Rosie's Laundry

My next door neighbor, Rosie, is from Italy. She came to America in 1950 to marry. Her garden (which I'll feature when it is in full bloom) is a dazzling array of color and lush, beautiful blooms.

But she is spring cleaning now, and had her laundry on the line. I couldn't resist, and while her husband Frank probably thought I was certifiable when I asked if I could take pictures of Rosie's laundry, I forged ahead!

My laundry is too ugly to hang up on the line...

Happy Birthday, Mom

This is a long one -- for my family, mostly! But I just needed to post it...!

If my mom was still alive, yesterday would be her 90th birthday. I find it interesting that of all the photos I have of her, the ones that are scanned (so far) are those when she was very young, for the most part, before I landed.

When she died, I was a kid. An old kid. Twenty-five. Old enough to be through with college (the first time). But not one living to promise or potential. Like so many, I was floundering, working as a bookkeeper at a health department. Those who know my math acumen will find this ironic! That I survived for several years until I found my calling is truly due to my acting skills!

I was underpaid, unattached, happy enough with my extracurricular theatre activities, but truly content? No.

Mom on the street corner of her house. It still looks much the same today.

I like to think she can see me now. Not the little baby she held or the little girl with no artistic talent but could write. When she realized I was going to try to draw like my cousin Patty (a gifted natural artist) -- despite a profound lack of natural ability -- she bought me drawing books and paper (all the time reminding me that my real artistic gift was with words – now my primary career is as a writer/editor).

We did crafts together for as long as I can remember. I learned to knit when I was five. Making holiday decorations came shortly after.

She loved all holidays. And had a wicked sense of humor. How many new mothers would put their child in their first Halloween costume at age two months? Especially such a "glamourous" one!

She was very into Christmas. That apple didn't fall far from the tree...

Mom got into my school projects as much as I did! She loved to cook and so do I. And I fear my over-collecting habits were honed at an early age. Mom was the master of rotating decor items -- we had shelves in the basement for the out of season things, or those just "taking a rest." I have shelves -- and plastic bins. She would have loved plastic bins.

Before she was married, mom taught school, worked for the airlines, then managed a dress shop. That was in the 40s and early 50s, and lots of women didn't really work outside the home then. Her family was fairly well to do.

My dad's background was very humble. I always have credited her for looking outside the glitz and to the person when she and my dad met. It was something she passed on to me.

I get my volunteer streak from her -- I would go with her as a child when she worked for her Junior League thrift shop. "When you are fortunate to have, you must give back," she said. Often. And she loved to have a party. Right on!

My family and good friends know this story -- when I was about 10, I was turning into a bit of a status brat. We lived in a neighborhood that had a pretty white-bread, professsional/executive batch of people, and at an early age, the kids became pretty jaded to just about everything. It was the Adidas culture of the day. Parties were always ta-da! We didn't know there were people who weren't like us. (You should see that school now. Add 21st century peer pressure to the mix...)

So, in sixth grade, we moved. It was just across town -- and the neighborhood was very nice, and pretty homogenous. But the schools were anything but. There was a huge income variance, great racial diversity, fractured families. And it didn't matter. Because I found friends who were from all backgrounds. And they were fun kids. Some were raised just like me. Some anything but. It didn't make any difference.

When the parents of my best pal in the neighborhood at the time wanted them to send me to a different, more homogenous high school in the city, my parents refused. Good for them.

I credit those actions with making me the person I am today. A decision she and my dad made together. A good one.

Mom loved to laugh and nothing was more fun than seeing her with her sisters at the lake. She loved the lake -- this picture was in 1949, the summer before she and my dad got married.

We spent all summer up there as kids. One day she managed to get all of us teen cousins polishing copper up there. And we liked it! She knew how to make things fun.

She wasn't perfect. She could be overprotective, and in some ways, that may have arrested my development. And she could have her snooty, snippy moments.

But she was a good mom.

Who knows what would have happened had she lived longer? Would she know me now, or be in that world so many people of that age are -- not really here anymore? She would love Rick and the boys, and she'd be proud of my work. If she was able, we'd still be making things together -- and laughing all the way.

So, Happy Birthday, Mom. I miss you.

My Life in Six Words

Dawn of My Thoughts by Dawn tagged me with this unique challenge – one that was harder for me to do than one might think.

The task: Write and illustrate a six-word memoir.

Now, I adored 25 and 30 page term papers and loathed having to be so concise as to write one in only five or six pages! Even now, I write copiously for our magazine and then gleefully cut dozens – sometimes hundreds – of lines of copy! So six words???

Here we go…

I love deeply. I live joyfully.

It says it all!

Here are a few of the things I love deeply – and because of them, I live joyfully!

My guys -- several years ago...

Mom and Dad --1950...

My family -- the Cousins with Rick and Me...

The Marmelade Gypsy (aka Mr. Gypsy Rose)...

The Late, Great Mr. Stimpy...

My amazing friends (and there are far more than just in this photo, old and new, online and off!)...

The Cottage...

Long walks up north at Otsego Lake...

Otsego Lake at Sunset (or anytime; photo by my cousin David!)...

Making art on the porch at the lake (or anywhere, for that matter)...

Mackinac Island...

Rick playing Guitar...

Holidays and decorating for them...
Entertaining -- anytime!...

Yarn and knitting...

Sheep (because without them, no yarn; no knitting!)

MSU's campus in spring...

Flowers -- anytime, anyplace, any arrangement!...

El Azteco's topopo salad...
Sushi (even better when it's in Japan!)...

Wine and my wine tasting pals...

Myrtle Beach...

And there's so much more, but you've been so gracious to stay with me!
I have to tag several folks – I know you are all busy, but I hope you’ll put this task into your blogging queue. It really does make you think – how do I put what I am in the fewest words possible?

So, I’m tagging:
Shelley (also check out her second digital art blog!)
Dr. Bird
Beth D
Rosemary
Jane F.

I won’t put a deadline on it, but do try! All you have to do next is write your memoir, tag a few folks and leave a comment on their tagged blogs, inviting them to post and illustrate their six-word memoir. Also, include in your post, a link to me!

Raptor Rapture

A glorious Sunday. Perfect weather. Good friends. New experiences.


That’s what I enjoyed last weekend as we journeyed to the mid-Michigan countryside to spot raptors – the hawks, eagles, and owls that live in our woods, wetlands and even at times, in the city.


Rick had purchased a day of raptor viewing at the Ebersole auction and we finally managed to find a day when we – and our guide and generous donor, Dave – could schedule the jaunt.

Dave

Rick and our friends Mark and Jan and I met Dave at a car park and together we ventured off to find the raptors, whose nests Dave had previously scouted.


First stop, Great Horned Owls. Their nest was far from the road, and even with the scope it was difficult to see the babies, though Jan says she saw their tufted heads. The nearby windmill on the barn was handsome, though!



Then we had great fortune finding nests of red tailed hawks. We were able to catch these beautiful and massive birds sitting on their nests. No photos of those, but they were splendid!


After a picnic, we went on to enjoy watching harrier hawks dance around, and caught a glimpse of kestrels, herons and wood ducks, as well as an osprey nest at the top of a cell phone tower!

Happy raptor-watchers!

Raptor nests are huge and generally made of sticks, though at times they’ll use whatever materials are available. Dave has a bumper sticker that says “I brake for stick nests” and we can see why! He’s always on the lookout, though I think we picked the last possible weekend before the trees fully pop to do our excursion.



He said he had one last surprise for us and to follow him. We did, and he parked on the exit ramp of a busy expressway. We climbed the embankment on the opposite side of the highway and looking through the scope...


...we were fortunate to spot a part-albino red-tailed hawk.

Her mate brought in dinner, as she circled around and then we watched through the scope as she fed her two babies in the nest.

The pix of the albino are by Mark and Dave. The rest are mine (I’m better with people pix!) It was really a remarkable and rare event.

I feel so fortunate to have experienced this. It was truly a gift. Thanks, Rick for the experience and Dave for spending gas at $3.65/gallon and an afternoon taking us about!

Coming This Week!

Coming to The Marmelade Gypsy this week -- as soon as I can take a breath -- will be...

Recap of WKAR's wheelchair awareness event last Saturday!

Highlights from the PACE (PR) awards and hall of fame induction (hall of fame was a colleague, not me!)

Our adventures viewing raptors on a wildlife excursion Sunday! (The bird photo is by my buddy Mark!)

The good, bad and ugly creations I made during my comp day (and my laptop doesn't facilitate easy blogging -- it's dial-up -- which is why I didn't blog then!

The six-word memoir I was tagged for by Dawn way too long ago!

And, a recipe -- since I haven't posted one in eons!

I will NOT engage you with tales of my impending crown. I see the dentist today.

Mostly, I need a break. I'm sorely missing all of your blogs and hope you don't leave me in the dust as I haven't been visiting for about five or six days. I'm dying to check in on the Sedona gathering that Pam Aries and Lisa OceanDreamer attended (three cheers on your interview in Artful Blogging, Lisa!); catch up on my art pals -- all the Beths, Karla's Cottage, Shelley and Rosemary, among MANY others at the right; find out what's going on with Tara at Paris Parfait; add to my increasing pile of "to read" books from Becca at Bookstack, and more!
(Now I left people out. I'm sorry. I'm typing too fast!)

Meanwhile, today is a great day to click on some of my links -- those mentioned above, as well as the others! They're all over there on the right!

I leave you with two lovely views of Michigan State University in the spring.