Easter baskets, dresses, burrrrrrrrr

Those shivering little girls in their sleeveless Easter dresses and bonnets are going to be so disappointed.  Surely the snow will melt and the temps warm up before the Big Weekend holiday!  What's the point of an Easter egg hunt in the snow?  Uncovering Easter treats under wet snow piled up on the lawn would be miserable.  And the poor moms thinking, "How am I going to get that dress clean after all the muddy stains...and those tiny white gloves!"  UFDA!  But, in truth, do little girls still don lovely dresses, wear ribbons in their curled hair, pull on lacy gloves, turned over anklets and paten leather shoes in honor of the day?  I wonder...I see so many kids in sweats and torn jeans at Sunday morning church services.  Parents wear the same informal clothing.  I miss seeing church goers attending Sunday services dress up in their "Sunday best".  However, I am aware that at least some people are still bringing their children to church and sunday school.  I did like the idea that Sunday was not just another day of the week; it was special, family time, a day of rest. 

Camus quote; front porches; neighbors

"In the midst of winter, I discovered within me an invincible summer"...that's French author Camus' thougths.  It has to be mine this season too!  Snow is forcast once more for tonight and tomorrow.  But the tulip leaves are tall; the spring beauties, trout lily and violets have sprouted in the woods and we Minnesotans NEED SPRING! 

Guess it'll have to be fresh ideas, not spring warmth, that will capture my fancy this week.  Amidst my de-cluttering of papers and books, old clothes and dishes, I'm coming up with ideas about the comfort of a front porch where neighbors used to sit, rocking, calling to passers-by to come sit and chat.  I miss that feeling.  Life has become so much more formal.  One doesn't "drop in" on friends; one calls first.  I never even see some of my "neighbors"...have never met them!  Some people own houses on Casco Point which they only visit a few days in the summer!  AMAZING!  It's a great spot with lots of interesting people!

For all the new homes being built, even in this recession, I haven't seen any with a front porch.  The house we bought across from St Thomas College for our college son to live in and rent to others DOES have a front porch.  There's even a fan and roll down wicker shades to block the sun and give privacy.  Otherwise, open the windows reveal strolling neighbors with their dogs and children strolling through the neighborhood for an evening walk or going to school.  It's a wonderful scene.  I can sit on the porch swing, with the fan cooling me on hot summer days and read a good book. 

We need more neighbor contact....who knows when we might need to borrow a cup of sugar of a flashlight?

pansy faces appear

Purple and yellow pansy faces peek from clay pots lined up at John's Variety Store this morning.  The sun is shining and the ice is inching away from the shoreline of Lake Minnetonka.  Ice should be out in another week.  Then canoes, sailboats, cruisers and speedboats will appear floating and roaring across Carmen's Bay as I'll sit, musing about my column writing, on the dock with Buddy, my ravenous Beagle who just ate a whole loaf of bread off the kitchen counter! 

Death has invaded my life in voluminous numbers this past month.  We'll attend two more funerals this weekend.  I can feel my body weaken, tired with emotions difficult to deal with.  I remember Donne's "Death Be Not Proud" poem "though some have called you mighty and dreadful/thou art not so...? and e.e. cummings's "Buffalo Bill's Defunct" with a mighty and dreadful Mr. Death, but his power can't erase the memories we hold close of that person.  Memories live on.

Spring is a renewal of life.  Perhaps I'll feel recharged as the sun warms; the ice melts, and my tulips and crocus will burst into bloom.  I look forward to new life in nature and within me.

Spring is blooming in my soul

Snow walls are fading as sunshine beams its energy through the clouds to me...finally!  Feel like spring...almost.  The cardinals and nuthatches are at the bird feeder outside my kitchen window; the stars in the early morning sky are finally visible through the past week's clouds of gray, and puddles are forming on my sidewalk.  We need to construct a moat to enter the house as the puddles keep enlarging; the accesible path to the front door keep shrinking. 

Pussywillows must be budding in the woods.  Sprouts of vague greeness appear in the gardens where the snow has receeded.   Seed catalogue will be appearing in my mailbox.  My geraniums in the garden window are blooming profusely with red and fuchia blossoms and the begonia plant is outperforming her yearly solo of cascading blooms in the east windows receiving full-blasts of sunshine!

Happy times are back!  Spring is blooming in my soul!

appreciation, "used", take advantage

This morning I'm upset about feeling taken advantage of ....not acknowledged. It takes so little to show appreciation for one's efforts, to celebrate the success of another, and to make another feel good. Why do few people tells others how important they are in other's lives? Why not share the success of someone's work?

Egypt, land of Arabian knights

Today's Egypt, which news people write about and what we see on TV, is vastly differely from the Cairo, Egypt, I experienced. When my husband Dave was flying the NYC to Cairo route for TWA in the 90's , we brought the family along on one of his trips to Egypt. We saw a land of pyramids, traffic jams, statues of ancient gods, little kids weaving silk rugs, spitting camels and Arabian horsemen in flowing robes dashing through the desert. It was a land of romance and smiling people who couldn't do enough for us!

Mohammed was our tour guide. He'd been befriended by airline crews and enjoyed showing off his city's sites. After taking us to a bazaar which had existed from times before Christ, to papyrus factories, rug weaving shops, The City of the Dead where squatters had claimed tombs of the rich as their homes, we rode camels past the pyramids and a flooka sailboat ride on the Nile, he invited us to his home for dinner. Thank goodness we knew NOT to use our LEFT hand when we ate. The left hand is dirty, used for wiping only...hummmm Though we never knew what we were eating, it was tasty and we never felt ill.

Egypt remains a delightful memory of an exotic desert land filled with pyramids, spitting camels, colorful tents of Ramadan, and smiling, helpful people. I hope their new government will be peaceful, successful, prosperous and a friend to the United States of America.

Let the sun shine in!

Shrinking walls of snow re-energize me, especially when the sun shines on the frozen lake so brilliantly! It's been a lethargic period of time for me; no energy. Then I feel guilty that I'm not accomplishing anything. Why is it that a first born kid never gets rid of the guilt of not achieving? I could have been a catholic for all the guilt I harbor. I've been spending days doing a jigsaw puzzle and reading...remembering Dad telling me to "get your face out of that book and go outside!" Well, reading is another world for me...what a great escape when I'm discontent with the present. Grayness darkens my mood...let the sun shine in!