Home Coming Surprise by Kat Magendie

So, I get home from the Pen to Press Writer’s Retreat and my dogs are waiting, every last inch of their bodies wriggling. I pet them, my bones weary from the trip from South Louisiana to North Carolina. A friend has driven back with me, and she is anticipating a week in the mountains. I am anticipating the rest of my life here, and when I am gone, I want to be sprinkled on these mountains (and under a willow tree and under an oak tree – aw, friends, just sprinkle me in all my favorite places). When I step into the log-house, my husband stands grinning. I grin back. I say, “Hey.” He says, “Hey.” But, what we said isn’t as important as what I see. There is no way I can miss it. It is almost the size of a door. It is hanging over the double windows to my right. I stare at it, my mouth open as if to catch some flies and gnats and no-see-ums. I say, “Oh!” My friend says, “Wow!” My husband says, “You like it?”

And as I turn to say, “I can’t believe you did that!” I also see he has left fresh flowers about. And he has painted the ceiling in the bedroom the warm color we thought would look better than white, and pulled the same color into the hall, and as well the tall wall in the living room that isn’t log, just as we talked about doing. I am speechless. I turn back to what is hanged over the windows and stare again. It is a painting, one I learn he has almost completed in a weekend (we joke that he can draw and paint like I write, quickly and with a free hand). The painting is of me and of my dogs and of our view. In it, I am rocking in the rocking chair, my face half-turned to that awe-some view with a look of whimsy and pleasure and mischief, a bright red blouse for that shot of color to match our red couch; the dogs lie in their poses on the porch; there are the mists I love, blanketing; there are late-spring-rain clouds in the sky; there are trees, and ridges, and our porch things, and, some of my favorite birds on the feeders.

Now, how do you thank someone for that? Maybe a thousand ways. But for me, the one who loves to tease and hates mushy gooey globby romance stuff, all I needed to do was give him a hug and say, “That’s the most beautiful painting I’ve seen you do. What a gift you have. It’s so lovely. Thank you,” and to mean it; which I do. I really do.

Hot Times by Nannette Croce

It’s 95 degrees here in southeastern Pennsylvania, but looking out from my air conditioned house it could be 85 or 75 or even 65. The rustling leaves could be from a chill breeze or a hot wind. I wear reasonably cool clothes for my trip to the mall in an air conditioned car, but nothing like the loose sleeveless tops I wore just a few years ago when we still lived in our “starter house” after eighteen years, unable to give up some of the last treed and secluded acreage in our once rural county.

Dinners were carefully planned back then for outdoor grilling or a cold platter, eaten on the patio under a tree. In bed I wore a scant nightie and slept on top of the covers, the white noise of a fan and deep heat lulling me to sleep. Heat waves in the high 90s and 100s, when the extra heat of a light bulb became unbearable, could be tough, but even then we soldiered through, slowing down, eating less, and drinking more, as folks had done for thousands of years before us.

My friends who kept the air on all season and sweated temps in the 80s couldn’t believe I found anything below mid-90s quite livable or that when we moved to our new home I hated waking chilly in the morning with all the windows closed tight, and avoided it as much as possible.

My current home doesn’t have the thick walls or high ceilings that used to keep homes cool. More asphalt and cars add to the heat. Computers break from high temperatures. Even we use our air conditioner more.

But I’m glad my daughter was raised in a home without it, because sometime soon we may all have to live that way.

A Good Book by Barbara Quinn

A good book is one of life’s pleasures. Since I was a kid and the bookmobile made its rounds to my neighborhood in the Bronx, I’ve had a book habit. I loved climbing aboard and rummaging around the shelves, presenting my card and having the book stamped. Seeing that van approach each week was almost as good as seeing the ice-cream truck!

Back then I was hooked on animal stories like My Friend Flicka, and Old Yeller. I read every Nancy Drew book and waited for the next one to come out. There were the Bobbsey Twins, and Anne of Green Gables. At one point I decided to start reading all books, beginning from the letter A, but that turned out to be extremely boring.

My parents read to me when I was a child. I still have my copy of The Light Princess, which was one of my favorite tales. It tells the story of a princess so light she had to be tethered to the ground.

I’ve never lost the reading habit. I suffered through some books in school and then immediately turned to ones that appealed to me. For every Kon-Tiki, and Red Badge of Courage(forgive me for not being seduced by you Thor Heyerdahl and Stephen Crane) there was a Gone With the Wind, Animal Farm, or Stranger in a Strange Land waiting.

I passed the habit on to my son.

Recently I read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. What a fun way to find out about circus history. You’re taken back to the big tops and freak shows of old and you learn about the inner workings of the circus all while following a lovely romance between the circus vet and one of its stars. If you were ever charmed by the circus when you were a kid you’ll enjoy this one.

Sure books have to compete with lots of new media. I love a good movie, and TV and the internet have their charms. But a well-told tale is spell-binding. I’m looking forward to passing the reading habit on to my grandkids!

Blessings from the Pit by Angie Ledbetter

I've come to love our BBQ pit. Like several ovens in one, it can cook different meals simultaneously. And since we moved up a few years ago from the old charcoal model to propane, cooking outdoors is even easier and more efficient. I like the convenience of having different foods than my sometimes-boring repertoire, and my husband doesn't mind cooking...as long as fire, hot coals, dutch ovens, seafood boiling/frying rigs or danger of some sort is involved. He's gotten better and better with his grill mastery and actually enjoys it. His outdoor cooking also gives his family gift ideas for birthday and other holidays.

On days when the family's running in five separate directions, leftovers from the grill are a boon. Who doesn't love reheated burgers, fresh vegetables or chicken the next day? Our pit really comes in handy when we lose electricity during storms. When it's too hot or dark to stay indoors, we can sit under the patio and cook what's slowly defrosting in the freezer. During hurricanes Katrina and Rita, we had the camp coffee pot perking on the pit. Talk about an emergency essential!

The BBQ is wonderful for those in the household on different eating plans too...big honking slabs of beef for the Atkins dieter, lightly seasoned grilled shrimp and veggie kabobs for the low cal dieters, and a variety of "regular" foods for the others.

I'm thankful for our trusty BBQ, and that there's someone else to man it besides me. I'm grateful for the bounty of good meals it quickly provides, and for the time it saves me being cooped up in the kitchen. And the best part? There's no clean-up involved if things drip or spill over. All that gunk just eventually burns off, sorta like a self-cleaning oven without the harsh chemicals.

Almost Summer by Kat Magendie

Though you can barely see them, there are intricate spider webs linking, looping, and lacing from the trees. They hang down, as if they are nets, which I suppose they are, nets to catch food for the spider. The webs start out as a few long threads that reach from the branches, and down, some connecting to the ground. On this almost-summer morning, the spiders have worked to further their web, and when the sun shines through the strands, it is lovely. The dew drops form on them like diamonds shining. Nature's jewlery is always more beautiful to me than anything I'd ever purchase in a mall.

There is that otherwordly mist, and the sun beams through and from it. Raccoon visited our feeder the evening before, eating the sunflower seeds with an unabandoned greed that makes me laugh, so I add more for the squirrels. The red squirrels tolerate me and sometimes take peanuts from my hands—although I never want to domesticate or personify our wild nature, I allow myself the red squirrel to eat a peanut. The chipmunks fill their cheeks and scurry away when I approach. Our birds aren't as frequent to the feeders—when it is warm, they find bugs, seeds, and berries to eat. Come cooler weather, they will be flocking here. The spiders must know the perfect time to cast their spell from branch to branch for those bugs, just as the birds know it’s high feeding here on the mountain.

And know this, when you curve around and find the sudden mountain view that was just a second ago unseen, when you see mountain after mountain, when you see them rising up and up and casting shadows, see them protecting all who they surround, when you round that curve and there they are, you will never forget it, it will never leave you, you will never want to leave.

Afternoon comes and I sit on my porch with a glass of good wine and wait for the dark to settle on me, heavy and full. The grinning old moon shines over and out and beyond. There are ancient spirits here; I feel them. Wonders of the world are on my mountain, some of the oldest in the world, ground down by time's weather. I have many dreams. My writing is in gratitude—the words of awe mean gratitude.

Sharing the Wealth by Nannette Croce

When I first decided on the stay-at-home mom thing, I assumed I’d go back to full-time employment eventually. At first we scrimped a bit having become accustomed to two incomes, but by the time this mom was no longer needed at home, my husband’s new business provided us with a large home and enough left over for my daughter’s education, a nice trip once a year, and dinners out. Oh, there have been some nail-biter years as with any business, but generally, it’s more than we need to live.

So I faced a choice. Take a good job I didn’t need from someone who did need it and spend the income they might use to feed their kids on extra vacations and more dinners out or give my time in volunteer or what I call, semi-volunteer work (low-paying non-profit jobs where I returned most of my pay through donations or out-of-pocket purchases).

I chose the latter.

Like any “great leap forward,” the women’s movement came with a downside––a huge drop in the number of available volunteers. At the same time funding cuts to non-profits put organizations from libraries to the YMCA to museums in desperate need of people to work for little or nothing.

Sadly, too many people judge the value of a person’s time by what they earn for it. People, especially women, who work for nothing now often feel the need to apologize. Paid work is a career; non-paid work is “keeping busy.”

Well this gal is grateful for her good fortune. Anymore would simply be greedy. My professional background makes me an asset to organizations that could never pay top dollar for my skills, and I enjoy “keeping busy” for a good cause.

Over The Counter We Go by Barbara Quinn

Thank heavens for over-the-counter and home remedies. While nothing can compare to the assistance of a good doc when you are in bad health, it’s good to be able to treat yourself for minor inconveniences. As we age chances are that we learn what illnesses we are prone to. That’s where ole CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid come to the rescue.

One of my major problems is sinus headaches. I’m highly allergic and when the pollen count skyrockets or the weather gets really damp, I often get a headache. Sometimes it’s histamine and other times it’s a sinus headache. That’s when I hit the Sudafed (the old version that you now have to sign for at the counter to prove you’re not making bombs out of it) and add in some Ibuprofen (generic works fine for me, but if you like brand names like Advil try that). In a couple of hours I'm pain free and in a day or two all is well again.

Before I take the drugs, I try giving myself an acupressure massage which is nothing more than pressing on various parts of the face. It works almost immediately most of the time. It’s good to learn about these pressure points. I went to a lecture on acupuncture and acupressure techniques for sinuses a while back and have incorporated the massage into my shower routine.

What other over-the-counter things help me? I love Dr. Scholl’s corn removers. Benadryl helps me out when the allergies get bad, but only at night and then I wind up sleeping soundly. For my cholesterol there’s Green Tea Extract and Policosanol. For bee and wasp stings, there’s meat tenderizer (generic works fine). My son’s pediatrician told me about this. You make a paste with water and apply it to the sting where it promptly digests the venom. Amazing! And you thought Adolph's was for burgers.

What’s in your cabinet that helps you?