*** The Easter Bunny has come to live in our backyard! At least, I think its the Easter Bunny. He showed up just three days before Easter. Our back yard is fully fenced, so the only way he could have gotten in is by digging under the fence somewhere. I haven't done a tour around the fence to see if there is a little pair of pants snagged on a nail, like in the Beatrix Potter story! We have never had a bunny resident before. So why, all of a sudden, do we have one now? He's a very cute little bunny with long bunny ears, and a twitchy nose. He is very easily startled and can move pretty fast for a bunny.
We've had animals in the yard before: squirrels, geckos, cats, even a snake one scary night when I was home alone. I am not, however, fond of any of those creatures. I admit it, they all scare me a little. But a bunny?? They look so soft and cuddly and just a cute as they can be. So whether he be the Easter Bunny, or Flopsie, Mopsie, or Peter or a totally non-celebrity bunny. He is welcome for as long as he wishes to stay!
*** I worry about my daughter. I am a mom, so that sort of goes with the territory. I used to think that once she was grown and out on her own, I wouldn't worry as much. Didn't happen. Then I thought when she was married, I wouldn't worry as much. That didn't happen either. After she had a child, surely I wouldn't worry so much. HA! That was a miscalculation of mammoth proportion.
I am proud of her and all of her accomplishments. She is busy nearly every minute of her day. She is a wonderful mother, super daughter, and a great caring human being. And just listening to all she does, makes me tired. I don't know how she does it. She has a full time high-level job in theater Administration (so her hours can be somewhat unpredictable and non-typical). She is a founding member of the group working to establish the Hepatoblastoma Foundation and she is a liaison to CureSearch. There's a knitting group that she meets with regularly to support her great love of knitting. She's a Girl Scout leader and Cookie Mom. She's the mother of a 9 year old. who is taking violin and plays on a softball team. She watches over all of us in the family when anyone is sick or needs help. She is married to another theater professional whose schedule is even worse than hers. She is vigilently watching over the health of Miracle Maddie! She gets tired out. I can understand why! Most of her days are pretty full!!
So yeah, I worry about her. I wish her days were easier, I wish she was less frazzled sometimes, I even sometimes wish she was still a little girl so she wouldn't have all these responsibilities and her life would be simpler. But she's not. And she is remarkable, somehow she makes it all happen. Nevertheless, I worry about her. Of course I do. I'm her mother.
*** This past weekend was kind of busy. It was a triple celebration of sorts. April 2 is our wedding anniversay, April 8 is Maddie-the-Great's birthday (her 9th!), and as it does every few years, Easter fell on the Sunday in between the two. It only makes sense to celebrate them all together. So there were elements of three different things going on. The Big Guy made my all time favorite dinner, his specialty, "Mikey's Beef Stuff", the lovely yellow roses from our Anniversary served as the centerpiece for the table. And the toast before dinner included continued good wishes for our future.
As far as M-t-G (and her mom) were concerned, the first half of the day was Easter. Church, a little Easter basket, and some new books, a pretty little springtime dress for Maddie (no hat!), then to Grammy and Poppa's and the traditional Egg Hunt, one very large Chocolate Bunny, and a basket of goodies there were NOT all candy! I didn't color eggs this year, its just not as much fun without a kid in attendance! However, the little plastic candy filled eggs, worked just fine.
We played a lively game of "Charoodles" and then came the dinner. The entree was my choice for the "anniversary" part, but in truth, it is the favorite meal of our whole family.
We were all stuffed full of wonderful food so we played another game. This one is called "Origins". M-t-G is getting very good at grown-up games which is terrific. We don't have to "let" her win so much anymore. (Besides, I'm not sure that I have even one more Chutes and Ladders left in me!!)
Finally, it was candles and Happy Birthday along with Mikey's Chocolate Malt Cheesecake for dessert, which made those with a sweet tooth (Mikey, Ratchlet and M-t-G) very happy. Then, at long last (at least for M-t-G) the Birthday presents finally appeared. They were all a hit!
Everybody had a great combo celebration together (except for T.A. who is in the Netherlands for work!!) I just love holidays with my family....even when we try to cram three things into one day!
*** Every Easter I remember my Mom and my Gram. The Easter Bunny was always very generous at our house. Coloring eggs, Chocolate bunnies, candy eggs, baskets full of fun stuff, a new stuffed animal, all made perfect Easter memories for a kid. Of course, the Easter Bunny always hid the eggs.
[Okay, if any of your youngish kids are reading over your shoulder, its time to send them to bed or to do their homework or something.]
My mom was a great believer in traditions and holidays and sentiment. She had learned them from her mom, my Gram, even how to be an Easter Bunny! So every year my mom hid the eggs and the baskets, and the stuffed animals. As I got older it got harder to find the eggs. Mom got tricky and the hiding places got sneakier. One memorable year. Gram happened to be spending Easter with us. Mom always knew how many eggs and things there were for me to find and she always knew right where they were hidden. On this particular year, I don't remember how old I was, Easter morning before we went to Church (the hunt was always after), Gram saw an egg that she thought was not hidden well enough....so she moved it somewhere else a little harder to find. She never told my mom. When we got back from Mass, the hunt began! I looked, I found, I climbed, I opened, I peeked under, I moved knicknacks, I checked behind cushions and pillows, I re-checked places I had already looked. You see, I found all the baskets and "things and all of the eggs....except one. We counted and recounted those eggs. No doubt about it, one was missing. Of course, the one missing was the one Gram moved. Well, when I couldn't find it, she "fessed" up and told mom she had moved the egg. "Great!!! Where did you move it?? Gram??? You don't remember????? (sigh) Keep looking!"
We looked for that darn egg all day long off and on. We never did find it that day. In fact, my mom finally found it about 2 months later! Gram had put it way in the back of a drawer full of linens and things under a pile of old tablecloths or something. It was a drawer which was rarely ever opened. Gram was right, it was a MUCH better hiding place!
And it was a wonderful holiday story that got told and re-told for years afterward. It was a lesson to us all....we haven't lost an egg since!
One of the things I always loved best about Easter when I was a little girl, was getting a brand new outfit for Easter, complete with Easter Bonnet! Hmmm, does anyone even get an Easter Bonnet anymore? There wasn't exactly an "Easter Parade" in our town, but there were multiple mini-parades all over town in every church (and our town had a lot of them!). Each congregation would stand outside and chat either before or after the service. In had the effect of a de facto "Easter Parade". It made no difference what the denomination, all the church-going ladies, gentlemen, boys, and girls would wear their very best outfit to church on Easter; even if it wasn't new, it was the best they had.
I loved it. Crisp, new white gloves, brand new shiny, shoes and socks or tights (depending on how cool it was), and a pretty dress in soft, pastel Springtime colors, sometime even a lightweight Spring coat (again depending on the temperature). and of course, the most important of all, the hat! I have always been one of the lucky ones. I look good in most hats. And I like wearing them. And Easter was the day to wear the prettiest one you could find!
At the time most women wore hats to church on Sunday, in fact, they still wore them to most places. It was part of what made a "lady". After Jackie Kennedy and the changes in the Catholic Church, blew the hat industry out of the water, many women still wore hats on Sunday , at least to church.
But for kids, hats were pretty much reserved for that Easter outfit. You still see a few women and little girls who wear hats on Easter, but not so much anymore. I was one of them for a long while, but bit by bit life got more and more casual and you can't even find pretty hats very much anymore.
I miss them and I miss the gloves and the new shoes, and the pretty new dress. And I miss the gathering with friends at church on Easter morning for our version of the "Easter Parade!"
Have a wonderful Easter all you lovely ladies! Whether or not you're wearing an Easter Bonnet!
In looking back over my postings, I realize I've written about my mom and dad, my daughter, my sister, my granddaughter, assorted aunts, uncles, and cousins, as well as friends, used-to-be friends, and almost friends, plus a few random people that have flitted in and out of my life. But I have not said very much about the Big Guy. Today is the perfect day to begin to correct that, because April 2 marks the anniversary of the day we were wed....44 years ago! (Yowza!)
We were married when I was 19 and Mikey was a month shy of 21. Of course at the time we didn't think it was all that young. I can't post a photo to show how young we really were. If you have been reading my Musings for a while, you will remember that I do not have one single solitary photograph of us, the wedding, the church, the bridal party, the flowers, the cake, the reception, my family, his family, the priest, or anything else from that day. Nothing.
(Click here to find out why Photography)
The best I can do is tell you about it a bit. It was a bright, sunny, but quite cold day in Chicago. We were married in a small chapel that was part of Mikey's parish and the officiant was a friend of his. My cousin, Sherry, was my maid-of-honor, our good friend, Dan was the best man. I carried a bouquet of yellow roses. My dress was ivory. My dad walked me down the aisle and our friends and family filled the little chapel.
When I first saw Mikey that day, he was standing at the front of the chapel with the priest and the best man. He looked scared to death. I thought it was so sweet. I remember thinking that he was so serious and never even smiled at me once. I thought it was because he was nervous that everything would go well. I knew he would always take care of me and make sure everything was right. I was wildly in love!
It wasn't a full Mass in the big 2/3 empty church, because I didn't want that (nearly had a breakdown in front of the dopey parish priest...not Mikey's friend!...who tried to coerce me into it anyway.) The little chapel was perfect, small and filled to the rafters, the ceremony short but meaningful, and the whole thing seemed over in a flash and it was done. We were married!
We did the receiving line at the chapel and then traveled to the home of my aunt, who opened her home to us for a reception. We had cake, we had food, we had presents, we had music, we had dancing, we had laughter and even a few tears, we had family and friends, it was beyond great, it was just what I wanted!
Long after that day (and I mean by years), I finally realized that there was one element that we hadn't even thought about. There was no music at the chapel. None, at all. Dad walked me down the aisle in silence, communion was silent, no soloist, no ensemble, Mikey and I headed back down the aisle in silence after it was done. No music at all. It was a little eerie.
Now this is significant because, if I may remind you, Mikey and I met in college choir, we were both still active members of that choir. The little chapel was overflowing with singers and musicians from the choir. Our best man's girlfriend was a wonderful pianist. There was even a piano in the chapel! Yet, not one of us, even gave it a thought, well, at least I didn't. Even if everyone had just hummed, it would have been better than silence!
Even now after all these years, I still cannot believe we let that happen. Music has been crucial to our lives and we never thought about it. Hmmppff. If in some universe, I ever go through a wedding ceremony again, you can bet that music will be the second thing I arrange for!! (The first will be for multiple photographers!!)
Anyway, back to Mikey a bit. When we were in the car riding from the church to the ceremony, I mentioned to him how sweet I thought he looked all scared and nervous at the front of the chapel. Mikey didn't say much. I probably went on and on about it a bit, as I am wont to do! Finally, he broke down and admitted that he wasn't scared about the wedding or the marriage or our future; he was trying desperately to keep from throwing up!!! It seems the guys had taken Mikey out for a bit of a bachelor party the night before the wedding. Not having much experience with liquor (they were all underage!), they didn't have access to much in the way of booze. Somehow they managed to scrape up several different things. Unfortunately, they finished every drop they were able to procure and some of it was just one step up from rotgut! They ran out of mixers, so by the end they were using grape juice and root beer to mix with really bad bourbon. My loving, shy, nervous bridegroom was, for the first time in his life, hungover!
I was a bit upset that day, but it was a long time ago and now I think it is just hysterical!
So it was 44 years ago today that we tied the knot. That's a really long time. Happy Anniversary, Bunky!
There are very few of those who came to our wedding who are still alive. Mikey's mom and my parents are gone, the aunts and uncles and some of the cousins are gone. My maid of honor and the best man are both gone. We lost touch with most of the friends. Besides Mikey and I, the only ones who are still a part of our lives are my Lil Sis (who was 7 at the time), Mikey's siblings and their kids, and our good friend, Bonnie, the aforementioned pianist!
It was a lovely wedding and I'm grateful to Mom and Dad, Aunt Pinkie, Sherry, Dan, who made it happen, and to all our friends who there to wish us well. Most of them would probaly be pretty surprised that we are still together after all these years. But we knew. We were commited and we were in love. "Isn't it romantic?" Mikey and I have had a marriage like many do, good times, bad times, and every thing in between, we've both changed over time, my hair is grey, Mikey doesn't have much hair. We are proud of our daughter and our grandaughter and we are happy most of the time. We still can make each other laugh. We are married!
And every single April 2 for the last 44 years, Mikey has brought me yellow roses....
Oh yes, most definitely romantic!
Some people are gifted with a crazy sense of humor. They can come up with the quick comeback, or tell a funny story so well that milk comes out of your nose!! They remember every joke they ever heard and have great comic timing. And they can come up with really funny April Fool's jokes or pranks. I am not one of those people. I can occasionally come up with something sort of witty when I'm writing or speaking, but most of the time its a fluke, not something I can call on at a moments notice.
When I tell a joke, I can be one of those people who after giving the punch line says, "Oh wait, wait, I forgot to tell you that she had a parrot on her head!" (or whatever element that makes the joke). Fortunately, I am aware of my poor memory for jokes, so I generally don't try to tell them. I don't seem able to retain a joke for more than about a day or two at most.
Now I do have one joke that I think is the funniest joke I've ever heard. I remember all the elements and the punchline. I heard this joke about 10 years ago and I don't remember anymore where I heard it or who wrote it. But I remember the joke. Its still the funniest joke I ever heard. Unfortunately, I can't share it with you here in a public forum. It's just a little bit beyond the bounds of what I feel can be repeated in polite company. Also its a joke that I think is better heard rather than just read. But if you ever come over to my house (and I'm pretty sure you aren't offended by that type of humor), I'll be glad to tell it to you.
Some folks really come up with great pranks for April Fool's Day. I read somewhere that Robert Redford and Paul Newman, both gifted practical jokers, would set up each other with some elaborate joke for AFD. They alternated years and of course they escalated every year. They did it for years!
And does anybody remember the old Dick Van Dyke Show episode where a practical joker becomes the victim of a joke to teach him a lesson? It was hysterical.
Facebook is full of April Fool's jokes and pranks today, some very funny. Even Google became Topeka for the day!
Anyway, I love hearing about other peoples' clever April Fool's gags. I wish I could come up with a cute April Fool's joke or prank for you here, but I have no inspiration at all. None. I haven't got that kind of a gift. So, if I ever want to include something funny I'll have to ask somebody to "send in the clowns", 'cause, trust me, I got nothin'!!
You might notice some changes going on from time to time. My good friend C. Beth is working on re-designing my blog. It's nice to get "a little help from my friends!" This is most definitely a work in progress. We've (well, she actually) has just started so things will be a little unsettled for a while, but when its done? Whoo Hoo, its going to be outstanding! In the meantime, just keep humming to your own music!!
