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Out Of Kilter

7/31/2013

I don't know if 'kilter' is an actual German word or slang or something my grandmother made up (and yes, I could probably google it, but I'm not going to), but I remember her using it to describe something that wasn't just quite right; it was out of kilter.
I had an out of kilter day on Sunday. It wasn't one of those days where everything is wrong or goes wrong..it was just a little off, if you know what I mean.
I am not a hard and fast planner. In fact, I brag about being able to change schedules and fly by the seat of my pants. My pants got a bit of a knot in them by the time the day was over.
I was planning to go to Church In The Park at 8 am on Sunday morning. As soon as it was over, Kalisha and I could drive to my daughter and son-in-law's new (to them) lake cottage. We had been trying to get there for several weekends but something always got in the way.
The first problem was the temperature when I let the dog out on Sunday morning. Good grief! It felt like October. Okay, I changed plans and told Kalisha we wouldn't attend church in the park (it might actually have been 'parka in the park') and would leave a little later, getting to the lake about 11:00. My cousin called and asked if we could meet her at her church after service to get a gift she had for Kalisha AND Kalisha reminded me she was scheduled to greet on Sunday at our church.
Okay. We would go to our church at the regular time (10:00) and meet Mary with Kalisha's gift at her church at 11:30 and THEN head to the lake.
Due to a few extra things, our church service wasn't going to be over in time to meet Mary, so we left early. I never feel quite right leaving church early.
As I filled the gas tank, Kalisha called her sister and said we wouldn't be there for an hour. As we are driving, I realized I left the directions for the shortcut at home. We took the long way.
I stopped at a produce stand and bought a few things on the way. When we arrived, it was even colder at their place than it was at home. My daughter decided it was way too cold to take the boat out for a ride around the lake and since there wasn't much else to do, we decided to come home. Perhaps she could have called and said how hard the wind was blowing on the lake and they were thinking of leaving early.
So-o-o in the end, I drove 80 miles round trip for a melon and 2 peppers.
The entire day was....not bad, just a little out of kilter.

BTW, that photo is of the produce in my garage refrigerator, not in my kitchen.

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Words We Don't Hear Any Longer

7/25/2013

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    A few hours ago, I wrote a post on Face Book about how I was going to continue to 'slog' through something. My friend, Virginia, a librarian and definite authority on all things 'wordy' made a comment. She stated slog was a word you never hear anymore.
    She is absolutely correct and her statement invited my mind to make a list of other words which have gone the way of the horse and buggy. They are still words; they are just seldom used and therefore, many people don't recognize them. (At least people under the age of twenty-something.)
    I tried some of them with my teenage grandchildren. A couple knew the meaning of a few of the words. This is my list with absolutely no survey or scientific evidence whatsoever.

1) gist..as in "He didn't get the gist of it."
2) filling station...no one can afford to fill their gas tank
3) service station...no service is offered
4) what-not...as in "She put it on a what-not shelf" or a term meaning etcetera
5) bureau...part of a bedroom suite
6) geography...as a school subject
7) eversharp...now called a mechanical pencil
8) dime store...every small town had one
9) arithmetic...another school subject, now called math
10) dresser scarves...used to keep tops of dressers clean and show off embroidery

11) oxfords...a type of dress shoe
12) soot...black particles from a train or chimney
13) rubbers...short boots placed over shoes
14) icebox...name for all refrigerators even when they no longer used ice
15) basin...granite container for washing feet, soaking clothes, and what-not (see #4)
16) linoleum...a floor covering in one piece instead of tile
17) sweeper...now called vacuum
18) china...dishes, not the country
19) dirge...very somber music
20) dial phone...no push buttons
21) yardstick...everyone uses a tape measure and some YARD (36") sticks are 40" ??
22) drugstore...now a pharmacy
23) coffee pot...now coffee maker
24) trudge...walk with trepidation ( a bit like slog)
25) slusk...a word my German grandma used to use meaning don't drag your feet

I'm certain this is not a complete list and you may still use some of these all the time. You can use this as a topic of conversation at the dinner table. Think of other words you no longer hear or use and add to the list.

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The Auction

7/20/2013

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    I attended an auction this morning; not just any auction. This was the selling of many, many antiques, collectables and everyday furniture and possessions.
    The tables mounded to overflowing with decorations for every holiday you could imagine; inside and outside decorations.
     My long-time best friend, Sherry, and her husband, Tom, loved antiques of all kinds but some specific ones as you can see in the picture. The cream and green was a particular favorite. They even had a cream and green cook stove and wringer washer.

     They had a booth in an antique mall and they had a yearly 'barn sale.' They would occasionally travel to Pennsylvania to attend some Amish auctions, where they would purchase quilts and various other items.Their inventory was rotated with the exception of the items they fell in love with. These were displayed in their home.
    Tom always had some chickens. He would sell and give away many dozens of eggs. My granddaughter called him The Egg Man.
    All of his chicken equipment was on the auctioneer's list, also.

    Tom and Sherry no longer need or want any of these things because they are both in heaven now. They definitely downsized.
    Sherry died of breast cancer several years ago and Tom also died of cancer this year. They have 5 children, but they could never keep all of the possessions. They would have to build rooms onto their homes just to house the stuff and besides, they are busy accumulating the things that interest them and their families.

They each took the things that were particularly meaningful to them and the rest
were purchased piecemeal be the many attendees there today.

    Did it make me sad? Yes and no. Sad that I am no longer able to have times with Sherry and our other best friend, Kathy, and laugh until our sides hurt and cry with each other over events in our lives. We were all very different (probably nearly on polar opposite ends of the political system) and still we loved each other with an unconditional love that lasted through too many situations than is possible to list here.
    As I watched people carry things away, I told myself they weren't carrying pieces of my friends because Sherry and Tom would be the first to say they were not defined by their possessions.
    Let me ask you...as I asked myself, do your possessions define who you are? Sometimes, I think mine do until I stop and remember they are just that...possessions. Here today for us to enjoy and gone tomorrow. Occasionally, I become too content and proud of my possessions.
    I am not in any way intimating that having a prized collection of some sort, whether it is antiques, art, cars, clothes or homes, is wrong. God intended for us to enjoy our things as long as they don't become the most important things in our lives.
    Tom and Sherry truly enjoyed their antiques and the friends they made while collecting, refinishing, selling and using them, but when I think of my friends, I never think of their antiques. I think of the Christmases they adopted families and provided gifts for them or their work with The Centers For Non-Violence or Sherry's many years working with the victims of domestic violence and the countless times they opened their home to an assortment of people who needed their help. I think of their love for their family and their grandchildren. Those are the things that define them and their lives, for me.
     Perhaps I will make a list today of the things that might define my life when my friends and family remember me. I certainly hope it isn't something that I 'owned.'

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Always Read the Fine Print (large, too)

7/14/2013

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    Lately, I have noticed I rarely take the time to read directions or the 'fine print' on things...all sorts of things. I bought a new lock set for my back door. I couldn't even find the directions, but forged ahead anyway. I figured I had enough common sense to do the job; I mean, there are only so many ways you can install a doorknob, right? Fortunately, in this case, I lucked out and my door locks just fine. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.
    Now that I think about it, this is not a new problem for me. I recall quite a few years ago, when I was watching my young granddaughter. She had a bit of a rash on her bottom, so her mother told me to please make sure she was very clean every time she was done in the bathroom. She also said there was a box of wipes to use.
    After several days, she questioned why the box of wipes was still sealed. I looked at the box in her hand and said, "I haven't been using those. I've been using the ones under the sink." She nearly fainted.
    "Mom, those are Lysol wipes. They are for disinfecting and cleaning."
    I checked. Sure enough, that's what it said right there on the canister. I just didn't read it. My granddaughter had no germs on her bottom. She had been disinfected for several days.

It isn't entirely my fault. Look at the tiny little print on these 2 make-up pencils. One is for brows and one is a lip liner. There are 78 million baby boomers in this country and we know the majority of us can't read anything that tiny without glasses. Why don't the manufacturers make the entire pencil in different colors so people like me can distinguish between them? I don't usually wear my glasses while putting make-up on my eyes. And with similar colors being used for everything, I didn't feel too bad when I used the lip liner on my eyebrows. 'Perfect Plum' eyebrows were rather interesting.

It isn't just the fine print I ignore. I can ignore large print also. All I read on this box was Shredded Wheat. Not the other words....BIG biscuit. What a shock when we opened the box.

Obviously, this not reading the fine print condition is hereditary. My daughter very seldom wears make-up, but lately she has been put some on when she is going somewhere. I asked after a week or so what she was using to remove it at night.
She answered, "Those pad things."
Curious, I asked, "What pad things?"
"You know, the ones in the bathroom in that jar."
I had no idea what she was talking about, but she showed me. I apologize for the blurriness of the picture, but in case you can't read the 'fine print' under the words, Medicated Pads, here it is: Hemorrhoidal / Vaginal Pads with Witch Hazel.
I can't even tell you how long we laughed over that one. Her comment was, "Well, my face doesn't itch." No, I'll bet it doesn't.

I certainly am glad I didn't choose nursing as my career path. You wouldn't have wanted me passing out meds.

I thank God on a daily basis for keeping me safe..from myself.

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Who's Going To Clean Up This Mess?

7/11/2013

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My oldest child, and only son, was notorious for his messy bedroom when he was a teenager. His sisters would complain that he had 2 piles of clothes: clean and dirty. When he forgot which was which, he would pick up a shirt from one pile, smell it and determine by the 'aroma' whether that was the clean or dirty pile.
I would leave his mess alone for weeks and then decide it was time to deliver the 'clean it up NOW' verdict. He always protested, saying it was his mess and it didn't bother him. He said it would get cleaned up, sometime. My thought was always, "By whom? Not me."
    Have you ever watched the Beethoven movies about the St Bernard dog? In the first movie, there is a scene where Beethoven enters the bedroom, wet and covered in mud and filth. He proceeds to 'shake it off' as dogs do. Of course, to make the scene funnier, the mud and slime are flying everywhere and covering everything in sight. Besides making me almost nauseous, my mother's mind is silently asking, "Who's going to clean up that mess?"
    There is a commercial for a certain brand of paper towels that affects me the same way. The dog is shaking mud off, the blender has just erupted its contents all over the counter, Dad spilled the coffee, the spaghetti sauce is boiling over on the stovetop and the child knocked a glass of juice over onto the floor. Now comes the best part: Mom enters and grabs a paper towel (ONE paper towel) and smilingly wipes up all the mess. Since this is TV, she has it sparkling clean in a few seconds. RIGHT!
    There are 2 things inherently wrong with this picture: #1- I don't care what brand you use, you could never clean it up with one paper towel. #2- Mom is smiling. If this were real life (yes, I do realize it is not and this is a commercial) I guarantee you, even if she were applying for sainthood, she would not be smiling. She might not be using the words I might use, but she wouldn't be smiling.

I really don't watch much television, but I used to occasionally watch the Food Network. I would find it amusing when the 'cooks' would make their wondrous creations and always turn and place the dirty pans, bowls, whatever, in the sink behind them. I always asked in my head, "Who cleans up that mess?" Of course, you can make scrumptious things in 30 minutes, if you don't have to clean up the mess from the first course to make the second. The cooking shows aren't movies, and someone really does get paid to clean up the mess.

    Have you ever wanted to sweep everything off a tabletop in frustration; again like in movies or on TV? I have. I remember one time in particular. I was 7 months pregnant with our 3rd child. I had a portable sewing machine and it had to set on the kitchen table when I needed to use it. The oldest 2 children (3 and 4) had eaten lunch and their plates, etc. were still on the table. I was sewing a maternity dress, out of striped material I thought was lovely. I was becoming frustrated with the facing, I was hot AND don't forget, I was pregnant. The cluttered table wasn't helping my mood.
    As I grumbled, my husband (trying to make me feel better, presumably) said, "Why don't you just forget making it? Those stripes would make you look as big as a barn, anyway."
    Since I couldn't lift the sewing machine high enough to heave it at his head and although I eyed the sharp scissors for a moment, I discarded that idea as too bloody. I really wanted to just sweep everything; sewing machine, material, plates, spoons, pin cushion, glasses, onto the floor with one swift motion. In a split second, my mind 'saw' the mess my action would make and I instantly knew WHO would be cleaning up that mess. There was no supporting cast or employees hired for the explicit job of cleaning up the mess I was contemplating.
    The truth is, life is full of messes. Some of them we create ourselves, some are created around us and some have a ripple effect that makes 'messes' in other people's lives. We, (you and me and humans in general) make messes of our marriages, our friendships, our businesses, our families, our finances, our health and our relationship with God.
    The glorious thing is we do not have to ask, "Who's going to clean up this mess?" Jesus cleaned up all of our messes when he shed his blood on the cross for us.

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Montage Moments is a page of blog postings about a variety of subjects, thoughts and opinions..

Out Of Kilter

Words We Don't Hear Any Longer

The Auction

Always Read the Fine Print (large, too)

Who's Going To Clean Up This Mess?

Author: Gloria Doty

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