Life in My World—Bits and Pieces

This picture puts a whole new meaning to panties-in-a-wad—I’m the one with the hiked up shorts.
Rachel isn’t born yet, but Marcia is missing. I wonder where she is.

1. Disneyland opened 54 years ago today. Disneyland is a happy, sane piece of my childhood. Every Sunday night Walt Disney movies played on Channel 11 at 6:00—Davy Crockett, Parent Trap, Pollyanna, Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, Old Yeller, even the talking coyote movie. Every few years our family went to Disneyland (back when no one wanted to steal kids and you could roam the park alone) and after all my good E coupons (for such rides as the Matterhorn and Pirates of the Caribbean) were gone, I pretended on Tom Sawyer’s island or in the Swiss Family Robinson tree house. I love sitting on the bench at the end of Main Street still. And the frozen pineapple whip right next to the Tiki room is still one of my favorite treats.

2. I need a calendar. Several years ago my calendar was always so heavily loaded that I dreaded looking at it, so I threw it away and haven’t kept a regular once since. I decided I would take each day as it came rather than stress the future and expected my brain to remember the really important dates. I realize it is very irresponsible not to have a calendar and there’s nothing like a $216 non-traffic ticket to remind me of that fact. I forgot to renew our vehicle registration last year. Completely. Never even thought about it. However, the other day I was thinking, “Hey, it’s July. We should be getting our renewal notice soon” and not two days later Ande got pulled over and the officer asked her if she knew our tabs had expired a year ago. Of course she didn’t. I didn’t. But we both know now. When I called to renew our tabs, the very kind and helpful receptionist said, “I think you should just wait two more weeks; if you don’t you’ll have to pay for 2009 AND 2010 and you’ve made it this long . . .” So there you have it, we’re driving scared for another two weeks after driving in ignorant bliss for fifty. I shall mark July 27th on my next calendar as “Tabs are Due Day.” $216 would have bought years of calendars.

3. I love new meetings with fellow bloggers and feeling an immediate friendship; one where you might continue a conversation rather than just begin one. Blogging isn’t for everyone but I have certainly enjoyed it.

4. The circle journals a group of us started last November are still making the rounds. I have Sonja’s Family Recipes and Anita’s Favorite Vacations that I’m working on today. (Yes, I should only have one but last month kind of got plugged . . .) I have really enjoyed this circle journal project. At Sandy’s guidance and encouragement, twelve of us selected topics and then created a scrapbook/journal with that theme. We have a rotating order and each month we send the book we worked on to the next person on our list. By November, we will all have contributed a page to each person’s book and will get together and swap them. Part of the fun for me is that Susan passes books to me and each book has been accompanied by a generous plate of cookies tied in a pretty ribbon.

I can’t wait to start this circle journal project in my family, too. I have several nieces/daughters who like to scrapbook and I think it would be a great opportunity for all of us to keep in touch and share each other’s lives. I’m not ignorant to the fact that Sandy has been the key to making our circle journals such a success and need to be prepared to carry it like she has before I start a new group. Ummmm, I’m thinking I might be ready by January. Have you ever done circle journals? Any theme suggestions for next year?