The epiphanies of moving and breaking beans?

Dear Blog Reader

I hope this finds you doing well. I am fine. The summer rolls on. In fact, today, the lovely Miss Beverly celebrates the first day of the rest of her summer vacation. As a school teacher, she faces, every year, the phenomenon that we all faced as kids; summer vacation. It was always true. The passing of each glorious day took us closer to our jail cells of academe. The dread would grow. We would grasp desperately for the full measure, knowing that the glass was half, three quarters, nearly empty. The first day of that twelve weeks was always the sweetest. For Bev, it is a series of first days; each one a glorious clean slate of potential.

I rarely advertise for next weeks blog. However, this week I am. Last week, the lovely Beverly was struck with inspiration on Tuesday; a day that was formerly known as the first day of the rest of summer vacation. In using Facebook as a tool for good and not for evil, she created a limerick contest in honor of her father Doyle, who loved to create limericks. The winner will receive a pie; not any pie but a lovely Miss Beverly baked pie. In a brilliant strategic move that demonstrates the she isn't just another pretty face, Bev appointed me as the judge. I love being the judge. I am very qualified. Just last week, someone commented that I was too judgmental.  What better qualification for a judge?

Limericks have been pouring in from all over. The count stands at thirty from far and wide. It is obvious that Beverly's friends are talented and love pie. The biggest surprise so far? Our friends aren't very savvy when it come to bribery. A few have tried flattery. A couple have suggested that money could come my way should they win. One promised cheesecake. Not that I can't be bought, I can; fairly cheaply too. However, and this is very important, I recognize a pay to play system. The promise of money or gifts is nothing. Cash on the barrel head works here.

Entries and bribes are due Tuesday at midnight. I will take the week to carefully consider the merits of each and announce the winner next Saturday in the lines of this regular blog segment. Several of the stellar entries will be shared also. So tune in next week

Yesterday, a previous first day of the rest of the weekend, was a day of epiphany.
I got up early and road my bike to Muncie. It was misting and barely 60 degrees. The country roads were redolent with the smell of corn sex. Beverly and I met there to help Chris and Grace move their stuff to a new apartment. Oh the joys of young married life; moving every year trying to find the balance of affordability, square footage and distance to campus. The move went great. Many hands make work light and all. On one of the trips, the back of our Subaru was full and in order to shut the hatch both front seats were moved all of the way forward.

Bev was shoved all of the way up to the steering wheel. She was peering over the steering wheel in that hunched shoulder, hands clutched at 10 and 2 contortion. While it was the lovely Miss Beverly contorted in the tableau in service to the family, I saw my grandmother Nanny riding hard on the steering wheel of  a Pontiac Bonneville. The Pontiac Bonneville was a land yacht of a machine favored by the Sharritt clan because it had the tilt steering wheel feature. The tilt steering wheel was beloved by Pop, my grandfather and Nanny's husband. It allowed him and his large belly easy egress out of the car. My epiphany? I married up 28 years ago.

Then later yesterday we were home, sitting out on the patio breaking beans for freezing. Having enough beans to freeze is certainly the curse of an Amish child garden. In the weedy garden past, we would get a mess of beans, take about 15 minutes to break them, enjoy them for one meal, and go back to salty, soggy, green beans out of the can. Their "natural goodness" cloaked underneath a thick layer of cream of mushroom and French's fried onions.

The lovely Miss Beverly and I were working on this mountain of beans, cursing when the beans were thrown into the ends can and the ends into the bean pan. I suddenly remembered sitting on the porch swing with Nanny breaking beans, looking West as the sun had started its summer plunge over the horizon. The sun kept from our eyes by the May Pops trellised at the edge of the porch. By late July, they would be profuse with the frilly purple umbrella shaped flowers.

The May Pops were strategically placed to provide shade from the sitting sun on the porch swing but allowed a look out towards the Northwest and the clouds that might be passing by. . .

An eagle's talon. Amaryllis. One eyed pirate. A Yoda face with Jarr jar binks ears and kangaroo legs. Hippogriff. A flying duck with a cow lick. Turtle wearing a  pope's hat (mitre). The Grinch atop his sleigh. Peering over a woman's shoulder while she is reading a book. Garfield lunging for a tackle at the goal line as his head pops off. A head of broccoli or is that cauliflower? A tinny tiny bed on top of a grand mountain. A spider.

A open hand palm up with a toad getting ready to leap out. A mastodon, trunk extended. The muppet character Gonzo. A short and squat alien with his left arm extended in a friendly wave. Colts horseshoe. Two rockem sockem robots taking a load off of their feet talking to one another in the corner. A young barmaid drinking beer from the Stanley Cup Trophy. A young child laying on her back, hands clasped in prayer. A preying mantis looking over the edge of the next cloud gazing at the praying child. Gollum looking over clenched fists in a boxing stance. MarkTwain with a big wad of tobacco, watch out he is ready to spit.

The old geezer in UP.  A guy with really close set small eyes, face hidden behind a massive mustache, and a double chin hidden by a wooly thick beard. A hound dog nose to the ground, hot on the scent, running up a hill. A kid holding his breath, but he has a weird upturned nose.  A frog sitting upright on the front of a parade float giving the princess wave to the crowd.

The second epiphany? While cloud watching means more missorted bean parts, it sure is a pleasant way to pass the time.

Take care

Roger