humor

Kindness and a Chuckle from a Stranger

photo: Wikimedia Commons

As I pulled into a parking space at the grocery store today, my tires crunching over the ice from rain that froze overnight, I noticed him. An older man, possibly in his mid-to later 70s, walking toward his car. He stopped, looking over at me, as if waiting for me to get out of my car.

I noticed in the backseat of his car a beautiful dog, which looked to be a Carin Terrier.  I smiled.

Once out my door he said, “Are you okay to walk across the ice? Or I can assist you and you can hold onto my arm.” 

I said, “Oh, I think I’ll be fine. But thank you.” 

“You are welcome,”  he said smiling, and then added, “You sure do look nice today.” 

I sensed he didn’t mean any harm, but was just having a little fun flirting. “Oh gosh, thank you. You are sweet,”  I said.  “Is that your dog in the backseat?” 

He said, “That’s my girlfriend.” 

I chuckled. “She sure is cute.”

He said, “You see, my wife allows me to have three girlfriends. I have two girlfriends at home who are my hunting dogs and this one, she is my puppy dog girlfriend.” 

Chuckling once again at his humor, I said, “You have a very nice wife and you just made my day.” 

He said, “Well you made my day, too.” 

And on our way we both went.

I smiled practically all the way through the grocery store. And I thought about how when I was younger I would have looked away, worried that this man was weird, strange or wanted something from me.

He was harmless and just wanted to talk and in doing so, he truly did make my day with his kindness and sense of humor. And heck, even if he was flirting a bit…I thought, more power to him.  He is alive and well and making the most of his life — gotta love that!

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A Gathering of Authors. We’d Love to Meet You!

May14 final poster

I want to let you know of a special event I’m taking part in this Saturday, May 14th, 2016 – A Gathering of (local) Authors. Hosted by independent book store Book Heads and Seranya Art Studios, both in historic downtown Plymouth, WI.

This is a first time event and I was happy to learn of the many authors right here in my county. I can’t wait to meet them!

I’ve always enjoyed hearing how other writers got their start or what inspires them to write. I hope you do too and will consider coming to check out the many different and talented writers that are taking part in this wonderful event.

There will be readings/talks and signings beginning at 10:30am and running through 3:30pm with a wide variety of genres – something for everyone!

I will be doing a brief talk and reading from my memoir Through Frankie’s Eyes at Seranya Art Studios at 11:30am and then again at 1:30pm at Book Heads Book Store.

Through Frankie's Eyes

Below is a list of the other authors and their books and when they will be doing a talk/reading. There will also be many other activities and sites to see this day during Plymouth’s Historic Downtown Open House. You can learn more by visiting this link.

Author Readings/Signings 

voices

Lisa PaulsonVoices from a Sacred Land

10:30am, Book Heads Book Store

odssey

Belden Paulson, Odyssey of a Practical Visionary (memoir)

11:00am, Book Heads Book Store

noted

Kathy JacobsonNoted, (fiction)

10:30am, Seranya Art Studios

11:30am, Book Heads Book Store

illusions

Ann Marie Graf, Love, The Illusion and Delusions(romance)

delusions

11:00am, Seranya Art Studios

Noon, Book Heads Book Store

dustoff

Allen Nohls, Dustoff & Medevac Vietnam (memoir of Vietman),

Chapter in book about Allen and sole-survivor of mid-air helicopter crash.

Noon, Book Heads Book Store

3:00pm, Seranya Art Studios

left

Beth and Rick Olsen, We Never Left You (memoir, grief)

1:00pm, Book Heads Book Store

kidnapper

Danielle Grandinetti, The Vanishing Kidnapper (fiction/jr.high,western/mystery)

Noon, Seranya Art Studios

2:00pm, Book Heads Book Store

shoe

Mary T. Wagner, When the Shoe Fits (essays on life/humor/inspiration)

12:30pm, Seranya Art Studios

2:30pm, Book Heads Book Store

overnight

Nathan Birr, Overnight Delivery (mystery/detective)

1:30pm, Seranya Art Studios

3:00pm, Book Heads Book Store

road

B.S. Levy, The Last Open Road (fiction, racing)

2:00pm, Seranya Art Studios

3:30pn, Book Heads Book Store

lake

Lisa Lehmann, Lake Michigan, the Wisconsin Shore (collection of photos from shore of Lake Michigan)

1:00pm, Seranya Art Studios

wandering

Ray Last, Wandering (memoir, 60s & 70s)
2:30pm, Serayna Art Studios

three

Joanne Kaminski & Renee Love, Three Little Sisters Learn to Get Along (children’s book)

3:30pm, Serayna Art Studios

You can follow updates on the event page and we hope to meet you this Saturday!

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Chuck the Chicken Saves this Marriage

chuck the chicken saves this marriage
Photo: cemanifarms.com

John and I laugh often in our home. His sense of humor is one of the things I love most about him. And I do think a bit rubbed off on me as I find that I can come up with some good one liners that I don’t know if I would had I not been married to John all these years.

John is usually up before me every morning. But it’s usually not long afterwards, that I shuffle in my slippers into the kitchen to find John making a pot of coffee. Such was the case this past Saturday.

John said quite seriously, “I’m concerned about the chicken.”

I had taken out a whole, frozen chicken out of the freezer the evening before around 8pm and put it in a large bowl of cold water.

At first I was a bit annoyed that John was questioning my “thawing” skills. I really thought it would be okay.

But John said the chicken was warm to the touch.

And I was then more upset with myself for having just wasted a whole, organic chicken that was supposed to be for dinner. Though I did still question if it would be okay to eat. But it wasn’t worth taking the risk.

But then I giggled thinking back to the seriousness of John’s tone when he stated he was concerned about the chicken.

I said that it sounded like we were talking about a live chicken. So I decided to name the chicken Chuck.

John said, “Should I pick up another chicken at Miesfeld’s?” (a local butcher shop in our area).

“Fine,” I said. “But it’s your turn to take Chuck to work.  He has not been behaving around here lately and I don’t think I can take another day of his antics.”

And so the rest of the day we had an imaginary chicken named Chuck who became our muse for the day. The muse that diffused what could have been a heated discussion of me feeling inadequate and John, really, just trying to help.

I thought back to our earlier years of marriage and how I would have taken this so personally and the whole day would have been ruined.

But one thing (among many!) I’ve gained from this marriage with John is to not take things so seriously. That laughter really is good medicine, good for the soul, and good for a marriage.

And yes, I know, Chuck is really a male name which would make him a rooster…but remember this is all imaginary!  🙂

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