Percolator

I think I can make a story out of anything I have. On the last day of work we decided to have a little party and several of us brought in something to share. There was a yummy French toast casserole, fruit salad with dip, mini croissants, cheese & crackers, cake pops, and coffee. I brought my percolator from home and made the coffee at work---there's nothing like a fresh perked cup of coffee. 

As we gathered round waiting for the heavenly brew to be ready my friends commented on my percolator, so I entertained them with the story of my plastic white percolator.  Around 13 years ago we decided to try someplace new for a week's vacation in August and settled on the thousand islands region of.New York state. Not knowing where to stay we booked a room in a national hotel chain in Ogdensburg, a town which boasted a river walk along the mighty St. Lawrence River. The hotel listed a pool and in room microwave and refrigerator among its amenities which at the time were desirable as our girls were fairly young. We arrived around dinner time and found that the pool was closed, the room dirty and the river walk somewhat sketchy. We decided since it was rather late in the day to look for someplace else when we went for dinner and then in the morning we would check out and move.  We stopped at a visitor's center and my husband spoke with the gentleman who worked there. He suggested that we stay at a small mom & pop motel in Alexandria Bay, a small but lively resort town right on the river.

According to the pamphlet about the small hotel it offered no amenities but was a short walk from the town. We knew that we needed to be able to heat water in our room for Hillary's cereal so after dinner, on the way back to the not nice national chain hotel, we stopped at a WalMart to buy a hot pot since we'd left ours at home. As I perused the options before me I was reluctant to buy something I already had at home and spied the percolators, which were less expensive than hot pots. In fact, this percolator was under $10.00! Sold! It worked well for heating water at our new hotel, and has been quite useful at home. Sometimes one pot of coffee isn't enough when we have company, or sometimes we need both regular and decaf. It's much easier to remember which is decaf when you have two different types of coffee makers. Friends and relatives borrow my electric percolator for parties and visits from relatives. It's a popular, handy little appliance! 

By the time I finished my story the perking had stopped and we took our cups to the table and had a lovely little breakfast party. 

Weekends

Weekends go too fast. Two days isn't enough to fit everything into! That's because they've become a concentration  of things left undone during the work week with things I want to for pleasure sprinkled in. I try to keep things balanced but sometimes there is so much going on in those two short days that Monday is almost a relief! Some folks keep their weekends so full of activities and chores that just hearing them talk about it makes me want a nap. When my girls were younger we ran on the fringes of that type of weekend occasionally and I confess that I didn't enjoy it. It made me downright cranky! So I learned to shorten my "must be done" list and let some things slide. Of course now I face a room that borders on hoarder status to deal with over the summer; but at least I'll have something to do while I consider my employment options for the fall. Just think how accomplished I'll feel when things have been donated, repurposed, or thrown out and I have much less clutter! I almost can't wait to start--but not this weekend, it's almost over.

Dad

Some Dads rule with iron fist

Some with velvet glove

Some leave their babies way too soon

And watch from Heaven above

Some have humor, while others sing

Some play ball, some push the swing

Some go to work, some work at home

Some write books, some lay stone

Whatever else a Dad can do

He loves his children through and through.

--Susan Donald 6/15/2014

I get my wry, dry sense of humor from my father. We don't know anything about this picture; where it was taken, who took it, or what the occasion was. I love it for the contrast between his serious expression and comical headgear.

In this one I'm guessing I was about two years old. It looks like it was someone's birthday. It just looks like a cozy happy moment between father and daughter.

This was taken the day Hillary was christened. We were all blissfully unaware at that point how radically she would change all our lives! He was a wonderful "Grandpa", teaching my very young Anna to play chess and with arms always ready to snuggle Hillary. We miss his quiet presence and humor.