In Search of Brighter Days

 

I haven’t written much lately and I haven’t bloghopped as much. Life has been a series of ups and downs and endless parties and potluck dinners. And baby showers and bday parties and get-togethers. Add to that the fact that we’re getting sick again. Tween2 started it first and then TheFisherman and then Tween1 and finally me. It’s going around, this flu. Everywhere you go the sounds of coughing and sniffling and hemming and hawing as we try and make it through. Winter looks like it’ll never end. And I hate to complain but enough already!

I look out the window to the backyard. And I see something that fills me with longing —

The barbecue grill sits outside in the backyard, awaiting the next get together. It lies in wait for the hot charcoals and the group of people who stands around it as they all admire the food.  The aroma wafts in the air as smoke comes out. The barbecue grill basks in the glory.

I await barbecue days. For the kids to run around with the dogs, chasing them with water guns. The dogs cowering behind me, seeking refuge. TheFisherman a spectator to it all, as he holds his tong in one hand and an apron tied around his waist. He grins. This is the life.

Snapping back to reality, Tween1 walks up to me and declares he’s hungry. Time to feed him and get him his meds.

barbecue image credits: www.amazon.com

Changes in My Life

As seasons change, and so has my life:

I am preparing for something major in my life. Details of which, I cannot divulge. Like we say in the Philippines: “baka maudlot”. I don’t want to jinx it. That’s why I can’t be online as long as I wanted to, unlike before. I’ll miss my bloghopping days. But this is temporary.

FishermanHubs restricted my yard sale shopping. I had to reluctantly agree. We are downsizing so we have to make use of what he have.

I have houseguests coming from back home. They’ll be staying for months.

It’s getting colder. Fall is my most favorite season of all. The temperature’s just right for me. Summer’s too hot and humid, winter’s too cold and spring brings out my allergies. Fall is the showing off time for mother nature, the colors of the leaves in varying shades of orange, red and yellow is something to look forward to every year.

And with Fall comes —– TV season. Yup, Grey’s Anatomy Season 4 starts on Sept. 27 (Thursday). I am psyched. I have Thursdays to look forward to again. I get to see Izzie (who won the Emmy’s for best supporting. yay!), George (although I don’t want them to be together as lovers), Christina, Meredith, McSteamy, Dr. Bailey and McDreamy. My old friends. I’ll be there at Seattle Grace along with them. Call me the GreyMom - the number one GA fan!

Spring

The days are getting warmer and spring is in the air. Judging from the hordes of people in the gardening aisles of the stores and the easter decorations at CVS drugstores, spring is slowly creeping in. Of course we can feel it way before spring starts. Older son C will be sneezing, his eyes will be watery and he’s forever sniffling, DH starts sneezing too and me? I just had the most excruciating headache yesterday. Yup, spring allergies are here!
I hate spring for this reason. Even though it looks nice and pretty outside - flowers blooming, the trees green and leafy, birds are out singing, squirrels chasing each other and people out for a walk with their dogs (people without spring allergies, that is), do not be fooled. Because underneath the pretty flowers and green leafy trees are pollen, looking innocent but bursting with all the allergens in the world! During the spring season, we almost always stay indoors most of the time. The sneezing, itchy watery eyes isn’t worth the nice view and warmer weather. The only survivor in our family is G, my youngest son. He’s the only one without the spring allergies.
The thing is, we didn’t really have spring allergies before. We just developed it. The first one was C. We noticed it when he would be sneezing and one day he had bags under his eyes so big, you’d think somebody punched him (except it wasn’t black/blue). Then the sniffles came and the sneezing. He had to be medicated after that episode and sure enough, it never fails, it was the preview of things to come as he had the allergies from then on. DH followed suit with the sneezing too and the year after that, it was me.
The thing I hate about spring allergies is that my eyes are too itchy and watery I cannot even put on eyeliner (how vain!LOL). And without eyeliner I look like I just woke up with slits for eyes and puffy bags under my eyes. So during the spring, expect me to look sleepy all the time. People are already confused as it is as to my ethnicity. Some think I’m Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, or Spanish. Just a few would guess my real ethnicity.
Anyways, spring is here and allergies are back. And I hate it! Today it looks like it’s going to rain and it will be a relief if the water washes away the pollen, flushed away in the sea so that we’ll have relief. Even for a day or too.

Please don’t get me wrong. I love how it looks like out there-all the beautiful colors and the buds coming out signaling the beginning of a new life but what is the use if some people cannot enjoy it due to the allergies? I guess the best way is for us allergic people to just stay in the safe confines of our home as the rest of the world goes on.

Snowy Day

It snowed unexpectedly yesterday. A blizzardlike cascade of big white fluffy stuff. The weather forecast said rain or sleet, no mention about snow. I even checked weather.com where they have hour-by-hour weather forecasts but it just said rain. The view from my window says otherwise. It is snowing! The kids were nonchalant this time. We’ve had a few scares this winter but no accumulations over 2 inches. They continued playing with their Wii and so did their Dad who was playing the playstation. I, on the other hand am content surfing the ‘net. Just sparing a glance or two at the window. By the time we all really looked 6 inches fell to the ground and we all had to come out with shovels, the boys with sleds as we finally realized that the snow, this time, has gotten serious.

It got warmer later in the day though. And the warm weather melted some of the ice. It signaled that it will not be a snow day tomorrow though and I guess the kids knew. Which is just as well. They already maxed out all their snow days and if they call school off tomorrow then they will have to make it up and will cut into their vacation time. Now we don’t want that.

We just looked in awe at nature, amazed at how clean it looks. Everything is white and all the imperfections like cracks in the sidewalks and fallen dead branches, naked tree branches looked picturesque being covered with the snow. I raised my head to the sky and saw snow falling from the sky. It was such an amazing sight! This is one of the days you’re happy to be alive and well.