Forgotten Blogs & Generous Neighbors

Somewhere along the line, I forgot that I wanted to have a blog ~ started it, then forgot it for two years. Good thing I didn't forget the kids, they don't usually last two years shoved in virtual corner and ignored. Well, now they're grown and probably wish I would ignore them, at least occasionally.

Spring is definitely here, and mostly that's a fah-boo-liss concept, except at home. For some reason that is completely beyond my ken, my neighbors feel compelled to share their music with me. On the surface, this might seem a generous thing, after all, we teach children to share their toys. But music is different. Is it wrong of me to be annoyed when my neighbor's stereo produces a bass line which rattles my fillings? Am I a bitch if I don't like hearing their music over the TV which is in the same room I am? Is it selfish to think three a.m. is better for sleeping than blasting the sub-woofer? I miss open windows when the lilacs are in bloom. Is it like this everywhere?

Neighbors used to be people you wanted to get to know. They were people you chatted with over the fence. Now, they are scary people who let their pit bulls run free to exercise, swear at you (profusely) for suggesting that six feet from your bedroom window is not the best place for their basketball hoop, and yell at you for getting "all up in mah bizness" without even asking if you were, in fact, the person who called the poh-lice.

They're actually gone this afternoon. It is blissfully quiet. Even the dogs seem to be gone. Maybe it's a dogfight and they'll get busted ~ of course, the neighbors have been going downhill, so I'm not sure we want to spin that old roulette wheel again. It could get worse; after all, whoever thought we'd long for the drug dealer neighbor? Ah, life in the hood. 

I'm worth an onion!

It's been a hectic month. I've worked 20 of the last 24 days. That's my excuse for not writing ~ it ain't much, but it's all I've got.

My husband said the sweetest, silliest thing to me the other day. I was getting ready for work and made a sandwich for lunch which used the last of the already-sliced-onion in the fridge. My husband mentioned possibly having leftovers for lunch which included said onion. I apologized and confessed to taking it. He assured me that I was worth an onion. Amused, I laughed and went off to get dressed. He smilingly pointed out that wasn't just any onion, it was a Vidalia.

Apparently, love is . . . .being worth a Vidalia.

Thinking about that made me realize how important laughter is to a relationship. Laughter is absolutely necessary for a true commitment. If you can't laugh at yourselves, you'll never get through the stressful moments in life.

I celebrated Mother's Day at the hospital this year. My son, Joe, and his friend were mugged late Saturday night. Joe was hit over the head with a rock. They came back to our house and filed a police report before we headed off to the emergency room. While we waited in the examining room, Joe inflated a latex glove to play with. A few minutes later, he put his hand on head, discovered he was still bleeding, and slapped his bloody handprint on the balloon.
"Wilson?" I asked.
"Yep." he replied.
We laughed and batted Wilson around the room until they finally came in to put staples in my baby's head.

Some people think we should be committed and wonder how we could laugh at that. Simple, laughter reminds of you good things and bounces endorphins around your brain. It's very healing. We laugh a lot in our house. I highly recommend it.

Genealogy tip of the day: Save those wedding programs. This being wedding season, there are bound to be a few budding genealogists who haven't noticed this treasure yet. Wedding programs generally mention the happy couples' full names, parents, siblings, there is often a niece or nephew involved, the date & location of the wedding. . . they are veritable treasure trove of genealogical tidbits. Save them with all your other source material.