Go and look back once

You know the saying, "Go and never look back". Well, I have my own--"go, but look back once". How many times was someone leaving home and you see that they forgot something or the phone rings for them? You run out as they drive out of the driveway and yell and jump up and down and wave--even though they can't see you. If only they had looked back just once.

I try to make it a habit just in case. One last glance at the door as you pull away--one last look can save you from buying a coffee later or going without. It can save you the extra trip back when you realize you need that paper you left on the table. These incidents work if someone is still home, but you can save you money if you realize the outside light will be on all day and you wouldn't have noticed it if you didn't look back. It's hard when you have a puppy dog looking back at you in the window, wishing you weren't leaving, but take that one more glance.

I know the phrase, "go and never look back" is not intended in this way, but even in it's original meaning, I don't agree. Yes, we should not dwell on the past, but there is knowledge from history. Learn what went wrong and what went right. There is good and bad in almost everything. After your one look, don't linger, move forward. You don't want to be late for the new adventures waiting to for you.

Then there's the "you can never go home again". How sad is that? But how true it is too. Home changes once you leave. You can't expect it to be just as you never left it. Time does not stand still at home, though we often wish it did to have the familiar sanctuary always waiting for us. However, you CAN go home again, it will just be different as you too will be for having grown and changed from life experiences. There will be familiarities at home that will still comfort you so never say never--you should always look back once and you can always go home again, just expect it to be different.

Controlling Road Rage at a Coffee House

Last week we finally got to hear Mad River Crossing perform. They have played in so many places around the area and I've always been intrigued. Well, I finally found out what they were all about. They are so relaxed on stage and yet professional. You can tell they've been working together for a while. We really enjoyed their singing and the accompaniments. The three women harmonize so well together. It was a treat to finally hear them.
I will mention that it was a coffee house fund raiser in an auditorium. At first it was distracting because this same auditorium held several memories of my childhood--one of them traumatizing--well, now that I can look back, it's funny, but not then! After I got over the various memories that kept returning to me of that place, I was able to enjoy the music.
After the first break some new people sat behind us. Now I knew a lot of people in the audience and so I had to contain my reaction. Yes, being a coffee house there is talking during the performances, but most of the people either stayed near the back when they were talking or talked in softer voices. The two women behind me were not talking in soft voices and I wanted to turn around and give them that, "you're bothering me glare", but I was afraid they would be someone that I knew. I tried to take a quick glance but I turned too quickly because I didn't get that good a look.
Well, near the end Mad River Crossing sang a beautiful a capella rendition of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic"--you could hear a pin drop--except for the woman behind me. No, she was not talking at least, but she was humming! Grrrrr. Well, at least one cannot hum too loudly.
When it was over I was able to stand up and get a good look--I had never seen them before in my life. If only I had known, I could have given them my disgusted look during the program.
Okay, I know this is all inappropriate behavior on my part. I need to be tolerant of others. They weren't really being rude, although I learned that they were getting airline tickets for $84 and going on vacation, etc, when I would have rather just enjoyed the music. It's funny how we react to situations. I heard once in regards to road rage, pretend that's your mother in the car annoying you. Would you react that way to her? Good point. I was going to be much more considerate to someone I knew than to a stranger. I guess it's love your neighbor unless they are talking too loudly, cutting you off in traffic or blowing their leaves onto your lawn. Put it all in prospective--what does it matter? These moments are just whispers of time in our years here that will fade away into the unremembered past--unless of course, you write about them in a blog, that makes the fading away take a little longer, but it's great therapy.

Last words on our day at the beach

 
 
 

These little birds, we believe they are terns, were fascinating to watch. Just like little children, they would follow a wave as it went out and as soon as it started coming back they would turn and run as fast as their little legs could go back to shore--often in one row across--and their little legs could go fast. They did this over and over again--yet all the while we were getting closer to them, they would also be ever so slightly, barely noticeably, moving sideways further from us. When we left they were still running into the ocean, we assume looking for food, and quickly running back as the waves came in--very fun to watch. Of course, made us think of all the puns--maybe they were called terns because they kept turning around--okay, I heard that groan. I won't tell you the others.

This other picture is the dream street to live on! That sidewalk leads straight to the ocean, which I was hoping you would be able to see in the background, but unfortunately you can't. What a neat neighborhood. Also, unfortunately, it was a private sidewalk and private beach. We kept finding private developments that kept the beaches from us. Not fair! Oh, what money can buy.

34th Anniversary spent at the CT shore

 

Today for our 34th wedding anniversary, we got an early start (thanks to daylight savings time) and went to the ocean. On the way down we found a place to eat breakfast and I had an unusual french toast made with banana bread, pineapple and macadamia nuts. It was pretty good. We went to Hammonasset, Rocky Neck and rode around several other little beaches and seashore towns. Although cloudy all day, there were some pretty pastel shades in the sky. I was amazed with the sparsity of shells and rocks at Rocky Neck that I was still able to find a fine specimen of green sea glass (a hobby of mine to find it) and George, who is not so adapt at finding it, found a nice white piece--anniversary sea glass! There were two men with metal detectors and we joked that we should shout and pretend to find a diamond ring. Well, we did get our little treasures. The men didn't look so lucky, but then again, they were looking for bigger game and that takes time and patience.
We had lunch at a place that I shall not name. It was beautiful as far as location--right on the ocean and we had window seats of the boats going by. That was great. What continually amazes us, is we have yet to find a place on the Connecticut shore that has good fish and chip. It wasn't bad, but by the ocean, we want great. Oh, well.
Tonight we will burn our anniversary candle that was burning during our wedding. It was about 15" tall and the years are marked off to burn down each year which we have faithfully done. For some reason, although we still have nine inches left, they only marked off 25 years, so we just burn down a little each year--no longer watching the year melt away. I guess it's a feeling of accomplishment to have out lasted the candle's expectations--nowadays they could make them to come in 5 and 10 years, I'm sorry to say.
And so we start on year 35.

Halloween Scam?

Halloween night. No sense getting interested in something on TV as we don't have a DVR and we have to be ready at a moment's notice for the doorbell. It doesn't matter, if you are not into sports, all the other channels have pulled out all stops for gory, ghostly, spooky and scary movies. Don't interest me. Yes, I'm chicken.

It's been an interesting night. The first visitors were neighbors and the parents kindly asked if I knew these other neighbors (yes, I did) and that one of their kids was sick with the flu and therefore, they were collecting candy for him. How sweet. Then I saw the mother had this container of candy and she told me that since their driveway was so long and they were not home, they were delivering candy to the houses of kids in the neighborhood as they went trick or treating. How nice!

Well, less than half an hour later, the sick kid with the flu shows up with his brother! I feel sure that it was a misunderstanding and that the other neighbor did not know the kid would either make a miraculous recovery or would drag himself out of his sickbed (what kid wouldn't on Halloween?). I would be the type of mother to let them do it too--just a few houses. How can you miss a Halloween?

As the night progressed, an interesting trend occurred..."Can I have an extra one for so and so?" This happened four more times. Hmmm.... is this a new kind of Halloween scam? Or is the town under siege with the flu? Whichever, I don't care. We don't get many trick or treaters and we have plenty of candy. We all know I don't need it. Why did I buy my favorites? (Well, you know why!)

I did settle down with a VCR recorded "Monk" from the previous night--that way I could start and stop it as necessary. If you know the show, it was quite out of character when Monk takes in a dog and as dogs do, she stole his heart and was a wonderful companion. This is on the day that my dear friend has to put down her 14 year old companion. Not only was I sad for her but remembering our dear Patches.

Well, at the end of Monk, the dog puts his paw on Monk's knee in a touching moment and Monk takes off his glove to touch the dog's paw--if you know the show, you know how special this is as he is a germ-o-phobic. Okay, so I start to cry. "Ding dong."
Great, here I am "Happy Halloween!" with tears in my eyes. Yikes, I don't know what the girl and mother were thinking. Now I don't know all the people who come but I told myself they looked familiar. It was after they left that I remembered that was the little girl who a few years ago came to our door at Halloween and it was a mild night and I had the inside door open with the glass door shut. She was only about 3 years old and as I went to the door, Patches beat me there. He was on one side and this cute little girl was on the other side of the glass and she excitedly said, "Doggy!" She seemed more excited with him than the candy. I always fondly remembered her squeal of delight. Here was that little girl a few years older that came at that time when dogs were on my mind. Coincidences--I heard someone call these God winks. Been having a few of them lately. I love them.

Hartland Halloween House

 
 
 

These pictures don't do it justice, but this house in East Hartland will be a wonderful treat for the trick or treaters tonight! It's on Rt. 179--I could not get all the inflatables in the pictures--there's a stage coach, a pumpkin, Winnie the Pooh, gravestones and more. Click on each picture to enlarge it and then hit the back button. They really got into it at that house. I'm sure the kids will love it.

Leave for work early and be pleasantly surprised (from the blog)

 

I left for work today extra early knowing that I had a harder day than usual ahead of me, however, a couple of miles from work, I was detoured by this. As I glanced to my right, I saw this spectacular sunrise. I pulled over and I reached for my camera which I try to carry with me most times. I wish I had gotten the shot a minute earlier, but it still was the best way to start a day--A time to start with reflection on what really matters, another reminder that God exists, a cleansing of the soul and a smile on my face. Maybe it wasn't meant for me to leave early to get to work rather a chance to enjoy a sunrise.

This is the same spot that I always make time to view the sunrises in late December when once again the timing coincides with my work schedule. How much we take for granted the rising and the setting of the sun everyday. Like the old cliche--stop and smell the roses, stop and see the sunrise.