Spring

It's spring fever.  That is what the name of it is.  And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!  ~Mark Twain

Fail

I am away this weekend... trying to distract myself from the fact that today would have been my wedding anniversary.

Augustine and Abigirl

I was going through some papers left over from my trip to South Africa and I came across the address and email of Augustine Sibanda who lives in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. A group of about six of us on the tour visited Augustine's home for a traditional dinner one evening. His wife, Abigirl, and her sister prepared a typical African meal for us. After we finished eating, we were able to ask questions about their life. Augustine is a 6th grade teacher; they have two children (a boy and a girl). Hosting dinners for tour groups also supplements their income.

Augustine told us that malaria is the biggest health threat for them. He also told us how to tell if a mosquito is carrying malaria... if the mosquito sits slanted on a wall, it is a carrier.

They do not own a car or a bike. Things had been very hard for them, especially when the Zimbabwean economy collapsed. I hope they are well.

A couple of months after I got back home, I received this email from Augustine:

"it seems awful long time since you left.Sometimes we do not quite understand or realise the impcat on our lives visitors make.We really feel proud,honored and priveledged to have hosted you at our small place ,we really enjoyed every minute of that memorable evening .It i was a special evening for us all.We can't thank you enough.We hope you enjoyed your entire holiday.

regards"

More than one way...

I needed to install new towel bars, etc in one of the baths today. There were at least six power drills in the utility room, but I couldn't figure out how to get the drill bits into any of them. So I opted for the old fashioned method... worked like a charm. Although for bigger jobs, I need to learn how to use the power tools.

(This is a hand drill, by the way.)

Nearly Spring...

When I came home on Monday, one of the first things I noticed was that the daffodils had bloomed. I went out today and snipped a few to put into a vase on my desk. As I was cutting them, I remembered that they had been planted long ago by my husband. Another reminder... and a very good one.

Meet me in...

Spent a few days in Daytona Beach, Fla, visiting family and meeting the latest addition to the family - Kylie Rae:

We took a slight detour on the way home yesterday, trying to find the Suwannee River  State Park in North Florida/South Georgia. Didn't make it to the park but I found this dirt road with a canopy of trees... very spooky.

And his name shall be 'Miles'...

I went to a baby shower on Sunday. I wish I had taken pictures because it was like Steel Magnolias meets Winnie the Pooh meets the year of the dragon.

Let me say that I love the south, I love (most of) the people of the south and Steel Magnolias is one of my favorite movies because it captured life in the South perfectly. Southern women... they are awesome. I watch them at social events such as showers and weddings and it's as though I'm watching a novel being acted out in front of me. They are passionate about their families, their communities and above all - appearances. This is not a bad thing. On the contrary I admire it greatly because although they always look perfectly put together, they make it seem effortless; as though the clothes, the hair, the shoes just appeared before them without the need for anyone to think or shop or (god forbid!) launder.

The mom-to-be... hmmmm, how to get started on the connection (i.e. how I happened to be there)? She lives with and is having a baby by the husband of my friend's deceased daughter. There! Simple, right? Families are complicated these days it seems; mine no less than anyone's.

So, there were three distinct groups of ladies at this shower; friends and family of the mommy-to-be, the daddy-to-be and third - friends/family of the daddy-to-be's deceased first wife. The mom-to-be's family is Korean and I only mention this because it set them apart from the southern-ness in the room. Now, proper southern ladies would never, ever make anyone feel out of place or uncomfortable. But if this scenario seems bizarre, believe me it felt that way too; not because of the different backgrounds but because of the dots that connected everyone in attendance.

I commend my friend for wanting to be part of the new couple's life. After all, there is a grandchild. Her grandson was not quite two years old when his mommy/her daughter died. The new woman in his life has been a good stepmother to him and he loves her. And so it was a joyous occasion with a sprinkle of heartache.. for photos of Melissa were on the walls all around us - her presence and our memories of her were palpable.

Oh, and I loved the shoes Tara was wearing and the chicken salad was divine!

Act Two

Hurry! My future,

I am anxious to know you.

Who will drift into my life,

and who will leave?

Will there be joy?

I hope there is joy.

I know there will be sadness,

but please, not more than I can bear.

No! Don't hurry.

Come slowly,

each chapter unfolding,

and the next.

and the next.

Until, all the characters have played their parts.

Each having touched my life,

and I, theirs.

Hold my calls...

I am really getting anxious to get on to Spring. I'm making a trip to the beach later this month and going on a four-day photography shoot in the Smoky Mountains in late April. I'm still working on travel plans for May and beyond. It's been a long three months since I went to the Caribbean and the road/coast/mountains are calling to me. :)

Cold heart

My heart is cold
as cold as the black trees in winter.
as cold as the stream bounded by snow.
as cold as the wind that howls and haunts my dreams.