Keith and Christine recently had a special “daddy-daughter” date night by going to Cincinnati to see a rock concert. Sugarcult—Christine’s current favorite bands—was playing at a small college and tickets were very reasonably priced. Christine was so excited, and Keith went through pure heck to be able to take her.
Because the concert was on a Friday night, it was still a work day for Keith. Normal workdays for Keith are mornings with him getting home sometime between 8 and 9, depending on the day. On this particular day, he switched shifts with a videographer from the night shift, so the day of the concert he had to get up at 2 a.m. and be to work by 4. By the time he got home it was two in the afternoon, so he only had time for a short nap before they had to leave the house again. Between the Diet Mt. Dew, caffeine pills and caffeine gum, he was determined to take Christine to the concert and they were going to have a great time.
Naturally, I was worried the entire time they were gone. I worried that Keith hadn’t had enough rest. I worried they would be in a wreck or worse. Normally, when there is a concert, I would be with Keith and Christine, but recently, my anxiety has been preventing me from being in large groups of people. I don’t know why I worry more about them when I’m not with them than I do when I’m with them. Does that make sense?
Anyway, I got a voice mail from Keith about 8:30, and they were already at the arena and they were already talking with some members of the band. It sounded like they were having a great time. I couldn’t wait until they got back home to tell me the whole story
While they were gone, I worked in the yard. I’m totally seeing my front garden in a new light. The front yard garden should be very eye-catching and contain samples of plantings from all over my yard. I learned this recently when I was admiring a new spring store display at the Shaker Village Craft Store. The wonderful display was fresh and pretty and put me in the mood to redecorate. To the average customer, this is just a pretty display set up for people to look at, but working behind the scenes, I realized, this display exhibited a wide range of the items sold in the gift shop.
This is how I see my yard—a one acre lot surrounded by native shrubbery with numerous gardens interspersed throughout. I have a shoe garden, a rock garden, a prayer garden, a veggie garden, a treehouse garden; I could go on and on. So, my front garden should be a collage of all the gardens on our property. I settled in for an afternoon of planning, dreaming and digging in the dirt. Little did I know that another family would greatly limit my ability to concentrate on particular areas of the front garden.
The Robin family had decided to make the English Ivy growing up the anchoring wire to a utility pole near our mailbox their home for the summer. I first discovered the nest when Keith was helping me prune the ivy into shape. I want the ivy to grow all the way up the wire, but it has stopped halfway up and is now growing back down to the ground. This makes a wonderful cascade of English ivy, but I wanted the dead wood removed and it needed to be pruned into shape. Keith pointed out the nest to me while I was up on the ladder, so I had the bird’s eye view—four baby blue robin eggs tucked all together in the next. I immediately quit pruning the ivy; that project will just have to wait until the babies have flown the nest.
I remember the summer of Junie B. Jones—the mother wren that raised her young ones in the hanging basket on our front porch—and I started to get warm fuzzy thoughts about how much fun Christine and I had while watching the life span of the wren’s children. This year, Christine is too old to have much interest in the gardens, so I’m usually alone in the garden with no one to enjoy the little treasures I discover every time I am outside. But that’s okay, I still enjoy being outdoors and maybe one day, I’ll have grandkids to enjoy the gardens with. I decided that I would chronicle the lives of Ms. Robin and her family.
Two weeks after finding the robin’s nest with eggs, three of the eggs hatched. The little featherless birds were so ugly and so totally dependent on their mother and father. The good thing about robins is that the pair of them helps with the baby care. With most other birds, the male leaves the care of babies to the mother. Both mother and father would chirp noisily at me every time I would come near the nest. I had to limit my gardening to small spurts, whenever Mr. and Mrs. Robin were not feeding the little ones.
After the first week, there were only two babies left. I never did find out what happened to the third baby. There was no sign of it falling out of the nest, so I guess I’ll never know what happened. Now there are just the two babies and I can see growth in them every day. The ugly little babies from a few weeks ago have now turned into miniature versions of their parents. Their feathers have come in and every time something comes near the nest, they start to chirp and open their little beaks for food. They really are cute now.
I am sure there are more robin families in my gardens because I’ve noticed several of them chirping loudly at me when I’m working in the yard. I usually don’t go looking for the nests, but occasionally, like the one in the ivy, I will happen upon one during my work in the garden. I think they are finally getting used to me being around, because now whenever I sit down to rest, the robins will peck at the ground looking for worms or nesting materials. They are so cute when they cock their little heads and look at you.
When you are planning a new garden, think about planting for the birds. Bird watching is a wonderful way to pass a quiet evening. It is calming and relaxing to just sit and listen to the different songs each bird makes, to watch them splashing around in a birdbath, or even flitting through the sprinklers. Now if you will excuse me, I think I’ll go do some bird watching.
[PS: since this article was written at the end of May, I have had four other Robin families give birth. Watching these babies was as much fun as watching the first ones!}
© Bobbi Rightmyer, May 2006
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Friday, April 28, 2006
Pebbles
The loss of a family pet can have a major impact on the entire family. It is like losing a member of the family. Recently, our family experienced the death of our beloved dog, Pebbles. Although we have lost many pets over the years—mice, hamsters, fish, gerbils, iguana, cats—losing Pebbles was the first dog Christine had ever lost and she was taking it very hard.
Pebbles was adopted from the Mercer County Humane Society over ten years ago—Christine was about three at the time, so the two of them have grown up together. Pebbles was a Sheltie-mix and she was approximately one year old when she came to live with us. Keith had seen a picture of this cute dog in the Harrodsburg Herald and the next day he and Christine went to check it out. It was love at first sight and they adopted her on the spot. He took a picture of Pebbles to bring home and show the rest of the family because it would be two days before she was ready to come home.
Christine picked out the name Pebbles after the Flintstone’s Pebbles and Bam-Bam. Amber and Marie were also excited about the new addition to the family; they had been wanting a dog and we just kept putting it off because we had an indoor cat. Pogo was Keith’s cat and she didn’t warm up to new people or animals easily. After Keith and I got married, it took a long time before Amber and Marie were able to even get near Pogo to pet her, much less pick her up. We were afraid a dog would throw her into shock. We lost Pogo over four years ago—she was over 18-years-old.
It didn’t take Pebbles long to become one of the family. She was most attracted to Marie, although she loved to be around all of us. After the first few weeks, Pebbles was not the same skinny dog we had originally brought home. She was happy and healthy and had put on some weight. Apparently, Pebbles had come from an abusive situation, because she had a tendency to “cow down” whenever anyone raised their voice.
I could never get Pebbles to come to me when I would call for her—she always seemed to run in the opposite direction when I would call her. But she would always come to Keith’s call or whistle. Pebbles would do almost anything Keith would tell her to do, with the exception of getting her to stay down at meal time.
Pebbles loved table scraps and she was not above begging everyone for a bite. We knew table scraps were probably not good for her, but she loved them so much. We also had a hard time keeping her out of the cat food, even though she always had food in her dish—she would always sneak back and finish up whatever the cats had not eaten.
Even though she would not come to me when I called her, Pebbles would follow me around the house like a shadow. Whenever I was home she would slept at my feet or follow me from room to room—even the bathroom. Pebbles could be a nuisance at times, but we all loved her and we could tell that she loved us.
Pebbles would get so excited when it was time to go outside. She would jump and prance around the door waiting for someone to open it. Then she would charge out the door like the Calvary coming to the rescue. She would run several laps around the front yard just as fast as her legs would let her. She would sometimes bark and root her nose into the ground. We still have a few bare spots in the yard from where Pebbles got so excited.
Pebbles was a wonderful guard dog because she would bark at any noise she would hear outside. Once she became used to friends or relatives coming to visit, she would become excited to she them—running to the person or trying to jump up on them. The jumping up on people was something we were still working on with Pebbles, but we weren’t having much success.
Over the past few years, Christine and Pebbles became the best of friends and you could tell they loved being with each other. Sometimes Christine would but the leash on Pebbles’ collar and take her for a walk, other times they would just run and romp in the backyard or the back field. I can still see Christine rolling around on the lawn with Pebbles jumping on her, trying to lick her face.
Although we still have three indoor cats, Christine misses Pebbles and she has started to talk about finding a replacement dog. Although there is no substitute for Pebbles, it would be nice to have another guard dog. We are trying to put Christine off—we want her to get over the initial shock of losing her first dog before we try and become attached to another one.
Pebbles is buried in our pet cemetery, along with Pogo the cat, Tully the bird and Snowball the rabbit. I will occasionally see Christine near the pet cemetery and my heart aches for her sadness. Although we all miss Pebbles and I know one day we will have another dog, there will never be a replacement for Pebbles. She will always remain in our hearts.
© Bobbi Rightmyer, April 2006
Pebbles was adopted from the Mercer County Humane Society over ten years ago—Christine was about three at the time, so the two of them have grown up together. Pebbles was a Sheltie-mix and she was approximately one year old when she came to live with us. Keith had seen a picture of this cute dog in the Harrodsburg Herald and the next day he and Christine went to check it out. It was love at first sight and they adopted her on the spot. He took a picture of Pebbles to bring home and show the rest of the family because it would be two days before she was ready to come home.
Christine picked out the name Pebbles after the Flintstone’s Pebbles and Bam-Bam. Amber and Marie were also excited about the new addition to the family; they had been wanting a dog and we just kept putting it off because we had an indoor cat. Pogo was Keith’s cat and she didn’t warm up to new people or animals easily. After Keith and I got married, it took a long time before Amber and Marie were able to even get near Pogo to pet her, much less pick her up. We were afraid a dog would throw her into shock. We lost Pogo over four years ago—she was over 18-years-old.
It didn’t take Pebbles long to become one of the family. She was most attracted to Marie, although she loved to be around all of us. After the first few weeks, Pebbles was not the same skinny dog we had originally brought home. She was happy and healthy and had put on some weight. Apparently, Pebbles had come from an abusive situation, because she had a tendency to “cow down” whenever anyone raised their voice.
I could never get Pebbles to come to me when I would call for her—she always seemed to run in the opposite direction when I would call her. But she would always come to Keith’s call or whistle. Pebbles would do almost anything Keith would tell her to do, with the exception of getting her to stay down at meal time.
Pebbles loved table scraps and she was not above begging everyone for a bite. We knew table scraps were probably not good for her, but she loved them so much. We also had a hard time keeping her out of the cat food, even though she always had food in her dish—she would always sneak back and finish up whatever the cats had not eaten.
Even though she would not come to me when I called her, Pebbles would follow me around the house like a shadow. Whenever I was home she would slept at my feet or follow me from room to room—even the bathroom. Pebbles could be a nuisance at times, but we all loved her and we could tell that she loved us.
Pebbles would get so excited when it was time to go outside. She would jump and prance around the door waiting for someone to open it. Then she would charge out the door like the Calvary coming to the rescue. She would run several laps around the front yard just as fast as her legs would let her. She would sometimes bark and root her nose into the ground. We still have a few bare spots in the yard from where Pebbles got so excited.
Pebbles was a wonderful guard dog because she would bark at any noise she would hear outside. Once she became used to friends or relatives coming to visit, she would become excited to she them—running to the person or trying to jump up on them. The jumping up on people was something we were still working on with Pebbles, but we weren’t having much success.
Over the past few years, Christine and Pebbles became the best of friends and you could tell they loved being with each other. Sometimes Christine would but the leash on Pebbles’ collar and take her for a walk, other times they would just run and romp in the backyard or the back field. I can still see Christine rolling around on the lawn with Pebbles jumping on her, trying to lick her face.
Although we still have three indoor cats, Christine misses Pebbles and she has started to talk about finding a replacement dog. Although there is no substitute for Pebbles, it would be nice to have another guard dog. We are trying to put Christine off—we want her to get over the initial shock of losing her first dog before we try and become attached to another one.
Pebbles is buried in our pet cemetery, along with Pogo the cat, Tully the bird and Snowball the rabbit. I will occasionally see Christine near the pet cemetery and my heart aches for her sadness. Although we all miss Pebbles and I know one day we will have another dog, there will never be a replacement for Pebbles. She will always remain in our hearts.
© Bobbi Rightmyer, April 2006
Monday, April 3, 2006
April Showers Bring May Flowers
After a mild winter and a stormy spring, flora is springing to life all over my gardens. Since I normally leave flower heads and seed stalks un-pruned during the winter to help the birds survive, spring chores are never ending.
As I prune off the thick stems of my Autumn Joy sedum, I have been rewarded with the new growth emerging from the heavily composted soil. These wonderful plants are a staple in my gardens, mainly because they are so maintenance free. Sedum requires very little attention during the growing season and it is very drought tolerant. There is lovely foliage all year long and then the flower heads start to form in late July—starting out green then turning to pink before finally reaching the deep red color that I love.
Asters are one of my favorite “wildflowers”, but they have a tendency to leave tall airy stems that need to be removed before you can appreciate the new greenery. Through experimentation I have learned that if I keep the new growth pruned back until the first of July, then the stems will not be so tall. I have some that I prune and some that I leave natural. There is just something about those tall graceful white flowers floating above all the over the flowers that makes September a spectacular month in my back gardens.
Of course the daylilies and Irises are growing inches every day and it won’t be long before they will burst into bloom. After the daffodils and tulips fade away, the daylilies and Irises will be ready to replace the garden with new colors of orange, yellow, purple and pink. I am attempting to have some type of flowers blooming all through the seasons, so when one flower have past bloom, another type is ready to take over.
The redbud trees are absolutely beautiful this year. Our first redbud tree is the most extraordinary—the tall airy branches are just hanging full of pink blossoms. We also have about eight other redbuds which are much younger than our first, and they are all blooming this year. I was lucky I didn’t lose any because of the drought last summer.
However, I wasn’t so lucky with one of my river birch trees. Even with watering during the long hot summer last year, a newly planted river birch has died. I also lost my large weeping cherry tree in the front yard. I actually cried when I realized the cherry tree did not survive the drought or winter. We plan to remove the tree and replace it with a redbud.
The hostas in the Rabbit Hole garden are up about six to eight inches, each clump looking much bigger than last year’s plantings. All my ferns seem to be reemerging after a short winter’s rest. My anticipation for this garden is very high this year; this will be the fourth year of really hard work and I’m hoping it will reward me with a spectacular display. I still have lots of bare spots in this garden, but I must wait for my plants to mature so I can divide and transplant some more. I will eventually have this type of garden surrounding three sides of my yard; even if it takes my twenty more years to get there.
I already have the lettuce bed and potatoes planted and my rhubarb and asparagus are coming on strong. This will be the first year that I will be able to harvest any asparagus; I have been patiently waiting three years for it to mature enough to used. It is very exciting when a vegetable or plant becomes “of age” under all the care you have given it. I have started some other seeds in the house, but it will be a few more weeks before I can transplant them into the garden—tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and pumpkins. Gourds also can’t go into the ground until the soil temperature is a constant 78 degrees—hard to obtain in Kentucky’s finicky weather.
I am expanding our front garden this year. With a one acre lot, it takes a long time to finally get enough plants, time and energy to completely fill the property. My goal is to only have to do maintenance on my gardens during my retirement years. I enjoy maintaining, pruning, trimming and shaping plants into unique forms and shapes. I want the formal lawn to be completely removed and be replaced with native wildlife and flowers.
Speaking of wildlife, I think we have a fox that lives in the field behind our home. I saw the red bushy tail a few times, always late in the evening. I believe it may be one from the litter that was found near McRay Feed; McRay’s is just behind our house. I have not intentions of bothering this fox; unless he bothers me first.
I haven’t seen any snakes yet, but the bees are working overtime and I have seen an occasional butterfly. There are now so many pairs of Robins in our garden that I have lost count of them. When I was trimming the English ivy from the front garden, I found a nest way up high in the tangle of vines that is growing up the guide line for our utility post. There are four bright blue Robin nests happily resting in the nest. Through out the day, Mommy and Daddy Robin can be seen taking turns watching the nest and sitting on the eggs. There is also another nest in the jungle of English ivy that has grown up the rod iron post near our front door. It too, has four bright blue eggs.
The mourning doves are nesting in the large pine trees on the north side of our house, although I have not seen any eggs yet. Doves have a tendency to make flat nests on the branches of the trees, and they appear very fragile. However, with the population of doves in our yard, I’m not complaining.
The rabbit population has exploded, but I’m not complaining. There is enough native vegetation in our yard that the rabbits don’t tend to bother my vegetable garden. Nothing is more calming than sitting in the backyard near twilight and watching all the rabbits venturing out. Old Mr. Groundhog is still living under my old shed, but as long as he stays out of my veggies, I’m not going to complain. But the first time I catch him destroying some beloved plant, he will be history in my garden. We had to get rid of one about ten years ago because it was eating the veggies; so far this one is leaving things alone.
Spring as finally sprung for 2006—I am just praying that 2006 turns out to be a better year than 2005. Go outdoors and enjoy the scenery—after a long winter’s rest, there are some new friends waiting for you in the garden.
© Bobbi Rightmyer, April 2006
As I prune off the thick stems of my Autumn Joy sedum, I have been rewarded with the new growth emerging from the heavily composted soil. These wonderful plants are a staple in my gardens, mainly because they are so maintenance free. Sedum requires very little attention during the growing season and it is very drought tolerant. There is lovely foliage all year long and then the flower heads start to form in late July—starting out green then turning to pink before finally reaching the deep red color that I love.
Asters are one of my favorite “wildflowers”, but they have a tendency to leave tall airy stems that need to be removed before you can appreciate the new greenery. Through experimentation I have learned that if I keep the new growth pruned back until the first of July, then the stems will not be so tall. I have some that I prune and some that I leave natural. There is just something about those tall graceful white flowers floating above all the over the flowers that makes September a spectacular month in my back gardens.
Of course the daylilies and Irises are growing inches every day and it won’t be long before they will burst into bloom. After the daffodils and tulips fade away, the daylilies and Irises will be ready to replace the garden with new colors of orange, yellow, purple and pink. I am attempting to have some type of flowers blooming all through the seasons, so when one flower have past bloom, another type is ready to take over.
The redbud trees are absolutely beautiful this year. Our first redbud tree is the most extraordinary—the tall airy branches are just hanging full of pink blossoms. We also have about eight other redbuds which are much younger than our first, and they are all blooming this year. I was lucky I didn’t lose any because of the drought last summer.
However, I wasn’t so lucky with one of my river birch trees. Even with watering during the long hot summer last year, a newly planted river birch has died. I also lost my large weeping cherry tree in the front yard. I actually cried when I realized the cherry tree did not survive the drought or winter. We plan to remove the tree and replace it with a redbud.
The hostas in the Rabbit Hole garden are up about six to eight inches, each clump looking much bigger than last year’s plantings. All my ferns seem to be reemerging after a short winter’s rest. My anticipation for this garden is very high this year; this will be the fourth year of really hard work and I’m hoping it will reward me with a spectacular display. I still have lots of bare spots in this garden, but I must wait for my plants to mature so I can divide and transplant some more. I will eventually have this type of garden surrounding three sides of my yard; even if it takes my twenty more years to get there.
I already have the lettuce bed and potatoes planted and my rhubarb and asparagus are coming on strong. This will be the first year that I will be able to harvest any asparagus; I have been patiently waiting three years for it to mature enough to used. It is very exciting when a vegetable or plant becomes “of age” under all the care you have given it. I have started some other seeds in the house, but it will be a few more weeks before I can transplant them into the garden—tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and pumpkins. Gourds also can’t go into the ground until the soil temperature is a constant 78 degrees—hard to obtain in Kentucky’s finicky weather.
I am expanding our front garden this year. With a one acre lot, it takes a long time to finally get enough plants, time and energy to completely fill the property. My goal is to only have to do maintenance on my gardens during my retirement years. I enjoy maintaining, pruning, trimming and shaping plants into unique forms and shapes. I want the formal lawn to be completely removed and be replaced with native wildlife and flowers.
Speaking of wildlife, I think we have a fox that lives in the field behind our home. I saw the red bushy tail a few times, always late in the evening. I believe it may be one from the litter that was found near McRay Feed; McRay’s is just behind our house. I have not intentions of bothering this fox; unless he bothers me first.
I haven’t seen any snakes yet, but the bees are working overtime and I have seen an occasional butterfly. There are now so many pairs of Robins in our garden that I have lost count of them. When I was trimming the English ivy from the front garden, I found a nest way up high in the tangle of vines that is growing up the guide line for our utility post. There are four bright blue Robin nests happily resting in the nest. Through out the day, Mommy and Daddy Robin can be seen taking turns watching the nest and sitting on the eggs. There is also another nest in the jungle of English ivy that has grown up the rod iron post near our front door. It too, has four bright blue eggs.
The mourning doves are nesting in the large pine trees on the north side of our house, although I have not seen any eggs yet. Doves have a tendency to make flat nests on the branches of the trees, and they appear very fragile. However, with the population of doves in our yard, I’m not complaining.
The rabbit population has exploded, but I’m not complaining. There is enough native vegetation in our yard that the rabbits don’t tend to bother my vegetable garden. Nothing is more calming than sitting in the backyard near twilight and watching all the rabbits venturing out. Old Mr. Groundhog is still living under my old shed, but as long as he stays out of my veggies, I’m not going to complain. But the first time I catch him destroying some beloved plant, he will be history in my garden. We had to get rid of one about ten years ago because it was eating the veggies; so far this one is leaving things alone.
Spring as finally sprung for 2006—I am just praying that 2006 turns out to be a better year than 2005. Go outdoors and enjoy the scenery—after a long winter’s rest, there are some new friends waiting for you in the garden.
© Bobbi Rightmyer, April 2006
Wednesday, February 8, 2006
Kentucky Weather ... Friend or Foe?
Kentucky weather…you’ve got to love it. Everyone who lives in our beautiful state will understand when I talk about my love-hate relationship with our weather. On the one hand, over two-thirds of the time, the weather is perfect—just the way I like it. It is that last third of the time that I begin to wonder if waiting out the nasty weather in favor of those special times I enjoy is really worth it. You be the judge.
As I sit writing this, we are two weeks into the New Year—one the night of the full moon. Right now it is snowing on our wonderful neighborhood. The snow falling is huge wet flakes and the ground is covered by a blanket of fluff about three inches deep. It is the soggy type of snow that makes good snowmen and snowballs, but it quickly melts as the temperature rises. It seemed strange to see our quiet lawn bathed in snowy flakes, when just yesterday the sun was shining and the temperature was near 70.
Yesterday I drove to town to run some errands. I had dressed in jeans and a long sleeve shirt and I felt overdressed as I was locking the front door and stepping into the sunshine. As I pulled out on the road I could feel my spirit improving. By the time I rolled into town, I had my window down and was singing at the top of my voice to Green Day’s American Idiot, blaring from my car speakers. It was just like the perfect spring afternoon. This is the kind of day that makes me want to get out in the garden and start digging in the dirt. I can’t wait to get started on my spring gardening chores. I’ve started amassing quite a collection of garden and nursery catalogs, so plans to expand my gardens are growing in my head.
The day before this wonderful afternoon, the skies had been grey—overcast, with periodic rain showers. These are the kinds of days when I enjoy reading or writing. I like to let my imagination roam free and not have to worry about the ordinary stresses of the day. These are the days I seek comfort food and familiarities— snuggled under a furry blanket or quillow with a bowl of popcorn or a sandwich of graham crackers and marshmallow fluff and an ice cold glass of Coke. I can let my mind follow down the path of another author’s imagination, or I can explore the out-reaches of my own mind's eye and capture it in words.
The problem with our changing Kentucky weather is that the changes in temperature seem to correlate to the temperaments of family and friends. I’m usually more out-going and friendly on a bright sunny day, but on a dark overcast day, I’m usually lost in my own head and I don’t notice anyone or anything around me. This can sometimes make me appear cold and stand-offish—which is far from the case. I’m actually quiet shy and I don’t like to put myself out there. I’m the type of person who loves to help you do the work, but I don’t like to take the credit for it. I would rather stand back and let people admire something I’ve done, than have them stop and say something to me. I like to admire my handy work from afar.
Actually our Kentucky weather sometimes helps me, because if it were not for the rapid changes in weather, I might not get anything done. I’m more active in the yard when the sun is shining bright and the temperature is about 70. I get a wide range of days like that and these times are when I get my gardening done. Problem is, I get tired of doing the same thing for long periods of time. When I change my activities with the changes in the weather, I have a wide range view of my life.
The problem is, that this past week—Kentucky saw all three of the weather conditions that influence my behavior. Like my Granny Devine always told me, “If you don’t like the weather in Kentucky, then just wait a while—it will change”, I just wasn’t expecting to have the changes occur over a three day period. We went from 50 degree weather and overcast with occasional rain showers to bright, sunny almost 70 degree weather to snow blanketing the ground and the temperature hovering at the freezing point. The weather changes have been good for my activity level, but it has been horrible on my sinuses—my body doesn’t know what condition to take care of.
Christine enjoyed the brief snowstorm by taking picture of the fluffy flakes that fell from the sky. Being the lask parent that I normally am, I had allowed Christine to be up way past her bedtime, so she had thrown on her clothes and was standing in our front yard at two o’clock in the morning taking pictures with our digital camera. She has such an eye for photography and she loves to get interesting, unusual camera angles. She can see art in everyday items or activities, turning even ugly ordinary trash into fascinating designs for the sight.
This past week, on the bright sunny day, as I was giving thanks for the wonderful weather, I realized I was getting my hopes up prematurely. I know we aren’t even half way through winter yet; so we will have plenty more cold frosty nights to go before spring actually arrives. I shouldn’t go counting my blossoms until the color starts showing up in my gardens.
All the photographs accompanying this story were taken by Christine Nicole Rightmyer, age 13, of Mercer County. She is the daughter of Bobbi and Keith Rightmyer and the granddaughter of Bobby Gene and Brenda Sallee and Christine Holtzclaw Rightmyer, the late Dr. HD Rightmyer. She is in the 8th grade at King Middle School and a member of the Harrodsburg Baptist Church. She enjoys a wide range of music, photography, working with animals and helping others.
© Bobbi Rightmyer, February 2006
As I sit writing this, we are two weeks into the New Year—one the night of the full moon. Right now it is snowing on our wonderful neighborhood. The snow falling is huge wet flakes and the ground is covered by a blanket of fluff about three inches deep. It is the soggy type of snow that makes good snowmen and snowballs, but it quickly melts as the temperature rises. It seemed strange to see our quiet lawn bathed in snowy flakes, when just yesterday the sun was shining and the temperature was near 70.
Yesterday I drove to town to run some errands. I had dressed in jeans and a long sleeve shirt and I felt overdressed as I was locking the front door and stepping into the sunshine. As I pulled out on the road I could feel my spirit improving. By the time I rolled into town, I had my window down and was singing at the top of my voice to Green Day’s American Idiot, blaring from my car speakers. It was just like the perfect spring afternoon. This is the kind of day that makes me want to get out in the garden and start digging in the dirt. I can’t wait to get started on my spring gardening chores. I’ve started amassing quite a collection of garden and nursery catalogs, so plans to expand my gardens are growing in my head.
The day before this wonderful afternoon, the skies had been grey—overcast, with periodic rain showers. These are the kinds of days when I enjoy reading or writing. I like to let my imagination roam free and not have to worry about the ordinary stresses of the day. These are the days I seek comfort food and familiarities— snuggled under a furry blanket or quillow with a bowl of popcorn or a sandwich of graham crackers and marshmallow fluff and an ice cold glass of Coke. I can let my mind follow down the path of another author’s imagination, or I can explore the out-reaches of my own mind's eye and capture it in words.
The problem with our changing Kentucky weather is that the changes in temperature seem to correlate to the temperaments of family and friends. I’m usually more out-going and friendly on a bright sunny day, but on a dark overcast day, I’m usually lost in my own head and I don’t notice anyone or anything around me. This can sometimes make me appear cold and stand-offish—which is far from the case. I’m actually quiet shy and I don’t like to put myself out there. I’m the type of person who loves to help you do the work, but I don’t like to take the credit for it. I would rather stand back and let people admire something I’ve done, than have them stop and say something to me. I like to admire my handy work from afar.
Actually our Kentucky weather sometimes helps me, because if it were not for the rapid changes in weather, I might not get anything done. I’m more active in the yard when the sun is shining bright and the temperature is about 70. I get a wide range of days like that and these times are when I get my gardening done. Problem is, I get tired of doing the same thing for long periods of time. When I change my activities with the changes in the weather, I have a wide range view of my life.
The problem is, that this past week—Kentucky saw all three of the weather conditions that influence my behavior. Like my Granny Devine always told me, “If you don’t like the weather in Kentucky, then just wait a while—it will change”, I just wasn’t expecting to have the changes occur over a three day period. We went from 50 degree weather and overcast with occasional rain showers to bright, sunny almost 70 degree weather to snow blanketing the ground and the temperature hovering at the freezing point. The weather changes have been good for my activity level, but it has been horrible on my sinuses—my body doesn’t know what condition to take care of.
Christine enjoyed the brief snowstorm by taking picture of the fluffy flakes that fell from the sky. Being the lask parent that I normally am, I had allowed Christine to be up way past her bedtime, so she had thrown on her clothes and was standing in our front yard at two o’clock in the morning taking pictures with our digital camera. She has such an eye for photography and she loves to get interesting, unusual camera angles. She can see art in everyday items or activities, turning even ugly ordinary trash into fascinating designs for the sight.
This past week, on the bright sunny day, as I was giving thanks for the wonderful weather, I realized I was getting my hopes up prematurely. I know we aren’t even half way through winter yet; so we will have plenty more cold frosty nights to go before spring actually arrives. I shouldn’t go counting my blossoms until the color starts showing up in my gardens.
All the photographs accompanying this story were taken by Christine Nicole Rightmyer, age 13, of Mercer County. She is the daughter of Bobbi and Keith Rightmyer and the granddaughter of Bobby Gene and Brenda Sallee and Christine Holtzclaw Rightmyer, the late Dr. HD Rightmyer. She is in the 8th grade at King Middle School and a member of the Harrodsburg Baptist Church. She enjoys a wide range of music, photography, working with animals and helping others.
© Bobbi Rightmyer, February 2006
Tuesday, January 3, 2006
A Wrinkle in time, Narnia & Oz ... Oh, My
It is really hard for me to believe that a new year has started. The year 2006 will bring many first — Keith and I will celebrate 20 years together; Christine will begin her first year of high school and my niece—Ashley—will graduate high school; and Marie and Amber will turn 22 and 24, respectively. In addition to these wonderful family events, 2006 will bring some long awaited books and movies. The long-awaited seventh book in the Harry Potter series will certainly cause a commotion when it is finally released, not to mention the millions of dollars that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will make when it hits the silver screen. Some of the biggest news I’ve heard for 2006 is the talk of turning all seven books of The Chronicles of Narnia into motion pictures. I spent many months of 2005 awaiting The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to arrive on the silver screen. Narnia was my favorite place to visit as a child, competing with only the Land of Oz and the Tesseract — or a Wrinkle in Time — as a desired reading series.
The Wizard of Oz, of course, was turned into a magnificent motion picture over 50 years ago and remains a beloved movie for children and adults of all ages. There have been several animated versions of Oz, as well as motion picture sequel. The Return to Oz was a favorite of Amber and Marie when they were growing up, and Christine has seen it numerous times as well. We used to have a home-recorded VHS tape of the movie, and we watched it until we literally wore it out. I haven’t been able to find this movie in DVD form, but I will continue to search the internet until I find one to add to our collection.
What many people don’t realize is that The Wizard of Oz is only the first book a 16 book series on Oz. Although the original Oz will always remain my favorite version, I have read the other books in the series several times each. Frank Baum had such a vivid imagination and I could picture his beautiful scenes in my head with each word I read. Now that Hollywood has had such great successes with the Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and The Chronicles of Narnia, I hope some wonderful motion picture studio will re-do The Wizard of Oz. Just thinking about what types of special FX could be used to breath new life into this story—it sends tingles down my imagination.
Believe it or not, A Wrinkle in Time was my favorite book as a child, mainly because it was the first fantasy book I ever read. I discovered Charles Wallace and the “Tesseract”—a made-up word meaning a wrinkle in time—while I was still in elementary school. I used to work as a library aide at Mercer County Elementary School and I became wonderful friends with Joy Gash, who was the current librarian during my early years. She is the one responsible for turning me onto the world of fantasy books—I’ll never begin to repay her for her suggestions. The books I read as a child have stayed with me through adulthood. The same books I read as a child are the same books I read to my children growing up. Amber and Marie were not readers the way I was, so I can remember reading to them about the wonderful lands of Oz, Narnia, the Tesseract, as well as other fantasies we found along the way. Christine is an avid reader like me—she loves the Harry Potter series, she has read several books in the Oz series and she is currently reading The Chronicles of Narnia. Christine has also introduced me to several new fantasy lands — Earagon, the Dragon Riders, and A Series of Unfortunate Events.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was first introduced to visual media as an animated feature. Although sections of the cartoon are faithful to the book, it left so much out that I was actually disappointed the first time I saw it. C. S. Lewis had such an imagination and he established the land of Narnia with his words and phrases, not to mention the Biblical references and his interest in good versus evil. It is not often that a children’s book can offer morals and parables just like the Bible. It was these references that drew me to the rest of The Chronicles of Narnia after reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for the first time. I can vividly remember reading this series of books to Amber and Marie when they were little. As a matter of fact, when Amber was 9 years old, she was in a play at the Old Fort Harrod summer workshop based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I love to go back and look at the photographs from this wonderful play.
A Wrinkle in Time is another series of books that I would love to see on the big screen. Although this book was turned into a television movie in 2005, it left a lot to be desired and it found me craving to see it on the big screen. With the advancements in special FX, this book deserves a chance to be presented to children around the world in the same way as I envisioned it in my head. Just as sells of the books, The Wizard of Oz and The Chronicles of Narnia have increased after their motion picture debut, a blockbuster movie could spur the increase of book sells for A Wrinkle in Time.
So, this winter when your children are complaining, “There’s nothing to do”, go to the Mercer Public Library and check out a good book. Reading to younger children not only encourages their imagination, but sets a good example in choosing classical books from the past. The Christian Book store — on the south side of the Harrodsburg Wal-Mart — carries The Chronicles of Narnia as well as several reference books discussing the series. What a wonderful lesson to teach your children — reading about Narnia and talking about the Biblical references it contains. Keep reading as a family and when the time arrives, enjoy the motion pictures versions of your favorite books—it’s a great way to stay connected to your family in our fast paced world.
© Bobbi Rightmyer, August 2006
The Wizard of Oz, of course, was turned into a magnificent motion picture over 50 years ago and remains a beloved movie for children and adults of all ages. There have been several animated versions of Oz, as well as motion picture sequel. The Return to Oz was a favorite of Amber and Marie when they were growing up, and Christine has seen it numerous times as well. We used to have a home-recorded VHS tape of the movie, and we watched it until we literally wore it out. I haven’t been able to find this movie in DVD form, but I will continue to search the internet until I find one to add to our collection.
What many people don’t realize is that The Wizard of Oz is only the first book a 16 book series on Oz. Although the original Oz will always remain my favorite version, I have read the other books in the series several times each. Frank Baum had such a vivid imagination and I could picture his beautiful scenes in my head with each word I read. Now that Hollywood has had such great successes with the Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and The Chronicles of Narnia, I hope some wonderful motion picture studio will re-do The Wizard of Oz. Just thinking about what types of special FX could be used to breath new life into this story—it sends tingles down my imagination.
Believe it or not, A Wrinkle in Time was my favorite book as a child, mainly because it was the first fantasy book I ever read. I discovered Charles Wallace and the “Tesseract”—a made-up word meaning a wrinkle in time—while I was still in elementary school. I used to work as a library aide at Mercer County Elementary School and I became wonderful friends with Joy Gash, who was the current librarian during my early years. She is the one responsible for turning me onto the world of fantasy books—I’ll never begin to repay her for her suggestions. The books I read as a child have stayed with me through adulthood. The same books I read as a child are the same books I read to my children growing up. Amber and Marie were not readers the way I was, so I can remember reading to them about the wonderful lands of Oz, Narnia, the Tesseract, as well as other fantasies we found along the way. Christine is an avid reader like me—she loves the Harry Potter series, she has read several books in the Oz series and she is currently reading The Chronicles of Narnia. Christine has also introduced me to several new fantasy lands — Earagon, the Dragon Riders, and A Series of Unfortunate Events.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was first introduced to visual media as an animated feature. Although sections of the cartoon are faithful to the book, it left so much out that I was actually disappointed the first time I saw it. C. S. Lewis had such an imagination and he established the land of Narnia with his words and phrases, not to mention the Biblical references and his interest in good versus evil. It is not often that a children’s book can offer morals and parables just like the Bible. It was these references that drew me to the rest of The Chronicles of Narnia after reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe for the first time. I can vividly remember reading this series of books to Amber and Marie when they were little. As a matter of fact, when Amber was 9 years old, she was in a play at the Old Fort Harrod summer workshop based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I love to go back and look at the photographs from this wonderful play.
A Wrinkle in Time is another series of books that I would love to see on the big screen. Although this book was turned into a television movie in 2005, it left a lot to be desired and it found me craving to see it on the big screen. With the advancements in special FX, this book deserves a chance to be presented to children around the world in the same way as I envisioned it in my head. Just as sells of the books, The Wizard of Oz and The Chronicles of Narnia have increased after their motion picture debut, a blockbuster movie could spur the increase of book sells for A Wrinkle in Time.
So, this winter when your children are complaining, “There’s nothing to do”, go to the Mercer Public Library and check out a good book. Reading to younger children not only encourages their imagination, but sets a good example in choosing classical books from the past. The Christian Book store — on the south side of the Harrodsburg Wal-Mart — carries The Chronicles of Narnia as well as several reference books discussing the series. What a wonderful lesson to teach your children — reading about Narnia and talking about the Biblical references it contains. Keep reading as a family and when the time arrives, enjoy the motion pictures versions of your favorite books—it’s a great way to stay connected to your family in our fast paced world.
© Bobbi Rightmyer, August 2006
Sunday, December 25, 2005
The Stockings of Christmas Past
The Christmas season is upon us again. Where did the year go? I remember when I was a kid, I didn’t think Christmas would ever arrive. Now, it seems like I just took the tree and decorations down and it is time to put them up again. My goal this holiday season will be the same as it has been the past few years, trying to keep things as un-commercialized as possible. I am trying to keep gift giving simple—something homemade and gift cards. Gift cards have revolutionized the way people think of Christmas shopping. What is more perfect than a gift card from your favorite store or restaurant?
Although I sometimes get a hollow feeling whenever I give the girls money or gift cards for birthdays or Christmas, I know deep down that they are a perfect gift because they can get exactly what they want. With my increased use of gift cards, I have eased my guilt of not shopping by including these cards with something I have made with my hands, like candy, party mix, knitted scarves or shawls.
Christmas stockings are another way to use creativity with gift giving. When I was a child, our Christmas stockings always contained nuts, an assortment of fruit and a candy cane. I am amazed at the fond memories I have of digging into my stocking on Christmas morning and pulling out an apple, banana or orange, and then reaching even further into the stocking and hauling out the walnuts one by one. Even as I grew into a teenager, I looked forward to reaching into my stocking on Christmas morning.
I have continued the tradition of Christmas stockings with my own kids, but the booty in their stocking is more likely to be a CD, DVD, or the ever popular gift card. I always enjoyed finding just the perfect gift to place in the stockings; and I would normally wrap these small gifts to prolong the enjoyment. For sentimental reasons, I usually have to add walnuts and a piece of fruit, along with Christmas candy.
Although our Christmas stockings have changed over the years, everyone in my family has his or her own stocking holder. My stocking holder is a racoon, because I like to collect racoon Christmas ornaments. I bought this stocking holder the Christmas of 1979, the year of my first marriage. When Amber was born, she got a cat holder, mainly because it looked like a cat we owned in 1982. Two years later, Marie got her stocking holder and it is a rocking horse that has “Baby’s 1st Christmas 1984”. Keith and I were dating in 1986, so he added his elf stocking holder to the collection of ours on display. When Christine was born in 1992, we chose a Santa mouse; the last stocking holder we have added to our family. Even though we always have a special Christmas stocking for Amber and Marie’s boyfriends, we are holding off on additional holders until we have official members of the family. Of course, I am looking forward to adding stocking holders for each of my grandkids, in the future.
My Mom still has the Christmas stockings that Brent, Amy and I had as a child. They always hang on the brick hearth, along with additions for Amber, Marie, Ashley, Christine and Ethan. During the Christmas season of 2004, Mom made each of us a new Christmas stocking. Amy had seen a picture of stockings made from an old quilt and she convinced Mom to make them. Amy had an old quilt and she drew the pattern and helped Mom cut out the pattern pieces. Mom worked hard for several weeks to make sure all of us had stockings. She presented us with these stockings on Christmas Eve and this was the best gift I could have received. I loved the way the stockings looked and I was thrilled because it was something my Mom had made for us. Last year I used these stockings instead of our usual ones. This year I am trying to figure out some unique way of displaying them.
I am sure most of you have some type of tradition involving Christmas stockings. Maybe you are traditionalist and use real stockings instead of the famous red and white flannel ones. Maybe you don’t hang your stockings until Christmas Eve, or maybe you hang them all season. Whatever your traditions include, it is fun to add something new to your holiday rituals. The ideas are endless, like the stockings my Mom made, or an idea from Martha Stewart, or just a wonderful display in a department store. Traditions begin one at a time, so why not make stockings your theme for the year and add something new to your Christmas holiday season. Twenty years from now your family will be saying, “Remember when…”
© Bobbi Rightmyer, December 2005
Although I sometimes get a hollow feeling whenever I give the girls money or gift cards for birthdays or Christmas, I know deep down that they are a perfect gift because they can get exactly what they want. With my increased use of gift cards, I have eased my guilt of not shopping by including these cards with something I have made with my hands, like candy, party mix, knitted scarves or shawls.
Christmas stockings are another way to use creativity with gift giving. When I was a child, our Christmas stockings always contained nuts, an assortment of fruit and a candy cane. I am amazed at the fond memories I have of digging into my stocking on Christmas morning and pulling out an apple, banana or orange, and then reaching even further into the stocking and hauling out the walnuts one by one. Even as I grew into a teenager, I looked forward to reaching into my stocking on Christmas morning.
I have continued the tradition of Christmas stockings with my own kids, but the booty in their stocking is more likely to be a CD, DVD, or the ever popular gift card. I always enjoyed finding just the perfect gift to place in the stockings; and I would normally wrap these small gifts to prolong the enjoyment. For sentimental reasons, I usually have to add walnuts and a piece of fruit, along with Christmas candy.
Although our Christmas stockings have changed over the years, everyone in my family has his or her own stocking holder. My stocking holder is a racoon, because I like to collect racoon Christmas ornaments. I bought this stocking holder the Christmas of 1979, the year of my first marriage. When Amber was born, she got a cat holder, mainly because it looked like a cat we owned in 1982. Two years later, Marie got her stocking holder and it is a rocking horse that has “Baby’s 1st Christmas 1984”. Keith and I were dating in 1986, so he added his elf stocking holder to the collection of ours on display. When Christine was born in 1992, we chose a Santa mouse; the last stocking holder we have added to our family. Even though we always have a special Christmas stocking for Amber and Marie’s boyfriends, we are holding off on additional holders until we have official members of the family. Of course, I am looking forward to adding stocking holders for each of my grandkids, in the future.
My Mom still has the Christmas stockings that Brent, Amy and I had as a child. They always hang on the brick hearth, along with additions for Amber, Marie, Ashley, Christine and Ethan. During the Christmas season of 2004, Mom made each of us a new Christmas stocking. Amy had seen a picture of stockings made from an old quilt and she convinced Mom to make them. Amy had an old quilt and she drew the pattern and helped Mom cut out the pattern pieces. Mom worked hard for several weeks to make sure all of us had stockings. She presented us with these stockings on Christmas Eve and this was the best gift I could have received. I loved the way the stockings looked and I was thrilled because it was something my Mom had made for us. Last year I used these stockings instead of our usual ones. This year I am trying to figure out some unique way of displaying them.
I am sure most of you have some type of tradition involving Christmas stockings. Maybe you are traditionalist and use real stockings instead of the famous red and white flannel ones. Maybe you don’t hang your stockings until Christmas Eve, or maybe you hang them all season. Whatever your traditions include, it is fun to add something new to your holiday rituals. The ideas are endless, like the stockings my Mom made, or an idea from Martha Stewart, or just a wonderful display in a department store. Traditions begin one at a time, so why not make stockings your theme for the year and add something new to your Christmas holiday season. Twenty years from now your family will be saying, “Remember when…”
© Bobbi Rightmyer, December 2005
Saturday, November 19, 2005
My Guardian Angel
Do you believe in angels? No, I seriously mean angles—guardian, friendly, dead family member—that remain in your life, even when their physical body has left this Earth? Does God really exist—well isn’t that the $100,000 question? People have been asking that question since the creation of time. So, putting God and Jesus aside…do you believe in angels?
I believe my sister is still watching over me. I hear her in my head and I can replay some of the things I remember her saying. Just little phrases, or sayings, or some dumb cliché` that remained permanently etched into my subconscious. Amy was so frank about everything, she would put everything on the line and she would tell you how she was feeling—but then she could never be on time for anything! She was a contradiction in nature.
Daily, something will remind me of Amy, and it doesn’t have to be anything major. I miss her more with the little things than I ever could the big things. Our first Christmas without her is coming up and I think the entire family is dreading it. I find myself more remininceful as the days start to shorten and autumn starts to arrive. Amy loved the fall as much as I did. All the pumpkins and gourds, corn shocks and apple cider, she loved all the excitement that comes with a crisp fall day. I catch myself feeling so guilty because I can go out into the yard and look at Gods gift of nature, but Amy can’t—at least not physically.
So I watch for her in the blowing breeze—any time the wind chimes sound I say, “Amy’s thinking about us”, and I smile. It gets me through the rough spots. I see her in the orangeness of my Cinderella pumpkin, I only have one this year with the drought and all, but I remember Amy every time I see the dark orange flesh of this wonderful fruit. I’ll get to carve it and light it and enjoy it, but Amy can’t—not really. My guilt consumes me the way that fallen leaves consume the lawn; I’ll eventually be covered in guilt for enjoying the natural beauty of autumn.
And what about Christmas? This first Christmas without Amy is going to be painful—I’m really not sure how I’ll survive, but survive I must. We must all put on a brave front and make the most of the holidays. I want to be closer to my family, so that will be the focus this year—trying to get the entire family together again. We need to maintain constant contact with all members of our immediate families, but this year there will be a hole in our family circle. Amy loved Christmas so much. She loved the shopping and planning and all the surprises. We combined a lot of family tradition along with individual heritage into our last Christmas together. It was almost like Amy had foresight into her future. She wanted Christmas 2004 to be the best Christmas ever—and she did everything in her power to see it was done with family love and memories.
We had two family reunions last year at Christmas time. The first reunion was for the entire Devine-Camden clan. All the cousins, uncles and aunts; all the sisters and brothers; we all had blood connection somewhere down the line. Amy was the one that suggested the reunion and she worked with Mom and several others to get the ball off the ground. We had so much fun meeting and talking with family that live right here in Mercer County. Every one knew everyone else and it was fun to have the family connections through my brain; plus trying to make all the names and faces line up into a semblance of order. Everyone was really happy to be involved in the get-together, all it took was a little nudge from an angel—Amy was practicing being an Angel and we didn’t even know it.
Amy wanted everyone to have handmade stockings for Christmas. It has always been her and he daughter—Ashley—‘s tradition to buy a new Christmas stocking every year. Amy had an old quilt and she wanted Mom to make stockings out of it. So she drew a pattern, traced it on the quit and cut it out. Then all Mom had to do was sew the pieces together. Everyone in our immediate family got a handmade stocking for Christmas last year, all thanks to Amy. She kept on Mom until Mom had made everybody one; and Mom was happy to do it. Mom has never been the one to come up with the ideas, but if she can see it in her head, she can make it. That’s the way I am, I have to see something before I can ever attempt to make it. We will all remember Amy at Christmas when we hang our quilted stockings—those stockings hold the belief and joy Amy felt about Christmas.
We loved to keep secrets, my sister and me. I kept the biggest one from her last Christmas. For years, Amy has collected Wizard of Oz items, anything that had to do with the book or movie. She has ornaments and Beanie babies and figurines. She has posters and purses and all types of Wizard of Oz collectables. Her newest acquisitions were three plates in a series—all with an original drawing from the movie embossed on them. She had found the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and Dorothy at a yard sale during the 2004 127 Yard Sale, but the Cowardly Lion was missing from the set. She didn’t care; she bought them anyway, knowing that one day she might be able to find the missing plate.
Unbeknownst to her, Keith had found the Cowardly Lion plate on e-bay and he bought it immediately, because it was the missing piece. I hid that plate right in plain sight of my sister from September until Christmas 2004 and she never found it. It was in its original box and I placed it in with our collection of DVDs and she never noticed it. So, Christmas 2004 was really special because, Amy finally got the Cowardly Lion plate to complete her set. She couldn’t believe I had kept it hidden from her. I’m just glad she got to enjoy the completed set before she died. Again, the Wizard of Oz will always remind me of Amy.
© Bobbi Rightmyer, November 2005
I believe my sister is still watching over me. I hear her in my head and I can replay some of the things I remember her saying. Just little phrases, or sayings, or some dumb cliché` that remained permanently etched into my subconscious. Amy was so frank about everything, she would put everything on the line and she would tell you how she was feeling—but then she could never be on time for anything! She was a contradiction in nature.
Daily, something will remind me of Amy, and it doesn’t have to be anything major. I miss her more with the little things than I ever could the big things. Our first Christmas without her is coming up and I think the entire family is dreading it. I find myself more remininceful as the days start to shorten and autumn starts to arrive. Amy loved the fall as much as I did. All the pumpkins and gourds, corn shocks and apple cider, she loved all the excitement that comes with a crisp fall day. I catch myself feeling so guilty because I can go out into the yard and look at Gods gift of nature, but Amy can’t—at least not physically.
So I watch for her in the blowing breeze—any time the wind chimes sound I say, “Amy’s thinking about us”, and I smile. It gets me through the rough spots. I see her in the orangeness of my Cinderella pumpkin, I only have one this year with the drought and all, but I remember Amy every time I see the dark orange flesh of this wonderful fruit. I’ll get to carve it and light it and enjoy it, but Amy can’t—not really. My guilt consumes me the way that fallen leaves consume the lawn; I’ll eventually be covered in guilt for enjoying the natural beauty of autumn.
And what about Christmas? This first Christmas without Amy is going to be painful—I’m really not sure how I’ll survive, but survive I must. We must all put on a brave front and make the most of the holidays. I want to be closer to my family, so that will be the focus this year—trying to get the entire family together again. We need to maintain constant contact with all members of our immediate families, but this year there will be a hole in our family circle. Amy loved Christmas so much. She loved the shopping and planning and all the surprises. We combined a lot of family tradition along with individual heritage into our last Christmas together. It was almost like Amy had foresight into her future. She wanted Christmas 2004 to be the best Christmas ever—and she did everything in her power to see it was done with family love and memories.
We had two family reunions last year at Christmas time. The first reunion was for the entire Devine-Camden clan. All the cousins, uncles and aunts; all the sisters and brothers; we all had blood connection somewhere down the line. Amy was the one that suggested the reunion and she worked with Mom and several others to get the ball off the ground. We had so much fun meeting and talking with family that live right here in Mercer County. Every one knew everyone else and it was fun to have the family connections through my brain; plus trying to make all the names and faces line up into a semblance of order. Everyone was really happy to be involved in the get-together, all it took was a little nudge from an angel—Amy was practicing being an Angel and we didn’t even know it.
Amy wanted everyone to have handmade stockings for Christmas. It has always been her and he daughter—Ashley—‘s tradition to buy a new Christmas stocking every year. Amy had an old quilt and she wanted Mom to make stockings out of it. So she drew a pattern, traced it on the quit and cut it out. Then all Mom had to do was sew the pieces together. Everyone in our immediate family got a handmade stocking for Christmas last year, all thanks to Amy. She kept on Mom until Mom had made everybody one; and Mom was happy to do it. Mom has never been the one to come up with the ideas, but if she can see it in her head, she can make it. That’s the way I am, I have to see something before I can ever attempt to make it. We will all remember Amy at Christmas when we hang our quilted stockings—those stockings hold the belief and joy Amy felt about Christmas.
We loved to keep secrets, my sister and me. I kept the biggest one from her last Christmas. For years, Amy has collected Wizard of Oz items, anything that had to do with the book or movie. She has ornaments and Beanie babies and figurines. She has posters and purses and all types of Wizard of Oz collectables. Her newest acquisitions were three plates in a series—all with an original drawing from the movie embossed on them. She had found the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and Dorothy at a yard sale during the 2004 127 Yard Sale, but the Cowardly Lion was missing from the set. She didn’t care; she bought them anyway, knowing that one day she might be able to find the missing plate.
Unbeknownst to her, Keith had found the Cowardly Lion plate on e-bay and he bought it immediately, because it was the missing piece. I hid that plate right in plain sight of my sister from September until Christmas 2004 and she never found it. It was in its original box and I placed it in with our collection of DVDs and she never noticed it. So, Christmas 2004 was really special because, Amy finally got the Cowardly Lion plate to complete her set. She couldn’t believe I had kept it hidden from her. I’m just glad she got to enjoy the completed set before she died. Again, the Wizard of Oz will always remind me of Amy.
© Bobbi Rightmyer, November 2005
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