What time do you think it is?

I love clocks and wrist watches. I like knowing what time it is. I hate being late although knowing the time and being late are not at all related. It seems it should be, but one is not dependent on the other.

I did not really realize how many clocks I have until one morning over Christmas vacation. Phuong, Michael and Brian were staying with us for a few days. I woke up at my usual early time, checked my battery operated alarm clock - just in case the electricity goes out, put on my glasses so I could check the clock on the cable box and got up to make coffee. Incidentally the coffee pot is about 2 feet from the atomic clock. As I looked past the clocks on the microwave, oven and two walls of the kitchen, down the hallway I saw several clocks on the floor, neatly stacked by the bedroom door. Hmmm, I thought to myself. What is this about? When P woke up she told me that all the battery operated ticking clocks kept her awake! Sorry about that! Who knew!

One of my summer goals is to get the Ethan Allen clock fixed. Presently it is hanging uselessly in the dining room waiting for me to take it to a clock repair shop. I received it as a college graduation gift from my parents and it has been everywhere with Bob and me, working or not. The clock, not Bob and me. Anyway, it has been stopped for about 22 years - since we moved here from VA. I did get it repaired once, but it quit again. This summer is the time to fix it. I would love to have it done before we have visitors again.

One of my earliest memories of clocks that chime is sleeping on the sleeping porch at my grandparents on Patterson Street in Neosho, Missouri. It was always hot since we went in the summer and the porch had no air conditioning. These days we would have made a pallet on the floor and slept inside, but in those days, no. We just toughed it out, Jerry and me, on the double bed on the hot, humid porch. Sounds awful, but it was not. The really weird part was it was near the bathroom that my grandfather used. He took out his false teeth at night and left them in that bathroom. We never talked about that - in those days children were seen and not heard! I digress.. I would wake up in the middle of the night and hear the clock chime once. What time do you think it is? It could be 12:30 am or 1 am or 1:30 am. I always had to stay awake until the next chime or the next to decide which one it was.

Timely memories - all!

Brave People Fighting for Freedom

Bob and I went to the National World War II Museum on June 6, 2012 with our friends Donna and David Bernsen. It was a spur of the moment idea to go because Southwest Airlines had a special low fare. I had been wanting to go because we have some artifacts from WWII that my father had collected. I thought the museum might be the place for them. After we arrived, I realized they have PLENTY of things and are even expanding to two new buildings. Evidently I am not the only person who had a relative who saved things! I was actually glad I had left the items at home.

While we were there, we had the pleasure of speaking with a veteran who jumped as a paratrooper on D Day. Since it WAS D Day when we were there, the four of us had a delightful conversation with Mr. Blakey. He was 92 and still going strong. The bridge he defended was made famous in the movie, Saving Private Ryan. Our generation cannot fully comprehend the sacrifices the US population made to ensure we won the war. We can read about it and watch movies, but it does make us wonder how strong we would have been. 
More about the contributions of our parents on another post!

Thoughts I have....

After not posting for several months, I am going to attempt another round of interesting information for the family. Okay, for me, but the family can read it. 

Today my good friend Chris is starting her new life as a retired schoolteacher in the Austin area. Moving is so hard on everyone. The ones who are left have a hole in their hearts and the ones who leave have a hole to build around. Having been both "ones", I can say that neither is bad and both bring growth and that is good.

Motivation is a funny word.It implies moving forward somehow, but if you are a "slow processor" such as myself it might take time. For example, returning to this blog. I have a swarm of ideas buzzing in my head, but when the idea strikes, I may not be near the computer or I may not want to write it down because then I will have to act on it. Today I am motivated to write a bit. Tomorrow? Who knows.

My mother told me that when I was little she would wonder where I was and when she found me I would be just sitting in a chair being still. I remember pretending a lot of the time. The two probably are related! I would stand in the hall a bit away from the bathroom and wait because the entire Mickey Mouse Club cast was with me and it was not my turn. I remember wanting to be a horse. Unfortunately this was during my elementary school years so it meant I did not find many friends like me. Not every girl wishes she were a horse. I set up jumps in the yard and pretended to gallop around and jump over them. I was my own horse show! I guess this was the precursor to planning trips and wanting to know what is going to happen before it occurs.

That is all for now since I am motivated to go organize some things. I just wanted to write something so I could continue this blog. I feel better now!