Disappearing Act

I have to apologize for my disappearing act, not just in posting but in visiting your blogs. I am missing you all, but between vacation, my husband's retirement, and church work, we are constantly on the run.

In fact, we've returned home from a great week with the family at Newport Beach just in time to begin preparing for what is literally the biggest assignment of our lives: feeding 2,500 young adults Sunday dinner for our segment of a youth conference that will be held statewide in California on the weekend of August 10th. Figuring out the logistics of that task is simply mind-boggling, and we are fully immersed in pricing, ordering, finding volunteers for the kitchen, and just plain preparing ourselves psychologically to get the job done. To be honest, both of us are nervous wrecks. (Can you say deer in the headlights?...to say nothing of the blind leading the blind?) Seriously, we don't have a clue! Loaves and fishes, anyone??

We do look forward to the conference, though, and since one of our own sons will be among the beneficiaries, we do have a dog in the race. Lots of them, actually, if you count everyone in my husband's congregation. This is a wonderful chance for all these young people to get together, meet new people, and have the kind of spiritual experiences they need. I know we will love being a part of it, especially once all of this preliminary food planning has been done.

Saturday we will be in Tahoe, where the hubby will perform a marriage ceremony for two of our son's best friends. We will also visit my brother and his wife, who were married last year. They are a rather well-merged "Brady Bunch" family, and I am looking forward to seeing their newly remodeled house. (They were bursting at the seams and had to do some serious expanding!)

On the home front, I am enjoying Dave's retirement so far, and so is he. What a pleasure it is to be able to wake up with the luxury of planning our day together. We haven't quite gotten the rhythm down yet (hence my recent tendency to lag in blogging and commenting), but we will sure have fun figuring it all out as we go along!

Life is good, albeit a little hectic. At least we're in demand, right? (Not bad for a couple of old geezers like us...)

;)

Just Say Ruby's

Our family is always jonesing for Ruby's burgers.

 And we kinda like the shakes, too.

 Best thing of all, of course, is the location, location, location.

 Right on the pier.

 But that doesn't take Todd's mind off the food...or Jeremiah's, either.

 On the way home, we enjoy the sunset.

Which is always a beautiful sight over the ocean...

=)

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A Very Good Morning Indeed

Here we are again, hanging out at the beach house and ready to have lots of fun with the family this week. As we left for church this morning, this was the view from our front porch. Not a bad way to start the day, eh?

If my blogging is a little less predictable for the near future, I know you'll understand...

;)

Infatuation with the Sea

Infatuation with the Sea

©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson

The members of my family

are all convinced, and quite agree

that there is no match for the sea

in bringing joy to you and me.

Exhilarating is the word.

The music of the waves is heard. 

And treasure troves can oft be found

where rocks and sand and shells abound.

There's no place better to explore,

 

to think upon great things in store...

small wonders, scattered hither and yon...

with someone near to cheer you on.

So much to see, so much to do

so many hidden thrills for you...

Look well, and you are bound to find

surprises that delight your mind.

The miracles lie everywhere

in gifts of nature, made to share.

Sea magic. It's for everyone,

 

with lots of room beneath the sun,

plenty of hugs from Mom and Dad,

and more fun than you've ever had!

So jump right in, the water's fine.

You'll never have a better time.

A day at the ocean is sublime!

photos by tendershootz

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Fade to Gray

artwork by Jack Vettriano

Fade to Gray

©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson

Veiled in dreams that once came true,

the memories steal over you.

They cross your face, invade your space,

leave little sense of time or place.

You gaze upon a graying sky,

see darkly through a curtained glass

and ask yourself each question why,

while letting every answer pass.

You're all dressed up, nowhere to go.

A world is aching for your touch.

You're Jane Doe waiting for Godot,

as empty as the purse you clutch.



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The End Game

Jenny's allowing us 103 words to develop our Saturday Centus offerings this week, and you'll find the prompt embedded (with red print) in the story below. As you can see, I decided to set the poetry aside for a change...

∞§∞

The End Game

Serena learned to hate his explanations. Once, she might have admitted they were clever; now she recognized them as variations on the same theme: "It's not my fault."

Listening, she could almost predict the next sentence, the next argument, the next justification.

"The girl was in a rough patch, that's all. I felt sorry for her...everyone did. I'm just the one who stepped up. She's nothin' to me. You gotta know that."

"I don't gotta know that. Or anything else." She turned away, fully and finally repulsed.

He clutched desperately at her arm. "Wait! There's more!"

"Not for me," she said.

Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite!

When I was a young girl, my mother always used to send me off to sleep at night with the phrase, "Good night. Sleep tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite!" Of course, when I asked her for further details, she explained to me that there were no bed bugs anymore, but that they had once been quite a problem for people. I was glad to hear these pests were a thing of the past, and my only brush with them was as cute cartoon characters with big eyes and shoes.

Sadly, times have changed, and bed bugs are becoming very much a part of the present. It's time for all of us to be aware that these little buggers can hitchhike into our homes in luggage, furniture, bedding, and clothing...and while anyone who travels is at particular risk, no one is immune. A common place to pick them up is in a hotel room (and they are as plentiful in posh hotels as less posh), but the cargo areas in an airplane can expose you, too. Visitors to your home may bring them along with their suitcases or belongings, and clothing ordered online or purchased in a store might be infested as well. (Many people are putting their new clothing in the dryer on high for 30 minutes right away to kill any insects that may be lurking there.) Used furniture can be a problem, too. Bed bugs have also been found in movie theaters, retail stores, office buildings, restaurants, etc.

It's a major issue all over the country, and these pesky little varmints are extremely difficult to eradicate (as in nigh on to impossible). Apparently it is now against the law to use the insecticides that once wiped them out, with frequent and global travel being another factor. At any rate, those who manage to rid themselves of the critters do so at great expense and hours upon hours of cleaning and heating and alcohol wiping of their belongings. Even then, a stray or two can escape and start the whole nightmare all over again. Of course, this is even worse in an apartment building or dorm, where the spread goes easily from unit to unit.

With that in mind, it seems to me that prevention is the way to go. Because my hubby and I will be traveling a lot more now that he's retired, I just purchased a packtite, which is essentially an enclosed heater that kills bedbugs. After each trip, I am placing my luggage in it to make sure I don't bring any little friends into my living space. It wouldn't hurt to have kids who are home from school or travels do the same before bringing their belongings into your house. And why not packtite new clothes, too? It's easy enough to do. It's also easy to check out every hotel room prior to unloading your stuff there––looking behind the bed board, under the mattress, and in the nightstands. If you see any signs of infestation, simply refuse the room and go elsewhere. Better a few minutes of easy prevention than months of eradication effort with no sure success.

Anyway, just wanted to share what I've learned with all of you! Better safe than sorry comes to mind, as does forewarned is forearmed. To say nothing of an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And maybe even the early bird catches the worm (or bed bug, as the case may be). Enough axioms for you?? Okay. Done!

;)

A Happy Hello

IT'S A JENNY SIGHTING!!!

Couldn't quite decide which pic I liked most...

so you're getting both!

Guess who got to bid a happy hello to our friend Jenny (the beautiful gal on the right) last Tuesday? Yep, it was yours truly. Too bad I didn't get in the picture...But my hubby did, and so did Jenny's friend Sue and her darling daughters. We all met up at Gayle's Bakery in Capitola, California. Good eats and even better company!

And yes, she's every bit as much fun in person.


Holla, Jenny!

;)

To Every Thing...A Season

Chilmark Hay, 1951 by Thomas Hart Benton

To Every Thing…A Season

©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson

From break of dawn till setting sun,

he worked until the work was done.

No perks, no flex-time, no review,

just midday sun and morning dew.

He broke the ground and planted deep,

sowed only seeds he chose to reap,

petitioned God to fill his plate,

and thanked Him for the food he ate.

With plow and pasture as world view,

his was a simple time...and true.
•••
Sad seeds of change are ours to reap,
a time to lose, a time to weep,
a time to mourn what time won't keep . . .
the work-worn hands, the weathered face,
the sense of self, the sense of place,
the land, the innocence, the grace.

To every thing, there is a season...and a time to every purpose under the heaven.
Ecclesiastes 3:7

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Opposites Attract

The inimitable Jenny Matlock set us up with a little "He said, She said" prompt today, and we're even allowed to split it! As you can see, I decided to have some fun with that notion...

 


Opposites Attract

©2012 Susan Noyes Anderson

He said yes. She said no.

She said high. He said low.

He said dark. She said light.

She said wrong. He said right.

Marry me, he finally said.

She nodded. He shook his head.

He said no and she said yes.

Isn't this a crazy mess?

Geology Psychology

©1993 Susan Noyes Anderson

In Geology Psychology,

the elements are real.

You dig down deep, then analyze

each feeling that you feel.

Is it cold or hard or shiny,

satin smooth, sandpaper rough?

Is it dense or is it porous?

Pure, or mixed with other stuff?

Is it fossilized? Volcanic?

 Did it simmer underground,

moving slowly toward the surface

till the day that it was found...

 acted on by heat and pressure

radiating from the core,

fiery source of hidden answers

most of us are looking for?

It’s Geology Psychology.

It helps you to get real.

(Assuming you can figure out

exactly what you feel.)
;)

“The only journey is the journey within.”
Rainer Maria Rilke


“Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive...” 
Sigmund Freud


Your vision will be come clear only when you can look into your own heart.
Carl Jung


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