Terrifying Dream

Some dreams I remember.  Others are so confusing that I forget them immediately.  I’ve had the usual dream of going to a final exam and realizing that I have not opened a book all semester.  I even dreamed once that I never even went to class.  Those dreams were disturbing.  But nothing like the one last week.  

I dreamed that I had a contract to play quarterback (my old position in high school) for a professional team (don’t know which team, but the uniforms were brown and orange).  I suited up for the opening game and ran onto the field for the pregame warmup.  The stadium was filled to capacity.  And I suddenly realized that I didn’t know a single play.  Did I forget them or was I never told?  I didn’t have a clue.

Before I took the field, the  coach said, “Steve, this is what we’ve been waiting for.  You are going to take this team all of the way.”

I trotted out on the field having no idea what I was going to do.

Then I woke up in a cold sweat.  I realized it was a dream and never felt so relieved in my life.  It was 5:00 a.m. and I was afraid to go back to sleep because I might continue the dream.  I got up early and sat on the patio, still disturbed.

The next night I had a more normal dream (for me).  I killed six Russians sent by ISIS to kill the president and discovered three hidden bombs.

I don’t think I can live through another quarterback dream.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Bungled Theft

When we stayed at Corolla, North Carolina in May, we noticed a house across the street had a beautiful patch of ice plants, healthy and blooming.  We brought some ice plants with us when we moved from Lake Norman so we know about the plants.  The ones from Lake Norman were a struggle to get going, but are growing and blooming.

The Corolla ice plants were so beautiful that I decided we needed to add that variety to our garden.  The evening before we left for home, I got a plastic bag, a wet paper towel and sneaked over to the batch of plants.  I used  my pocket knife to dig up a few plants.  Before I was finished, a security patrol came around the corner with blue lights flashing on top.  The few plants I had dug couldn’t have been detected even by the owner so I probably didn’t have anything to worry about, but I panicked and hurried under the steps of the house of the yard I was digging in.  I left my plastic bag with evidence near the road, but the security guard didn’t see it and drove on by.

I crept back from under the steps, got my stolen plants and hurried back to our car where I hid my new plants.  I felt it was a close call, but the theft was successful.

Back home, Aloma picked out the spot for the new ice plants and I planted the sprigs.  The roots were almost bare so we didn’t think they had much chance to make it.

They did.  We now have a second patch of ice plants growing nicely.  They are already blooming.  But, there is a problem.  I picked one of the new blooms and compared it to the blooms from Lake Norman.  They are exactly the same.

I risked a prison term by stealing something we already had and didn’t need.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Summer

My assignment for my writing group today was to write about summer. My blog today is what I submitted to the group.

All of my life I’ve looked forward to summer.  Growing up in Florida, summer meant I could play all day without having to wear a shirt.  I looked forward to vacations at the beach or in the mountains, and best of all, as I got older, no school.

When I moved north, summer became even more important to me.  After planting my garden on Memorial Day, I enjoyed the few warm days of June, looking forward to a glorious July.  We picnicked, played with the children in the park, worked on our fast-growing garden, and enjoyed daylight until 9:00 p.m.  While we still had a few warm days in August, the days grew depressingly shorter and cool; wet days were not uncommon.  Summer was coming to an end.

When wintery blast came in November, I pretended to enjoy cross country skiing and sledding with the kids.  But what I mostly remember is shovelling snow, putting on winter gear and sliding around on the icy roads.  After my second knee replacement, I fell on ice on our driveway.  I hobbled inside and told Aoma we were driving to North Carolina to look for a house.

North Carolina is a blessing for me.  After a short winter, spring comes early and fall last until Thanksgiving.  Sure we have over 50 days with the temperature over 90 degrees.  I enjoy wearing shorts every day, taking an early walk, and working the many plants in the bank behind our home.  Aloma and I sit on our patio every night, with an overhead fan, enjoying a glass of wine before going inside for supper.  We have our best talks on the patio.  Later, I often sit on the deck until after 9:00 working on my books.  I love it.

We usually shorten winter by going to Florida for a  couple of weeks.  This year we hope to go for two months.  When we return, we can look forward to a beautiful spring knowing summer is just around the corner.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com