Kim's Thoughts
Just a few thoughts I feel worthy of jotting down!
Miracles and Angels……they do exist!
Miracles and Angels…….two things people talk about in the abstract…….many believe in one or the other or both, some don’t believe in either, but you rarely hear of someone who has proof of either…….they are typically more of a “feeling” or a figure of speech to explain when something wonderful happens. I believe miracles can happen, but I’m not sure if you can consider them divine intervention. I don’t know, maybe I do. It is a difficult thing to get to the bottom of and, I’m sure, takes a lot of soul-searching. I absolutely believe in angels, but always think of them as an unseen presence that keeps you safe or helps guide you in the right direction – if you listen to them! But, within the last several months and the last couple of weeks, in particular, I do believe I’ve seen both miracles and angels working over time to bring two people together on one amazing day to put an end to a very, very long struggle and provide a happy ending………no, make that a happy beginning!
I’ll make a very long, agonizing story as short as possible because I want to get to my point, but the background is a critical part of that point:
A friend from Sanford that I think a lot of has a sister, Ashley, who has been very ill all of her life with Cystic Fibrosis. She went through and survived a life saving lung transplant, but the medications needed post transplant have destroyed her kidneys. So, she was faced with the realization that another life saving transplant was necessary – this time a kidney transplant. She is a vibrant, caring young woman who has a LOT more to give this world – giving up was not an option! But, there would be obstacles……..lots of obstacles! Her insurance carrier pretty much told her that her life expectancy, even after the transplant, would likely be short, so they refused to cover the costs of the operation. Even if the insurance carrier did cover the expenses, she would still need to raise about $50,000 to cover the uncovered expenses, so the thought of raising enough money to cover all the expenses was overwhelming. But, her family and friends kicked into high gear and the fund-raising began! The Kidney Cutie campaign was born and went viral! There were local fundraisers, t-shirts with the Kidney Cutie logo, blogs, a Facebook page, and so much more! Little by little the money came from near and far. Don’t let me give the impression this was easy……..it most certainly wasn’t! But, it was so heart warming to see so many people, some who never even met Ashley or her family, come to the fundraisers, donate money online, donate items for auctions, and send their love and prayers. To date, over $41,000 has been raised! An amazing feat, for sure. But, would it be enough? Well, it isn’t the $50,000 she’ll need if her insurance carrier were to provide coverage and certainly no where near enough if they continued to refuse coverage! So, the legal battle took off. Say what you will about Legal Aid Attorneys, but the ones Ashley had in her corner really kicked butt and came through for her………and the insurance carrier gave in! The transplant would be covered and the legal and (much of) the financial hurdles were overcome. But, there were more hurdles to overcome in the coming months, including raising the rest of the $50,000! They had what they needed for the procedure to be given the green light, but there are a lot of post-transplant expenses that will continue for some time, so the rest of the money still remains a hurdle.
The part I deliberately left out (because I wanted it to stand alone, even though it is an intricate part of the story) is that Ashley already had a donor! That’s right – she had someone willing to give her one of their kidneys so that she could live! And the most incredible part is that it wasn’t a family member, which you would normally assume. It was the husband of Ashley’s best friend in college – don’t get me wrong, he is not just someone who is married to her friend. They had become very close friends, as well, but the point here is that they might never have met if it wasn’t for Ashley’s friendship with his wife and in the grand scheme of things, they have only known each other for a relatively short time. In walks Jeremy with his own set of hurdles – lots and lots of tests, interviews, and counseling (both physical and psychological), he lives in Florida, so he and his wife, Kate, had to travel to NC for tests and the surgery and, of course, will need to stay in NC for the recovery process so they are close to the transplant team. And then when everything was a “go” and a date was set, they found out there was a chance that Ashley’s insurance carrier may not cover Jeremy’s portion of the costs! Waiting for that decision pushed the date out and gave everyone yet another wave of stress and anxiety – luckily, that worked out!
But, it all came together on Feb 21st! I was glued to Facebook all day, with the rest of the world (believe me, not that big of an exaggeration), watching for updates and crying with emotional relief when I read they were taken into surgery, when they were out of surgery, then when I read they were awake and alert, and when “Jash” (the name they gave the kidney – combo of Jeremy and Ashley) first made urine!!!! Both Ashley and Jeremy are now out of the hospital and doing well. I was in shock to learn that you can go through a kidney transplant (both the donor and the recipient) and get released from the hospital in less than a week! They both have a long, rough recovery to go through, so any prayers and well wishes they continue to get will be greatly appreciated.
I feel like I am trivializing their story by this brief summary, but that is absolutely not my intention. This is a story that has gone on for well over a year………and longer than that for Ashley! I am in awe of those closest to Ashley and Ashley, herself, for making it through it all and not giving up hope…………and for succeeding against all odds! It is an amazing story and one that is an inspiration for me and I’m sure many, many others.
So, now that you know the story……in a nutshell, so to speak……let’s get back to my point.
I am sure that a miracle (or probably “miracles“) happened here. Just the fact that doctors can take an organ out of one person and put it in another and both can go on to live healthy lives (knock on wood) is an absolute miracle!!!! How incredible is that? For so many people to come together in the effort of overcoming the mountainous financial and legal hurdles Ashley was facing is yet another miracle. For Ashley to have a friend who loves her so dearly to risk his own health for her’s is the biggest miracle of all!!! Miracles? Absolutely! But, divine intervention? Again, I don’t know – it is a difficult thing to wrestle with. On one hand, there were literally thousands of prayers going out from all over and from many different faiths. That has to count for something! But, on the other hand, there were a TON of people working very hard to knock down those hurdles – each one that came up, a team of family and friends and attorneys hacked away at it until they made it through. You can’t convince me that if they weren’t all so determined to get to the end goal that the prayers would have made it happen. But, then again, I’m sure the prayers helped keep them motivated and helped them see the light at the end of the tunnel (even when it seemed to be blown out). You know what they say……..”God helps those who help themselves”! So, I leave the divine intervention question to you to decide what you do or don’t believe in. I only know (and, frankly, it only matters) that the end result was a wonderful miracle and that a lovely young woman has a chance at the life she so very much deserves – no matter how it all happened!
Now for the angel part. That is much easier! Even though I’ve always believed in angels, I’ve never known a living, breathing one……..and, to be honest, I have never actually met this one, but I do know he exists. Jeremy is absolutely an angel on earth and I hope that some day I am lucky enough to meet him! Just to make the decision to look into being a live organ donor is, in itself, an incredible thing. But, once the decision was made and he started the long battle through hurdles and stress and anxiety, no one would have faulted him if he had suddenly realized “this is too overwhelming, I just can’t do it”, but he didn’t!!! He stayed the course……….he knew what he needed to do in his heart and he did it!!! At great personal risk, he gave a friend the precious gift of life and for that he deserves the title of “ANGEL”! I truly admire him and his determination to help a friend at all costs!
If you want to read Jeremy’s story, click here to go to his blog — you’ll want to go back to the first post in January and read backwards to get the best flow. Also, Ashley still needs your prayers and, if you’re so inclined, your donations – no donation is too small – they add up quickly and are so very much appreciated! If you’d like to find out how you can make a tax-deductible donation to the balance of Ashley’s fundraising goal, click here for more information.
And, finally, the picture that touched me most of all the photos posted on Facebook and the blogs……….this photo was taken when Ashley and Jeremy first reunited and saw each other after the surgeries – two hands linked in friendship……..two lives forever connected! My proof that miracles and angels do exist!!!
A Taste of the Past
Some things just reach out and grab you and send you head first, full speed into a time and place deep in the back of your mind. They summon up a memory so strong you feel as though you are right back there in the middle of it! It happens to me all the time – even more so now that I’ve moved back home. This week, I have enjoyed a strong memory associated with something I bought at the grocery store!
I was in the soda aisle (ooppss – there’s my Sanford side showing a little — I mean, I was in the “pop” aisle) in Tops looking for some root beer to get with my groceries. I like getting the glass bottle kind – usually Stewarts or one of those type of brands. I noticed a local brand I hadn’t seen before – Saranac. It is made by the brewery in Utica, NY. I used to love going to the Utica Club brewery, which I understand is now known as the Saranac Brewery. It always made a nice day trip to tour the brewery, smell the wonderful aroma of fermenters full of beer being created, and ending the tour with a big, frosty mug of beer in the old-time saloon on a hot summer day. So, I decided to try that brand of root beer this week. When I bent down to grab a six-pack of the root beer, I noticed another flavor called “Shirley Temple”! It had a pretty pink label with the name “Shirley Temple” and some cherries on it and it was filled with a dark pink – almost red – liquid inside. It instantly took me back to my childhood – not to memories of Shirley Temple movies, but to memories of a wonderful drink I used to LOVE as a child!
These memories take me to the historic Village Inn restaurant. I have a lot of fond memories of the Village Inn. It has a strong historic presence that started in the early 1800’s as an old stage-coach stop along the historic Ridge Road just a little north of Albion in Child’s, NY. My Mom worked there for several years as a waitress when we were little – just one of the multiple jobs she held as a single mother trying to make ends meet with two small children. My brother also worked there as a busboy when he was in high school. And, it was the restaurant I chose to hold my wedding reception at after the ceremony, which was held at the historic Cobblestone Church just across the street from the Village Inn. We would go to the Village Inn often – the Tillman’s were such nice people! But, the memory that the pretty pink pop summoned up was of a drink that Mr. Tillman would make for me! It was called a “Shirley Temple” and looked like a real adult cocktail — it was actually a “kiddie cocktail” served in a cocktail glass with 7-Up, a little grenadine, a maraschino cherry on a cocktail stick, and a swizzle stick that I could sip the drink through like a little miniature straw! Oo-la-la! It made me feel special and grown up! I found out later in life that most bars made them for kids, but at the time, I was convinced that Mr. Tillman only made them especially for me!!!! I would get all excited when I went, wondering if Mr. Tillman would make me a Shirley Temple! And they tasted so good!!! I’ve tried Cherry 7-Up and it just isn’t the same — Mr. Tillman’s Shirley Temples were so much better tasting and full of sweet cherry taste! Nothing compares!
So, when I saw the Shirley Temple pop in the grocery store, I just had to get some! I bought a six-pack and put them in the fridge to get them nice and cold. I looked for something to drink when I was reading today and decided to give one a try. It did not disappoint!!!! I was a little worried when I took the first swig from the bottle – it was a touch on the tart side. But, after another swig, my taste buds adjusted and it was so very good – a little too sweet to drink very often, but quite tasty! ALMOST – not quite – as good as those wonderful kiddie cocktails that Mr. Tillman made for me all those years ago. I should pour it out into a cocktail glass, add a maraschino cherry and a swizzle stick, and connect more directly with the memory!
What fun a drink and a memory can be! Oh, and the Saranac Root Beer is pretty darned good, too!
Thoughts for Thursday
I can not believe that it has been three months since I moved back home to Albion! I know it has been three months and one week because the calendar says so and calendars don’t lie. But, it sure doesn’t feel like it! In some ways, it feels like just yesterday – I find myself wondering where the time went! In other ways, it feels like a lifetime ago – my life before June 1985 and after November 2011 seem to connect and melt together, making the life I had in between seem like an island of memories. I’m not sure how to react when those feelings come over me because that “in between” life was very important to me and I don’t really want to be distanced from it. At any rate – it absolutely doesn’t feel like three months and one week ago – depending on my frame of mind when I think of it, it either feels like yesterday or a lifetime ago – there is no happy medium and no concept of three months and one week.
A lot has been going on since I’ve been back. I think that has a lot to do with my concept of time. The first two months were a whirlwind of getting settled, decorating, stocking up, and the holidays. So, they flew by in a blink of an eye! This last month has been calmer, more focused, slower paced. Still lots to finish organizing, some decorating still in process, but getting a lot done and having fun exploring and reacquainting myself with what Western NY has to offer. And, of course, enjoying spending time with Mom and my brother.
This last month also brought snow – lots of snow – in a few concentrated pockets of winter weather. Overall, the winter has been extremely mild for this area. We didn’t get any measurable snow until January and when it did come, it came in short spurts where it would dump a lot in a day or two and then we’d have a period of warmer weather and rain. No huge piles of snow lingering for weeks, months. It has been really nice of Mother Nature to make my first full winter in 26 years an easy one so that I could get used to it without being snowed in!
When your life changes so drastically in a blink of an eye, it causes you to think about the details – big and small – and come to some realizations about yourself, your life, and your surroundings. Here are just a few of the things I’ve come to realize:
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I don’t dislike winter as much as I thought I did. I’ve never really enjoyed winter and I hate snow – or so I thought! Don’t get me wrong – I’m still not a fan! But, I don’t mind it that much. I bundle up and go out and shovel and play with the girls in the back yard and really enjoy looking out and seeing how pretty it is as it is coming down and blankets the yard. I bought two super warm parkas (a dressy one and an every day one) and boots so I could go out for prolonged periods. I already had hats, scarves, and gloves – some that were gifts from Sanford friends when I left. I bought a neat snow shovel that is long and scooped so you can “push” the snow, instead of shoveling and throwing it, so it is not that big of a chore to clear the driveway, steps, and patio (so long as I get it while it is light and fluffy and don’t let it pile up too high between clearings). I was worried that I would get socked in and feel trapped inside, but I haven’t and that is a pleasant surprise!
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It is true what they say about “thin blood”. I’m not sure if there is an actual difference between southern and northern blood, but it definitely feels like there is! I am cold…….all the time! I keep my home at a reasonable temperature that would have felt comfortable to me in Sanford, but feels COLD to me here! I wrap up in a blanket every time I go sit on the couch to watch TV and shiver when I sit at the computer. The only time I feel warm is when I’m moving around or in bed with fleece sheets and a very warm quilt covering me up! And I have not had a night sweat or hot flash since I’ve been here! I wonder how long it will take my blood to thicken up so I’m not so cold all the time (although, if it means the night sweats and hot flashes come back, maybe I’ll just stay the way I am).
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I really enjoy not having a job to go to! This one really surprises me whenever I think about it. I assumed I would be bored out of my mind by now and that it would take a long time to adjust to not getting up for work in the mornings. I figured I’d feel like I was supposed to be somewhere or wake up and think I slept through the alarm and I was late for something! But, no — not even once! It took about a week, maybe two, to stop waking up at 5:00-ish and for the girls to realize they weren’t getting up to go out between 5:00-6:00 am. Now, our regular time to wake up is about 7:00-7:30 and it is a nice, gentle, natural way to wake up – no alarm clocks and no leaping out of bed to start the day off rushed. I know I’ve kept myself busy with stuff, but I’m still surprised that I have not once felt like I should have a job to go to. That is so odd to me – I have had a job of some kind since I was 16 years old and before that I baby sat and did odd jobs for extra spending money. To suddenly be retired after about 40 years of working steady “should” result in a sense of loss on some level…………….but it hasn’t! I keep waiting for the need to find something to fill in the gap, but there isn’t a gap to fill………….yet!
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I like breakfast! I have never been much of a breakfast person. I don’t want to even think about food when I first wake up and looking in the refrigerator tends to turn my stomach. I’d much rather wait a couple of hours and have something a little later in the morning – and then, usually not much – tea and a bagel was my usual! But, I’m thinking it was more to do with the early wake up time and having to rush to get myself ready for work. Now, I get up about 7:00-7:30, take care of the girls, and then want some breakfast to take in to the den and eat while I check the morning news, blogs, Facebook, etc. Sometimes it is a bagel and cereal, sometimes I fix oatmeal or eggs and I find I like a warm drink – like tea or hot chocolate to start the day, too. Whatever I choose, I eat a full, satisfying breakfast every morning and I like it!
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Stress obviously had a lot to do with my health. Yeah, I know it is common knowledge that stress does bad things to you and I knew it at the time. But, I keep finding new evidence of it in myself. Most recently, I realized that I have not had one headache since I’ve been stress free – not one! I used to have constant headaches – I rarely went 2 or 3 days without at least a little one and routinely had migraines. I don’t know what made me think of it, but I was thinking it had been a while since I had a headache and the more I thought about it, I realized it had been since a week or two before I moved – once I knew everything was set and going according to plan.
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I love being “home”. Right from the day I arrived, I felt like I was back where I’m supposed to be. I loved Sanford and will always remember and be grateful for the good friends, great times, and proud accomplishments I made there. I am fortunate to have lived in two states and feel like I belong in both. But, this is home and I am reminded of that each and every day by something I see or do.
So, that’s what I’m thinking about this fine Thursday morning……..the snow from this past weekend is melting away and the sun is shining. I’ve finished my cereal and bagel, read all the morning’s news and blogs, and am ready to take on whatever needs to be done today. I think I may just relax and read some of the book I started this week.
Lemon Blueberry Cake
I used to be quite a cake baker. Back in the day, I baked and decorated cakes to sell and I even made my own wedding cake. But, over the years, I slowly got out of the habit of baking and even sold all my specialty pans and decorating supplies. Now that I am retired, I have been dabbling a little in cooking and baking – not a lot, yet, but a little here and there! I saw a recipe for a Lemon Blueberry Cake on Pinterest and thought it looked so good! So, I decided to do one. I used that cake as inspiration, but I did not follow their recipe. I put my own twists to it and made it up as I went along. I’ll admit, I’m pretty rusty in the baking/decorating area and didn’t have all the tools needed to do it properly, but it came out pretty darned good, if I do say so myself – good enough for me and to share with family!
Here is the result:
Here’s how I did it:
I made up TWO lemon flavored cake mixes. While mixing, I added TWO boxes of instant lemon pudding. To compensate for the extra powder ingredients, I overflowed the oil just a little and added a splash of lemon extract. I split the mix into THREE 9 inch round cake pans. I sprinkled fresh blueberries in TWO of the pans* and baked per the instructions on the box.
I made up TWO boxes of instant lemon pudding and put it in the refrigerator to set up. I made up a batch of homemade buttercream frosting using one and a half times the ingredients and lemon extract, instead of vanilla, and added yellow food coloring.
Once the cake was baked and cooled, I started stacking the layers. I put one of the blueberry layers on the bottom, then a layer of lemon pudding, then the plain layer of cake, then another layer of pudding, and finally, the second blueberry layer. I frosted it all with the lemon buttercream frosting. To give it a little touch of decoration, I put little ruffled dots all around the rim of the top of the cake and in a circular pattern in the center of the top. Then, I put a fresh blueberry on every other dot and one in the center.
And that is it! It is VERY good – moist, lemony, and the blueberries really give it a nice touch!
Now for what I wish I had done differently:
Don’t get me wrong – it came out very nice and I’m pretty darned proud of it! But, if I do it again (and what I would recommend to anyone else), I’ll make these changes:
* Just after I put the pans in the oven and started to clean up, I realized I forgot the blueberries!!!! So, I pulled two pans back out and sprinkled the blueberries on top and just pushed them down a little. The cake rose up around the blueberries, so it was OK. But, most of the blueberries are right on the edge of the layer and not really mixed in throughout the layer. So, next time, I’ll put them in and stir them up to mix them in better.
Also, for the blueberries — I would put more in the two layers. I thought I was putting too many, but it really could have used a few more to make it that much more “blueberry-y”
I thought I was putting a lot of pudding between the layers, but there really isn’t much there, after all – just a thin layer. Next time, I’ll put a thicker layer of pudding between the layers so there is a nice amount to off set the cake.
I also should have repeated the decoration pattern along the bottom edge of the cake – it would have looked more “finished”, if I had.
So, that’s that! I had fun and it was all kinda like riding a bike — I think I just might do a little more baking from time to time!
Trapped
Picture it…….you’re gonna have to get a mental picture, cause there was no way I could get a physical picture to show you…….I am laying in my queen sized bed (the one I bought when I moved because I was tired of sleeping in a full-sized bed with three 40-50 pound dogs and thought that the extra inches would be refreshing) on my side under the covers. Megan is laying in front of me on top of the covers with her head on the pillow, her back tight up against me, and my arm draped across her. Amy is laying behind me on top of the covers with her head on the pillow, and her back tight up against me. Katie is laying across the foot of the bed on top of the covers with her back tight against the souls of my feet. I can’t really tell because the blankets are so tight around me that I feel as if I’m in a cocoon, but I am assuming there is a significant amount of real estate on either side of all three dogs as they snored and twitched in perfect unison. I can only speculate that the reason they chose to pen me in like a sardine is that just before I crawled into bed in response to three sets of begging eyes and three wiggly butts, I said to them, “OK, but just for a few minutes cause I gotta get dressed and go to the store.” Within minutes, I couldn’t move and feared I would never be released from my bondage! Then, suddenly, the phone rang and all three leaped up and jumped off the bed to run around the room in anticipation of who was calling us! Thank goodness for a call from my brother……….I was rescued and am no longer in captivity! After the conversation, I made the bed so that there was no chance of them recapturing me – for now, anyway. WHEW – that was a close one!
Upstairs, Downstairs, All Around The House
Let’s talk about stairs today, shall we? We can talk about the idea of stairs, what they do, where they lead, and what an imaginative mind can do with them. I have stairs in my house. I didn’t particularly want stairs in my house. But, I have them, just the same. When I was looking for my last house, I looked at homes with and without stairs. I decided the homes without stairs were far more appealing to me. So, when I looked for my current home, I put “ranch style” as a primary criteria. Oh, I did look at a couple of split levels, but knew as soon as I toured them that I wouldn’t want one. Much to my surprise, the home I fell in love with was a two-story Cape Cod – of course, where there is more than one story, there must be stairs. The photos on the realty sites screamed out at me and when I went to see it, I fell head over heels in love with it! The stairs still concerned me, but I decided to just try to get over it. And I have…..gotten over it, that is.
So, before we get into some of the more fun stuff…….why is it that I was so determined to not have stairs in my house? Well, first and foremost, I have a bad knee and stairs tend to aggravate it. So far, that hasn’t been a problem at all. They have a comfortable rise and it doesn’t tend to bother my knee – even when it is irritated already, I just need to take it slower when that is the case. Oh, believe me, I’m not running up and down them by any means, but they aren’t a problem for me.
Secondly, I have a sometimes overwhelming fear of falling. To help me with that concern, I took out the bulky carpet that was on the stairs when I bought the house and replaced it with a nice, low profile, tight runner – more functional, safe, and looks so much better, too! I also ensure I have a hand free to hold the railing and let the dogs go down ahead of me so they don’t accidentally trip me up.
Problem numbers one and two – gone!
The third concern was just fear of an upstairs…….I know, what is wrong with this girl? Well, I only lived in two houses with upstairs living areas before this one (actually, the first few homes I lived in as a baby and small child had upstairs living areas, but I was too young to remember any of them, so they aren’t involved in this story). Both of the homes I’m talking about had upstairs that gave me the creeps. I have no idea why, but I really hated being up there alone and felt creepy even if others were with me. Yeah, one was when I was a child, so you could chalk that up to childish fears and imaginations – there was an attic door that led to a dark, scary attic and railroad tracks that were close by and caused dreams of hobos hopping off the trains and climbing into my bedroom windows (yeah, the weird dreams I have started early in life). But, the other was when I was a married adult, so that is totally unexplainable, except that it was a somewhat unfinished area that we used primarily for storage until my older step-son came to live with us for a while and wanted his room up there, so I really didn’t have a lot of need to go up there.
But, I am not only fully comfortable in the upstairs here, I actually enjoy it! I have a huge dormer in my bedroom (both front bedrooms have them) that I have a lovely sitting area in and really enjoy sitting there looking out the window or reading. It is one of my most favorite spots in the house to sit and relax. I even joke to myself about something that would normally give me the creeps, but doesn’t — when I sit in the dormer looking out the window over the neighborhood, I think of the creepy mother in “Psycho” – hahaha!!! The other image that comes to mind is the old woman in the book “Mill River Recluse”, who enjoyed looking out the bedroom window in her marble mansion on the hill onto the community below – a much more pleasant analogy, for sure.
So, problem number three didn’t need to be overcome – it was non-existent! When I say this house is the PERFECT house for me, I mean that from top to bottom! So, stairs? No problem!
So, we know what my idea of stairs is – or was, until I found these very pleasant stairs. We know what stairs do – they provide a method of movement from one story to another. We know where they lead to in my house – the upstairs living area that consists of my master bedroom with a fabulous sitting area, a guest room, a laundry room, and the full bathroom. Now, let’s talk about what fun imaginative minds can have with stairs.
My brother used to love to slide down the bannister when we lived at my grandparent’s house (the one with the scary upstairs). It was a clear shot from the top to the bottom and there was a circular post at the end to stop him from falling off onto the floor. Lord help him if my Grandfather were to catch him, but he would do it whenever he thought there was a chance of getting away with it! hahaha A bannister is a wonderful thing for the imaginative mind of a child. They can be a super hero rushing off to save a damsel in distress or a fireman sliding down the pole to be whisked off to a fire or a daring circus artist performing a death-defying act – the scenarios are endless! Not that I would try it, but I know the bannister here isn’t all that conducive to sliding down it! The bannister only goes half way up the stairs (and then there is a wall and just a railing the rest of the way to the top) and it ends abruptly (nothing to stop you from falling onto the floor), plus, the spindles are rather small, so might not withstand too much weight on them. So, no bannister sliding fun in this house!
For my four-legged babies – the girls, the stairs are a playground! Katie and Amy wrestle on their way up and down the stairs – at first I worried they would get tangled up and tumble down the stairs and get hurt, but they keep their balance and continue their playful fun. Megan was apprehensive about the stairs, at first. The night we arrived in our new home, she was the first to go upstairs to check out the rest of the house – she’s my nosy one! But, after she ran all over every room up there, I heard her whimpering. I looked up the stairs and she was standing at the top with most of her body around the corner in the bedroom looking down from a safe distance. Her head was hanging down and she was whining! I called to her, but she wouldn’t come down. I went up to see if she’d come down with me, but no dice – she was clearly petrified to go down the stairs. In the mean time, Katie and Amy had gone up and down at least a dozen times. I tried to get her to go with me while I scooched down the stairs beside her – as long as my hand was on her back and I was right beside her, she was fine. We got to the bottom and she ran off to explore more of her new home. She followed the other girls back up and was, again, scared to death to come back down. So, I sat at the top and had her sit beside me and watch the other two go up and down. Finally, she followed them down and has been fine ever since – she just had to be taught how to go down!
NOW – Megan is up and down those stairs all the time! She runs around the downstairs, then up the stairs, runs all around the upstairs, then back down………I hear her race up the stairs and I hear her tearing all around the rooms upstairs and up on the bed and rolling all over the bed and off the bed and race back down! She loves the stairs and really loves being upstairs because that is where the bed is! hahaha All three get all excited when I head up the stairs – they have to race to follow me up and watch me do laundry or curl up on the bed while I get my shower or when I’m sitting in the dormer. When I say “time to go upstairs for bed”, they leap up and run to beat me to the top of the stairs, where they all stand with their wiggly butts watching me follow them up. When I get close enough for Megan to reach me, she stretches out to give me a kiss – like she’s congratulating me on making it to the top – then she quickly turns and runs to jump up on the bed! hahaha
Yes, the stairs and the upstairs living area in my new house are very special parts of the house and our routines! As for having creative fun with the stairs, though – well, that’s Katie, Megan, and Amy’s job. For me, the most creative I get is using them to place things that I want to take up or bring down so that I don’t forget them the next time I go up or down! hahaha Although, I guess you can add the images I get when sit looking out the window in my dormer to the “imaginative” category, but that is more about “upstairs” and not the stairs, themselves……..hhhmmm
The most creative and enjoyable thing I’ve ever seen on a staircase is in an old movie where Shirley Temple and Bill Bojangles Robinson dance on a staircase. It is magical and thoroughly entertaining. Take a look:
So, I’ll leave you on that note! Next time you go up a set of stairs, think about what they mean to you, where they go, what wonderful things they allow you to do, what creative fun you might have with them, and……….dance!!!!
Snowball Catch
Yeah, I know – it has been a while since I shared any thoughts. It definitely wasn’t due to lack of things to write……take today, for instance. I just had a blast in the back yard with the girls! So much so, that I just had to get on here and share it!
I need to set the stage…….since I moved back to Albion, the weather has been rather unexpected, to say the least. We had a very mild, and on several days actually WARM, November and December and NO white Christmas! (Boo on the no white Christmas, but Yay on the mild, warm days) Then, we had our first winter blast last week. A lesson I learned was to go out and clear the patio for the girls the next time it snowed. Last week, the snow was light and fluffy and they easily just ran right through it. Well, as soon as it started to melt, some, their foot tracks turned slushy and then froze hard – which made it difficult for them to walk on to get off the patio and out into the yard to do their business. So, since it snowed quite a bit yesterday afternoon and through the night, I figured I had better take my nice “snow pusher” out and clear their path on the patio and the steps down out into the yard. I bundled up with boots, heavy coat zipped up to my eye brows, and gloves, grabbed my snow pusher, and the four of us ventured out onto the patio. There was a significant amount of snow, but it was fluffy, so it didn’t take long to clear them a wide path and clean off the steps.
While I was doing my job, the girls were quite curious and excited about what I was doing. They ran around me and watched and played in the mounds I was creating. Then the real fun started! I got the idea to toss some snow balls and see what they would do. The snow really isn’t right for packing, so they weren’t nicely formed snow balls, but they still looked like a ball. I formed my first one and tossed it at Amy, who was closest to me at the time. She just stood there and it hit her in the face! I cracked up and laughed so hard at her! She came over and put her feet up on my hip, so I could brush the snow off her face. I thought, well, Megan will enjoy a snow ball, so I formed another one and tossed it at her. She leaped up and tried to catch it, but missed. She rooted around in the snow looking for it – of course, it was just powder, so it disappeared, but she was determined to find it! I laughed out loud, again. So, the game began………I formed a snow ball and tossed it at each of them in turn. Amy caught on and began to leap at them to catch them. Katie danced around loving every minute of it. Megan would try to catch it on her turn, root around for it, then take off running like the wind all around the fence line and back in time for her next turn! Katie bounced and danced all over the place – lunging at Amy and barking at the snow balls being thrown at her. It was really cold, so it didn’t last too long – maybe 10-15 minutes or so until I noticed Amy was holding her feet up in alternate steps and I decided they had been out in the cold too long. We went back in the house and they ran all over the place continuing their play time before they gave out and curled up for a nap.
I had a BLAST – I laughed so hard and really, really enjoyed the snow and the fresh air and watching the girls having fun. It was a good morning! I can’t wait to do it again tomorrow! hehehehe
Dream Takes Flight
I have always had a fear of heights – actually, it is more of a fear of falling because if I can convince myself there is no way I can fall, I don’t necessarily mind being up high, although I still get that horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’ve gotten myself in some precarious situations where I’ve gone up and didn’t have the nerve to come back down – like once when Ronald had to guide me down the stairs with my eyes closed at the Wright Brother’s Memorial at Kitty Hawk, NC because I just could not make myself start down the spiral staircase. At times, I think it is getting worse. For instance, while I was out Christmas shopping this week, I went up the escalator in two stores and in both cases, I had to take the elevator down cause I couldn’t bring myself to step onto the down escalator – I found them both to be moving a little too fast and both were pretty steep – I just couldn’t do it!
I tell you this for background info to give you some insight into the dream that is the real purpose of this post. I had a dream two nights ago that I can’t get off my mind. It was my typical odd combination of situations and bazaar topics.
I was with a group of people I didn’t recognize and some of them were talking about a local rocker who had died earlier in the day. I didn’t recognize the name, but still took the news very hard. I rushed out of the building to attend the memorial service. I commented on my way out that I had to get there early to see if there was anything I could do to help. The service was being held at a styling salon across the street. When I got there, the only person I knew was Ronald. He told me to sign the register, which was actually a questionnaire that asked for information about my hair – what color it is, when was the last time I had it professionally done, what products do I use, etc. There was also a question about if anyone in my family has ever had their hair done there – Ronald and I talked about how to answer this question and he finally told me to just say “yes”, so I did. The stylists were offering to fix the hair of the attendees, but I declined. Then, a man approached Ronald and I about taking us up in his airplane. Ronald wanted to go, but I didn’t, so I just told him to go on without me. But, the man would only do it if we both went. After a lot of coaxing, I agreed to go. When we got to the plane, there was only room inside for two people – the pilot and one passenger. I, again, offered to not go, but the pilot said that the wing was also used as a seat. I was very upset to hear that I was the one that would be sitting on the wing because he needed Ronald to be his co-pilot. I got up on the wing and held on to the little handles that were on each side of me with all my might. I asked the pilot if he was sure it was safe and he assured me that it was. We took off and I was surprised that the wind didn’t feel all that strong and it was easy to hang on. After a few minutes, the pilot came out on the wing and sat beside me to fly the plane from there. I freaked out and screamed out to him asking why he wasn’t inside the plane. He said he wanted to keep me company so I’d feel more comfortable and that he could fly it remotely and Ronald was doing his part inside. I told him I was NOT comfortable and it was scaring me. We landed and went in to the memorial service. I looked around wondering why I was there – I didn’t know anyone, including the dead guy – even Ronald was no longer there. I was suddenly petrified and felt the need to get out of there, but woke up before I could make my escape.
When I woke up, my heart was pounding, I felt out of breath, and I actually ached from being so tense. A few deep breaths and deliberate relaxing of my muscles calmed me down enough to try to go back to sleep. Sometimes when I wake from a dream in the middle of the night and go back to sleep, the same dream starts back up, again. I didn’t want that to happen this time, so I repeated to myself several times, “don’t go back there. dream something else.” It worked! But, I haven’t stopped thinking about it…….come on, Kim, move on and forget about it, already!
Never Ceases to Amaze Me!
I’ve always known that Megan is smarter than the average dog – REALLY – I mean the girl is always thinking, scheming, and understands everything! But, every now and then, she does something that still absolutely amazes me and makes me realize she has a lot more going on in that brain of her’s than I could ever imagine! Here’s why:
Megan is the toy lover. She gets so much enjoyment out of her toys. Katie doesn’t show much interest in toys and Amy has an occassional spark of interest in a ball or something that makes noise, but not too often. It is Megan who keeps the toys active in our house! Some, she gets right into and it is no time at all before they are in shreds. While other toys last longer – not that she couldn’t tear them up instantly – she just doesn’t! The ones that she “spares” get carried around and loved for several weeks or months before they bite the dust, depending on the toy. The odd one is a small yellow ball. She has had this toy pretty much the 5 years she’s been living with me! She carts it around everywhere, shows it off to everyone who comes to the house, and is very possessive of it. It stopped squeaking a few years ago – something that usually makes her lose interest in any cherished toy – and it is grimy from constantly being played with. I have purchased new versions of the exact same ball several times over the years and she won’t have anything to do with them – she only wants that one specific ball! She could have chewed it up years ago, but never did. Other toys have come and gone, but this ball has lasted and lasted and is the only ball that she will even look at.
Until last night!
I heard her chewing on something behind me and when I checked it out, she had torn a little piece off the ball. I snatched it away from her and said – “now you’ve done it! I’m going to have to throw it away cause you’re starting to eat it!” She got a look of panic on her face and tried to take it back. I put it up on the desk and she tried and tried to get it, but it was just out of her reach. I gave it back for just a minute to see what she would do and she immediately started tearing it up, again, so I took it back. I tried to be sneaky when I tossed it in the trash can, but she saw me do it and got all upset! I thought she might try to get it out of the can, but didn’t – much to my surprise! I tried to get her interested in another yellow one that is out for Amy when she feels like playing, but she didn’t want any part of it!
Then, this morning, she came out of the room that has the box of old toys with a blue ball in her mouth – one of the newer versions of the same ball, except blue instead of yellow, that I bought some years ago and she never touched. She came out all proud and squeaking it and started to toss it around and play with it. I commented on her new ball and she got all excited. When she left it alone, I asked her where her ball was and she went and brought the “new” blue one to me. She hasn’t let it out of her sight since she took it out of the box. She has moved on…….I guess she saw her old one go in the trash can and decided it was gone and she’d better give in and get herself another one! She definitely knows and can think through more than I think she does!
Sentimental Value
I have a lot of things that had belonged to my grandparents – mostly things that were my Grandmother’s, but also some of Grandpa’s things. I am very pleased and proud to have them in my home and have always displayed them prominently or made sure they were in use and not just sitting in a closet somewhere for “their protection”. I get a lot of joy out of using them as they used them. Of course, I’m a little more careful with them than I am with my other things, but I want to enjoy them, as I’m sure my grandparents would want me to.
One piece that has particular sentimental value for me is a mantel clock that was in my grandparent’s living room for many years. My grandfather bought it on a trip to New York City with his bowling team when my mother was a little girl. The team earned a spot in the NY State Tournament of ABC Leagues. While they were there, he found this Seth Thomas electric mantel clock in a jewelry store and brought it home with him. He used to talk of walking the streets of NYC with this clock under his arm. The price tag is still stapled to the bottom of the clock – he paid $22.00 for it! Of course, that was about 70 years ago (give or take a year or two), so that was a LOT of money for a clock!
I grew up listening to the clock chime on the hour and half hour and the sound of it makes me think of my grandparents and the years that we lived with them. I get all warm and fuzzy when I hear the chimes and the clock means a lot to me! So, when my Grandfather asked me if there was anything that I wanted, I immediately told him that the clock would be the best thing I could possibly have because it single-handedly brought up every memory I had of them and that house and my childhood! So, it became mine. And I adored having it in my home.
Unfortunately, a few years after I got it, it stopped working! I searched for an antique clock repair shop to see if I could get it fixed. It broke my heart that it no longer kept time and, most importantly, no longer chimed! I found one near Sanford that kept it for several weeks only to tell me that clocks that old – especially electric ones – can’t be fixed and he recommended I let him gut it and turn it into a battery operated clock that wouldn’t chime. I told him it would sit on the mantle and just look pretty before I would let him do that to it! I continued my search. I talked to an antique clock dealer in Raleigh that said I had to have someone who specialized in electric clocks of that age and that he knew of only 2 or 3 in the country who did that kind of specialized work. He referred me to a shop in Virginia. I contacted them and was put on a 6 month waiting list for service. After about 8 months, I discovered they went out of business. So, I gave up and decided that it would just be a visual treasure and not a musical one!
After I moved up here, I had a hunch and posted a photo on Facebook to ask if anyone knew of someone in this area that may be able to help. I got a few suggestions and decided to call the first one, which was also the one that more than one person recommended. It is a gentleman in Lockport. He said he’d take a look at it, so I took it up to him today. He sounded very knowledgable and encouraging and was a very nice, kind man. I felt comfortable leaving it with him and am hopeful that he can get it fixed for me! I’m excited, but trying not to get my hopes up TOO high – just in case he can’t fix it and I’m left with a broken heart!
My drive to Lockport was a pleasant adventure. I rarely used to go in that direction, which is towards Buffalo. I typically went the other way if I wanted to shop or go for entertainment – towards Rochester. So, I wasn’t sure where I was going or how to get there. I plugged the address into my GPS and headed out Route 31 – I knew that was the most direct way to get to downtown Lockport! But, my GPS really, really wanted me to go via Route 104 (Ridge Road)! Every street I came to, it would tell me to turn right so that I would head to Ridge Road! Geez! I knew how to get to the general area – I just wanted help navigating once I got there! 🙂 It was still an enjoyable drive. It is a pretty day, today – cool, but sunny and bright and very pleasant! I went through downtown Middleport……..I don’t think I’ve ever been in downtown Middleport before! What a lovely little town…..very quaint and quiet with a cafe and a few shops…..small, though – if I had blinked, I would have missed it altogether! The sign entering the town said “Middleport – A Friendly Community” – I believe it! And, it was in Middleport that my GPS finally decided that it liked the way I was going and stopped trying to get me to go another way! 🙂 There were a few other things along the way that I noticed and may have to go back some day when I have more time and check out.
So, thank you to my friends who recommended this guy in Lockport! I hope it pays off and I’ll soon be listening to the beautiful sounds of Grandpa’s clock chiming throughout the day and night again.
Kim's Thoughts 
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