Song of the day: Live and Let Die - Paul McCartney

"When you were young and your heart was an open book
You used to say live and let live" - Paul McCartney

Today, the sky was a perfect beautiful azure blue. Ideal weather for barbecuing, and so my husband decided to do just that. We fired up the grill and had a blast. As we were barbecuing, "something" made me turn around and look up into the sky. Directly above our house, in the clear blue sky, was a beautiful rainbow colored parhelion. These are rare. My husband took pictures and remarked at how strangely perfect it was, how unusually crisp the color was...and even stranger...how centered it appeared above our house. There was an even smaller one that appeared to the right of this one...smaller, but just as crisp, and just as bright. I pointed it out to my husband, but he could not see it. I had him stand in the very same spot that I had been standing in...and although I could see it very clearly, he still could not. This was logical to me...A very specific answer to a very specific request. I just looked up, smiled, and whispered a quiet "Thank You". Yes, there is a story behind this. One day I will tell it..but not now. I am a skywatcher. Parhelions and sundogs are special to me. Let's just leave it at that.

"But if this ever changing world in which we live in makes you give in and cry"

Not long after our barbecuing and picture taking, there came a knock at the front door. I take a peak through one of the side transom windows and see that it is my next door neighbor. In the five years we have lived here, he has never set foot on our doorstep. This is strange. Immediately, I am suspicious. I open the single paned glass storm door ever so slightly. I peer at him over my bifocals, and am suddenly aware of my right eyebrow automatically going into a high arched position. "Hello Ma'am, is your husband at home?" He asks. "Yes", I say. I leave him standing on the stoop, then close and lock the storm door behind me as I walk away to call my husband.

"Say live and let die...Live and let die"

My husband then goes to the door, and I leave them talking alone. When my husband returns, I ask him what was going on. He said that our neighbor (who is, by the way, a "mid-thirties" in age minister) came by to tell us that he saw a black snake crawl out of our yard and onto the street. Now get this...He then asked my husband what he was going to do about it. He, being a "minister" and all..., could have possibly made a legitimate biblical case for his request...if only the snake had spoken lies against him, or possibly if he had seen two naked people frantically running away from a forbidden fruit tree. But unfortunately, in this neighborhood, people tend to wear clothes; and fruit trees don't grow very well...especially the kind that would have been planted by God. Besides, from what we could tell; the snake seemed more interested in escaping, than in peddling free fruit...or starting a conversation.

"You used to say live and let live"

And so, my husband simply said, "Nothing". No, we were not going to do anything about it. Although I didn't see it, my husband said that "The Reb'n" (my description of him) walked away with a rather perplexed look on his face. I took a peek out of the dining room window, and must admit that the snake was rather large; but it was no more than a run-of-the-mill, harmless blacksnake. Besides, it was not our snake. We have no such "pet", and so I could not understand why he had come to us about it.

"You know you did, you know you did, you know you did"

We live near a lake, and this poor thing was probably just trying to get back home. Next thing we know, half the neighborhood had been summoned. As the snake tried his very best to get out of the way, one neighbor, armed with his SUV, and eager to make a kill, tried to run the snake over. As he moved his vehicle back and forth with a vengeance, the neighbor across the street immediately moved her car out of her driveway in a panic. Any outsider looking on would have suspected that, with all of this going on, Godzilla would, for a certainty, have to be somewhere in the near vicinity!

Long story short: After all was said and done, the snake eventually slithered away, and the bloodthirsty crowd dispersed. I, quite honestly, cheered for the slithering snake. I did not fear him. I am more afraid of those who walk on two feet; the kind who strike with smooth talk, venomous words, and dastardly deeds.

And so, this reminded me... When "The Boy" was small, he had a habit of wanting to squish ants with his feet. We told him that that was not a nice thing to do. His father and I have taught him not to hurt any living creature as long as he was not in any imminent danger.

"But if this ever changing world in which we live in, makes you give in and cry"

He seems to have gotten the lesson, and now he satisfies his seemingly inborn (but limited) thirst for blood, by slaughtering wandering houseflies with a pink flyswatter. But...if the door just happens to be open and they can get out in time...freedom is theirs. Live and let live, I say.

Ah,... if only we could. But instead we:

"Say live and let die...Live and let die"

What a pity....

Song of the day: She Did It - Eric Carmen

"Oh, mama, she did it
Woh mama, she did it, yeah" - Eric Carmen

OK. Now it is official. I am now "off the hook". I have finally reached the end date of the personal obligation I made to myself for posting to this blog. Anything I post in it from hereon out can be considered: EXTRA!. Whew! And yes, I'll admit it: It has been 'tough going' some days. Although I was never at a loss for words, it was the lack of motivation that seemed to be my biggest hurdle. What kept me going was the promise I made to myself to chronicle my 50th year; so that I could look back one day in the distant future and recall certain events with absolute clarity...the mundane day-to-day stuff, as well as the milestone events. However, I have quite a few entries still in draft that need to be back-posted. Most of them I held back because either I didn't want them to really be read on a daily basis, or got too lazy to post them to my private blog. The plan was (and still is) to sneak them in after the fact.

"Ooh, she did it
Woh mama, she did it, yeah"

The next step for me is to go back, check the spelling, tweak the grammar, add ***labels and tags to this blog, delete most of the musical references and create a book to give to my son, so that; long after time has put a haze on our collective memories, he will be able to remember our family and friends' times together (the good; as well as the bad).

"Now Im alive and I know it
And all I ever wanna do is show it"

While a lot of these postings may have appeared to be ambiguous and have secret references, they each have a trigger...some of them hidden within the music. However, I never used music as "filler", or wrote these postings around the music, but always added the songs afterwards. And so, I am hoping that, someday, when we read this in later years, the floodgate of memories will be let loose...once again. This also means that I have to do a lot of cross referencing with my semi-private blog - Nardeeisms2.

In the future, there may be a new blog...or I may choose to continue this one. Not sure where I will go with this one yet. Who knows? I feel that, in time, the spirit will move me. In any case, I am proud of myself. I have fulfilled a personal goal. I made a promise and I kept it.

I did it!...and boy, oh boy...I am sooo glad that I did!

Let's just see what happens next...

"Ooh, she did it
Woh mama, she did it, yeah..."

what-was-i-doing-last-year-at-this-time


***I would love to continue to at least maintain my PageRank of 3; as I do not want to bring down the ranks of those who have been kind enough, so as to link their blogs with mine. Thanks y'all!

Song of the day: (reprise) Dreams of the Everyday Housewife - Glen Campbell

Mother's Day - 2009


"Oh, such are the dreams of the everyday housewife..."-Glen Campbell

The story of my Mother:

Dreams of the Everyday Housewife...

"...the everyday housewife, who gave up the good life for me"

Enjoy...again!

Love Nards

(P.S. Don't forget to click on the song title...for old times sake)

Song of the day: Waitin' for My Ya Ya- Lee Dorsey

"Oh, well, I'm, UH!, sittin' here,la la
Waitin' for my ya ya, ah-um, ah-um"- Lee Dorsey***

There are two words in the English language that can incite terror within me. When spoken as separate words, each of them give me a warm feeling inside. However, when joined together, (especially when followed by a question mark) and said aloud in my general direction? ..Whew!, well, it can be quite a different story!

Upon hearing these words together, my blood begins to run cold...causing me instantly to become nauseous and light-headed. Heard 'em for the first time in a long time a few days ago. Heard 'em again this morning. I'll have to address this issue later...But anyhoo...

Last night at work, I finished listening to my book on tape; "Ya-Yas In Bloom". Good book. Very good book. There was a portion of the reading that had me laughing uncontrollably...took me by surprise actually. One of the main characters (who happens to be Catholic) had accidentally backed her turquoise colored Ford Thunderbird automobile into a replicated statue of the Baby Jesus of Prague, located in front of her child's school. She looked around; and seeing that there were no witnesses...proceeded to gun her engine and take off. Later she confesses this (over a shot of bourbon) to a close friend. The friend makes the sign of the cross over her, and then pronounces her absolved of the crime. Now this is the part that had me laughing...: After establishing that it was indeed an accident, she also confessed to her friend that she "never liked that statue of the baby Jesus anyway...Him sitting there on top of the globe, with 'that look' on His face, tiara on His head, with His right finger pointed up into the air...acting like He was 'all hot' and didn't need a mother anyway..." After reading this, I nearly lost it!

"A sittin' here la la, waitin' for my ya ya, ah-um, ah-um..."

This got me curious. I chuckled to myself all night long. This is something that my sister and I could have easily said. When I got home later that evening, I 'googled' on an image of "The Jesus of Prague"...and there He stood...the 'look', tiara, finger...all in place...just the way she had said. This was not the 'Baby Jesus' I had expected...the one I had in mind... the one who is usually laid out in a manger surrounded by His Mom, StepDad, lambs, cows and Wise Men. And so I begin to laugh again...a good soul cleansing laugh...and it felt sooo good...You know the the kind...the type of laugh that is usually reserved for close friends and family members...only! It had been a long time. And so I give a huge: "Merci, Cher!", to Rebecca Wells...but most of all, "Thank you Baby Jesus"...of Prague

Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez!

Oh, and by the way...As I have mentioned in some of my earlier postings, there is very little in life that I fear these days. However, there are still two words that have the ability to conjour up complete and utter dread from deep within my soul. They are:

FAMILY REUNION!

This particular reunion involves my husband's side of the family...and is scheduled to be held the end of this month.

"It may sound funny but I don't believe she's comin', ah-um, ah-um"


***I really loved this song when I was a little girl!

Song of the day: This Time I'm In It For Love - Player

"This time I'm in it for love
This time I'm in it to win" - Player

There are other unposted entries that should come before this one, but anyway...

Today was the day of "The Boy's" school trip. This year they visited a historic site where many of the early English Settlers landed. As a direct result of my encouragement, my husband volunteered to be a chaperone this go 'round. The trip cost $22.00 for each student. However, chaperones were charged the mere bargain basement rate of $6.00. This alone should have been a good enough hint to him as to the rapturous joy that lay ahead. Goody, goody gumdrops! Although the thought of spending hours of time with a large group of eight to ten year olds was a wonderful opportunity; I decided to make the ultimate sacrifice; and so made the difficult decision of repectfully bowing out.

"Cause in the scheme of things
You're gonna lose a few"

Earlier in the year, his teacher had asked me if I were going to accompany them on any of the year's field trips; because I am, after all, a "pre-approved and trusted official chaperone." After reminiscing over the last few trips that I had gone on with them, I smiled; and then suggested that someone 'more deserving' be given the chance this time around. And boy, did I have just the person they were looking for! That deserving person just happened to be (drum roll)...: My husband. He too, has been security screened and also falls within the 'pre-approved' category.

Long story short...They went. I stayed home. Husband calls me from his cellphone after the trip was over...after they had returned to school. "Come and get me...", he says dryly, "...please". They had gotten back into the city about a half hour sooner than I thought they should have. I had been robbed of about a half hour of peace and quiet. I had one foot in the shower stall when he called. However, he sounded pitiful...so pitiful in fact, that I skipped the shower, put my dirty clothes back on; then drove out to pick them up immediately. When I got to the school campus, he and "The Boy" were coming towards the car at breakneck speed. I will not go into detail here as to how my husband said the trip went. (The facts, as told to me by my husband will be logged into my private blog). However, I will say this: It will not come as a surprise to me if he chooses not to volunteer to be a chaperone for any future field trips again...ever. He did tell me that "The Boy" had been good.

"Even your best made plans
Before you know it, they are falling through
But that couldn't happen to me and you"

After making sure that they both had something to eat, it was soon time for me to get ready for work. And so, I leave for work...arriving in the pouring rain. I decide to sit in the car for a few minutes (to catch my breath), and then call my husband to let him know that I had safely arrived. Today, marks seven months of my following this routine...Seven damn months! Still, I am grateful to have a job.

"It's crazy to do it again
But how could I possibly lose"

I usually get to work early...about half an hour early. This is so that I can do my usual setup...wipe down the keyboard and desk with anti-bacterial, arrange my drink and coffee cup, and check the following websites(in this precise order): CNN, Reuters and LeMonde news(in French no less). There is a reason why I read the french website, and my husband is the only one who really knows. I then put in my book-on-tape. This week's feature is "Ya-Yas in Bloom" by Rebecca Wells. It is read by Judith Ivey. I am truly in love with this book...with this particular reading. I plug in my headphones, and tune out...The volume is at full blast. When I finally leave for the evening, I am on disk five of eight. Tonight has gone by very quickly. When it is over, I will miss the easy Southern comfortable feeling that this book has given me. So much so, that I may just have to listen to it again. It will certainly be better than listening to the mindless chatter going on around me.

The evening ends around 11:00pm-ish. Everyone packs up their stuff and leaves. I am happy to see them go. The lady who sits in front of me is also one of the last ones to go. She is a cerebral person; a fellow warrior, who is also caught up in the ongoing battle of today's economy. We speak very little to each other, but have high quality conversations whenever we do. Although we sit almost face-to-face, we have each strategically put large plants in between us, to block out views of each other, the sleepers; as well as of the seemingly always in motion, Young and the Restless. She and I are both quiet and settled people. Our silences are filled with a certain 'knowing' telepathy between us. I like her. She likes me. However, we both agree that we don't want to be looking up into each other's faces all night...and so we both decided to bring in large, leafy artificial plants. From a distance, our combined plants make our workstations appear to be an oasis in a mechanical, "Coke-and-Pepsi-canned", "empty-candy-wrapper-filled" desert.

On her way out, she asks me if I am ready to leave. I tell her to go ahead without me. "I need time to decompress", I say. I also need time to re-apply my invisible garment of warmth and humanity. I need time to turn myself back into huggable Mommy. I need time to turn myself back into beloved Wife.

The ride to and from work is precisely 24.4 miles...12.2 miles each way. And now with the longer summer days approaching, when I leave home to go to work, it is usually to sunny skies in the afternoons; and then later on...to pitch black skies, usually sprinkled with twinkling stars, for the evening's return trip.

And while, I need every mile...every turn of the wheel to complete this "going home" transformation; the process really starts the last few moments before I log off of the computer; before I take that walk down the short hallway, and through the three security enabled doors that eventually lead me to freedom. Most of all, I need time to turn back into myself; and I need to do it...alone.

"How could I lose?"

I get back home. I kiss my sleeping child and my half-asleep husband.

"This time I'm in it for you"

I am me again. Thank God!...and yes, I do really mean it...

I have already won.