The "Seventh Wave"

Winter storms are rolling across Texas like waves across the sea. It is said that every seventh wave is a big one and surely the one coming next will seem like one of those.

A deep arctic low is forming and will bulge as it races to the south, bring yet another round of plunging temperatures.

In the years I’ve lived in Texas I’ve seen warm winters and cold. The last three years have been really cold and causes one to ask about “global warming?” Some will argue that these extremes are indeed part of the global warming effects, causing wild swings in our climate.

Or...could it be the natural cycle of weather, like the seventh wave...every so often you get a big (read that cold!) one?

Big is better...or NOT

Someone “may” have said, “why use a small word when you can use a large word.” I Google’s it and I couldn’t substantiate this contention. Quite the opposite...I found multiple references to advocating the opposite or use small words in short sentences as the best way to make your point.

Well I would have to agree with that, unless you are trying to purposely obfuscate an issue and test your audience’s attention to your ramblings.

Case in point...recently I posted on my Facebook account... ”For those of you who track esoteric bits of minutia...my A1C is down from 9.6 to 5.5”...thinking no one would notice.


“Esoteric, minutia and A1C...what is he talking about?...move on!, he’s rambling again.”

And indeed I was bloviating...obfuscating, or attempting too...however, It didn’t deter a few responders, who in turn added to the twist by responding in equally obscure terms, one questioning how many "stones" I've lost?"....”way to go.”

Long arm qulting table

The trip down retirement’s twisting road hasn’t been a solo journey. My co-pilot of forty five years has patiently suffered the away time (as I was off flying around the world). So now we are realizing some of her dreams.

I have always been aware of her many talents, in the kitchen, genealogy and quilting (actually all the sewing arts). But, I had no earthly idea how complicated quilting was!

First...this is not your grandma’s quilting!” Second...it comes at a price that would have bought grandma’s farm, two horses and a wagon load of hay. Third...the space required to set up this myriad of tables, machines and store the materials (fabric, threads, bobbins, and various other sundry “necessary” items) would take up ALL of grandma’s cabin.

Now I am not complaining, actually I am fascinated by the engineering that goes into the marvels of computerization, joinery and roller bearing gliding parts and pieces. The centerpiece sewing machine is a big screen television (some exaggeration here) mounted into a sewing machine (you have to have a slew of course on how to just turn this thing on!)

And then there is an embroidery module, and on and on. Attachments?...did I mention attachments? Well there are more “hoops, loops, stand alone serger, another sewing machine for “piecing” and other “essentials.” Thread...of every imaginable color in the rainbow. Material...there is enough stored with precision detail to colors and other criteria to make a thousand quilts! (more exaggeration). The quilter’s mantra is “she who dies with the most fabric wins.”

Her room bulges with “necessary” items. The room glows like a NASA control room with computer screens, and the hum of precision and intricately engineered motors.

Ok ...I am almost done.

The last piece to this array of “necessary” equipment is a quilting arm (long arm to be precise). This takes up a whole room! The “pieced” quilt, batting (the middle) and the backing are rolled onto this monster, across to the receiver and the computerized “big screen” sewing machine in mounted on top. After more computer programming, proper tensioning you are ready to go...I think? I say that because I hear mumbling and a few expletive deleted coming from the “control room”...so perhaps this technology and engineering precision has a “learning curve.” Hey, I haven’t bought her anything she didn’t ask for!

DISCLAIMER....the author of this article has no earthly idea what he’s talking about and it has not been approved by the aforementioned “co-pilot” / master quilter.

Christmas Storage

FINALLY! The boxes are starting to return to their hiding places, under the stairs, nestled in the attic and “hanging” out in the rafters of the garage.

There is, however, an annual mystery about this event...every year the amassed array of ornaments, garlands, beads, nativities and our “blue santa’s” (many of which have their own box) seem NOT to match up with the box or bin they arrived in?

Well actually they do...BUT the dedicated boxes seem to eventually be found in another tub (every different type is assigned to a tub). So the mystery is really how we can (we think) carefully unpack and display this plethora of Christmas decorations, carefully segregating the myriad of dedicated boxes and bins...only to have then ”re-arrange” themselves?

Eleven months of the year they quietly and patiently stay where they are assigned during the storage process....but for that one month they are collectively stored in one bay of the garage they celebrate this gathering (in one place) by playing musical chairs, then laughingly enjoy the consternation of the packers as the try to corral this assemblage back into their assigned boxes and tubs.

So...for now they are quietly resting in their assigned place...waiting for the game to begin again next Christmas...”Merry Christmas.

“HOPPIN JOHN”

For those of you who read the blog you will note that 2010 certainly held true to the title “The Ramblings of a Retiree.” And that is the fun part...taking life one day at a time and waiting to see what’s around the next bend. I believe it was Yogi Berra that said...”when you come to a fork in the road...take it”...and we have!

Someone else coined the phrase “water under the bridge” and that now applies to 2010, good bad or indifferent it is now history. It will, however, be a most memorable year! One that will easily be one of the road markers that defined our passage along life’s road.

That being said and not wanting to “wax philosophical” we move on with the excitement and anticipation of what is around the next bend.

Today we start that journey with a southern tradition, eating “hoppin john”, black-eyed peas. The dish goes back at least as far as 1841, when, according to tradition, it was hawked in the streets of Charleston, South Carolina by a crippled black man who was known as Hoppin' John.

Or... traced back to a legend that during the Civil War, the town of Vicksburg, Mississippi, ran out of food while under attack. The residents fortunately discovered black-eyed peas and the legume was thereafter considered “lucky”...there are more,your choice ).

So however you celebrate the New Year...we wish you a most prosperous, health and happy 2011.