Our son Matt just got a new car this past weekend…A nice bright shiny red Honda Fit.  Wow, he was excited, and rightly so! It’s a big deal when you go and do the work (and save the money) to buy a car, especially when you are young. I can still remember when I was about a year out of college and had saved up enough money as a new nurse, to purchase my very first  new car. I lived in Colorado at the time and my biggest memory is how exciting it was to go shopping  for that car. Exciting and Scary!  It’s a big purchase…I was so grateful for my brother-in-law Mart, as he was the one that went with me to figure out which car to get, and how to bargain for the price. Mart and I looked at all sorts of cars. If ever there was an organized, clear headed type person to go with me, it was Mart. He knows his cars, and he also  graciously could read my mind as to what type of car  I might like.

We test drove all sorts of cars and then finally ended up choosing a sweet little Honda Accord. (Gotta love those Hondas!)  I can still remember how exciting it was to purchase that car and to this day, a new car  smell reminds me of my Honda. Back then (1980) the music system was all about the cassette player. Yes, the cassette tapes were all the rage! Come to think of it, Mart also went with me when I purchased my first stereo, which included a turn table and a cassette player.  But back to the car…I lovingly named that car “Rhonda Honda” and I can still remember how excited my nieces, Mollie and Jill were, riding around with me in Rhonda Honda, and they were all of three and five at the time. Wow, the years did fly by!

Rhonda Honda served me well, as I drove it with sister Robin  as we moved to California together, a few years later. That car saw even more adventures with niece Shannon and nephews Chris and Sean. Rhonda Honda was with me when I first got married and also was around when we had our boys in the late 1980’s and into 1990. Rhonda Honda was with us until the year 2000, when I sold her for all of about $300 to a guy that had fallen on hard times and needed a car. My husband Mike and I marveled as the man drove away with Rhonda Honda, twenty years after  I bought her and she still ran like a champ! I admit, I was pretty sad as the sweet little car left our drive way. It’s amazing how attached we get to our cars, as they almost seem like a part of our family. That little car saw me go from single girl, career girl, young adventurous girl moving to California, young wife, then mom of two boys. Rhonda served us well. So, here’s to cars, sentiments and memories. Matt, I hope your little Honda Fit gives you many good years and lots of grand adventures! Make sure you give her a good name, and hopefully she too will be with you for a lot of years! Hey, you just can’t beat a Honda!

Oh my …When I look at this photo, I have a flood of memories!  First off, this is my sister Robin, then about five, along with me, about ten at the time.  Isn’t it interesting how a photo can trigger so many memories? Let’s start with the hair. Yes, Robin and I seem to have twin do’s here, courtesy of our mom, Ginny.  Mom always made sure that unruly hair of ours was somewhat under control, as best as she could. It really doesn’t look too bad here, but trust me, we had (and still do have ) unruly hair! Wavy is the word. For some reason it’s pretty smooth in this photo, but my main memory of that hair of ours was Mom’s method of getting it under control… lots of brushing as those snarls had to go, and Mom was not exactly gentle as she did it, bless her heart.  Ouch! I can still feel the tug, then  topped off with a big ol barrette, the biggest she could find, as we both had  such thick hair. Mom’s other mode of operation with that hair of ours was  slicking it into place. Her best weapon? A little “motherly spit.”  This was especially used in church when she’d glance over and see some of that hair out of place. A lil spit and all was right in her world again. She also did this to produce what she called a little “spit curl.” Oh how that annoyed us at the time, but how we miss Mom now and would give anything to have her back, that I can say for sure.

Ok, back to the picture again…Notice the  Hollywood Squares game?  Oh the hours we clocked, watching those tv game shows  back in the Sixties and Seventies. No X-Box or Play Station for us, but we did love our game shows, and to get to have one for a Christmas present, all made into a board game, well that was the best!  Let’s not overlook one other memory here. The nightgowns. Oh what a staple item a flannel nightgown was back then. Robin and I usually had matching gowns, maybe just different colors. Don’t we all remember how good they felt when it was so cold in the winter? ….and how bad they felt, all twisted up when you tossed and turned in bed?  Oh yes, hair, game shows and flannel nightgowns… Do the memories get any better than when shared with a sister?    I love my Robin…and I love our memories… Now let’s get out our flat irons, Sister! Forty some years later and we still have hair that needs  taming…Let’s just pass on the spit though, ok?!

Today is my sister Nancy’s birthday… I love her and I love that she is part of what we call the “Birthday Trio” in our family. Imagine, nine children in our family and three of us ended up with January birthdays all in one week!  Pat  January  21, I am January 25 and Nancy is January 27.  Nancy and I always remember how even though there were three of us in one week, our mom NEVER combined those birthdays. It was the unwritten rule that all three of us would have our own cakes and our own celebrations. Nancy laughs now, thinking that by the time her birthday rolled around , our mom must have been a little tired of baking cakes! (and that was back in the day when you didn’t just  buy a pre-made one either!)  But dear Mom, she just really made sure we had a special day.

Oh how well I remember those frigidly cold January birthdays, growing up in South Dakota!  There was nothing like that excitement though, waking up in the morning, knowing it was your special day!  Back then yes, we DID walk to school, and yes, it WAS so cold… but along with that walk to school, we usually stopped to buy “treats” for the other kids in our class. Remember doing that? Usually every kid got a nice five cent candy bar. Everyone was a winner on a birthday day~  After school, it was always so special to come home and see that birthday cake sitting on the lazy Susan on the kitchen table. Our table was big, and everyone participated in the party that night, gathered around for a nice meal and then the presents and cake.

As I recall, we didn’t often have fancy birthday parties with our classmates, but celebrating with our big family was party enough.  Most of us saved our allowance and bought a little gift for the birthday kid. My favorite gift I can remember was one year when sister Nancy took my Barbie doll and made little knitted outfits for her. Barbie was missing for weeks as Nancy worked on that surprise. I will never forget how special that was, a  cute little skirt and jacket, all hand knit, along with a few cute little knit dresses. Barbie was styling!   Right now I am smiling, just thinking back on that one… Nancy, I wish you a blessed birthday today, and I thank God that he made us sisters…Brother Pat too, so fun to share  those birthday memories with you as well. What  I would give to live closer so we three could celebrate together!  I think we’ve matured and the cake could be shared…Let’s make it chocolate though if you don’t mind!  Lots of love to my January birthday sibs,  Mary

Swimming…it’s a great sport, a  great way to get a good workout without injuring your body, and just an all around healthy thing to do. I started doing lap swimming about a year ago, and to tell you the truth, the worst part about it is getting out of the pool, sopping wet, going in to take a shower in the locker room, changing clothes, drying the hair,  and all that jazz. It’s not so bad in warmer weather, but in the winter it’s a pain with all the bulky clothes we wear.  In a recent effort to streamline things,  I went on a quest to buy a swim robe that I could just wear to the gym, swimsuit underneath, and then just swim, put the robe back on with undies, and head out of there for a  nice shower at home. Way easier. BUT, think about it, would you really wear a long bathrobe out in public? This was my dilemma …Like, how weird would that look?  I went on a search to find a robe online..one specifically for swimmers. I bought  one  and it’s awesome. Warm, thick, well made and floor length. I chose a simple black robe. I figured a white one would look a bit too spa like. I modeled it for my husband Mike and son Jeff. They both said, “Cool!”   Then Jeff said I looked like a boxer .  Oh my, that comment didn’t help!

I was getting cold feet about the whole idea of wearing it out in public, because, truly it looks like a bathrobe, it really does. How odd would I look, walking into a gym where other workouts were going on, and then there I am,  traipsing through with this robe that resembles night wear.  (Our gym has the weight room first, pool is in the back of that.)  Son Jeff, age 23, gave me the usual pep talk anyone his age would give, “Mom, no one’s really looking at you anyway, don’t worry about it.” He said that to be encouraging…Sure… Sad but true.. At age 57, who cares, right? But I sort of cared. I mean, like what if I got in a car accident and the officer thought something odd was going on, seeing me in a bathrobe in my car? I thought to myself, well,  maybe I  should have gotten an emblem on it that says something like, “Older Ladies’ Swim Club”? Nah.I am not flaunting that “older lady” term just yet in life….Just wear it with confidence Mary!

Well, it took me about a week to muster up the courage to wear it to the gym. But I did it! At first it was weird, getting out of the car with this thing on. I avoided all eye contact as I walked across the parking lot, then through  the  workout room  to get to the swimming pool doors.  At least the people, IF they were looking at me, would see that I was indeed going swimming , not planning on napping through a workout in what looked like sleep apparel.  The beauty of the robe is, it also has a hood. A good hood….like the kind that will keep your wet head warm….and like, the kind that no one will see your face in.  This is a great feature..Put hood on and walk fast… Get in and  out of there, even if it makes you look like a monk… I must say, now that I have worn this robe for a few weeks to the gym, it’s not a real big deal. Mind over matter…Maybe that’s the beauty of being 57…You start to not care what other people think. I mean really, it’s so freeing to finally get to that point in life. I am not completely there but it’s coming.  Oh and one other thing..I saw another lady at the pool walk in while I was doing my laps, dressed the same way, long robe and all!  I wanted to shout out, “Right on, Crazy Girl, you have a swim buddy!”  Maybe we can start a trend…  Maybe we SHOULD get emblems on our robes… “Over Fifty Free Spirit Club”  …Care to join?

PS So, what IF I got in a car accident on the way home, dressed in what appears to be a bathrobe? At least I’d be comfy in the E.R.!  Those places are cold!

Cupboards…Pantries….Fridges…..Freezers….. We sure take what’s inside them for granted, don’t we? Well, I realize I do! I started a little project called “Cleaning out the Pantry” one week ago, and I was amazed at the huge trash bag I filled with boxes of stale crackers, expired cans of food, chip bags half full of crumbly yuck, and just on and on. Oh and the spices from the last century…truly…1990’s.  As I looked at my pile of throw outs, I felt kind of sick about how much I waste, and how many duplicates I had. I never really considered myself a wasteful person before.  In fact, I am the type when I leave a party, I am usually sent home with the left overs because my Jethro Bodeens (husband and son) will eat them up, as we are not picky eaters here.  I found that  in cleaning out my refrigerator and freezer, there were so many wasted items as well.  This inspired me to do a 28 day “Use Up  What I Have” campaign.  For 28 days we are “living off the fat of the land,” also known as NOT shopping for any groceries in that time period…just use it  up, and then reevaluate how I can be a better consumer and maybe buy less of the processed stuff!

I have gone a week now and you’d be surprised, we are not starving in this house. (I say this with sadness for families that really are going to bed at night hungry, due to lack of income for food.)  I have made casseroles, used up fish fillets, made some creative soups, and even served some lunch guests peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Pride is thrown out the window here.  So friends, think about it, what kind of excess do you have in your life? Maybe it’s not food, but perhaps clothing, clutter, too many magazines or books,  knick knacks, whatever… We all have our lil wastelands… If you feel your heart tugging on this project, give it a go.  I’d love to hear what you think about this! Ok, gotta go…my oven beeper is going off… Chicken pot pies anyone??

Anyone out there remember that song? “What’s it all about Alfie?”  I always think of my sister Nancy saying that when there wasn’t anything else to say. It always makes me smile. I thought it was a good title for my very first post on this thing I am calling my blog. Feels kind of weird, doing this blog thing. That’s why I  had to include sister Nancy right off the bat, because Nancy has always been  one of my launchers in life… Nancy was the one that taught me how to ride a bike when I was seven. She was thirteen. My big sis..  How I remember feeling so wobbly on those wheels and not at all sure I could learn how to maneuver that bike. Nancy had patience. Nancy had perseverance and Nancy had drive. She still does today. (Well that part about patience?… maybe not so much. None of us sisters are big on the patience thing.)  … but back to Nancy. She helped me find my first real job as a teenager, life guarding in Denver, Colorado, when she was all of  22  and I was 17.  She packed me up in her car after convincing me to quit my then one week old job at the local  fast food place, “Harry’s Nifty Nine”  in South Dakota, and away I went for a summer of fun, living with her and husband Pete. I can still remember taking the life saving classes at our local swimming pool where Nancy was one of the instructors. I had to rescue her for the test. Thank goodness Nancy was a tiny, light weight lil thing, but even so, she whispered to me as I did the cross chest carry,  “You WILL pass, I’ll just tread water so it’s easier for you to pull me.”  She’s been treading water with me ever since..Sometimes calm waters, sometimes turbulent, as life has handed us the good and the bad.

Oh, I could go on and on about the adventures with sister Nancy! …. I guess I have a whole blog to do that, don’t I? So stay tuned folks, as I tell you what it’s all about, Alfie…This is going to be fun!  Oh and one more Nancy thing…she knows when to tell you the hard truth…Circa 1982: “Mary and Robin, you NEED to ditch those clogs. You are in San Diego now and it’s high heels”…. But that’s a whole other story…Oh and Robin? That’s a whole other sister. Have I mentioned there are five sisters in our family?  Oh yes, and four brothers. …and a great husband Mike, and two sons, Matt and Jeff, and plenty of stories.  Ok time to turn this microphone off for the day. Hey,  I kinda think I am now officially launched!

PS  Big thank you to my husband Mike for really getting this thing set up for me!