Kids Say the Darndest Things...

I am one of those people who actually take delight in reading peoples' Christmas letters, and I enjoy sending one of my own. Those who know me will know it wasn't filled with all good news this year (we had a rather expensive autumn).

I'd like to share some of the gems I've come across in a couple letters we received this year:

"R. has just learned where meat comes from, and keeps asking for 'killed pig sandwich.'"

"Before we know it, we will be teaching them to drive...Although J. has already had to launch a pre-emptive strike on that front after M. (4 years old) asked if he could "go out and start the car" as we were getting ready to go to the store. What followed was a very serious conversation about only grown-ups with the "special card with their picture on it" are ever allowed to put the keys in the car and start it. We are praying that the threat of "the Police Man catching him" has scared him to the point that we will not have to broach the topic again until the teen years... just in case we put the keys out of reach."

Thanks for those contributions and keep them coming!

Hats off to Local Theatre Groups

This weekend I had the pleasure of taking in two excellent, albeit brief, theatre productions in my current hometown of Hilliard, Ohio.

The first was a very much abridged version of "A Christmas Carol." Because it was such a small group of actors, many played more than one role (i.e. some were carolers as well as characters in the play). Not only was the caliber of acting and singing quite excellent (particularly the difficult British accents - nailed them!), the set and costume design was top notch as well. Kudos to the Hilliard Arts Council for a very enjoyable 40 minute production.

Later that evening I went to my first ever production of "James and the Giant Peach" by the Bread and Circus Theatre Company, which was held in the Harmony Arts Center. Due to the small size of the room, one could call it "intimate theatre." Being on a tight budget, the theatre group relied on miming actions where sets and props weren't available. It requires a little imagination on the part of the audience, but seems to work nonetheless. These actors seemed to be cut from the same cloth as the previous group in that all were excellent with almost flawless performances. The boy who played James was particularly precocious and I look forward to seeing him in more performances in the future. The centipede, who probably had more lines than just about everyone, managed to get them all out without a single flub. At $12 for an hour long performance, it was perhaps a bit pricey, but considering there was no cost (other than either a cash, food or toy donation) for "A Christmas Carol," I felt I got my money's worth for both performances.

Pros and Cons of Winter

For lack of any better ideas, you can never go wrong with a list, so here goes my list of the Pros and Cons of Winter:

Pros:

hot baths feel soooo good!
hot chocolate helps warm me up
Christmas light displays are pretty to look at
nothing like snuggling up under the covers (or a Snuggie!) and
getting a good night's sleep
comfort food tastes absolutely delicious
I never have to worry about there not being enough room in the fridge or freezer when putting stuff outside or in our Florida room will suffice
you can also go grocery shopping without having to worry about coming straight home to put it all away

Cons:

I stop feeling my toes for several months
Jack Frost also likes to nip at my nose
driving in snowy conditions
getting undressed and redressed becomes a lot more laborious
craving comfort food and then putting on the same winter pounds
having to shovel snow (esp. when it starts getting heavy)

“The Folks Inside”

(from the book Falling Up)
by Shel Silverstein

Inside you, boy,
There’s an old man sleepin’,
Dreamin,’ waitin’ for his chance
Inside you, girl,
There’s an old lady dozin’,
Wantin’ to show you a slower dance.

So keep on playin’,
Keep on runnin’,
Keep on jumpin’, til the day
That those old folks
Down inside you
Wake up…and come out to play.

This is one of my favorite poems by Shel Silverstein, and the older I get the more true it seems. I’ve often said to people that I feel like an 80 year old trapped in a 40 year old body. Unlike many people my age, I don’t keep my cell phone on 24/7, nor do I text (nor do I ever plan to). I like classical music. Although I like dressing fashionably, I prefer to dress for comfort. I don’t like staying out late. I prefer to be home by midnight (or earlier), and I don’t like to sleep too late in the morning. I also have to hold things farther from my face in order to see them in focus, and ‘being regular’ is something I appreciate more and more as I get older. In fact, I sort of look forward to old age, especially retirement. I plan to keep busy, but much prefer to live by my own schedule.

me at the Coliseum

me at the Coliseum, originally uploaded by authorwannabe.

Scratch this (visit the Coliseum in Rome) off the Bucket List.

The Bucket List

Last night I sat down and watched “The Bucket List,” a movie I’ve been meaning to see since it came out a few years ago. After watching it I discussed the list with my husband and was delighted we could already cross off a few.

THE BUCKET LIST:

1. Witness something truly majestic – we saw a total solar eclipse in 1999 where the afternoon turned to complete darkness for almost an hour or so. I think that qualifies.
2. Help a complete stranger for a common good
3. Laugh till I cry (nearly – there was the time when the elder Harold Cottrell (my aunt’s now late father-in-law) played a trick on my young niece Emily involving the whole family in his deception. I don’t think I’ve laughed as hard or as long about anything since then).
4. Drive a Shelby Mustang
5. Kiss the most beautiful girl in the world
6. Get a tattoo (I’ve thought about it, maybe just a little one, but my husband doesn’t want me to desecrate my body in that way).
7. Skydiving (no, I don’t think so, nor would I ever consider going bungee jumping. If I had to do something daring, I think hang-gliding or perhaps parasailing might be fun,)
8. Visit Stonehenge
9. Spend a week at the Louvre (okay, so it was only an afternoon, we did actually spend a week in Paris)
10. See Rome
11. Dinner at La Cherie d'Or
12. See the Pyramids (I’ve seen a few smaller ones, but not the original ones in Egypt, but it’s definitely on my short list).
13. Get back in touch (previously "Hunt the big cat"). I keep hesitating, but I know I should really write to the lady whom I used to babysit for and who was invited to our wedding. Somehow in the first few years after we were married, we lost contact and I’ve never picked back up on it again.
14. Visit Taj Mahal, India
15. Hong Kong
16. Victoria Falls (maybe next year when we go to Australia we can hop a flight to New Zealand and visit here).
17. Serengeti
18. Ride the Great Wall of China

So much waiting…

I’m waiting for our cable box to reboot….

I’m waiting for our plumber to show up…

I’m waiting for my co-worker to come up to my desk so I can leave for the day…

I’m waiting for dinner to finish cooking…

I’m waiting for my co-worker to come up with some work for me to do…

I’m waiting for the traffic light to turn green…

I’m waiting for my husband’s dvd to finish so I can watch TV…

I’m waiting for lunch time to arrive and then time to leave for the day…