Thursday, March 2, 2023

A demon rocking horse and other front-page stuff

 

Another birthday’s arrived. 
 


 
It’s difficult making this post interesting, so feel free to bail out at any time. 
 
There was a birthday party where my entire grade school class was invited, and no one showed up, not even the person no one seemed to like.  It was a birthday party without the party.  

There was a birthday with mom taking me to the local department store, to the children’s area, to a rack full of skirts, for my only present that had to be practical.  The skirt I adored was just above my ankles, but mom promised to take up the hem, so I chose it for my present.  It was like “when will she”, to “will she”, to "I'm 76 years old now and still waiting".
 


It's not all bad.  A choice of a giant stuffed teddy bear, or a painted rocking horse… how can it get any better than that?  Of course, this was the first birthday party of just me and my present.  The one before I began learning about disappointments.   The teddy bear was bigger than me, and would hog up my space, so I chose that white stallion to rockity rock off into the sunset.
 
I have no idea what time period this was… maybe before school days began.  Still an innocent, as they say, I was plagued with ideas of monsters lurking about in the dark… you know, normal.  A curtain doored closet, maybe four feet wide or maybe I’m being a bit too generous.  It was tiny and held a meager amount of clothing my sister and I wore.
 
The window by the closet looked out onto Mrs. Morris’s corner yard.  Mother didn't like her much.  Her son, Junior, was what the town folk called a juvenile delinquent.  Skip a year or two, and dad will build a six-foot tall wood fence to block out and pretend they no longer exist.
 
I remember little about my sister during this time frame, even though we shared the room.  She was four, maybe five years younger than me, just a baby.  She wasn’t in my world much.  The window looking out over the front yard and street, with the sheer curtains blowing in the breeze during the daytime, and a shade pulled down during bedtime was the window the devil owned.

On hot summer evenings, mom would open the lower half of the window with the shade only pulled down halfway, letting the moonlight fill the bedroom as it cycled through it phases.
 

It was full moon when my cherished rocking stallion gradually, as the night filled the room, became backlit with moonlight and changed into a demon hunched over on the floor watching me as I frightfully tried to sleep.
  That hoofed cherub on rockers was eventually banished to the corner, and my demon moved on over to next door.








Oh…
 
and yes…
 
little leprechauns hiding under beds, ready to grab ones legs if they dare to get out of bed for a potty break, do exist.  I only saw him once, but once was enough to plague me with the potty break blues until I mustered up the courage one dark night to take a second look and discover he had moved on to better pickings.

The third memory is fond, even when filled with demons from hell.  At least they dispersed into thin air when confronted.






It’s rainy and harsh, windy days now.  We've had a few days of temperatures in the 7o’s F, then plunging into the 40’s and 50’s, then back up into the 70’s, then now back to the 40’s and 50’s.  I’m getting a little dizzy.

Even with the bad weather, as a whole this winter seems too short.  One can feel it in the air that warmth is waiting in the shadows to spring forth.  We have begun a bit of spring cleanup… me supervising and my husband listening poorly.    

Dished out a chunk of money to have a landscaping company prune our overgrown Grey Owl Juniper before it staked a claim on our neighbor's yard.  That monster is over twelve feet wide and still growing.  I’ve been building up a bug hotel of sorts with the stray fallen branches and stiff thick dead flower stems we cut down.  It’s not as spiffy as the Gardener’s World ones, but I don’t think the bugs will complain.

An Eastern Kingbird graced my garden this past week.  I spotted it by chance, and had to do a bit of research to identify it, since I’m not really a bird watcher by trade.  The Grackles and Starlings are appearing, which is another sign that spring is near. 

Mourning Doves… well, I look out my window and what seems like a few dozen are milling around on the ground eating whatever is edible, while a few are up in the feeder duking it out with the grackles and starlings.   That lonely cooing filling the morning air brings back Twilight Zone memories of an old, deserted mansion in the deep south surrounded by trees dripping in Spanish moss.

A killer in the shadows with a long handled hatchet is thinning out any population unfortunate enough to have car trouble that conveniently happens in the vicinity of that mighty place of evil.  The night of carnage is filled with the cooing of mourning doves... the messengers of death in this particular episode.  Gave me the heebie-jeebies about dove cooing, that has been forever burnt into my brain.

I’m out of here.  Have a pleasant March.  I always do; just as though it were my very first breath of lovely air.






"Hope" Peperomia
Above is how it came from the store.
Below... well, it fell apart when I tried to put it into it's new pot.


"Lemon Lime" Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura)
I discovered humidity isn't a room; it's the whole house,
so if a plant isn't happy, then bye bye.


Grouping will make them happier,
and this one appears happy with its microscopic flowers. 
One bloom each day going down the stem, from top to bottom.
Each bloom opens for less than a day, then dries up and falls off. 


It's growing new leaves.





Wild Violets





Virginia Bluebell buds getting ready to ride their stem 
to greater heights and open up. 





High winds blew them sideways a bit.


Fothergilla flower of a dwarf type.
Always few flowers on few stems.  It's time to plant something else.


Small-flowered Buttercup, Ranunculus abortivus
Flower is about 1/4th inch wide


I wonder when lunch is?


Oh, this is sooooo boring.


Is that the mailtruck?  
Cute Miss Sofie Dog across the street? 
The schoolbus dropping off kids?  
Lady walking dog down the street.  
Man walking dog up the street?
Amazon delivery guy?
?
I bark at them all.
I'm a good doggie. 


Dustin and Austin



💖



This post is linked to:

25 comments:

  1. Hello,
    Happy Birthday to you! Love your cute furbabies! The wild violets are so pretty, I would like to have some in my garden. Take care, have a great day!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I enjoyed your childhood reminiscences. I hope this year's birthday was good, with no demons. I'm old enough to remember when bad boys were called "juvenile delinquents" too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. ...Happy Birthday, I'm three months older that you are. Enjoy all of the beauty that surrounds you.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I read every word of your blog. Happy Birthday to you. I think our childhoods were somewhat alike in some ways. I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week, Yvonne. xo Diana

    ReplyDelete
  5. Happy Birthday! 💐 I wish you peaceful days!
    *
    Dustin and Austin are so cute! 💕
    Austin was enjoying the moment; Dustin is bored, he wants action! 😊
    *
    "Lemon Lime" is a very interesting plant. I see the little flower as if it were a little-little white bat. 😊
    *
    I think we all fight demons. I dare to say that you managed to win this battle.
    I hug you dearly! ❤

    ReplyDelete
  6. Happy Birthday to you! It's always interesting to see all the beautiful flowers of your garden. The photo of the blooming Fothergilla is perfect, love it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Happy birthday. You certainly remember more details of your childhood than I do! I think that girls could be juvenile delinquents too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Happy Birthday. I enjoyed seeing your plants and flowers.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hello Yvonne,
    I always enjoy seeing your garden and flowers. Love your sweet Dustin and Kitty. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Happy March to you, Yvonne and happy birthday as well! These days I treasure every trip around the sun, far more than before. Sometimes the best present is just being alive and reasonably well enough to enjoy it now and then! One of our little guys turned six (as you know -- thanks for coming by!) and at his school, they have to invite the whole class to their birthday party. Twenty or so kids came -- it was at a bouncy house. In my day (a true sign of crossing the age barrier) birthday parties, if you had one, were in the back yard with six or seven of your friends and you played bingo. Until you were old enough to have a slumber party -- if your parents allowed. Times have changed.

    ReplyDelete
  11. A very good Saturday to you Yvonne. I love this post. 😊 Starting with your reflections on birthdays … we are so much on the same page. That was so hurtful … the party where no one showed up. Now in my mid-70s, I have decided that all this birthday celebration stuff just might be a flaw in our culture. It all begins with well meaning parents setting up parties for us and teaching us that we should celebrate getting older every year on that singular day. Ok, I get it … it’s so ingrained in us I better be careful calling it out. 😊 Honestly, if no one mentions anything about my next birthday I’ll be fine with that. (Despite all I’ve said so far, I sincerely wish you a Happy Birthday!) I enjoyed reading about the activities in your garden and seeing your photos. Replanting the Peperomia and having it fall apart would happen to me, for sure. The bloom on the Prayer plant is sweet. A word to other readers: Click on the images for the large view … The Wild Violets are beautiful! Of course, the pics of Lacy and Dustin are the perfect way to close the post. I admire your pets! 😊 Take care and be well. John

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh such a wonderful post!I love your plants!I wish I could do so but i have no green fingers..I have set up daffodils on the balcony though..Beautiful cats as well..Wish you moments of happy time and peace:)))

    ReplyDelete
  13. Happy birthday! I love the blooms.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hello Yvonne :=)
    I enjoyed reading about
    your childhood reminisces. Children can be so cruel. I'm sorry no one turned up to your birthday party, but have a good one this year and enjoy it to the full.I send you a hug and wishes for a very Happy Birthday this year.

    I also enjoyed seeing all your lovely garden flowers, and Dustin and Austin relaxing together, and smiled at their imagined conversation.
    Sending you a hug and my best wishes.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I enjoyed your post and I think we all have some kind of similar childhood memories. It is part of life to reminisce and reflect upon the past and it makes us who we are today. I enjoyed seeing your beautiful blooms and Dustin and Austin too! Here’s to another trip around the sun, filled with happy memories.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Happy March birthday to you and me too, hope the weather improves and the garden continues to bloom and the dogs don't drive you barking mad! That birthday party where no-one came was terrible! We;'ve all come to your blog party instead! Have a wonderful day Wren x

    ReplyDelete
  17. Happy Belated Birthday, Yvonne 🎂
    I enjoyed reading your childhood memories.
    Loving your stunning photos as always.

    Hugs and blessings.

    ReplyDelete
  18. It must be awful to plan a birthday party then wait all day for no one to turn up. It's never happened to me yet but I'm such a miserable sod that it may well and I probably wouldn't care. I do love your descriptive melancholic writing Yvonne and i can just imagine Dustin taking a cue from you and bouncing across to the window to have his say on the world. Please have a wordy weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Gorgeous photos and lovely critter photos ~ both so sweet ~

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Happy Belated Birthday, hope it was a great one.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Happy belated birthday, Yvonne. The cute plants and flowers cheer me up.

    ReplyDelete
  22. My dear Pisces friend Yvonne :-)
    it seems like wistful memories are what you mostly associate with your birthday. It's a good thing that nobody has to sew up your skirt anymore and no school class will disturb your celebration by turning it into a party. You can now spend your birthday however you like. For example with the cutest guests in the world - Dustin and Austin. But you can also invite rocking horses or wild demons and rock and swing with them to your favorite music. Because now you know that none of the demons can really harm you - they haven't harmed you through all these years. Only some people were problematic, but who cares. That's how they are.
    Incidentally, as a child I had crocodiles under the bed, the grain of the cupboards had demon faces, and my big brother had persuaded me that someone was hiding behind the curtain on the way to the toilet (where the vacuum cleaner and ironing board were kept) and that in the toilet a water man dwells, pulling small children down into the water pipes. So one day, while my mother was out shopping, I peed in the corner by the stove just to be safe. Luckily it wasn't me who got into trouble with my mother, it was my brother.
    From me you get loving, soft, warm virtual hugs (delayed but heratfelt) for your birthday! ❤️
    All the best, dear Yvonne -
    Traude
    https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2023/03/costa-rica-8-kapitel-nationalpark.html

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...