Memories: Magpie Tales #16

A Magpie Tales post.

The old oak boards, scarred and dusty, are now silent of footsteps.  Many generations had come and gone, walking or dancing, working or playing their way across these planks.  As I stand here staring at the floor, memories of a time nearly forgotten flood my mind.  I remember my grandmother, her work done for the evening, taking off her apron and hanging it neatly on a wooden peg next to the sink.  By the soft light of the lamp, she sat writing in her journal as she did every evening, recounting her day, sharing her thoughts on life, her children, her grandchildren.  

My grandfather had passed away some years before.  All the children had all married and moved away, and she lived alone in the house they had shared for so many years.  We would come to visit during the summers, and the house was alive again.  It was great fun to visit Grammy.  My cousins and I running in and out, banging the old screen door until it was nearly falling off its hinges.  We would drag our toys across the wooden floor leaving marks and scuffs, each adding to the scrapbook of life written upon the boards.

Grammy has been gone for many years, and the house now stands empty.  The boards upon which we played are dusty from disuse.  The only things left are Grammy's apron on the peg, and her shoes by the door.

Communication Bloopers

Today's post was inspired by this week's Quote of the Week on communication.  While good communication is key to understanding each other and keeping our relationships running smoothly, sometimes it's not what we say or how we say it, but what is understood that matters.  For instance, here's part of a conversation hubby and I had last night.  So we were in the car heading out to watch Ashley's son's musical presentation at his school, and we were discussing directions, etc.

Hubby:  "Do we want to take Reynolda?
Me:  "No, we can take Silas Creek to University.  Or we can go the same way we go to the Fair.  Do you need a refresher on that?"
Hubby:  "Nope, we go out Miller..."
Me:   "Remember where the bus thing fair took us to park?"  

Well now that didn't make sense, but before I could stop laughing and try again, he said "OK, yeah, I got it."  Strangely, he knew what I was trying to say.  Hmmm, that's a little scary considering how often my fully formed thoughts get mangled beyond recognition somewhere between my mouth and his ears as if they are bounced off of some creepy, thought-encrypting satellite.

What I'd meant to say was - do you remember where we parked and took the shuttle bus to the fair?  That's where we're going.

Sometimes, depending on who you're talking to, you can still make your point no matter how the words come out.  This stuff happens with us all the time, and he says "These things are funny.  You should write this down, this is good stuff".  Funny, eh, I don't know, but it keeps us laughing at ourselves and each other in a good way.  That's got to be a good thing, right?

I'll bet you have a few bloopers, too.  Care to share?

Down By The River

Our latest excursion took us to 421 River Park, a small park on the bank of the Yadkin River.  It is a small park, and its primary purpose is to allow access to the river for canoeing and fishing.  There are a few picnic tables, a horse shoe pit, volley ball and some swings.

From the park you have an excellent view of the river and the bridge on Hwy. 421 which crosses the river.

There were some interesting "decorations" on the bridge.

Someone even left an apology for their artwork.

Here is an interesting view of the bridge.  It reminds me of looking into mirrors and seeing multiple reflections.

This one shows bridge decoration the way nature intended it.  What you see here are what appears to be the nests of cliff swallows or barn swallows.  They build mud nests in very high, protected places.

This is a better picture than I could get, and it shows a clear view of the birds and the nest.  Looks like a full house!

Cliff Swallows - originally uploaded by Snowmanradio

Restaurants.com - New 80% Off Promotion

Restaurants.com has a new promotion going on now through May 31.  All gift certificates are 80% off.  Just use the promo code FLAG when you check out, and your discount will be applied.  You can get $25 gift certificates for just $2.

What a great way to eat out and save!   

Quote of the Week

The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place."  

-  George Bernard Shaw

Successful communication is a two-way street, involving people speaking, listening and understanding what has been said.  There can be conversation without having communication, which can lead to misunderstandings and disagreements.