☂ 2022 April FROM MY PERSPECTIVE

 

         😉 🌞☂🌷 2022 April FROM MY PERSPECTIVE

 

 I walked up the steps of her porch and took a seat.  I knew she’d invite me to “set a spell and chat”; I, also, knew she’d be aware of a “trouble” I was carrying.  “Good afternoon, Chile.  I’m so glad you came for a visit.  It looks like ya got a trouble you’re carryin’ around.  Wanna talk about it?”  “Aint Daisy, I know you know Theresa Marie and all she’s been through.  I, also, know you know she’s a friend of mine.  She was sharing her troubles with me the other day and denying what a good person she is even when I kept telling her.  It pained me to hear her say she didn’t think she was worthy of the good things which have finally come her way and even questioned her level of friendship with others.  I listened, but had a heavy heart when she finished talking.  I told her of the kindnesses she’d shown to others, the wonderful mothering skills she has and used with the many foster children she’s loved unconditionally, cared for, and given security to.  I told her of the solid, true friendship she’s given me, where we just seem to pick up where we left off after not seeing each other for a while, and share some dark secrets knowing they are safe not to be told to another.  I told her, ‘A friend is a gift you give yourself.  It is, also, a reflection of your standards and principles.’  What I said to her surprised her, especially when I gave her examples of her support and kindness to others and me.”  Aint Daisy listened intently, took a breath and spoke.  “Chile, I’ve heard you deny good things said about you and told to you.  You see, sweet girl, there are many times a person cain’t see themselves clearly until they are seen and told through the eyes of others.”  More wisdom from the Lady of the Holler.

Have you ever had a piece of music or sound stuck in your head?  Well, let’s try getting these out of our musical memory:  the shower scene from the original PSYCHO; the nasty old woman riding her bicycle in THE WIZARD OF OZ; BABY SHARK.  Then, Post Malone’s CIRCLES starts to play on the radio.  Gods!!!!  It’s a mental symphony.  You’re welcome.

I was washing my van when Brenduhh came over.  "Hi Trudy.  What are you doing?" she asked.  If she only knew how much I am not a big fan to answering obvious questions.  "Well, the van was dirty, so I decided to wash it," I said trying not to sound annoyed at the obvious.  She walked around the van as thought she was an inspector.  "Well, it looks pretty clean.  Hey, what's that at the windshield?" she asked seeing the silvery sun shield I had spread across it.  "It's a sun shield to keep the sun out of the van," I answered.  "Well, it probably does the job, but how do you see and you drive when it's across the windshield?"  I couldn't answer her question because it was the second obvious results one in less than 10 minutes, and I was still recovering from the first. So, I mentioned, "I have some cold, sweet tea and honey biscuits in the house. Would you like to join me?"

The musician Leo Kottke once said, “The Germans have done for the consonants what the Hawaiians have done for the vowels.”  What does that mean?  Well, you may have seen German words such as kartoffelkuchen (potato cake), tchotchkes/chotskies (insignificant knick knack), zweibach (twice baked), and my favorite---wortspielmacher (word player).  Then there’s Hawaiian with words such aa (a sharp jagged lava rock), aloha, mahalo, humuhumunukunukuāpua‘a (the state fish) and, well, just look at the spelling of the word Hawaii.  The Hawaiian language has five vowels in an alphabet of 13 letters. German? The same as English (more or less).

I came across some interesting trivia via a day-to-day calendar my daughter gave me.  It’s about the Presidents and the nicknames they were given by others.  Here are some:  George Washington: “Mutton Head” by John Adams and “His Pomposity” by Thomas Jefferson.  Little did Adams know he had earned “His Rotundity” due to his ample size.  James Madison was “Short Stack” because he was so short (he was the shortest President at 5’4” and weighed 100 lbs.).  Abraham Lincoln was the tallest President at 6’4”.  Andrew Jackson was called “Caesar of the White House” because he was so dictatorial.  Ulysses S. Grant was called “Useless” S. Grant which reflected his ineptness.  William Taft was “Jumbo Bill” due to his 335 pounds.  Harry Truman was “Dammit Harry” because he said “dammit” so often.  At age 97, Jimmy Carter is also the oldest living president as well as the nation's longest-lived president.  Joe Biden’s presidential campaign spent $10,000 on ice cream; he loves ice cream!!  Franklin D. Roosevelt served 4,422 days as President; William Henry Harrison served 31 days as President.  Both died in office.  Grover Cleveland held the job as hangman at one time.  He was, also, the only President to serve 2 non-consecutive terms.

The phone rang and I tried to get to it forgetting I only had on socks and the floor had just been washed and dried.  My feet when in directions I wasn’t going.  It was like part of me was doing a dance and the other part was pointed toward the phone.  I think the dance was from the 60s or 70s-----known as “The Slide”.  I thought about “The Mashed Potatoes”, but that’s for supper.

Brenduhh came over, again, within a day of the last visit.  She brought the newspaper with her.  “Hi Trudy, I brought the paper over so you could help me with this question which I’ll get a prize if I answer it correctly.  The question is, ‘What’s the past tense of “THINK”?’  I thought and thought and thought and decided the answer is ‘THINKED’.”  “How about a cup of mint tea and a fresh muffin, sweetie?  We have some discussion of verb tenses ahead of us,” I instructed.

Peace, smiles, and good thoughts to you.  Trudy 😀