June 8, 2010

A couple of mornings ago, I was impatiently waiting for the oven to preheat. I had a cast iron skillet with butter in it on the middle rack, getting hot enough to melt the butter and make the cornbread batter I had waiting, sizzle when I poured it in. That's key to getting that crispy, golden brown part on the outside. Mmmm.

Anyway, I am a person who is deeply committed to multi-tasking because I hate idly standing around wasting time when I could be doing something much more fun or interesting or even productive. And so, usually while the oven's heating, or even while some thing's on the stove, I am likely to head off to do something else, which usually results in forgetting what I was doing in the first place and a time or two I have actually burned things. My kids wouldn't be surprised at that statement.

It's not that I am impatient within the task, like with children or pets for example. Although some people's patience wears thin, I am pretty good in those circumstances because, to paraphrase Freud (or "Unknown", depending on the source), 'Time spent with (children or) cats, is never wasted.'  (Although, I am not sure waiting for a cat to decide whether to go in or go out is not a little bit of wasted time.) But this particular morning, I felt I would wait until I had at least put the cornbread in the oven before I went off and wrote a blog or something.

But as I was standing there waiting for the oven to hit 400, I noticed a button on the stove I hadn't seen before. I have had this stove for almost 4 years but never noticed you could "STOP TIME". And as I marveled at the fact that I was able to actually stop the Timer instead of waiting for it to run its course, I thought, there is a blog in there somewhere.

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I have been somewhat distracted and saddened lately because one of my classmates from high school is at the end of her struggle with cancer. I thought if I could just push that button and STOP TIME, perhaps that would give Pamela more time while they found a cure. Or if I could STOP TIME and give some of the older people in my life more time, or maybe I could STOP TIME long enough for the oil to be cleaned up in the gulf before anything else was damaged or destroyed.

Or, just for a simple thing this morning when I saw a rainbow as the sun rose, I thought to myself if I could STOP TIME just long enough to get the photo; and then maybe a little bit longer so it would still be there when 4 and 3/4 years old granddaughter Indigo, who spent the night, wakes up for breakfast. 

Or, even better, STOP TIME long enough for me to write a blog before 4 and 3/4 years old Indigo wakes up. No such luck as she and Maggie the cat are both up and continuously going in and out of the door as I write this. It seems they are having trouble deciding whether to go in or out.

But as I thought about it this morning, I don't think pushing a button to STOP TIME would be desirable in every situation. The parents, and grandparents, eagerly waiting the birth of a child wouldn't want me to push that button. I think of my cousin Liz's daughter Nicole and husband Dan, who are so excited and just can't wait for their first born.

Or, the loved ones of service men and women anxiously waiting for their tour to be over. I think of young Katie Kim's little sister, who says goodbye to her fiance Mark as he heads off to Iraq for 400+ days.

No, I don't think I want to STOP TIME after all. It's not a responsibility I would ever want to have. I guess we just have to let time go by and have faith that the One who is responsible brings us peace when we need it.

There are times though, like that moment when you look around and the sun is shining, you are next to someone you love and you say to yourself  "I could stay like this forever."

I hope you all have a moment like that at least once today.

Have a great day!
Love,
Suz

Morning Folks it's June 1. Rabbits to you all!

So, it is the first of June, Memorial Day weekend 2010 is history. I said my rabbits about midnight last night, but am not sure if I spoke to the cat before I said them. We'll see how June turns out. It's always a crap shoot anyway. But, it can't hurt to rub Buddha's belly once in a while. (Bill has a friend named Buddha, but I don't mean him.)

So, what's on my mind these days? Random things.

We spent a few days on the Cape last week when Ed's (foster) mother Mary passed away at age 87. She was a wonderful woman who inspired Ed and his brother Bob and taught them so much in the few years they lived there, but continued to teach them things about life they may never have learned from anyone else all through their adulthood. Bob and Ed did the eulogies for her. She had no children of her own, but she had a large family and many neighbors and friends who may as well have been family. We will miss her very much.

I have a classmate who has stage 4 cancer and although she wasn't a close friend back in high school, she was close enough to be part of my history. She was in our Campfire Girl group when we were in elementary school, so we do go back a ways. I got to know her again a little bit 10 years ago when she was on our reunion committee. But, she didn't attend our 40th last October, for obvious reasons it turns out. So, she is on my mind and my prayers go out to Pamela.

I have to decide whether to get Windows 7 or continue to limp along with Windows XP. Any war stories about migrating out there?

I am thinking about packing for my 2 months on the Cape which is coming up in 2 weeks. Bringing new cat Maggie along will present some interesting challenges. 17 hours in the car. What do we do about kitty litter on the trip? Hmmmm...

Then, she and I in a 32 foot trailer for 2 months. She is an indoor cat.

What about kitty litter in the trailer? Eeeeeooooooo. But, I will deal with it.

Let's see, what else...Oh yes, I wanted to welcome new gal pal and next door neighbor, Kathy to my blog community.

It has been such a joy not just to have a neighbor to talk to in a previously rather non-social neighborhood, but to have people like Kathy and her husband Ron right next door is a real blessing.

They are so much fun to be around; interesting, funny and so generous. You might remember from a blog last ?November, these are the people on whose deck our tree decided to fall. We hadn't even met them and weren't sure how they would take that sort of welcome to the neighborhood. Turns out, it broke the ice the same time it broke their deck. I will miss them when I go to the Cape and really am sad about that. But, it's so nice to have somebody to come home to who actually notices we've been gone! You all should be so lucky to have friends like these so nearby.

Well, I guess I will sign off. We are supposed to go golfing with Ray and George and Carolyn today. It's rather dismal and dreary with 50% chance of rain. It's already so muggy I had a hard time drying the dew off the table on the deck where I am sitting having my morning coffee with y'all. I hope we get a round in.

Have a great day.

Love,

Suz