Category: Daily Prompt

Re-purposing

Published on by Wanda5 Comments

Daily Prompt:  Toothbrush

I was brought up by my grandmother who survived the Great Depression.  Consequently we never wasted anything and we often re-purposed things to be used as something else. For example, we never threw away our toothbrushes because they were used to clean the small grout areas of the tile in the bathroom and kitchen.   Since we learn what we live, I followed suit.

When we were moving I was cleaning out the cupboard I used to store my cleaning supplies and I came upon dozens of toothbrushes.   What was I thinking?  I had enough toothbrushes to supply the US Army for when they put recruits on latrine cleaning duty.   I decided that I didn’t need to take so many with me on the move, so I threw most of them away.

Fast forward to a few years later when I was going to re-purpose toothbrushes again since the last of what I had were finally shot.  To my dismay, I realized that the new toothbrushes were substandard.   Their bristles were falling out and did not support the pressure placed on them when I used them to clean the track in my sliding glass door.  I hadn’t realized this when I was using them for my teeth.  I guess I should be happy my teeth didn’t fall out.  Right?

So, after all of these years of saving things to be re-purposed for uses other than what they were intended, I have decided that somethings aren’t worth hanging onto especially if they have been made in the last 30 years.

Wanda

Patience

Published on by WandaLeave a comment

Daily Prompt:  Pest

Part of our journey on this earth is to learn patience.  We are all pestered with people and things that we cannot avoid.  Lets face it, our own children can become the biggest pests there are.  We love them, but often we find ourselves out of patience with them.

I find that as I have gotten older my patience has increased.  I can tolerate the same things my kids did when my grandchildren do them.  Although I am not sure if this is because I have learned to be more patient, or if unconsciously I am some how getting even with my kids.  I love this saying.  “Grandchildren are God’s reward for not killing your own children.”  I am not sure where it is from, but I have seen it on many things and places.  It is a humerus take on the reward for being patient with your kids.

My oldest daughter was the one who gave me a run for my money.  I was a young mother of twenty.  Looking back now, I realize that it was more inexperience on my part than actually being impatient.  And, we are so much alike.  Two very independent, strong willed, often rigid people.  I have mellowed so much, but it took me much longer than it took her.

Kelly has grown into a loving,  patient mother of three beautiful children who are the light of my life.  She also entered into motherhood later in life than I did.  Which I think is the key to her earlier success.

Make no mistake, her little ones become pests to her too.  Her famous saying when they are driving her crazy and she hears herself say the same things to them that I said to her is:  “Are you happy now?  You have turned me into your grandmother.”  I love it.  They look at her and say “You aren’t Grami.”  Then I get the phone call from her saying thanks ma, I did’t get one like me, I got three!  Like I could control that.

I saw this pillow today and had to grab a shot of it.  This is what my Kelly says to me all the time.

IMG_0062

Yup, she’s still a pest.  🙂

Wanda

 

The Deep

Published on by Wanda2 Comments

Daily Prompt:  Shallow

It’s always exciting
My first dip in the pool
It means that summer’s arrived.

Get out of the deep
And into the shallow
Mama then called to me.

No mama I can’t
I’ve waited all year
To jump into the deep end.

Life takes courage
Takes heart
I responded with glee.

She gave me the look
You know the look
As her color turned very red

Then smiling I said
Come on mom jump right in
And you’ll see it’s much more fun in the deep.

©Wanda M. Williams

 

 

 

 

 

Hidden Dangers

Published on by WandaLeave a comment

Daily Prompt:  Hidden

DSCF3871

It was around 5 o’clock in the afternoon yesterday that I looked outside to see it drizzling. I had planned to mow the grass for Frank and Dottie, but realized I would have to wait a little longer.   About an hour later I walked past them both saying I was going to cut the grass.  They both looked at me and said OK.  Out I went.

earwig-found-in-mn (2)

I got onto the behemoth red machine that reminds me of a pincher bug on wheels.  I affectionately refer to it as Max.  You can imagine my delight as it started right up.  So far so good.  The last time I tried to start it we had to give Max a jump.  I started going back and forth across the back yard making small talk with the two armed machine.  I had to make more than one pass over the rows I was traveling because the grass grows worst than weeds down here.  All of a sudden I attempted to turn and got stuck.  Oh no!  Hidden danger number one.

No matter what I tried I could not get the thing to move.  Then, I looked at where the wheels were and realized I had dug a couple of big holes.  I carried a piece of wood down to the back of Max.  I was thinking I could put it under the tires.  Good idea right? Wrong! Max’s petite physique hid his weight admirably.  I couldn’t lift it.  Hidden danger number two.

Finally, I had to go into the house to let Frank know I just got his new lawn mower stuck in the mud.  Being very gracious Frank said, “It’s OK, I get stuck sometimes too.”  I felt a little better.  But Max was still sitting in the mud.

Then Dottie said to me,  “I can’t believe you tried to cut the grass after the downpour we had.” Downpour?  When did we have a downpour?  Apparently in the front of the house it had just drizzled, but in the back it had poured.  I mentioned to Dottie that I had told her I was going to cut the grass she just said she didn’t hear me.  Hidden danger number three.  With age comes decreased hearing.  I totally get it now when my kids say I am going deaf.   The three of us just chuckled.

So fast forward to midnight.  As I am lying in bed about to fall asleep I hear it raining.   All I could think about was poor Max all by himself in the back yard uncovered getting soaked.  Oh well, it wasn’t like I could go out and get him right?

Today Frank and I decided he was going to try to tow me out of the mud using his electric wheel chair.  Honestly, I was skeptical.  All we needed was to get him stuck in the mud too.  Then we would be in a real pickle.  But, I deferred to Frank and tied the rope around Max and his wheelchair.  I started Max, and as Frank pulled I gave it some gas.  I looked behind me and I see Frank’s chair leaning over on the hill.   Max isn’t budging.  I jumped off and ran up to Frank to tell him to stop pulling.  Repeat of hidden danger number three.  Thankfully, Frank didn’t get stuck or topple over.

Our last ditch effort was using his pick up truck.  I got Dottie to back the truck onto the side yard so I could hook the rope to the back of it.  Frank was positioned between me on the tractor and Dottie in the truck.  I waved to Frank so he could let Dottie know she could start pulling.  All of a sudden Max’s tires took hold and I finally got out of the mud.

We were due to have another rain storm today, so I just stayed on the tractor and cut the grass.  It is storming as I write this post.

DSCF3870

Have you ever ridden a tractor like this?  It is a study in coordination.  You have to move both handles to make it go forward, turn or backward.   Frank likes it because he says it’s got a zero degree turning radius on it.  That zero degree turning is what started this craziness.  Give me a steering wheel any day of the week.

DSCF3872

Here is a picture of the damage to the back yard.   What should have taken a couple of hours at the most tuned into two days of hidden dangers while cutting the grass.

Wanda

Iced Tea by the Lake

Published on by Wanda1 Comment

Daily Prompt:  Tea

julieswaterfront

Yesterday Dottie, Frank and I went to lunch at a little lakeside restaurant called Julies Waterfront Restaurant.   It has always been one of Frank and Dottie favorite place here in Orlando.  At least we thought we were at Julies.

After we sat down and looked at the menu, Dottie commented that the menu had changed and they didn’t have her favorite tuna sandwich. The waitress came over after hearing us to say that it was a new menu because Julies was no more.  We all looked at each other trying to decide if we wanted to stay or not.

Then it hit us, the bright yellow canopy that used to be over the entrance was now red. The inside dining room had been renovated  and the covered outside dining area had a new roof over it. The outside was decorated with brightly colored chairs along the water. We decided that we would stay and enjoy the ambiance and give it a try.  OK.  So much for the powers of observation.  We chalked it up to being hungry – or maybe getting old?

The food was very good and it was so pleasant sitting by the lake drinking my iced tea.  I had my camera with me so after I was done eating, I took some pictures of the three women who had just finished eating their lunch at the next table paddling their kayaks across the lake returning home.

DSCF3853

Wanda

 

Holiday Traditions

Published on by Wanda1 Comment

Daily Prompt:  Traditional

I got a call from a friend the other day and somehow we got talking about how we spend our holidays with our respective families.  Maybe because we are both a fan of  the feel good Hallmark Channel’s Christmas movies and the “Christmas in July” week has just ended, or it could have been because we are both quilters and are making quilts for Christmas gifts this year but we did compare notes about the holidays.

Every family has it’s own traditional way to celebrate special events occurring in it. Anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, weddings, births Christenings, retirements and deaths are all mile stones which are recognized in special ways.  Just like holidays, these events often include specific activities like picnics, dinners or parties, etc.

I am watching my kids make these even adjustments with their new families.  Just like Gary and I had to do.  We each had to make compromises about the celebrations that would become our own traditions.  So, we took a little from his family and a little from mine and then we added our own flair to the mix.  All in all, we had some pretty good celebrations which provided all of us with wonderful memories.

One thing that Gary and I were both brought up with is not going anywhere on Christmas Day.  Most times we went to midnight Mass so it never created the situation of pulling the kids away from their stuff.  However, after we had our kids, some of the extended family were upset that we would not visit on Christmas Day.  That is probably the only time we stood fast and didn’t give in.  Our parents were invited for any meal they wanted to attend or they could stay the whole day if they chose but if they wanted to see their grandchildren they came to us.

We always celebrated those special times with family and I am so happy that my kids are continuing with those traditions because it means I get to spend all the special times with my grandchildren.

Wanda

 

Sweet Smell Or Bad Odor

Published on by Wanda4 Comments

Daily Prompt:  Fragrance

atomizer

Have you ever walked into a department store and been assaulted by an aggressive woman with a spray bottle in her hand?  Before you can say no thank you, you are covered in a fragrance that sends you into a fit of sneezing and choking?  While you are gasping for breath the self-imposed dictator tells you the name of the weapon and what is sells for.  As if wanting to know is the first thing that comes to mind rather than the murder of the combatant.

I often wonder how many people run, not walk, screaming into the outside air for a clean breath winding up in the nearest emergency room.  After several respiratory treatments to open up those vital airway passages the assault starts over again because you are now the carrier of those nasty histamines.  They are in your hair, on your skin in your clothes…

It’s at this point that you realize you don’t even like how it smells.  It’s not a sweet smell that is pleasing which would at least make the pleasure worth the risk to life,  but rather a bad odor that warns of impending doom.

Who in their right mind thinks that this is the way to advertise a product for sale?

Wanda

 

Harmony In Motion

Published on by Wanda1 Comment

Daily Prompt:  Harmonize

Friday afternoon here in Orlando we had quite a storm.  It rained so hard that the back part of the yard flooded.  Right along the back of the yard is a wooded area fed by a stream and it looked like a small lake with trees growing out of it.

DSCF3828 (2) - Copy

I have been fascinated with the birds here in Orlando.  I love to photograph animals and birds are one of my favorite subjects.  After the area flooded, I walked out onto the porch and to my amazement a flock of about twenty five white Ibis flew right up to the area to forage for food.  The ibeses in harmonized movements grazed along the edge of the water each taking a turn as sentinel.

DSCF3842

I attempted to get the birds to come closer by throwing out some cheerios in the main part of the yard.  To my delight, they began to head up toward me.

DSCF3837

I discovered that they didn’t really care for the Cheerios and soon turned back toward the water.

DSCF3814

I came into the house to show my friend the pictures I had taken.  As I went back out to check on the birds I caught the last of my visitors, a white crane just standing in the water.

DSCF3794.JPG

I was lucky enough to catch the crane taking flight.   Unfortunately, I was not as ready for the take off as I would have liked to have been.  So the shot isn’t a great one, but I still think it’s magical.

Wanda

 

Dormant Memories

Published on by WandaLeave a comment

Daily Prompt:  Dormant

As I have gotten older I find I spend more time in my memories.  It’s what you do when you spend time with your grandchildren.  You tell them about when their parents were growing up.  And, at the risk of really sounding ancient, you tell them about your own childhood and experience their incredulous expressions of disbelief.

Sometimes, a vague sense comes over me that I might not be remembering an actual memory of my past, but rather a memory of a dream.  Not the kind of dream that pushes you to do, have, or be, but the kind you actually live in your sleep.

One particular “memory”, which is not really a good one, has haunted me for a very long time.  It surfaced maybe twenty years ago.  If it is indeed a memory it surely explains a lot of why I feel the way I do about some things.  If it was a dream,  I find myself wondering why I would have dream’t such a disturbing event in my life.

In the end, we are the product of our environment and it really doesn’t matter if the “memory” is one that has been dormant or if it is actually a dream because it becomes part of us anyway.

What shapes our personality is the good and bad experiences we live through. Understanding our past helps us in our present and future if we are wise enough to learn from these past experiences.   Often our dreams are just a way to show us our fears which we need to face so we don’t become crippled by them.

Wanda