Christmas? Fish On Friday

Fish on Friday as well as Christmas is one of the things that can conjure up images of grandma, her house, neighborhood and Terre Haute.  Grandma was a little superstitious (put a coin on a window sill face up, and it will call other money to you) and seriously religious.  The latter may also have been part “living in this society.”

Time at grandma’s house was maybe the three months of summer a few years.  Holiday time, like Christmas, although annual, was only an overnight stay, but the summer visits amounted to living in Terre Haute, her way.  If grandpa wasn’t going to church, that was his business, but she was going to get there and take the kid, too.

The pot-like black hat went on her head covering her waist-length hair that was pinned in a bun, and there was a trek two blocks down the street and across the railroad tracks to the bus stop.  Church was too far away to walk there.  That’s about all that’s recalled of it, except one time there was a lesson in how to live, in her way.

One time there was no just quietly sitting in church next to grandma.  Near the “proper” time, she bent over, handed over a nickel (then it would buy a candy bar that now costs a dollar) whispering in firm command to put the nickel in the collection basket.  Of course, it was.  The power in that command’s still felt after over 75 years.

Merry Christmas everyone.  🙂

So What Topic Today?

Topics for this little spot in the universe depend largely on what passes by at the moment (like outside the window or down the hall).  It is, after all, the latest reincarnation of a long gone newspaper column that related some everyday, ordinary (and generally uneventful) living in a sizable city rather than suburb or farm.

What came by demanding attention in the last few days was bedbug inspection ordered by the apartment building management.  Well, it may be the plague of the 21st century and an important topic, but even important topics get tiresome (not that there has been that much in here) and it is discussed at length other places.

The weather is always outside, and what also drifted by in the last few days was another big to-do over a possible tornado, the area underfoot being tornado alley.  There was probably one that set down somewhere around, but the region’s more or less ready to handle damages even if it were in some highly populated place.

The price of cigarettes went up (no news on gasoline prices at the moment).  Petty, little annoyances that could be discussed (like what to do when one runs out of scotch tape) have happened.  There’s also standard stuff not discussed recently (like Grandma’s house).  Sadly, nothing that’s paramount comes to mind presently.

Sometimes it’s hard to decide things.  🙂