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Summerside, PE
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#tbt

May 12, 2016 Arlene Giddings

i have always loved music...
i can't sing a note
and i know it
(but that doesn't stop me from
singing unreasonably loud in my house
and in my car, as my family will attest to).

this was my parent's stereo
but i always think of it more as being my dad's...
his records...his 8 tracks...
i'm not sure why i always think of it that way...
maybe it's because there is no
elvis
in the mix...or the beatles...which would have
indicated that my mom
had some say in the selection...

but instead
there was ferlin husky and george jones,
charley pride and loretta lynn,
tammy wynette, george campbell and
lots and lots of truck driving songs.

and, oddly enough, in that motley collection of 8 tracks
that i am pretty sure someone gave him
a mixed box of...
there was dr hook's greatest hits
and billy joel's glass houses...
which became my favorite soundtracks while
washing the dishes.

dad had a little rca tape recorder, too,
that we were only allowed to take out
on very special occasions...
and this was where i found my first
favorite desert-island-disc song on a tape called tear jerkers...

leader of the pack.

i loved the whole tape...(i was 6 or 7 years old)...
but that song shaped a little bit of who i am now, i think...

i always loved songs that told a story
and i think my dad's music collection had a lot to do with that...
jolene
coat of many colors
jenny's afraid of the dark
teddy bear
the gambler

all stories...
Probably not much of a coincidence, after all...I assume most music was like that back then.  But it still feels significant to who I am now.  Funny how a photo of headphones makes you think.

 

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wordless wednesday

May 11, 2016 Arlene Giddings
In doodles, she's so weird, wordless wednesday Tags doodle, wordless wednesday, paper and pen, she's weird
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tuesday truths...

May 10, 2016 Arlene Giddings
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♥  i am addicted to these powdered sugary
lemon filled clouds of really-not-good-for-you
but so damn good doughnuts from superstore. 
they remind me of the lemon filled doughnuts
tim horton's used to make but don't seem to
anymore. 

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♥  i hung out with my mom on saturday
and we spent some time looking at plants
and flowers and planning vegetable gardens
and talking about youtube videos
of "why-didn't-i-think-of-that" gardening hacks.

i came home with 3 tomato plants even though
it felt early to buy them
and even though
i wasn't sure if they would survive the cats
but so far, so good.

i would like to grow some yellow tomatoes...
but am not really sure where i can find plants for them...
anyone have any ideas?
or suggestions for other tomatoes to try?
or hints on how not to kill them?
maybe it would help if i named the plants...
or wait...do you only talk to houseplants?

♥  speaking of cats...
i have this box under my computer desk
that i use to put my feet on while editing...
the top of it broke as you can see
and it has become finnegan's favorite hiding place...
except...
the tail is a dead giveaway.
my pets are weird...and
maybe not all that bright.

In happy2016, grateful, tuesday truths, we are family Tags finnegan, tuesday truth, lemon filled clouds, tomato, tomato plants, kool breeze, summerside, sunflowers
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whatcha readin'? {2016::book 8 - goal 12}

May 9, 2016 Arlene Giddings

there were many times throughout this book
that I thought...
why am I reading this?
why am I going to put myself through this?
I'm not sure that I want to
think
about stuff like this...
but in the end,
I was glad that I stuck with it.

it was sad and obviously,
right from page one,
I felt like I knew what was coming
(given the title of the book)
but the honesty pulled me in and kept me reading.

such a beautiful and moving tribute
to what sounds like an extraordinary woman
and a glimpse into the relationship
between a mom and her son...
a son and his dying mom...
it was interesting and heartfelt and
definitely worth picking up...
just be forewarned that
you may end up crying at some point
in the breakroom if you read it on lunch
while you are at work...{taken from true experience}

4 out of 5 ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 's

NEXT UP:  THE INVENTION OF WINGS - SUE MONK KIDD

In whatcha readin' Tags books, avid reader, will schwalbe
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a perfect mother's day...

May 8, 2016 Arlene Giddings

this has been a perfect mother's day.
i slept in,
had breakfast made for me,
spent some time finishing up
my "new work/playspace"
and then...got presents!
stirling & campbell got me
the pink and black polka dot rubber boots
that i have been coveting forever
and emma got me
a purple bag
filled with the cutest stuff ever...
kitty cat post it notes,
scented markers shaped like bears,
a twisted fairy tale coloring book...

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and then, we picked up a bucket of KFC
and headed to my mom & dad's for supper...
it's not that often that all
four of us are in the same car
so, that alone, was a great part of my day...

 

emma fell asleep on the drive back...which didn't stop me from taking selfies with her... :)

there is nothing i like more
than seeing my parents...
making plans to go to cabot trail
this fall,
sharing garden ideas,
eating KFC,
making height jokes at my dad's expense,
talking about when we were small...
this was the best way to finish my mother's day.

if there is anything that my mom taught me
it was that love
is unconditional.
no exceptions, no substitutions,
no excuses, no denying it....
love is unconditional.
no matter what,
i knew they were both not always just
there for us
but behind us every step of the way...
the biggest and best supporters
we would ever have.

happy mother's day, mom!
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
 

In grateful, happy2016, my boy, my girl, the one i love most, we are family, words Tags mother's day, pink, polka dots, rubber boots, mom-love, that guy i love, family
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