Catch It If You Can

     Sometimes I feel like I go through life chasing something that I'm never quite sure what it is but knowing that it forever eludes me.   

     Felix, my cat, has a favorite toy.  It's a silver mouse that shines a lazer light he sees on the floor as a red dot.  He would chase it for hours if I would sit and play with him that long.  The more I move the light around the harder he chases it, running around tables, jumping on chairs, anywhere I shine that little red dot.   You would think he would eventually figure out that he's never going to catch that dot but instead he will sit beside my chair and beg for me to shine that little light.  He never seems to tire of chasing it.

      Some days I really feel like that sums up my entire life;  always chasing that elusive red dot.  For me, that dot may take on different forms at any given time, changing constantly, but always elusive.   Will I ever catch it?   I'm not sure.

     Until I figure out just what it is I'm chasing in this circus we call life, I'll continue to follow the bouncing ball...running in circles, always trying to get ahead, whatever that means.   Maybe I'm not suppose to know what I'm chasing.  Maybe if we figured out what makes us tick we would lose all interest.  Maybe, like Felix, the chase is the fun of the game.  .

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat

Never Enough

     My grandchildren are my pride and joy, just like their father.  I love spending time with them and consider that time my most precious commodity.   There just isn't enough of it.

     My husband and I aren't those grandparents who are lucky enough to be there for everything their grandkids do as they grow up.  We miss out on so much of their lives because they live too far away.  We can't jump in the car and go to their ballgames and be back home by bedtime, or go to their school plays and be back in time for my husband to milk the cows.  It's just too far.

     Therefore, the time we do spend with them is so important; every moment is precious. They love to come stay with granny and grandpa.  Like most kids, they especially like to come when their mom and dad aren't with them.  They love to get out on grandpa's farm, and, like their granny, they like to play games. 

     They are growing up so fast it seems like they grow a foot each time I see them.  Now, with Jake turning 14 in Nov. and Nic already 10, they won't be little long.  I just hope they never outgrow coming to granny and grandpa's.   No matter how old they get, they will always be my pride and joy, just like their dad.

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat

Seeing Double

     Way back when my son was a baby and I was much younger I always thought it would be neat to have twins.  I could just imagine the great fun I would have dressing them alike, and what close buddies they would be as they grew.  Sadly, to my husband's great relief, it just wasn't meant to be.

      Since then, I have always admired women who did have twins.  With age comes wisdom and I have realized just how hard it is.  It takes a lot of strength and stamina as well as love and patience to keep up with two at the same time.   It seems like when one gets hungry they both get hungry; when one cries they both cry.  It takes a special mother to pull it off and I have a deep appreciation of those who manage.  

     Last February our family was blessed with a set of beautiful twins.  Meet my great nephews, Carson and Mason...

 They are absolutely adorable (if I do say so myself), and my niece does an amazing job with them.  I have seen her perform quite a juggling act getting them fed and changed; but she takes it all in stride and never misses a beat.  

     I'm not sure I could have handled two of them as well.  I certainly would have had the love, but I'm not so sure if my patience would have held out.  I think I'm glad I'll never have to find out.  But it sure is fun to be able to play with them and then send them home!

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat

        

Not So Bad...Yet

     Today was my first day of physical therapy on my now healing broken ankle.  I must say, I approached it with much fear and trepidation.  After being immobile for almost 8 weeks I just knew that first movement was going to be excruciatingly painful.    I also knew that enduring this pain was my only chance of finally getting rid of "the boot"; that ugly, heavy, uncomfortable, and by now very smelly knee high boot that kept my ankle immobilized.

     Now don't get me wrong, I am no wimp when it comes to pain.  I pride myself in having a very high threshold of tolerance and I have the battle scars to prove it.  For years I have dealt with pain on a daily basis because of degenerative disc disease, five spine surgeries and multiple forms of arthritis.  All that aside, I still dreaded this physical therapy.

     Since I can't drive until I get "the boot" off, my niece took me to the pt office this afternoon.  That has been the toughest part of all this, being stuck at home and not able to drive.  I hate losing my independence, but that's another story.  Back to the pt office...

     First, the therapist took off "the boot" and my sock; then proceeded to evaluate the extent of the weakness and stiff muscles in my ankle.   So far not too bad.

     Then he began to massage and work out the stiffness - a little worse, but still not too bad.

     Then came the exercises...and that was...still not too bad!   I was expecting it to be much worse than it turned out to be.  It was a pleasant surprise. 

     I anticipate that as the sessions continue they will get a little more intense.  That's the necessary cost in order to regain my mobility and freedom.  No one ever said life would be easy.  But who knows, maybe I'll  be pleasantly surprised.

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat

    

For Mom's Love of Cooking

  This post was originally written on 9/19/2011, two months after my mom was killed unexpectedly in a car accident.  I still miss her terribly.  In honor of Mother's Day and GenFabs bloghop, I decided to repost it in memory of mom.  As a note of update, my sister's and I have not finished the cookbook but have plans to do so very soon.


     My mom was a famous cook.   Maybe not famous in the terms that you think of Paula Deen (whom mom loved!), or Wolfgang Puck; but she was certainly well known in a certain area of southern Indiana, and a small county in Kentucky.

     Mom spent a major portion of her life cooking in restaurants.  Sometimes it was her own and sometimes she worked for other people.  Either way, she was known for her wonderful home cooking.  

     I can remember sitting down to home cooked family meals as a very young child thinking my mom was the best cook in the whole world.  Every Easter she would make us a chocolate cake in the shape of a lamb, covered with fluffy white frosting and coconut.  Those were special times.

Me & sister Jane with our lamb cake

     As I got older, we spent more and more time at the restaurant mom owned called the Mill Inn.  It was the local hangout for all the kids in the evenings and all the coffee drinkers in the mornings.  Everyone, no matter what age loved mom and her cooking.  

     Mom passed her love of cooking down to her daughters in varying degrees, but we all inherited at least part of her skills.  Some of us just enjoy it more than others (there are 4 of us).  No matter how hard we try, though, some things never seem to taste like mom's.

     Last spring, my sisters and I decided to record our legacy of cooking for our children.  We decided to write a cookbook.  This book would record mom's best recipes, our recipes and a short family history.  We began and I spent several phone calls collecting information from mom and dad for our history pages.  I am so glad I did.

     Mom won't get to see the finished product.  For those of you who are new to my blog, mom was killed in a car accident on July 7th of this year.  We are more determined than ever to finish what we started.   It will now be a memorial to honor the woman who taught us not only the love of cooking, but simply, how to love.   

     Mom was not only a great cook, she was a great mother and a true friend.  I miss her terribly.  I will always be thankful that she instilled in me a love of cooking.  That is a legacy that will live on as my sisters and I pass it down to our children.  Mom would be so proud.

Brenda #3, Me #2, Mom, Jane #1, and Tina #4

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat

Can You Spell RIVALRY?

          B

          O

              G A M E

          R

                           D R A M A

     My sisters and I have always been obsessed with playing board games; especially word games and trivia.  Needless to say, we are all very competitive.  In other words, we like to win.   

     Any chance we get to be together we pull out the board games.  Over the years we've had many favorites but some of the best are Scrabble, Scattergories, Balderdash, Trivial Pursuit and Boggle.  In case you missed it in the first line, we really like word games and trivia.

     Today one of my sisters (the oldest one) and my niece came out and the 3 of us played 3 new games.  The first one my niece had brought.  It was called Banana grams and by the time we finished I felt like I was going bananas.  It was so much fun!  I loved it!  It is so fast paced that one minute you think you are doing great and the next minute you are way behind...all in the blink of an eye.  We played several rounds of it and I finally managed to win one.  Cheri, being the youngest pretty much wiped up the floor with me and Jane.  It takes a quick mind and nimble fingers (being able to spell helps too).

     Next, we played two of my games; one I had played before and one I hadn't played yet.  First, we played the one I had not.  It was a trivia game called Bezzerwizzer (who comes up with these names!).  Cheri beat us at that too!  Who thinks up all these trivia questions?  And who ever heard of most of the answers?  Even though I couldn't win at that either I will have to say I like the game.  How else can you learn all these useless facts that you will never use. Do you know what a super nova is?  Great way to spend an afternoon.

    The last game we played was called Name 5.  Sounds easy enough.  Someone gives you a category and in 30 seconds you name 5 things that belong in that category.  No problem if your category is crayon colors - red, blue, yellow, green, and orange.  But what if your category is name 5 things written by Edgar Allen Poe, or,  name 5 Shakespeare plays...can you do it in 30 seconds?    

     Who can name 5 ways to say goodnight in 30 seconds?

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat  

Angels Among Us

 Dedicated to some special friends.

        I've always believed there are everyday angels among us.  Ordinary people who just go about their daily lives and never think twice about helping out a friend or a neighbor; never expecting anything in return.   One example is my good friend Peg.  Yesterday, when I couldn't find any of my family members to take me to the doctor, Peg was glad to do it and wouldn't take anything in return.  That's just her giving nature, which I've always admired in her. And that brings me to the special angels that I believe are among us.

     For 42 years my friend Peg had the awesome privilege of caring for one of those special angels.  Though many people may have considered this a curse rather than a blessing, Peg embraced the challenge with her whole heart.  She and their entire family's dedication to him was amazing and an inspiration to us all.  His name was Scot.  

      Scot was the most special angel I have ever met.  He was the darling of the whole town and beyond, loved by all.  He was a miracle child who doctors said would never live past 6 years.   God had another plan.  Scot lived to be 42 years old.  And in that 42 years he touched the lives of more people than most so called "normal" or healthy people.  He taught us all how to live and to love.

      Scot never walked, drove a car, or played sports like other kids, yet he never felt deprived or angry.  He never met a stranger and loved everyone unconditionally.  Once he knew you he never forgot you.   All you had to do was walk up behind him and say one word and he would call you by name.  He also never forgot anything he heard so occasionally his language got a little salty at inappropriate times (much to the chagrin of his mother).  But that only made him all the more endearing.  Scot loved going to church and singing the hymns.  He could often be heard singing at the top of his lungs, no matter where he was.  He loved his Lord and he wasn't afraid to let everyone know it.  If only we all could be that unhindered.

     I truly believe Scot was one of God's special angels; sent here to touch the lives of so many people.  Everyone knew and loved Scot.  He never once thought of himself as different, or handicapped.  He loved life and loved people.  He was the happiest person I ever met and you couldn't walk away from him without feeling blessed.  He had an infectious laugh.   He taught me so much.

     We lost Scot 5 years ago last week.  I know his family still miss him.  They are very special people and I am grateful to count them as friends.  After all, God wouldn't trust just anyone to care for his special angels.

Until next time...that's my view.

Kat