I know you by heart…

We’ve experienced an extremely mild winter, here in the Northeast. At least in my neck of the woods. A brief burst of frigid temps followed by an on again/off again warming trend…and rain. One decent snowfall made its way but not really enough to institute the usual madness of combined supermarket shopping and fill-the-gas-tank frenzy. I think that, after the asisine pandemic issues, we’ve all learned to cope with what we have on hand.


Spring has indeed arrived and with that, a lot of confused plants who have been peeking out and hiding these past months, confused as hell as to what season really waited outside their cover of soil. It’s been pushing near 90 degrees the past few days, although temps will be sliding back down to a more seasonal level in the days ahead. Still, it’s enjoyable. Except for the nasty little Mayflies which are out with a biting vengeance.


Much like stretching in the morning when we awake from sleep, my home is doing the same after a few months of having everything closed in preparation for the elements that never happened. Windows are open, a soft breeze flows in and spring is making its presence throughout the house. It reminds me of the beautiful voice of Eva Cassidy, an incredible singer whose voice was magical in any season. Today was the perfect day to hear one of her beautiful songs playing softly from our stereo system.

From Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop...Share a song that feels like spring

Signature

7 reasons/8 lines…

The wanderlust which lives inside my head longs to visit Italy, not all of the country, just the Amalfi Coast. Although I’m somewhat of a “mixed breed”, the Italian portion of what makes me…me…overrides the British/Irish part of my heritage.


Photographs of the beautiful towns of Amalfi, Positano, Atrani, Sorrento, Minori, Cetara, Nerano, Erchie, Ravello, Tramonti, and Praiano, rarely fail to take my breath away as I do some armchair traveling. To walk the twisted hillside streets, enjoy the best regional foods and soak up the magnificence of the Tyrrhenian Sea and the Gulf of Salerno…well, that is a never-ending dream of mine; sadly, one I doubt will ever come to pass.

Thoughts of enjoying a Delizie al Limone, Limoncello, shopping for artwork and ceramics, relaxing on some of the beautiful beach areas, all dance in my head but…that’s where they will stay, at least for now. Who knows? The opportunity to fly those (hopefully) friendly skies might just present itself before my ride around the sun comes to an end.


I’m half-packed and ready, just in case.

From Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop…Challenges can be good, sometimes, even a fun thing. This…was one of those times with my prompt response involving…Name a country you might like to visit and… list 7 reasons why you think you’d enjoy it. Also…Write a blog post in exactly 8 lines. Done and done!

Signature

Awkward…

Let’s face it, no one likes to admit they were wrong about something. Anything, in fact. Admit it.


It’s difficult having to be the better person and fess-up to your mistakes, however small they might be. Whether mis-judging someone for no good reason, taking a comment totally the wrong way or just thinking that you had some superior advantage over a debatable incident…being wrong is one helluva big pill to swallow.


I’ve been there, done that, too many times to honestly count but I’ve eaten my share of crow, likely well-deserved. The aftermath can leave permanent scars, where family relationships are concerned and where friendships might have been made.


Of course, leaning towards the more lighthearted, even just plain stupid mistakes, some are just too embarrassing to dig up from their deep and shameful graves. However, to keep within the suggested guideline for this post, I will share one. Just one.


Picture this, a city in another county, many years ago. While doing some shopping, I happened to meet someone whose wedding I’d attended a while before. Through the family grapevine, I had been told this new bride was pregnant and when I said hello, I took a look at her rather large tummy and exclaimed “wow, you’re glowing, when’s the baby due?”. The response was not what I expected as she snapped back, “I had the baby three months ago!” Hasty congratulations stumbled from my mouth and our very brief meeting came to an abrupt end. I quickly walked the walk of shame back to my car, looking over my shoulder for any flying objects aimed in my direction.

Okay, I’m sure something like this has happened to someone, somewhere! I can’t be the only one on this planet who’s found themselves in a similar position. Let’s get real here, for any woman who is carrying a child, a few pounds here and there are always met with a bit of approval, after all, they’re eating for two and that weight gain goes along with the nine month production time involved; it’s generally well accepted…until after the baby arrives. Then, the focus turns to the new mom losing that baby weight and getting back to her pre-baby norm. Unfortunately, someone like me comes along with a seemingly hurtful remark made after a totally honest observance! Trust me…it was very honest. Very!

I carry a bit of guilt to this very day for that incident. And a few more which I won’t get into because what was involved I’ve probably forgotten about. Or, the awkward facts are none of anyone’s business.




From Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop…
Write about a moment you realized you were wrong.

Signature