as a normal pup again.  He's still getting used to the routine, house and interaction with the other 2 dogs.  He's feeling his oats and is one tired little pup at the end of the day.  As I type he's sprawled across my bed behind me. 

Freedom Rocks!!

Monday was the big day....Spanky was sprung from confinement.  We got word that the x-rays showed he was good to go right after lunch so he was off and running--  And I do mean running, racing around the house and yard, tumbling into anything and everyone.  The puppy reprieve for Smokey and Mac (Beagle and mini Dachshund) was over.  Spanky was on the loose and mixing it up with them again. 

The last couple of weeks he found several ways to escape his "jails", inside and out.  About a week ago he learned to climb out of said "jails".  It was getting extremely difficult to contain him.  A puppy wants what a puppy wants, to do what puppies do-- run with the pack,  chew and nip on anything or anyone he could. 

Now my arms can heal.  Eight weeks of carrying him in and out of the house kept my arms shredded by his needle-sharp little claws and teeth.  I laughingly referred to it as puppy abuse.  This is full-day 2 of his freedom.  He's back to annoying the other 2 dogs and being totally underfoot.  Shoes within his reach or on the floor have to be scooped up before he takes off with one of a pair. 

He's behind a bit on learning things like getting up on or off of a couch or bed if he's on them.  He's also hard to scoop up as he still thinks he might be confined again.  On the plus side of that issue he is happy to nap on my bed while I'm on the computer or doing things around the house.  He also likes to sleep by me in the evening before I'm ready to go to sleep and he is transferred to his crate to sleep.  Speaking of sleeping...this is one tired furkid at the end of the day.  He sleeps like a log and sleeps later now that school's out and I'm not up at 5 am.    Housebreaking accidents are few and far between these days.

Spanky is back to being a normal puppy and I'm happy to be able to enjoy him in every way.  It's been a long haul since his accident, subsequent surgery and lengthy, tedious confinement.  I'm happy to say he seems none the worse for wear and  is reveling in his new-found freedom!

Great to have you back among the pack, Spanky U!!!!!!