general - Arlene Bice

Christmas season, general, opinion, reflection

What Is It About The Day Before….

December 31, 2012 Arlene

Today is New Year’s Eve, at least it will be when night falls over us. So it is a big deal turning the calendar to 2013… WOW! 2013! But it is only one day later than the 2012 that we are washing away with a reflection then just letting it go.

Really, the day before I turned 60, I was 59, of course. Now the fifties are great but facing 60…WOW! That was a big step. People look at you and listen to you differently when you say you are 60. It is like they put you into a serious age category so they can listen to you without taking what you have to say seriously. But I was only one day older than yesterday. What’s up with that?

Christmas Eve was very different when I was a child. It was something anticipated, creating more anticipation for Christmas Day. It was an evening of singing Christmas Carols in the neighborhood or to whoever would consent to listen. That wasn’t always an easy thing to do with a bunch of kids without the choral guidance of someone who knew about real music. But today it is about opening your gifts so you can spend Christmas Day opening gifts with the absent parent & the new family that you had no part in seeing it blossom. It is a day extended but so different from the day before.

Happy New Year……Remember yesterday……Enjoy today……Treasure tomorrow.

general, women

Surreal or Preview?

December 30, 2012 Arlene

Friday, 28 December dawned like this. It was the day of the most amazing experience. I visited Ed McKay’s Used Book store to exchange some books for a few CDs and DVDs in Raleigh. Mostly the trip was for just getting away from the computer for a day. And what better way to relax than being surrounded by books & such. Content with my exchange, I was driving home to Macon heading north on Hwy 401 in Wake County, NC.

Cruising along listening to an audio book, not a day to be in a hurry, when I heard a ‘pop’ and wondered if a stone had flipped up from the road to hit the car. I thought no more of it until I heard a soft thump, thump, thump. “Oh, no,” I thought. Here I am out in a rural area, knowing I had just blown a tire. Darn. At least I wasn’t flying down the road speeding.
I started to coast toward the side after clicking on the hazard lights. But the shoulder looked like it may be soft. Knowing I had most likely ruined the tire anyway, I crept up to a driveway where I could at least pull out of traffic.

Yup. It was a blowout. The tire looked mighty sad. ‘Darn,’ I thought again. I called Triple AAA on my cell phone, got the message asking for my ID number, hung up because I’d have to look for the card, yadda, yadda, yadda. I got out again noting the mail box number so I could also give them some kind of location. That’s when the mini-miracle began to happen.
Two young men came walking down the driveway with a weed trimmer in hand. Guess they were going to trim around the entrance to their property. Smiling, one fellow came over to check things out, sweet as could be. They invited me to pull up the driveway to their garage about 100 foot away.

Within minutes they had the tire off the rim and my spare off the back of my tracker, zip, zip went the power drill, bolts off, deed done, new tire on and old tire in the back of the car. It was surreal. I barely had time to pet the dog! It only took a few minutes! They wouldn’t accept any money but they each got a very hearty hug from me and they sure have my gratitude.
Those two darling men turned my day from becoming an awful one to a wonderful one. I would not have been shocked if I saw halos floating over their heads, but I did not. I did see two gentlemen in jeans that will be in my thankful prayers of gratitude tonight and many nights more.

I didn’t even get their names!

But I’ve had strange experiences like this before and I would not be surprised if we meet again in the future, that this was a mini introduction to something bigger. We’ll see.

general, opinion, reflection

Remembering the Odd Ones…..

December 30, 2012 Arlene

At the end of December the media often reflects back and notes the public figures that have passed away over the last year. Fortunately our favorite actors can still be seen on DVDs so after a few years we’ll not remember if or when they left us. We still have the pleasure of their company.

Naturally loved ones always leave a hole in us that cannot be filled by anyone else. But also there are the teachers, casual friends and folks who have impacted our lives giving us direction and the wealth of their experience to help us down that road. Sometimes it is a person we have met only briefly who made a comment that tweaked its way into the back of our mind and stuck there.

Whenever I ask a group of writers to make a list of those who have given them sage words; mother, father, grandparents, aunts, and uncles are often the only ones mentioned on that list. But I know if given a bit of time and lots of thought digging into memory, teachers, the lady at the corner store, a clerk, an auto mechanic, even someone met at a party, i.e. the odd ones as opposed to the usual list, will pop up.

There is a long list in my pocket of people who come to mind at the oddest times and from places I thought I had long ago forgotten.

general, Poetry

words, words, words (after thoughts of my 2006 blog posting)

December 10, 2012 Arlene

I find myself calling on a word

that I love to say as it rolls around my tongue,

tingles in my ear and bursts out into the universe

on paper it turns the page into a bit of happiness

that I share with others that they may enjoy it, too

but I wonder

do other ears tire of hearing

the same old, same old words expected from me

when I open my mouth to speak, to astonish another

with a new idea but using the same old, same old words

as excited as I am that I cannot call upon a word unused

often by me

so many words that I love to say;

delighted, sensuous, passionate, positive, synchronicity,

words of a musical bent that sing in my head in the kitchen,

fettucine, proscuitto, zuppa inglese, freschi, funghi, castagne,

words that sound more promising on the Italian menu than

at the diner

foreign words slipped into our language

may need practice but once you learn them, say them often

and they become fun to form in your mouth even for one

who prefers to write than to talk, to listen to the rhythm

in the voice of someone else, to hear if they are using their

same old, same old words

general, Poetry

my world from a bit of frost

November 30, 2012 Arlene

Snowfall of 2011-my treeline... — after frost come the snow falls (2011-my treeline)

lots of frost lined my morning window

as the sun touched it, a dewdrop formed

reflecting from the crystal hanging inside

the frost that turned into a dewdrop

is now sparkling with colors of the rainbow

this opened me, placing thoughts of my life

how certain people have touched me

turning me into a rainbow of compassion,

understanding, love, and welcome

to others of different heritage, color and language

it begins with respect and grows from there

into compassion for the struggle of another,

understanding their battle from my own wars,

loving them for meeting the challenge

as I welcome them into my world as compatriots

from that point on, bonds of friendship are formed

as I learn more of a world unknown to me

impossible for me to imagine without the history

to feel as any other, to sense what they know naturally

general, women

Christmas & Holiday Recipes & Remembrances

November 29, 2012 Arlene

“CHRISTMAS TASTE ‘N TELL”

Community Room at

Warren County Memorial Library

119 So. Front Street

Warrenton NC

Tues.4 Dec. 2012

12:00 to 1:00 pm

Come tell your tales & taste our foods made for you by the women who contributed to the

Warrenton Woman’s Club Cookbook the “Recipes & Remembrances” Cookbook

will be available for purchase at $15.00

This was a fun event when we introduced it in the spring. The planned program took on a life of its own. So this time we are going to just run with it, let ya’ll tell your Christmas or your Holiday stories that have food memories in them.

Please, come out and taste the wonderful array of recipes made with Christmas in mind by those who submitted to our Warrenton Women’s Club cookbook, Recipes & Remembrances. Enjoy!

general

New Location at Riverside Mill in Weldon, NC

November 20, 2012 Arlene

Life just gets better and better. Thanks to an introduction by Jeanne Watson, I’ve been invited to place three of my books, Ghostly Spirits of Warren County, NC & Beyond, Life & Labyrinth and Major Fraser’s in the Riverside Mill in Weldon, North Carolina. Delighted! It has been nearly a year, maybe a bit more than that since I’ve been there. Mainly because I’m not a shopper and my need to buy gifts has faded away.

I do like to buy North Carolina items as gifts when I return to New Jersey, to show that American skill and talent are still alive and doing well here. Riverside Mill is a great showcase for that. I bought a few pottery pieces, salsas, jams, chocolate-covered peanuts, and more……all North Carolina treasures that I will proudly give as exchange and hostess gifts this holiday season. Many people over – fifty don’t want another knick-knack but love to receive quality and delicious food gifts.

There is so much more to the Mill including sculptures, clothing, linen, and shoe outlets. And lots of quality antiques to browse or buy all in a well-ordered, friendly and charming atmosphere.

When you visit please take a few minutes to browse through my books. They, too, make nice Christmas or Holiday gifts.