It’s “Hey Rene J” Today!

It wasn’t my usual Saturday to sort clothing for the church’s Life Closet, but I had volunteered due to the dearth of people available this month. I met a lovely woman and we shared many interests and stories, and of course, comments on what people actually donate from their closets.

This morning’s haul included: dog collar, vase, weird accessories for a phone, electronics, and a single Christmas ornament. We often become the final resting place for odds and ends which no one can seem to part with or which seemingly have value for the donor, which brings me to the article sent by my friend, “Paroline,” just yesterday!

She was reading about sorting through clothing and goods in her local publication. She’s been doing the same, I did a big sort last year, and this paragraph stood out to me in the midst of weighing the benefits of my “stuff.”

Volunteering and sorting other people’s stuff is the best way to return to your own goods and realize what is absolutely not necessary in your world. Along with updating my new 2024 calendar (Yay, Susan!) I will be continuing to purge from the storage closet and other nooks and crannies.

It is a very freeing feeling to relieve yourself of “weight.”

My goal today was simple. Obtain a wall calendar for 2024.

I am a visual person, among many other endearing traits. (Ahem.) I need the wall calendar so that I can see the entire month at a glance. My phone does not cut it and I really hate having to check anything often on a device. My eye sees the month and knows the week, the commitments, and the open moments. My phone? I have to actually scroll and find things. Not my mode, and not in pretty handwriting of various colors of ink.

Thus, I declare the official end of summer, beginning of fall, the day you need to obtain a wall calendar for the next year. This has come to pass based on my dental visit today.

2024 can now come a reality.

This did happen to me. My father moved to a new town for his job while I was away at college. When I returned “home” for that summer, I had no idea where the family was living other than the name of the town, which I had never visited. Thankfully, everyone in the village knew exactly where to find my family!

If they were trying to ditch me, the ploy failed. If they were trying to encourage self-reliance and using my noggin’ to find them, it worked. I’ll go with the latter interpretation.

In honor of the meteorological beginning of autumn, I am wearing white.

The entire summer goes by and I decline to wear my snazzy white jeans with the cool bling. But today, when fashion previously wagged its head at “white after Labor Day,” I am exercising my little nod to defiance.

And someone else is exercising a little defiance. A squirrel has deigned to set foot in the backyard. Oh, woe to that little guy hastily burying his stash. He may be taking a vacation in honor of the meteorological beginning of autumn!

How many of you remember evenings on the farm at your great-aunt and uncle’s place? I’m guessing not many. Only my daughter would have that memory during her college years. I grew up visiting my grandparent’s siblings as a “given.” Her grandparent’s siblings lived near her college town so she spent holidays with them, not childhood moments. We were both blessed.

The subtle scent of this evening reminded me of a farm so many years ago. It was warm, calm, starlit, and unending. Tonight I looked up and remembered that feeling of being a preteen, scared in the dark, determined to beat the odds and not be found in the game of hide-and-seek. Farms are fun and scary at night. I don’t remember anything other than that and the warmth of the summer night and lying low from the older cousins.

Now it’s fun to imagine those adults, probably about my age, enjoying the kids entertaining themselves. They had the luxury of spending time with their siblings as we young ones explored and gained independence. It would be great to have a chat with the greats, Frank and Margaret and see what they remembered.

Thankfully, no one was injured hiding under farm equipment, a pretty good spot.

My friend, who has been known to sport a coffee filter on her head at the famed, “music party,” will be visiting her daughter, Sarah. I thought this meme was most appropriate if there happens to be a genetic factor to this behavior.

Enjoy the first weekend of September, friends!

Well, thank you for the accolades on the sewing adventure! It was truly fun and maybe I’m ready to take my 4-H nurtured skills to the big time? Designing and sewing my own line! (Rene’s Recycled Rags)

Not everyone is meant for the big stage though, as evidenced by the concert we attended last night. And the reason we went? When the Goo Goo Dolls were the opening band – fabulous! Headliner? Less than stellar.

The opener last night was O.A.R. The reason I initiated this adventure back in December was to see them and to enjoy another Goo Goo performance. True to our wishes O.A.R. Rocked and was worth the admission. People around us actually left after them because they were the sole reason for their attendance. I predict a bigger audience for them, music critic that I am.

With that in mind I’ll stick to the dining room table, my new “sewing and design office” as we have houseguests enjoying the kitchen. At least I realize I’m only a one-hit wonder.

I have been sewing like a maniac trying to finish the project I began with the dismembering of my wedding dress. I needed the kitchen table returned to a usable state.

Here are the results. Adorable!

Next? Halloween costumes!

My delightful son dared me to write a poem about Formula One competitor, Max Verstappen. Pretend that it works and that his last name is pronounced with a short “a.”

Not much can happen 
Without Max Verstappen.
He’s the one who’ll be lappin’
While your energy’s sappin’

He won his ninth race
At a respectable pace.
Truly an ace
With style and grace.

While Max celebrated his ninth victory, I celebrated my first one last night. I played “Settlers of Catan” again for the first time in years. I figured I was invited to play so someone could at least be out of competition. I won!

Thank you for the pity assistance, you young brainiacs. I’ll look forward to retaining my title. And good luck going for your tenth triumph, Max Verstappen.

Now, I am not a speech pathologist or linguist, and I’m not the grammar police as I do create a misstep or two, but I do think there are a few things which we need to pound into people’s heads. I heard one of them again on a newscast! I thought those people might be vetted for their grammar usage?

“Me and him.” So wrong. “Me and my dog.” In no instance is “me” the subject of a sentence. Yes, newscaster.

Say the word “butter” without the hard “t” sound. Buhuh? Yes. That one became obvious years ago when a prominent newscaster kept pronouncing something without the hard “t” sound. I was beginning to think it was a regional deal since I hear it frequently, until I harkened to it last night on the national news. Many words have a double “t” that needs to be addressed. That poor letter.

I’m reading a biography on Thomas Jefferson, man of many languages and prolific writing. I think that’s the basis for this mini-rant. We have so dumbed ourselves down educationally. I guess it just got to me last night?

Off I go to learn the “word of the day.”