Time

If I could have one super power it would be the ability to add time to my day! I can't believe how much stuff I have to do and so little time to do it in. Even at work - my inbox gets higher and higher (and for those of you who have seen my desk, you know that can be pretty high!). I have 2 reports on my desk right now that need to be done, but other, more urgent things keep getting added.

Home is the same way. Too many things to do and too many places that I should be. So, what do you think I'm doing? Prioritizing and doing the urgent things first? Scheduling and doing things in a timely manner? No and No. Here's what I'm doing.

Nothing like art to make you lose yourself for a couple (or 4 or 5) hours!

I've been painting for about 12 years, but I don't have a dedicated painting space now. It takes so long to get everything out, paint, and then put everything back up, so I haven't done much. Then I found colored pencils. I love this!! Just sit down and work. It's great! No waiting for paint to dry, not a lot of stuff to have to store.

This was a lesson from Marian Jackson, but I didn't get to the class, so I had to work through it by myself.

Hopefully, I will get to take some more classes at HOOT (Heart of Ohio Tole convention) this year. I really love doing this!!!

The Good Old Days

When I was a child, my family would sit on the porch at night with neighbors and listen to my grandfather and Preacher Roy tell tales of their lives.  A frequent start to one of their stories would be “Back in the good old days…..” and I always thought how sad that the past is better than the present.  I mean life is supposed to get better as you get older, right?  Wrong!

I miss the good old days.  Especially the good old days of analog TV.  Life was nice back then.  I had a set of rabbit ears on top of my TV and I could chose between 5 different stations that came in with relative clarity.  You have to understand that this was the extent of my choices.  Cable TV was not available in my area and back then satellite TV was too expensive.  When satellite became affordable we weren’t home enough to justify the expense and we were happy with what we had.

After we moved back to civilization – where cable was available – we didn’t sign up for it because it was a temporary move and we decided to wait until our house was finished.  It’s now been 4 years, the house still isn’t finished and we still don’t have cable.   But now we have digital – or at least we are supposed to. 

We bought the “box” and we bought a new antenna, but we have lost CBS, FOX, and KET. (I am heartbroken over the loss of KET) and the official changeover date hasn’t even occurred yet.   Yes, I could subscribe to cable, but now it’s a matter of principle – it was free before and it should be free now!  I know I can buy another antenna – but I want a coupon for that!  As a matter of fact, I will give back my digital box coupon if they will give me 90% off the cost of an antenna!!  And tell me which one to buy. 

There is a web site that will guide you to what antenna you need – if you are smart enough to answer the questions – and it gives you a nice color-coded tag to look for when you go to purchase your antenna.  However, they forgot to tell the antenna stores to put the tag on their product.  So, you’re back to eny meany miny mo….

Most stores seem to have a good return policy on these antennas, but who wants to assemble all those parts, put it on the roof or a tower and then have to take it down, take it apart, and try again. 

Maybe for entertainment, I’ll put my kids on the porch and bring my dad over to tell stories about his good old days.   That is if I can pry him away from his big screen that’s hooked up to satellite.

Getting Old

Anytime I’ve been asked my age for the past 20 years or so, I have responded with a very serious, “I’m 29.”  I have been so adamant about this age that my daughter even bought  birthday cake candles of these numbers that she can use year after year on my cake (although I don’t think that I’ve gotten a cake since that first year – hmmm).  Well, I hate to say it, but I think my days of being 29 are over.

First of all my body is getting old.  I ache in places I didn’t even know you could hurt in.  My joints pop more every day and I am slowly wearing my ‘cheater’ glasses to see with instead of just to read with.  I kept thinking this was a temporary illness and all would be better soon, but I’m beginning to think it’s not. 

Secondly, my grandchildren are growing up.  They are doing things that I remember their mother doing yesterday – at least it seems like yesterday.  Maren has just outgrown her first car seat and Brynna just had her photograph taken in a shot similar to one her mom had made at about the same age – 25 years ago (Jessi cooperated better!).

Third of all, my baby is 17.  His age doesn’t bother me as much as where he is in life.  Starting first grade didn't bother me at all - when he started middle school, I cried like a baby all the way to work.  Getting his driver’s license was a relief since I didn’t have to get up early in the morning to get him to school.  Ordering his class ring was a time of stress – how to pay for it (they have really gone up since I purchased mine back in 1977!) and would he really graduate the same year as what we were putting on the ring (it seems that he will).  But what is making me feel really feel old is the little things – going to the prom and staying out all night.  Deciding who, where and when he will take his senior photos.  The college flyers that are starting to fill our mailbox.  The fact that he can (and does) fix my car.  Legally he can now hunt alone.  He kisses his girlfriend in front of me.

I used to think that I would be old in the year 2000, then my definition of old changed to 50.  Now I see that it’s not a number, it’s the little things in life that make you old.  So, I guess from now on, when asked my age I will have to admit the truth.............39.