Thinking Back, Going Forward

This morning, just for giggles and grins maybe, I was remembering how life was in my home many years back -when my kids were small, when my ex and I were still married. Sunday mornings especially back then were often more peaceful then as Frank would fix coffee, get out the eggs, other items to chop up and saute to put in the western omelets he enjoyed making for the family for breakfast -the only time usually when we all sat together and had a cooked breakfast.

One of his favorite things to do would involve dragging out his favorite albums by Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Tom T. Hall and we would listen to those artists while he cooked, while we enjoyed the fruits of his labors.

It's those Sundays that my older daughter often loves to recall -and I have to confess that I like to think back on those days too -younger me, youngsters running around - good days, good times.

This morning, it's quiet here. I was up early -like barely after 7 a.m. - mopped the kitchen floor, made a pot of coffee, did my Bushisms post for the coming week and now, am sitting here, thinking about why it is so quiet this morning.

Skies right now are still greyish. We had an electrical storm last night with lots and lots of flashing, crackling, booming sounds. Lots of times when I just about jumped out of my skin too when the crackling sounds were present. Lightning still terrifies me and until those storms finally pass over, I am basically a bundle of nerves.

Although sometimes, just a very faint noise will disturb Kurtis when he is asleep, apparently he has not inherited any of Grammy's genes when it comes to electrical storms as he slept soundly -very soundly -during all the fireworks in the sky last night. Go figure!

Maya is away, spent the night last night with Aunt Carrie, Uncle Robert and her cousin, Alexander -down near Lamar. I drove down to Milesburg last night and met Carrie there and she took Maya with her then to spend the night. So it is ultra quiet here this morning without little miss "Nosy Rosy" around, poking her head into my room and wanting to "See the babies" -meaning she wants to go pester those poor little kittens. The kittens, by the way, are doing fine -starting to move around in the box, even trying to climb out of it and explore around the room. A move I'm not too hepped up on as I like to know where they are, keep track of them better that way.

I should have gotten ready and headed out to church this morning but since Mandy has to be at work today at 11 a.m., it would have been difficult for me to make church, run my normal other Sunday morning errands too and get back home in time for her to leave for work. So, as a result, I'll be heading out of here very shortly to go get the Sunday newspaper -so I can do the crossword puzzle that I am addicted to trying to see if I can fill in the answers to more than maybe 10 or 15 clues on it! Darned crossword puzzle dictionaries I have (and I have two of those fat suckers too) are no help 99 percent of the time either. I'll pick up a couple donuts in my run for the paper too so I can have something good, sweet, tasty to relish with my coffee while I play with the crossword puzzle and wait for Kurtis to wake up then too.

After that, it will be waiting for Carrie to call so we can make arrangements to meet and do a "drop and hook" -truck driver's vernacular for exchanging trailers -but with us, it will be to meet at a half-way point where Kurtis and I can then pick up Miss Maya and bring her back home.

Mandy and I are talking about making a little trip perhaps this coming weekend down to Virginia and Maryland to visit with some of our cousins there. We had been thinking of doing this all in a one day trip -leave early-early in the morning and return home really late that night but after thinking it over some more, she has decided she is willing to take the chance on how well Kurtis will handle sleeping in a strange home for a night or maybe two. He's been doing a lot better lately with his sleep patterns so she thinks it will be worth the effort to go for a 2-3 day get-away excursion.

If things pan out that way, we will most likely leave here Friday morning the latest but may possibly be able to get out and on the road late Thursday afternoon.

Our game plan is to go to Burke, Virginia and spend the weekend visiting with our cousin Bea and her Mom -who we haven't seen in three years now. Bea's Mom is referred to in our home as "Grandma Ruthie" because she was often more than just the wife of one of my Mom's cousins when I was a kid, but also kind of like a surrogate mother to me much of the time. Her daughter, Rita and Bea, although they are my third cousins, and I are very close. Always have been, always will be. And they and my kids are also very close too.

So, we are hoping to spend time at Bea's home, be able to get together with Bea's sister, Rita, her husband, David and their boys, Jon and Todd -maybe even get to meet Todd's girlfriend this trip too! Rita and her family live across the Potomac in Crofton, MD -about an hour's drive from Bea's house and I'm quite sure Maya especially will thoroughly enjoy spending time with these members of our extended family.

While at Bea's, I hope to be able to call, maybe even get to visit too, with my good friend Joan, from my days back when I worked at the NRA in D.C. My goodness, hard to believe that was so many years ago now that I worked there! (From 1964 until 1972!) I haven't seen Joan in about 16 years now I think -probably the last time I was able to visit her was in 1992 when I was down for the retirement celebration of my former boss -"Mr. B." -who passed away about two years ago now too.

On the way back home, we hope to be able to stop in Hagerstown, MD to see my cousin Barb and her family and from there, veer off in a northeasterly direction and visit with Amie, my son's former girlfriend (who has remained close to me and my family) and see her new little guy, Payton! We've seen pictures of him but getting away, down to Littlestown to actually meet him in person -takes a whole lot of effort these days so we figure we will cross all these bases then during this weekend excursion we are planning.

I hope it all works out that way -that we can see all these family members and maybe even a few friends too along the way.

And now, if I'm going to get my paper and donuts and be back in time for Mandy to go to work this morning, I better get a move on here.

Meanwhile -hope the you-tube video -of Kris Kristofferson comes through and you can listen -enjoy -his rendition of his song -"Sunday Morning Coming Down." I always liked that song and it's debatable if I like Kristofferson or Johnny Cash singing it. Actually, I like them both!

Happy Sunday now to you!