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Posts Tagged ‘baseball’

52 Weeks

Posted in Musings and Epiphanies, tagged , , , , on April 2, 2016| Leave a Comment »

I’ve been avoiding Instagram. Well, social media in general, including this blog. I finally logged back into my Instagram and saw this post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/09I-8dECCa/

The date at the bottom says: 52 weeks. Yes, a year since I took what would become my final picture of me and my Bear. We saw Bear a lot between this picture (April 1, 2015) and the car accident. But still, some picture had to be my last one with him. This is a pretty good one for it to be. Each time I look at my 15 year clock, I think of him. He had to open the gift-wrapped box in the parking lot, like a little kid, so he could see what the gift was and then, open the box to see the actual clock.

Younger and Older Sons have cried this week. Both miss him so much. Younger son got his baseball jersey today, looked at the number, and was somewhat indifferent, but he didn’t say he disliked it. When I said Bearpaw must have picked it for him, younger son asked why. I reminded  him that Bearpaw was born in 1939, so 39 was perfect for him. His smile beamed from ear to ear. He doesn’t cry going to the ballpark anymore (the last time we saw Bearpaw was at the ballpark). He is beginning to love baseball again.

52 weeks. I sang “Happy Birthday” to him at the cemetery this past Thursday. It’s still so surreal.

And, as a geeky side note, ’39 by Queen is one of my faves.

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Moments into memories

Posted in Musings and Epiphanies, tagged , , , , , , on June 8, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Each day offers moments that will become memories.  Some days are more loaded than others.  Today is one of those days.  Last night I raced from class to see the last half of older son’s last ball game of the regular season.  This morning I saw my dad at his induction into the Olde Guard at his alma mater (also my alma mater).  I’m off to “Spring into Poetry” for younger son.  Tonight hubby and I are going to a dinner dance for the theater company with which I played “Vera” in Mame.  But the neatest moment today is that ten years ago my hubby became my hubby.  Ten years filled with laughter, love, tears, loss, happiness, craziness, Addams Family-ness, and the two greatest sons any two parents could ever hope to have.  Happy anniversary to the world’s greatest hubby!

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Little League Merrily Swims Along

Posted in Musings and Epiphanies, tagged , , , , , , on April 28, 2012| 2 Comments »

We started our day at 7:30 getting ready for picture day for Little League.  So much for youngest son’s new-found independence.  We were supposed to arrive at 8:15 but we got there around 8:35 because someone wasn’t sure he wanted to go.  He made it just in time for the team photo, but he was, I am sad to say, the player who wouldn’t take off his coat for the team photo.  Somehow the photographers got him to take it off for his individual picture.  More power to them.

Then home for a half an hour and then back to the fields for a 10 o’ clock game for youngest son.  He had some great hits and plays (in the pitcher’s position).

                                                               

Them I walked oldest son over for his pictures at 11:15 (while younger son was playing his game).  Game ended, stood in line at the snack stand and got lunch, then off to the other fields for oldest son’s game at 1 o’ clock.  Oldest son got to bat first and got a hit on the second or third pitch.  He then got out at second.  He also got to play catcher.  This was interesting since he has never played that position before nor had any coaching on it.

                                                                                

He did great!  There was only one little problem.  He thought the catcher was also the umpire.  I explained to him the difference and during the next inning, he was catcher again.  It’s a good position for him.  And he’s not bad at it.

Then the game ended at 2:45 and we headed off to Wawa for a wee snack to nibble on the way to swim lessons.

They both changed in the locker room quickly, came out to the pool, and got right in to the water.  The teacher is wonderful with them.  And I am VERY PROUD to write that oldest son can swim!  He got it today, it all clicked for him.  Now it’s not the most graceful swimming, but that will come in time.  Youngest son is so close I can taste it like he could taste the chlorine.  They have two more lessons and I’m sure it will happen for youngest son too.  Their teacher was impressed with how well they did today since they had gone two weeks without a lesson.  Next weekend they will have a lesson on Saturday and Sunday.  We’re hopeful with the lessons being back-to-back it will all come together for youngest son.  Oldest son can go to camp this summer with no worries about the swim test!  I may try going to the pool on my lunch break a few times to see if I can apply the same tips and finally learn to swim too!

     Look at oldest son on the right swimming on his own!    

We then drove home and are now enjoying a Jim Carrey double-feature.  We watched Mr. Popper’s Penguins and are now watching The Mask.  Then bedtime and let me tell you, I can’t wait.  I’m exhausted.

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Boys and Americana

Posted in Musings and Epiphanies, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 19, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Oldest son had his first baseball game of the season tonight.  Such a feeling of Americana came over me.  Children were running around the ball fields screaming and having fun.  Parents were walking dogs, cheering on their kids, and taking lots of pictures.  Older teens were skipping rocks in the stream that runs along the back of the park.  Oldest son’s team lost (13-11) but he asked if we could celebrate his first game.  To an eight year old, this means a trip to McDonald’s.

After dinner the boys went straight to bed.  I hopped on the old internet and read some more about the late great Dick Clark.  He was and is a part of Americana.  One piece I read mentioned Peggy Sue Got Married and the comment about him never looking older or never aging (I forget the exact quote).  I always think of the lines from When Harry Met Sally.  Harry is alone on New Year’s Eve and he’s watching the ball drop.  In his voice-over he says something like this being good, “…You’ve got Dick Clark, that’s tradition.”

My memories of Dick Clark are not specific events (except for the line from Harry) but rather a series of vague memories.  The main thing I remember is that my mom and I bonded and connected early on because of Dick Clark.  We’d watch American Bandstand and my mom would tell me about the music she liked and what she listened to growing up.  Music was always something we talked about and I still connect to music from the 70s really easily.  Plus my uncle was a DJ at a local radio station at the time.  He’d play “Wildfire” by Michael Martin Murphey for me during his shift.  Of course, I now know that due to the long length, he may have said it was for me, but he probably played it so he could run to the bathroom. “American Pie”, “Hotel California”, and “Bohemian Rhapsody” were all good bathroom songs for DJs.  But still the piano in “Wildfire” is haunting to me.  I love the music from the 70s-the singer/songwriters.  I am not a big fan of the popular/Top 40 music of today.  I sound so cliche saying that, but it’s true.  The songs today don’t seem to have discernible melodies unless it’s from a musical.  I’m sure it’s artistic and will be appreciated for the changes it brought to the music industry one day, but overall it sounds like noise to me.

But when I was a youngin’, Dick Clark helped introduce me to music and create a special life-long bond with my mom.  Americana grew richer through his work.  I’ve been floating in the 70s all day and the ballpark was filled with a 70s vibe tonight.  Children making up games to pass the time as a sibling played ball.  Cheers coming from different directions.  Lots of “good try” and “good job” and “baseball ready” filled the air.  Youngest son had a hot dog.  I do believe that’s a federal law.  Six-year-olds must eat a hot dog at the ball park.  Hot dogs at the ball park on a warm spring evening.  Boys and Americana.

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Boys

Posted in Musings and Epiphanies, tagged , , , , on March 15, 2012| Leave a Comment »

My youngest climbed to the top of the monkey bars dome at the playground tonight.  No fear anywhere in his body.  The fear was all in me.  He was up and down, sitting on the top, standing on the top.  It was like one of these types, but bigger and a series of curved ladders with bars at the top.  Couldn’t find a picture to match it.

I simply couldn’t watch.  He just kept climbing to the top, standing there like the king of the world!  James Cameron has nothing on this six year old.  His big brother was at baseball practice.  I’m very proud of both of them.  Each was very invested at baseball practice.  It’s so neat to see how their commitment to playing has grown and how their ability has developed.  They have no fear with it.

I need to get them to not feel fear with their bikes.  I’m hoping they’ll each spend some time on their bikes this weekend.  Just need to get on their bikes and go for it.  My youngest isn’t that scared-the bike has training wheels.  My oldest goes about a foot and then loses his balance.  I wish I was better at teaching them these types of things.  Part of it is simply letting them do it and fall.  Get over the fear.  But I still wish I could help them better.

Letting go with bike riding is easy.  Wait till I have to let them struggle through even bigger life events.

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