Granny Saw the Moon

This is Granny, who will be 91 years old on September 11th, 2007. She saw the lunar eclipse last week, and explained to me how in awe she was and how totally thrilled she was to have seen it:

"Mind you, I have seen this type of thing many times before, but this time, this time - somehow it was different and I don't know why. I was leaving the wild game dinner and heading to my car in the parking lot, when all of the sudden, I noticed the moon. It stopped me in my tracks and I watched the entire total eclipse. It was stunning. And, would you believe not one other person was in the parking lot the whole time??! I wanted someone to come out and see it with me! Once it passed, I just stood there. Finally, a couple came out into the parking lot and I told them to wait just a minute so they could see it go back, but the sky remained dark. Then, it started to unfold and what a sight it was. I'm so glad I went to the wild game dinner even if there was no rabbit to try. If not, I never would have peeked out my window at home to see this awesome sight. And, I've seen the eclipse before, but this one was special and I just don't know why."

Michigan moon shines

an eclipse in Granny's eyes -

open wide in awe

Oscar

This is Oscar, my nine-year old kitty who passed-away unexpectedly in his sleep last January. I came home to find him in a position that looked like he had just finished giving himself a bath. He looked so cute that I was about to take his picture before I realized he had died. There even appeared to be a peaceful smile on his precious face. Felix likes to sleep on Oscar's urn at night.It's eerie, but sweet.

Orange and white fur
Tumbles like dust-bunnies
Mewing like Oscar

Felix Resting on Oscar's Urn of Ashes.

Me and My Twin!

Daddy Making His Famous Italian Salad

Recipe for Daddy's Italian Salad:

Lots of lettuce (iceberg)

1/2 lb each in strips of:

ham, swiss cheese, and turkey

sweet onions

2-3 hard-boiled eggs

1 cup grated parmasean cheese or locatelli

oregano to taste

some mayo

salt and pepper

plum tomatoes quartered

red wine vinegar and olive oil

Toss and serve with a huge smile while wearing an apron that says "Wine, Women & Song."

Bath Time for Me!

February's End

My mother has no headstone. It was her last wish, and we obeyed. If she could see past the satin and cherry mahogany of her coffin, roots would entwine her line of vision, spinning a web of life from the rose bushes planted above her.

cemetery plots
dot hills of green with white t's
mother has no cross

Before she heeded the angels' plea, she spent her days among tea roses which lined our walk. My father swore his coffee grounds gave her roses the much envied aroma of the neighborhood. Every morning, he'd carefully bury the remains of his dark roast beneath the already rich soil. My mother swore at the sight, protesting it was her banana peels which made her roses yawn at dawn and pray to the sun. She'd place the yellow face of Chiquita around the base of each bush like a Band-Aid; a sight which would cause my father to erupt with the laughter of an amused child.

blood-red black roses
rich as roasted espresso
sweet as bananas

On the 17th anniversary of my mother's death, my father planted the 17th rose bush above her coffin. On his knees in the bitter cold, thorns biting my father's hardened hands, he dug a hole deep enough to reach his heaven. He packed the soil with Italian roast and covered the roots with strips of bananas. And, there, like a wilted rose, he curled up and died, face to face with my mother.

this garden is full
it's time to come home to you
bitter sweetness blooms

Some Haiku

The mockingbird's sweet spring song falls flat,
for the winter lake is deaf still.

Sunrise flies skinny-dip
like skipping stones off the nose of a gator.

Letting go of their balloons
each took the name of someone to heaven.

squirrel tail twitches
inching around an oak's trunk
chasing himself silly

More Haiku

spring thunderstorm
butterfly garden shimmies
into a mosaic pond

Signing On

Since much of my life revolves around signs (I teach American Sign Language at a local community college), you'd think I'd be able to figure out how to "sign-on" to this blog and write something. It took my techie friend Carol, who lives in Virginia, to figure it out for me. Thanks.

My days flip by one after the other with only one goal these days: weight loss. This is yet another constant theme in my life. When I hit an all time high of, well..I won't tell you how high, I freaked and went on a diet almost immediately. As you can see from this pic, I am hiding behind my friend Carol (who is a total fitness guru). Now that I've lost 18+ lbs, I won't be hiding much longer. I want to lose 50 lbs before I'm 50 in November. Between counting calories and walking, I think I can do it. Bebe the new dog in my life is helping me by letting me walk her daily.

That's my day.