Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Step Into My Web...











Hello, my dearies!
Welcome to the Witchin’ Kitchen where I
will brew up tales of Hollow’s Night of Yore.


Many harvest moons ago, there lived a
family
of four in the beach city of
Santa Monica, where
the foghorn bellowed
and the dense fog swirled
in ghostly waves,
bathing the city in an eerie glow.


Halloween was spooky in our neighborhood.
Houses all stacked like dominoes lined the
unlit street,
with narrow passageways
between the houses.


I was convinced a witch lived in one of the
houses
along the walkway. Her pointy nose and
glaring
eyes always peered through the parted
lace curtains
at the window anytime I walked by.

Mom loved Halloween.
She wore her huge black witch’s hat, and tied
a
sheet around her.
Raisins dotted her face like old, gnarled warts.


Michael was a pirate and I, a witch--what else?
I’m not sure if my Halloween bucket got pirated
and pillaged by Michael as I stealthily tried to
hide my treats.

Years later, we were living in the hot San
Fernando
Valley where thoughts of Halloween
were brewing yet again.

We decorated the house with ‘pumpkin tumbleweeds’.
Mom had her warty, powdered face and dad had a
few surprises of his own.

When the grandkids came over Halloween night,
he told them to go to the closet...
Suddenly, the kids were screaming--dad had
his prosthetic
leg propped up in the corner with
an old shoe attached.

That always gave dad a laugh.

As I later had my own family, I strung cobwebs,
hung
skeletons and spiders, stuck a candle in a
cow’s skull, and played spooky
howling tapes from
the upstairs window that could be
heard outdoors.
Needless to say, there were few kids coming
to the door!

It’s that time of year again, in another town where
we have Halloween parades up the street of our
gated community, and a few kids will come to claim
their
treats. I have an overfilled pot of candy waiting--
and maybe, a trick or two…

Monday, June 8, 2009

Over The Rainbow...








I've always loved having my family around.
We're scattered about the country.
My brother, Michael , a niece, Julie and nephew, Brad, live in Arizona .
Two nieces, Laura and Kirsten live in Oregon.
I try to keep in touch with them more often.
My son, Paul is living with us now and Jen has recently become a Key Wester.

When Jen told me she was moving from her condo, my heart sank.
She and I are close and we really enjoy doing things together.
I trust Jen with her judgment and hope her new path
will be happier.

As much as everyone means and has meant so much to me,
their lives are important.
It's not easy to know which direction to take, but one has to
trust one's feelings and believe in God's plan for us.




















Friday, May 1, 2009

Spring Cleaning?


It's that time of year when most people look around the house, or apartment, and decide how much of the clutter stuck in closet corners--or even under the bed-- is worthy of tossing into the trash.

I'm a collector. I love books: books on photography[12], writing technique[46], cooking[I lost count!], mysteries[36].
These are all books that are part of my comfort zone.
My husband is always suggesting that I go through my stuff and throw it out or give it to a thrift center.
Husbands like doing that, don't they?

My art supplies are stowed in the walk-in closet, very neatly--not bothering anyone.
My easel stands in the corner next to our bed.
It's been suggested that if something isn't used more than a handful of times, it's time to get rid of it.
My artistic expression comes and goes like the tide..
I have two paintings that are in temporary limbo at the moment.

My photographic equipment is often in the Florida room[family room], ready to head out for a photo junket.
I'm a very creative and cerebral gal. These possessions are part of what I am, what I love to do.

Spring cleaning in Florida—where the seasons don't seem to change?
Nah..