THINKING OF THE PAST

Good Lord, we slept late this morning.  Of course, it was 2 a.m. when we went to bed.  That is one of the blessings of advanced age.  I remember when we were kids and we'd go visit our neighbors in the evening.  They had eight kids, and they watched the late movie on their television.  At our house that wasn't an option.  Way back then, I thought how great it would be if I could stay up as late as I want and then sleep as late as I want in the morning.  Am luvin' it.

Yesterday was all-day rain, and this morning the sun is shining pretty as you please.  I'm keeping an eye on Hurricane Beryl that's hitting Jamaica as I type this.  Agenda Free is my go-to on YT for latest news updates.  Actually, I have a long-distance interest in this hurricane, and all one can do is pray that those vacationing there are safe.  My niece and I were in Jamaica, and I remember we got our hair braided by a gorgeous bronze-skinned young gal.  Couldn't imagine being out there in the middle of the waters in a hurricane.  

My June newsletter article is pretty much ready to be zipped over to the editor.  Am writing a description of the seven generations, starting with 1927 and ending 2024.  The challenge is condensing the article to one typewritten page.  With an Arial 12 font, that's as small as I dare go with the print.  None of us out here has the eyes of an eagle anymore.  

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July.  We plan to spend it together at home, savoring the memories of our past parties.  We are able to see the local fireworks from our deck here at Venny.  I can remember when I was a little girl and we'd go to the town park to watch the fireworks.  Couldn't wait for it to get dark.  Daddy parked our 1956 black and yellow Chevy facing east so I could sit on the hood with my back against the windshield and watch the fireworks above me.  Man, that was something back then.  Always felt sorry for the animals when those big loud booms would go off.  Over the years, the quality of fireworks kept improving and getting more spectacular.  Today, in that same town park the fireworks are almost famous.  Cars line up on the blacktops for miles so people can see them.  This is over and above the thousands that gather in the park itself.  We've lived through all the hoopla, and maybe that's why we're satisfied to be in our little corner of the world away from the noise and commotion.

Time to eat lunch.  Ta-ta for today.

SAY NOTHING

Once in a while I come across written words that stop me in my tracks...........A fish with a closed mouth never gets caught!

Like it or not, we are living in a fragile society, where the spoken word has the same power as a sharp arrow.  Is there anyone who has not felt the piercing pain of the verbal arrow?  I know I have, many many times.  Sometimes I responded with anger, sometimes with tears.  

Living for decades gives one the benefit of personal experience.  From that experience, we learn how to most effectively present our reactions to the actions of others.  At this stage, my best advice to myself is to keep my mouth shut.  What will I gain by exposing my anger? my disappointment? my disbelief?  Absolutely nothing.

Many times I stay away from meetings, simply to ensure that I keep my mouth closed.  Sometimes we expose ourselves in ways that aren't very flattering when we pose questions or doubt authority.   There's deceptive bait dangling all over the place, and we just have to be smart enough not to bite.  

We had a morning rain shower.  Heavy overcast cloud cover, looks like more rain any time.  Another cozy cuddle-in day.  Ta-ta.

MILLIE, MAGGIE AND ME

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then today's post will simply be this picture.