Fleetingly Carol

2011 sashays in tonight! Happy New Year! How are you celebrating? Two of the revelers I'm partying with want wine! And their mother is anxiously waiting for New Kids on the Block to appear on the New Year's celebration program from New York.  What is wrong is with this picture? It makes for a fun party. I'm listening to the 2 year old insist that her mother put building blocks together, while the 5 year old is keeping Mom updated on when NKOTB will appear. And before child welfare services come to get us, I must admit that the 'wine' is actually sparkling grape juice. Ahhh, two more hours . . . Happy New Year to all of you. I hope it is full of the best blessings for you. 

Aunt Mildred has new neighbor. And she is sweet on him because he has greens growing in his garden. I just got back from visiting Aunt Mildred. She is doing well, except for her feet. Her skin is so papery thin that when she bumps her toes or shins on something, which she does on a regular basis, she breaks open a new wound. So, she stays in her house puttering around using her scooter chair. She complains about not being able to get out to the local greasy spoon to get some good old Southern Fried Catfish. Because she can't go out to eat, she turned her attention to the neighborhood, which means her new neighbor in a house just across the street. There are no other neighbors in sight. It seems the gentleman was out on his front porch one day when Aunt Mildred went to throw out some leftovers from the refrigerator to the cats that hang around her house waiting for these treats. He offered a friendly wave, which Aunt Mildred thought was very forward of him! After all, she did

This frigid weather and George II nestled in my lap, a furry ball of feline keeping me warm, reminds me of his predeccessor (but not related) and how we came to be adopted by her. We used to, when Old Man was Young Man, and the kids were little and all, live in an apartment complex that was 3 stories high, no elevater and each apartment opened out into a common stairwell. Two apartments shared each landing and the stairwell, although not heated, was closed to the elements. Which, at this time of year was good because the city in which we lived was being strangeld by a blizzard, much as the country was a day or two ago. In the middle of this frightful blizzard, I heard a child crying and it seemed to be coming from the stairwell. After checking to make sure my own children were ok, I went looking for who could possibly be making that noise, only to find a half-starved, almost frozen tabby whose meows sounded like the baby I thought I heard. I knew no one in the stairwell owned a cat

"Carol, you need to come home right away." "What's the matter, Old Man?" The quiver in his voice is spine-tingling. Old Man never quivers. "Just come home. You need to be here." I tell Aunt Mildred that something is wrong at home, I don't know what. "You all can stay here tonight. I have 2 extra bedrooms." "Thank you, Aunt Mildred," I answer, "But, I don't know what the problem is. We may have to take you up on that offer. I'll call you later tonight." I get to my car as quickly as possible, fearing the worst. As I drive up in the driveway, I see Old Man struggling with a small tarp. Now, I am thoroughly confused. I park the car so that my headlights shine on his work. "What's up?" I ask, "Why do you need the tarp right away?" Old Man looks really, really old. He looks up and tells me he's covering the windshield of his pickup to prevent ice from accumulating. You see

Now, I'm sure you know that I have always put Old Man first in my life. And his family always came after that. I never turned down an invitation, never missed a nephew or niece's wedding, was always ready, able, and willing to do whatever I could to make Old Mans' parents happy and comfortable. And so I was horrified when I almost killed Old Man, Sr. There was not enough life insurance on him for it to have occurred any other way than accidental. There was a time before seat-belt laws. I know it's hard to believe, but there was a time when I was young and stupid. Also believe it or not, there was a time before cell phones and Internet. I'm almost embarrassed to write this story. But, here goes . . . Once upon a time, I was traveling in a pickup truck with Old Man, Sr. and three small children. I drove while Old Man, Sr. rode shot gun and the three children rode between us, all of us gleefully free of any encumbrances such as silly old seat belts. About an hour

Did you ever wonder about people? I mean, did you ever wonder about how they could dress the way they dress in public? This past weekend really spiked my curiosity about that. A young man who stood about 6' 2" and weighed nearly 300 pounds if he weighed 50 sported a bald head except for the 12 inch blue spiked mohawk! And he had a girlfriend. Bless her heart. Another man swayed down the street swinging from side to side trying to take everything in with huge round eyes as he walked. But here's the funny part. His thinning dark hair was sticking out in all directions, he wore a shirt opened to the tucked in waist, and his shoes looked too long for his short stature. Oh, we can't leave the tra . . . er, ladies, out of the picture. Now I want to know how in the world an 80 year old, dark, wrinkled leathery woman can think of herself as attractive. I know this particular woman thought of herself as attractive, because her shirt, just like the man in the previous desc

Old Man got loose again this weekend. It wasn't my fault. Although, I did remind him to watch where he was going when walking through crowds and wash his hands when he was finished in the portalet. He likes the little reminders. We went to a street fair this weekend where Old Man had rented booth space so he could sell things men like to buy, like flags, and ballcaps, and knives. I went along so that Old Man wouldn't have to worry about the little things, like watching out for pedestrians while he's driving or figuring out how to display his wares. Even though I know he appreciates my efforts tremendously, he rearranged the flags because he's just like that. When everything was just as Old Man wanted it to be, he excused himself to use the portalet. He asked if I'd be alright by myself because he'd be 'gone awhile', and we all know what that means. I assured him I'd be alright and that was also when I reminded him about being careful walking thro