Bfth's Boring Blog

I was doing laundry this morning (a fairly common occurrence around here) and I realized that the once large collection of dish towels that I once had is dwindling.  They haven't disappeared, it's just that they've turned into rags or gotten so disgusting that they've gotten thrown out. As I was throwing the laundry (including two dish towels) into the dryer, I remembered a chain letter that was going around in the 1990s (it may have even been the late 1980s which is really dating myself).  For those of you too young to know (and oh how that depresses me), in the days BEFORE email and texting (and yes, there were such days), there were chain letters.  (Not unlike those chain emails that you get in your spam box).  I recall distinctly someone sending me a chain letter about dish towels.  The whole deal (for those of you still not familiar with the concept) was to rewrite the letter (or retype if your hand writing stunk) and put your name on the bottom of the list (usua

August 25, 2013.  This would have been my brother's 41st birthday.  But as my friends know, my brother died last June, never making it to his 40th. But rather than be maudlin, I'm going to share some of my memories (and try not to be too boring). My mother CLAIMS that I didn't even look up from Sesame Street when she went to the hospital.  Tells you how important I thought this event was going to be.  (Even though I was the older sister, I wasn't THAT much older.)  My mom was in the hospital for quite a while after he was born.  (Even back then he was causing disruptions in my life).  When he finally came home with my parents, I was more interesting in seeing the new Barbie doll that I had been promised than seeing (or holding) him.  I was a girl with priorities! He cried alot.  That I remember well during the first few weeks and months of his life.  My mom had to go back to the hospital shortly after he was born, so it was a rocky start for him (and me).  Plus my f

It's obvious that the days are getting shorter and autumn is on the way.  The summer has cooled considerably and it feels more like fall already (I'm ready for my spiced pumpkin coffee).  It's even more obvious that they days are getting shorter as I go for my morning walks. I go out at approximately the same time every morning (and it is early) and make up a route.  (I try to vary things so that they don't get too boring.  I see different places in my and the surrounding towns and I try not to walk the same route more than twice in a week). Although I've been walking a while (and when the cold weather comes I'll go back to my DVDs and put off the outside walking until warmer weather), I still manage to find new places to go. This morning it was pretty dark when I went out.  I found the usual bunnies and deer around as I walked around town.  I was about halfway through and the sun was starting to come up in the east when I saw what I thought was a women brin

I wasn't planning on writing this morning, but then something happened that got me thinking (as it usually does) and I just had to jot down a few words... My husband (sorry to drag you into this honey) was trying to reconnect with an acquaintance today.  In doing so he reached out to some mutual friends.  One of them got back to him and let him know that this acquaintance was mad at him for something he did.  Only the thing is, what this person was angry about happened much earlier in the year AND my husband didn't do it. But the point is not whether he did or did not do something.  The point is if somebody makes you mad or does something you don't like...tell them!  Email, call or maybe even do a face to face.  (Shocking thought I know!).  Assumption making and cryptic social media posts aren't going to make things better.  But going to the source of the problem just might.  On the other hand, it might not, but it's better than playing the old school game of te

I spent some more time at the Jersey Shore.  I was on the Barrier Island (funny, I never called it that in all the years that I've been going to shore and staying in the same little town) Sunday and Monday. Sunday night, unable to sleep, I sat up and watched the lightening flash across the bay.  The sky would light up and in the distance I could hear the booming.  And not much else.  There was the occasional sound of a car or two on Highway 35 (don't know if it was North or South).  But it was not frequent and it made me wonder what it must have been like back when residents were allowed to stay.  Calm and yet eerie all at the same time.  Even with the flashing of lightening, the evening was suitably dark.  It may be summer, but there fewer residents than any summer I have ever seen.  (And as much as I hate to admit it, I've been spending time in the small community of Normandy Beach for approximately 40 years.  Most of those years on the Brick Township side...as strange

This week has been a disappointing one.  I had yet another rejection (although it was the nicest one I'd ever had) and while last week was busy with interviews, this week my phone has been deathly silent.  I realize that August is the month for vacations (and I wish I could be on one) so hence the interviewing and hiring process will be slow. But as the bills come in and the money doesn't it gets discouraging. In addition, both yesterday and today were overcast, muggy and very gray.  The perfect match for my mood. I went out rather reluctantly for my morning walk.  I was tired and my eyes were puffy and red from a good night's melt down.  (Not proud to admit it, but I've been having more than my share of melt downs this week.  I know I have written about Faith over Fear, but it's getting difficult!). I try to mix up my walking paths and to try and take in new things, but lately I've noticed that I'm not taking the kind of joy that I once used to.  I'm

While celebrating Jimmy/James' (we've been calling him Jimmy forever, but now he kind of wants to be called James which is what MY mother calls him...is this a sign of growing up?) birthday, I dug around and found (thanks to Steve) a notebook that I kept for the first 6 or so months of his life.  I can now report all the times and dates of all his formula feedings and diaper changes.  (I have his first "stool'' on record at 9:20 AM...although the nurse recorded that and not I.)  I can also tell you exactly how much it cost us to stay at the Holiday Inn and other not so interesting tidbits. But I thought it might be fun (for me, if not for you) to share a few things that I wrote way back then... 8/5 8:50 AM  Our son is being circumcised right now...we were here (the hospital) by 7.  James was already up and in one of the nurses arms so we came back to the day room and held him. 8/6  8:18 PM:  Today was really a rough one.  James cried pretty much all day.  And

I'm sure most people feel the same way about their child's birth date.  But this day many years in the making.  Full of hope, despair, waiting and lots of forms and red tape. After years of ups and downs, we'd finally been matched with a birth mother who was so in sync with us it wasn't funny.  We had share so much of the same likes and ideals.  And once matched it was a waiting game. The game came to an end on August 4th...or actually late on the 3rd when she went into labor.  A labor we were assured that would take a long time.  And so after a peaceful night's rest (insert laughter here), Steve and I headed out on the road at 7 in the morning.  We didn't tell our respective families (who'd so graciously and wonderfully helped us to "finance" this endeavor) what was happening until we were on the road. I was prepared for a long 6+ hour drive to NY that morning.  I was not prepared for a phone call only an hour and a half into it.  Since thes

August 4th is a very important date for me.  It is the day my son was born.  It's a day I will cherish for ever. However, the details of August 4th are very blurry.  August 3rd, however is a completely different story.  I remember so many details of the day. The night before I had finally given up on my killer tooth ache.  I hadn't been to a dentist in way too long (because I had no dental insurance) and I could no longer take it.  I had called my husband's dentist after hours and left a message.  I needed to see somebody and SOON. So after heading off to work on the 3rd (like any other day...of we were waiting for the impending birth which we had thought would be August 2nd, but clearly that hadn't happened), I got a call from the dentist.  They could see me at around 3 PM, was that convenient?  Well it wasn't really, but I didn't have a choice.  I needed to have this taken care of. So after  half a day of work, I headed to the dentist.  I'd never m