Saturday's Scribbles

It's Saturday morning and the sun is hiding today. Rain has quenched the thirst of our flowers and cleared the air some. The geranium Joel bought me for Mother's Day has FINALLY bloomed and is making up for lost time. Beautiful to behold! The resident wren family is gracing us with a song, and the gentle breeze keeps things from getting too stuffy.
It is the 4th of July here in the good ol' USA! Joel just came upstairs wearing his "flag shirt" that our oldest son and family gave him a few years back. Last night we watched the fireworks from our living room window. They are set off near the High School just a few blocks from us, and we are able to watch from the window or backyard. I must confess we were both so tired, we debated whether to stay up or not but decided the booms would keep us awake, so we pulled our chairs up and enjoyed the show!

We are pretty patriotic people. Eight years in the Air Force will do that to you. I always remember how respectful the military was of the flag in the 70's. If you went to a movie on the base, before it started the flag would come up on the screen and the whole theater would quickly stand at attention while the Star Spangled Banner was played. If you were driving or walking on the base when it was time for the flag to be lowered....everything stopped..you would see car doors opened and soldiers standing at attention until the flag went down. This often moved me to tears. I really liked most everything about the military life, but Joel did not feel called to the military, so he opted for an early out to go to seminary and the rest is a beautiful history.

We spend most actual holidays alone together except for Thanksgiving every other year, and at times it is challenging for us as we watch families gather and have a good time. Envy is not something I usually deal with, but I find it coming up once in awhile when I see my sister getting together with her two children and their families several times a year AND for nearly every holiday. They go to their daughters for a week twice a year and their son and family come up for a few days each time too. They are close, enjoy each other and get along very well. I confess, I feel sad at times that Joel and I cannot enjoy more family gatherings. Our fellow blogger, Jozephine, would remind me of her truth-speaking quote....."compare and despair"! It has helped me more than once to see where my thoughts were heading! When I grew up family was soooooo important. We came together, put aside any differences, and were kind and loving to each other. Sometimes it was an effort because we all had different ideas on parenting, etc. but the key was putting love before expectations and our own agenda. We had FUN! GREAT FUN. They all still get together and I hope to be able to do that one day again when I am better. I miss the companionship of my family and I now know what a blessing it was to be able to enjoy each other so much.

Joel and I rented a movie to watch today. "Last Chance Harvey". It sounds good...but of course you can't go by what the movie critics put out there. One of my top favorite movies that I have watched several times is "Under The Tuscan Sun". I really should reflect on why I love that movie so much! My favorite for years was "Out of Africa"....for obvious reasons. I have laughed my head off at the move, "Birdcage" many times. Nathan Lane is a hoot in that movie. A movie I used to watch over and over years ago was 70's movie called "The Wilderness Family". Silly now, but with my desire to live in Africa or Alaska...it, too, was an obvious choice for me. I must be honest and add one more favorite of the 80's....the movie "Dirty Dancing" with Patrick Swayze. I used to dance every day of my life, and the dancing in that movie was great!

Speaking of dancing, it is one thing I miss so much about my mom. She never came to visit that we did not do the two-step a few times around the house. When she was in a wheelchair at one of our kids wedding, we just danced with her from there...and I have danced in a sitting position a few times myself. My mom was a great dancer...a great musician in her day. She was one of those smooth dancers who only move from the waist down....gliding across the floor.

Guess I will go glide my way out to the kitchen for lunch. For those who celebrate the 4th, have a great day in the "Land of the Free". Among other places, it is a good place to be.