When February Shook Me Up

     

The Ground Moved (Literally)

February 2024 began with a small gentle rocking that quickly turned into a hard-shaking rattle and roll. EARTHQUAKE!

If that wasn’t enough to scare the heck out of me (make you drop to your knees praying for forgiveness!!), toss in a good old-fashioned thunder, lightning, and hail storm.

Welcome to February.

The groundhog didn’t see his shadow this year… I’m sure the weather had something to do with it. When he came out, all that storming and shaking scared him right back into his hole for another six weeks. It did me.

Bag Lady at the Expo

One of my friends — let’s call her Brenda — dragged me out of my cozy, safe comfort zone and forced me into the cold, cruel world.

Sure, I need a swag bag full of junk, right? I promised myself I would not bring home anything I didn’t need. I need nothing.

Yeah, right.

This year, I started with my free reusable little bag — already kinda full of pens, chapstick, and candy. Then EXIT Realty gave out a huge bag, three times the normal size. Thank you EXIT. Of course, I filled it with… more reusable bags, snacks, a dog toy, cutting board, jar opener, cards, pens, pencils, erasers. Nice stuff, but did I need it? Absolutely not.

No wonder my back was killing me later. (Couldn’t be from lifting a heavy desk last month, right?)

The Booth and the “No-Name” Grandma

We left the Expo and went to a craft show called Two Friends and Junk… or something close to that.

Brenda wanted to visit her friend Mary, who makes the neatest Father Christmas figurines out of paper mache, real fur coats, and hand-carved wooden toys for the Santa bag. She sells them for $400 apiece.

The booth was small, so I waited outside. Mary’s sister followed me out, and I said:

“I know you’re Cooper’s gramma, Jared’s mom, someone’s wife… and at one time you actually had a name.”

She laughed. “Melody, then Rick’s wife.”

I repeated it back: “Mel… then Rick’s wife, Jared’s mom, and now Cooper’s gramma.”

She agreed. We lose our identity as soon as we get married and have kids.

Out of the Mouths of Grandkids

We swapped grandkid stories. She said her grandson shocked her by using the word “butt.”

I told her, “Oh wait, hold my iced tea! Lemme tell you about my darling little Z, age five.

‘Mema, I wanna marry a girl just like you!’

My heart melted. I was swooning, so very blessed. He was my favorite grandchild in that moment. Then he finished his sentence…

‘One without a penis.’

Well. There’s that. laughing!

Brenda came over and said, “I was just waiting for you to finish catching up with Mel.”

I laughed. “Oh, I just met her!”

Because here’s the truth: The only strangers I know are people I haven’t met yet.


   

   

  

  


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