Always A Parade Of Choices

  The year is quickly winding down, with Happy New Year right around midnight.
   Seldom have I ever seen the New Year come in, so I celebrate at the wee hours of the morning with New Zealand!
   I have no hangover, and my resolutions have already been broken. It is a glorious new year, this 2014!!
   If I can be serious, which is doubtful, the year in review is too taxing. I just look forward. Of course we had some moments worthy of shouting for Joy, but to be honest, I think that should be a daily thing. You see I believe we march in a parade of choices, and I choose joy everyday. By no means, is this easy, but it is my choice.
   Life is often hard, but there is joy to be found. My sweet mother reminded me yesterday about the acorns in Yardley (my first home) ( with husband!) and how beautiful they were!! I smiled at the text. One, Iam so thankful my mom is so "with it" and can text! and Second, that we both have such fond memories of my first home, her first grandchildren, my babies. Memories just flood over you during the holidays, and can drown you, or keep you afloat, your choice.
  This time of year, I celebrate my OCD with taking the Christmas decorations down, day after! Alleluia, for Daddy( Homer) being impatient and liking things cleaned up! and for all my children helping with the hoopla! ( note:thankful for good meds)
  Soooo...thankful for good presents, and for my family listening to my requests, and knowing what I like. ( note to self, you did a good job on a couple of presents for yourself Bon-Bon!) Oh the Joys of giving.
 My entire family gave money this year to my great niece Kayden's school. She is limited in many ways, and oozes love in other ways. She has never spoken a word, and may never utter one, but she speaks volumes. She is our Christmas angel, and brings nothing but Joy to all.
   Yes there were bad things, unspeakable heartaches, that we just have to release to the heavens.
   I choose faith, I have to.
  2014 will be filled with some of the same, a life well lived.
  A parade of choices, and by damn I am riding on the biggest float!!! my choice.
  Happy New Year my friends, love, love  and more love.

Where is Dick Van Dyke?

 As I sit at my computer, I hear noises. The chimney man, not Dick, is busy cleaning our two fireplaces. I wanted him to come in singing, like Dick, but he is carrying a shop-vac!! Where are the poles, with the wire brushes, ( Bill said he saw them??) and his black waistcoat. Chim-chim-cheree, where is Dick Van Dyke?

Another of my astonishing realizations today, was, Beauty Parlor Hair looks better then real life hair. I have always known, but after my hair-do girl! Ms. Dena fixed me today, I sing her praises, and think...if I won the lottery, I would have Beauty Parlor Hair, daily!! That is at the top of my list!!!

My other none ah-ha moment!! today, was really two.
       1. I do not enjoy watching people space walk, for hours repairing a flying space station. ( Bill is still glued to the TV!, he just said, "Did  you see that big thing they are trying to place?( that makes no sense to me) and one astronaut has cold feet!" ) ( Sweet baby Jesus, open the wine!)
       2. NSA, that is all over the news. The NSA is listening to all of our calls, since the dawn of discovery, and people are all outs of sorts!  I told my Bill, that I hope they are listening and maybe they can start answering the phone, and record a message for voice mail. I don't do anything wrong, or hide anything, I blog!! Its all out there! How can the government catch bad people, if they don't listen. My grandmother had a party line, she did not care who listened and neither do I.What does NSA stand for?? National Security Agency? I feel secure, in fact can you call and make my next gyno appointment.

Well, its noon- ish and  Dick has gone. I did not even get to take a picture, for my blog, he was so fast. To be honest, something was missing, so its just as well.
Chim-chim-cheroo.....you will  be singing this song all afternoon......

My Ducks Are In Different States

   Honestly, this time of year, seems like others may have their ducks in a row, but honey mine are in different states!!!
   I have post-its on top of post-its!! and yet...there seems to be so much to do.
   My thoughts earlier, were that I was on top of my game.
   Then life says, "Not so fast sister!"
   I have gifts all over the house, that need to be wrapped, not sure of what is what, or who gets what?? That is always a surprise. I think, all is finished, when I spin it all around the Jingle Bells in my head, and decide..maybe I need to buy extra blah-blah-blah.
    To shop or let the roof man in, call the chimney sweep, call the floor people, wash clothes, what's for supper, do my blog about reading!! Now I remember why I sat down at this computer!!
    My reading log, that I like to share, seems as scattered as B-Bs hitting a blackboard. ( This happened in 10th grade English class, Von Dohlen, remember? poor teacher)( then you threw her briefcase out the window!!) ( Boys!!) ( but thanks for the story material)
   Back to the point, or pretty near it.
   Forever I find time to read. November and December books are a crazy mix, to go along with my mood swings! Oh the holidays!!!
    Body of Work: Meditation on Mortality from the Human Anatomy Lab-Christine Montross
    Time is a River-Mary Alice Monroe ( About fly fishing!!) 
     We Are Water: A Novel-Wally Lamb
     Reflections on the Psalms-C.S. Lewis
     Quotes on Poets and Poetry-Patty Crowe
     Long Walk to Freedom-Nelson Mandela
     Conversations with Myself-Nelson Mandela
     The House I Loved-Tatiana de Rosnay ( still reading)
     The Valley of Amazement- Amy Tan ( will start soon!!)

   I cannot or will not talk about them all, I know you are busy. I will say that if you love the human body, like I do, and are interested in how we work, this book is fantastic. Body of Work takes you into the anatomy lab, and inch by inch, cuts us up, examines the workings of our earthly body, through the lens of new medical students.
  Second, the book about fly fishing is a book about life, love and healing. I don't fish, nor do I plan on fishing in the future, but I continue to want to learn about everything, so why not!!! It was, Time is a River,very rich.
  I did not have an easy time getting through the Mandela books, but at this time of his passing, I felt I needed to know the man more. What better way to learn, I have not found one, Read, Read, Read.
  C. S. Lewis is not easy to navigate, but well worth your time, to learn about the Psalms, just so powerful.
Now you can see, from the Psalms to Anatomy, to Fly fishing and much more, I was all over the page! with these books. No pattern for my picks, just to learn.
  The big lesson, is learning to carve out some time in the day, for reading and reflecting and rest.
  That is my holiday wish for you, to find a spot and do what fills you up.
   We all have to make our own peace.
    Peace and Love
    B

Nine Days, Rain

   The days seem to hang in the air, when its raining for nine days.
   Rationally, I know, I could be knee deep in snow, instead of knee deep in the holidays with wet feet!
   When it rains it pours, is my December.
    Decorations up, cards mailed, 90 percent of shopping done, and yet??

    Singing Christmas carols loud and proud, hasn't done the trick.
    AND you know I can not leave it alone, and toss in this gloom, I want answers and solutions.
    I know I need sunshine, but sometimes it just is not in the cards.

    So I eat much fruit, exercise and count my blessings, with a grumpy cat face!

    I think Mr. Mandela passing, helped me and maybe not.
    The kids came over and said, "I knew you would be watching this mom!" and I did. For many hours, and it was a happy grief. Happy for him, and happy that I had lived on earth with him. I read and re-read many books by him, and thought about his courage. He probably never complained about the rain, I just know it.
I woke Bill up at night with questions, " How did he come out of prison not hating?" I could not wrap my head around such a person. Bill of course turned away from me, hmm...and said, " He was Nelson Mandela, Bonnie, go to sleep." Then ever so quietly, " Bill are you still asleep? wonder how much it would cost to fly over there?" and " Where will all of the people go to the bathroom?" Bill sighs, " You are not going, you hate crowds, and there will not be enough bathrooms!" I sigh, " I know, but your job is to comfort me, and realize that this is history in the making, and my heart hurts." He covered up my shoulders, knowing that would make me happy, and said, " The funeral comes on at 4am, see you there." Counting my blessings, so happy we have always been early risers, and I will have Bill to attend the funeral with me.
    We listened and barely heard what was going on, but I wanted Mr. Mandela to know I cared, that he was important in my life.
     I can not understand what he went through, and how on the other side of pain and isolation, found a peace. I hope he saw many happy days, in his long life, and knows how much he meant to the world.
    He said it best, that he was not a saint but a sinner, trying to do right.
  
    I hope to learn from him, how to not let a little rain dampen my spirit.

    From many miles away, I say good-bye Madiba

Bye Bye Birdie

    The day after Thanksgiving, is always "up the tree" day. All the boxes have been brought up, and are ready to be unlatched. A Baron tradition remains, with maybe a fewer boxes each year. ( my kids would say that is a not true statement! since they carry the jewels upstairs)
    However, you know me by now, or have known me for YEARS, all my ducks have to be in a row, before I can begin. So...I begin to clean the outside windows...yes Christmas lights need to shine through clean windows, makes perfect sense to me. The cleaner is sprayed( note this is early, and I'm wrapped in a robe, with summer gown on) (short gown, due to my issues with claustrophobia problems with clothes, another blog, for sure) and I hear a thud. A bird has hit the windows. This often happens this time of year, with the pear trees dropping their berries. I continued to spray, singing "Oh Come All Ye Faithful", when I hear flapping. I turned and the bird was alive, broken wing fluttering, going under Emma's car. Double damn, why didn't it just die. My plan for Christmas is stopped, mid-spray.
    I yelled for Emma or Bill, preferably both, to come help this bird, I did not want Emma to run over it and freak her out. I just wanted it moved to the grass, to evaluate the injury and send it on to meet Jesus. I asked Dr. Bill if he thought we could duck tape the wing? He went into the garage to get a shovel, when I evil eyed him, " I know you are not going to hit this bird in the head, right before I begin to decorate for Christmas?"
Emma said, " Mom, let's help it, which means me." I decided to just put it in the grass, birds die quickly. Put a few leaves around it, so the hawk could not see it, and went about my Ho, Ho, Ho.

  Couple of hours later, Emma says, " MOM, the bird is still alive, you have to do something!"
I go outside ( now dressed, yea!) and told the bird, " Now I have to feed you, and worry about you." I went in to get a bowl of water, that I dripped on some leaves, and started to collect some berries off the ground, and move them closer to the bird. " You are welcome." yes, I talk to the animals!
  Many hours later, our yard men, (whom we adore) were blowing all of the leaves away, when Her Majesty
Emma, screamed, " Mom the bird!"
   Oh my god, I go outside and ask the man, to stop the blowing. God love him, he speaks a little English, " We have an injured bird over here, and I want it to die in peace, so don't blow this side of the yard." He smiled and went into the back yard. Bill returns home and wonders why half of the yard is not clean, or cut, I just pointed " The Bird."
   I hand feed the bird three blue berries, and call it a night. At least he will die with a full tummy.
   Next morning the bird is still flapping, I throw out pecans and more berries, think about making a nest out of newspaper, and look at this bird in the eyes, saying he can go. Maybe its trying to tell me something, a sign, my family now refuses to come in the front door, for the bird is now close to the walkway. I tell them, birds die quickly??!!!
    Hours later, moving people were delivering some furniture for us. They walked past the bird, and stopped. One man, picked up the bird, and said, " It has a broken wing and a broken leg." OK, and it is still alive, what am I going to do. Emma begins to look up vets that take care of birds, and finds one. Bill is now looking at me in a panic, with eyes that say, " This is a wild, bird Bonnie" So I told, Em, that we are not going to be able to save this creature, but we will make it happy and safe.
  Today is Monday, the bird has died, on his back, like a person!! The bird lived three days!
  Why? Why not? She ate like a queen, got all kinds of attention and left on her own terms.
  The Christmas decorations did get arranged, they look beautiful.
   We will remember this Christmas year, with thoughts of our friend, the bird and all the people who were so kind to let her die with peace.
    Peace is important, the song says so, Sleep in hea -ven- ly peace  (Silent Night)