Category Archive:Moose Nuggets

Compulsion of Tea

February 17th, 2014 / Categories: Moose Nuggets / 3 Comments »

One look into our cupboards will give you a peek into my husband’s compulsion to buy tea. Every time he goes to the store (for milk. for bread. for whatever.) he comes home with a new tea. Never mind that there are at least 23 different boxes of 23 different flavors currently residing in said cupboards. When I ask him why he is buying more when it is apparent we have plenty, he shrugs and tells me “it sounded good.” It’s a compulsion to try new. If that is the worst thing he does I think I am pretty lucky.

ben matthews ::: / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

the 100 word challenge this week is TEA. As you can see, it is timely in our house.

I still love you

February 13th, 2014 / Categories: Moose Nuggets / 4 Comments »

Marissa’s nose turned up at the single red rose. She threw it into the trash with gusto and wiped one hand against the other.

“That’s it! I am done with him. One rose? One single rose? I thought he loved me. I thought he cared. Well! I am done with Richard!”

Jenna rescued the rose and placed it with care on her desk. She shook her head at the silliness of Marissa’s outrage and mourned the loss of her one true love.

“I miss you, Henry. Thank you for loving me all those years.”

One single rose: I still love you.
——————————————
This is for Velvet Verbosity’s 100 Word Challenge: rose.


Awww – hearts from a special friend and her children.

And Don’t Forget Winona

February 1st, 2014 / Categories: Moose Nuggets / Comments Closed

DaddyJim loaded up the Chivvy. Mama fried up the chicken and grits. The sun was barely peepin’ over the trees in yonder field when we set out, Buddy’s and my chubby hands claspin’ hot biscuits drippin’ with butter.

‘Long about noon we stopped at the fillin’ station.

“Git on now, ‘Nona. Take Buddy and git warshed up afore lunch.”

We et, then took a rest. When I woke up, I saw the Chivvy pullin’ out without me.

Tears rolled in dirty canals down my cheeks, but then, DaddyJim was there. “Chile, you rest easy. We would never forget our Winona.”


photo of the Soulsby Station of Route 66.

This is my entry for Lance’s 100 Word Song based on Route 66 by Depeche Mode (and others, of course). I especially love the line And don’t forget Winona as that was my mother’s name.

I remember

February 1st, 2014 / Categories: Moose Nuggets, words / Comments Closed

Back before the days of wasted hours (sigh) spent on the book of face (tip of hat to Lance), I used to blog regularly. The blog itself has undergone a couple of name changes and home changes, but I have been settled in as the PurpleMoose Gazette for several (hundred or so) years now.

I used to be here and about (reading other blogs) on a daily basis. I wrote and wrote and wrote some more – about the whole fam-damily – about ‘laska – about the world as I see it.

That was before I took a job that required so much brain and heart time that I could not – would not – dared not – write about the world I lived in any longer. I have boundaries that are work imposed and self imposed and confidentiality requirements that keep me pretty closed mouth – most of the time.

I miss the days of coming here and spouting about the latest injustices I saw in the community that I call home and the greater world at large. But, that can come across as so petty and narcissistic and self-serving and ego-centric, don’t you think? After all, I am but one in a greater number of fellow humans. I have made my peace with what I can and cannot change and the people I can and cannot influence.

These days my writing is limited to 100 word and 33-333 word snippets Some days that is all that I can manage to get down on paper/screen. What comes out is at times painful and revealing, but often it reflects the latest book I am reading or have just completed. Who knows what the catalyst might be for the words we choose to share?

Thursday night – simply because I had taken the week off work – I was privileged to attend a local writers poetry reading. I was invited to share poetry I had written – or could bring a favorite author’s poetry to read. So much good writing was heard that night and I left wondering why my poetry has dried up a bit. (thus the above soul-searching) The conclusion I have come to is that I simply do not allow myself the TIME to sit and write and to write and to write some more. I waste those precious minutes away playing silly games on fb.

Perhaps it is time to step away from that – to understand that, in the greater scheme of things, I will not be missing out on much. Gone are the days of the blog hopping and getting mired in the battles of fellow bloggers. Blog-dom has changed – a lot – over the years. My “older” friends will know of what I speak. It is quicker and far easier to get embroiled in battles on fb. Instant gratification – instant justification. I miss the days when you had to THINK about what you posted before you posted.

RESOLVED: spend more time away from fb and here – or in my (paper) journal – reflecting, writing, WRITING, and WRITING. It is time.

Birthdays

January 31st, 2014 / Categories: Moose Nuggets / 2 Comments »

Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I’m sixty-four?

from the Beatles, of course. Oh, how we used to laugh to think way back then of ANY of us living to such an O.L.D. age as 64. And, yet it has happened. Just this week – Monday, in fact.

Back in the days of my yearning for the love of just one look from my fave Beatle (Paul, of course) there was no way I could think of being this ancient age. I would sooner be 6 feet under or tossed on the wind as to think of sags and bags and jiggly wags upon my fine young body.

Then with each year a new joy: wedding, births of babes, move thousands of miles from “home” to HOME in Alaska, grandbabies, anniversaries, joys, sorrows followed by more joys, L.I.F.E.

Ups and Downs and pounds and pounds – also up and down. This is a pic of me (the one that got me to the gym that very first time in 2012) at close to my heaviest weight:

I’m at the finish line of a race put on by my agency every year – I don’t run it – I work it. This pic was on the FRONT page of the local paper. I couldn’t cut it out fast enough. Sigh.

And, here we are this fine wintry morning – being lazy on this Friday of my birthday week. Yes, I took a WEEK off work to celebrate/vegetate/cogitate upon beginning my 65th year upon God’s green earth.

Just how does one celebrate such a milestone (other than the week off)? Monday started out with a visit to my internist for med-check and general howdy-do. Doc is well pleased with my life-style changes and commiserated with me on my slight indiscretions over the holidays. She ordered bloodwork to check my A1C (blood glucose) levels and sent me on my way with a “we’ll see you again in 6 months.” She called me (!!! yes, called me !!!) Wednesday with the news that I should continue with my lifestyle changes as they are working – my A1C was down by .2.

Hubbymoose and I left her office and went to a diner for breakfast, chatting with the waitress and enjoying some time together. We don’t get much of that these days as he works nights and I work days. We see each other generally at breakfast and dinner each day. But, he has Mondays off so we took fair advantage.

Then, a trip to the DMV to get our licenses renewed. He has HIS 64th birthday next week and is due – mine is not due until 2015, but there were reasons I wanted to renew mine now. (more following)

Back home to rest from our excursion. (ha) Then off back to Soldotna for meds and lunch – because they go together so well. We ran into people we know and had a great time of it.

Then, at 5 (after a “quick” run to drop off one of the rigs to a shop I headed out to the gym for my birthday workout – fondly termed by me as Barbara’s Birthday Blaster. I’ve been doing a crossfit style workout at the gym since October and I had asked Coach Nikki to design a workout just for me (and all my friends who usually work out with me – and any I could convince to come and play for the night,)

She did it in aces – and along with the regular crew of Tina, Kelly, and Morgan, both daughters came (with two granddaughters to take pictures) and a coworker came. Youngest daughter could not “play” with us as she had fallen earlier in the day and injured her ankle, but she wanted to be there for Mom’s birthday. The computer sang to me when I ran my key fob under the scanner. (made me smile – “They say it’s your birthday!”)

No holds barred in the workout – we worked hard. TWO WODs (Workouts of the Day) – a 6 minute AMRAP (As many reps as possible) and a 4 minute AMRAP – yes, you can see what she did there. The 6 minute was comprised of 10 burpees and a 50 yard farmer carry – I completed 4 rounds plus 3 burpees. The 4 minute was 12 Kettlebell swings and 10 lunges – I completed 4 sets of the kb swings and was 8 lunges into the last set of 10 lunges at time. Not bad for an old gal, right?

We, of course, posed for pictures:

Back to the DMV story – I do some traveling for work and that requires TSA screenings. My last trip in December had every TSA officer and airlines rep doing double takes when seeing my driver’s license. Can’t tell you how many times I was asked for my date of birth. I did a double take of my own when re-checking my DL picture . . . I wasn’t due for renewal until my birthday in 2015, but let’s see if they will renew. If nothing else maybe I could get a state photo ID to carry me over. Want to see why?

old license pic on the left – new on the right. A bit of a change, right?

My journey is not over. I’ve been at it for 18 months now – I am 65 pounds lighter – 13 plus inches smaller – down several pant sizes – but still have a way to go. I am thankful that 64 is not the end of me. I have grandbabies to see grow up. And workouts to do. Come play with me.

Will you still need me, will you still feed me
When I’m sixty-four?

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