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Recent Entries to this Blog
THE BATTLE OF OLUSTEE
Posted: 07 Dec 2020 Posted: 23 Nov 2020 Posted: 16 Nov 2020 Posted: 12 Oct 2020 Posted: 07 Sep 2020 All Entries |
The Eclectic GardenMaking a little bit of everything look just right.
Vegetable Vow
Category: Gardening | Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 10:12 am Like most people with a vegetable garden I enjoy giving away the excess. To me there is something fulfilling about giving fresh vegetables to someone who normally wouldn't get them. Lately though, I'm finding that I am being a little more cautious about who I give them to. For example, a co-worker mentioned that she would like to have some squash so I brought it in the next day. I didn't really think about it again until almost a week later. I asked her how the squash turned out and she said rather nonchalantly, "We haven't cooked it yet." A few days later I mentioned it again and got the same response. I know that squash doesn't last forever in the refrigerator so to keep from having to hear that she threw it out I just stopped asking. The other day she asked me if she could have some more squash. I asked if they ever ate the first batch that I brought in. She said yes, but to be honest I wasn't convinced that she was actually telling me the truth. It's crazy that I'm being so protective over vegetables that I'm actually questioning the integrity of my co-workers. It's not like a young man is asking for my daughter's hand in marriage (although I have experienced that and it does have its similarities). Maybe I should come up with some kind of vegetable vow. I could have the prospective suitor recite it and if they refuse then they don't get anything: I (name here) do solemnly vow to store this vegetable properly until it can be prepared for consumption. I promise to take care of it and eat it quickly, not allowing it to go bad in my refrigerator. I further vow that I will eat all of it and not throw any away, so help me God. Of course I'm kidding. I would never make someone take a vow before giving them vegetables... well... hmm... it's not such a bad idea. Last edited: Wed Jun 11, 2014 1:30 pm This blog entry has been viewed 507 times
Talking Gardening
Category: Gardening | Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 10:10 am On March 31st we had a graduation party for my youngest son. We were expecting quite a few people so I marked off a parking lot out in the open area by the garden. I was working on getting some of the minor party details done when my son came in, "Dad, you need to get out to the garden. Some guy is really interested in it and he's asking me all kinds of questions that I can't answer." Hmm... talk gardening or work on mundane party stuff? Flash Gordon couldn't have gotten to the garden any faster than I did. I was expecting someone older, but what I found was a young man in his early twenties. I was immediately bombarded with questions about nearly every plant that I was growing. He was especially interested in the giant orange amaranth (which sadly got knocked over by heavy winds this past weekend). He also wanted to know about the bees, but he had no desire to actually go near the hives. We talked for a while as we walked every row, but eventually I had to get back to the party. It was nice to see someone so young who was interested and excited about the garden. It gives me hope that gardening will continue on well after I can no longer do it (which I hope is a long, long way off). This blog entry has been viewed 536 times
Forgotten Treasures - The Conclusion
Category: Short Stories | Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 10:23 am Okay, in order to get to the end of this story in a timely manner I decided to speed things up a little. First, yesterday I actually posted two entries, so don't start on this one until you've read both posts from yesterday. Secondly, this last post is rather long. When I first started posting this story I didn't realize how long it actually was. I want to thank all of you who have stuck with it and for all the kind words along the way. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. ~Tom The living room was off to the left and Jenny could see that someone was sitting in a recliner watching The Price is Right. All of the curtains were drawn and the room was mostly dark, but the flickering, blue light of the television revealed that it was the same woman from the yard sale. The volume was extremely loud and Sarah, sensing that an explanation was needed, spoke over her shoulder, "She's a little hard of hearing." Sarah led her through the small kitchen to a two person table that was set up in a breakfast nook. The three windows in the nook were also covered up by drawn curtains and Sarah reached up to pull them open. The sunlight streamed in quickly, revealing a quaint, little area that had white, tiled floors and walls that were pale, mustard yellow. There were pictures of chickens all over the walls and chicken decorations everywhere. In fact, there were more chicken decorations in the kitchen than Jenny had ever seen in her life. Sarah pointed to the table, "Have a seat and I'll pour us some coffee." Jenny put the jewelry box on the floor by the table and then sat down. She glanced out the window and noticed the beautiful view of a flower garden. Even though it was obviously neglected everything was green and vibrant. There was a small birdbath where four or five small, colorful birds were enjoying their morning dip. She watched them for a second and then turned towards Jenny, "Why do you keep it so dark in here?" Sarah came back with two cups of coffee and sat down across from her. She pointed to the cream and sugar then began to speak, "Mom doesn't like the windows open; she believes that someone is watching her." Sarah started to say something else, but once again tears formed in her eyes. "I'm sorry", she sobbed. Jenny reached out and touched her hand. The two women sat across from one another and Jenny watched as the tears streamed down Sarah's face. Even though she didn't know this woman she somehow felt emotionally attached to her. She got out of her chair, placed an arm around Sarah's shoulder and held her as she cried. When Sarah was finally able to speak she wiped the tears from her eyes with the palms of her hands and spoke in a soft voice, "I am so sorry that I broke down like that. I guess I've been holding it in for a long time. After this and what happened on the porch, you must really think that I'm a basket case." Jenny handed her a paper towel to wipe the tears with, sat back down and answered caringly, "I don't think you're a basket case. I don't exactly know what's going on, but it's not hard to tell that you've been dealing with something that weighs heavy on you." Sarah looked at Jenny and gave a half hearted, crooked smile as she cleaned her face off with the rough paper towel. "It's my mom", she said, "She has Dementia." The mention of the word almost made her break into tears again, but she managed to keep them from coming this time. "I've been taking care of her for almost a year and I am just emotionally and physically drained. Lately, she's gotten extremely paranoid, that's why all of the curtains are closed. If I leave them open she won't come into the room." Sarah went on, "I expected that something was going on a couple of years ago. I came over one afternoon to have lunch with her and when I opened up the pantry door the iron was sitting by the cans of green beans. I mentioned it to Mom and she just said, 'I was wondering where that was.' There were other things that should have clued me in, but to be perfectly honest I didn't want to think about it happening to her so I kept ignoring the signs, hoping that it would just go away. There were days that everything seemed OK. She would sit and talk to me like nothing was wrong, giving me advice like she used to do, and I would think, 'She's just fine.' But other days it was obvious that something just wasn't right. It all came to a head last year when I got a call from Mom's neighbor that he had found her in their back yard. She was wandering around, trying to find her way home. I made her a doctor's appointment and, before long, the doctor confirmed my biggest fear. I've been here almost every day since then and things have been getting progressively worse." Jenny hardly knew what to say. Sarah had obviously needed someone to talk to. She struggled for the right words and then suddenly remembered the contents of the jewelry box, "What about you brother?" Sarah looked up, surprised, "How do you know about my brother?" "I saw his picture… in your mom's locket; the one that's in the jewelry box." Jenny reached down, opened up the drawer and pulled out the chain and locket. She opened it up and showed it to Sarah. Sarah's hand went over her mouth and she gave a silent gasp, "I haven't seen that locket in years. I didn't even know that she still had it." She gently took the locket from Jenny's hand to examine it more closely. "That's my brother, Mitchell. He lives about thirty miles away. He helps me with the financial part of taking car of Mom, but he has a hard time visiting her. He just can't bear to be with her when she doesn't act the way that she used to." Sarah continued to look at the locket as Jenny moved the jewelry box from the floor to the table. Jenny explained to Sarah how she came into possession of the box and then told her about the other items that she had as well. Sarah sat there in disbelief, trying to put it all together, "When did you say this happened?" Jenny answered, "This past Saturday, shortly after noon. I know it was after 12:00 because I had just gotten off of work." Sarah's eyes lit up, "That all makes sense because I didn't get here until almost 12:30 on Saturday. I noticed the card table and chair out in the yard, but when I asked Mom about it she simply shrugged her shoulders. She must have dragged it out into the yard by herself. It's a wonder that she didn't get hurt. I'm really surprised that she went outside though. Ever since the paranoia hit she hasn't stepped past the front door. I didn't know she had gotten rid of the jewelry box or the crochet blanket, but I did notice that the two birds were missing. There are actually eight of them. The other six are on a shelf in the living room. If you look at the bottom of the birds you can see letters on each one." Jenny remembered seeing the letters when she was trying to find a manufacturing mark. "My dad wrote one letter on each bird, I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U, and gave them to her for Valentine's Day one year when I was just a kid. He called them 'Love Birds'. He was always doing silly, romantic things like that. They have been a permanent fixture in our house ever since that day and after Dad died, she grew really attached to them." Jenny smiled at the story of the birds, "But how did she get the YARD SALE sign out by the road?" Sarah rolled her eyes, "That sign was put up when my neighbors had their yard sale two weeks ago. They just never took it down." Jenny still had more questions, "Why do you think she made up the story about her sister?" Sarah thought for a moment, "There are a lot of things about this disease that I don't understand, but one of the doctors told me that sometimes people with Dementia make up things that really didn't happen. That must be what it is, but I really don't know for sure. She has never done it before, but I have a feeling that she may do it again." Jenny looked at Sarah. She thought about the jewelry box and the forgotten treasures that were hidden safely inside of it. She spoke to Sarah in a reassuring voice, "Ever since I saw what was in this jewelry box I knew that something was wrong, that no one would just give it away. There are things in here that are special to you and I have no desire to keep it. I'll gladly bring the other things back too. Sarah felt something stir inside that she thought was dead and gone. For the first time in a long time she felt as if life had come back into her soul. The two women exchanged a heartfelt glance and even though words weren't spoken they both knew that a special bond had formed between them. Sarah smiled at Jenny and realized that it was the first genuine smile that had crossed her face in at least a year. She thought about her mom and for once things didn't look so bad. Of course she would still have to be here for her and take care of her, but now she had someone to help her through it. Sarah stood up from the little table and took a step towards Jenny, "So, would you like to meet Mom? I think The Price Is Right is almost over." Jenny stood up beside her. "I would like that very much." Then, the two women headed toward the noisy living room, arm in arm. This blog entry has been viewed 546 times
Forgotten Treasures - Unexpected Encounter
Category: Short Stories | Posted: Sun Jun 08, 2014 1:23 am Jenny put everything back in the jewelry box, closed the lid and headed to the bathroom to get cleaned up. She fixed a bagel to eat on the way and then picked up the jewelry box as she left the house. When she got to the driveway leading up to the old woman's home she noticed that the YARD SALE sign was still by the side of the road. She went past the sign and drive down the short dirt road and up the circular drive, parking behind a small, green car that wasn't there before. The house itself wasn't very big. It was made out of cinder blocks and the tan colored walls were covered with pollen from the surrounding canopy of oak trees, making it look older than it really was. The fallen leaves rustled under her feet as she walked up the seldom used pathway to the front door. When she got there she pulled open the old screen door and knocked on the wooden door behind it. It took a minute or two, but the door finally opened up and a woman in her forties with short black hair hesitantly poked her head around the corner of it, "Yes? May I help you?" It was obvious that the woman was leery of her so Jenny tried to speak in a reassuring voice, "Hello, my name is Jenny and I would like to speak to the older woman who lives here. She gave me this jewelry box the other day and I have some questions about it." Jenny was holding the box in her hands and when the woman saw it she rushed out from behind the door, grabbed hold of it and shouted, "How did you get my mother's jewelry box?" Jenny was caught by surprise, but she held tight to the jewelry box, refusing to let go. There was a struggle between the two of them, but Jenny wasn't about to give it up without a fight. The other woman shouted at her again, her voice crackling with emotion, "How did you get this?" Jenny answered back, holding tightly to the jewelry box, "Her sister gave it to me!" The other woman stopped pulling on the box and looked at Jenny with a bewildered look on her face, "What did you say?" "I said that her sister gave it to me!" With that remark the other woman let go of the box. Her shoulders slumped slightly forward and tears began to form in her eyes. With a look on her face that Jenny could only describe as defeated the woman spoke again, this time in a hoarse whisper, "My mother doesn't have a sister." Somewhat confused, Jenny asked, "Was your mother's name Sylvia Daniels?" The other woman stood there for a few seconds, then wiped the tears from her eyes and stared off into the distance. Then, she turned to face Jenny and spoke in a more reserved and calm voice, "My name is Sarah Jennings. I'm sure you think that I am some kind of crazy woman after what just happened, but if you would just give me a chance, I think that I can explain. "So, are you saying that Sylvia Daniels was your mother?" "No, I'm saying that Sylvia Daniels is my mother." "What do you mean? Is she still alive?" "She is very much alive. She's inside right now, watching TV. Listen, I can tell that you're a little confused. Trust me, I know how you feel. How about we go inside and talk about this over a cup of coffee? I promise I won't try to take the jewelry box again." There was something in Sarah's voice that had a calming effect on Jenny. Despite the unexpected attack, Jenny had the overwhelming feeling that it was alright to go with her inside the house. Besides, there were too many unanswered questions to give up now and the fact that Sylvia was still alive added a few more. Jenny smiled and answered with, "I think I would like that." Last edited: Sun Jun 08, 2014 10:28 am This blog entry has been viewed 584 times
Forgotten Treasures - Inside The Box
Category: Short Stories | Posted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 9:41 am The inside of the box was lined with gold colored, satin material and it seemed to give off a faint, iridescent glow as Jenny lifted the lid. Instead of a pirate's treasure, however, she found that the box was filled with cheap, costume jewelry. It was sectioned out very neatly, with two rows of rings, a long skinny area for necklaces and three compartments that were filled with all kinds of ear rings and broaches. She started with the ear rings, pulling each one out individually. They were all large and colorful with gaudy, fake stones. While going through them Jenny noticed that the lid of the jewelry box had a two inch wide piece of material stretched all the way across the bottom of it. There was elastic sewed into the top of the material that allowed it to stretch out so that items could be dropped inside the pocket for safe keeping. She pulled the pocket open and peeked inside. At first she didn't see anything, but then she saw something that looked like a small piece of trash. She reached her hand inside the pocket and pulled it out. What she pulled out ended up being a small hospital armband that was only about three inches long. There was a small, metal clasp attached to one end of it and the other end had been cut, obviously done when it was removed. Sitting inside the plastic, see through band was a yellowed piece of paper. Jenny looked at the paper and read the words that were typed on it out loud, "Baby Daniels, 3-29-69, Dr. Malone, NURSERY". On the back side of the band were the words Clay Memorial Hospital. Jenny held the small baby armband in her fingers, slowly turning it over and over while reading the words out loud each time she turned it. She calculated the years in her head and voiced what she had been able to put together, "So, Mrs. Daniels gave birth to a baby forty four years ago at Clay Memorial Hospital that was delivered by Dr. Malone." It seemed like a logical conclusion based on the facts that had been presented, but there were so many unanswered questions. Was the baby a boy or a girl? What was the mother's first name? Who was the dad? The old woman at the yard sale had said that her sister's kids went through everything and kept the things they wanted. Why wouldn't they want to keep the armband? Maybe they didn't see it? Maybe the baby died? With questions still forming in her mind, Jenny finished looking through the costume jewelry that was in the top of the box. There were only a couple of necklaces and broaches, but they all had the same gaudy look. After quickly looking through them she started with the rings. There were about twelve of them and she examined each ring closely, silently chuckling at some of the large, colorful, plastic stones. She finally came to one petite, gold ring that looked different than all the others. There was writing on each side of it and she picked it up to see if she could make out what it said. The ring was so small that she had to strain to read the writing on the sides, but eventually managed to make out the letters MHS on one side and then the numbers 67 on the other. It was a high school class ring. The dates fit together, Mrs. Daniels must have graduated high school in 1967, got married shortly afterwards and then had a baby in 1969. But this raised even more questions. How could someone be unfeeling enough to get rid of their mother's high school class ring? It just didn't make sense to Jenny. She put the ring back in its place and then reached to open up the first sliding drawer on the jewelry box. The drawer slid out easily exposing the same beautiful, gold, satin material that was under the lid. Jenny saw a small clump of balled up silver chains right in the middle of the drawer and underneath the chains she could make out the back side of a light green envelope. The envelope excited her because she thought it might give her some more clues about the owner of the jewelry box. She quickly moved the ball of chains, picked up the envelope and then turned it over. Written in black ink across the front of the envelope was the name Sylvia. She smiled to herself as she put the first name on the card together with the last name on the baby bracelet, Sylvia Daniels. Jenny opened up the envelope and pulled out the card. The edges were trimmed in gold and there was a large, red rose in the middle of it. Across the front were the words, "To the woman I love" in gold embossed lettering. She opened it up and saw, "Happy Birthday" in big letters and then hand written across the bottom were the two words, "Love, John". She was a little disappointed that there wasn't more in the card, but at least she could make a guess at the husband's name too. She set the card aside, picked up the silver chains that were intertwined together and slowly began to pull them apart. When she was done there were really only two chains. One of them was about eighteen inches long and very thin. The other chain was a little thicker, but it was the locket on the end that really caught Jenny's attention. It was silver, round, about two inches high and had the inscription "Mom" on the front. Jenny found the little button to open it up and pulled the halves apart. She was surprised to find that each side of the locket had a picture of a child. On the left was a girl of about five, holding a small, white, stuffed bunny rabbit. She was wearing a pretty, pink dress and she had black curly hair that was held together with a pink bow. On the right was the picture of a boy about the same age. He was holding a red ball and was wearing a little black suit. His hair had been cut close to his head and he had a big toothy grin on his face. Jenny smiled at the pictures and then found herself wondering why anyone would want to get rid of something as precious as a mother's locket. She slowly put the chains aside and pulled open the last drawer in the jewelry box. To her dismay, it was completely empty. She reached her hand up inside of it just to make sure, but there was nothing to be found. Jenny sat down in one of the kitchen chairs and thought about what she had found out by looking through the jewelry box. What she knew was that Sylvia graduated from high school in 1967 and married a man named John Daniels. They had two children and at least one of them was born at Clay Memorial hospital in 1969. Try as she might, Jenny just couldn't make herself believe that Sylvia's children would want to get rid of the things that were inside the jewelry box. How could they be so heartless or uncaring? She wanted to know more about Sylvia and John Daniels. She wanted to know why the kids didn't want the silver locket. Jenny knew that she wasn't going to rest until she got to the bottom of it and there was only one way to find the answers that she was looking for; she would have to go back and visit the old woman who had given her the jewelry box. Last edited: Sun Jun 08, 2014 2:58 am This blog entry has been viewed 531 times
Forgotten Treasures - Finding The Box
Category: Short Stories | Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 9:52 am Wednesday was Jenny's day off. She worked as a receptionist at a local gym from 8 am to 2 pm and then every other Saturday from 8 am to 12 pm. The money wasn't great, but it helped pay for the boys to attend Christian school. The hours worked well for her because she had time to take them to school in the morning and then pick them up in the afternoon. As she dropped the kids off and turned toward home her mind had a chance to shift out of high gear for the first time in days. She thought about her husband and how much she missed him. She thought about her boys and how quickly they were growing up. Then, for some reason, the image of the old woman at the yard sale came to mind. It was then that she remembered the box that had been riding around in her trunk since Saturday. She found herself suddenly interested in what was inside of it. She knew about the things that had been on the table, but what about the other items that she didn't get a chance to look at? She decided to check out the box as soon as she got home. She carried it inside and placed it on the kitchen table. There on top was the old popcorn maker. She picked it up, examining the discolored, yellow, plastic lid and noticed that the electric cord did not have a plug on it. "That goes in the trash", she said out loud. Next, she pulled out the pack of stationary paper and found an old, faded, sale tag on the front that read $1.00. She removed a piece of the paper out of the fragile plastic wrapping and found that she actually liked it. It was light blue with a pleasant looking picture of a country road winding through the hills. There were trees along the road with birds flying all through the air. Across the bottom was the saying THE ROAD TO A FRIEND'S HOUSE IS NEVER LONG. She placed the piece of paper back in the package and set it aside to save. Next were the two small, porcelain looking birds. She picked them up looking for some kind of mark to indicate where they were made. One had the letter I and the other had the letter U on the bottom, but the letters looked to be hand written in black marker. There were no other visible marks, but she liked the way they looked so she decided to keep them too. Then she found the silverware and kitchen utensils. She immediately set the silverware aside to save, thinking about how hers somehow seemed to magically disappear (where did all the forks and spoons go anyway?). The utensils reminded her of things she used to see in her grandmother's kitchen. There was a potato masher, a hand mixer and a couple of other things that she wasn't quite sure of. They were put in the pile of things to keep as well. At the bottom of the cardboard box she was delighted to find a blue and white crocheted blanket. She pulled it out and opened up. It was beautifully made and was just the right size for covering up. It would make a perfect blanket for lounging in front of the television on a cool evening. Jenny looked back in the cardboard moving box and saw one more thing. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that it was a jewelry box. She removed it from the moving box and sat it on the table to have a closer look. It was made out of a beautiful, light colored wood and there were two small gold handles on the sides. It had two drawers in the front which also had gold handles that matched the ones on the sides. On top of the box was a gold, heart-shaped piece of metal that bore the initials SJD in fancy script lettering. She couldn't help but get excited about what could be inside. She placed her hands on the lid and ran her fingers around the ornate golden pieces that had been meticulously attached to the upper corners of the wooden box. She felt like a pirate about to open up a buried treasure and stared at the jewelry box for a second or two, trying to imagine what might be inside. Then, she slowly raised the lid. Last edited: Sun Jun 08, 2014 2:58 am This blog entry has been viewed 561 times
Forgotten Treasures - Life Goes On
Category: Short Stories | Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 10:02 am Jenny drove home in silence, thinking about the events that had just taken place. Her mind kept going back to the image of the old woman, head hung low, slowly moving toward the house. There was a feeling of deep sadness there, a feeling that Jenny did not quite understand. She thought about the woman all the way home; the cloudy blue eyes, the deep wrinkles surrounding them, the sudden change in mood. She arrived at the house feeling melancholy and out of sorts, but there wouldn't be much time to dwell on it. The first thing she saw as she drove up in the yard was Troy, her 14 year old son, standing in his soccer uniform, arms folded, waiting for her impatiently. Upon seeing her he immediately ran to the car. Before she could hardly get the door open he was right there beside her, "Mom, we have to be at the field in fifteen minutes. I'm going to be late for my game!" "I thought the game was at 3:00." "It was, but the coach called and said there was a mistake on the schedule. It's at 1:00 instead." She looked at her watch, it was 12:45. She really didn't want to start rushing around today. "Where's your brother?" she asked Troy. "On the computer, where else?" "Well, get in the car and I'll go get him." Troy jumped in and she got out. She quickly made her way up the steps and into the house. Ben was in the office on the computer. He looked up as she came in, "Hi Mom." "Hey honey, get your shoes on, we need to leave for Troy's soccer game." "Aw Mom, do I have to go?" "Of course you do, you know you can't stay here by yourself." Ben got defensive, "Why not? I'm ten years old!" Even though she was trying to hurry, Jenny looked at her son and smiled, "I know you are, but that's not old enough to stay here by yourself. Besides, I hear they have some really good nachos and cheese at the concession stand." The thought of something to eat helped Ben overcome his prideful moment. He thought about it for a second and then reluctantly answered, "Alright, I'll get my shoes." They arrived at the park with only a couple of minutes to spare. Troy jumped out before the car even stopped rolling and ran to where the rest of the team had gathered on the field. Jenny watched him as he ran and then heard Ben say, "The concession stand is over there." The rest of her day proceeded in much the same fashion. Everything was rush, rush, hurry, hurry. After the game there was laundry to do, a house to clean and Ben's overdue science project that demanded attention. It wouldn't have been so bad if her husband was around, but he was gone for a month of training with his new job as a heavy machinery diesel mechanic. She was, at this point, living the life of a single mom and as all of the responsibilities that come along with it quickly closed in around her, the thoughts of the old woman at the yard sale were pushed to the back of her busy mind. Last edited: Sun Jun 08, 2014 2:58 am This blog entry has been viewed 519 times
Forgotten Treasures - The Beginning
Category: Short Stories | Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 10:22 am Jenny saw the YARD SALE sign and took a quick glimpse at her watch to make sure she had time to stop. She pulled into the yard and saw one table with a few items on it. "Is that it?" she thought to herself. She had the urge to back out and head on home, but decided to go ahead and get out. As she walked up to the table the old woman sitting behind it looked up, nodded and then went back to her magazine. There wasn't much on the table worth looking at. The sad display of items included an old popcorn maker, a boxed set of silverware, two small, porcelain birds, a pack of stationary paper that had been opened up and some odd and end kitchen utensils. Jenny browsed quickly and then turned to walk away. Just then the woman spoke up, "I'll take thirty dollars." Jenny turned back around, "Excuse me?" "Thirty dollars. I said you can have everything for thirty dollars." Jenny looked back at table, "No… I don't think I'm interested. " The woman persisted, "I've got another box of old things that I'll throw in with it." Jenny answered again, "I'm really not interested." Still pleading her case, the woman went on, "All this stuff belonged to my sister. She died a couple of months ago." There was a sincerity in the woman's voice that caused Jenny to soften a little, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." "No need to be. Nobody really liked her anyway." The woman paused for a few seconds as if she were going to say something else. There was an awkward period of silence until she finally spoke again, this time with harshness in her voice, "Listen young lady, I'm tired of sitting here and I'm ready to go inside. I'll give you everything on the table plus the other box for thirty dollars." Jenny was taken back by the sudden mood change. She looked at the old woman who was staring at her intently, waiting for an answer. "I'm very sorry about your sister, but I really don't need any of these things." She turned once again to walk away, but before she could take a step, the woman spoke again, this time much softer, "Wait! Wait! I'm sorry; it's been a stressful time for me lately. I didn't mean to raise my voice at you. I'll tell you what, I was just getting ready to pack it up and I was gonna throw all this stuff away. If you want it you can have it." Without waiting for an answer, the woman picked up a well used moving box from behind the table, "Here's the other things, I'll just put it all in the same box for you. Do you think you can carry it?" Jenny was surprised to somehow find herself saying, "Yes." She said good-bye to the woman, picked up the box and carried it to the trunk of her car. As she pulled out of the driveway she looked back and saw the old woman walking slowly toward the house, head hung low. She drove away thinking about how strange it all seemed. Last edited: Wed Jun 04, 2014 2:53 pm This blog entry has been viewed 539 times
Another Kitchen Observation
Category: Life As I Know It | Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2014 10:17 am There is one cabinet in the kitchen that I am weary about opening. It's the one that contains the plastic ware; you know, the pitchers, bowls and Tupperware containers. It started out organized, but over the course of time has become an unorganized mess. It's gotten to the point that if just one piece is moved incorrectly it all comes toppling over. I've watched members of my family when they are putting away dishes. They open the door, toss the item in and then close it back quickly, hoping not to topple the perfectly balanced infrastructure. Then, when they want something out of the cabinet they delicately open it back up and peek around the door before opening it completely. A lot of times, when an item is taken out of the cabinet there ends up being an avalanche of plastic ware as the prize is pulled out of the stack. It's both comical and aggravating at the same time. It's our little game of kitchen Jenga. The worst thing is trying to find a container with a matching lid. It's amazing to me how we can have ten containers and ten lids, but none of them will fit together. No matter how hard I try I can never seem to find a match. And the whole time I am seeking the lid, I am desperately trying to hold the stack in place, praying that it doesn't fall over. I think all the lids in our house have ran off with the other sock that disappeared in the dryer. In order to remedy the situation we continually buy more sets of containers and lids. They seem to be fine the first time they are used, but after that first washing they disappear into the abyss and are seldom seen again. What makes it worse is that we're never smart enough to take all of the old containers and lids out and throw them away. It's like we're clinging to the hope that the wayward plastic ware will somehow find its way home. This blog entry has been viewed 505 times
Kitchen Observations
Category: Life As I Know It | Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2014 10:24 am Here are some things that I have noticed happening in our kitchen. If a certain dish or utensil is needed, but is not where it is supposed to be the next best thing will be substituted instead of looking for it or, heaven forbid, actually washing it. For example: If cereal bowls are not available, mixing bowls are used. If glasses are not available, coffee cups are used (and vice versa). If teaspoons are not available, tablespoons are used. If butter knives are not available, steak knives are used. If the dishwasher is full of clean dishes, dirty dishes will be piled in the sink. If the dishwasher is full of dirty dishes, dirty dishes will be piled in the sink. If the dishwasher is empty, dirty dishes will be piled in the sink (there seems to be a pattern here). If something doesn't come clean in the dishwasher it will remain in there and get washed over and over again in hopes that the dishwasher will somehow magically find a way to get it clean. It doesn't normally see daylight again until someone desperately needs it, at which point it will be pulled out and hand-washed (albeit rather begrudgingly). If the trash can is full the trash will stack up until I tell one of the boys to take it out. The one I tell to take it out always says, "I didn't notice that it was so full", even though they just took three minutes to carefully balance a balled up paper towel on top of the heap. Someone always tears open the cereal bag so that the cereal doesn't flow out smoothly. Inevitably, this means that cereal scatters all over the counter as soon as the box is tipped over. If I pour milk into a bowl of cereal with big flakes the milk always seems to hit dead center on the one flake that is sitting flat, causing a small stream of milk to ricochet out of the bowl and all over the counter. I never know we are out of milk until after I have poured a bowl of cereal. Boxes of cereal are put back in the cabinet with barely enough cereal left in them to cover the bottom of a bowl, but no one ever takes the blame for it. For some reason, sugar always falls off of the spoon just before it reaches its destination. If it is liquid, it will spill. If it is not liquid, it will spill. If it is grape juice, it will spill onto something that stains easily. The biggest spills always come immediately after the floor has been mopped. I have been known to remove the burner cover and then turn on the stove, only to find out that I had removed the wrong burner cover (we've had to replace a few). The toaster either burns toast or pops it up before it is done. It is easy to tell when someone ate toast for breakfast because the butter has crumbs in it or, worse yet, jelly. And finally, my personal favorite. We buy bananas. They turn black on the counter. We throw away the bananas. We buy more bananas. Sound familiar? Last edited: Tue Jun 03, 2014 3:30 pm This blog entry has been viewed 579 times
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