Posted on December 17, 2013
It was a Christmas gift over fifty years ago. A pin representing a perfectly shaped fir tree with tiny jewels set in gold to represent the ornaments. I loved it then; I love it even more now.
Ollie, my stepfather who gifted me, had impeccable taste. Quiet and unassuming, he gave me this pin for Christmas in 1962 when I was a sophomore in college. Those school years are long gone. He is long gone. The pin remains.
I wear it on the sleeve of my favorite winter coat. At the bottom, so I can admire it. For a while I wore it in the traditional place on my coat’s collar. It caught on wooly scarves. It scratched my chin. I never got to look at it.
So a while back I moved the pin to the bottom of my left sleeve. It’s been there ever since. I can’t tell you how many people see it and comment. I don’t explain; instead I simply say “Thank you.” But it makes me think that is where pins belong. Especially, as the old adage goes, if you’re wearing your heart on your sleeve.
Regarding Ollie, I am.
See more 10 Minutes in category Me/Family, Nostalgia
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Posted on December 15, 2013
Ten days from today is Christmas. I’m imagining that Joseph and Mary were as frantic two thousand plus years ago as I feel now. They were on their way to Bethlehem to register for the census, even though she was due to give birth. I’m not a Biblical scholar, so I don’t know what was really involved in their situation; but it does seem as if the Emperor, Caesar Augustus, added an extra wrinkle to their lives.
I can sympathize. I wrote on December 6 that I was scaling back this year. And I have. At the same time, I still feel rushed. The holiday train needs batteries; the door wreathes have gone missing; some of the gifts I ordered via catalog have yet to arrive. I’m also working more than usual at a time that is already busy.
So I must find my mantra. Is it “It is what it is”? Is it “It will all get done”? Or “Don’t fret the small stuff; it’s all small stuff”? Or “Let the chips fall”?
I haven’t decided, but I suspect I have more options than Mary did.
See more 10 Minutes in category Things to Ponder
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Posted on December 9, 2013
I am always amazed at the emails in my spam folder. It’s not the quantity of them. That goes without saying. Or the content. It runs the gamut. It’s really about the preposterous claims that truly mark them as spam.
For example, Have a Better Life dot com (I’m not going to reward these spammers with actual website addresses) wants me to know that by Day Five I can get rid of my wringles. What the heck are wringles? And Adstod dot com tells me FEMA is storing 450,000 plastic coffins near Atlanta, but it doesn’t tell me why. Several sites want me to be aware of my credit rating and my FICA score, while others want me to feel better about my hair loss.
There are also the ones in a foreign language and the ones who want me to buy Gucci shoe knock-offs. And let’s not forget the two current emails that think I need Viagra, although it’s spelled Viaagara. I can get sixty percent off on my first order.
I’m not particularly interested in teaching spammers how to communicate better. And I’m sure most savvy Internet people see through these claims just as I do. At the same time, I cringe every time I empty my spam folder, because we are either raising a society of grammatical incompetents or we’re already there.
See more 10 Minutes in category Annoyances, Technology
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Posted on December 7, 2013
For people of a certain generation, December 7 is a hallmark in history. I’m not one of those people, having been born three and a half years later.
At the same time, December 7 is a hallmark in my life. My step-father, Ollie, died in his sleep on that day while my Mother was taking a friend to the airport. She returned to find her eighty-seven year old husband in their bed and unresponsive.
As a nurse, Mother was no stranger to death. I don’t quite know what she did next; she never said. But eventually she called me from her home in Arkansas and shared the news. I said I’d come immediately and started making arrangements for the next flight from Chicago.
Ollie made all the difference in my adult life by marrying my Mother after I grew up and left home. She was a formidable presence, and she hated to be alone. He relieved me – an only child – of worrying about this. Ollie let me move on when he stepped in.
Not one December 7 passes that I don’t think of this quiet man, his devotion to my mother, and the contribution he made to the person I became.
See more 10 Minutes in category Things to Ponder
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Posted on December 6, 2013
Christmas is barreling down upon us; it’s less than three weeks until the blessed event. I for one am feeling the pressure of getting everything done, while I also want to enjoy the season.
Too often we don’t stop and ask ourselves: Will eliminating this activity make a noticeable difference in everyone’s enjoyment of the holiday? If the answer is “No,” consider the corollary: “Will eliminating this activity make a considerable difference in my own enjoyment of said holiday?” If the answer is yes, then here’s a place to trim.
I can’t make a list that works for everyone, but some ideas follow. Reduce your gift list. Or consider gift cards. Use trendy sacks instead of wrapping paper. Forget the outdoor lights just once. Bake less. Skip sending cards, and pick up the phone instead.
What specific ideas am I considering? For one, I’m not displaying every single Christmas decoration I own. Rather I’m choosing my favorites and letting the rest take a break. I’ll appreciate them more next year. I’m not worrying if I remember the paper delivery person. I understand that person gets up at the crack of dawn, day in and day out, so that we can have our paper. Still this is part of the job. If I decide not to reward our delivery person, I will decide not to feel guilty too.
I’m also culling my gift list beyond the paper delivery person. We live in a condo complex and have three neighbors who share the quad building with us. In the past I’ve tried to show my neighborly-ness with a small gift at Christmas. This year, I’m passing. If it means I’m less of a neighbor, so be it.
And while I love playing Christmas music, this year I’m not spending hours practicing carols on my piano. Instead, I’m listening to others work musical magic as I trim our tree. Or wrap gifts. Or put my feet up.
See more 10 Minutes in category Special Events
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Posted on December 2, 2013
It doesn’t matter what decade of life you’re in; it’s hectic. It’s just that hectic is defined differently along the way.
At my age (69), hectic is about the slowing pace that seniors must adapt to. It’s also about health issues and concerns for middle aged children. Cases in point: One of my best friend’s husband had open heart surgery today. The first report is that he’s awake. I hope the second report is that he’s doing well. One of Earl’s best friends has replacement surgery tomorrow; we’ll await that update. Fingers crossed.
And I’m having a lung function test tomorrow afternoon to rule out asthma. I hope to dispel any concerns, but still.
Then there are our children. My two sons are in their forties, and each is facing serious changes in their personal lives. The one had to close the business he and his partner ran for fifteen years. They don’t know what they’ll do next. The other, who has tenure, just learned the program that is his livelihood at the university is being disbanded and that his job is tenuous at best.
So it’s hectic. I’ll try to be supportive to friends and family as they navigate the end of the year, but I am reminded of that saying, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making plans.”
See more 10 Minutes in category Me/Family, Things to Ponder
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Posted on November 28, 2013
For the first time in ten years, Earl and I spent Thanksgiving with his side of the family instead of mine. It was a fluke that we did so, but it was a wonderful fluke.
We journeyed to Earl’s grandson’s where the traditional feast was held. In many ways it had the same rituals that we’ve enjoyed in Denver, Colorado, with my family. The turkey, the stuffing, the various sides served buffet style. The football game, the catch-up conversations.
But there were differences too. For one thing there were babies, something my side of the family has outgrown; we have young men. For another there were dogs; my side has outgrown them too. And there was more than one cook, which means there was more than plenty of food.
What I noticed most, however, was the sense of family. More than one guest agreed that Thanksgiving was his or her favorite holiday because it’s mostly about being together. I’ve heard that same sentiment on my side of the family as well.
See more 10 Minutes in category Changing Scene, Me/Family, Special Events
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Posted on November 23, 2013
What can I say? Today was the final day of sales for Fred Flare, the company my son and his partner owned and operated for fifteen years. Now the offices and warehouse at 300F are shuttered.
The past two days were surreal as hundreds of people stood outside Friday and Saturday, waiting for the doors to open one last time. Waiting to purchase the last of our inventory, our desks, our computers, our camera equipment, even the art on the walls.
The giant Chris Uphues’ hearts left early. So did the collapsible bicycles. And anything that looked like a Christmas gift. The clothing remained. Then the mannequins and the file cabinets made their exits, followed by shoulder bags and books and feathers. The clothing looked more appealing without such competition.
Foxy I and Foxy II, the Styrofoam mascots that came with us from the previous warehouse, were carted away by a young woman. Originally she only wanted one, but Chris – who always had an affinity for the foxes – said they couldn’t be separated. She caved.
It was like our history was being dismantled, piece by piece. Still, every now and then a customer stopped, looked at one of the owners, and said: “I loved your store. Thanks so much for being there.”
I wanted to cry.
See more 10 Minutes in category Changing Scene, Nostalgia
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Posted on November 22, 2013
My fingers are quick to complain about airline service, or lack thereof. They dislike flying immensely. The rest of my body does too. There is just too much cramped space, dry air, FAA regulations, and delays for my taste.
So when the flights I took to NYC today were actually pleasant, I felt I needed to acknowledge United Airlines for its friendly skies.
If the planes themselves were not new, both had been refurbished on the inside and were inviting, even if there wasn’t any more leg room and the same dry air penetrated. I still had to listen to the litany of Do’s and Don’ts (one time per plane), which I can almost recite from heart. “Seat backs and tray tables must be upright and in the locked position.”
But there were no delays. And, as an added bonus, the touch down (I never thought of the correlation to football before now) on the first flight was the smoothest I’d ever experienced. Captain Todd sure knew how to land it in the end zone.
I haven’t flown on United in a long time, but I’m moving this airline to the priority position on my frequent flyer preferences. Now if it would only stop using Gershwin’s 1924 composition “Rhapsody in Blue” in its commercials . . .
See more 10 Minutes in category Travel
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Posted on November 21, 2013
For the second time in two weeks, we’re home. I wrote about the first return (See November 14, 2013) by sharing others’ thoughts on the meaning of home. This time, I’m adding my own.
Home is where your special stuff is. For me that includes my piano that can never travel with us; our artwork, our photo albums, my office that reminds me of Pooh Corners, and – frequently – my husband.
I leave in the morning on a business trip to New York City and return to my stuff one more time on Sunday evening if the airlines cooperate.
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