Family

April 5, 2013 Image

I love my RAV
Just sayin’
When I bought her in late August
I had Art Haulin’ on the brain
This picture shows eight pieces stowed upright, between the seats
There is one more “big one” lyin’ flat in the way back
(18” x 24” plus frame and glass)
The back is usually reserved for Blue, soccer balls and groceries
…though not all three at the same time
Two of these nine pieces I dropped off for the next art show that opens April 19th
Details to come…later
There is art to unload right now
I love my RAV
Just sayin’

April 5, 2013

March 13, 2013 Image

I’m finally mailing our Illinois state taxes.
Snail mail is necessary, to send extra paperwork required.
Doggone Tax Time.
Stapling W-2 then mailing.
Just a week or so after finishing…
There is a grape jelly smudge on them.
Oh well.
A l’il sign of Food, Family and Life.
That about sums it up.
For these are the things that go “in between” the famous Ben Franklin quote, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”
So we learn to savor each day and happy moment we are given, even as we dutifully see to the need to fulfill all legal requirements.

March 13, 2013

February 28, 2013

chit chat

I’ve been a bit o’a chatterbox today.
Me?!
Well, yes…
My friends and family keep callin’, to check in and see how I am.
It’s still a loaded question, as tears are as likely to be the answer as a bit o’sass, but the easiest answer is, “I’m still alive and kickin’.”
So watch out world!
Fair warnin’.

February 28, 2013

February 23, 2013

window view

playing in the snow
children laughing
snowballs flying
smiles shining too
looks normal
from the outside
only the inside knows
the truth
for reality
is anything but normal
life is never boring
if it is
it’s your own damn fault
we have your drama
real life kind
eyebrow raising
jaw dropping
gray hair causing too
but from the outside
if you are looking
from your window view
the drama doesn’t show
it’s skillfully hidden
behind brave faces
and eyes filled with secrets
heart kind
that never tell

February 23, 2013

February 17, 2013

hiding spot

The cat was in my closet.
I didn’t know…until I was putting clean clothes away and Blue followed me in.
YOWL WOOF
That cat practically flew to the way back, as I grabbed Blue’s collar, hauled him out and shut the door behind me.
Laundry isn’t for the faint o’heart in these here parts.
Gotta stay on your toes. Always.
Now there are mountain lion growls comin’ from the closet, and Blue is pacin’ and can’t settle down.
I got your drama. Dog and cat kind. =^.^=

February 17, 2013

February 15, 2013 Image

I made this valentine for my family yesterday. Chocolate kind. Inside and out. In the heart shaped pans my Grandma Thompson gave me, well over 20 years ago. Funny thing is, even though they’ve been mine for that long, I still think of them as hers, and think of her, with a smile, each time I use them. Happy Day After Chocolate Day! Yes, my two sweet boys had hunks o’chocolate cake for breakfast. Why not?! I count it as a pastry, along the lines o’donuts and cinnamon rolls. Plus, it’s a half day of school (Parent’s Day) and we’re going out to eat for lunch.
~ Janean

February 15, 2013

January 25, 2013 Image

I love the rain
Spring rains will come soon
thunderstorms and gentle mists
I welcome both

I love walking in the woods
and on a gravel road
lined with trees on either side

I love resting
whether on a proper bench
or plopping on the ground

I love the river
especially Grandpa’s river
the mighty Mississippi
standing atop his bluff
looking o’er her curving path
there I can breathe

I love to smile
and often do
a gentle curve of lips
or crooked at the corner
a flash of teeth and quick laugh
full wattage mega kind too
the best ones reach my eyes

I love the rain
I walk my dog without an umbrella
wearing rain boots with peacocks
splashing through puddles
with a grin
laughing at my prancing pup

I am not dead. I am here. Thank you, God, for these simple things and the ability to find joy in quiet moments such as these. Thank you for family and friends, and the powerful prayers of Your people who are lifting up my cancer fighting husband and me and our boys asking for the strength and courage we need to weather this vicious storm. We are thankful, humbled and oh, so very blessed. Hope bubbles fresh anew each day. Your love will see us through. ~Janean

January 25, 2013

Photograph taken on January 16, 2013, standing atop my Grandpa’s bluff, overlooking his river, my Heart Home, that place where I can breathe.

January 25, 2013 Link

Here Lies the Remains of a Girl Who–Did What Now?: Put yourself back together.

autumndragonfly:

  • Sit quietly in a storm without an umbrella, without a word of complaint. Let the rain wash away every ounce of bitterness that has been used to write a eulogy on your skin.
  • You’re not dead.
  • Remember.
  • Drive down to the river. Drive down to where the industrial waste has not re-colored the…

I love the rain
Spring rains will come soon
Thunderstorms and gentle mists
I welcome both

I love walking in the woods
and on a gravel road
lined with trees on either side

I love resting
whether on a proper bench
or plopping on the ground

I love the river
especially Grandpa’s river
the mighty Mississippi
standing atop his bluff
looking o’er her curving path
there I can breathe

I love to smile
and often do
a gentle curve of lips
or crooked at the corner
a flash of teeth and quick laugh
full wattage mega kind too
the best ones reach my eyes

I love the rain
I walk my dog without an umbrella
wearing rain boots with peacocks
splashing through puddles
with a grin
laughing at my prancing pup

I am not dead. I am here. Thank you, God, for these simple things and the ability to find joy in quiet moments such as these. Thank you for family and friends, and the powerful prayers of Your people who are lifting up my cancer fighting husband and me and our boys asking for the strength and courage we need to weather this vicious storm. We are thankful, humbled and oh, so very blessed. Hope bubbles fresh anew each day. Your love will see us through. ~Janean

January 25, 2013

Here Lies the Remains of a Girl Who–Did What Now?: Put yourself back together.