Friday, March 30, 2007

There are advertisements in the paper and on TV for wedding preparations. I am amazed at the work there is to prepare for a big wedding. Bride and groom have to reserve the banquet site a year in advance, sometimes. Then, they have use of the hall for a limited time. It used to be that weddings lasted all day and into the night.
When I was a little girl, My mother assisted a local florist. She delivered the flowers when the florist had a conflict. Everyone gets married on a Saturday. Mom took one wedding. The florist took the other one. No one used a baby sitter then. Both my sister and I accompanied my mother. Children were welcomed at weddings. Of course, We knew proper behavior. We sat quietly through the church ceremony and didn't run amok during the reception.
How lovely to be a little girl and look at all the pretty brides. Each bride was beautiful. The dresses were beautiful. They all had long veils that covered their heads. At the end of the ceremony, the groom lifted the veil and kissed the bride. The congregation exploded in congratulations. Lifting the veil is a symbol of the groom taking the virginity of his bride. How many brides are virgins today?
The bride's dress was more demure than they are today. Today's bride dresses look like prom dresses to me. I don't care for strapless and sleeveless. Tacky. Yesterday's bride wore long sleeves, even in the summer. I remember one dress that had the cuffs extended to a point covering the bride's hands. Her middle finger went through a loop that was attached to the point. This held the sleeve in place, giving her a nice long arm look...very medieval and charming. She looked like a queen. The sleeve showed off her new wedding rings. the ultimate, perfect wedding dress that I remember, was worn by Grace Kelly. I didn't attend that wedding. The wedding was covered by the press. I saw the pictures.
Yesterday's weddings lasted through two meals...lunch and dinner, followed by dancing. Later, cookies and coffee was served. The best weddings were Polish and Italian. You could feel the familial love between family members. Today's weddings are too short to mingle with all the guests. You have to get out of the hall so staff can set up the next wedding. What a waste of money. All that preparation for just a few hours?
I admit to being turned off by today's weddings. I watch America's Funniest Home Videos on TV. Weddings seem to be a joke now a days. What is funny about fights at the reception? Shoving cake into your spouse's face? Music so loud that you can't hear conversation? The type of music that excludes the older generation? Music that you can't dance to. Doesn't anyone know how to waltz any more? I guess not.
There is a new thing called destination weddings. This is a good way to exclude a lot of relatives who can't afford to fly to Easter Island or whereever the wedding is. Why not save the traveling for the honeymoon?
Just for the record, you can get married in your church and have the reception in your back yard. Your relatives can stay as long as they want and help clean up the dishes...and nibble on the leftovers. Kids and dogs are welcome. Cost less, too.
It used to be that a man got a college education. The woman got a big wedding instead. I think this is a bad deal for the woman. Life has a way of handing challenges. She needs her education as much as her husband does. She now helps pay the bills. If her husband dies or is disabled, she has to pay all the bills. I also think a man would find a woman with a good mind, a better companion that one who settles to be "just a housewife".

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

The trip was postponed in early February because of bad Buffalo weather. It got rescheduled in the middle of March. I started out on clear roads for driving, but in the middle of the week, a large storm came up from the south. Weather cancelled half my plans. Don't get me started. The good news is I learned how rich in friends I am. My cousin and aunt could not have been any nicer to me. My cousin Don went way out of his way to locate a cap for my truck. He came with me to the camper store and kept me in conversation while the cap was installed. In Syracuse, friends gathered just because I was in town. Such a tribute leaves me humbled. I had side trips to Erie Pa and to Ontario Canada. Interesting experiences, but I won't elaborate now.
Coming home: It took several days for me to recover my energy. I didn't get sick. Instead, I just got tired. My truck doesn't have cruise control, nor a tilt wheel. As a result, I had to hold my foot on the accelerator pedal...for one thousand five hundred miles. My foot got tired! I arrived home, limping.
Today, I am finally back into my projects. Saw Spence about selling off some of the antiques. Called the oil company to send a repair man: the humidifier fell off the furnace. Called a landscaper to help set up a new bed and move plants away from the foundation. I am making progress.
Then I spotted them...the little black dots on the sink. I have a mouse in my kitchen. I like the little mice We had when my daughters were in nursery school. We raised them, domesticated them. By the time We're sick of them...about two years...they die of old age. Mice are a good pet. But not in my kitchen, peeing in my silverware drawer.
I hate to do this, but I set traps in the silverware drawer. All the silverware is freshly washed with bleach in the water. The traps are baited with peanut butter and carefully placed in the empty drawer. I feel guilty. They are such a beautiful animal in miniature...tiny noses, little eyes, intelligence peeking out at me. A perfect creature just trying to get along in life. If We have a mouse in the house, it is usually in the fall when the weather gets cold. They just want to get to a warm place. Why is this mouse here now, when spring is here? I know it is a female, because the males stink to high heaven. I can't have a litter of mice in my walls. A second and third trap are set under the sink. I hear a snap.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

At last the day has come to prepare for my trip to Buffalo New York. I may even get a break on the weather. No heavy snows are forecasted.
It is amazing how many details have to be attended to before I walk out the door. Make arrangements for the dog. Call ahead for reservations. Stop the mail. Take out the trash. Take the jacket to the tailors to get the sleeves shortened. Water the plants and hope they can make it without me for a week.
What shall I pack? A few items of clothes used to do it, but not any more. I have some things that I want to give to my daughter. Mustn't forget them. They go in the suitcase. She would also appreciate the left over paper goods from our summer picnic. I never use them when I can use my own dishes. Paper goods go in the truck. The truck has been in the garage for a regularly scheduled maintenance visit. It is in fine shape. Stephen says He will put the weights in the back of the truck so I get better traction on icy roads. I hope the roads are clear.
Money! Must get to the bank for travel money and a hostess gift for my friend in Syracuse and for my cousin in Buffalo. Short shopping trip is planned.
S.F. friend is bringing real S.F. sourdough. My part of this project is to bring good seafood bisque or lobster bisque...in cans, of course. Canned soup goes on the shopping list.
A side trip to Canada is also planned. Passport goes in the suitcase along with my cell phone, camera, and camcorder. Don't forget the address book and map. Dog needs a water bowl for the trip and collar and leash. Make a mental note. Vitamin caddy goes into the suitcase along with some over the counter meds...just in case.
My suitcase is jammed full and I don't have any clothes in it. Thank goodness for the second suitcase.