so-write

Thursday, July 8, 2010

why is it called a "sleep"over...

when there's no sleeping going on?

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

50/fifty

i am fi...fif...FIFTY! whew, still getting used to saying it out loud (let alone seeing it written). i have been said number for exactly fifty days. so i am now an expert on the subject, 'cause everyone knows when you turn fifty all of life's mysteries are brought to light. so here are fifty things--some nifty, some not so much--that i have ascertained.

1- when you're fifty you can use words like "ascertained"...
2- but you can't use words like "oh-snap", "my bad", "dude", or " 'sup".
3- elastic-waist polyester pants have never been cool.
4- elastic-waist sweat pants will live forever.
5- you can have too many shoes.
6- you can never have enough socks.
7- there must be fifty ways to leave your lover.
8- being dumped stinks.
9- bad days will happen.
10- a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with cold chocolate milk can turn a bad day better.
11- all you really need to know you learned in kindergarten.
12- kindergarten literally means "children's garden".
13- watching television will never take the place of good conversation.
14- some of the best conversations are about good television.
15- you can not take credit or blame for the adults your children become.
16- grandchildren are a parent's redemption.
17- one of the best inventions ever is the mirror.
18- one of the worst inventions ever is the mirror.
19- today's rock-and-roll bears no resemblance to the old time rock-and-roll.
20- today's country music sounds curiously like old time rock-and-roll.
21- you are not a true chocolate lover unless you love dark chocolate.
22- "white chocolate" is an oxymoron.
23- it takes exactly 3 weeks of repetition to develop a habit...
24- and one weekend to kill it.
25- sadness is inevitable.
26- happiness is a choice.
27- if you're lonely, call a friend.
28- when no one answers, get on your knees.
29- act on your good intentions.
30- kindness is never the wrong action.
31- if you use it, put it back.
32- if you break it, fix it.
33- your parents really do know best.
34- you only truly appreciate your parents after you become one.
35- seriously, don't be afraid to look silly.
36- dance even if you're clumsy, sing if you're off key, roller skate (but wear safety pads).
37- the older you get the harder it is to move...
38- the harder it is to move, the more you should get moving.
39- fifty is the new forty?
40- i'd rather be the old forty.
41- laugh out loud often.
42- cry quietly every now and then.
43- read, read, read.
44- write, write, write.
45- always say i love you...
46- to only those you really love.
47- fifty is halfway to a hundred.
48- you can not do better than 100%
49- don't ever grow old.
50- "what makes you grow old is replacing hope with regret."

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

give thanks

'twas the day of thanksgiving when here in our stable
every dish that we owned was out on the table.

the chairs were squeezed tight--like fish in a can,
a seat for each rump of our growing clan.

the hosts armed and ready to welcome the group
snapped photo's of all, as they entered the coop.

while parents sat "grinning", those kids on their laps
sitting there thinking "these old folks are saps".

but on went the posing and snapping and shots
of moms and dads and sisters and tots.

those rosie cheeked faces smiled with a "cheese,
enough with the pics, we'd like to eat please".

each family that came took a turn on the bench,
once they were done their jaws could un-clench.

they gobbled the turkey and fixin's and mash,
potatoes and stuffing, all gone in a flash.

the dish-washer man stood prepped at the sink,
he polished those plates, as he gave me a wink.

then back in their home those platters were placed,
not a moment to lose not an instant to waste.

now on to the tree, decked in silver and gold,
some ornaments new, but most of them old.

the little ones trimmed a tree just their size,
as the joy from the task shone in their eyes.

as thanksgiving ceases and christmas draws near
i think of the blessings i gather each year...

FAMILY, food, and a home, though it's small,
comfort and joy...i'm so thankful for all.

Monday, November 23, 2009

COWGIRL WANNABE

I wanna be a cowgirl—I even tried it some.
I’ll tell ya all about it, in this here cowgirl poem.“Bout a week or two ago
I left the cityscape,
headed toward the sun.
Where folks move slow, the rooster crow
and the deer and the buffalo run.
Twernt long before I saw me some
of those real cowgirls and boys.
I knew it ‘cause they sported boots and “Daisy Dukes“
and hats with western poise.
They sang their songs, on that there stage,
‘whilst standin’ in the middle.
Recitin’ rhyme they filled their time
and played geetar and fiddle.
I saw an ol’ mountain man,
dressed from top to bottom
in buckskin—I think it’s called—
I say wear ‘em if ya got ‘em.
But got ‘em I aint, you’d soon find out,
if ya strolled inside my walk-in.
You’ll see no chaps or cowgirl hats,
nary a “Wrangler” nor a “Stetson”.
As I stand bemused,
in these high-heeled shoes
and a smidgen of self-pity.
Twas no surprise to realize
I was born an’ bred in this here city.
I still feel like a cowgirl, ev’ry now and then.
Instead of hat and boots, I take out pad and pen.