Just Between You and Me

Well hell........it has been awhile!  Life has been busy, and I guess I just haven't felt the urge to write, until tonight.  Things are good.  It's damn cold, but all of us on Miller Creek are doing just fine.

On my way home from work tonight I flipped the radio station, and the mellow sound of April Wine came floating out of the speakers.  The song was "Just Between You and Me,"  and it brought an immediate smile to my face.  Suddenly there I was, back in seventh grade, standing in the hallway at Cathedral Junior High, and Rick was telling me that this was "our" song.  I had never heard it, but hey.......OK?

Rick was my very first official boyfriend.  It might have lasted all of a month, probably not even that long.  I remember talking to him on the phone around Thanksgiving, and he asked me to the Christmas dance.  By Christmas he was history.  "Going together" basically consisted of talking on the phone, walking in the halls together at school, writing corny notes to each other, and attending dances, or other school functions together.  I was all of twelve years old.

By the time the song ended on the radio there were tears streaming down my face, and they are threatening again now.  Why?  Certainly not because of Rick.  :)  Although I do miss that annoying man. We did try to date in our twenties, but he and I are just like oil and water.  Good friends who were better off keeping it that way.

Thinking of him led me down the path to everything else that was going on during that time frame.  My home, my family, my friends.  So many people who are gone now.  You can't go home again, but when you have a memory as vivid and accurate as mine you certainly can visit for awhile.  In fact, you have to be careful not to set up camp.

"Going with" Rick led me to meeting some of the best friends of my life.  It was a bathroom break before Spanish, and I heard a voice I did not recognize yapping about me!  I exited the stall ready to rumble.

"I don't know who this chick is that's going with Rick, but I want to talk to her." was the part I heard.

I walked up to this curly red haired girl, who was much taller than me, and said "That would be me, can I help you?"

"I just want to ask you one question." was the reply.  "WHY?"

I just stood there for a minute, and realizing that I had no answer I just spit out, "I don't know."  We laughed our heads off, and went our separate ways.  She to whatever class she had next, and I went off to Espanol with Senora Mellesmoen, where I returned the necklace Rick gave me and broke his little Republican (that's why we don't mix) heart.

The curly red haired girl is Mary.  I don't really recall how we all meshed together after that, but she and her friend Kelli and me and my friend Vicki became fast friends, and stayed close all through junior high.

When I look back those are the bonds that matter.  Those are the times that I miss.  The time before boys.  Oh, we were all boy crazy, and there were plenty of boys added to our group, but there was a time of maybe a year before that happened.  A time when we were just the girls, and just between you and me........... it was fabulous.   ♥

Drip Drip Drop Little July Showers

I'm having a hard time coming up with a title for this blog.

Rain, rain, go away.

Country Roads, let me go home.

Why I'm calling in to work tomorrow.

Slip and Slide.

FLOOD!

Any of the above are appropriate.  I will start at the beginning.  Wait.  Let's go back two days.  All I have to say is that I sat in this chair at our bonfire.  The creek was a good 15 feet away, and flowing at about one foot deep, two feet wide.  It was nowhere near the height or breadth of it's banks, which at capacity are about four feet deep and six feet (give or take) wide.

Foot soak anyone?

Once upon a time, or today at five fifteen in the evening, I sat in my car contemplating driving home in the pouring rain.  Should I give it a go?  Should I head over to Kate's until it subsides?  Eh? Go for it, you can always turn around.

I wasn't three blocks from work, driving on Hill Avenue when I hit my first huge flood puddle.  The road is half paved, so water was pooling everywhere, and  It was raining so hard I could barely see.  Maybe I should turn around.......  Nope.  I'm going home.  There were several other deep spots along the route in town, and at the edge of town in south end my lane of traffic had to drive in the turning lane in the middle of the road.  (Maybe you should turn around?  Nope.  I'm going home.)  I should at some point tell you that my lil black car is about the lowest rider that they make.  It wouldn't take much water to stall me.

The highway portion of my drive was fabulous.  No water on the roads at all, even down by the old Nemaji river, which is famous for flooding over.  I tried not to get cocky, after all you can pretty much count on trouble with highway B.  Here a creek, there a creek, everywhere a....... you get it.  I almost made it.  Almost.

About half a mile (HALF A FREAKING MILE) from home, I come around the corner after Meierotto (yes, Marty Meierotto from Mountain Men grew up just miles from my house) Road and that is the end of the line.  There is a vehicle turning around in front of me, and the road is washed out.  Or at least the edges are gone, and there's a creek runnin' through the rest.  S.H.I.T.

So I turn around, and try to call "The Man", who OF COURSE doesn't answer his phone.  I left some babbling message, and then got to the business of driving, because that lane of the highway is also under construction, and flooding before my eyes.  

I made it out to the highway without incident, and  I whipped out my phone, called 911 and reported the damage.  My call went through to Duluth, they transferred to Superior, the call was bad....... lots of back and forth, but I finally made it clear what and where, and the highway department was called out. Now, to get home.  There's only one other way, and if the creeks are going over................  time to get moving.

So I headed up to "the junkyard people road".   Not the name of course, but that's my landmark.  That road wasn't too bad.  It's gravel, but no traffic, and I only had to drive around one downed tree.  Then I turned onto the Polish road.  I know it's going to come out right in front of the field that's directly in front of our house.  Home.  Let's go!  It's gravel, it's a lot of up and down.  It's.........washing away.......... son of a...... just drive.  It's going to be alright.  Keep an eye for big holes, these little cracks are ok...........you're almost home.  Almost there.  What is that?  Oh crap.  Maybe I should turn around.  Nope, I'm going home.  Drive on the left, the deep part is on the right.  Just GO!  Not again.  Just GO!  Turn left out onto highway B, about midway between the washed out road and home.  Left turn, drive, left turn, home.  WHEW

I was almost in tears when I came in the front door, and that seemed to get The Man's attention, because it is not normal.  I blurted out my adventure, ending with "I don't know how the hell we're getting out of here tomorrow, everything is washing out."  He went and retrieved his phone from his truck, (That MAN....) and I started finding dry comfy clothes.  (No, I didn't pee my pants.  It's was raining hard.  lol)

We assembled back in the kitchen, and started to discuss dinner when I looked out the window.  "Oh my God!  The creek!"  He had told me this was possible, but in my mind I could never quite imagine it.  Plus, he tells very tall tales, most of the time.  We grabbed our shoes, and the camera, and headed out to see if we could save anything from the bonfire area.

Even full you shouldn't see the creek from this vantage point.

I came home from work in my good Crocs, that have tread.  I wasn't thinking and I popped on the Crocs I have by the back door.  I took one step onto the wet stairs and went flying down all four of them.  Classic. Painful.  Nothing broken, bruised arm, bruised butt, and pride.  Although my right ankle is pretty sore.

The creek is a raging river on the other side of the property.  On this side it is just quietly seeping, creeping closer to the bottom of the big garden.  Please no!  Ugh.  All that work.  Thank Goodness the house sits high on a hill.  I can't think of any scenario where it would be possible for it to reach here.

Look.  It's the Brown Eyed Man.  Really! 

We saved the chairs, and the big pitch fork.  My lil one might be gone.  Hard to say what will be left of the wood pile we've been building from the downed trees.  Perhaps the big tree that fell across the creek was swept away, and we wont have to deal with it.  I sure couldn't see any sign of it. Time will tell.

We walked around the property, and down to get the mail, since we were both soaked anyway.  Flashing lights were coming from the right, where the highway department was working on whatever happened where that creek is.  The Brown Eyed Man walked down to the left to check out our creek at the culvert.  It was smashing up against it, about four feet from the top.  Our driveway is also flooding on the end (as is the neighbors whole yard) from the ditch overflowing.  

As I am writing this almost three hours later, the water has receded on this side of the creek already.  It's still raging on the other side.  Did it create a new path, or did it over flow the road?  We are afraid to look..............  at least that isn't the way to town.  If there is a way to town tomorrow?  It's still coming down, and looks to be that way for most of the night.

♫ Row, row, row, your boat gently down the creek.  I wish I had my red Wellies, but alas, they sprang a leak. ♫

Grandma's Flowers

Today is the day I had slated to buy flowers.  Of course it is 50 degrees outside, and was pouring cats and dogs when I got to the store.  I did some other shopping to kill time, and the rain had lessened a bit by the time I finished, so I zipped up my green rain jacket, put on my hood (and my big girl panties) and went out to play in the rain/flowers/muck.

No red geraniums.  Boo.  I don't want pink ones.

I guess I will get wave petunia, because they will cover some ground, and that's what I need.  What to buy?  I don't want purple, there's enough purple/pink when the garden is in full bloom.  Wait!  Look!  They have the striped ones that The Brown Eyed Man talks about!  They are white and (sigh) purple, but they are the only flower he has ever mentioned liking.  I always ask, and he never has a preference, except for once.  One time he mentioned that his Grandma (whom he was extremely close to) had this kind of flower in her garden.  I never come across them, and today there was just one lonely pack sitting on the sopping wet shelf.  It's is now in my sopping wet back yard, waiting to be planted!

My Grandma also had these striped petunia in her flower beds that ran along one side, and across half the front of her house. I never thought they were anything special.  She had them, some geranium, marigold, and always yellow snap dragon.  Those were my favorite of hers, and after I snagged the striped petunia I turned the corner and there they were.  Yellow snap dragon!  So of course I now have some of those too.

Grandma Meys lived right next door to us, while I was growing up.  My Dad planted those gardens, watered those gardens, and he (or his children) weeded them.  My Grandma was very sickly, she probably got out of the house and saw those flowers three or four times a summer, but every year she had her flowers.

One of my most vivid memories is of the yellow snap dragon.  Hot, hot summer day, barefoot through the cool grass, sneaking over to Grandma's flower garden.  Hearing the loud hum of the ancient behemoth air conditioner, and the splat, splat, splat, of water dripping off of it onto the sidewalk.  The rough concrete of the sidewalk against my bare legs as I knelt down to pinch the flower.  I could sit quietly for ten minutes, just pinching a snapdragon open and closed.  Well, I had to be quiet.  In no way, shape, or form was I supposed to be messing with those flowers!  :)

This afternoon, when I finished gathering up flowers I headed back inside to make my purchase.  Yes, I was soaked.  There was an older gent checking out and he just stared at me and smiled.  I gave him the stink eye from under my hood, and he burst out laughing.  I took off the hood, laughed, and said "Well, today is the day I had planned on buying flowers.  You know how time is."  He said, "Yep, yep I do!  I just hope you don't have to plant them!"  "No sir," I replied. "That's tomorrow."  We laughed again.  The young cashier looked at us like we were nuts.  He did go and get me a box for the muddy mess of plants though.

Someday, when you're older sonny, you'll understand time management.  I have other things to do with the little free time I have while I'm in town this week.  This was my early day, and my day to enjoy flower shopping.  Rain or shine (sleet, snow, etc), today was the day.  I am behind on my gardens because of issues we are having with a bear.  Planting time last weekend was taken up with erecting a fence around the veggie garden, to keep out whatever is stealing things (bear or squirrel), and then the next time I started I was chased away by thunder storms.

A little water never hurt anyone.  As my Mother used to say, "You wont melt.  You aren't that sweet."

I hope he enjoys the striped petunia, as much as I enjoyed finding them!   ♥

Just Thinking......

Today would be my twentieth anniversary.  It has been on my mind a lot.  What would I tell that young woman if I could somehow go back in time?  Would I try and talk her out of it?  She is me, so..............yeah.  She wouldn't have listened.

I shed a tear today.  Just one.  A tear for that young woman, who had no way of knowing that co-dependency is NOT love. For all the times she gave everything, to get nothing in return.

A tear for all those dear to me who were alive then, and no longer with us.  So many.

Would I change it if I could?  Probably not.  Mostly because to get to where I am now, I had to go through it.  Jaded?  Oh yeah.  Wiser? Much.  I know that I gained much more than I lost.

Through these twenty years so many new people have come into my life.  Some stayed, some were just passing through, but many of them wouldn't have been there at all if my life hadn't changed.

I thought today about the people who've stayed.   My family. The babies that were born, and the man who drives me crazy. ♥ The friends who are new, and those who have been here the whole time.  I thought about every way my life has improved, and how I have been able to share that, and even help some other women who were struggling......... and I smiled.

Spite Pizza

I saw an article on Facebook the other day that said, "Aggravation is a sign of a healthy relationship."  I laughed out loud, and read it to the Brown Eyed man.  It went on to say that aggravation is a sign that you are comfortable with the person you are involved with.  I took it to mean that ME being aggravated with HIM means that I am comfortable, so I stated that I certainly must be comfy in this relationship.

Reading a little farther it became clear that it is the person doing the aggravating who is the comfortable one.  Which makes a lot more sense.  So then he had the laugh, and continues to tell me how comfortable he is with me.  (How aggravating.)

Me: If you want some buttered bread with the tater tot hot dish, it's on the island.
L: I don't want any butter.  I already got yelled at about butter once today.
Me: *glare* well, not only did you leave the empty container in the fridge, you ALSO left the butter on the counter in the paper, not in the dish.  So there.  You got yelled at twice.
L: It's ok.  I don't listen to you anyway.  *grin*
Me: This is not a surprise.
L: I'm so comfortable with you baby..........

A little later in the evening we were discussing him being off today, and what was available to eat.  I mentioned several things.

L: There's pizza in the freezer.
Me: Stay out of it.
L: Why?
Me: It's for dinner on Tuesday.
L: Why do you have to buy things in advance?  (he prefers the hunt and forage on a daily basis method)
Me: If you eat that freaking pizza YOU are buying another one, or you can go hungry on Tuesday.

So I go merrily off to work today.  When I arrived home and opened up the door I saw a paper plate on the living room floor, (because the dog gets to lick the plate) and I knew it.  I looked and saw the toaster oven door hanging open, and I knew it.  I saw the garbage still on the island, and I knew it.  

Me: Why did you eat that pizza?
L: *grins* I don't know.  I ate the hot dish, and I ate the soup.
Me: And you still needed to eat half a pizza.
L: I guess so.
Me: You did that out of spite.
L: No............
Me: You did too.  It is spite pizza.
L:  (just looks at me)
Me: (Picks up a piece, takes a bite, tips head as if thinking, glares at him) Yep, tastes like spite to me!

Much laughter, although I would like to wring his neck.

Dinner for me tonight is spite pizza.  Dinner tonight for him?  Guess he will have to hunt and forage. ♥