January, 2019

The start of a new year is like the start of school, spring cleaning or sprucing up the yard. January brings freshness and a chance to start over while focusing on those things that once were exciting and new.

Restart is a do-over. My husband and I started the Weight Watcher’s Diet program one year ago with determination to lose weight. A sense of pride tied our zeal to lose weight with our success. We both have lost weight this year and for that I am proud. Clothes at smaller sizes fit and feel better. However, with autumn through the end of 2018, came holidays filled with desserts, drinks and calories. It is time for a restart to the program. January will be the month of do-over and getting back on the program to lose the gained pounds.

Refresh is like breathing fresh air into our lungs. Sweeping leaves, deep cleaning the house and freshening up planters outdoors will be on my to-do list for January. Along with cleaning and freshening my physical surroundings, I hope to dedicate some time to refreshening my mind. I have books to complete as well as books to begin. My goal also is to stay aware of current events while not allowing it to consume my life and to be on the lookout for ways to help others in our community.

Refocus is to make clear what we are observing. Sometimes I come to realize that while looking through my tri-focal lenses my view has become blurred. All I need do is to push my glasses back up on my nose to clear my sights. This year I want to refocus on important matters that have blurred through the years and try to see them anew. This year I want to find the good in this world. So much of the news I read or watch on TV is sad, distressing and negative that I have to remind myself to refocus and look for the good. Another refocusing goal for 2019 will be to read the Bible and focus on scriptures that have become blurred to me.

“Restart, refresh, refocus”, will be my 2019 mantra.

Happy New Year for 2019!

ML

Maria VanTrapp may have had sounds of music in her hills, but here in my backyard, the trees are alive with the sound of the music of the birds.

Right now I see red birds perched in a tree void of its leaves after winter’s hibernation, creating an artistic picture. A flock of birds playing chase overhead from one tree to another sound like school children laughing while playing a game of “Chase”. Blue jays and doves are also among the mockingbirds flying in and out of the branches singing as they flitter about. Amid the cacophony of chainsaws, lawnmowers, garbage trucks and other neighborhood sounds, the birdies sing loud and joyful.

Yesterday, I removed a small bird feeder from a tall backyard tree to refill it with seeds. My husband hung it up last summer attaching it high onto the trunk as the tree had no sturdy branches from which to hang it. He had to wrap a chain around the trunk in order to hold an old camp lantern hanger we used to hang a large s-hook for the bird-feeder. That worked pretty well for the feeder to hang, but it presented an unforeseen problem. Since there were no long limbs out from the tree trunk, at a height we could reach, the placement proved to be an ideal spot for three hungry, greedy squirrels to fill up on birdseed. The birds were not wanting to share with the squirrels and stayed away. So, I watched those three rodents everyday for about 3 days, clean out the feeder and then lay belly-down on the ground too stuffed to move. They were funny to watch, but I knew if I refilled the bird-feeder they would again empty it leaving none for the birds. After all, I had put the bird-feeder up for the many birds we have in our trees. Until I could decide how to change the location, it remained empty for a season.

As I was not able to easily get the feeder down to refill it, I was determined to try. As I’ve already written, I am short, a bit chubby and even with a ladder, a bit doddery attempting to reach the hanger. With my husband at work, I was determined and managed to climb up just enough to reach the feeder and get it off the hanger. Next, since I barely got the feeder down off the hanger, I opted to hang the feeder from a lower limb. The fragile limb was just out of reach, I thought, for the squirrels. I moved back to the patio by the house and watched one tiny chickadee zip to the feeder like a drive-by pausing for a moment on the tray of seeds. Then, the squirrel noticed the feeder.

Before putting up the bird-feeder last summer I initially read a few online articles about bird-feeders and where best to place them. It also told how to attract the birds. One article said that if you sprinkle a little bird seed on the ground below the feeder, it would attract the birds. So, that is what I did yesterday when I hung the loaded feeder back onto the limb. Sure enough, it got attention, but not from the birds. Instead, a chubby squirrel had found the seed and was scavenging for his breakfast on the ground this morning. Then, the rascal noticed the feeder up above and proceeded to scamper up the trunk and out on the shaky branch where the feeder hung. As I sat quietly watching, I wondered if he would figure out how to get to his booty since the feeder hung away from the tree trunk.

First, you should know that the small feeder has a sort of roof that covers the container and seeds spill out to the tray below the container. The roof covers the seeds and in a small way, is supposed to deter squirrels. Although, that pesky squirrel would not be hampered by the likes of the contraption and continued to study the situation carefully. After much inspection of the hanger and the feeder down below it, he decided to descend the large s-hook from which the cord of the feeder hung. Mind you, the feeder itself was a long stretch from the trunk for a little squirrel to reach. He would not be able to stretch to the feeder while hanging onto the tree trunk. So, as he sat on the limb above the feeder looking down at the s-hook,what he decided to do next was as funny as any slapstick comedy on stage. That critter reached headfirst from the limb holding onto the S-hook while descending the cord to the feeder’s rooftop. Now, completely off the limb, sitting atop the feeder, he had to figure out how to get to the food.

My cat, Homer, and I sat quietly on the patio by the house watching this scene play out. The chubby squirrel, now swaying about on top of the feeder, is peering over the roof’s edge trying to decide how to get to the seed. What would he do? If he put his feet on the seed tray he will surely off-balance it and fall off. However, the squirrel was a determined little fellow for sure, and that was exactly what he did. Grabbing the cord of the feeder hanging from the s-hook, he descended the cord to the feeder’s rooftop. He toppled a bit and almost fell off, but he was able to pull himself back to the roof top avoiding a crash to the ground below. Then, it happened, once too many times of twisting around, peering off the edge and getting off balance, the cord hanging from the hook snapped! Both the feeder along with the squirrel went tumbling to the ground leaving the feeder upside down spilling birdseed on the ground. Fortunately for the squirrel, he was able to run back up the tree trunk to safety. Unfortunately, he was too shaken to get more of his breakfast and left the scene.

Next, I walked out to the tree to look at the condition of the feeder. I saw the squirrel watching me from a safe height in the tree. After picking the thing up, I noticed the cord was torn apart no doubt from the weight of the squirrel. Examining it closer I saw that the cord was attached to a toggle holding the lid on. A knot in the cord under the hole was not allowing the cord to move up or down and the torn end of the cord was too short to tie it to the other end. Try as I did, I could not get the knot up through the hole without cutting the cord. The toggle became useless at that point so I cut it off and threw it away. Eventually, I was able to place the lid back on the feeder and simple tie off the loose ends of the cord leaving a loop to rehang the feeder on the s-hook with the lid simply sitting atop the roof.

This time I relocated the feeder to a different tree away from our mischievous squirrel. That was when I noticed the birds began to sing as if sending messages to each other. I am sure they were saying things like, “Hey, there is food in this tree!” Or “How can we get that food, I want some!” Like I said earlier, I am short and also, a bit chubby with stiff knee joints. So, again, the feeder hangs on a frail limb out of Squirrel’s reach, but a bit too low for the birds to feel safe. While I see birds inspecting the feeder, they have not tried to get any food yet. Perhaps later I can fix that for them.

The upshot of this whole situation is I must get a more squirrel-proof bird-feeder off the ground and under trees if the birds are going to enjoy the food. I suppose that will be another backyard project for another day. I do enjoy the birds and after all, my trees are alive with the sounds of music. Birds’ music, that is.

As our busy summer vacation was winding down the drama began. Baseball season was an uproar of excitement as our Houston Astros, on a winning streak, were headed toward the World Series. August is my birthday month and on August 18th Kim took me to see two of my favorite singing groups, “Straight No Chaser” and “Post-Modern Junkbox” at the outdoor Cynthia Woods Pavilion in Houston. What a fun evening sitting in the 3rd row from the front for my early birthday present! My sweet honey is definitely the best! By the time my actual birthday on August 25th got here, the meteorologists on all the TV stations were giving updates on a Hurricane named Harvey that was headed our way. The evening of my birthday Kim rolled the grill under the breezeway between the garage and back door to grill steaks for my birthday dinner while rains started coming down. I told you he was the best.

My summer home project has been a work in progress since late June. The project involved transforming a bed of plants and weeds…oh, so many weeds…into a seating area paved with decomposed granite (DG). Positioned adjacent to our patio, the area had to be cleared of all the grass, weeds and plants. The job was too overwhelming for me so we paid a teenaged boy to do most of the initial clean out work. Kim cut down three ugly little trees, or maybe they were bushes. Point is, they had to go. Finally, all the weeds and overgrown plants were gone by August and before the storm hit. However, the month we had the patch of land cleared of vegetation, it rained and rained for at least two weeks not allowing the newly exposed soil to sufficiently dry so we could lay the landscape fabric and DG. So much mud! The, sun did eventually turn the mud back into dry dirt and we were able to pull up the last of the stubborn roots, grind the stumps from the three ugly trees and attempt to level the ground as best we could. Then, with wheelbarrows and shovels in hand, we hauled load after load of DG from the place where the huge dump truck rutted up the yard and unloaded it, to spreading and tamping it down over the prepared ground.

By now it is late August and Harvey is barreling down on us. We hastily scrambled to cover the DG we had barely finished spreading just days before. After covering it all with tarps weighted down by bricks, Harvey was downgraded to a Tropical Storm but still as damaging as if it had been a full out hurricane. Even though the wind was not as prominent as past hurricanes, the continuous downpour of rain caused bayous to overflow their banks and rush into homes. We are among those fortunate enough to have not been flooded. The small amount of damage we sustained was a leak around the chiminey which has already been repaired.

Much of  the Houston area to the west and east all the way to Beaumont was flooded by record breaking amounts of rainfall. Many friends’ homes were flooded with anywhere from 2 to 6 feet of water causing devastation and loss. Many of them also lost vehicles. Schools delayed their Fall start dates until after Labor Day including the college where Kim teaches theater. He had already auditioned and cast the first play of the Fall semester and was ready to begin rehearsals.

A couple we have known for more than 40 years got almost 6 feet of bayou flood water inside their house which their insurance company determined to be totaled. They came to live with us for 2 months along with their sweet little cat. They lost most all of their furniture, TV’s, flooring, walls, but fortunately, had driven their car and truck to higher ground the night before the floods came into their home. They did lose a little sports car that wasn’t running anyway, but was completely submerged under water in their garage. The whole time they were living with us, Kim was trying to get back to teaching and play rehearsals. If you don’t know by now, rehearsals translates to “not being at home”. Kim had his own drama taking place at the college both on and off stage. As soon as the first fall production closed at the college, the following weekend it played in the park. While the play was going on in the park, a Haunted House, sponsored by the college theater department, was going up blocks away in an old house featuring several of the college students as ghouls in the community attraction.

During the weeks to come I was home helping our friends clean up salvaged dishes and their investment of literally thousands of vintage china pieces. The first day we washed dishes I had about six sweet volunteers helping with the task in our backyard. Wash stations with pans of soapy water and rinse water were set up on tables. By the end of the week, my dishwashing help had dwindled to an occasional person here and finally just to me. Dishes strewed out on tarps on the grass after being transported from their house to my garage. Many of the dishes sat in a mucky mire of nastiness in my garage awaiting their turn for a bath. After the first week I lost most of my wash help to get back to their jobs. The sister of the husband had traveled from her Austin home to assist with the cleanup. I was glad to have her help for 2 weeks of this time. Finally, it was down to my friend and I to try to finish the job. We washed, wrapped and packed boxes and  boxes and boxes on top of more boxes, of dishes for almost a month. They rented a couple of storage garages to house the dishes and other salvaged belongings. Then, one day the last box left our garage and I was able to move my car back inside.

A camper our flooded friends had on their property was also totaled and the plan was to replace that camper with a new one to live in on their property. The house had to be stripped of all its walls, appliances and flooring leaving a skeleton standing on bare concrete. After two months of living with us, our friends’ insurance company paid the claim on their destroyed camper and they were able to buy a new one. With Halloween only days away, they got to move back to their neighborhood to live on their property in the new camper.

The college theater’s haunted house ran for three consecutive weekends leading up to Halloween plus Trick or Treat night. As I was passing out candy to costumed kids coming to my door, Kim’s next play at the college was already in rehearsals. At the same time, Halloween night, the Houston Astros were playing Game 6 in the World Series. I passed out Halloween candy wearing my Astros T-shirt and cap while watching the game on TV. Now, as we approach Thanksgiving, Kim’s second play of the semester is in performances for one more weekend. Auditions and rehearsals began this week for the Christmas show. Never a dull moment in theater.

After our friends were able to move back home, I took a week to clean house putting things back in order. Next, I volunteered to do some research on the play Kim was directing and create lobby displays. A couple of weeks spent working on the displays and I was able to set it up in the lobby by opening day. Whew! By the way, “A Year With Frog and Toad” turned out to be a very cute family musical. Under a bit of stress and “drama” Kim and his students were able to hit their spotlight and entertain with a smile. “The show must go on!”

Recently, I returned to my backyard project. I bought lovely flowers, a few small plants, put them in pots and placed around the chairs on the DG to give it an inviting vibe. The calming scene is being set to invite a person (mostly me) to sit with a drink and read or talk to friends. My old patio umbrella lights have mysteriously disappeared, so I’m using a string of lights Kim bought to use at the haunted house and adding some candlelight for ambiance will make my patio a stress-free zone. Having gone full circle from the time I started the backyard project, through the storm, out of town trips, rains, haunted houses, auditions, rehearsals, plays and props, I’ve returned to my backyard. To top it all off, the Houston Astros beat the LA Dodgers to WIN the World Series! Life is good!

Seems like it has been a long time since I last wrote anything of substance. This piece likely won’t have a lot of substance, but rather ramblings of words meant to be written and never were.
This will be a slight shift to all-things-dramatic as I write my opinions on current events. Please, do not rebut in a rude manner. As written here, these are my opinions, they do not have to be anyone else’s. I am not trying to convince anyone of anything. My years on this earth and observances of events merit permission to write as does our constitution. My views are my own. It is not my intention to start quarrels or debates. Read it, like it or not, then move on. — MLM

Politics
Can Be Dramatic
When I was growing up in the 50-60’s I remember presidents such as Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, and in later years, Jimmy Carter. They were not all great. You will notice Richard Nixon is on this list and he was a stinker. My parents were Republicans and voted for Nixon. Even at the time, I didn’t like Nixon. He appeared in a bad light on camera and I was never interested in listening to him on TV. “He [Nixon] promised to “bring us together again,” and many Americans, weary after years of antiwar and civil rights protests, were happy to hear of peace returning to their streets”. Nixon  That has a familiar ring now in 2017 with Mr. Trump in the White House.

Even though as a young person, politics didn’t hold my interest, I was attracted to people who showed integrity and respect for the office. JKF had charisma and brighten up the television screen every time he spoke. As any 8 year old could possibly be drawn to a political figure, I was drawn to JFK as a human being. He spoke with honesty and convinced me he could be a modern president with progressive ideas for the good of America. (Much like Barack Obama spoke.) Kennedy was a democrat and of the Catholic faith, two unfavorable attributes of a presidential candidate in my parent’s opinion. They were always quick to say, however, that those candidates were not bad people. “We vote Republican,” they would explain, and “well, he [JFK] is Catholic and a Catholic has never held office before,” as if that was something undesirable. I didn’t understand, but I trusted my parents. They wanted change in light of the situation in Vietnam at the time and for their sons, one of which went to war a few years out of high school graduation in 1960. (As a female, it was not a concern that I could be drafted in those days.) Of course, they also wanted a president who would uphold the virtues of Christ.

My parents were good people, Christians, working class, hard workers who were committed to providing for my brothers and me. My dad often held down extra jobs to supplement the income. My mom stayed at home until I was a sophomore in high school when she went to work in a department store. Soon after she began her job, I learned my mother could do much more than simply sew my dresses, wash clothes, cook and keep a comfortable house for us to live in. She quickly became the department head for the shoes and men’s clothing at the store. Mom was an efficient, competent worker as evidenced when foreign sailors off the ships docked on the Neches River would come to shop. Often, with broken or no English, the men asked for help shopping for clothes or shoes. My mom communicated as best she could and would size them up simply by looking at them. Then, she would fit them in a pair of Levis or boots sending them back to their ship happily carrying their purchases. It makes me laugh to imagine her gesturing and pointing, speaking in English slowly to help them understand. My mom also had to keep records for the departments she was over, taking inventory, balancing expenses, ordering and stocking merchandise. Mom’s job at the store also bought many dresses, towels and sheets for my years in college.

Then, Daddy, a refinery worker, often worked his days off at other people’s houses painting their house exteriors, fixing doors, laying cement or repairing a roof. When Daddy finished his military service following WWII, he rejoined his young family of two who had moved ahead of him to Port Arthur, Texas. Later they moved to Orange, TX, where my other brother and I were born, to find work. He worked on construction sights for much of that time before getting a job with Pure Oil Refinery in Nederland, TX where he would stay on and retire. (Pure Oil changed to Union 76.) Making a final move to Port Neches, TX, Daddy would continue to work construction or house painting, scheduling the jobs around his shifts at the refinery. He even found time to work around our house, fixing plumbing, painting, or even reconfiguring rooms of our house. Once he torn out a fireplace, removed the front porch and extended our whole living room. 

When I reached high school, about the same time Mother went to work in the department store, Daddy trained as an income tax preparer and worked for H & R Block for many tax seasons. My mom and I would smile and tell him how distinguished he looked going to work in his suit and tie, carrying his briefcase. Now as an adult, I realize that Daddy was proud of his accomplishments. He felt he’d come into a better position working in an office, while earning money for us. Daddy was an intelligent man. I often wonder where his career might have taken him had he attended college. That just wasn’t the era in which he grew up to afford college. His family worked hard on an Oklahoma farm. My dad learned what it meant to be responsible for a family as he and his 5 siblings helped with farm chores. As a WWII veteran with a family, he didn’t consider college an option for him and found work that provided the comforts of living for all of us. That is probably why he thought it was important to be able to send his children to college. Both of my parents always thought about family first before themselves. Although, it may sound as if my parents were always working, they always found time to spend with us kids. I never felt deprived or like they weren’t there for me, because they always were.

In my experience, many church-going Christians were of a conservative political viewpoint in the 60’s and like my parents, voted Republican for the most part. The Republicans appeared to boast Christian morals which appealed to the religious groups looking to stay out of war. Although, noble on the outside, on closer scrutiny of some conservatives’ viewpoints, it might reveal a closed-mindedness toward differences in ethnicities or other cultures. It is not my belief that my father was like that when it came to issues of race. My brothers nor I were ever allowed to speak badly of a person just because of their race. In fact I recall a specific time while I was attending college that Daddy told me it was okay to be friends with any person of color. He was worried though about my marrying a person of color because of the problems it could cause for me. He did not say it would be wrong. My parents were fair minded people who would help anyone no matter their race. They were not religiously closed minded and my dad especially could change his mind on a matter if given justifiable cause to do so. In my opinion, it was the Christian, conservative values what spoke to them when it came to politics and choosing presidents. They supported the platforms they felt were best for their family and our faith in God.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was president for 8 years of my life from 1953 to 1961. When the presidential election in 1960 came into current news, I recall my surprise that we could have different presidents. Since I was all of 8 years old at the time, having not studied government in school, I just assumed the current president was there until he died. My memories of seeing President Eisenhower (first elected Republican president since 1928) on TV or hearing him speak, while not always understanding his message, I knew he was our president. As a highly experienced military person, he made me feel that we were safe. Or so I thought.

Now, here we are 100 days out from the inauguration of a new president (also running as a Republican) who makes me shutter with uncertainty. Even though, I was not really enamored by any of the presidential candidates running for office in 2016, Trump was the least likely candidate to get my vote. A man of no military or political experience, with the exception of his attending a private military school, announced to run for president of the United States. The absurdity of “The Apprentice“, Donald Trump, as president came across to my ears as a joke. “This won’t ever happen. He can’t possibly survive the election process. Why is he running for president? Is he simply wanting to have more power? He doesn’t have the experience it takes to run our country,” were my thoughts at the time (and still are). Then, as Election Day, November 8, 2016 came and went, my hopes and dreams for the United States were shattered. My reaction as I awoke to the news that Trump had won the presidency, was of deep disappointment. I cried. Cried! At the outcome of an election! I was not a political person, but I became a cable news junky during that election process, drinking in everything anti-Trump that came across written and televised news sources.

 Although, the news media may be exploiting his term with way too much coverage, it is addictive to witness a live drama play out before our very eyes. This scary reality show is unbelievably fascinating especially given the amount of inexperience and unpreparedness in which Trump came into the White House. It’s opening night and Trump doesn’t know his character’s motivation or the lines of the script. He is all improv and that is alarming. Alas, with great disappointment and sadness, I listen or read online as he berates anyone who rejects an idea he has or doesn’t kowtow to his reign of bullying. This president is on Twitter social media like a teenager in angst over his life, for heaven’s sake! Unbelievable! It would seem that we are stuck with this “man-child”, as he has been called, for now until at least 2020. (That is if he isn’t impeached first or quits.) It would also appear that little by little some of his appointees to administrative offices are proving to be dishonest and not anymore fit for their job as Trump is for President.

It is my sincere belief that Trump has no idea what it means to truly work as my parents did for their families. He has no idea of the struggles and sacrifices people like my Mama and Daddy make for their families. Sure, Trump can read about people in poverty and he sees news reports (sometimes unproven or biased sources) and reacts, that is he Tweets. He still doesn’t seem to truly understand the working class when he promotes policies that will benefit the rich even though he makes it sound as if they are in the forefront of his policy making. Trump makes rude, disrespectful comments about other people with whom he disagrees. There is no empathy in his words for others. That is not the model of a president we want our children to admire or other countries to look to for help. He doesn’t appear to consider the other side of any story that doesn’t match his own skewed views on planned parenthood, gun control, or health care. Money is not an object to him. He sees constructing an insanely huge wall as the answer to murders committed in our country by foreign enemies. My older brother has passed away. He was a hunter who owned guns and used them with the respect a weapon deserves. My brother was military serving in the U. S. Army back when the country was involved in Vietnam. He was a man with little patience for people with stupid ideas. Even though he would have been on the side of the 2nd Amendment upholding the right to “bear arms”, he would also be for gun control and advocate any law as for gun safety. My older brother would have called Trump an “idiot”. It’s not my intention to advocate “name-calling”, something our president does on a regular basis, but in the case of Trump, “idiot” pretty much calls it like it is.
Man! I miss my big brother.

Perhaps our lesson to be taken from a Trump presidency is that God wants us to become more patient with the “idiots” of this world. Heaven knows I have been attempting to do just that, but some people make it hard. Christians everywhere appear to be divided about this president. Even as my parents, voting Republicans, were blue-collar workers practicing Christian morals, values and attributes, I would find it hard to imagine they would have voted for the man who has become the 45th president of the United States.

My prayer for all of us at this time is that we will come together as a nation to see the truth for ourselves in regard to the politics of the current administration. Trump was woefully unprepared for this job. He would have quickly fired an employee who projected so little comprehension about one of his businesses had he hired a person like himself. It is my hope that Congress along with people of integrity in the position to make changes, will remain vigilant in keeping watch on Trump, forcing him to be accountable to the nation of people whom he serves. May God bless America and keep us ever mindful that God alone is truly in charge.

Written by Mary Lou Ritchey Martin

May 1, 2017

 

 
My husband, Kim, instructs and directs theater at Lee College, Baytown. This past weekend he opened and closed a comedy musical, The Addams Family. The show was a success as it was well received by audiences laughing and enjoying the production. It was a lot of hard work and late nights. The students and outside guest cast members, along with the crew, worked as a team to make those many hours of work pay off. I couldn’t be prouder of my husband and everyone involved with the production. 

From lights, to costumes, to backstage crews and on stage actors, it was a group effort. Our son, Ryan, and his wife, Amy, played the lead characters, Gomez and Morticia. It just makes me so happy to hear them singing, watch them dancing and doing what they love together. Kim had students in this production who really shown brightly as they acted and sang. They displayed dramatic growth and maturity throughout the process of this production. 

It brings me great pleasure to see Kim’s theater arts program growing. He was fortunate to team up with the college’s music instrumental and vocal directors who provided vocal coaching and a talented orchestra to accompany the show. The choreographer, a friend of the local community theater, did an excellent job of choreographing the dance numbers into show stopping productions on their own. Another theater friend that goes back to Kim’s early teaching days, designed a beautiful set. Add in a mix of talented cast members who painted and decorated it, the set became the featured backdrop for the Addams Family story.

Kudos to everyone who helped make The Addams Family a success!