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Mothering Sunday

Submitted by Virginia Watts on Sun, 05/14/2023 - 13:58

Sometimes mothers simply cannot give us what we need. It's good to remember that their children have a hard time on Mother's Day.

"Her extremes cornered him...immobilized him, until he was forced into action to protect her. It would mean another hospital stay...another attempt at medication....The toll it took on [their daughter] Jenny had been huge. Neither one of them were available to her after she was about ten. She had to learn to fend for herself. ...There were so many sleepless nights, so many spoiled holidays, so many times when the house had been in chaos. No wonder [Jenny] left home when she was so young."

More about Jenny's story in THE CUCKOO.

Reflections on Maundy Thursday

Submitted by Virginia Watts on Thu, 04/06/2023 - 14:33

DO YOU SUPPOSE?

Do you suppose, that 2000 years ago, when sandaled feet, dusty and dirty with the labors and travel of the day, were bathed by family or friends, it felt any different than it does today?

Was the water less or more refreshing than we are used to? 

Was the soap or oil used to help in the cleansing any less effective? 

Were cuts or bruises on those feet from an unexpected encounter with thorns or rocks or sticks any less sore?

Were the cloths used to dry those tired feet less effective than what we have today? 

After a long day of play or helping with daily tasks were children any less wiggly, or giggly, or whiny?

Breaking Free

Submitted by Virginia Watts on Tue, 04/04/2023 - 14:41

"The traffic felt like another personal attack. Another kind of boxing in, not giving her room, impeding her. It made her angry, and it made her sad. She'd felt trapped so long by her mother's illnesses--mental and otherwise--even after she left home. The relationship she craved from both her parents kept eluding her. And now, just when she thought she might have a chance at building something with her dad, there was another needy woman in his life. Somebody else with a claim on his time, his focus, his emotional energy. Would Jenny ever get to be the focus? Even for an hour? A minute?"

SCAVENGER

Submitted by Virginia Watts on Fri, 03/17/2023 - 13:11
Cabbage trimmings, teapot

Dinner preparations are going on, and now I'm in charge. When I was a kid I tried to be on hand whenever that was happening. I liked to find pieces of cabbage hearts, celery bottoms, raw potato. I would salt them and amidst many warnings from my grandmothers or my mom, I would eat them. They would shake their heads and return to whatever task called them. One of my grandmothers was sure I was poisoning myself. I wasn't, though. In fact, I think that habit did me a power of good. Yes, sometimes there was a bit of grit in the celery bottom, but why wouldn't there be? It was the part that touched the earth. This was in the days before all the pesticides and chemicals were used. As far as I know. But somehow I'm still around at 81, anyway.

The Cuckoo

Submitted by Virginia Watts on Sun, 02/26/2023 - 14:00

"He sat by the amber glow of a dying fire, swirling the last bit of his drink. Myriads of stars were visible that warm night in the desert valley of San Jacinto. The day had begun much like any other. Then, through one simple act of helping another human being, he felt his life profoundly changed. Even if the woman who was now sleeping in his guest room disappeared by morning, he knew he would be different, was already made different. The wide sky river of the Milky Way dropped a shooting star. Jack stirred the embers of the fire, sending an answering shower of sparks upwards through the cooling air."

Read more if you are interested, available on Kindle or paperback at Amazon. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTGJTFFH

The Cuckoo by [V. R. Nelson-Watts]

 

Opportunity

Submitted by Virginia Watts on Wed, 01/11/2023 - 13:43

OPPORTUNITY

Did you see the pomegranate, split wide from falling or by birds or some wild thing,

under the drooping branch of wet poppy leaves?

Even after days of rain it still looked dry and dusty, the skin cracked like old leather.

I feel like that some days, split, spilled, cracked open.

The bright seeds inside still held a juicy promise for a brown squirrel with a watchful eye

and he, or she, took time to taste those tiny glowing morsels

and then in a flash disappeared

the fruit empty, picked clean.

VW 2022

Comfort Food

Submitted by Virginia Watts on Thu, 12/29/2022 - 13:18

Holiday season begins for me when the grandkids start planning their Halloween costumes. Those plans are usually made not long after school starts in the fall. I can remember a time when I complained about Christmas music playing everywhere before Thanksgiving, but my views on that have softened considerably as any family member or friend will tell you if they visit anytime between Halloween and New Year's Day. 

When I was a kid in the 1940's and 50's, no matter how depressed things were in my house, and often that was the case, whenever I saw the bright Christmas decorations and the row upon row of holiday ornaments lined up at the dime store, my spirits lifted. I knew it wouldn't be long before my mother would come out of her downward spiral and rally for Christmas. Sometimes those Christmases were more manic than fun, but at least they weren't sad.

Embossed Memories

Submitted by Virginia Watts on Wed, 11/23/2022 - 12:10

Embossed: "...(a design carved, molded, or stamped on a surface or object." That's how it's defined in the Oxford Language Dictionary. Do you remember embossed napkins on your table on special days? I do. I hadn't thought about them until I was given one at a restaurant this morning. Then I remembered one holiday sitting at the table in my grandmother's kitchen. My mother and aunt were busy with preparations for dinner, my grandmother was probably setting the table. I must have been fidgeting or complaining about something, and I can't remember who handed me an embossed paper napkin and a box of crayons. "Here. Why don't you color this design." And whoever it was went back to putting olives in the molded glass dish that held the carrots, celery, and pickles. 

Halloweening

Submitted by Virginia Watts on Sat, 10/29/2022 - 12:46

It feels like the beginning of something today, which is odd because it's the end of October, not January. But fall always makes me feel like new beginnings. Maybe it's because I lived so many years by the academic calendar, when fall was the beginning of the new school year. But in any case, I celebrated today by decorating the front porch with orange twinkle lights and pumpkins. Trick or Treaters will be coming soon!

SHARING

Submitted by Virginia Watts on Fri, 09/02/2022 - 15:38

It was a simple thing to do, and not something I was sure I was going to continue being a part of, but my local Buy Nothing FB Group has proved to be a source of inspiration and joy. This is a place where neighbors meet and share. And anything goes, really. People offer goods they no longer can use, for free. One person's trash does turn out most of the time to be another person's treasure. Sometimes people post that they are in search of something, and inevitably someone else has that item to give or loan. Everything from old lawnmowers to jars of peanut butter are listed, and snapped up within hours. Even things like packing materials, extra plastic shopping bags are taken with a please and thank you! People sometimes post that someone has moved into the neighborhood and don't yet have furniture. And they are offered furniture, pots and pans, to borrow or to keep.