On My Mind Today

From the time our children are born there are really two things we want for them - to have a happy life and to be safe. Mothers are like a Momma bear with her cubs. We want to stand back and let them explore their surroundings (always watching of course) as we know they need to be able to stand up on their own when we cannot be there. However, let anyone try to mess with our children and we are just like that Momma bear and we will protect them with everything we have and more. We do have a tendency to try and make everything right for them and in many ways there is nothing wrong with that, however we cannot fix it all as they grow up. If we do not allow them to fail, then they will never figure out how to pick themselves up and succeed. As heartbreaking as it can be to watch them fail it is a necessary part of growing up and finding their way. In the end it makes them stronger and wiser. Over the years my children have had many successes and I am very proud of...

Today  - a pet peeve of mine. Per the Webster's Dictionary the definition of yield is to surrender, relinquish or give way. I have been on the roads quite a bit lately and it appears that many drivers do not know the meaning of this word. They seem to think it means to speed up and cut off the person who is already in the traveling lane on the highway.  When taking drivers ed I know that we were told it meant to slow down and enter the highway once the roadway was clear. I have talked to many other people and asked when they took drivers ed if they are taught to yield upon entering the highway. They all have told me yes, but it is not apparent by what we see today. The other thing that seems to have changed is what the traffic lights represent. I was taught that obviously red means stop and green means go, but the yellow light meant caution and that you should slow down and prepare to stop. We all know the light will tu...

I live with someone who watches every show on ghosts that he can find. Some I don't mind watching, some have hosts who just love to hear themselves talk, and some just freak me out. When I watch some of these I wonder at times why anyone would continue to stay in a house that is haunted with bad spirits that continuously harass them??? No doubt in my mind I would be gone after the first encounter. We went on our first ghost tour in Edinburgh, Scotland and it has ruined me for the many more we have taken since that time. The young woman in Scotland was very adept at telling tales to make the hair raise on the back of your neck, taking us through Edinburgh as she spoke. Telling us upon entering one room that all of the torture devices there had actually been used at some point in history - very gruesome. We ended up in the underground tunnels where many were killed in a fire and so it is filled with the trapped souls of those unfortunate people, which ...

Fall Foliage Trip - Bar Harbor, Maine. Our last mini vacation for the year - and fortunately most of the rain held off. I had not been to Bar Harbor for over 30 years and things have changed so much.  My memories were of a very rural, quiet vacation spot, but it has grown immensely into quite the tourist destination. I did not recognize the area at all. Having said that.....it is still an incredibly beautiful area. Bar Harbor is truly a quaint New England coastal town. Filled with unique shops, wonderful restaurants and views of the harbor that can take your breath away. Walking around to check out the shops and sitting on the waterfront in the sun made for a very enjoyable afternoon. In the evening we went to Testa's restaurant and had the most incredible fish and seafood in a relaxing atmosphere with great service. I cannot say enough about the Grilled Haddock Amandine they serve - will remember that for a very long time. We took a trip thro...

Fall in New England - a time to enjoy the beautiful colors of the foliage, feel the sun warm our face on a cool day, and smell fresh baked goods wafting through the house. All of these things conjure up memories from my childhood. My mother is a great baker, and there were always fresh baked goods in our home. Growing up we knew that even after a tough day at school we would arrive home to the loving smell of cookies, pies, cakes or whoopie pies. All of our friends would love coming to visit because they were not used to having this at home, and thought we were the luckiest kids in the world. I'm sure that we tended to take all of this for granted as it was commonplace in our home. Every Saturday night my mom would make homemade pizza and our close friends would try to make sure they were present for this treat. Fortunately I learned from watching my mother as she created all of these great things. Once I had my own family they too w...

Technology is great, but there is something to be said about writing a letter. Not only can it bring a smile to the recipient, but also allows the author of the letter to share their thoughts, hopes and dreams with someone they care about. To release all the things that have been running around in our minds just waiting to be shared with a confidant. I remember growing up how excited I would be to receive a letter from a family member or friend - anticipating what they had to say as I opened the envelope. After reading every word carefully I would sit down and send a reply. And so it would go as we shared our feelings and thoughts back and forth over the years. Somewhere along the way we have lost this art of writing letters and the joy it can bring to write and receive such a letter. I recently decided that I am going to start writing letters to my grandchildren ages 9, 4 and 2 (yes even the 2 year old). I want to make sure that they know me in a way that only can be done in a let...