Once Is Not Enough

Thursday Thirteen - Grandma isn't listless anymore

Some things are so pleasurable that they deserve to be repeated. Here are 13 things that I've done more than once or would like to do again.
  1. Watch the sunset at Lake Ontario. The sky becomes saturated with a million shades of pink as the fiery sun glides into the water. A walk along the water's edge would be a fine companion to this visual pleasure.
  2. Hear my father's laugh again. He was known for a delightful sense of humor and his laughter was strong and melodic. Some days I yearn to hear it just one more time.
  3. Sip a good cup of coffee while I sit at my computer. This morning ritual never grows old.
  4. Enjoy my daughter's childhood. It was such a joy to watch her grow. And yes, trite as it sounds, it happened all too fast.
  5. Catch a Frisbee. I was never the athletic type, but one day I was with some friends who were throwing a Frisbee in the park. It sailed towards me, too far above my head to catch. Without thinking, I flew into the air, extended my fingers and the Frisbee sank into them. It was the perfect catch. I wasn't the only one who thought so. People stopped and stared. A few even cheered. Anyone might have been proud of that catch, but for a clumsy geek girl, it was an unprecedented feat.
  6. Eat a plateful of my grandmother's waffles. She made them from scratch and unlike mine, they never ended up stuck on the waffle iron. These crisp, airy delights were topped with hand-churned butter and hot maple syrup. No, not the imitation stuff, the genuine article from my grandparents own maple trees.
  7. Feel music flowing through my fingers. I was a skilled piano player in my youth. I still remember the moments when I stopped consciously reading the notes or placing my fingers upon the keyboard. The music would just flow through me. I can still read some music and pick out a tune, but it's been a long time since I've experienced that grace
  8. Go berry picking. Not cultivated berries, but the ones that grow wild. My childhood home in New Hampshire was surrounded by blueberry and blackberry patches. The warmth of the sun and the heady scent of the berries mixed with the fragrance of the wildflowers that surrounded the patches. I could stand forever filling a bucket with them. Not to mention filling my mouth.
  9. Vacation at Hampton Beach. When Calico was a teenager, we spent a few days vacationing there. It was an impromptu vacation without a large budget. But the sun, the ocean and the sand were all that was needed. It was a magical time that we both remember fondly. We also remember taking an afternoon away from the beach to find a movie theater and watch ET. We sobbed until we were drowning, then laughed ourselves to tears because we had no tissues.
  10. Eat a white turtle ice cream cone. Once each summer, I treat myself to this decadent concoction of white chocolate ice cream, caramel and pecans that's made at Bruester's Ice Cream parlors. Since moving to Memphis, we haven't seen a Bruester's. This post prompted me to do a little research and I've found one that is only 12 miles away. Now I have another reason to be longing for warm weather.
  11. Watch American Idol. May their seasons never end!
  12. Sit on a park bench and contemplate rhododendrons in bloom. They are so beautifully fragile and the blossom is so fleeting. Surely we should declare a holiday for the short time that they are with us.
  13. Write another Thursday Thirteen. I love the memories that they evoke.

Grandma


Grandma is delighted to be a participant in the Thursday Thirteen meme. You should check it out.

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Comments

  1. Hah! What a delightful list. I love the way you write. It is most evocative.

    I love the frisbee story. I can understand that sort of illicit pleasure, out of the firmament pleasure.

    Thank you kindly for your visit.

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  2. I could go for one of those turtle ice cream treats myself...mine tho is vanilla ice cream with hot fudge, caramel sauce and pecans!!!

    And the piano...my favorite piece I played long ago was Chariots of Fire!! I loved playing that one for some reason..

    My Thursday 13 is posted: HERE [scroll below my Thursday Thunks to view if you decide to pay me a visit! I'd love your company!!]

    Have a great day!!

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  3. I'm not sure if I had heard of a 'strong and melodic' laugh for real. It must have been a pleasure hearing that from your father. And oh waffles. They just seem to taste better when grandma's make them, don't they? Now.. now.. I haven't played the piano since my divorce. I'd love to play again hopefully soon.

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  4. Great list! I hope you get to do all these things again. Happy TT!

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  5. I think most of the things you can still do today. Of course some belong to the past, as we are getting (a little) older, lol !

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  6. I used to have a recycling bumper sticker that said "Once is not enough" and I put it on my car twice!

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  7. I can't remember the last time I played with a Frisbee.

    Have a great Thursday!
    http://iamharriet.blogspot.com/2010/01/is-there-anything-growing-in-your.html

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  8. It is pretty one nice list...Happy TT! Mine is up.

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  9. I love sunsets. And while the maple syrup we get isn't from our own trees, it's the real stuff. I understand completely what you mean.

    Have a great T13!

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  10. You managed to evoke some wonderful memories for me, too. For instance, you remind my of my grandfather, the story teller who kept everyone in stitches, and made me think of my daughter who brings me so much joy.

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  11. My mother loves berry picking. I don't.

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  12. I loved your frisbee story. I'm infamous fro my skill in blocking (not catching) things flying my way...except this one time when someone threw me a roll of tape and I managed to catch it so it slid down my arm like a clunky bangle bracelet.

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  13. When the weather is more consistent I'll take you to the Mississippi for sunset, not quite the lake but beautiful in it's own right. I can't believe with all the driving Muffin and I have done we never saw the Bruster's can't wait to go. Tha was a great vacation wasn't it, one of those things you remember for a lifetime. ~ Calico Contemplations

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  14. Your memories are so wonderful and I really enjoyed thinking about all of these. I wish I had stuck with the piano over the years. I'm afraid I've nearly forgotten how to play again.

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  15. Your writing is so amazing! I love the Turtle Ice Cream...felt like I was eating it while reading! ANd awesome frisbee catch!!! Sounds like you too have alot of wonderful things going!!!

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  16. I love the way you write. You should do it professionally. Have you? I especially loved your description of the Ontario sunset.

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  17. Hi Forgetfulone,

    That's certainly high praise and I thank you.

    The only thing I've ever written professionally is computer code! But I think that this might be my next retirement hobby.

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  18. I really liked your list. My grandmother is still living, she is almost 90, but you talking about your grandparents waffles made me thinks about grandma's friend apple pies, made the old fashioned way with dehydrated apples. A few years ago I made the point to get that recipe, so that it would always be in the family. She had gotten that recipe from her mother.

    She uses black iron to cook everything, she has pots and pans and etc. Some of it has been in the family for several generations. She likes to make home made french fries for my daughter. I tried to make some in my fancy stainless steel, and my daughter informed me that they were not as good as great-grandma's

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  19. Wow, that's pretty awesome. I should do this sometime. I thought there was only wordless wednesday and I keep forgetting to do that! I can't remember the last time I did it.

    One other thing I wanted to comment on, I read what you published of your Novel, I want to know more! But for some reason, I don't think she escaped out of prison. :o/

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