Starry Night

Posted in Whimsies by kzmclain

I have mentioned this before, but I feel it’s important to mention it again. When I was in first grade, I was learning to read, learning to print my letters neatly, learning to count, learning to be away from my mommy for a full day, and – because I attended Catholic school – beginning to memorize my Baltimore catechism (Who is God? God is the Supreme Being who made all things, except that I thought the nuns were saying “string bean” because see above: I couldn’t read).

I dare to say that for most kids these days, thanks to early childhood education and Sesame Street (and all of the subsequent children’s learning programs), all of those things are old hat by time kids reach the first grade. I have two granddaughters in first grade and they can both full-out read. I think it’s wonderful, though I dare to say that, despite learning things later than our grandkids, we did catch up. Most of us can read quite well, thank you very much.

But the fact that kids learn more in first grade than I ever did was revealed to me with a vengeance this past week. I picked up 6-year-old Kaiya from school on Thursday, and she came out of the door bearing a piece of artwork that had her name on it.

“What’s that?” I asked her.

“Starry Night,” she replied.

Now, the only Starry Night I had ever heard of was the painting by Vincent Van Gogh, and she certainly couldn’t be talking about that.

“Did you draw that from your imagination or copy it from something?” I asked her carefully.

You know how your grandchildren (or perhaps your children) can look at you as if they can’t believe you are the ones running the world?

“It’s copied from Van Gogh’s Starry Night painting, Nana,” she said, and I’m pretty sure she was rolling her eyes.

“You’re learning about Vincent Van Gogh?” I asked SIX-YEAR-OLD Kaiya.

Hibiscus with Plumeria, by Georgia O’Keeffe

“Yes,” she replied. “And about Georgia O’Keeffe. She likes to draw flowers. My table’s artist today was Matisse, but I really like Picasso.”

Van Gogh’s Starry night above; Kaiya’s Starry night below.

At 6 years old, the extent of my artistic ability was making snowmen out of cotton balls, pipe cleaners and glue.

But, just to show her that I knew a little something about art, I said, “Picasso’s paintings are really strange, aren’t they? He liked to use his imagination.”

“Nana,” she said, “Picasso liked to use his FEELINGS.”

“Well, I think those two things are the same,” I said, somehow feeling it necessary to one-up my 6-year-old granddaughter.

Feelings v. imagination.

I’m certain I have the smartest grandchildren in the world, though I’m pretty sure most grandparents think that to be true. But in addition to Kaiya’s eerie knowledge about art, 8-year-old Dagny told me she got kudos from her teacher this past week because she was the only one in her class who knew what a buffalo soldier was.

Buffalo Soldiers, stolen from Africa, brought to America (as the song goes)

I knew I was in trouble because the only Buffalo Soldier I know of is the song by Bob Marley, and I never could understand what he was saying.

“What did you say a buffalo soldier was?” I asked her, not because I wanted to know if she gave the right answer, but because I wanted to know what a buffalo soldier was without letting her know that I didn’t know what a buffalo soldier was. She gave me the right answer. I looked it up later on Wikipedia. Sigh.

It’s a good thing I don’t have to help any of them with their homework, because unless it’s spelling, I’m no help whatsoever.

11May2015

Speechless

Posted in Whimsies by kzmclain

A funny thing happened on the way to Mother’s Day. Well, a couple of funny things, really. A May snowstorm and Nana is speechless.

For the second year in a row, we had a snowstorm on Mother’s Day. Last year a snowstorm prevented Bill and me from attending our annual Mother’s Day brunch with my sister Jen, her son BJ, and his girlfriend Page in Boulder. This year I was determined that NOTHING was going to stop me.

We, in fact, got way more snow than we did last year, but it fell earlier in the day. By time we awoke at 7 o’clock, the snow was finished and the meltoff had begun. Last year the snow was madly falling right about the time we would have been driving to Boulder. This year, all we had to contend with were wet highways and a fallen aspen tree in our back yard. More work for Bill…..

The drive was painless and the brunch was delicious. Nothing says thanks to motherhood like refilling a plate three or five times, and eating four – count ‘em – four creme brulees. They were small. Tiny; really, really tiny.

But the second thing that happened on the way to Mother’s Day actually happened on Saturday. We attended our grandson Cole’s first birthday party. I’m not sure when this became the practice, but parents now give their one-year-old birthday child his/her own cake and let them have at it. Not complaining; I think it’s cute as can be. In fact, the cakes now have a name – smash cakes. It’s hard to keep up. Anyhoo, it can be hit or miss. Some toddlers like the cake; some are totally and completely unimpressed. For his part, Cole apparently thinks smash cakes – or any cakes, really – are a great idea. He had a bit of a time getting started, but as his little hand hovered over his smash cake, his cousin Dagny helpfully smooshed his hand down into the cake, and it didn’t take long before he recognized the delights of chocolate cake…..

So, I mentioned the other day that I was dealing with a cold. As far as colds go, I have had worse. Or so I thought. I was somewhat hoarse at the party, but fully able to talk, and even sang (well, croaked, really) the birthday song to Cole.

However, when we got home, I went upstairs to my office for an hour or so to do some work on my computer. I noticed we got an email from our neighbor, and I went down to show the email to Bill.

“Hey Bill, did you see this email from Bob?” I said. Or, I tried to say. Because nothing came out. I kid you not. I was completely unable to speak. I couldn’t even croak. That has never happened to me in my 61 years on this earth. I have gotten hoarse, but never completely voiceless. It was the strangest feeling ever.

For two days now I have communicated with Bill through notes. I discovered that he is completely unable to lip read. And because he is also unable to read anything without his reading glasses, conversation has been cumbersome to say the least. When we got into bed Saturday night, he said, “I don’t like when you can’t talk.”

I woke up yesterday morning hopeful that I would have a voice, but alas, nothing came out. So Bill found an app for my IPad that allowed me to write notes with my finger and erase the note so that I could write a new note. Sort of the 21^st century version of the Magic Slate. Remember the Magic Slate?

We managed to get to Boulder, and managed to have a semblance of conversation with our fellow brunchers. In fact, at one point, I even was able to talk a bit (I credit the champagne). But as the day wore on, my voice wore out once again.

Here’s the good news….it’s a temporary affliction, and I’m able to nag Bill even without a voice. I’m surprised he isn’t relieved as opposed to disappointed.

9May2015

Saturday Smile: Look Before You Send

Posted in Whimsies by kzmclain

We all have a love/hate relationship with the autocorrect feature on our phones, don’t we? Bill keeps threatening to turn his off, but mine comes in handy, so I just try to be very careful before I hit send. I’m not always successful.

However, I don’t think I’ve ever had an autocorrect fail like these. I literally was laughing so hard as I read this post, I cried.

http://www.rantlifestyle.com/2015/04/14/20-auto-correct-fails-that-will-get-you-through-the-day/

Have a great weekend, and look before you press “send.”

7May2015

Thursday Thoughts

Posted in Whimsies by kzmclain

Ah Choo

I told you that I came home to grandkidarama. I couldn’t possibly be more delighted about seeing them again. The thing is, where there are school-age kids, there is often school-age-kids-related illness. Like colds. I went into it with my eyes wide open. I knew a few of the grandkids had sniffly noses. I could hear the coughs. I had a one-year-old’s drool on my sweater from a one-year-old who was later diagnosed with (count ‘em) two ear infections (he would likely have had three had he had three ears). So Tuesday evening when my throat began to feel scratchy, I had to admit to myself that I was likely coming down with a cold. Sure enough, I woke up in the middle of the night with a massively sore throat full of phlegm. My first cold of 2015 is upon me. The hugs and kisses were well worth the few days of sniffling that will ensue. After all, remember this?……..

and this…..

Mother’s Day Weather

Every Mother’s Day, Bill and I enjoy brunch at the Greenbriar Restaurant outside of Boulder with my sister Jen. Prior to marrying and starting his own Mother’s Day traditions, Court used to join us. BJ hasn’t missed a single one that I can remember. The brunch is magnificent, with tables and tables of goodies from a breakfast bar featuring omelets made to order to salads, prime rib and leg of lamb carving stations, oysters on the half shell, and all things in between. The dessert table alone is worth the price of admission. I remember one year when Court ate 10 or 12 crème brulees by himself. Ah, there is nothing quite like an all-you-can-eat buffet when you’re college-aged. Last year, an infrequent-but-certainly-not-unheard-of winter snowstorm prevented Bill and me from making it to the brunch. Six to eight inches of snow didn’t deter BJ, however, who has four-wheel drive expressly for such emergencies. For 12 months I have lamented missing that buffet. So I have looked foward to Sunday with great pleasure.

Except for the fact that Weather Channel shows a snowflake on their Sunday weather forecast. Be gone, Winter. I told Bill that I will simply not miss this year so that snowflake must go away. We listened to the weather news this morning, and it sounds like the snow will be above 7,000 feet.

Speaking of Weather….

We have had rain every day since we got home, except for the day of our arrival when Bill mowed our overgrown lawn after driving 450 miles. I’m beginning to think that I should start rounding up the animals. Friday we are supposed to watch 8-year-old Dagny sing the National Anthem (along with 100 of her closest Southmoor Elementary Choir friends) at the Rockies game. Unfortunately, the Rockies are having a HELL of a time even having a game because of rain and thunderstorms. Tomorrow’s forecast doesn’t look good, I’m afraid. Nor does Saturday’s, when Cole will have his one-year-old birthday celebration, which is designed to be held outdoors. Fingers crossed. And by the way, if Denver is supposed to have over 300 days of sunshine a year, the sun better get busy. I’m eager to begin cleaning up our patio and enjoying a drink in the evening sitting on my rocking chair that we hauled those same 450 miles.

Chihuly Glass Exhibit ala the Beverly Hillbillies

Undoubtedly many of you have had the pleasure of seeing a display of the amazingly beautiful glass designs by glass artist Dale Chihuly. I saw the exhibit a couple of years ago at the Phoenix Botanical Gardens, and was lucky enough to see it again last summer at the display at the Denver Botanical Gardens. The colorful glass designs amidst the gorgeous foliage and as part of pretty water features are a sight to behold.

Last fall when we cleaned up our yard in preparation for winter, I threw our plastic balls into our own little empty water feature where they couldn’t blow away and I knew I could easily find them this spring. Because of the rain, however, our little cement pond is full of water. This morning, I looked at the pond and realized we have our own version of a glass exhibit. Watch out Mr. Chihuly.

Chihuly Glass exhibit at Denver Botanical Gardens

The Beverly Hillbillies version ala our own cee-ment pond.

Now if I could just find my umbrellas.

6May2015

Dusty Books

Posted in Whimsies by kzmclain

After publishing yesterday’s blog post, Bill and I got to talking about encyclopedias.

“Remember when people used to buy their encyclopedias from door-to-door salesmen?” Bill asked.

I certainly do. In fact, I would be willing to bet that the set of World Book Encyclopedias that lived on the bookshelf in our dining room in Columbus was purchased from just such a salesman by my mother. I wish I could ask her. (Kids, ask your parents questions NOW.) What I remember is that they were navy blue in color and were well-used. I’ll bet every one of the Gloor kids used our World Book Encyclopedia to do some sort of report for school. Each year Mom and Dad received a supplemental book that updated the facts based on what transpired the past year.

The original set looked like this…..

The annual updates looked like this…..

I wonder what happened to those encyclopedias. Likely, my mom (who was so NOT a hoarder) threw them away during one of their moves. Or they ended up in someone’s storage shed never again to be seen.

Thinking about our set of encyclopedias got me to recollecting just what else lived on that bookshelf and have subsequently been tossed. Here’s a partial answer: Nancy Drew, girl detective; The Bobbsey Twins, boy and girl detectives; Trixie Belden, girl detective; and Cherry Ames, student nurse and detective. Is it any wonder that I am such a fan of mysteries to this day? Do any of those detectives ring a bell with other baby boomers?

Of course, I’m sure many of you have heard of Nancy Drew. In fact, I’m pretty sure you can still purchase Nancy Drew mystery novels today; I think I’ve seen them at Costco. But just who was Cherry Ames?

She was the mystery-solving nurse who almost inspired my sister Bec to become a nurse (until she reached the post-Cherry-Ames-age-of-reason and realized she couldn’t stand the sight of blood and since most nurses don’t actually solve murder mysteries, perhaps she should consider another occupation). What I remember about Cherry Ames is that she wore crisp white crackling nursing gowns and had a very cool nursing cap perched on top of her curly black hair. And when she went from “student nurse” to “senior nurse” she got a black stripe. However, even envying that black stripe didn’t make me think I wanted to be a nurse. I throw up at the sight of throw-up.

And, by the way, why don’t nurses wear caps anymore?

I’ll bet many of you – even baby boomers – haven’t heard of the Bobbsey Twins. The Bobbsey Twins books we owned were very old and literally coming apart at the seams. Again, I wish I could ask my mom, but I can only think that she brought them with her into the marriage. We had the full set, after all. In fact, almost all of the books about which I’m writing were old and had broken spines. Was my mother a mystery fan? The Bobbsey Twins, by the way, were two sets of boy-and-girl twins –siblings — who, if not exactly solving mysteries, were at the very least involved in interesting adventures.

As for Trixie Belden, my recollection is that those books were a bit newer……

I think I’m the only one in my family who read Trixie Belden, and man, did I ever love her life! She lived in upstate New York and her best friend was a pretty rich girl with honey-colored hair, who was appropriately called Honey. I think of my gal Trixie whenever I read about the Catskills or the Hudson Valley. Before meeting Trixie, I didn’t know there was anything in New York besides NYC.

I wish with all my heart that I had kept these books to share with my grandchildren. Addie read a few of the Nancy Drew books that had belonged to my niece Maggie, but I’m not sure she was as excited about them as I. Nancy’s spiffy roadster and all……

I regret the passing of books such as these until I remember the wonderful books kids are reading today. Harry Potter, for example.

What books did you read as a child?

5May2015

IWWIWWIWI

Posted in Whimsies by kzmclain

I am the vine; you are the branches….

In years past, it used to be ASAP. Now in the day of instant gratification, ASAP has turned into IWWIWWIWI. I want what I want when I want it.

I Want What I Want When I Want It is actually the name of a song written back in – believe it or not – 1905. The song’s author – Victor Herbert – couldn’t possibly have imagined just what wanting something when you wanted it would mean in the 21^st century.

Both Bill and I practically live with our IPads or our Smart Phones next to us or in our purse or pocket. Via one of these devices or the other, we can –and do – access information at the touch of a button. It’s hard to even envision a day when you had to look at an encyclopedia or dictionary to glean information.

It wasn’t that long ago that if you decided to purchase something, you had to wait until the stores opened. Life without Amazon is almost unimaginable. These days, when I want to buy something, I pick up my IPad, click on Amazon, find what I want, put it in my shopping cart, select Amazon Prime’s two-day free shipping, and the package is sitting at my doorstep in 48 hours. Soon it will be delivered by a drone. Someday I might only have to use the chip in my brain to place my order.

I occasionally forget to grab my cell phone when I leave the house. I remember it in a panic. What if someone is trying to reach me? What if I need to talk to someone right away? What if I need directions? I have to talk myself off the ledge and remind myself that there was a time – and not that long ago – when you had to talk on the telephone at your house. Sometimes the telephone receiver was even attached to the phone itself by a cord. And if I needed directions, I would look at a map. Or make a phone call before I left the house to get directions.

I remember fighting with my sisters when I was young for use of our one telephone, attached to the wall in our red linoleum-tiled kitchen. Heck. I remember having to wait until the neighbor lady was finished with her phone call because we were on a party line. (Look up party line on Wikipedia, Kids.)

And speaking of Wikipedia, I am perhaps Wikipedia’s best customer. I probably click on Wikipedia 10 to 15 times a day for one thing or another. And inevitably, while reading about whatever it is I felt I needed to know immediately, I get distracted and click on to a related topic, which leads me to another related matter. Before you know it, an hour has passed, and I can’t even remember what I was originally looking up.

I want what I want when I want it.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to go back to the days of party lines and reference librarians. I am all about FaceTime and Amazon and Google Maps. I like knowing that if my car breaks down I can call AAA using my cell phone. It just struck me funny that way back in 1905, there was discussion of any kind about wanting what I wanted when I wanted it.

Of course, upon looking into the lyrics, I learned that the song was all about the benefits of being a bachelor. Still and all…..

Believe it or not, I learned about the song from Sunday’s homily. Father Larry used I Want What I Want When I Want It as a launching point to talk about prayer. Remember last week when I talked about how difficult it is to reference God’s will when asking for his blessing? That’s because we want what we want when we want it.

Jesus told his disciples he was the vine and we are his branches. But Jesus went on to say, “IF you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.” The if is very important. In other words, ask for what you want and know that you can trust that God will do what’s best for you.

Excuse me. I want to go look up Victor Herbert on Wikipedia.

4May2015

Back in the Saddle

Posted in Whimsies by kzmclain

When we leave Arizona to return to Colorado I’m always asked if I am sad to be leaving or simply ecstatic to be coming back to Denver. Truthfully, the answer is both. And it doesn’t matter which direction I’m heading. I always have mixed feelings. That’s really a good thing, though. It means I have a pretty darn good life.

But the one thing that I can almost take to the bank is that no matter which direction we’re heading, the house we’re coming home to will need some work. If you own a house, you know that it’s always something. A broken garbage disposal; woodpecker holes in your siding; the dishwasher doesn’t work; the foliage is looking sad. And when you are blessed enough to own two houses, it’s always something times 2.

I sent an email to our neighbors early last week letting them know that we would be home by week end. I got a pleasant email back from one of our neighbors wishing us safe travels and alerting us to the fact that Denver had gotten a lot of rain lately and foliage was springing forth all over. That was code for “your grass is so long that small dogs might get lost in it.”

The whole way from Arizona to Colorado, Bill kept stewing about what our yard looked like. “I think I’ll wait until tomorrow to start working on it,” he said.

Unlikely, I thought. And, of course, I was right.

We pulled up to what I can tell you was what my mother would have called a God-awful mess. The grass was mid-calf, the rocks were full of weeds, and the bushes that line the front of our house were totally brown as though dead. (I’m happy to say that upon closer inspection, there are green shoots, providing us with a ray of hope.) And that was just the front yard. The back yard was almost as bad, with the worst section being the play area which was totally overcome with weeds and grass.

The lawn, however, was lush and green, thanks to the rain.

We barely got the car unloaded when I heard Bill starting up the lawn mower. There was nothing I could do to stop him. And mowing a lawn with grass that long is no easy matter. But he finished up in time to watch the gates open in the Kentucky Derby, and the arrival of our first grandkids.

Cole gave Nana some much-appreciated snuggles.

Court, Kaiya, Mylee, and Cole came to see us and to have dinner with us. I wasn’t surprised to see the girls were very happy to see us. I was overjoyed, however, to see that Cole (who turns 1 this very day; happy birthday Cole!) was happy as well. Since he was only seven months old when we left, I wasn’t sure he’d even know my face. I think their January visit and FaceTime calls helped. He not only came to me with a smile, but he laid his head on my shoulder, making me the happiest nana alive.

After dinner, Court went home because Kaiya was feeling poorly. So we headed over to see our second set of grandkids.

Adelaide, Alastair, Dagny, and Maggie Faith must have seen us pull up in the yellow bug, because they were out of the house running for us before the car’s

Looking at our photos of Disneyland and wondering why they hadn’t been invited.

engine was even turned off. Hugs aplenty, I assure you, and much catching up. Addie is busy with volleyball and being 12, Alastair is smack dab in the middle of baseball season, Dagny and Maggie are getting ready for a dance recital (which is called a “sharing.” Seriously?).

Bill spent yesterday working some more in the yard, but this time he had help from Alastair. Saturday evening he and Alastair worked out a business arrangement. Five bucks an hour for weeding. Money well spent.

This week will be spent unpacking, straightening up the house (which actually needs very little straightening up), and refilling the pantry (which on the other hand needs a LOT of work). I already have several commitments for babysitting which makes me a very happy grandmother.

Bill asked me what I was going to blog about today. I said I was going to write about coming back home. He said, “Aren’t we lucky that we aren’t coming back home, but are coming to spend time in our other home.

We are blessed. And I’m mighty happy to see most of my grandkids. Now if I could just get my hands on those two Vermonters!

2May2015

Practical Jokes

Posted in Whimsies by kzmclain

Sunday was my dad’s birthday. He is in heaven, but he would have been 89 years old. Though he had a wonderful sense of humor, I don’t know that I would have called him a practical joker.

However, I might have been wrong.

Sunday morning Bill and I were getting ready for church. I was in the bathroom combing my hair and putting on a bit of makeup. When I came back into the bedroom, I noticed that Bill had a very puzzled look on his face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him.

It seems Bill had sat down on the bed, took the back off of his phone, and put in a new battery. When he went to put the back onto the phone, it was gone. Vanished. Nowhere to be seen. We looked everywhere. After all, where could it have gone?

We Went to church, fully expecting to find it as soon as we returned. Nope. We tore the house apart, looking in places that made absolutely no sense, the way you do when you’ve lost something.

Finally, Bill said to me, “I think your dad is playing a joke on me.”

That night when we went to bed we still not found the back of the phone.

As Bill crawled into bed, he said out loud, “Reinie, the joke was very funny, but now I really need to fix my telephone.”

He then reached over, picked up the phone case, and the back of the phone was in the phone case.

Now, I assure you, we hadn’t overlooked it. We had looked in the phone case two or three times to no avail.

I guess it was true. To celebrate his birthday, Dad played a practical joke on his son-in-law. Who knew Dad played practical jokes?

And for good measure, Friday was Crazy Hair Day at Alastair’s, Dagny’s, and Maggie Faith’s school……

Nothing more needs to be said.

Have a great weekend.

30Apr2015

Amazing Arizona Activities

Posted in Whimsies by kzmclain

Last year when we were leaving Arizona to return to Denver, I wrote a blog post about the things that I would miss. You can read my thoughts in 2014 in this link, because I will miss those very same things in 2015.

This time I am going to give you what I consider to be the highlights of our winter stay in Arizona these past few months. So, in no particular order…..

Outdoor Kitchen

You might have heard a rumor that Bill built an outdoor kitchen this year. He wants me to start calling it a barbecue island, but I’m not quite there yet. Anyway, it is something I have wanted in at least one of my houses for a long time. Though it took him longer than either one of us anticipated to complete, the finished product is perfect. I have used it a number of times already, and it will get great use every winter.

NASCAR

Bill will undoubtedly proclaim his two NASCAR races were a highlight for him.

Alastair enjoys a beer and a cigar while Dad’s away for a bit! Of course he didn’t really, but Bill and Allen couldn’t help but tease a bit.

In November, both of his sons, our grandson Alastair, and my brother David spent the entire weekend at the race living in Bill’s son Dave’s RV. It was a dream come true for Bill. He and my brother Dave also went to the March NASCAR race, and though they didn’t spend the weekend, they apparently had a great time. Both are enjoying spending Jeff Gordon’s last season with him.

Family Gatherings

As usual, we had our share of family celebrations. It seems even when we don’t have a particular thing to celebrate, the Gloor clan still manages to gather. I was able to see a great deal of many of my Arizona nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, and, of course, my siblings. Our family gatherings are full of joy, and I have mentioned before that nothing makes me happier than seeing the little cousins together. It would have made my mom and dad so happy to see their great grandchildren playing with one another. My mom, in particular, believed in the importance of family.

Visit from Zierks

This year Bill and I had January visitors, namely, our son Court and his family. We had so much fun showing them around this area that we love so much. It also made me very happy that Kaiya and Mylee got a chance to play with many of their Arizona cousins. Mylee and Austin bonded over Ninja turtles, and Kaiya got in some winter swimming!

Travel

We vowed this year we were going to do some traveling – day trips as well as several-day-trips. While we didn’t do as many as we’d hoped, we did make a very fun day trip to Globe and of course, we took our spectacular trip to Disneyland.

Nothing more really needs to be said.

Glorious Weather

Finally, I must tell you that I think our weather this winter has been particularly beautiful. Last winter might have been a bit warmer, but this year was pretty darn good. We had temperatures creep up into the 90s on several occasions, but for the most part, we haven’t had to run the air conditioner much at all. And the only time I turned on the heat was several mornings in January. It’s such a luxury to experience nice weather here, and then go home to Denver to more nice weather. I hope.

Wish us luck on our travels!

29Apr2015

What’s It Weigh?

Posted in Whimsies by kzmclain

I remember many years ago when our son Allen was preparing for a lengthy trip to Europe in which he knew he would be backpacking, taking trains, riding his bike, sleeping in hostels or camping. In other words, he didn’t want to be responsible for a lot of stuff. Bill still talks about watching Allen pack the backpack that he would be hauling around for the next few months (which actually ended up being years). Allen would pick up an object and carefully check its weight by feel. If it felt too heavy and didn’t seem essential, he tossed it aside. Weight versus value.

As we prepare to return to Denver for the summer and fall months in a couple of days, I am very conscious about what should stay in Arizona and what should come with us. Our car is a sedan. While the trunk is fairly large, it can only hold so much. This isn’t the 1970s where you could fit an entire African village into the trunk of your Mercury Marquis.

Bill and I have really tried over the past few years as we’ve commuted back and forth to figure out what to purchase here so that we don’t have to carry things back and forth. Still, there is always something. This year, for example, I bought a set of outdoor rocking chairs here in Arizona. Our patio is small, and while it fits one of them, two additional chairs is out of the question. So we are hauling back a box containing a rocking chair, which I will undoubtedly enjoy on my beautiful patio in Denver. Still, a rocking chair. Even flat in a box it takes up a considerable amount of room.

So we are undertaking our version of “checking the weight.” My IPOD dock….stay or go? I use it both places, but does it make any sense to carry it back and forth? We landed on the side of no. So my speakers will live in Mesa over the hot summer and I will be in the market for a new docking station in Denver. (And let me just tell you that writing those words makes me feel very Star Warian.)

Every winter and spring, while in Arizona, I buy new warm-weather clothes with the intention of leaving them here. And yet, each year as we pack to go back to Denver, I look at those nice new clothes, remember the boring and shabby clothes that hang in my Denver closet, and begin tossing shirts and flip flops into my suitcase. Now, I just need to begin doing something about those worn and/or boring clothes in Denver. Goodwill? Trash can?

Bill is the same way about tools. He bought a number of tools this year to

….and we haven’t even really begun!

use while building the outdoor kitchen. Stay or go? He is still deciding. I’m putting my money on go.

I can assure you this…..no matter how careful we are, we will end up looking like the Clampetts, with our trunk full of suitcases and tools and kitchen supplies and books, and our back seat full of boxes of food that I simply can’t throw away and we can CERTAINLY use in Denver.

Hey, here’s a thought. Remember how Granny Clampett sat in a rocking chair in the bed of the beat-up old pickup truck? She made it all the way from some Appalachian state or another to Beverly Hills without losing her hat. Maybe that’s the answer for our rocking chair. I will put it on the hood and sit in it all the way from Arizona to Denver like Granny Clampett.

Our kids would be so proud.

Have a gander at this and think of us….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwzaxUF0k18

Nana's Whimsies

Musings of a Baby Boomer….

Category Archives: Whimsies

Starry Night

Speechless

Saturday Smile: Look Before You Send

Thursday Thoughts

Dusty Books

IWWIWWIWI

Back in the Saddle

Practical Jokes

Amazing Arizona Activities

What’s It Weigh?