Deep In The Forrest

Well yes I am inconsistent. I love to write, wish I wrote for a living, but yet end up with the worst gaps in my posts / writing ever. Then I beat myself up for it because I love writing and want to write, and have regular visitors and readers, etc, but I really don't think people are reading anything I post. Even so, I still write for myself as much as I do others. The feedback is still something I enjoy, and I always wish people would comment and communicate with me more. Anyway, I figured it was about time for me to toss a post together. Facebook's reminders told me that it is "National Siblings Day". Really, one of those little known morsels, things we either forget, or they're really not that big, right? Nonetheless, I thought the little tribute I wrote to my sisters last year on this day was worth a re-post / re-link. So here you go, once again, For the Love of Sisters . I do love my family, we just all have such different lives and things going on tha...

I meant to post a little something for Easter Sunday, and I jarred my back while riding my motorcycle over the weekend, so I was mostly resting with heat and meds. My childhood years were spent being spoiled to so many family traditions that I guess I thought would never end, and as we grow up, we are forced to realize that "Nothing Gold Can Stay" (just as Robert Frost  tried to tell us). In those early years though, dying Easter eggs with my father on Saturday night (ahh the newspaper, the smell of vinegar, using Mom's cups, those little wire thingys, and mainly just Dad showing me how to do all this), helping with the cooking, and waking up to those baskets full of pretty eggs, candy and goodies was magic. We were always so distraught when we were dragged away from our Easter morning fun to attend the church service (which to us as kids seemed to drag on for hours). Once back home, it was time for the family to all meet there at my childhood home and eat dinner toge...

Happy National Siblings Day!   My sisters were all pretty much 'grown ups' by the time I graced this world with my awesomeness. They were busy looking for their own paths and trying to chase their dreams, and flying off from the nest before I could find my feet and learn to walk. However, that never stopped any of us from loving one another. Top row: My sisters (l to r) Jeanne, Debbie and Vickie Bottom row: Vickie's oldest, Stacey (left) & Kristie (right) (That's Me in the Middle) We may have not always shared the same views, lifestyles or interests, but we all shared two people (Mom and Dad) who taught us all more about strength and love better than anyone else ever could begin to. So Mom and Dad left us here with hardcore values, big hearts, stubbornness, amazing spirits and strengths (all four of us), and a love for one another that is there, even though we may not see one another often. I for one, love you, all of my sisters and will always be here for ...

It's all passed faster than the melted butter on Movie popcorn. I was just sitting here thinking about all of the "phases" my friends and I have been through. Seems like only yesterday we were all muddling through High School, and dreaming dreams of the future. What would we do to change the world? What would the world do to change us? But as we all know, the answers to those questions aren't always what we want them to be, or thought they might be... and it really does ring true that the more things change, the more they (or maybe we) stay the same... in some ways at least. Brian and his family moved down here from Illinois when he was just 18 years old, and we worked for a long time together at Wal*Mart. That's how we met. He never was a "romantic" friend in the least, but he and I still grew close. He was my 'back-up' date if I needed one, and we had our very own "phases" too. He never seemed to be able to settle in or have much suc...

I have spoken quite alot about Saturdays, and how Saturday is my favorite day of the week, but Friday is a close second. In fact, Friday has a somewhat "magical" feel to it in a way, given that I am not totally swamped or stressed. I wondered what it was about this day of the week that was so appealing to a lot of us, and in looking through Friday facts, there are some interesting findings. Frigg spinning the clouds, by J C Dollman Etymology The name Friday comes from the Old English frigedæg, meaning the day of Frige the Anglo-Saxon form of Frigg , a West Germanic translation of Latin dies Veneris , "day (of the planet) Venus." However, in most Germanic languages the day is named after Freyja —such as Frīatag in Old High German , Freitag in Modern German , Freyjudagr in Old Norse , Vrijdag in Dutch , Fredag in Swedish , Norwegian , and Danish —but Freyja and Frigg are frequently identified with each other . The word for Friday in most Romance lang...

"The guardian angels of life sometimes fly so high as to be beyond our sight, but they are always looking down upon us." - Jean Paul Richter The post you are about to read is about my late niece, Jolie Samantha. Although she passed away at the most unfair age, 20, this is not a sad post. So I beg of my sister Vickie (her mom) if she reads this, please don't be sad at all. I know that she is with us, when we are happy or sad... but especially when we are happy because Jolie loved to laugh, and found good and humor in everything and everyone she met... she was the most pure-hearted and kindest one of us all... When I laugh remembering some of the silly things we all used to do, or the silliest movies that we watched and loved, I know she is near, belly-laughing with me. It is because of a new show that I saw advertised that gave me the urge to post this about her. The show is to be called "The Two Coreys". Yeah you know them. They infiltrated the movies "tog...

Well, I'm playing a bit of Ketchup today in my work, since I was in training class yesterday-which went fine, I rather enjoyed it. Got my web skills fresh on the brain and all. Guess I'll just post another semi-short one today, as I haven't really had time to write up anything new. I do plan on continuing to bring you the rest of my Butterflies, Zebras and Moonbeams saga, so if you're enjoying that then look for more of it soon. If you haven't read it, you can click This Link Or The Link Above and you can go through parts I - III and 'Ketchup'. :) Before Mother's Day, I had spoken about the family and there seems to be an ever-increasing gap growing between us all. Each of my family members has been through way more than they deserve, I don't deny that. My sisters each have their crosses to bear, with pains that they have experienced; so does my Mother by a long shot. I have been through a good bit but nothing compared to them yet, but I'm sur...

Tastes, smells and sensations that strike up memories and make me sentimental... Oscar De Larenta cologne, it reminds me of all the wonderful times spent with my sister, Vickie growing up. Old Country music in restaurants, I can see my Dad, straight and tall and strong as an Ox walking into a Truck Stop on a long haul, or a family trip with us. Juicy, red ripe watermelon, takes me straight to a hot summer day at home. I can envision my Mom in her 'work jeans', sitting outside in the heat still drinking coffee, we sprinkle a bit of salt on the melon, and I can almost smell the freshly cut summer grass. Insense and certain air freshener, reminds me of living at Bo's house. Wind Song perfume (by Prince Matchavelli), I can close my eyes and see Mom getting ready for church on a sunday morning in her best suit or dress, looking like a billion dollars, me still sleeping, squeezing every last moment I could and hoping she wouldn't make me go. Classic Old Lysol (the Hospital s...

Christmas 1983 - Where were you? What were you doing at that moment? I think I've been more emotional this Christmas than I have ever been so far. I don't know for the life of me, what's gotten into me... really. Found some old snappys while working on my photo-slideshow project. Even though they're just little snapshots of the Christmas trees and some of the presents, the nostalgia still makes me sad... You can just see the surroundings... like the linoleum on the floor, or my Lite-Bright in the background of one, and just the sad little tree... same one Mom would always put up every year... the spirit and the tradition that we put into our holidays as I grew up make it very hard to carry on with new traditions, or special moments... Seems as though my heart is much too full of the love and memories from all the Christmases past, and have left no room for the new... what am I to do...?

I'm still sitting here brainwashing myself (or trying to) with the 'soothing sounds of Christmas'. I know what you're thinking, "Jackie, it shouldn't be that hard to get in the spirit." Ok, well maybe it shouldn't be. It is somehow. As hard as I try to continue with my childlike spirit and immaturity, I struggle in matters of Childish heart... If I listen to the music, all it does is remind me of my Mother and make me wish I was still at home, lying on the floor in the Livingroom under the brilliance of the Christmas tree lights, listening to Mom's Christmas albums on her old stereo, she had em all and they stayed on rotation, playing... as I said, she always has music playing. I could lie for hours staring at the lights, listening to the music (Rockin Around The Christmas Tree, O' Christmas Tree, Silent Night, Little Drummer Boy, Silver Bells... etc). The temperatures this week have been pretty cold too, so that is helping some. As I said yest...

Or maybe I should ask the question "What's Luck Got to do with US?", and by US, I mean My Dad, My sister (some of you know her as "Nana"), or me. Luck has nothing to do with US... not often. My Dad used to love this insane 'rednecky' show that came on t.v. called "Hee-Haw", and would always go around singing one of their main songs which quipped "If it weren't for bad luck, i'd have no luck at all..." I don't know if you can really call it bad luck, as I believe that everything happens for a reason, and that sometimes the supposed 'bad lucks' happen to deter us from even worse fates. So maybe we should refer to it as "Strange Luck", or just Uncanny episodes, which are what ensue anytime the three of us try to do things (mostly good things) [which is why I usually stick with evil hehe]. Nana and I were discussing this just today, when she told me of her latest episode, her 'dirty laundry' du jour, ...