With only a few hours left...

   2013 is winding down quickly. There are just a few days left and I thought it might be a good idea to look back at the year just passed. Isn't that what all good newspaper and news people do, that is, "the year in review.” 2013 may not have been the best year for some ( Bet Anthony Weiner is glad the years is over), but it was also not the worst, although there are some that might disagree. Anything that involves  the number '13' can't be all bad. So let's move on....

   Like most others, the year 2013 began on January 1 for me. It was a Tuesday and if not mistaken, it may have even snowed. I didn't do much that day, if I recall. I got up my usual time, just before 6:30 AM, took Lucky out for an early morning walk and turned on the coffee pot. Being several days after the shortest day of the year (Dec. 20) there were about 2 additional minutes of daylight already in the sky and that extra early morning light woke me up a bit earlier! (Now there is wishful thinking.)

   The next day was January 2, not unusual as in most places around the world the 2^nd of the month often follows the 1^st. Not much happened this day either. It probably snowed again and.....if I don't fast forward this review, my rather uneventful year in review will take forever and you may become quite bored... if not already.

   If you really want to find out the important (??) events that happened during 2013, I suggest you turn to one of the hundreds of news broadcast this week. They cover everything from the most popular movies, to the politics in our nation's capitol and everything in between, including our Governor in Maine.

   My personal 'year in review' is not nearly as interesting, but, I was pretty pleased with the way the flower gardens turned out this year, the trip several weeks ago to Williamsburg with my daughter and her family and some of the antiques I was able to purchase at the auctions this year.

   I did pick up a part time job for a few months and met some very interesting people as I traveled around the state and to several other locations a bit south of here, NYC and Philadelphia to be more specific. In the process I learned a great deal about energy consumption and the amount we waste each year. Even at my age, one is never be too old to continue to learn.

   Most of the year was pretty routine and that is just fine for me. I hope it continues into the new year and I remain healthy and wise. Should a good opportunity of some type present itself, who knows what I might do. Never know what is lurking out there behind those trees!

  With the new year well within reach now, (just hours away now) I had considered making a list of some New Year's resolutions for 2014, but if this year were to be anything like the past, I don't think I'll waste the time. Too often there is a brief commitment to a list of resolutions  and then they are forgotten within days, maybe even hours. Losing weight and exercising, reading more, keeping the weeds out of the garden... those, hopefully, will all happen without needing  New Year's resolutions. Staying in touch with friends and family, taking in a Red Sox game every now and then should be automatic too. 
   Oh... I suppose I could put a sticky note on the dashboard of the car reminding me to buckle up before I pull out of the driveway or show a bit more patience in the checkout line at the store, especially when I am in a hurry.

   I probably could try to stay a bit closer to the '500 word limit' I set for myself for  my writing of this blog, but there are times, I have found, when I just have too much to say and need to use all the words I can !!

   But most important going into 2014, I want to wish you all a  healthy and Happy New Year and thank you for taking a few minutes  out of your busy schedules to spend some time with me each week at.... www.500wordsallthetime.com.
   Be safe!!

The next time Santa asks you if you have a been a good little boy or girl.........

   The young boy sat on Santa's lap, maybe at a mall somewhere. It was a television commercial for an automobile company. Santa, dressed in his traditional bright red suit, was asking the boy what he wanted for Christmas. No toys! "A real car," was the response. Santa seemed surprised by the request. (Remember, this was a TV commercial!)"That's a pretty big gift", he said. "Were you a 'good' boy this year?" Looking Santa squarely in the eyes and with all seriousness in his tone of voice, the 'precocious'  lad said to Santa...”define good!” 
   Santa stammered and stuttered to find an answer as  the boy jumped off his lap. Although this was a "staged" television  commercial, it does raise an interesting question.'What is the meaning of the word 'good' and why does it only seem to mean so much more this time of the year. Perhaps because some believe it will get you more presents? That's not good!

   A quick look at Webster's Dictionary reveals the word 'good' has many different meanings, depending upon the context in which the word is used. For example, often it is linked to a person's character as in..”a good and honorable person' or in a much different example... a four wheel drive vehicle is 'good' for driving in snow. But in the case of the boy sitting on his lap, Santa was  probing to see if he had been well behaved the past year.    Historically, bad behavior often meant lumps of coal from Santa on Christmas Eve, or at least that's how the story goes and nobody wants lumps of coal. But looking around, there may be many who should be receiving lots of coal this year. But... I won't mention any names.

   In an unofficial and unscientific survey conducted by me, I asked people what the word 'good' really means. Some of the responses I am not able to print because of the 'content' and 'context'. Gutter minds, you know! But in most cases, the responses were ones I had expected.

   From the younger generation (under the age of 8) ... nice, pleasant, respectful, being polite to your mom and dad, cleaning up your toys, and going to bed on time... were at the top of the list. Doing homework, brushing your teeth each day, keeping a promise and feeding the dog also made the 'being good' list

   For the adults, defining the word was a bit more challenging. Perhaps with the passing of time and the loss of childhood innocence, the word has lost some of its original intent and meaning. (Note..Buried deeply within the definition in Webster's dictionary is the reference that the word 'good' originally was derived from the word God.)

   Several spoke of 'good food' or a 'good movie', good times or a good game. When asked to use a scale of 1 to 10 to rate  'good', the most common response was  '7'. But goodness gracious! Am I beginning to see a pattern here. Does being 'good' only mean being just... OK?

   What was interesting was that the kids were seeing 'good' as a “people" quality or characteristic while the adults saw it was more as a judgment or value of something, not a personal quality. So when does a shift take place in a child's mind and why?

  We try to teach our children to be 'good', to be nice to their friend, to share toys and be polite to others, the more traditional understanding of the word 'good'. But as they grow older they see, in real life and on television, something very different and by the time they are adults, being 'good' has lost its importance because generally we don't judge people with the traditional meaning of 'good' any more. Is a person good and honorable or are they no different than being a 4-wheel vehicle being driven in snow?

   I am not sure, as I look back this year, if asked the age old question about 'being good or bad' this past year, what my answer would be. I hope I could, in good conscious, say 'good'. But others will be the judge of that. Isn't that right Santa?

   And that young boy who looked Santa in the eye in the commercial? My bet is he grows up to be a lawyer!  :)

It's time to get ready...

   It's time to get ready... for the next big snow storm. Winter seems to have arrived a bit early this year as a number of  storms have been traveling across the country like fast moving freight trains. Those of us who live in Maine, that is north of the Kittery Bridge, come to expect the 'expected' and the 'unexpected' when it's winter weather related and this year appears to be no exception.

   Fortunately, most of the storms to date have worked their way across the country to the east coast, turned north and before crossing into Maine, have made a sharp right turn out to sea. I have enjoyed watching the news reports and pictures of snarled traffic in Washington D.C. or the thousands of people stranded in the airport in Atlanta.

   There has been a bit of snow to date, but it appears that other parts of the country have been “harder hit”. I love that description...”hard hit”. I suppose that implies there can be a “soft hit?” But I am sure that before long we will have our share of severe wintery weather. In fact, the weather forecasters on the local television stations are predicting a storm this weekend ...so I guess it's time to get ready.

   I have already started up the snow blower once this Fall and it seems to run fine. It has been around for a few years, but as they say...”nothing runs like a Deer.” I know that at some time I will need to get a newer model, but this one works fine for now, so...”if it ain't broke, don't fix it!”

   The snow shovels are now by the front and back door, ready to cut a small, but narrow path for the dog to take his early morning or evening walk to the nearest tree. While it appears he doesn't mind the snow, a bit of a path helps him get moving the the right direction.

   In the garage are two bags of snow and ice remover. Over the years, I have used everything from rock salt to sand, depending upon what was available at the time in the store, but now, with the dog, something 'pet friendly' is probably in order.

   It is amazing just how expensive it is to melt snow and ice. I know that you can use kitty litter on ice to keep from slipping, but then, what do you do with it after the ice is gone? Pray there are no cats in the neighborhood I guess.

   Often the electric power will go out during a major storm. No power, no lights, no heat. In the past I have used a wood stove to supply supplemental and backup heat, but have converted to two pellet stoves and they do need some type of electricity to keep operating. Perhaps one of these years I will invest in, along with a new snow blower, a generator. That way, I will be able to keep the pellet stoves operating and... check my Facebook page every once and a while to see all the funny pictures people are posting.

   There are fresh batteries in the flashlights, oil for the oil lamps, lots of blankets and some snacks, just in case I get a bit hungry.

   Each vehicle has a blanket, a flashlight, several pairs of gloves, an extra hat and a snow brush/ ice scraper combo. In the past, I have found these to be quite useful, not only for snow and ice removal, but to wave at the passing cars on the highway, hoping someone will see me and stop to help push me out of the snow bank.

   I also try to keep at least a half a tank of gas in each car and some dry gas on hand, although with all this new modern engine technology, I have heard it may not a good idea to add it to your gas tank. Fouls up what they used to call the carburetor.

   And yes, this year I have new “all weather tires,” able to run on hot steamy roads in summer or cold snowy roads in winter. Sounds like I am ready for anything!

   Well almost. I have one more stop to make and I need to be sure there are some extra ice cubes in the freezer too. It could be a long storm!
   
   PS. It's 6: AM at this posting on Sunday and the snow is already about 4". And it is sooooo quiet!

The Christmas tree is up and decorated...finally!

   With Christmas music playing in the background on the IPOD and the chorus of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” coming from the wireless speakers, the final ornament is placed on the tree. The last ornament is the pickle, hung in a place that requires a bit of searching, hidden among the other brightly colored ornaments.

   When the kids were young, they would race down the stairs on Christmas morning and the first to find it would be the first to open a present, It provided a bit a 'law and order' to the early morning Christmas frenzy.

   These days, the search for the pickle usually happens, not on Christmas morning, but at the end of the season when it is time for the tree to be put away for another year, because I sometimes forget where I hung  it. But that may be good thing. Being the last in the box means it usually ends up on top of the other ornaments, ready for next year.

   Before I go on any further, I need to confess  the tree in our home is no longer a freshly cut fir or spruce, but one of the 'artificial' type, and while I actually considered going 'natural' this year, I decided to stick with the artificial one. At least I won't be spilling water on the floor as I try to fill the tree stand with water and... it is an attractive tree, despite being made of some mysterious man-made materials.

   It takes several days to prepare the house for Christmas. Over the years the collection of decorations has grown and there are now at least five to six large plastic containers filled with ornaments and decorations of every type, stored safely in the garage. (Plastic containers tend to keep the squirrels out!) Not all are hung on the Christmas tree, of course, but it takes a day or two to get organized and ...what's the rush? I have plenty of time. It's how many days until Christmas?

   Why the large number of decorations? There was a time it was not uncommon to have four or five fully decorated trees, freshly cut, each in a different room, and each tree with a different theme. These days the number is down to just two, in part because the house is smaller, not as many rooms.

   But having four or five trees required lots of ornaments and over the years more and more ornaments were added and unless one broke or the dog got hold of it, it was just too difficult to throw any of them away. There were, and still are, many ornaments with family memories of Christmas's past and now, each year, these are the ones that get placed on the tree.

   There are a few ornaments of Christmas before kids, when money was pretty scarce. There are still many with the kids' names and dates written on the back and some with pictures from grade school projects when Christmas could still be spoken about in school.

   The homemade ornaments are the most memorable but many, after 30+ years, are to worn, tattered or frayed to be hung on the tree. But I am just not able to throw them away. So... they remain in the plastic container, year after year, carefully wrapped in paper in hopes that someday some grandchild or great grandchild may find them and wonder...wonder what Christmas was like back in the 'old days'.

   There are ornaments purchase from different gift shops while on vacations and we can not forget the ones bought at the local antique auctions. Some of those are really old and I am sure carry their own set of family memories too.

   It now takes me about two days to finish decorating the trees, in part because I don't move quite as fast as I used to and I need to give my hands a chance to heal after being scratched and stuck by the the plastic pine needles. But with the hanging of the pickle and a flip of the switch, the Christmas season is officially underway at our house and if I may say so myself, I did another magnificent job this year, even if it is an artificial tree. Maybe next year I''ll opt for a real one. I do miss the smell of freshly cut pine.
   So, to my readers, family and friends, from our home to yours, Donna, Lucky, and I wish  you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Note: Just a quick add-on. I know there is a great debate this year as to whether it is a 'Holiday Tree' or a 'Christmas Tree'. For me, the tree at Rockefeller Center will always be a Christmas Tree as well as the trees in my home. If someone wants to have a holiday tree, that is their choice. After all, it is a free country and it is what makes our country unique. But sometimes traditions need to remain just that, traditions. Come on folks!

A Thanksgiving Story for 2013.....

   Stories can come from many different places with many unique twists and turns. This year, at our family Thanksgiving gathering, each one there, both young and old, helped to create this family Thanksgiving story and maybe a new tradition. We hope you enjoy it.

                                        A Thanksgiving Story ( 2013)

   The turkeys had been very restless the week before Thanksgiving. They had been watching the news and were well aware of the upcoming storm. Tom, the senior and largest bird of the group had done everything he possibly could to calm the others but with the constant warnings and broadcasts on the television, the others worried that this was not going to be a Happy Thanksgiving for most of them this year. Unsure of their future and what fate might hold, they constantly fought and argued among themselves and in some cases even refused to gobble down their food.

   As Thanksgiving Day got closer, the kids on the farm ran around yelling and shouting...“munch, munch, munch, we're going to have turkey for lunch, lunch, lunch.” Their feverish excitement furthered the concern of the gaggle. Tom knew he needed to do something about this and do it soon (Pete)

   So they decided to go into their emergency underground cave. They thought they would be able miss Thanksgiving by being in the cave, and to keep busy they decorated it for Christmas. They hung greenery and ornaments, working very hard until their feathers fell off. (Ashley)

   They thought they would be safe in the cave, until all of a sudden they heard the farm owner moving about in the leaves. If one of them left, surely he would become food on the farmer's plate. That would be terrible! (Erin)

   So one brave turkey went to the farmer and said, “Please don't make us your Thanksgiving dinner because we want to stay alive.” The farmer thought about it for a minute and finally said... “OK.” (Ava)

   “But”....the farmer added, “You must help me find something else to put on my plate for the Thanksgiving dinner. I had planned on delicious turkey but now I will need to find something else to feed to my family. Great Aunt Clara is especially finicky about what is on her plate.” (Amity)

   At that moment Great Aunt Clara arrived. “Moo,” said her little calves as they followed her inside.”We are hungry. What's for dinner. (Grandma)

The farmer didn't know what to say. He quickly looked around the room. What could he serve for Thanksgiving dinner?

   Just then a familiar sound roared into the driveway. Julian, the local pizza delivery boy was driving his beat-up Chevy truck toward the front door. (Anna)

   As it turned out, Great Aunt Clara had the foresight to realize that it was no fair to eat Tom for dinner since he had been such a good turkey. She had used her cell phone and had placed an order for two pepperoni and one cheese pizza, saving Tom, the turkey. from the kitchen oven. (Chris)

   Yes... Tom would live to see another day. And the pizzas that had been delivered by Julian in his beat-up Chevy truck, they were all made in the shape of a turkey with a note written on the box top. Happy Thanksgiving from your pal Tom.

   Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.!!!!

Just because it's called the Pine Tree State.....

   People often make assumptions that are not necessarily true. For example, Michigan is known as the 'Mitten State'. Does that mean everyone wears mittens instead of gloves? New Jersey is called the 'Garden State', but I'll bet there are a number of people who have never planted a garden in their life. Or Idaho...the 'Spud State'. (There is one you want to make sure not to misspell. Can you imagine being called the “Stud State'?)

   Maine is called the “Pine Tree State' and people from away often ask me if we have a lot of pine trees in Maine?? And if we do, it must make it easy to find the “perfect” Christmas tree. "Where do I find the “perfect” Christmas tree?" they ask.

   We recently returned from a trip 'south of the bridge in Kittery' and although still several weeks away from Thanksgiving and the official start of the holiday season, I was surprised at the number of trucks loaded with freshly cut trees that were heading South to far off places like NYC, Pittsburgh, maybe even Miami, locations where Christmas trees don't grow. Who wants to cut down a palm tree, stick it in a tree stand, bring it inside and decorate it with colored lights and shiny ornaments? Bet you won't see too many of those in “Country Living Journal".”

   I will admit that over the years I have spent a great deal of time in search of the 'perfect' tree. Like the U.S. postal service...through rain or snow, sleet or hail, my mission to find the 'perfect' tree, I can not fail. Often I would spend hours, well maybe just a few minutes, wandering in the woods or at the local Christmas tree farm looking for the 'right' tree. It had to be about 7 ft. tall, straight as an arrow, plenty of branches and a nice top on which to place the angel.

   Some years it was a Scotch Pine, very pretty but difficult to decorate because of the sharp needles. Other years, it has been the more traditional fir tree. One year we decided to go with a Blue Spruce, and I ended up needing to get a loan to pay for it. (This one came from a tree farm.. Not too many Blue Spruce grow wild in the Maine woods)

   There were a few years when several families would get together and make it a social event, Armed with chain saws and a cooler or two, the dads were off into the woods, the older kids tagging along, and the younger ones at home with the moms in the kitchen baking cookies.

   After a short ride into the “backwoods” the search would begin. Soon there would be the roar of the chain saw, the shout out of “timber” and the crashing sound of a 30-40 ft pine. That 7 ft top looked perfect from ground level, but now I wasn't so sure! “Well maybe there is a better one over there.”

   By the end of the afternoon the truck was loaded with trees, some extra greens for decorating and if we were lucky it might even start to snow a bit, just for the romantic touch. The house was filled with the smell of freshly baked cookies, the hot chocolate was on the stove and after taking a second look at what we had managed to bring home, the afternoon was deemed a success.

   Families grow and move on, traditions change and the search for the 'perfect' tree takes on new form and life. It's no longer walks through the woods or the tree farm armed with a saw. It is now looking for a parking place within a reasonable walking distance to the store, armed not with a chain saw but a credit card. Once inside, the selection of artificial trees is endless....and expensive. Every type and style of tree is on display, with or without lights and in some cases they even come with scent  packets  you can hang  on the tree branches to make it smell almost real.

   The buy of the day? A Blue Spruce, 10 ft tall, with lights and a stand, marked down from $499 to $429. What a deal!

   After visiting several more stores and finding similar results, it was time to put 'plan B' into action, after all.... this is Maine, the Pine Tree State. Tomorrow, I'll  gas up the chain saw, put on my LL Bean boots and..........

Sometimes it only takes a bridge...

   The three men had traveled together for many days. They had been through storms, climbed over mountains, been attacked by wild  animals, robbed by gangs and had gone for days at a time without food or water. But now they stood on the banks of the river, looking across the cold and choppy water, trying to decide how they get to the other side and hoping this would be their last big challenge.
   After a few minutes and being in somewhat of a hurry, the first young man took off his shoes and socks, waded out into the water and began to swim toward the other shore, occasionally  looking back at the others and waving to them to join him. About half way across the river the current became much  stronger and being very tired, he stopped swimming for a moment. Suddenly he dropped beneath the water's surfaces and within minutes  was carried away by the muddy waters, too far from the others on shore to save him.
   He had been the 'risk taker' of the three. Free spirited, he had been the one who, when times were difficult, had kept the group together, either with his seemingly endless energy or his "wicked" sense of humor. A romantic at heart, he often forgot there was a practical and sometimes  harsh  side of life and in the end, he gave in to his youthful exuberance.
   After some time had passed, the second man decided he would build a boat. Not strong enough to even attempt to swim, he thought that "surely a boat would get them across the river  to the other side" and one step closer to completing the journey.
   Collecting what materials were available in the area, he was able to build something that resembled a boat. He was the 'creative one' of the group. They both laughed at its appearance and after naming it "The Ugly Duckling", it was ready for it's maiden voyage. Being the caution one too, he suggested that he "go out alone" not wanting to put too much weight in the untested boat and if he was successful, he would return for the third man. Both agreed that was probably a good plan since they had already lost one member of the trio to the turbulent waters. He would set out in the morning, but this night they would sit and talk, remembering their friend and their experiences.
   The morning air was clear and fresh as the sun peaked out from behind the mountain tops. There was little, if any, wind and the waters appeared calm. Carefully launching the boat into the water so as to not damage its weak and shaky structure, he was ready to set sail.
   Standing on shore, the remaining traveler could hear the his friend singing old shanty sea songs as he navigated his way from shore toward the other side.
   Within only a minutes from the other shoreline, strong winds broke the calm and peaceful setting, flipping the boat upside down and sending the sailor into the  water and like the other man, he too was quickly pulled below the surface. Feeling helpless, the third man could only stand and watch as his friend was carried downstream by the muddy and murky waters. Now alone, the third man sat and pondered what to do. Alone, did he want to continue the journey or turn around  and return to where they had come from?
   As he thought about his next steps a new group of three, on a  journey of their own, joined him. He briefly explained what had taken place as they attempted to comfort him. Their goal, too, was to cross the river, but based upon the story told, they decided that to swim or build a boat would not work. After several minutes one of group members suggested..."Lets build a bridge". The task seemed daunting, but there were now four of them and perhaps the extra hands might make it possible.
   They searched the area for items that could be used to build the bridge and found a place downstream where the span across the water was a bit narrower. As they worked, others passing by joined them and within several months they had built a bridge that spanned the river, was strong enough to support the weight of those who would  cross it and sturdy enough to withstand the rains and storms and turbulent waters below.
    It was now time for the first traveler to continue his journey and as he stepped onto the bridge he had helped create, he turned and waved to his new friends, thanking them for their help and within minutes after reaching the other side,  he was out of sight.
   Over time, the bridge became well known as a popular place for people to cross back and forth from one side of the river to the other.Within a few years, others would come and  rebuild the structure, making it bigger and stronger. What had once been a place where many were forced to end their journeys had been transformed into a place to gather and set out on new adventures into sometimes uncharted territories.
   Many of us will go through life and face challenges and obstacles we did not expect. We learn that life is not always as simple and easy to navigate as we had hoped and we learn that sometimes, when we reach what seems to be the end, with  help from old friends and new ones and a willingness to try new things and to trust others, we are able to move forward. Building bridges  and  trusting others  can take someone a  along way!