Life is filled with paradoxes, the biggest one being that life itself is a paradox. Have you ever seen how much you can do in one single minute? I've had dreams that lasted mere seconds yet seemed like lifetimes...
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| Arlee Bird with youngest daughter Angelina in March of 2006 |
I'll eventually figure out the solution with which I feel most comfortable or have to accept. Until then, here is the main point of this current post...
Battle of the Bands Results
My most recent Battle was between two versions of the old standard "If I Didn't Care" as performed by the Ink Spots and David Cassidy. I was hesitant with this pairing as I thought the original Ink Spots version might clean Cassidy's clock. But apparently my better judgment worked once again to present a good race.
Cassidy does a very credible job with his version and he still has fans as shown by his good showing out of the starting gate. Then the Ink Spots took a strong lead and my vote goes to make that a one vote bigger lead giving them the win. Still it was a nice showing for the late teen idol.
Final Vote Tally
Ink Spots 16
David Cassidy 11
Next Battle on Monday October 15th
Maybe I'll tie into Halloween or something seasonal for this next one. Whatever it is I hope to make it a good one.
Have you ever woken from a sleep that seemed to have lasted for hours and then realize you were only asleep for a few minutes? Is your family geographically scattered? Are they scattered in any other ways?
You're so right Lee about how we care for other people in our lives, we all experience problems from time to time but family is important as I have found out to my cost. Sorry I missed BOTB but I had no internet for a while. Look forward to the next one.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
Yvonne, thank goodness for the telephone and internet which allow me to stay in contact with those who I see only one or two times per year if that much.
DeleteLee
We're a bit scattered but close enough to reach each other in a day if need be.
ReplyDeleteAlex, a day is better than my 3 days to get to see most of my family.
DeleteLee
Don't think me a pervert, but your youngest is very pretty...
ReplyDeleteCW, all of my daughters are very pretty. Angelina who is pictured is now 29 and has two children and she still looks like a teenager.
DeleteLee
Your daughter is beautiful, Lee! After practically a lifetime apart, I'm so blessed to be living only 45 minutes from my son and family. Aside from a random cousin or two, he's all I've left.
ReplyDeleteMyra, 45 minutes is pretty good. I don't need to be right next door to any of them, but a short drive away is good. I rarely speak with any of my cousins let alone actually spend time with them in person. Facebook is my primary contact with most of my relatives and in reality I barely know any of them.
DeleteLee
My family is only down to cousins now and they are pretty scattered but mostly on the east coast. I don't see my bio family much at all. My stepson's in OH and we miss them so much.
ReplyDeleteJoJo, I'd say I have quite a few cousins, but I don't even know where most of them are and don't even know them for that matter.
DeleteLee
You're kicking off with some heavy stuff here Lee. Sounds like some good introspection.
ReplyDeletere: waking after a short time that felt like forever: I'm always amazed at how quickly the brain can muster a dream. I can fall asleep for just a few minutes and in that time have a dream. That has always blown me away.
As for family scattered: I've spent my adult life with my family scattered all over the country. But now my Mom is with me; she decided to move here after my Dad passed. She's still holding on to that bit of independence but she spends most of her time here with me at my house. Although she's been at her apartment for the last week. I worry about her because she has so many health issues and has a hard time getting around, doesn't have good balance so she's a fall risk, which terrifies me. I have a friend who's father-in-law just died from a fall: he was tinkering around on the patio and fell backward, hit his head on some bricks and seemed to be okay. But later in the day he developed a really bad headache, so bad that they took him to the hospital. He fell into a coma and passed a few days later. From the fall. It scares the crap out of me when my Mom is alone. When she announced last week that she was going to go to her place for a while, I asked her why she wanted to go. Her response: "Because I want to prove to myself that I can live on my own."
That just seems to be so important to her, that independence. It kills her to have to be dependent on someone. But I'm going to pick her up on Thursday and bring her back here. I think she's trying to decide on whether to keep her apartment or move in with me. I think she's crazy throwing all that money away on rent when she's at her place less than a week each month, sometimes she's only at her place for 3 days a month. It's crazy to toss all that money away. I keep telling her "that's a very expensive storage unit!" But, like I said, it's important to her peace of mind to be able to do life on her own. And I'm not pushing her. It has to be her decision...just like moving down here was.
I did tell her a few weeks ago how sad it is that she chickened out on moving here to Austin about 15+ years ago when she and my Dad were out with a real estate agent looking at homes here. They fell in love with one house and were soooo close to doing it but at the last minute she chickened out ("The taxes in Texas are too high" was her reasoning). Years after that, they both regretted not making the move, especially my Dad. I told her the other day how it just kills me how much quality time we lost by them not moving here back then. Back when both of them were healthy.
There were so many things that we missed out on, events and just all kinds of things that while I was doing them, I had so many times thought "Oh i wish Mom and Dad were here. They'd really enjoy this..." You know what I mean, I think.
Now her health is at the point where going out and doing things just isn't what it used to be. It's hard for her to get around, she has several health conditions that keep her pretty much home-bound. All that time and all those experiences and good times we missed. It's all very disheartening.
But, it is what it is. Right? Can't turn back the clock, no matter how hard I wish it.
Anyway, enough of that.
Have a great week Lee.
And I'm glad that David Cassidy had such a good showing in your battle...
Michele at Angels Bark
Michele, it's weird how quickly and strangely we can leave this world. I think about it more and more as I grow older. I want the best quality of life that I can have in my final days and hopefully I won't be seeing those for at least a few decades.
DeleteLee
Happens every night: I fall asleep and wake up thinking I've been out for hours, then I check the time and it's less than an hour. Goes on all night...
ReplyDeleteJohn, I'm the same way. On Friday nights if I remember I take sleeping pills to allow me to sleep sounder and longer. I wake up at about 7 AM which is better than my usual 5 AM.
DeleteLee
Lee,
ReplyDeleteI went with The Ink Spots, so yay for me! The battle between the cover artists didn't have a huge spread which is good. It made for an interesting showdown. :)
Now for your questions...
Have you ever woken from a sleep that seemed to have lasted for hours and then realize you were only asleep for a few minutes? Absolutely have and it drives me bonkers because then I can't go back to sleep usually.
Is your family geographically scattered? Are they scattered in any other ways? We have one daughter in Maine and the other two are in town but our son wants to move to Maine before the year ends if all goes well. The oldest daughter speaks of moving away someday, but where I don't know. I sorta think she won't go far for a number of reasons mainly lack of finances. At times I feel they are emotionally scattered making it just as difficult to communicate or visit with them if they lived on the other side of the world. *sigh* Oh well...that's just the way it goes sometimes. Catch ya later!
Cathy, if I wake up from a dream then I might go quickly back to sleep in order to continue the dream. I don't think it works that way most of the time, but sometimes it does.
DeleteGenerational differences seem more vast and complex in our age. I think our society has gone off in such weird tangents that it can be difficult to relate to those who have gone to extremes of the other side of where we are.
Lee
Most of my extended family is still in Southwestern Pennsylvania. My favorite aunt, my maternal grandma (my only surviving grandparent), and her younger sister are in Sarasota, Florida, while my surviving uncle is in Denver. My uncle's due to come for a visit today, one of the rare times I've seen him since he's moved so far away. My little brother is back home in Upstate NY with his pretended "family" (his girlfriend, her creepy husband, and her daughter from a previous marriage). Even when I was still in NY, he was too involved with his new "family" to have much of a real relationship with me.
ReplyDeleteCarrie-Anne, the idea of traditional families is being forsaken for the ideal of individualism which sometimes is not good when support from family is needed but not easily available.
DeleteLee
I'm a terrible daughter, even though I live in the same state as my parents. I really should call more. Most of my family is here in Idaho, but a good portion live on the other side of the state, putting 4 hours between us. Admittedly, I don't put much effort into meeting up with them. But at least with social media, I can still see pictures. :)
ReplyDeleteLoni, before cell phones I didn't call my parents much when I lived on the road--it was very expensive to call back then. Unlimited Long Distance calling on my house phone was great when that came around. For many years I would call my mother almost every day.
DeletePictures on FB is mostly what I have now along with the occasional phone call.
Lee
Lee-
ReplyDeleteI moved a few thousand miles away from my family in 1995, and while I love the southwest and my life here, there was a cost. I don't know my sibling's children very well, and have entirely lost touch with my extended family and old friends.
Now a lot of that is on me-I pretty much never pick up the phone and answer it even less frequently, but the distance definitely plays its part.
Funny-my dad warned me about it but I did not listen.
If I had it to do over again, I would certainly think more about the consequences.
But I've never been big on regret. I am here, it's been good and there's no going back.
And from the sounds of the comments, even people who live close by can lose touch (would my phone habits be different on the east coast?).
Larry
Larry, so good to hear from you again!
DeleteWhen I talk to folks back home it sounds like they talk to or see other friends about as much as I do. I guess after we get a certain age we're more prone to staying to ourselves and not wanting to bother others--at least that's the way I've become.
Lee
Oh yes, sleep. I love, usually, and I love when I have a dream so deep that it seems to last all night. My family is spread far and wide, overseas and here. I agree, that being a parent is a full time job, even when they're older, I never stop thinking of them...
ReplyDeleteLisa, I think of my kids often. I wonder if they they of me as often as I think about them?
DeleteLee