The Way the Cookie Crumbles.....

Yesterday was begin-to-decorate-for-Christmas day. Dave brought our big storage bins up from the garage and we slowly unpacked our Santas, our ornaments, our feather Christmas tree, our snowladies, our Christmas quilt, our silk pointsettias and everything else holiday-ish.

It was a slow process and we didn't quite finish. This year I sat on the couch with foot up, ice bag on and acted as "director" while Dave put this Santa there and that snowlady over there. We turned on the electric fireplace, had carols playing on the radio and it was cold outside.....so it did seem like a nice time to get started.

As I sat there I unwrapped our ornaments and Dave hung them on our little tree. Most of our ornaments are traditional and we've been using them for years. It's fun to unwrap them, remember Christmases past and watch them go up on display for another year.

At the bottom of one box were the cookie ornaments. Each time I uncover them, I can't believe they're still usable. I made these ornaments when Todd was two years old and we lived in our first New Jersey apartment. We had basically zero Christmas budget but we had a toddler and we had fun creating new traditions with him. I found a recipe for these cookies in a magazine, probably Good Housekeeping.

Todd had a small apron wrapped around his little body and I had a slightly larger version and we started assembling and baking down in the little kitchen. When the cookies were finished and out of the oven, we let them cool. I did the "painting" with colorful icing while he took his afternoon nap. Each cookie was then covered in plastic wrap and we added a small ribbon and a hook to hang them on our tree. I know we made dozens.....but these are the four that survive.

Unwrapping them I admit that memories came flooding back, my eyes got "damp" and there was a lump in my throat. These little ornaments were made in 1971 so they are 44 years old! They are cracked, discolored and held together by the now yellowed plastic wrap.

Every family has it's own holiday traditions....small moments or activities that mean something special to them. I guess these four little cookies are one of mine. And they are back on the tree again, center stage, Christmas past joining us to celebrate Christmas present.

And This is Leftovers.....America....

We had a lovely Thanksgiving celebration. Our daughter and son-in-law hosted the meal and my sister, her husband, daughter and sister-in-law drove up from Chicago. I got off easy because after bunion surgery I wasn't expected to do much. I kidded everyone that I was "Queen for a Day" as I sat in a corner in a comfortable chair with my leg propped up on a footstool. Grandsons, Evan and Zach, were in charge of getting my ice bags to and from the freezer on a regular basis and so I just enjoyed myself.

Tonight we had left-overs for dinner. When Dave brought my plate into the family room and set it down in front of me I, once again, realized just how fortunate I am. In today's world, with so many people hungry and displaced and frightened......this was my meal.

Sitting on the couch, watching a television show I looked down at my plate.....lump in my throat. This is leftovers America....this is leftovers.

Extra Equipment Needed.....For Awhile.....

Well when you have a bunion removed and some toes straightened you suddenly realize that walking is more complex that you realized. I've always taken it for granted....take the dog for a walk, walk on down to the library, go shopping at the mall, meet a friend for lunch. Slip on shoes and off I go.

Not so much for the next few weeks.  I'm glad the surgery is over, and it really wasn't too difficult. Pain is negligible, but I do have to be very careful for the next three weeks and I can't drive until 2016! Aaagghhh! My personal chauffeur is doing a great job bending his schedule to accommodate mine. But still....my sense of independence is something else that seems to have"disappeared" for awhile.

And all the extra equipment needed just to negotiate the condo! I have a special boot I have to wear whenever moving around. I have bags of frozen peas that I have to use frequently during the day to keep the swelling down. I use a walker with wheels and am getting pretty good at negotiating that around corners and into tight places. I have a knee-scooter that I am going to try this week - perhaps it will provide me with enough mobility to go for a walk/scoot with Dave and Fenway, weather permitting.

I'm trying not to complain because really, so many people have to deal with so much more than this. So I move slowly, I try to remember what to stick in the walker's tote bag so I don't have to ask Dave to go find my chapstick or my book or my bottle of water.

I will be careful and try to be patient and do what the doctor tells me to do. I will spend a lot of time with my leg on the footstool and ice on my ankle. In the long run I know it will be worth it.....but it is frustrating! And, for me, I think the worst thing is that I can't even press down on my sewing machine pedal for three weeks....I'm having withdrawal symptoms!

So, I am reading, and watching TV and napping.....and coloring thanks to a friend who surprised me with an "adult" coloring book. Second best thing to quilting.

:-)

"Famous" for an Afternoon.....or an Hour!

It's fun to walk into a beautiful retirement community and see your names featured on a posting next to the elevator! A certain sense of "self-importance" takes hold.

Dave and I enjoy sharing memories of our two year adventure aboard Connemara. We've put together a powerpoint presentation and so far shared it with an adult education class through UWM and now at Chai Point.

The fun part, for us, is looking at the photos as we share information and remembering the fun and the adventure of it all.  As a child growing up in a suburb of Chicago, if anyone had ever told me I would own a sailboat, much less sell a house and almost all our adult possessions I would have told them they were nuts!

But we did it.....and we loved it....and now it's fun to share with others. One of the questions at the presentation last week was from a woman in the audience. She asked me "Would you do it again?" My answer...."In a heartbeat!"

"Famous" for an hour.....fun!

To Cross A Border or Not…..

You can't live on this planet and not be aware of the recent horrors in Paris, Beirut and elseswhere. Coverage of the terrorists and their actions saturates every newscast on radio, TV and of course in social media. Messages of anger, retaliation and support are everywhere.

And the discussion broadens to include and point fingers at the millions of refugees trying to flee Syria and get to somewhere safe. Leaving everything behind, homes, jobs, extended families, the land of their birth, they flee…..walking, or crossing the Mediteranean in unsafe boats. Desperate, frightened but with a small glimmer of hope in their hearts. Hope for a better life, a safe place, a future for their children.

Many individuals and politicians are now speaking out about how we (Americans) should not allow Syrian refugees asylum in the US. They use a broad brush to paint a picture….Syrian refugees = Muslim = ISIS = terrorists.

Then there are some quick Facebook posts in answer: "If you can differentiate between while Christians and the KKK/Westboro, then you can differentiate between Muslims and ISIS." "If only we had a seasonally appropriate story about middle eastern people seeking refuge being turned away by the heartless."

And so the discussion continues…..while increasingly desparate families seek safety. Listening to a college professor as he was interviewed on NPR the other day I got a new perspective. I had no idea that ISIS pays its soldiers on a monthly basis, and if they are killed then their families receive death benefits. As the professor went on to say….these payments are a very effective recruiting tool in areas and countries where there are simply no jobs…..no opportunities to earn enough to feed a family. So young people, raised in areas such as this, are ripe for ISIS recruiting efforts.

So I look at the pictures of the refugee families, especially the ones with small children and read the fear in their faces. The exhaustion. And I have to think….without a caring world response (including the US) these children will be the next generation of ISIS fighters. What have they got to lose?

I invite you to google Brave New Films video: Help War Refugees. And be sure to look at the children's faces.

Do we need to carefully vet refugees coming to America….yes, no matter what their country of origin. But do we close our doors? No.  "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breate free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

We either believe in what America stands for …… or we don't.

Prayer in the Classroom…..

Religion seems complicated….belief can be so strong. Faith can be so positive….and it can be so divisive. People often don't see any "common" threads….but seem to only focus on the differences.

After yesterday's horror in Paris someone posted on my Facebook page that if we brought prayer back into our classrooms it would "fix" things. I wonder.

I picture a public school classroom anywhere in America….fourth or fifth graders….being told it is time to bow their heads and pray. Let's just pretend there are thirty students and do a little pretend math. Supposed twenty of them are Christian, 5 are Jewish, 3 are Muslim and 2 do not practice any religious tradition. And the teacher is Jewish.

So what prayer is presented? Which faith is celebrated? If it's a Christian prayer, how does that make the non-Christian children feel about their family traditions? How does it make them feel about the school that forces the policy? About the community in which they live? Are the Muslim children allowed time with their prayer rugs to celebrate their own heritage? Is there any support given to those children who come from homes where there is no belief in God?

If children are enrolled in a faith-based school, for instance a Catholic or Lutheran grade school, then I have no problem with starting the school day with a prayer. The parents who enroll their children in these schools expect that to be part of the curriculum….they support it. The children are all of the same tradition and the prayer will reflect their beliefs.

But I do not believe that prayer should be part of America's public school curriculum. I believe church and state, church and public school should be separate. Our culture reflects a combination of faith based traditions and honoring each of them is an American tradition…..an American right.

I watch the news. I see the horror in Paris….and I wonder just how much of this horror is faith based. Radicals. A small fundamental fringe group causing so much pain. But then every religion has a fringe element…..this one just seems to have learned to use suicide vests, grenades and rifles. A small number of people causing the entire world to sit up and take note….and to fear the future. But will prayer solve this…….I don't think so.

And then later in the day I found another post on my Facebook page….and it seemed to reflect my own feelings:

later that night
i held an atlas in my lap
ran my fingers across the whole
world
and whispered
where does it hurt?

it answered
everywhere
everywhere
everywhere

He Said….She Said…..

It's already been going on for months and seems like there is just no end in sight - at least not until November 2016.

"I have experience……the people want someone from outside Washington…..outsiders don't understand the system and can't get anything done…..she has baggage…..his plan won't work….she doesn't know what she's talking about…..he has no experience in foreign affairs…..he's a Republican…..she's a Democrat…..he's a socialist…..that's not what our Country stands for…..we have to expell all illegal immigrants…..I am amazing…..Jeb Can Fix It….Make America Great Again…."

Talk, talk, talk……! It's part of our messy democracy but it gets so tiresome.

The talk will continue, the arguments, the name calling the finger pointing….until November 2016. And then the people who care enough to actually walk into a voting booth will answer. And it will be over - until the next election cycle.

Good Food, 007 and Spirituality….

We just came home after a fun visit with my cousin and her husband "down on the farm". It's a bit of a drive - about 7 1/2 hours from our condo to Rob an Claudia's acreage on the Ohio River….but it's worth the trip. Claudia grew up in Chicago in a nice brick bungalow on a small city lot….the farm has something like 200 acres. As we often say when we are together "Who would have ever thought?!"

We lucked out on weather so took nice morning walks with the dogs, sat in the sunshine with a cup of coffee watching the birds and just catching up. We shared some good food, the freshly dug "farm potatoes" were especially delicious next to the baked chicken and fresh tomato salad. From garden to table….yummy.

We went to see the new James Bond movie. You must "suspend disbelief" and just enjoy the crazy action and impossible fight scenes but if you've seen all the other Bond's over the years you certainly have to include this one! Arriving back at the farm we sat in the kitchen enjoying a glass of wine (or several) while the conversation ranged from the movie to spirituality to a discussion of "what comes next". It was when Rob began to explain something like "string theory and the speed of light and reality" that my eyes began to glaze.

I needed a tutor to get through algebra and just squeeked through physics with a C- so the more Rob tried to explain the more confused I became. But it was all in good fun and good conversation punctuated with a lot of laughter.

I do wish we lived closer. While growing up we spent most Sunday's together at our grandparent's little house near Antioch, Illinois. Looking back at my life I realize my cousin, just a couple years younger than I am, knows me the longest and the best. As adults we've never lived close to each other….but heartstrings can stretch and I'm so glad we've re-connected over the past ten years.

Plus….it's just fun….down on the farm!

Skipping a Season?

I know this isn't true - but I feel like we just skipped winter here in Wisconsin. We had a few cooler days last week but yesterday and today the thermometer hit 70 degrees. The sky is blue, there is a soft warm breeze…it really feels like spring.

Yes, I know most of the trees are bare, or almost leafless. But still…that's the way they look in the spring just before the buds pop. So…..maybe…..

Nah…..tomorrow we move back toward reality. So I will enjoy the day. Two walks already, a few more to come.