Rabbit Rabbit Wednesday July 1, 2026

 On Sunday, while sitting in church listening to the sermon which I cannot remember right now, I felt like just being still and feeling still.

As I sat there in a somewhat meditative state, I felt like I was disintegrating.   Starting at the top of my head I imagined that I was becoming a bit of sparkles or glitter fading away.   All the way to my feet until all that was left was glitter on the floor.

I was feeling invisible and sad and lonely and not able to do anything.   

Life is good.  Most of the time.   But I feel like I need some time off.  Away somewhere.   Maine was wonderful and I really am glad I got to be there with Austin.

I am so glad I got to go to North Carolina and see Galileo on his second birthday.  I love him so much.

Life really is good.   I have friends- sort of.  Not like when I was younger and the kids were all around.  Maybe they were something of a catalyst almost forcing me into meeting other women with kids.  I know that was my doing but the kids got me going.

Life changes I know.  When I say I don't really have friends I mean, nobody to just talk to for hours on the phone and meet for coffee or a walk.   I am lonely in a world full of people.  I guess that's the downfall of being an extrovert.

Before Covid and the pandemic we had a dinner group called "The Extended Family".   And I had my Monday evening women's group. 

All of the women in the Monday evening group have died except for myself and one who has moved away.  Pat, Harriett, Sue, Florence, Lola, and Mary Lou.  

The extended family has had a similar fate.  Members moved away or died.     I miss seeing everyone once a month.  We would eat at each other's homes or occasionally go to a restaurant.  I think that for at least 10 years, maybe more, we hosted the Christmas party at our house.   Last year we barely had any Christmas at all.

I am retired now from my lactation work and almost from La Leche League.   I do have a Monday morning Zoom group with some long time- old- LLL friends.

My mother would say I am just feeling sorry for myself. Yeah, there you go!

 

 

 

June 24, 2026

 Fifty four years?  Really?  Have we really been married that long?   We were both such babies!  Nick was 24 and I was 18!  I don't know if anyone thought it would last.  We have been through so much and yet, here we are!

And it's funny because we so often say "that was the week of Hurricane Agnes" and most people just look at us and say "huh?"  Well, we will always remember!  I was going to write something about the hurricane but discovered that if you just Google "Hurricane Agnes" or look it up on Facebook there's lots of info and pictures.

 

Look at those love birds!
 

Raliegh, North Carolna

 I was lucky enough that I was able to get down to Raleigh and see Daughter-in-law, Jody, son Darcy and of course Galileo.

 Galileo just turned two years old!   When I first saw him I couldn't.t  recognize him at all

He is a sweet, delightful little baby/ boy and a lor of  running around- all toddler all Sherwood

 

I took a bunch of pictures so be patient. I will try loading more at another time

 

 

Where's the time go?

On the plane heading to Maine

  

 I spent ten days in Maine at Austin's house and expected to have a whole lot to write about.  But I am so tired and wasted.  Not from Maine.  If anything, my time there gave me some of the rest and relaxation I needed.

The first couple of days, Austin was there.  Then he went to a local SOAK event (I hope that I have that right) and was gone for three days.

During the time Austin was away, I went to church with my friend Marty Daniels and also met with Barb Haney.   I have known Marty since 1984 or 85, when we were in Tromso and we both had babies around the same age.

Barb I know from La Leche League when she lived in Reston- so for at least 20 years.

They had never met each other but we had a very enjoyable lunch together at a restaurant called Nautilus.  in Belfast, Maine- where Marty lives.

Lobster!
 

 

              Nancy (me) in pink shirt, Barb in plaid and Marty in red jacket

 

For some reason I don't have any photos of Austin and me together.  I guess I was just mellowing out and not feeling frantic enough to need to capture everything .

 

Austin's shed inspired me to try drawing.  I did not draw anything that made me feel like a wonderful artist at all.  But the inspiration was there.  The foliage growing up the side of the shed is climbing hydrangea which while a bit overwhelming is really amazing!

 

Austin's house looks much the same every time I am there, but I just love it so much that I have to photograph it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sylvia and I went into Camden and had coffee at the Camden Deli- which has great gluten free coffee cake and also a beautiful view of the Camden Harbor 

 

View of Camden Harbor from the Camden Deli

 

********************************** 

One of the things I didn't mention was the trip to the Avian Haven.  It's a bird rehab facility that Barb is the executive director of.   We saw some amazing birds including a massive bald eagle and a loon in a special pool.   

Another thing I did not mention was going to church.  I went to the UU church in Belfast with Marty on my first Sunday in Maine.  I went to the UU church in Rockland with Austin on my second Sunday in Maine!

*************************** 

 

 

 

 

Flowers in Austin's yard

 

Mountain Bluet- wildflower

 

Nettle (I think)

 

Austin looking over his garden

Lupine- my favorite Maine flower

 

 

Board books that I got for Galileo

 

 Austin's 3D printer. Austin makes amazing things with it!

 

 Goat Yoga Blocks

 

Something silly I found at the Goodwill in Virginia- wooden goat yoga blocks!

 

 

 

And here I am on my way back to Virginia June 1, 2026

 

When I first wrote this post the other day, , I forgot to add the pictures I took out the plane window.  We arrived in Virginia during a beautiful sunset 

 

 

 

 

Broken Dishes

 I have a clear memory of sitting on the front steps (stoop) of our apartment building and hearing the smashing and crashing of dishes hitting the floor.   My friends hears it to and probably my siblings.

My mom had taken every dish out of the kitchen cabinets and smashed them on the kitchen floor.   I don't know why.  I can imagine any number of reasons.

Many years later, when Nick and I and toddler Courtney were living in Poznan, Poland I did something similar.  Only, I threw the dishes out the kitchen window.

We had a circular driveway that I could see out the kitchen window and that's where the dishes landed.  Crash.  We had a lady who did our yard work- a char woman- who swept the mess up and never said a word!

I found a picture online of a house on our street in Poznan.  I am not sure if this is our house (I doubt it) but it's similar.

 

 

Kitchen memories/ Swedish Death cleaning/ picking up where I left off...

 

How many people have this exact set of mixing bowl?  The smallest one is blue, then red, then green and the large bowl is yellow.

This set was a wedding gift to my parents in 1945.  I wonder who gave it to them?  There's nobody left to ask.

My mom gave them to me when Nick and I got married in 1972.  Each bowl seems to have it's designated function and use,  By default- no one assigned them 

 

More later I have to run 

 

 

 

I started to write this post yesterday and I cannot remember why, but for some reason I was not able to finish it.  And so I am back to try again.

 I was writing about the mixing bowls .  I was feeling very poetic about the memories they evoke, but that's a thought that has passed.

Anyway, back to the memories.  The smallest of the mixing bowls, the blue one, is the perfect size to mix up a can of tuna and mayonnaise for a couple of sandwiches.   I think we have also used it for dip- like dipping veggies or chips.

I served my husband [Nick] stuffed green peppers in the red bowl shortly after we got married .  Not exotic in my family.  My mom was a really good cook and we have all sorts of things for dinner.   Nick's family, not so much.  His mom was a decent cook, but she absolutely hated  cooking!

The stuffed green peppers looked so festive an smelled so good.   Nick took one look and said "what's that?"  Needless to say he did not eat them.   The red bowl is good for other things but that's what I think of.

The green bowl is just right for making cake frosting.

The yellow bowl is perfect for making a cake in.  Or kneading bread.  Or making Thanksgiving stuffing.  Or meatloaf.

This set of bowls traveled the world with my family and then with Nick and I and our own family.   

And now I am starting to wonder what will the future of the mixing bowls be.   Will any of the kids want them?   Will they care about the history and stories?   Will they get sold at the Goodwill?  Does it matter?

I probably will never know 

  

ZOOM!!!

 my surprise Mother's Day flowers from Nick

 

 Zooming is such a modern day miracle!  Yes, I know that makes me sound like an old lady, but at 72, I guess I am entitled.

Courtney -oldest child and only daughter- set up a mother's day/ birthday zoom with all five of my kids, my husband and my sister .

 I don't see the kids very often.  They are all adults and their lives are busy.  The are scattered around the US, so none of them or is is able to get together in person very often.

When we had a houseful (did we really do that??) we saw the kids ALL the time.  Eating together, watching TV together, attending back to school nights and teacher conferences.  We went to concerts and sports driving everyone here and there. 

I enjoy my selective memory that allows me to fantasize about  how wonderful it all was.  Well, truth be told, it was not always fun.  It was exhausting and often frustrating.  Sometimes it was the kids, sometimes it was something or another concerning their schools, teachers, nasty neighborhood kids.  Messes.  Homework.  Laundry.

Do I regret having kids?  No.  There are time that I wish things were different- like contacting me and writing all the time.  But, wait, that would mean that they were clones of me and that's not who or what I want. And of course I wish that I had been more patient and kind all the time and I was not.

I love my kids.  Of course I do.  But the depth of my love and the intensity of how I feel about them is beyond words.  And each one of them is so unique and different than the others.  But they are all ours.  Nick's and mine.  They are Sherwoods for better or worse!

Happy Mother's Day