Time has me befuddled again

V and were I on the couch watching VH1's Top Artist countdown. The final Five. Hello? I didn't realize these top five slots were contested? I said quickly, "I can do this in order....beginning with five....Dylan, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson, and The Beatles." And that's how it played out. Can you think of five more influential artists? As one critic said, "The Beatles have influenced every single artist on this list. Even those that existed before The Beatles."

We were watching frames of these top five artists, artists who have held our hands at various points in our lives...helped rear us in some ways....and we were just making comments.

Ahh....Dylan's live "Like a Rolling Stone" is one of the most powerful live performances.

That Purple T-shirt and white sweat pants on Mick Jagger. Remember that? Early 80s?

Jackson Five. (We were both just quiet during those clips. So astounding.)

I watched the older clips, Dylan especially, and wondered aloud if those moments of their past are still present in their lives. Does Dylan think about his affair with Joan Baez? Does he think about Edie Sedgwick? His wife, Sarah? The Chelsea Hotel? What moments did survive and which didn't? So many evolutions in a single lifetime. So many chapters. As one commentator said, "Simply one of Dylan's transformations would put him in the category of rock legend. And look at how many he has had."

Isn't that true of all of our lives? All of the costume changes we go through before we take a final bow. V and I agreed that Dylan must look back at some of the footage of him and not even remember the boy or young man he was. The person he was so long ago.

This triggered a great conversation....what moments still sit in your soul, timeless frames of years gone by? And what moments have all but disappeared?

I have some that are so tangible, I can still smell them. Some that people would consider major - births and deaths - and some that people would consider trivial. I have pictures of myself that feel like current reflections, even though they are years old, and I have others that look like they were taken of a complete stranger.

The passage of time can be sneaky, playing tricks and confusing everyone. I've rolled over in the middle of the night to ask V to remind me how old I am. I know time is linear, but it often doesn't feel that way.

Festival Memories

Remember those school carnivals you went to when you were a kid? Back in the day? When all of the parents and kids would come out to buy tickets to the jumpy house, walk the cake walk set up in the gym, eat cotton candy, and seek out the small amounts of shade to sit and eat lunch? Mia's school/church had their annual fall festival today and it didn't disappoint. All of the memories from our childhoods spent at Catholic K-8 school fairs came flooding back. V and I kept sharing smiles as the kids scooted through the crowds to the next fun adventure.

I'll tell you now though, face painting HAS changed. Check out Mia's face! I remember the days when a lipstick circle with some black dots was a ladybug. Not anymore. My girl's face truly became a canvas!

A Friday Evening

We needed a day to commune with nature. Our animal friends. We hit our favorite haunt - the farm museum. Most people are seeking a bit more of a raucous time on Friday evenings so the museum was empty. Just the way we like it. Mia whispered to her pal. I see myself in this photo. I see my dad bringing me to horseback riding lessons when I was young. I see Mia in love with a creature who is so accepting and gentle. I see a budding romance, one I know so well.

They both grew quiet around the animals, hoisting themselves up on the fence. A reverent sort of quiet. The sheep were out grazing and they bleated past us on the path. Mia and Luca stood still and held out their hands as the animals rushed passed, their thick greasy coats of wool pressed up against M and L's tiny little bodies. Luca called "Bye" to them, as he is known to do. Later in the evening, a firetruck neared us at the park where we were eating dinner. Luca was scared of the truck, but a pack of bleating sheep moving quickly all around him was no problem at all.

I love being out in the middle of nowhere. With nothing to do but check out a place frozen in yesteryear. What is it about the past that so intrigues me?

The old school house called to us. We walked just beyond the fence to walk into a time capsule.


Mia taught lessons, saying things like "Welcome children. Welcome to my school." She loved all the little details and kept asking where the cubbies were.

Luca swept it and kept peeking out the door waiting for a kitty cat to come barreling by. Or a pack of bleating sheep.

All that history can't compete with the high tech feel of some of the kids' exhibit inside the museum.

Anything that lights up and blinks has modern kids at hello. This is the irrigation map inside.

I thought about what it would be like if we were truly pioneers. Can you imagine? Being on a wagon heading West with two small kids, one of whom won't sit still unless the moon and stars are aligned? While I don't think I could muster it, my kids were up for it.

Mia even tried on time appropriate footwear on and declared, "Kind of cute!"

Not to discriminate, they ditched the pioneer experience and swapped it for that of Native Americans. Of course, Mia explained that only she got to ride, Luca had to walk. "It's just too dangerous up here for you Luca. You'll have to follow behind me and make sure that nothing falls."