Dribbles of Poetry

Rainy Thoughts
CKArmistead 2015

Today I saw as I passed by
A large rain puddle full of sky.
The majestic clouds and hints of blue
All on the surface of the water flew.
I have to be mindful of the ground I tread,
But Nature still showed me the wonder above my head.

Time Flies
CK Armistead 2015

The young man standing there
So tall of stature
And dignified of mien,
Was only yesterday, I swear,
A sloppy, slouchy,
Happy go lucky teen.
When did he learn to stand so straight?
When appeared that calm confidence?
Time seems to have a galloping gait,
And to have left me behind long since.
Proud I am to see him so,
 Intelligent, and kind
Sure of where he wants to go,
And with a thoughtful turn of mind.
Well I remember the bright young scamp
That asked for a sticker at the desk
Who sat close at reading time,
Said he liked our stories best,
And long ago stole this teacher's heart of mine.

That's what's been rambling around in my head wanting to be written down lately.
Hope you enjoyed them.

What A Thief Is Time

This is my husband and me in 1984. He was 26, I was 24. It was either right before or right after we were married.  (I can't see my hand well enough to tell if there is a ring.)

We were SO young.  We don't FEEL so OLD now, but we sure look it.  Still the same inside, except maybe a bit wiser, a bit more caring, but also a little more tired.

Time takes away so much, seemingly so slowly, but one day, you look up, and you're old.  Your knees creak and protest things you used to do without thought.  Your fingers are stiff and sore when you wake up, You realize that you have gained weight, lost hair, and have more, erm, character in your face.

Of course, if you have children, especially teenage children, you are probably reminded of this on a regular basis.  (We are fortunate, we do not own any offspring, having found it difficult to reproduce when we were on opposite sides of the planet for so much of the early years of our marriage.) We have had no one to tell us we were OLD even before we really were.
I don't really think of myself as old even now.  I mean, yeah, I was born when Eisenhower was still President, and I remember a time when broadcast was the only TV there was, and telephones were big, clunky, and wired into the wall.  (And all you could do on them was call somebody.) (Oh, and they had DIALS, not keypads.)
Despite all that, I try to keep up with technology, with some cultural trends, I try not to dress like somebody's grandma, 'cause I AIN'T anybody's grandma!  I try to get in better shape and stay that way.  Matt tries, too, but it's harder for him.  He's up on the technology and the culture, but he doesn't really spare much thought for fashion.
I don't have a current picture of the two of us that I really like.  None of the pictures we have are very flattering.  Even though we have "fallen apart" so to speak, we don't look as bad in reality as we do in some of the pictures.

Us in 2009

 The picture above is 5 years old, and I swear, I look younger now than I did then.  Matt looks about the same.

Our youth and appearance are not the only things time steals. It steals away those we love,  as well. 
Since the first picture was taken, we've lost both our dads, Matt's nephew, Matt's mom. my nephew, and a few friends.  I've lost two aunts and an uncle, and three cousins.
  If we are very careful, time can't steal away our loved ones completely.  We need to keep our memories stored away safely and look upon them often, remember the smiles and the laughter, and the times we cried together.  All of those things, the love shared, will keep our loved ones near.  
This time of year we are all somewhat obsessed with the passing of time.  We buy new calendars to keep track of our days, we make resolutions, we look back on the events of the last year, and the people we've lost in the last year. 
My friends will tell you that there are many clocks in our house.  Hard to find a place where you don't hear a clock ticking.  (I just happen to like clocks.)  There are also lots of calendars since I have discovered them to be a fairly cheap source of changeable art work.  Even with all of those reminders of fleeting time, I manage to waste a lot of it.  I get bogged down in minutiae, and miss enjoying some things.  (Especially if I don't make myself a list.)

We can't afford to lose sight of the important things in this life.  The people we love, the stories we tell each other, the stories of shared experiences, the in-jokes, the memories.  Store them up in your heart, where fire, flood, earthquake and tornadoes can't destroy them.  Pass the memories on to the next generation, so that they will remember those who came before with love, even the ones they never met.

One image from a movie that has always stuck with me is the close up of the sundial at Twelve Oaks in Gone With The Wind.  "Do not squander time, it is the stuff that life is made of."  That quote was engraved on the sundial.
I try to remember that when I find myself glued to my screen.  There's a world out here to enjoy.  If I don't spend time enjoying it, what'll I have to post about anyway? ;-)

Auld Lang Syne

Edinburgh's Hogmanay, or New Year's Celebration.

This song is used to ring in the New Year the world over, and few beyond the Scots have any real idea what it's talking about.  I know, because I love Burns' poetry and songs, and have studied, also I have some Scots blood in my veins.

This is a song about remembering.  About remembering old friends, and good times gone by.  It's about the passing of time, and how we can lose people, if we aren't awfully careful not to.
It is basically asking should we forget all the good times we had before?  Should we forget our old friends?  The answer the song gives in itself is no.  We should remember.  "We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne."  Basically, we'll drink a toast in honor of those times long since.

The whole gist of it is that we should remember the good times, the friendship, and be happy.  We'll be glad we're still friends, in spite of all the time and the life that has passed since the old days.

This New Year's Eve, as I hear the song again, and see many more than slightly inebriated people trying to sing it, I will hope that they are able to remember the good times and the good friends that make life worth living, as I remember mine.

So many of you,  some of you even read this blog!  I will remember you, and raise my glass in honor of and in thanksgiving for, your friendship.  I'm honored to know you!

I think of some I've known since high school, like Brenda, and Kathleen, and Patricia, and Liz.  There's even a guy out there who was really a friend of my brother's, so he's known me about ALL my life - Roy.  Then there are the church friends, the military friends,some of whom we still see, and some we only hear from once in a while.
All the friends from work, who have been through software changes, tornado procedures, new technology, and many, many Summer Reading Programs with me.  We have an awful lot of "auld lang syne" between us, and it's all been wonderful because of your dedication to the community and keeping our library a great resource for everyone.
Then, there are my fellow #PerlGirls.  Fi, Mary, Kelly, Jana, Mallory, Paulette, Patti, Brina, Linda, Marie, Anna, and Amy. (Almost forgot our "baby sister", Chloe!)  You ladies are  fabulous.  We don't have much "auld lang syne" between us yet, but we are gathering new memories daily!  Love you, girls, and we love The Man Himself, too,
 of course!!
SO much love tonight, as we look forward to a new year in which to keep our friendships stitched together through distance, time, work, and the cares of life.  May you always remember the fun times when you need a smile, and remember I'm here if you need a shoulder to lean on.  Friendship is the greatest gift there is, and I have been given some wonderful gifts over the years!
God Bless, and may 2015 be better and brighter than you could have imagined.

Auld Lang Syne
By Robert Burns

chorus : Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne!

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet
For auld lang syne.

And surely ye'll be your pint stowp!
And surely I'll be mine!
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.

We twa hae run about the brae,
And pou'd the gowans fine;
But we've wander'd mony a weary fitt,
Sin auld lang syne

We twa hae paidl'd in the burn,
Frae morning sun till dine;
But seas between us braid hae roar'd.
Sin auld lang syne.

And there's a hand, my tursty fiere!
And gie's a hand o' thine!
And we'll tak a right gude-willie-waught,
For auld lang syne.

Dougie MacLean singing Auld Lang Syne

Marvelous Miscelleaneous Monday

This morning I enjoyed some of the bread I baked (and blogged about) yesterday with my breakfast on the patio.  No sunshine outside, but lots in my heart!  So blessed to have this life. 

I noticed the other day that I have some very old pictures of the gardens, like when I first planted them. Compared with how they look today, it is hard to believe it is the same set of garden beds.  I shall illustrate:

Then

Then

 

 

Both beds now.

Then

Then

 

Both beds now.

Main herb bed then:

Main herb bed now, from the other end.

Patio pots in May

Patio pots today.

Easternmost South Garden bed in May

Today

In May

Today

May

Today

May

Today

Fleeing Time
By C.K.Armistead
July 14, 2014

Seems only yesterday
The gardens were barren, brown.
And I went out to work
And set the plantings down.

Today they explode with color,
They bloom excessively
Almost unrecognizable
As what they used to be.

Seems only yesterday
This baby I held in my arms
Cooing and staring at me
Winning her aunt's heart
with her charms.

Today that same child
Is herself a mother
And there is a new smile
Winning her great-aunt's heart
With very similar charms.

Seems only yesterday
My love and I started this journey
With songs and promises
And smiles many.

Soon we celebrate
Thirty years of this love
That seems to us infinitely sweeter
Yet still as fresh as it was.

Sunshine and shadows roll
One day into the next
Slowly it seems at the time
Around this earth's ball.

Yet when you pause
And see this life sublime,
You understand the swiftness
Of ever fleeting time.


Sorry, didn't mean to wax all sentimental and kinda gloomy, but that poem's been thrashing itself out in my head for awhile now, and it suddenly wanted out.  That's often how the process goes.  I may or may not have physical notes, but there are usually a few images playing around in my brain that suddenly may decide "Now is the time!"  

That's one reason I carry notebooks around.  The other is that I'd forget my behind if it wasn't attached.  Heck, I'm surprised I remember my own name some days lately.  Getting older isn't for sissies.  Your brain gets filled up with so many details over the years, and you find random things popping into your consciousness at odd times, and the things you really NEED to remember fleeing away across the synapses, hiding the the recesses of the ancient memory storage of your antiquated electro-chemical storage device. 

Setting oneself new challenges can keep that retrieval easy, but not always.  There will always be the day that your thoughts are so busy that you feel like a network with too much traffic and not enough bandwidth.  Response to queries is slow because there's a bottleneck in the system somewhere.  I often find that these are not necessarily age related, but multiple-responsibility related.  Many people my age have jobs, families, civic duties, church affiliations and hobbies that run them in many directions at once.  So do many younger people, but younger people, especially younger women, often sleep better than those of us dealing with 50+ year old bodies that have bum thermostats and the odd suspension/frame wear and tear problem. I wake at least once during the night burning up and breaking a sweat, and at least once because a shoulder or a hip is complaining of being in one position for too long. Never used to happen.  Only after I passed 50.  My pal Julie and I agree, once you hit 50, the warranty expires, and all bets are off.  Things start acting up.
Add to this joy the need to take antihistamine because of all the things in Oklahoma that I'm allergic to, and it's a wonder my brain functions at all.

I set myself many new challenges, especially at work.  I am doing all this blogging, and smart-phone using, and social media stuff because of a training program at work that introduced me to it, and got me hooked on it.  So, my husband can't blame my obsession with Twitter just on my intrinsic fangirl tendencies, it's also due to the need to keep up with my job and the many social factors relating to it.  (And if that ain't a grand excuse, I've never seen one! ) ;-)

A fellow Twitter-user shared this YouTube link of a song done by Jane Krakowski that talks about Twitter and the way some of us are obsessive about it.  I will share it here because it is terribly funny.  Hope I am not quite THAT bad!
Jane Krakowski "Tweet"

Here is the recipe for the sourdough starter that I keep in my refrigerator to use for making that fabulous bread:

Sourdough Starter

Basic Sourdough Starter

From The Sourdough Cookbook by Rita Davenport Published by HP Books, 1981

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

1 envelope active dry yeast (1 Tablespoon)

½ teaspoon salt, if desired

2 Cups warm water (105 degrees F or 40 degrees C)

In a 4 or 6 cup plastic pitcher with a trainer in the lid,, or in a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Beat with a wooden or plastic spoon.  Fermentation wil dissolve small lumps.  Cover pitcher with lid, turning so strainer is at pouring lip.  Cover bowl with a cloth.  Set in a warm place free from drafts (85F, 30C).  Let ferment 2 to 3 days.  Stir mixture several times each day.  To use, remove starter needed for recipe.  Refrigerate remaining starter in the pitcher, or in a glass or plastic container with a very loose fitting lid. (I use a square, 1.5 liter glass canister without the plastic seal on the lid.  Works great.)  Replenish every 7 to 10 days by stirring in equal amounts of water and all-purpose flour.  After replenishing, let stand at room temperature overnight.  Return to refrigerator.  If a clear liquid forms on top, stir back into starter.  Makes 3 to 4 cups.

 

If the starter starts looking dark, or gets even a little bit pinkish, dump it out and start over.  This usually will only happen if you neglect the starter for too long.  Use and replenish regularly, and it may keep going for years.

I think that's about enough from me on this miscellaneous and over-caffeinated Monday.  Hope you enjoy!

Sunday Shamblings

This morning, it was sunny and bright, and I wore a pastel dress.  By the time we got home from church, it was cloudy, gray, and cold, and I am now wearing jewel tones.  (Jeans, long-sleeve tee, and one of my paisley shawls.)

I made of cup of hot tea and had some soup for lunch.  All of the sudden it went from a golden Autumn day to a dreary one.  That's Oklahoma in the transitional seasons.  Changeable weather, often turning on a dime to the great dismay of anyone trying to plan for comfortable clothing for the day. Autumn here is much tamer and more beautiful than Spring.  Nearly everyone plants mums, and so there are as many blooms in appropriate colors in Fall as there are in Spring.  We do get severe weather, but traditionally not as deadly as that in the Spring.  And the trees.  Oh, the beautiful trees, where the tornadoes of Spring have left them for us, that is.  The tree in the neighbor's yard across the street has turned golden already, and is shedding gold upon the ground.  Our oak is beginning to redden in places, other trees around town are turning orange and gold and red as well.
Perhaps this impresses me more than it would some of you who hail from places back East where the seasons change dramatically from one to another, but living in Central Germany was my first experience of it.  I grew up in Los Angeles County, CA.  There ARE seasons there, they just aren't dramatically different from one another.  It gets hot in Summer, but never all THAT cold in Winter.  Autumn and Spring can pass you by unnoticed unless you pay attention.  Out here, in the Great Plains, where the land has barely been occupied a hundred years, Mother Nature slaps us in the face on a regular basis.  We CAN'T ignore the changing seasons, because it can be dangerous to do so.  It also makes me more mindful of the passing of time, of other changes going on in life, and I enjoy it.

The changing seasons help me remember that life is not standing still, that I am not standing still, however much I might like to sometimes.  Things are moving on, and so must I.  I then reflect for a moment and see all the things I have done, and to my sorrow, the things I have not done, and feel I should.  There is a reason, I think, that one line in one of Confessions Of Sin in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer says: "...by what we have done, and by what we have left undone." Sometimes we KNOW something we could have done would have made something better or easier for someone else.  This prayer lets us acknowledge that we are lax, and that we are sorry for it.  The trick, then, is to pick ourselves up and try to be better about doing what we ought in the future.  Not easy.  Sometimes, in my own case, I am just too wrapped up in my own problems, my own needs, to see the needs of another, or even the little things that maybe aren't needs, but would make another person's life easier.  My challenge is to get out of my own head and pay more attention to others. REALLY not easy for someone who was basically an only child, and had few playmates as a youngster.  Took me a LONG time to learn to tolerate and cooperate with others in school.  (I like to think I learned to do so pretty well, but there are days...) Because I had so much adult attention at home, I learned to read and write long before most of my peers, had a better grasp of more esoteric things than my peers at a young age, and grew impatient easily with those who hadn't gotten there yet.  I really didn't know other kids just couldn't automatically decipher the written word.  I thought it was something that just came naturally.  I don't ever remember not being able to read. Before the end of first grade, though, I realized that some people couldn't do everything I could do, just like I realized I couldn't run, jump, catch a ball, or grasp the finer points of any sport as well as most of my peers.  No physical impairment, just that I always preferred to exercise my mind rather than my body.  (I have paid for that over the years, and now must exercise at least twice daily to keep myself at a reasonable level of health and fitness.) So, my peers and I learned how to respect our differing talents, and to learn from each other.  This was the best thing about school.  I learned things everywhere, not just in the classroom.  I also got my first taste of teaching, in a very informal way.

Here lately a few of the "things I have left undone" are projects related to my job that aren't really required, but would go a long way toward keeping me sharp and more useful as an employee.  I don't have time to do these things at work, as I am supposed to, so I try to do them at home.  I don't always succeed, as home has many distractions for my wandering mind to grab onto.  Going to try to remedy that this week. 

Another sign of time passing for me lately has been the weight I have lost since Matt and I changed our diet and started exercising more.  Matt made some more pictures of me today.  This keeps me motivated to stay on the program.

That's about all the rambles I have for this Sunday.