2nd Wind, January 2006:
"Sweet Memories"

"The older you get, the older 'old' becomes."

"Happy New Year!!!

I enjoyed a warm and loving Christmas day. After being among friends at church, I went to Beth and Ed's home for a super dinner where Ed's mom and Robert were also guests. However, those of us who no longer share the excitement of the season with small children tend to become nostalgic. I think our most memorable family holiday season was the year at Big Bend, 50 miles out of Redding. Big Bend, at that time, consisted of a small grocery store, a school house, a bar and a community hall, all in the woods. I have no idea how many permanent residents there were as none of the homes were visible, but the fact that there were school children, largely Native American, was a clue that families were in the area. We lived in a community of about 50 trailers (not today's mobile homes) in a camp set up temporarily by P.G.&E during the construction of a powerhouse.    full story...

Welcome, Everyone!

I could straighten my halo and give you a list of commendable reasons why, for the last 30 years, I've written a monthly letter for shut-ins.  If it's the truth you want, I'm a ham who needs an audience, and I hate housework.

As I sit, fingers poised above the keyboard, with a concentrated expression indicative of the flow of creative juices, who is going to point out I am surrounded by dust bunnies?  Who could suggest I should scrub bathroom floors rather than brighten the day of some elderly unfortunate?

In the beginning (now, that has a familiar ring, but no copyright) I was trying to write frequent letters to four live-alone friends.  Since I found myself writing the same thing in quadruplicate, I decided to write one letter weekly and make four copies, adding a personal note to each.  As the mailing list expanded the letter evolved into a monthly newsletter, 2nd Wind.

Since George, who was my husband of over 63 years, and I led relatively uneventful lives, what did I find to write about?  Usually, I told about those lives, seen through the eyes of a family whose members could laugh at themselves....everyday experiences filtered through an exaggerated funnybone.  By sharing that viewpoint, I can enjoy midwifing an occasional smile or chuckle.  It's also more fun than cleaning the refrigerator.

        Love, Darlys                             (Read MORE about Darlys...)