True Grit

I missed Jenny Matlock's Saturday Centus yesterday because I was on the road, returning home from our Newport Beach family reunion. Just had to give it a go this morning, because the prompt was such fun: a picture instead of words, and it recalled a memory I thought would be fun to share in verse. (I spent part of my childhood living in the desert, and this one's based on a true story!)

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True Grit
©2011 Susan Noyes Anderson



I'll make a bet with you, Dad said.
(The desert heat was roasting.)
I'll cook your breakfast right out here.
I thought that he was boasting.

Why, everybody knows that eggs
can't fry up on the ground.
But I was wrong; I knew it when
I heard that sizzling sound.

I looked down, and my jaw dropped.
I cried out with sheer delight.
That egg was frying on the sidewalk!
What an awesome sight.

Dad handed me a fork, and
my enthusiasm fled.
I take my eggs with hash browns,
but he gave me grit(s) instead.

∞§∞

PS. Last chance to participate in my 900th post giveaway, which ends tonight at 11:59 PM. Just leave a comment here to throw your hat in the ring.

Fish, Food, and Fire Pits

Fishing off the pier is lots of fun.

And so is eating at Ruby's diner.

Roasting marshmallows and wolf 'ems is a good time, too.

(Jeremiah lips are wearing some of the evidence.)

Don't I have good-looking grandkids?!

;)

PS. To enter my 900th post giveaway, just leave a comment over here.

Ode to the Ocean

Forget all your troubles, and come out with me

for a day by the ocean, a day by the sea.

You can walk on the sand with the breakers quite near

or gaze out contentedly over the pier;

but no matter your viewpoint, the tides and the swells

will remind you of secrets your heart rarely tells.

(Oh, happy the family that by the sea dwells!)

for more O posts, click below

PS. To enter my 900th post Expect a Miracle giveaway, leave a comment here.

Just Our Cup(cake) of Tea

Check out the cute cupcakes my sister sent Todd the day he found out he would still be going to medical school in August. It was such a neat surprise to see them arrive, and they tasted every bit as good as they look!

Don't you love the way the bakery wrote a message on top of them?

=)

PS. To enter my 900th post Expect a Miracle giveaway, just leave a comment here.

Sun, Sand, and a Giveaway

My view looks pretty sunny these days, which makes me want to celebrate 900 posts at Sue's News, Views 'n Muse with a little giveaway.

Since life's been handing out miracles, I've decided to give one BIG prize this time to one LUCKY winner. (And then I promise never to talk about miracles again. Well, not for a while, anyway.) Below is the piece of art from Etsy that will go to the commenter whose name is drawn from my loverly red bowl. All you do to participate is make a comment on this post and be (or become) a follower. Easy!

(FYI, the buddha is just window dressing.)

I'm not sure how the artist does it, but the plaque is a piece of mahogany painted to look like stone. Pretty cool. It can hang either outside or in the house.

Thanks to all of you for being such wonderful readers. Writing my blog, along with reading yours, is one of my favorite hobbies. This party couldn't happen if you didn't come, and I'm ever so grateful that you do!

The giveaway will end Sunday night (July 31st) at 11:58 PM, and I will announce the winner Monday morning. Good luck, y'all.

=)

for more happiness, click below

Beach Boy

Beach life has returned to normal now that the crisis with Todd has passed, except for the fact that he has lots to do and has to leave us a little more than he (or we) would like. But hey, we can put up with that small sacrifice, right?

As you can see, my great nephew Sullivan is hanging out with the fam, and that child continues to amaze his doctors in every way. He is not only a blessing, but a bit of a miracle.

(We like miracles around here...)

=)

Walk Tall

I am even happier than I usually am to play Saturday Centus today, because I am even happier than I usually am, period. And I still have a whole week of beach time ahead of me! This makes me a very lucky person, and so does the fact that Jenny has given her Centusians a prompt that suits me to a "T." (15 words plus the prompt, highlighted in red, below.)

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"Walk tall; you're a daughter of God."

Before I die, I want to prove to myself irrefutably that I am the person the Lord already knows I am.

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Here Comes the Sun!

Okay, everyone. I'm sorry to have been so mysterious, but I just couldn't bring myself to talk about what was going on without knowing the resolution. And now we DO know it. And it is the BEST NEWS EVER!!!

A week ago yesterday, we learned that there was a problem in Todd's application for medical school (an unintentional one on his part, but serious). This called his very admittance into question, and he was told by the Dean that it "didn't look good." In fact, there was a real possibility that his acceptance was going to be rescinded.

Anyway, we just learned that the committee has decided NOT to rescind his acceptance (woo-hoo!), and he will indeed be attending medical school in August as planned. I'm not sure I have ever been happier, and I want to thank each and every one of you for your prayers and well wishes, because I truly believe they have made the difference. A little miracle has been wrought in our family, and we are grateful.

You are a wonderful group of friends, and we thank you for rooting for our Todd!

Life is good.

We are blessed.

=)

No News Is No News: Limbo Time!

We are still waiting in limbo land here. Apparently we should have an answer to our week-long ordeal tomorrow. Needless to say, we are praying like crazy that things go our way. (And if they don't, that we will find the strength to rally.)

It's hard to feel so powerless, but we know the Lord knows what He's doing (or not doing).

Thanks for the great support you've all been this week.

=)

Click below for more N posts.

A Bit of Comic Relief

Why Me?

©1992 Susan Noyes Anderson

Of all the people

in the world

millions of guys

zillions of girls

of all the animals

there are

from Timbuktu

to Zanzibar

of all the statues

ever raised

to villains feared

or heroes praised

of all the buildings

ever built

that stand up straight

or even tilt

of all the car tops

ever made

from fiberglass

to steel

to suede

why did it have to

land on me

not on the ground

not on a tree

not on the street

or at my feet

but on my head

with liquid dread

I must exclaim

at the deadly aim

of the dreadful turd

of that dreadful bird

I hope this silly verse doesn't offend anyone. I wrote it almost 20 years ago when I was feeling particularly sorry for myself after my hysterectomy, which did not go well. (Surgical menopause = not a good thing.) Way back then, writing this childish poem with a bit of crudity thrown in for good measure made me laugh. It still does.

It also makes me remember that braving bird-filled skies is part of the package here on earth. And I sure wouldn't want to give up the beautiful music they bring with them!

Signing out. At the beach. Still on pins and needles...

"/

A Not So Jolly Holiday

Still no resolution this morning.

Sometimes I wish we could take a holiday from those times in life when dreams are breaking on the sand and hope is water, slipping through our fingers. But living was never meant to be a smooth ride, was it? And tender mercies glisten in the sun.

We're counting on those warm and tender mercies.

Life's a Beach?

Here I am at the beach with my sister and two of my sons, enjoying the sea breeze and basking in good company.

I'm not ready to talk about it yet, but something big and potentially unpleasant is going on in my life. The resolution, one way or another, will come today...and I will probably deal with it in my post tomorrow.

In the meantime, if you have prayers to spare, would you please direct them at my youngest son? I can promise you that he is very deserving of them.

Thanks.

And thanks for always being there.

=)

Come Into My Parlor...OOPS

OOPS. I really AM getting old, because somehow I read Jenny's instructions and thought she said we could add 25 additional words to our usual 100! On second look (and after I had already written this poem), I finally got the message. 30 words only. *sigh*

Be that as it may, we drove all day to get to the beach, and I am way too tired to write another, so please forgive this overlong Centus. I promise to make next week's extra short to redeem myself. (The prompt is in red.)

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Come Into My Parlor

©2011 Susan Noyes Anderson

"I'm not getting any younger,"

said the spider to the fly.

When into my web you blunder,

could you let me know you're nigh?

My eight eyes are growing dimmer,

My eight legs are growing lame.

This arachnid's getting slimmer.

(I'm not saying you're to blame.)

But if you would be my dinner,

it would be so awfully nice.

As a meal you'd be a winner.

You won't have to ask me twice.

I will open wide for you, dear.

I will savor every bite.

It's a lovely thing you do, dear.

Thanks for dropping in. G'night!

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Brain Drain

I'm willing to bet that my brain used to be larger than the inch or so pictured here, but I have clear evidence that it is indeed shrinking. (Or maybe the correct word would be shriveling.) Either way, you can be sure that I find the whole experience shattering, shocking, and shameful...including but not limited to the shortcomings that accompany it. (As you can see, the ability to alliterate is not among those shortcomings.)

not yet, anyway

Sadly, the ability to choose the word I want, when I want it, definitely IS among them. And then some. I never imagined that my once fertile mind would be dependent upon a thesaurus to find the word I was looking for, but these days I find myself tethered to that tome constantly. Where are those easily produced words of yesteryear, tripping from my tongue, pen, and keyboard like streams of sparkling water, flowing freely? Oh, how the mighty have fallen! These days I can't come up with le mot juste to save my life. Not that I don't know what it is...oh, I know all too well exactly what it is. The problem is that I can't come up with it...And no other word will do.

*sigh*

It's...

(Cue frenzied, impatient search through thesaurus here.)

Ahhh, yes. Discombobulating. To say nothing of flummoxing, befuddling, and downright flabbergasting.

Gingko biloba, anyone?

;)

I'm hitting the beach next week (poor hubby has to stay home), so please bear with me if I'm a bit irregular about my posting!

Marriage: A Family Is Born

A Family Is Born

©2011 Susan Noyes Anderson

Man and woman.

Heaven’s grace

reaching, touching

altar’s lace.

Gift of God,

the sealing power.

Life eternal

from that hour

is theirs. A prize

to lose or keep

by covenant

that runs heart-deep.

A family born.

A promise sure.

If man and woman

but endure.

His seed also will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven.

Psalms 89:29

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Trees Breathe Life; Don't Kill Them

Sorry to jump on my tree bandwagon again so soon, but I am hopping mad. I just learned that a beautiful spot near my home has been basically clear-cut of 15 oak trees as part of a project to build condominiums. This news is bad enough in itself, but what makes it worse is the fact that when this whole thing came before the city council, careful care was taken to preserve these beautiful oaks. Somehow, these (insert expletive here)developers, who purchased the land and plans from the organization that originally presented this (now) travesty to the council, decided to totally ignore the caveat to protect these trees and just ripped them out.

Oh sure, they have the oaks boxed, and they intend to "replant" them, but replanting hardly ever takes with trees this age...And all of this was done undercover, so that no one found out about it until after the fact. Many people who live in and love this village are devastated, myself included.

Surprisingly enough, they did leave the redwoods. Maybe those are considered more "commercial."

*sigh*

How can people be so cavalier about such majestic creations? The live oak in my yard is like an old friend, and its presence is felt by us every day. That now denuded hollow was sacred ground; I really believe that. And anyone who ever walked through there could feel it.

Honestly, I could beat those people up right now. I'm not even kidding.

"/

All for One and One for All

Whether you're sharing a lifeguard tower

or a campfire,

growing up with siblings is a happy blessing.

photos by tendershootz

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HOPE YOU HOP ON OVER TO BAKOW BOOK BABBLE TO

READ AND PARTICIPATE IN THE DISCUSSION I'M LEADING ON

JAMIE FORD'S HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET!

Strawberry Fields Forever

Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to...

strawberry fields. Nothin' is real,

and nothin' to get hung about.

Strawberry fields forever.

Living is easy with eyes closed,

misunderstanding all you see.

It's getting hard to be someone,

but it all works out.

It doesn't matter much to me.

Strawberry fields forever!

PHOTOS BY TENDERSHOOTZ

Grow Old with Me

Jenny made a few threats about rocking our boats today with the Saturday Centus. Happily, she relented and offered the usual 100 words and a prompt (in red, below) that will raise no eyebrows.

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Grow Old with Me

©2011 Susan Noyes Anderson

Mornings were brutal. He woke up half of a pair, then remembered all over again that part of his fraction had vanished.

Nights were worse. Spending long days picking up shards and shavings of misery (as he did) made it hard to put them down again. Too hard. So he took the lot to bed, sorting with bare hands, hoping to discard at least a few–the ones that pierced and made him bleed. Ragged ones, with unforgiving edges.

Above the headboad, a sign of the times (other, better times) mocked him. And the sign read, “Grow old with me; the best is yet to be.”

She hadn’t.

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Cary Was SO Very...

Smooth, suave, sophisticated, and absolutely gorgeous!

(Classic and timeless, too.)

Is anybody else out there a Cary Grant fan? I am, and this is a picture of him next to his daughter, Jennifer, who has written a memoir about him entitled Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant. Apparently, he retired at age 62 and spent the last 20 years of his life helping to raise his daughter, though his marriage to her mother (Dyan Cannon) ended in 1969, three years after his only child's birth.

Ms. Grant shares fond memories of her famous father, who was apparently devoted to his only child. By her own account, as described in People magazine, he "picked up young Jennifer at school, read to her, taught her life lessons, saved every photo, souvenir and scrap of paper that that two of them shared," and catalogued them. In fact, many details of the book are based upon carefully kept memorabilia preserved by this proud dad.

I haven't read the memoir, but I think I will, because Cary Grant was a great favorite of mine. Some of his best and brightest movies were Topper, Bringing Up Baby, Holiday, His Girl Friday, The Philadelphia Story, Arsenic and Old Lace, The Bishop's Wife, Room for One More, To Catch a Thief, An Affair to Remember, House Boat, Operation Petticoat, North by Northwest, That Touch of Mink, Charade, Father Goose, Walk Don't Run. I especially loved him with Katherine Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Audrey Hepburn, Loretta Young, and Doris Day...but he made every costar look good!

I think his role as Dudley the angel in The Bishop's Wife may have charmed me the most (David Niven was no slouch either), but every one of the movies listed above was enchanting. In fact, I plan to steep myself in sweet, sighing nostalgia by renting them all again this summer. Wanna join me?

;)