Thinking About This and That

Our kitchen window sills have become a handy perch for nicky-nacky things, and the population seems to be growing.  To the point where they look a bit junky.  That means it's time for me to put some things away and make room for new.

Any flat surface in our house usually ends up with stuff piled on top.  It takes effort to keep the kitchen island and end tables free and clear of papers, notes, pencils, notebooks, scissors, and god only knows what all.  I do more than my share of leaving things trailing behind, so I can't complain too much.  The fact that our house is relatively small doesn't help matters.  There simply isn't space for all the stuff we use, and so clutter becomes almost a necessity.  Even the daily paper can create a mess in no time.  Do people with big houses have messes? or more stuff?  I always wonder about that.

I've got a couple craft projects going right now, and I can't get myself motivated to finish them.  I've got a rug in progress on my loom and 10 crocheted comfort crosses to stuff and sew together.  Drat.  This gorgeous weather has me procrastinating.  I'm stuck and can't get unstuck.  I'm the best excuse-maker on the globe when it comes to goofing around instead of working.  I've got this carefully-orchestrated attitude that I've worked my beloved caboose off all my life, and now it's time for me to do jack nothing. 

Looks to be another pretty day.  We have the front door open, and leaves are chasing each other down the street.  A slight breeze must be giving them the energy to scoot around on their own.  Some trees are looking pretty naked without their colorful clothes on.  It's amazing how those small branches will survive winter's snow and ice and then in the springtime they'll be all set and ready to push forth brand-spankin' new buds. 

I'm getting antsy to start planning for the December holidays.  With young families all working two and three jobs, it's very hard to set a date to gather the family together.  What works for one, won't work for another.  Plus, last-minute required overtime can throw a wrench in well-intentioned plans as well.  Makes one wonder if the holidays will someday disappear altogether simply because there won't be time for them.

Family Picnics
Rain or Shine!

The two of us visit alot of times about the days when my husband's family would gather for the yearly family reunion.  Aunts and uncles and cousins would congregate at a local park, and the aunts would set out their signature dishes.  One aunt always brought the most spectacular homemade baked beans, made from scratch.  There'd be roasters of fried chicken, bowls of homemade potato salad, pies and cakes, creamy cucumber and onion salads, and ham sandwiches, homemade pickles, thermoses of lemonade made from real lemons, and just everything that a picnic oughta have.  All we can do today, tho, is reminisce about them, because the aunts and uncles are all gone, and the cousins are too busy for family picnics.  We are mighty grateful to have lived at a time when families reunited for the sake of simply spending time together.  We remember those dear aunts for their delicious culinary contributions and the simple joy and pride they took in bringing them to the picnic table.  They were ever so happy to see second and third helpings taken and would coax us all to do so because there was more than plenty.  None of them were rich so far as money was concerned, but they were extremely wealthy when it came to preserving the unity of their families.  My husband's family bettered my life with those strong kindred ties, and those memories will always mean a whole lot to me. They were gentle, down-home, old-fashioned Sunday feasts for the tummy and for the ticker.

Today's Trivia:  The words racecar and kayak are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left.