The first day of Autumn 2014

On the first day of fall,
cool temperatures caress
my sleep weary limbs
as I listen to a rooster crowing.

Autumn memoriesof fall
in Oklahoma
and the scent of mothballs
in the morning.

Has it really been so long
since I last helped
Grandma can summer's abundance
and store the jars of winter.

Autumn in Las Vegas,
but the trees have not begun
to change
summer green for
autumn orange.

I miss fall in Oklahoma
and Grandma's canning parties.

My mother is 90 years old

I watch Mom eating
A peanut butter sandwich
She looks like Grandma

I did not realize until I watched Mom eating her breakfast today how much she looked like her mother. I knew Mom acted like Grandma, because Mom wants to do everything for herself just like her mother.

Columbus Day Thoughts and Memories

It's Columbus Day
Celebrate discovery
1492

I remember celebrating Columbus Day in Blackwell, Oklahoma. As a child, you never question the history lessons. As a child, you hope you can remember enough of the dates to pass the next test. I don't think we had to go to school on Columbus Day.

I enjoyed days off because we could stay at Grandma's house all day. Mom worked, which meant we couldn't stay home alone; we had to stay with my Grandparents. Since Grandpa worked, we stayed with Grandma all day.

Writing My Memories of Grandma and Grandpa

I'm thinking a lot about my grandparents. Since I'm thinking about them I'm also writing about them. I'm making blog entries about Grandma and Grandpa Newland. Of course, I had two sets of grandparents.

Most of my memories are about my mother's parents, Grandma and Grandpa Newland. I remember my father's mother, Grandma Darbe, but I don't remember Dad's father because he died before I was born.

I'm not sure why I'm thing about my grandparents. Perhaps it's the time of my life, I'm 62 and will turn 63 on December 24. Age may have something to do with the memories or stress. The years I spent with Grandma and Grandpa were less stressful. I don't know why I'm thinking about them lately, but as long as I think about them I'm going to continue writing about them.

A warm day in Las Vegas

It's warm out today. Some would call it hot. Perhaps it is, I don't know the prediction for today's temperature. I do know that when I went out to take the cloths off the line, I broke a sweat, cloths felt as if I had just taken them out of an electric dryer and the cloths pins were hot.

Hanging cloths out brings back memories of my grandmother. Grandma Newland hang her cloths out. Even after electric washers and dryers appeared on the market, Grandma still hung her cloths out. Grandpa bought her an automatic washer, but not a dryer. If Grandma had wanted an electric cloths dryer, Grandpa would have bought it for her.

Grandma enjoyed hanging cloths out because she liked the smell of cloths right off the line. I enjoy the smell of cloths dried outside; I just can't seem to get them as soft as Grandma could. I use fabric softener in the washer during he rinse cycle. I don't know what the problem is; perhaps cloths today are intended to be dried in an automatic dryer.

Laundry on the line
I remember Grandma on
laundry day laughing.

Writing about my Grandparents

I found a professional photo of Grandma and Grandpa Newland. The photo was taken in Blackwell, Oklahoma, but I don't remember when it was taken or who took it. When photos like this are done, a person seldom writes down the year or the photographer who took them. Now I wish I had.

I wrote a tribute today in my writing.com blog Snow Melt. It was a response to a leading journal entry by another member. I'm considering writing a larger tribute to Grandma and Grandpa Newland. So the blog entry is a good start to that project.

I can think of other things now, that I didn't put in the blog entry. My grandparents encouraged me when I was growing up. They made sure we had a spiritual education while my mother worked. Grandpa was my father figure after my parents divorced. They were always there for me when I was growing up. They took care of us when Mom worked at night. I'm not sure I can write a fitting tribute to them, but I have to attempt the project.