Archive for the ‘Rainey’s Favorites’ Category
Friday, August 19th, 2011
 Where does the time go? I remember this trip to Vermont. Jonathan (L) cut his chin. Thirty-five years ago today something happened that changed me deeply, profoundly and forever.
As a young girl I was impulsive and emotional and as I headed through my teen years and into young adulthood trouble was looming on the horizon. I could see, it was near. Self-centered and thoughtless at times I always had an agenda. I skated through life without thinking really, just reacting and indulging myself.
Then something happened. I was in my early 20′s when God placed into my care two little boys. The sweetest little angels, twins, Jonathan and Michael. Jonathan and Michael are an undeserved gift and pulled me back from the edge. I was so young and inexperienced when they were born, but a crash course taught me what I needed to know and my mistakes taught me the rest.
I recall the day they were born, helpless infants relying on me of all people. I don’t know if I did my best – I’m inclined to think not – but they thrived anyway. They changed so quickly from tiny infants into painfully shy toddlers; then morphing into adventurous and friendly little boys and on into confident and active teenagers. I blinked and they became independent college students and now married men with families of their own. I watch now from a distance and know that they were never mine to keep.
The years it seems have flown by and though geography separates us we will always be connected. We keep in touch by phone, email, instant message and sometimes if we’re lucky we share a few days face-to-face. It’s not the same as having them in my back pocket, but it’s as it should be. That’s how life goes and today on their birthday I’m reminded this day is their birthday and represents a day of (re)birth for me too.
Happy Birthday and thank you Jon Boy and Mikey! I love you more than words can ever say.
Tags: Family, Friends, Pets & Such, friends, Pets & Such, Rainey's Favorite Things
Posted in Family, Friends, Pets & Such, Rainey's Favorites | 6 Comments »
Friday, August 5th, 2011
 Rides for the dare devils among us... Just wanted to share a bit of my night at our local county fair . . . such good, honest fun at the Cobleskill Sunshine Fair.
 Win a prize if you can…
Everyone gathers for the ever popular demolition derby
where you can wreck things on purpose!
Tags: Clean Fun, County Fair, Good
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Tuesday, July 26th, 2011
 Penny October 6, 1997 - June 9, 2011 It’s been more than a month and a half since my friend, my dog, my little chubby Beagle, Penny died. I’ve been putting off writing about her – too painful, too sad, too many regrets.
Perhaps by not writing about Penny I think I can avoid the pain but she’s been on my mind a lot and I can no longer avoid paying tribute to my loyal friend. Penny taught me lessons I will never forget, many of which were only revealed to me after her passing.
My Beagle Penny was one the kindest, most gentle creatures God ever created. Her forgiving disposition came directly from the hand of God and she forgave my ineptness as a pet owner over and over again. Penny’s big, dark eyes expressed so much – pleading for just another biscuit or confusion over a harsh word spoken – those eyes told me so much. If only I’d listened.
Penny loved visitors. When my sons – Jonathan and Michael – would come for a visit Penny’s excitement could not be contained! A barking and wagging welcome was Penny’s way. When she was little she might even piddle on your shoe! Penny knew they loved her and she loved them back.
Another testament to her gentle nature would never be more obvious than when she was around my granddaughter, Grace. Penny would sit patiently as Grace would pet her as gently as a two year old can. Such kindness.
Penny and I were a lot alike – both of us brown-eyed, chubby, lovers of food (all kinds of food), plus we turned 49 the same year. Yes, Penny and I were friends. She a better friend to me than I to her.
I can see now that I’ve lost someone important in my life there comes many regrets. Many shoulda, woulda, coulda’s run through my mind over and over again. I miss all those things about Penny that I found so annoying, stupid little things that don’t matter a lick now. But I couldn’t see then what I now see clearly.
If only…
If only I’d taken more time to scratch Penny’s belly (she loved that) – I would. If only I could toss her another biscuit or two, or three (she loved that too) – I would. If only I could toss her a little squeaky toy I’d let her rip it to shreds in less than five minutes flat – I would.
Too many regrets. Too many excuses and now that she’s gone I hurt more because of my own inadequacies and my blindness to a blessing in my midst.
I miss you ole’ girl.
 Penny - always willing to clean up!
Tags: Family, Friends, Pets & Such, friends, Pets & Such, Rainey's Favorite Things
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Saturday, April 9th, 2011
 Here's my kid... JonBoy and Whittle, the sweetest most affectionate cat ever! I made it to VT!
The drive to Vermont was relaxing as it usually is and while spring has arrived here in Upstate New York mother nature hasn’t released her sprouts and buds in abundance just yet. The vestiges of winter remain as a reminder of what a long winter we have endured.
Saturday was warm and sunny; a perfect day to drive north toward Vermont to visit my oldest son, Jonathan, and his wife, Calico. Just to clarify things, Jonathan is exactly one minute older than his twin brother, Michael. A minute is a minute that has bestowed the title of “oldest” on Jonathan though he is still my little chick . . . always will be to me.
Both of my chickens have settled away from the home front and if that had to be the case at least Vermont is an easy drive away. Plus there’s something about Vermont and it’s earthy all-natural feeling. Perhaps it’s because they limit roadside signage and everyone seems to own a dog or two. With the weather mild and sunny people and pooches were on every street corner wagging and chatting having been released from winter’s incarceration.
 Remnants of snow in the Green Mountains of Vermont I arrived just before noon making it in good time at 2 1/2 hours total, including two stops and my adhering to the speed limit in most cases. Oscar and Adobe – Jonathan and Calico’s Rhodesian Ridgebacks – greeted me with deep and authoritative barking, but after a cursory sniff welcomed me into their pack.
The trip was to be overnighter so there was time to sit and talk, getting really caught up after doing the house and garden tour. I so enjoy spending blocks of time together without rushing and then being involved in the daily routine.
It was an easy going day. After enjoying a cup of Green Mountain coffee we walked the dogs (so Vermonty) and then settle in to watch The Masters for awhile. Jonathan is a golf enthusiastic (fanatic really) and the TV screen was green all afternoon. It was so nice and I’m interested in whatever my kids do and are interested in. If golf is it then I want to hear all about it!
My kids will always be my kids to me and are cut from my cloth . . . we’re a part of each other. . . but they are not really mine. Never were in truth. They’re a gift from God that I was honored enough to be a vehicle for, but I’m proud, I’m proud as if I had something to do with the fine young men they are, I revel in it for the day. I’m Mom again a title I wear with honor. Mom again…
 A room full of dogs . . . Oscar and Adobe snoozing.
Tags: Family, Friends, Pets & Such, friends, God, Pets & Such, Rainey's Favorite Things, Travel
Posted in Family, Friends, Pets & Such, Rainey's Favorites, Traveling | 1 Comment »
Friday, March 25th, 2011
 Ma and Pa - I am very blessed and forever grateful for these two people. Today is a very special day. Today is the day my father was born – 79 years ago. My father is the most honorable man you will ever meet. He is, and always has been, hardworking, loving, intelligent and funny. He is a pun master and a ground breaker.
It’s difficult to adequately honor my Dad on his Birthday. What would be enough really for a man who worked two and sometimes three jobs to support his growing family, who sacrificed for all of us, who dreamed a dream and made it so? What could ever be enough?
My mother and father were married in the early 1950′s and started growing their family within a year. First my sister, then me and after me “the boys” (my three brothers). By the time they figured out just where all these kids were coming from they’d added five young un’s to the Dewey clan, including my mother that’s seven of us in all. We were a tight knit group, moving about a half dozen times before settling here in Upstate New York in the late 1960′s.
Through it all my mother and father have been the glue, providing us with a master template on how to be good people. They both continue to be the focal point in our family hierarchy. Now at 79 my father is still a ground breaker and he continues to embrace new things with the enthusiasm of a much younger man but with the wisdom of his accumulated years. Pa has never shied away from a challenge or problem and continues to do so with the same can-do attitude that has made him the most stand-up guy I know.
Tonight we gathered for dinner minus one brother who lives in Colorado. The table was long and filled with conversation and libations and delicious food being shared by a fraction of the family my mother and father started so many years ago. This gathering was the perfect way to celebrate this man who I am blessed beyond measure to call my father.
We still have much to learn from this man, my Dad! Happy Birthday Pa! Keep um comin!
Tags: Family, Friends, Pets & Such
Posted in Family, Friends, Pets & Such, Rainey's Favorites | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, April 20th, 2010
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Michael and Jonathan – My joy!
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Gracie – More Joy!
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Michael’s Joy!
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Handing down
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Gracie at Daddy’s Old Desk – Passing Down
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Another artist in the family?
This past weekend reminded me – again – what it’s like to have a house filled with family, laughter and life.
I remember with great fondness when my sons – Jonathan and Michael – were young. It was a time when their friends frequented the house on a regular basis. We had little league, basketball, trading cards, roughhousing and spontaneous laughter all around in those days.
Things changed and in 1995 when their father and I divorced we were all adrift and rudderless for sometime. Always at the core though – even through the rough seas – we carried a deep and abiding love for one another. Distance cannot diminish that knowing you are loved – unconditionally and without reservation. Come what may, you are loved.
Now that Jonathan and Michael are grown and have built lives of their own lives – each a few hours away in different directions – I’m left to my own devices most of the time. So when we can gather in one place, all of us, I know that these are moments that should be savored with the utmost mindfulness.
This most recent visit represents something of a milestone for me, making sure to prepare Crockpot and casserole meals in an attempt to keep food prep to a minimum. I admit even resorting to the store bought variety when I’d much rather have prepared the home baked type. Doing so gave me time, time to sit, listen, play and enjoy every moment.
With my new granddaughter on the scene I dusted off Michael and Jonathan’s old rocker (a gift from my parents), an old wooden desk and chair (a gift from their paternal grandparents) and my “silver” spoon to hand down to our next generation.
This handing things down from one generation to the next feels important to me for some reason. I suppose it may be because that while our nuclear family may have not remained intact, there are things that were good back then, memories that shouldn’t be forgotten, but retrieved and examined for the truth of it all.
It was a good weekend overall and just as I suspected as they departed my house fell silent once again. The melancholy though is tempered with joy and satisfaction at seeing what fine young men Jonathan and Michael have become. I beam with parental pride.
I miss their constant presence in my house and I know that I am lucky to have my passion for the arts to run to after my “kids” have gone home. God provides comfort if only we seek it.
Till next time I’ll carry our love and these new memories in my pocket and pull them out from time-to-time to lift me when I’m down.
Tags: family values, Family, Friends, Pets & Such, friends, God, Pets & Such
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Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
 Now, I ask you, "How can I complain when I'm the mother of two great young men and grandmother to the cutest ladybug on either side of the Mississippi?!" Yesterday I intended to post a blog that was filled with complaints like, “My life sucks,” or “Oh me, poor me.” I was, of course, intending to weave a little humor into it, but for the most part it was going to be negative – with a smile.
When I got home to find that our Wildblue Internet connection was down I realized that maybe the “My Life Sucks” post was not the best idea I’ve ever had, and perhaps divine intervention was at work to stop me from spewing forth negativity when in truth I have so much to be grateful for.
Earlier in the day my friend and coworker, AB, and I had decided we were going to find one thing each morning that we are grateful for and say it out loud. Since we were going to wait until the following morning, I was free to complain until then.
Now, on second thought, I realize that no good can come from constant complaints. Solutions will elude the complainer and negativity breeds negativity. So today I’ll not complain, but give thanks and gratitude. While I have loads of things that I am grateful for I’d like to focus first on the blessings that come from being a mother.
As you may already know, I am the mother of two grown sons (twins). Both are “good kids,” though they are not really kids anymore in the sense of being youngsters, but they will always be my kids. I was young when they were born and they turned out to be great people in spite of my inexperience and me.
They taught me lessons in loving deeply, finding joy in the mundane and stepping up to your responsibilities. They taught me to be a better person. Of course, with most everything in life there comes regrets. Why wasn’t I more patient, why didn’t we linger longer in the park, why didn’t I do more of this or that just for fun?
I’ll stop right there because today is not a day for regrets, but a day for gratitude and I can honestly say that now that my kids are grown I continue to derive immense joy from watching them live their lives.
For all these reasons I am grateful today to be my kids’ mother.
Tags: Faith, family values, Gratitude
Posted in Rainey's Favorites | 2 Comments »
Monday, October 26th, 2009
 Here's my brother Stevie and Patrick. Thank heaven for those life jackets. You just don't know when a big boulder will take you under! Side Note: That big boulder sat just outside the back door of Grandma & Grandpa Flax's camp and claimed many a pair of jeans by the end of our vacation stay. When Jon and Calico headed west on Saturday to sunny California, driving, I was transported back in time to when things were simpler, more innocent (or so it seemed). What I mean is, memories of our family vacations – when I was a kid – came flooding back.
We lived in Alabama from the time I was seven having moved south from Washington State after Boeing transferred my father (and all of us) to the sunny south. Our family was a large one, huge by today’s standards. There were five of us kids plus my mom and dad. That’s seven total in case you’re not so good at math.
While I was growing up we moved a few times and this move to Alabama was the first. We, the Dewey’s, learned to stick together and though we weren’t rich not one of us suffered or were left wantin’ for anything essential. Not that we were immune from lusting after the latest and greatest this or that, but we didn’t need and didn’t suffer none for not having. The real essentials were plentiful – food, shelter, laughter and a loving intact family.
I remember our summer vacations were always a much-anticipated event and would always begin with a road trip from our home in Huntsville, Alabama to Upstate New York. We’d enjoy a two-week stay at our grandparents’ camp on Sacandaga Lake in the Adirondack Mountains.
Before we took to the road, we’d stock up on comic books (Archie and his gang being my favorite), car bingo and a pillow or two. Plus little boxed cereals that would be breakfast and bologna on white bread that would be lunch, both enjoyed at a roadside rest stop. It was exciting, an adventure.
On the rare occasion that we would share a meal in a restaurant, all five of us kids would be on our best behavior prompting our hostesses all along the eastern seaboard to compliment my parents on having so many young’uns with good manners and so polite. We’d all beam with pride. Oh those trips were fun.
Tags: Family, Friends, Pets & Such
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Monday, September 28th, 2009
 Here's the face that kept me away.... Now can you blame me for the absence?! I’m back and have to apologize for leaving my blog unattended since last Wednesday. What’s more, I did so without notice or explanation. Very irresponsible on my part. I’m sorry.
Things have been hectic around here since last week. I took Friday off to prepare for my Granddaughter, Gracie’s, 1st Birthday party. Tom and I were hosting and needless to say there was plenty that needed doing to make ready. My house is always in some stage of disarray and is rarely (if ever) “company ready.” Shopping, cleaning, cooking, baking and such all needed to be done in synchronized sequence.
With Winnie-the-Pooh as the party theme, we set out a couple of weeks ago getting party hats, goody bags, streamers and balloons. I found a WtP cake online that looked doable. The cleaning and such (lots of “and such”) went pretty smoothly and since I’d done the grocery shopping Thursday night most of the provisions we’d be needing for the weekend were “in house.”
Mike, Kathy and Grace arrived Friday night, exhausted from the long trip and the colds they’re all fighting. From the moment of arrival, Gracie took center stage. She’s a happy little girl with loving and attentive parents. It didn’t take long for her to settle in and and begin practicing her new walking skill and while exploring a new place – Grandma and Grandpa’s house.
I can’t believe how quickly this first year has gone by and recall, like it was yesterday, awaiting her birth. There was suspense in the not knowing whether we’d have a granddaughter or a grandson. I can’t emphasize enough how much this new life has added to mine. While we don’t live nearby one another, we are kept updated with lots of videos and pictures. Frequent face-to-face visits are becoming a top priority.
 Opening Presents with Dada The party went well and our Gracie was a gracious and appreciative Birthday Girl. She truly seemed to enjoy each gift, helping her Dada open each one, at times become distracted by the ribbons and tissue paper. Our little Gracie was really “into it,” and with a crowd of mostly unfamiliar faces, she was un-intimidated and seemed to enjoy all the new introductions or reintroductions.
Once the snacks were consumed, presents opened, dinner eaten, candles lit, wishes made, and goodbyes exchanged (with a last hug and sniff of our Birthday Girl), Mike, Kathy, Tom and I settled in to watch Gracie, still full of energy. She continued walking, talking and petting the dog until finally she settled into my arms, unexpectedly. She lay there reclined in my arms, looking around, with Spunky her pink puppy in hand, relaxed and exhausted. What a wonder gift as she lay there quietly, trustingly. Then no longer able to fight off the sleep, she closed her eyes and lay peacefully in my arms for the longest time.
 Grandma & Gracie, The Party Girls She won my heart one year ago – instantaneously! My heart is hers and I am putty in her hands! Happy 1st Birthday, Gracie Girl – Best in the world!
Tags: Family, Friends, Pets & Such
Posted in Day-to-Day, Rainey's Favorites | 6 Comments »
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
 Happy Birthday! That's Jonathan on the left and Michael on the right. . . a mother knows. To say this day, August 19th, is a special day is an understatement of the greatest magnitude. This is a day that literally changed every minute of the rest of my life. Today is the day my sons were born – twin sons, Jonathan and Michael. Today, August 19th, is our Birthday.
I remember the day so very well. It all began months before, but I won’t share with you those details – TMI. What I will do is start my narrative on the Monday night before their birth, August 16, 1976.
I was nearly nine months along (they didn’t measure your pregnancy in weeks back then) and I’d just stopped working the Friday before. I’d been feeling a little off all day long attributing it to the weather being intolerable with heat and humidity that is common to Upstate New York in August. I reluctantly called the doctor not wanting to inconvenience him in the evening, but knowing that I should. “Go to the hospital” to get things checked out was his directive.
My memory of that night is forever ingrained in my mind’s eye. I can see myself walking through the long hospital hallway, waddling is more like it, large with baby. One baby, or so I thought. Soon-to-be dad was ten paces ahead, out of sheer nervousness I suspect. “Wait up,” I called out inside my head.
While I lay on the examining table the nurse checked the baby’s heartbeat and then turned to me questioningly with a remark about twins. “No,” I replied, “My doctor said I was the wrong shape for twins.” She left the room without any real response and shortly thereafter I was wheeled to another part of the hospital for an ultrasound (back then a new and not routinely used technology).
I recall being wheeled down hallway after hallway with ceilings looking all the same, to an elevator and into a half lit room where the procedure was performed painlessly. A short time later I recall being told, “Twins! You’re having twins.” Surprised would be another gross understatement. The gender of my two babies was still a mystery, but there were two. I was about to be the mother of twins.
These two babies would be born by cesarean section, it was decided. With no room in the womb the normal rotation and positioning never occurred so the situation demanded a cesarean and Thursday, August 19th would be the day, in spite of my original September 1 due date. I recall being admitted into the hospital and then the waiting, choosing two more baby names – one for a girl and one for a boy – and then more waiting.
 Michael Twins were a relatively rare occurrence back then and I recall a crowd gathered in the operating room to witness the event. As I lay semi-awake, voices could be heard, voices calling out with excitement and joy, “IT’S A BOY!” . . . and then, “IT’S ANOTHER BOY!” My life forever changed in that moment. August 19, 1976 at 3:29 and 3:30 p.m., 6 lb. 3 oz, 6 lb. 6. oz. How beautiful a sight they were.
That’s how it all started, our lives together. To say time goes by quickly and they grow up too soon is yet another gross understatement. Jonathan and Michael grew from shy toddlers (a phase that would be a short one) into confident and adventurous boys. They have been friends from the start and to this day their bond is tight.
 Jonathan I can claim no real credit for the loving and successful young men they are today. JonBoy and Mikey are a gift to me from God and I did my best not to screw up his creation. Mothers always seem to carry a cartload full of regrets and I am no different. But woulda, coulda, shouldas carry no weight here because they are great human beings in spite of my mothering.
They are my life’s treasure, my love, my kind and generous sons. A gift I did not deserve, but one I am grateful for always. . . immensely grateful. They have enriched my life beyond measure and saved me from myself with their birth. . .
I cannot imagine who I would have become without them.
 And now... Jonathan on the left and Michael on the right...a mother knows. I just need to ask, where does the time go?
Tags: Family, Friends, Pets & Such
Posted in Day-to-Day, Rainey's Favorites | 4 Comments »
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