Love | Peaches Prattlings

{February 14, 2025} February 14th…a bittersweet day

I say bittersweet because there is much sweet and a little bitter.

Let me start with the obvious, February 14th is Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Valentine. It began as a tribute to a martyr, but it has transformed into a cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of love and romance in many parts of the world. No shade to anyone who celebrates and enjoys the sentiment, I, myself am a sucker for romance. When I can shower my loved ones with love, what could be wrong?!

There was the St Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929, when Chicago’s Northside Gang lost seven of their members, on the plus side, sort of?, it inspired the Paper Lace’s 1974 song The Night Chicago Died. On the happier side, Valentine’s Day has inspired countless stories, movies, tv show episodes, books, songs, and a feeling of joy.

For me…aside from showing my loved ones how I feel, there are three things that stick in my mind. One, I was a part of from the beginning, one I wasn’t there for, but I can wish them well, and one, I’m getting to the point I can smile. I’m going to share, happy, sad, then happy, that will be a good way to end this post.

My friend JCT and her husband celebrate their wedding anniversary today, isn’t that wonderful?! A day about love and they get to wish each other love and happiness on a whole different level. I’ve known JCT and JT, yeah, I just realized that myself!, for 16 years! WOW! I met JCT when I started working for a company that hired me as a trainer, my first official software trainer gig, and it just went from there!

I met her and two other people I am still good friends with today. We traveled together to different locations training for a soft drink company, she and I hit it off like gangbusters. I still remember her calling me that Thanksgiving about 12am, could have been later, telling me that she was going to Walmart to buy a laptop for Black Friday. I thought she was nuts, but why not, I’ll come and keep you company!

I ended up hanging with her while her husband was at some other store getting some other Black Friday deal. After we took our winnings with us, I introduced her to Waffle House! And a tradition was born! NO! That was my one and only Black Friday middle of the night waiting for a deal experience, thank you very much! No, it was let’s go to Waffle House! Once I left Georgia, I didn’t always have access to Waffle House, so…when I would visit Atlanta, someone, didn’t matter who, and they would take turns, someone…was taking me to Waffle House! Y U M!

I met JCT, then met her husband, JT, then their daughter, STY, she was about 8 or 9 at the time, wow! and JCT’s mom, who has become another mom to me. And now, they are my extended family and I love them for it. When I visit Atlanta, they are on my list of people to see and crash with, they welcomed me in and the door is always open. And mom keeps trying to fatten me up with some amazing, wonderful, and tasty Chinese treats, again…Y U M! Happy Anniversary JCT and JT, here’s to many, many, many, many more wonderful years together.

Next, I don’t know if you remember me telling you about the passing of a dear friend of mine, AGM, on Valentine’s Day. Kind of fitting, he was so very loved and when we all came together for the funeral, it was a definite celebration of his life and how much he loved and was loved. I still think about him and as time passes, it gets a little easier to smile when thinking about him.

Well, when you think about his life and when we were younger, it’s easy to smile, at the things he did and said and how he made you feel. And that’s what I’m doing, as we speak, I’m sitting here, writing about him and I’m smiling at the memories from high school, running and jumping up into his arms, he was so much taller than me, but who wasn’t?! Sometimes he’d catch me and twirl me around, other times, we’d fall to the ground…always said he fell for me every time.

AGM, I miss you, and I love you, thank you for being in my life and a part of it, and letting me be a small part of yours.

The last, I said would be happy… is Gotcha Day for SDL and Miss A! That is the day the adoption was official and they were officially a family. And me, of course! I became Auntie George the second I found out about Miss A! SDL and I had been talking about adoption for so long and it took a long time getting there, but she got there. I’ll never forget the day SDL sent a picture to her mom and I saying ‘how would you like to see your potential granddaughter/niece?’ oh boy…did our hearts melt!

I knew SDL’s parents from a few of their visits, but as soon as the adoption process got underway, a new family was born, yes, they adopted me too! It was me, mom-mom, pop-pop, and auntie D who went to the airport to pick up SDL and Miss A and oh wow, did we all melt into the floor when they got off the plane! And they have been stuck with me ever since!

SDL, Miss A, and I have had some grand adventures! Whenever I visit Atlanta, I am at their house, sometimes for a week, sometimes it’s my home base, then we’ve gone on some great trips! They visited me when I was on the road, traveling for work, New Orleans, we visited Elvis together, NYC, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, last year we went to London, there are more adventures in our future, and you know I’ll tell you all about them! I could go on and on, but I have to end this post at some point!

Today is a very special day, there are people in my life that bring me such happiness and joy just by existing. My husband, my family, who are related by blood and marriage, my kids, grandkids, my friends who are my chosen family, I am going to get cheesy…I want to send love into the universe, I know I tell them every time I see them, talk to them, text, I never want to let a moment go by that I don’t tell them how much they mean to me, today and every day.

I started to say some very cheesy things and while that’s me, I just want to say, I love you all, thank you for being you and allowing me to be me, yeah, that’s cheesy enough. Happy Heart Day to all!

{January 30, 2025} Ten years ago today, my world changed

Absolutely for the better, best! Today I went out on a date with a new guy that I had only emailed with for a week. Who knew…that first date would become the longest first date ever! We’re still on it!

January 30, 2015, well, January 2015, was a crazy month in the world, the weather, friends, the weather! That was the year no one went to school, work, or flew on a Monday in January in Boston! They called it snowmaggeden! ‘Nearly 95 inches of that winter’s snow fell between Jan. 24 and Feb. 22, completely burying the previous snowfall record for a 30-day period, which had been just 58.8 inches. The unprecedented month included four consecutive weeks of storms that dropped between 16 and 24 inches’.

I happened to be living with my sister’s family at that time, it was after I left Denver, before I got a place of my own in Boston. I know I’ve told you some of this story, but I’m going to tell you again, and more, maybe! My sister and her friend AT, who I knew, were talking and since everyone I knew in Boston, except for one friend from high school, were my sister’s friends, they thought…PSM and I were both single and we might get along.

Let’s see…we both love to travel, ride motorcycles, computer geeks, love movies, and skiing. Yeah, that’s about right! So… they gave us the other one’s emails and I honestly don’t know who sent the first email, but it went from there! We made simple chit chat, then our emails grew, a little longer each time. I will say the first email I sent, I waited…and wondered…and after a few emails, it was like we’d known each other for a long time, even though we were still getting to know each other!

I think I told you we started sending each other pick up lines, but not just any pick up lines, I sent him science-y pick up lines, I knew he had a background in bio-chemistry, and I think I told you…I still don’t understand some of them! ha ha, and in turn, he sent me computer-y jokes, they were hysterical! Luckily, he’s a techie, really smart and actually understood some of them! ha ha

After a few emails we decided we would get together the following week, yup, we emailed for one week and went on our first date, he came up with six ideas for a first date, what guy does that?! My fella, that’s who! We decided on an Irish pub, I had just gotten back from Ireland a few weeks prior, so that would be perfect!

He picked me up from my sister’s house, he came to the door and held my arm to get to his vehicle, made sure I didn’t fall or slip on the ice, held my door open, and away we went. We talked, laughed, got to know each other, and ended up closing the pub down, now…that’s a good first date if I do say so myself.

He took me back to my sister’s house, we were remiss to end the date, but it was late and I think one or both of us had something going on in the morning. We said goodnight with the promise to talk tomorrow. And we did, we talked, we texted, we talked, we texted. Oh! I forgot! During our first date…I told him there was a murder mystery dinner theater happening at my sister’s synagogue, which was not far from her house, and would he like to go with me? I know you know he said yes!

The murder mystery dinner was the following Saturday, he met me there and…he was wearing a suit! LOVE that!!! Oh, and get this…at one time in his life, he actually lived up the street from where my sister lives and…he used to go to the synagogue my sister’s family belongs to and where the murder mystery dinner was!

After the show, he and I went to a local pub to continue talking and getting to know each other and at some point I said…”so, when are you taking me skiing?” And his response…funny you should ask me that, I was going to see if you wanted to go next weekend?! How could I refuse such an offer?!

So…we talked and texted throughout the week and Friday came…it was Valentine’s Day weekend, and guess what was delivered…a dozen red roses, yes indeed! I was touched and felt a little spoiled! Let’s just say…when the women in the friend group found out…the guys started calling, not his fault he was making them look bad! ha ha!

He picked me up on Friday and we drove to his house in New Hampshire, I’ve told you about the ski house before. So it was PSM, his dog Mollie, and me. He did tell me not to wear black, great…everything I have under my ski gear and apres-ski…black! Mollie was a big white dog…go figure!

So…we went to New Hampshire, we skied, we apres-skied, hung out, got to know each other and we’ve been together ever since. You’ve been with us on this journey, on some of our trips, the good, the silly, the adventurous, and who knows what the future holds, but…

here it is January 30, 2025, ten years, how many trips and countries, three home states, three dogs, several motorcycles later and we are still going strong. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us, but you know I’ll be sharing it with you!

We try to wish each other happy anniversary on the 30th of every month, well, not February, of course…but I just want to say…happy anniversary PSM, I love you. Here’s to our 10th year of dating, looking forward to the next ten, and the next!

{January 8, 2025} Birthday messages!

I love when my friends and family have birthdays and apparently, they love that I love it too. Ok, the reason I am saying this is I started making birthday videos for people and they love it, some have even come to expect it and if I’m late… uh oh!

I don’t even know when or how it started, but it did and I’ve had so much fun over the years! I take a video of me singing happy birthday to the person. Sometimes I do it early for people, maybe somewhere I’ve been traveling, for example, last year, I made a few while I was snorkeling/swimming in the waters of Jost Van Dyke, the British Virgin Islands, and by last year, I meant in December 2023 for birthdays coming up in 2024.

This year, or last year, well, last week, I was in Hawai’i and recorded a few for this year. I even did one or two while I was riding on my motorcycle! NO! I am not holding the phone! It’s in a phone holder on the bike, I flip the camera and press record, then start singing. Now… those are harder to hear, I’m as loud as I can be, but…the bike and the wind are louder, imagine that!

My singing is not great, I put on voices and accents, and I absolutely love doing it. And as I make friends and family, or make friends my family, my record collection, so to speak, grows and grows, I think I get sillier and sillier, but it seems to work for me!

The year started off with our niece, MM, I was so excited, I sent it the day before her birthday! I sent one to a friend yesterday, HH, who is celebrating in London, then today, my cousin MS celebrating with her daughter in Barcelona, a friend LJ, who happens to be in Puerto Rico celebrating, and then SMB, who is 16, not in a foreign land, but… drumroll please…got her license today! That is a great way to celebrate a birthday!

And if you’re celebrating a birthday today, tomorrow, this month, or…whenever you celebrate, I wish you all the best, and a very happy birthday to you…happy birthday to you…happy birthday dear….youuuuu…happy birthday to you!

{May 12, 2024} Happy Mother’s Day

Do I just write about Mother’s Day or do I write about my day.

How about both? Today I tell you about Mother’s Day and tomorrow I’ll tell you what I did today. Sounds like a plan.

Mother’s Day happens every year, as it happens, imagine that. A day dedicated to mothers, moms, mums, mummies, mommas, mamas, ma. And that’s just in English! Mothers are an amazing lot, there is so much that encompasses being a mother. We are not just the person who gave birth to you, we are the bonus mom, or step mom, who married your dad, your mom, we adopted you, you adopted us, we are also aunts, and I have to tell you, aunts do not get enough credit.

There are some aunts who help raise a child, who might take over raising a child, adopt, you name it, or we just step in when mom and dad aren’t around, either at the moment, for a bit, or however long. I appreciate it when someone acknowledges us.

I love the expression, The best moms get promoted to grandma, or grandmothers, or mimi, or mawmaw, mimaw, granny, glamaw, you name it, there’s a title, even like, say… JJ. Grandmothers are in a class all their own, they have lived a life, have experiences, raised their kids and now it’s time to have some fun with the next generation. They can be tough, kind, silly, happy, loving, strict, impetuous, frustrating, helpful, but no matter what, they love their babies, the ones that call them mom and the ones that call them grandmom.

I have to tell you, I am all of those things rolled into one. In 1996, oh brother, I met TYL and her brother, WCH, and the day I met them, I became a mom. I know my title eventually and officially, would be step-mom, or bonus mom, but in my heart, I became a mom. I called it new mom syndrome…I think I told you, the second they started staying over, I didn’t sleep like the dead anymore! I would hear them roll over in their sleep, I would listen for the sounds of breathing. The weirdest one…my feet grew half a size! I had been a 7/7.5 since I was about 11, I am now 25 and my feet are a size 8! What?!

And my heart expanded, I could only love them more if I had given birth, I love saying I have all the joys and none of the stretch marks! They gave me joy, they gave me headaches, grey hair, laughter, tolerance, tested my patience, came to me when they didn’t feel well, asked me to read to them, craft with them, they taught me a different kind of love.

Then, I became an aunt. Lots of kids call me aunt/auntie, which I am honored by the title, you’ve heard me talk about some of them, especially SDL and Miss A, oh boy do I love that kid! and I love hearing to this day. My sister had a baby and I didn’t know that kind of love, it was different, in a wonderful way. I had a lot to teach her, and then her sister, most good, some bad, hey, that’s my job, but all of it special. I got a mother’s day card from my sister’s family this year and it had wonderful messages from my nieces. I have stories and photos that I love to share with anyone who will listen! Watching them grow up, even living with them for a while, I wouldn’t change that experience for the world!

Then…I’m still a mom, still an auntie, and now…I’m a JJ! I was about 42 years old and I became a grandmother, huh? Yeah. Not once, not twice, but I am the very lucky JJ to 7 amazing kids who I love dearly. I get videos and messages, and sometimes I even still get pictures that they drew, you know those are framed and on my walls! I love telling stories about them, you’ve heard some of my stories, it’s hard not to, I’m a typical JJ, so proud of all my loves!

I couldn’t end this post without a nod to the fur-baby moms, seriously! We are mighty and proud! Some folks think of their pets as family, as their children, and that’s just fine, hey, I’m a dog mom to two very goofy dogs, Ruby & Bee, maybe you’ve heard me talk about them once or twice. I was a cat mom and I’m a cat auntie, yup, people call me auntie to their pets, who am I to object!

I was going to just talk about Mother’s Day, but then I started talking about my favorite subject, my loved ones, and here we are! Sorry, not sorry! No matter who you are, how you identify, what your role is, embrace it, love it, revel in it. Whatever type of mother you are, I say to you Happy Mother’s Day.

{May 8, 2024} I have a 36 year old? What?!

Yup, you read that right, I have a 36 year old! My daughter TYL is 36 years old today! I still can’t believe it!

She was 8 years old when I met her, closer to 8.5 years old, but she was a bonified 8 year old! And boy did she put me through the ringer on occasion! When I first met her, she was nice, but skeptical, totally get that! She wanted to see who I was and what I was about, very fair. Her brother on the other hand, just turned 7 and he was like…i wuv you! But not my girl, and I have to tell you, I respect that.

Every time I saw her, every time we got to spend time together, I got to know her more and more and she was a card. Funny, silly, happy, snarky, curious, skeptical, and smart, she and her brother, both very smart, sometimes not a lick of common sense between them, but what do you expect from teenagers?! When I tell you she is smart, I wish I could show you the gold cords on her graduation robes, smart.

She was set in her ways, had her way of thinking about things, had her opinions, but so open to trying new things. She was always put together, even if we were spending the day hanging out at the house watching movies, she was showered, dressed very nicely and face on, she had her own style and way of doing things. We would go to movies, museums, the park, go on adventures, or just stay home and snuggle on the sofa watching movies.

We loved traveling together, we would go to Savannah, GA, Chattanooga, TN, Orlando, FL, and NYC a few times to see my family. Since we were living in Atlanta, GA at the time, the weekends with us were full of new experiences. New places to eat, explore, and discover.

I loved birthdays, sometimes it was a party with friends at a skating rink or bowling alley, sometimes it was a party with friends at our house and then, always…a special dinner out for their birthdays. The next year they always had the option…did they want to choose or did they want me to choose. Most of the time I got to choose and it was always something fun and different, I loved that they trusted me for that.

Did I mention silly? I remember one day running through a parking lot, don’t worry, I checked for cars, and she and her brother asked me if I was an adult…um…great question! There was the time I was taking her and her brother to skate night for their school at the local rink and after I checked them in, they asked who my teacher was! Um…I’m their mom! I was about 27 or 28 at the time, and they were in elementary school…sigh…

I’ll never forget…on my 30th birthday we were going to Six Flags, and I said something and she rolled her eyes, she was 13, totally expected. I looked at her and I said ‘do not roll your eyes at me…and on my birthday’, but what I was thinking was…I’m a mom! And I was over the moon!

We lost touch for a few years, I would reach out to wish them both a happy birthday, they would sometimes respond, and totally understandable, they were still finding their feet at that time. But one year…as I do every year on her birthday, I reached out and we had a very wonderful exchange and she told me she was married and getting ready to have a baby, and she wanted me to be a part of his life. What? My baby is having a baby? I was in the middle of an airport boo-hooing so many tears of joy, I’m sure people thought I was mad!

When we reconnected in person it was amazing, it was as if no time had passed, and so much time had passed. Here was this amazing, grown, smart, funny, intelligent, kind, caring woman standing before me, where was the girl? The teenager who fought with me? The teenager who rolled her eyes at me? She was in there, but on the inside, it was who and what made her the woman she is today, with so much more.

She is an amazing mother, she once told me I taught her how to be a step mom, you’ll never know what those words meant to me. Not only is she an awesome mother, she is a fabulous daughter, granddaughter, sister, cousin, just a top notch human being. This is a woman I am honoured to have in my life and treasure our relationship and bond and I don’t see that changing ever.

I’ll never forget the first time they spent the night, I didn’t sleep, I heard them turn over in their sleep and I even went out to check that they were still breathing a few times…keep in mind, they were 7 and 8 at the time! They made me a mum and I knew from that moment, I felt a love like I had never known. I know I didn’t give birth to her, but she is a part of me, and that is something I will treasure to the end of my days.

TYL, a very happy birthday my girl, I love you very much.

{March 21, 2024} There is a 17 year old in the family! What?!

When did this happen? Yup, it’s true! March 21, 2024 EJS turned 17! Wow!

I’m sitting here trying to wrap my head around that! My baby sister, yes, she’s still my baby sister, not far behind me in age, but I still think she’s 9, I know, I know, she’s not, but I once wrote a poem/story, My baby sister is getting married, but she’s 9! Well… my baby sister is the mother of a seventeen year old!

I remember when my kids turned 17, so I have an inkling of what’s happening in hear head and heart, and as for me…I remember the day she was born. I didn’t get to meet her that day, she was about 7 days old when I finally got to meet her, hold her, hug her, nuzzle nose to nose, tell her all sorts of things, what I was going to teach her, what she was going to teach me, all the fun we would have.

She smelled so good, so tiny, this little thing with a head of black hair and a scrunched yup face, pure perfection! I teased my sister when she was born, one day, when she’s 16, I’m going to get a call “I hate her come get me!” it would either be my niece or my sister, and I’m happy to report, that never happened! When I asked my sister, ooh, can I buy the Halloween costume, she said you better, if you don’t there probably won’t be one! And so began my saga of being the one to get EJS, MGS, and all my grands their Halloween costumer.

For the longest time, I would buy something just plum adorable when I found it, oh, the monkey costume! Then as she got a little older I started asking what she wanted to be, and whatever she said, she got. Sometimes it was something she didn’t even know what it was, like the year she wanted to be a Power Ranger, she never saw the show, but she saw the costume, ok, so she was a Power Ranger. Then one year, she put the costume together herself, uh, sigh…ok… but…Auntie J, you can get me this for the costume, DONE!

I used to love finding creative gifts on my travels, doing creative things for her birthdays, now, I’m happy to send whatever it is she wants, as long as she tells me what she wants! When she was little I was there for either her birthday or birthday party, a promise I made when she was born. And until Covid hit in 2020, I was there, for every single event,. When I lived it Boston, it was great, I could pick her up from school, be a ‘class auntie’, put her to bed at night, take her to the movies, and be around.

She was so much fun to travel with as a wee tot, we’d play hide-and-go-seek, which was very creative in a hotel room! We’d run on the beach, play in the pool, take walks, take naps. As she got older, different types of activities, excursions, and experiences.

Now…she’s grown up and the conversations are different, she continues to amaze, and astound me every day. Very smart, amazing futbol player, good grades, driving! omg on that one! she has a job, and now she’s looking at colleges. I know whatever she does, she’ll succeed. And will make me an even prouder auntie. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for EJS.

Happy 17th birthday EJS, can’t wait to celebrate so many more experiences and happy moments with you. I love you.

{March 9, 2024} A fitting tribute

I was going to tell you all about my day today, it was full, but right now, I’m only going to tell you about one thing, an amazing tribute to a dear friend.

I told you yesterday that today I was going to Staten Island for the funeral of my friend AGM, who passed on February 14th. Here we are, on Staten Island, staying at my dad’s house for the night, so we can proprely toast, I’m not going to say ‘so we can say goodbye’, because we’re not really saying goodbye, not to AGM.

AGM is…wow…is, was one of those people who, the moment you met him, you were a friend, a sister, a brother, you weren’t just friends, you were family. He had an infectious smile, you couldn’t help but smile when you saw it, but when he laid it on you…then there was his laugh, yeah, you know it, don’t you…once you’re in, you’re in.

The service was at Scarmardella Funeral Home on Staten Island, not a lot of parking at all! We parked a few blocks away and walked in the rain, fitting for the day, don’t you think? When we got there, there weren’t a lot of people there, but we were there just at the time the funeral was called for, 2pm. We spoke with AGM’s sister and we all laughed, because during the planning, the funeral home was only going to give them one room. You’re wondering why we laughed, well…as I said it was only the start, and as the preacher said later, AGM was known as the Mayor of Staten Island!

We walked into the chapel room and the flowers, when we got there, were beautiful, and the urn his sister had picked, perfect. AGM was a huge superhero fan, and how fitting what she got for him, just look at the memorial card for him, what could be more perfect.

People started to arrive and I don’t think it stopped, ever! Even after we left, which was almost 6p when it was scheduled to be over, people were still coming. Some people stayed, like we did, some came in and out, but they came, in droves, that just says it all and when we went into the chapel room to listen to a few people and a preacher, it was truly standing room only, expected nothing less for him.

There were people I remembered and some I didn’t, people remembered me, and for that, I am so very humbled. Even if we weren’t sure who we were or the other person for that matter, we had a connection. ‘How did you know AGM?’, unless you knew the person directly or through AGM, that was the question of each moment, each minute.

Some of us knew AGM from PS 22, some of us knew him from IS 72, Curtis HS, Port Richmond HS, College of Staten Island [CSI]. Others knew him post school, Legends, Joe’s Broadway, The Red Spot, any number of bars down on Bay Street in Staten Island, The Rocky Horror Picture Show in NYC, cannot for the life of me remember the theater name, sorry!, CVS, and anywhere else you may have known this force of nature, and he was a force of nature, no one can tell me anything different, and I don’t think anyone would disagree.

We talked, we screamed when someone we knew walked in, and we knew them or recognized them, we hugged, oh wow, did we hug, we held on while we cried, didn’t let go, we held hands, we side hugged, it really was about having human contact, and at that moment, no matter what happened way back when, we were back in school, or wherever you see yourself, and we were in that moment, and we were with him. I told a few people, as we were standing there, I kept expecting him to walk through the door, the door to the chapel, the door to the funeral home, just walk in to where I/we were with that big, goofy grin, reaching in to give you the biggest, warmest, silliest bear hug you could handle, or maybe, like me, he scoops you up and you fall on the floor together laughing and say the same thing you always said ‘falls for me every time!’.

We spent three hours going through every emotion…greeting, hugging, smiling, crying, laughing, shock, some anger, you can’t have something like this happen and not be a little angry, I don’t have to tell you why, I’m at least hoping you understand and don’t judge us.

About 515p, they ushered those of us who were still there, and there were a lot of us, into the chapel and the preacher introduced three people who spoke, all from the heart, and all with such passion, and love, and, well, I was going to say more, but love is it, a story, an anecdote, made us laugh and cry, yup. Then the preacher spoke and the big one was ‘life is too short’, he said a mouthful. And those of us who reconnected, I have a feeling we’re going to stay in each other’s lives in some capacity and what more could you want?

When it was finally time to go, it was slow going. Say goodbye to this person, ‘are you going to Joe’s Broadway?’, say goodbye to that person ‘will I see you at Joe’s Broadway?’ hug him, hug her, ‘I’m so glad we saw each other’, hold this one tight, hold that one tight, ‘I’m so glad we reconnected, I’d really like to stay in touch, tell each other how you feel, that they matter, life is too short.

So, I say to you, dear readers, my dear friends, tried and true, steadfast friends, I appreciate you, I am so glad we’re talking again, I can’t see letting go again, and do you know why…life is too short.

{March 19, 2021} Meet the stuffed and furry family

I would like you to meet the stuffed and furry family that I have had, well, most of them, since I was a baby, some were even my mom’s, and mean the world to me.

Some of you who know me, know that I have quite the collection of stuff. Stuffed this and stuffed that. My stuffed animal collection is quite something! When I lived at home, it was all on my bed and people who sometimes spent the night in my bed marveled at how I could sleep with all those things on the bed with me. They also went into overload looking at all the stuff I had on my walls. Those of you who have known me forever, I know you’re not surprised! Well, now I would like to introduce you to some friends who are incredibly important to me.

Last night, I mentioned Winnie the Pooh, I’ve had him since I was a baby. One thing you might notice is that he has two red discs on his chest, those were buttons for the blue felt vest he wore, long since gone. His mouth is a meer scrap of very hard red fet, and his nose, not much different. If you look closely, you can see that his armpits have stitches in them, and oh my, but he is not the vibrant, bright yellow he started off as! He has been loved, hugged, cried on, slept on, dragged everywhere, very much loved bear, just like his namesake. I am a HUGE Winnie the Pooh fan! My first tattoo…guess who. He has gotten me through so very much!

The Winnie love fest continues, meet Gund Winnie the Pooh. He was a treasured gift from someone. He sits up, he’s not a soft bear, on the firm side, but…his joints move, so you can move his legs and arms around, love! One more teeny Winnie, I don’t remember who made him or where I got him, but he’s a love.

I am also a lover of Raggedy Ann. Do you see that pillow? My mom made that for me when she was pregnant with me, it’s something and I absolutely love it. It’s been on every bed I have ever had! You may remember it from my studio apartment when I lived in Bahston, before I moved to Hawai’i with PSM. To continue with the Raggedy Ann fest…meet my Raggedy Ann doll. He dress is very worn, her hair, still there, her face hasn’t changed, but her poor feet and legs! See the stuffing coming out of the tops of her shoes? And poor Raggedy, she broke her leg, so I put an ace bandage on it, I think I was either in high school or college and it’s been there ever since! I didn’t know how to fix it, I don’t think I could have sewn it, so…there it sits. She’s another incredibly loved friend, might be almost as many tears as Winnie!

Now, this little brown bear was one that my sister had as a child and at some point, she gae it to me and it’s stayed with me ever since, how could I let it go? That’s all, sister love.

Now, Snoopy is from childhood, he is well loved, still white, but not quite as white as he started. His eyebrows, might still be there, I think, but man oh man do I love this dog. Maybe that’s why I love our beagle Bee so much! I have to tell you…my first tattoo was a toss up between Winnie the Pooh, Kermit the Frog, and Snoopy. Winnie won out, but that’s not to say the other might not be joining him sometime in the future. What I loved about my Snoopy is that he has a wardrobe! I had so many outfits for him! My favorites…Beefeater, hat and all! Then there was the red nightshirt with the red nightcap, which inspired my own winter hat with Snoopy all over it in the shape of a stocking or night cap! Which also inspired me to ask a few people to make some for me! Camper Snoopy, Yellow Rain Slicka and Hat, again, maybe that’s why I just had to have the yellow rain booties and slicka for Bee! I know I had more, I just can’t think of them right now!

This adorable cat was made by my very talented MGS. She took a sewing class and this was one of the things she made, incredibly impressive. What I loved was why she gave it to me. When I moved to Hawai’i, I couldn’t take my cats with me and I was sad. Her first thought, to her mom, my sister, “Let’s get Aunt J a cat!” “Um, no, I don’t think that would be a good idea” A sweet idea, but not a great idea! Then…she had a great idea…this cat and I simply love it! I traveled with it, it stayed in my bag and I actually took it on the road with me when I traveled for work, love…it!

The bright orange bear with the green shirt isn’t very old, but it is from the school that my mom taught at in Brooklyn: Edward R Murrow High School. She bought it to support the theatre department, which was fantastic! I remember going to many shows at her school, they inspired me to want to do something with theatre when I went to college.

Now…let’s talk about my last two. The first one is the turtle, it’s actually a musical turtle. It plays Frere Jacques, which some kids also know as Where is Thumbkin, if the melody sounded familiar. But now when I play it, it’s a little slower, sounds like it’s winding down. This is a much loved turtle, the fur isn’t as soft as it once was, but his felt feet are all still there and he is so very much loved. I remember playing with him and sleeping with him when I stayed at my grandmother’s house when I was a kid.

The next is this terry cloth dog with a vest and bow tie on. Notice…he is painted exactly the same on both sides! LOVE! I have to be equally careful with him, you can start to see the seams fraying, but he’s still a very dapper dog. He’s another one I used to play with and sleep with at my grandmother’s house, and now he’s with me.

Want to know what’s so very special about these two? They were my mom’s own stuffed lovies, I played with them as a kid and now, I get to love on them for as long as I can. Those two I only look at, talk to once in a while and leave lovingly on the shelf, they’re old and delicate and it just means so much that they are with me. For now, they’ll sit on the shelf and be loved above my head!

I still have more stuffed loves, but these are the ones that I keep with me always, they have a long, much loved, and happy history. I don’t know where our next adventure will take us, but one thing I know…they are all going with me.

{March 17, 2021} Alta Mar [High Seas]…bring Dramamine

I had really high hopes, no pun intended, for Alta Mar [High Seas in English] on Netflix. The tagline from IMDB.com: Two sisters discover disturbing family secrets after a string of mysterious deaths occur on a luxury ship traveling from Spain to Brazil in the 1940s. That’s a good way of putting it.

I was excited about watching because of a few things. I love period pieces, we’ve talked about this before, but the 1940’s was a great time, from a fashion perspective and the show did not disappoint. The women wore skirts and dresses, but they also wore pants and playsuits, which was of that time, along with wearing dresses with bobby socks, mainly because their silk stockings were needed to make parachutes and waterproof maps, fascinating! The hair, the makeup, all of it was done just so.

I was also excited because watching the preview, it looked like fun, my kind of show. Murder, mystery, intrigue, mayhem, what more could you want?! Apparently, a lot more…

It started out with some intrigue right away, the two sisters, on their way to the ship had a slight mishap and accidentally hit a woman, who claimed if she was caught by her husband, he would kill her, which spoke to the sisters and they stowed her away in their trunk. They were accompanied by their maid, I think that would be the term, she helped raise them and still takes care of them, like a ladies maid, I guess. They are also accompanied by her daughter. The two women don’t really want to go along wtih this scheme, but what choice do they have, they have to do what their employers say.

One of the reasons they are going on the boat is so that Carolina can marry Fernando, who owns the ship, along with his sister and her husband. Their mother passed away when they were young and their father was killed in the last year or two. They are joined by their uncle, who was in business with their father, and another partner, who is also a doctor, which comes in handy during the voyage. There is romance above deck, and below, between different classes, officers and passengers, it goes all over the place. Almost like The Love Boat but definitely with better costumes!

Then, the intrigue, murder, or so we thought, passengers in disguise, distrust, anger, fear, valiance, strength, dismay, dirty cops, abuse, murder, disappointment, shock, surprise, happiness, and a wedding, but not the way it was supposed to be. Is that enough? And this is only the first season!

Season two has ghosts, betrayal, con artists, sadness, loss, fear, loathing, murder, discovery, disappointment, suicide, frustration, that one was mostly from me. Season two starts with a continuation of the season one story, bridging a new storyline that tied into season one, but going down an entirely new path, sort of, well, maybe not really. See how frustrated I am?

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like it when good characters turn out bad and that’s what happened, I can’t tell you more, but it was someone protecting someone they loved, doing what they thought was right, see where that got them…

Then…we move on to Seaons 3. It’s been a few months since the sisters have seen each other and they get ready to set sail again, oh, I should mention that one of the sisters is a writer and these adventures, let’s call them that, are great material for her books. Before they get ready to sail, there’s more intrigue…espionage this time, and a deadly virus, shootings, disguises, betrayal, torture, drugs, or keeping someone drugged and captive, spies, mutiny, sneakiness, abandonment, I think that’s it.

Here’s where the issues come in…With one of the story lines, even though there is an answer, there is no consequence for something that happened and in another, one of the bad guys gets away. With another story line, even though there is an answer, there is no sense of peace, even with the one who was searching for answers. With the last story line, love is lost, people are dead, lines are crossed, loyalties are tested and crushed and the one good guy, well, no happy ending for him and overall, no happy ending period. I walked away from the last episode wondering why I started. Hence…the Dramamine.

All of this, as you know, is strictly my opinion, I would never stop you from watching it, my dad, I stopped, ha ha. We have similar tastes and when one of us tries a show, if we’re not trying it at the same time, we tell each other what we thought and that either encourages or discourages the other. Now, this is when it comes to mysteries mostly, some comedies, some dramadies, as it were, period pieces, sci fi, wait, I take back the mostly statement, ha ha! We’ve recommended things to each other and told the other to run screaming, which is quite nice! He started to watch High Seas and lost interest and when I told him I was watching it, he said maybe he’d try it again, whenever he was finished what he was watching. When I finished the series, I told him not to bother! I knew he would definitely not enjoy it, I know where he stopped, which was just before one of the bad dudes got his just desserts, but it wasn’t worth watching the entire show. Again, my opinion. Take it or leave it.

I, personally, am going to leave it, right there, where it lies, at the bottom of the ocean floor.

{March 14, 2021} Raya and the Last Dragon

Today, since it was raining, no motorcycle rides for us, but…we decided to go to the movies and saw Raya and the Last Dragon, the newest Disney movie. The IMDB tagline is “In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.” Pretty accurate.

A little bit of trivia…Kumandra was inspired bythe Southeast Asian cultures of Brunei, Singapore, Laos, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The story is that Kumandra is peace and harmony and all peoples living as one, with the five lands in the shape of a dragon: Heart, Talon, Spine, Fang, and Tail, all connected by the River Dragon. One day, a very long time ago, the Druun emerged, a swirling mass of purple and black, reminding me of The Nothing from the NeverEnding Story, it basically swirls and swarms through the lands turing the people and dragons to stone statues.

The dragons pooled their magic into a magic gem called the Dragon Gem, to protect against the Druun and the five lands are now divided. The dragons who pooled their magic gave the Dragon Gem to their sister, Sisu, the last remaining dragon. The Heart Land was tasked to guard the Dragon Orb for centuries and when Raya’s father brings the lands together, hoping for peace and a return to Kumandra…unfortunately, I think you can guess what happens, and the orb is broken apart and each leader takes a piece of the orb to try to protect themselves and their people. Unfortunately, that unleased the Druun to begin it’s attack on the people and the lands again. And the mistrust is even greater amongst the people.

Raya’s Ba, or father, is turned to stone as he pushses Raya away, gives her his piece of the orb and tells her it is on her to go and bring unity back to the world. That’s a lot to put on a 12 year old’s shoulders, but she rises to the challenge. We see her six years later, riding on Tuk-Tuk, her loveable pet, comprised of one third-pill bug, one third-armadillo, and one third-pug hybrid, with the ability to roll into a ball, it’s pretty cool. He’s adorable, as a wee bit, and then a big bit and stays very much a goofball throughout the movie, but he can move! Where do I get one?! These movies have to stop creating characters that I want for my own!

As Raya sets out, she goes to each of the lands to attempt to take the piece of the gem to reunite them together. Along the way, she finds Sisu, who seems to have been asleep for a while, not really sure what’s happening when she ‘wakes up’. It was interesting to watch their dynamic, and to see Sisu see the world through new eyes, a lot has changed since she’s been gone, almost the eyes of a child, or at least a very trusting, naive innocent, she still has faith in humanity and what it can accomplish if you put your trust in one another, something hard to do at this point, for most of the people still there, or left behind, as it feels.

Along the way, as she is going to each land, Raya meets someone that she has to trust and earn their trust in return and as you might imagine, they become their own band of merry men, so to speak. It really is an interesting combination of characters that she brings together. I hope you can picture all they can do, when they learn to trust and work together.

And that’s what the movie is about, believing in yourself, having the power and strength to open yourself up to others, to trust them and allow them to trust you and what you can accomplish together. Did they succeed? Was there unity? Were people reunited with their lost loved ones? Did Raya get her Ba back? First…if I tell you everything, how will you be surprised. Second…it’s a Disney animated movie, yeah, that about sums it up.

The cast is great, Raya is played by Kelly Marie Tran, Sisu by the brilliantly funny Awkwafina, the dialog was perfectly her and there were a few times I felt like she was channeling Robin Williams, in that way he would kind of do his own thing with dialog, go off the rails, like he did in as the genii in Aladdin. Gemma Chan was Raya’s nemesis, from Fang, Benedict Wong was Tong from Spine, Sandra Oh was Chieftess Virana from Fang, Lucille Soong was Chieftess Dang Hu from Talon, Daniel Dae Kim was Chief Benja and Raya’s father. I love that Alan Tudyk played Tuk Tuk, he didn’t say much, but his noises were mighty cute!

Overall, it was a great movie, a lot of wonderful symbolism, pageantry, colors, feelings, story, action, humor, humility, unity, trust, and love. What more could you want?! I hope you enjoy it, I’m going to watch it again!

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