Memories light the corners of my mind

Misty water-colored memories

Of the way we were...

Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind

Smiles we gave to one another

For the way we were...

Can it be that it was all so simple then?

Or has time re-written every line?

If we had the chance to do it all again

Tell me, would we? Could we?

Memories may be beautiful, and yet

What's too painful to remember

We simply choose to forget...

So it's the laughter

We will remember

Whenever we remember

The way we were...

When you're down and troubled,
And you need a helping hand
And nothing, whoa, nothing is going right...

Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there
To brighten up even your darkest nights.

You just call out my name,
And you know wherever I am
I'll come running, oh, yeah, baby
To see you again.

Winter, spring, summer, or fall,
All you have to do is call
And Ill be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You've got a friend.

If the sky above you
Should turn dark and full of clouds
And that old north wind should begin to blow...

Keep your head together
and call my name out loud
And soon, soon I'll be knocking upon your door.

You just call out my name
and you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again.

Winter, spring, summer or fall
All you got to do is call
And I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hey, ain't it good to know that you've got a friend?
People can be so cold.
They'll hurt you and desert you.
Well, they'll take your soul if you let them.
Oh, yeah, but don't you let them.

You just call out my name
and you know wherever I am
I'll come running to see you again.

Oh, babe, don't you know that
Winter, spring, summer or fall,
Hey, now, all you've got to do is call.
Lord, I'll be there, yes I will.

You've got a friend.You've got a friend.
Ain't it good to know you've got a friend.

You've got a friend.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES...PLEASE STAND BY

I'm having some probs uploading my pics...
For those of you waiting breathlessly to see more, please come back soon.
Gotta preserve those memories...they're all that's left you...
Must go schlep foodstuffs.

Me & Holly
(She was also brave enough to visit me in Iowa once...)

'WE MAY NEVER PASS THIS WAY AGAIN' WHIRLWIND TOUR SUMMER 2007

That's me and Linda, the birthday girl.

If it weren't for the fact that Linda's generous and fun-loving hubby, Mike, flew me in to surprise the ol' gal for her 50th b'day, the "We May Never Pass This Way Again Whirlwind Tour Summer 2007" would not have been possible.

Thanks, again, you guys! How can I ever thank you enough?

Our senior year -- months before we were to graduate-- I wrote Linda a letter with the words to Carly Simon's little-known song,"Reunions". Yes, miles before we were to take our first step down the aisle to the bittersweet strains of Pomp and Circumstance, I was already waxing melancholy, sure that once we left the hallowed halls of high school, I would never see Linda or anyone else from our gang again.

Ha! Still crazy -- and bestest friends -- after all these years. (Note: Linda is one of two brave friends to make the trek to Iowa in the 20-plus years I've lived here.)

Nevertheless, now that we're all in our AARP years,"Reunions" speaks to me even more...

First one in the city.
Wearin' all those grass stained jeans
Nothing is forgotten, everyone is pleased
Someone got his hair cut
The girls have lots to say
His friends had felt more comfortable
With it worn the other way...

And I don't know if I'll see you again...

Next one at the old house
Snow is on the ground
Photographs and wine are passed around
Someone toasts an absent friend
Another takes his seat
They gather round the dying fire
But the circle's not complete

And I don't know if I'll see you again...

Last one by the highway
Wind blows through thin smiles
Someone made a wrong turn
Missed a joke by miles
Someone got their hair cut
A tear is in her eye
But no one even comments
Except to say 'goodbye'

And I don't know if I'll see you again...

WHAT I LEARNED ON VACATION

Day 2 back in reality...

Actually, real life isn't all that bad...like everything else, it's all a matter of perspective.

Sometimes going "home" to Cinci only serves to remind me what I have, in some instances, forfeited, as it were, by establishing/re-establishing my life in Iowa. Then again, maybe some of those things "lost" should lost remain. It's the ol' glass half empty/half full/be careful what you wish for scenario.

They say you can't really go home again...but God knows I've given it the ol' college try. And in doing so this last time, here is what I've learned:

1. White Castle "sliders" -- with extra pickles -- really do taste best at 3 a.m.


2. No one remembers "Speedy" Joe Duncan, MHS Class of '72. (My apologies to Speedy if somehow he bumps into this blog...who knew?)


3. Makeup bought on vacation is oh, so much more exciting than the same makeup bought at home.


4. If I could afford it, I could easily live the life of a sloth and not feel guilty about it.


5. You can never have too many Big Boys with extra tartar sauce...and The Mainliner is THE best place to enjoy them.


6. Mary Kay has more lip stick colors than Carter has little pills.


7. We really are as young as we feel.


8. Time flies at the speed of light, especially on vacation.



9. Misty water-colored memories of the way we were become misty-er per each glass of wine.



10. I have the best friends in the world.

11. I really don't want to be a grocery schlepper the rest of my life.

COMING SOON...

Picture Postcards From The Edge (Of The Pool)

Silver Spring House: The Pictorial

And more...

:)

CINDERELLA SYNDROME

Coming home from a perfect vacation -- also known as "snapping back into reality" -- is no different than Cinderella's gorgeous gown suddenly morphing back to tattered rags at the stroke of midnight after the prince's ball, her beautiful coach once more a mere pumpkin.

Reality-- after vacating one's life and responsibilites for nearly 10 days -- bites.

"But it's not like this all the time," my friend Holly assured me before I left Cinci. "No one gets together unless you come to town."

And Linda swears she doesn't spend every waking, sunny hour by her pool, that life in Blue Ash, OH isn't all Starbucks Double Chocolate Chip Frappuccino Grandes and LaRosa's Pizza.

I know, I know.

But God, it was great to see everyone, to stop the dizzying carousel we call life, relax, laugh, have fun...and seeing Fountain Square and the rest of Cinci's downtown by horse-drawn carriage?

Like I always say, girls just wanna have fun. Especially 50-year-old girls.

Oh, well...

I must unpack my suitcase of memories, don my grocery schlepping garb, throw in a load of laundry...pay some bills... feed the cat...walk the dog...


Maestro, a little something from the Elton John 70s archives, please...

I hope the day will be a lighter highway
For friends are found on every road
Can you ever think of any better way
For the lost and weary travellers to go...

Making friends for the world to see
Let the people know you got what you need
With a friend at hand you will see the light
If your friends are there then everything's all right...

It seems to me a crime that we should age
These fragile times should never slip us by
A time you never can or shall erase
As friends together watch their childhood fly...

AND IT'S GOODBYE AGAIN...

Elton John was wrong.

He once crooned that "sorry seems to be the hardest word".

I disagree.

"Goodbye" is, hands down, the hardest word to utter...without bursting into tears...at least for me it is.

Today is my last full day in the Homeland...my stomach is in knots and I'm feeling a little anxious...

I officially began my goodbyes yesterday. My dear friend, Holly Berry (no lie) stopped by for an hour or two for a few final laughs and hugs and promises to do a better job of keeping in touch...

Tomorrow will be the tough one...I will not be boarding the plane dry-eyed.
Chances are, I might be pie-eyed...nah, just jokin'...I have to make sure I make my O'Hare to Des Moines connection...:)

Anyway...

They say home is where the heart is. Cinci is the home of my heart. It is where I grew up. It is where my lifelong girlfriends -- the ones who truly know me and all my issues and quirks and idiosyncracies and love me and stand by me anyway -- live.

My late mother's best friend, Dottie -- I still call her Mrs. B. (also known as my second mom) -- is under strict advisement to never move from her home because it is just like my childhood home, and still holds so many wonderful memories of all those innocent years spent there...it is as close to going home again as I can get.

I am going to Dottie's today...it is always a bittersweet experience.

(A side note: My old elementary school at the end of my old street has been bulldozed and replaced with a new modern building...a bit of a shock to my inner child, but time does march on...)

Last night, my friend Holly called after we said our goodbyes because she was at a birthday party attended by one of our old junior high teachers...Mr. Kerns was my 8th grade science teacher, and for the most part, he scared the hell out of me...but he was one of my favorite teachers...even though I hated science...

It was great to talk to him...yes, he remembered me...and I took the time to tell him how much I appreciated him as a teacher...not that hearing that will change his life or anything, but I am a firm believer that we really need to tell people how much we liked/loved/appreciated/learned from them when we have the chance because (enter Seals and Croft) we may never pass this way again.

In fact, for those who may not know this, I dubbed my trip to Cinci my "We May Never Pass This Way Again Whirlwind Summer Tour 2007"...I mean, geez, we all are turning 50...life's third act is underway...

Nancy, Chris, Brad....I know you think I'm crazy for worrying that one or more of us might not make it to the next reunion, but we still have THREE years...I'd rather hedge my bets and and I am glad, so glad, we could get everyone (that's anyone) from the Class of '75 together NOW! :)

Anyway...I still have 24 hours to relish my time here in Cinci...the pool is calling -- and my buddy Linda and I still have a few laughs and giggles to share.

Meanwhile, I must steel my heart for the inevitable...

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

Have you missed me?

I've been in Cinci -- my homeland --for a week -- lounging by the pool, seeing old friends, laughing, crying...

Possibly a key lime martooni, er, martini, or two...

Tonight a mini Class of 1975 reunion with a few OLD friends, trying to remember OLD times, ought to be fun....

As a side note: A belated so-long-been-good-to-know- to The Life of TLC... actually, it was a faithful Cinci blogger was the one to let me know of Tyler's decision to hit the ol' "delete" button. I hadn't been blogging for a week, so I was completely behind the times on all things Stuart...

Also, I had planned on waxing philosophical about my life as a blogger, etc., on July 15 -- the one-year anniversary of the creation of The Home Stretch...but I was busy tanning by the pool, laughing, crying, and enjoying a key lime martooni...etc., etc.

I am sure I will have more insight and philosophical wisdom following my journey to The Homeland, hours of mingling with my childhood peeps, and a belly full of Skyline Chili (two cheese coneys, mustard, no onion), a Frisch's Big Boy (with extra tartar sauce), and four White Castle sliders with extra pickles...good times, good times!

I've seen the downtown Cinci skyline, my old street, my old friends...and I must say, that for turning the Big 5-0 this year, we all look damn good.

I'll post some pics when I return...

I am at peace. I am one with the universe. I am on vacation.

Later!

IF ONLY I'D HAD ONE...

Pizza, pizza, pizza!

It's a good thing my 14-year-old son loves pizza, cuz that's about all I'm up for cookin' after a long day schlepping groceries at the local Super Valu.

Some might currently blame my hatred of cooking/baking on the relentless, sweltering heat. Who wants to turn on the oven when it's 88 degrees in the kitchen already? (Our air conditioning is on the fritz.)

But here's the truth...

I blame my lack of culinary ingenuity on the fact that I never had a Kenner Easy Bake Oven.

Never.

My childhood best friend, Valli, had an Easy Bake Oven, however.

And I was GREEN with envy. I loved spending the night at her house and "baking" by lightbulb one of those adorable little Easy Bake Oven Cakes.

It was too cool.

She also had the Barbie Dreamhouse, and some cool plastic go-go girl wigs for playing dress-ups. But the Easy Bake Oven was my heart's desire.

Seems I'm not the only Boomer gal -- or guy -- with fond memories of the Easy Bake Oven.

For a bittersweet stroll down Easy Bake memory lane, click here...

Have a great Wednesday!

CHANGE IS GOOD

If you've been hooked on The Eye, you need to check out The Voices of Stuart, Peg's new blog. I've added it to my links.

It looks great, and it's exciting to have a new Stuart news/discussion format to explore.

(Peg is a brave woman -- blogging all that is Stuart is not for the faint of heart...but she has proven herself up to the challenge.)

Speaking of exploring...

I spent the day exploring the new Walgreens in Carroll with a couple of girlfriends...you'd think I'd been on a cruise, I am so relaxed after a day at The Wall with my peeps...

Walgreens is a nice change from that other "Wal", if you catch my drift.

Change is good. Without it we die. And we miss out on some great makeup lines and nail polish colors, too...:)

CLOSURE AND THE ART OF MATCHING SOCKS

I am as excited as everyone else in the Stuart blogosphere to see the results of the "Name That Blog" contest as The Eye takes its rightful place in Stuart blog history and Peg's new blog is unveiled.

It's so much fun now to just read the blogs, observe the antics of some, and then walk away...shut off the computer...read a book...it is amazing to me how much free time I have to accomplish other things now that I am no longer blogging about Stuart.

Things like laundry...my family hasn't had matched socks in a year...now they do. Yee-hah!

Things like catching up with my friends -- OK, so I still didn't get my friend Linda's birthday card in the mail in time...some time/organizational deficiencies die hard.

I have, with my new-found extra time and the help of my loving sister, organized my closets, my kitchen cupboards, my bathroom shelves...a place for everything and everything in its place, as the old saying goes.

And I guess, on the eve (or close to) the unveiling of Peg's new blog, that's how I am looking at The Eye's "retirement", as it were. The Eye had its place, its time, its purpose, its glory, its good and bad times...it had a life of its own.

The Eye was not the first Stuart blog -- that honor goes to Nate Westre's Good Egg Gazette -- nor was it the last. But it stood out from the rest because it offered honest-to-God news reporting in blog format...citizen journalism. It also opened the door to some hard-hitting editorializing that cut to the chase on more than one issue.

Sure, it got people's dander up -- being forced to think, to face the truth, will do that.

It's only right-- and natural -- for Peg to create and continue her own brand, her own style, of blogging . It is the logicial and necessary next step.

Of course, I find so darn amusing those who would give their eye teeth if Peg could/would delete The Eye -- as if it never existed...you know, sort of like what young Mr.Coe did with his original blog...kept the site meter but ditched the reality...the good,the bad and the ugly that made up Stuart politics this past year.

Denial ain't just a river in Egypt, folks.

But I digress.

Indeed, it's time to close the door, turn the page, and start anew a fresh chapter in that whacky world we've all come to know and love as the Stuart blogosphere.

It's been a great place to visit -- and once upon a long time ago, I lived there.

It was real. And it was fun. And for the most part, it was real fun.

Goodbye, IEYE NEWS. Hello,??????

And the winning name is...

Meanwhile, I've got a rogue sock in need of a mate...gotta go!

TRY TO REMEMBER

SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT FAILURE

Seems one of my chicken-hearted anonymous Stuart detractors finds it great fun to leave snide comments on my Father's Day post since I blocked comments on the "Changing Of The Guard" piece.

Ah, the beauty of comment moderation...

But his or her most recent comment inspired me to write about the very thing he or she is ridiculing me for...namely, failure.

He or she infers -- and finds it "too funny"-- that (in his or her eyes, apparently) my stints at The Stuart Herald, The West Central Valley Voice,The Independent Eye, and my husband's stint in the Methodist Ministry, all failed.

Funny, but I don't see our experiences in those areas as failures at all.

My two years or whatever at The Herald were some of my most prolific years journalistically. I managed to write a weekly column every week -- no small feat -- and many people enjoyed my columns. I wrote about important issues of the day, and human triumph and tragedy,and even won third place in the Iowa Newspaper Association annual contest.

I was fired unfairly, and I believe it was the corporation that owned the paper at the time that eventually handed the paper back over to its owner because, indeed, IT failed to make a go of things.

The best part of being fired, of course, was that it fired me up to start The West Central Valley Voice...we grew the paper from scratch and in a very short time, sported a circulation of roughly 800 a week -- and all from our homes and in addition to our day jobs. We covered four communities like a blanket, and we scooped The Herald on every major story.

Of course, The Voice was never about making money...it was a moral victory and a journalistic labor of love like no other. The time it took to run the paper from the editing side, however, eventually took its toll on my health. And I had a choice to make...my health or the paper.

I chose my health.

It was not an easy decision. I loved The Voice. We all did. And we loved and are still very proud of what we accomplished in 2 1/2 years.

The Eye failed? Oh, reeeely? I dunno. More than 33,900 hits since its inception...and it's still up and running nearly a year later. Just because Suz and I decided it was time for us to move on and officially hand it over to Peg, does not constitute a failure. The Eye has evolved, and is still evolving...and growing by hundreds of hits practically every day.

As for the ministry...they crucified Jesus. Was his ministry a failure? I think not. We chose to leave the ministry for several reasons, but the lives my husband touched with his ministry were numerous. And you never really know how the spiritual seeds you plant grow. Yes, there were some tough times, and not everyone agreed with everything my husband said or did. I challenge you to show me a ministry where there aren't differing opinions and behind-the-pastor's-back murmuring. Such is life in the ministry, Methodist or otherwise.

Anyway, Anonymous, if your comments were meant to hurt my feelings, they did just the opposite.

Writing about my adventures in journalism and the ministry only makes me appreciate these life experiences even more. At least I've had the guts to take a few risks.

It's been a crazy ride. Wouldn't have missed any of it for the world.

Afterall, as someone once said...

"The only real failure in life is the failure to try."

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

Whew.

I feel like a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

My friend/co-blogger Susan and I have officially handed over The Independent Eye to our esteemed colleague, Peggy.

If not familiar with The Eye, click on the link and check it out. Start back in the archives, back to the beginning-- Aug.13, 2006. Interesting stuff. If you love soap operas, you'll love The Independent Eye.

The Eye was a creative experiment, and we accomplished what we set out to do -- shine some light on some dirty backroom politics taking place in Stuart, IA.

Our blogging didn't erase the dirty politics, as evidenced by more recent posts by our pal Peggy. But like shining a flashlight on cockroaches in the middle of the night, it made it harder for the dirty politicians to survive without scrambling for cover.

And now, we pass the flashlight to Peggy for good...

Ahhh. Sweet relief.

You see, if you read enough of the comments, and the other back-and-forth, you will discover that the nasty-stupid-call-them-what-you-will underbelly of the Stuart populace didn't much care for me and Suz. We hit a nerve, crossed their territory one too many times. They tried to run us out by degrading us and our families, and while we continually beat them over the head with the truth -- and the truth HAS prevailed -- the bottom line is...you can't fix stupid.

Irritating, like hemroids, is the best way to describe some of the "anonymous" commenters we were dealing with. I believe I called them "a brood of vipers" in my final comment the other day...

Anyway, our friend Peggy is a bright, intuitive, "here's what I think" kinda gal, and a helluva good writer. And to top it all off, she lives in Stuart, and commands the respect of the vipers. She is kickin' blog butt and takin' names...and more power to her.

It's just time for me and Suz to move on. To let Stuart politics go.

So we officially passed the torch.

Peggy's been carrying the blog on her own, really, for some time now.

The vipers are happy, and so are we.

Susan and I are proud of The Eye...we created it, we designed it, we gave hours and hours of our personal time to it...and we ferreted out the truth and blogged it, much to the chagrin of our detractors.

The dirty Stuart politics will go on -- they have for eons -- but no longer do they go on under cover of complete darkness. The Eye, from its start, provided a much-needed checks-and-balances look atthe local political issues, and now Peggy carries the torch.

What direction Peggy takes The Eye is her business.

Suz and I said what we had to say, when it needed to be said, and we leave The Eye on our grounds, at our timing, in the most capable, talented bloggng hands in Stuart.

Here's looking at you, Stuart! It's been real!

Blog on, Peg!

THINKING OF YOU, DAD

Maybe it was the fact that I could not recall my user name and password to sign in to my own blog.


Maybe it was the fact that it is June 17 and I have not posted since March.


Or maybe it's the new diet program I just joined.


I dunno.


I feel compelled to update my blog and start writing again.


Let's start with the June 17th angle...omigosh! It's Father's Day!


John's big present is letting him sleep in and not be responsible for pottying the puppy (a new addition to our family since my last post.) I've also promised him a foot rub...he's working three jobs right now and those dogs are darn tired.


Of course, a Father's Day doesn't go by that I don't miss my father, who died 10 years ago.


Not that we were particularly close...


In fact, I always wished that Hallmark would come out with a special line of holiday cards targeted for dysfunctional families. You know..."You were never really there for me, Dad, but gosh darn it, I love you! Happy Father's Day!"


Something like that.


Maybe a picture on the front of the card sporting an empty 12-pack of beer...


Not that I am bitter.


'Cuz the truth is, all parents damage their children in some respect. However, I know, at the ripe old age of almost-51 that most Dads -- and most Moms -- do the best they can with the parenting skills they have in raising their children.


Hey,Dads make mistakes. And children, bless their hearts, are forgiving, loving little creatures.


No matter what, your Dad is your Dad.


And, no matter what, and despite his shortcomings, he deserves a day to be celebrated.


Happy Father's Day, Dad!


I love you.

You who are on the road
Must have a code
that you can live by

And so become yourself
Because the past
is just a good bye.

Teach your children well,
Their father's hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picked, the one you'll know by.

Don't you ever ask them why,
if they told you, you would cry,
So just look at them and sigh...
and know they love you.

And you, of tender years,
Can't know the fears
that your elders grew by

And so please help them with your youth,
They seek the truth
before they can die.

Teach your parents well,
Their children's hell will slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picked, the one you'll know by.

Don't you ever ask them why,
if they told you, you would cry,
So just look at them and sigh...
and know they love you.

IT'S MY NEMESIS' BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday, Barbie!

Yes, today is the official "birthday" of everyone's favorite fashion doll -- Barbie.

I hate her.

Always have.

I think my late mother, God rest her soul, hated Barbie, too, cuz she never bought me one. Not one.

Oh, I had a Little Miss Revlon doll -- a hand-me-down from my older sis. And a Babette doll -- the cheap grocery store version of Barbie (yikes).

And I had a Tressy and a Francie -- all Barbie wannabes.

But no Barbie. Until I was 30, and my good friend Linda surprised me with my first Barbie.

Too late.

I stuck her in the attic.

Impossible fashion and figure standards hve been set by that woman -- and frankly, Barbie has not always been the brightest bulb in the pack. Yet somehow she's managed to have some of the most exciting and interesting careers...

How DOES she do it?

Well, more on my nemesis later.

Must get to my job...doubt very much you'll ever see a Grocery Schlepper Barbie...

WELL-BEHAVED WOMEN RARELY MAKE HISTORY

THANK GOD FOR CLARENCE BIRDSEYE

TV dinners.

Boil-in-bag lasagna.

Frozen pizza, waffles, pancakes.

Where would my family be today if not for the wonders of frozen food?

Starved, I tell you. We'd be be starved.

Well, not really. John is the cook in the family -- and an excellent one, I might add.

But those days when John is working overtime or out of town...and it's Mama's turn to cook...well, nothing beats a frozen Tony's Pizza.

Just ask my son, Daniel.

Let's just say that Clarence Birdseye, the beloved Father of Frozen Foods (he developed the flash-freeze method that makes all our lives a little easier today), is a patron saint at our house.

One of my husband's favorite memories from the early days of our marriage is the time he was bedridden up in our loft bedroom, and had to rely on me to bring him up a meal. What to do? Frozen boil-in-bag lasagna ( drop bag in boiling water for 5 min.), as it turns out, was the frozen food entree du jour.

Sad thing was, I was somehow distracted, boiled the sucker dry, and poor John was a mighty hungry man that night...

I believe that instance was the impetus for the Swanson HungryMan frozen dinner line, but I can't say for sure...

Anyway, today is National Frozen Food Day, so celebrate accordingly.

If your husband asks you out for a fancy dinner, protest alluringly and whisper seductively in his good ear, "Sorry, darling, but it's National Frozen Food Day. We're having Stouffer's Frozen Meat Lasagna."

And then watch the romantic sparks fly!