Archive for January, 2013
Generations
Last weekend I attended a Memorial for my beloved Uncle. Yesterday I attended a Baby Shower for my soon-to-be-born Great-Granddaughter.
My Uncle was the last surviving family from my Mother’s generation. My new Great-Granddaughter is will be born to my youngest Grandchild. It is a poignant perspective; endings and beginnings; death and birth.
I have achieved a senior position in the line of ancestry just by aging. Nothing else is required. However, I find myself reflecting on my contribution, not only to my generation but to those who will follow. My efforts are far from perfect, but I am doing what I can.
There is a saying from the North American Indians that cogently expresses the Generational task, “We do not inherit the Earth, we borrow it from our Grandchildren.”.
Robins
Yes, Robins. A seemingly odd juxtaposition to last weeks ‘Cold’. Never-the-less the Robins are here.
A large Pyracantha in the yard attracts Robins to feast on the over-ripe berries. According to Private Lives of Garden Birds by Calvin Simonds, as Robins migrate from the southern United States to the North, they depend on wild berries and other fruits as essential food sources. This accounts for the red-breasted invasion, but Mr. Simonds does not mention a word about ‘drunk Robins’.
The spectacle does not last more than a few days; during which the Robins lose all sobriety. They swagger-fly and drunk-hop until the Pyracantha berries are so perfectly and completely gleaned from the bush as to put to shame any mechanized method for berry picking.
So for these few days, the harbingers of Spring entertain me with their ribald behavior. Under the influence, they can’t fly high, if indeed they can get off the ground. They really do ‘drunk-hop’. They screech and squabble with each other; and a truly hilarious moment is watching a drunk Robin dig up a worm and then try to keep it from his rowdy buddies.
Standing at the kitchen window, tightening my babuska against the cold, laughter warms my heart as I watch the antics of the drunk Robins and know that Spring is not far off.
Cold
It is that time of year in my neighborhood. As many of you know I am not a fan of cold weather. It is 7:30 am and the thermometer on the covered porch reads 28 degrees. Not as freezing as yesterday, but at these temperatures two or three degrees difference are no matter.
What you probably don’t know is that I am a ‘energy miser’. Beyond the usual energy-saving strategies is ‘babuska’ wear. Yes, it is true. Inside my home I wear a wool blend scarf twined around my head and neck. I seriously look like a Russian Grandmother. I am also wearing two pairs of wool socks tucked into LL Bean slippers, two shirts and a house-frau jacket. I have not yet found gloves adequate to keeping my fingers warm while using the computer and providing the flexibility needed.
I am not about to heat the whole house (no wood stove here) as I sit working in one room.
There are some other activities that help me handle the cold. Excercise. Any movement helps; dancing in the living room is one of my favs this time of year. I also ‘save’ the dishes from the night before. Doing double-duty, morning kitchen chores warm my hands and fingers. Still would like to find the perfect gloves. Of course, they need to match my ‘babuska’ outfit…or maybe not.
I am counting the weeks til Spring!
Upgrade
Well, I did it. Upgraded to Windows 8. The word upgrade makes me think …better, improved, maybe easier. Not so fast. I am not tech-savvy; so what was I thinking!
There are some things I like, that do seem easier, really different, but easier. And then there is the rest. I backed up with a flash-drive and good thing. Not much moved forward and it seems I can’t go back. So begins the tedious process of re-loading, down-loading and bringing forward my desk top and all its information.
I feel like I am starting my PC affair from scratch. Ah, the upgrade.