Musings from the back of the motorcycle and front seat of the car
Author: nancyb422
I am a collector of family history - pictures, stories, facts - whatever I can get my hands on. I share that at It's All About Family. I started Thoughts From the Passenger Seat because I have a lot on my mind! It started riding on the back of my husband's motorcycle and on business appointments but I don't do much of either anymore but the thoughts are still there.
I enjoy writing and I hope you find something that you connect with on either of my blogs.
Thoughtsfromthepassengerseat.blog - Thoughts From the Passenger Seat
NancyB422.com - It’s All About Family
If you would call 30 years ago, not so distant, that was the time that we acquired our first computer. It was a no-name computer put together by someone who knew what they were doing and it gave us access to the World Wide Web. Back then we were tethered to a desktop and a dial up modem. If someone had told me we would have mini computers in our hands, I would have thought they were crazy!
I think about those times now with the need to constantly update myself on what’s going on in the world. Such a “fear of missing out”!
What did I do back when our only link was the desktop and dial-up? I might knit, or read, or watch tv, and back then, I was definitely playing with our son!
I am really glad all this technology wasn’t available to me 30 years ago!
A funny thing happened 35 years ago while trying to birth a bowling ball. It, I mean HE, didn’t want to come out!
The due date had already been adjusted and I was now a week overdue.
I entered the hospital at noon on a Monday, July 16th and was induced. It was all fun and (cribbage) games until the back contractions hit. I nearly broke my husband’s hand from squeezing it.
Finally around 5am, on Tuesday July 17th, after HOURS of no progression, the doctor said it was time for a c-section.
As they prepped me, my husband thought he was going to wait it out in the room. I said, “oh no, you’re coming with me!” And got gowned and followed me in.
I remember so clearly, the room, lying on the table, the sheet blocking my view from my lower half.
As the prepped me, I looked at the clock on the wall and said, “we’ve waited this long, can you take him out at 7:17?” They laughed and said No!
We went on our boat the other day. As I walked along the dock, trying to reorientate myself to the layout, I realized it had been 11 months since I’d been on the boat and probably a year since I’d been to the marina we dock it at!
Our boat / heading out
How could that be?? Well, last year we took it out of the water and up to Lake Winnipesaukee the second week of August. We brought it home and, whether the weather was just ok or life got in the way, we never put it back in the water! It just sat in our driveway until it was time to winterize it.
Fast forward to 2025 boating season – my husband and son brought it up to the marina and launched it and they’ve been on it a couple of times. You’d think with the weather so incredibly hot since early June, we’d be there every weekend. But…we’re not…. “It’s TOO hot”, “it’s supposed to rain”, “it’s raining again”. There’s always been some obstacle. There’s even been talk of downsizing and trailering it to different lakes for finishing.
I took Friday off so we could go to the boat. Instead of heading out early in the morning, we took our time and didn’t leave the house until 11. We got there, uncovered the boat and headed out at slow cruising speed.
Inn at Candlewood Lake where the best wedding ever took place in 2018 😍 / a view of the lake
We hit every cove on the southern end of the lake and ate our sandwiches as we motored around. Once we headed north, we anchored at our favorite spot and spent about four hours reading and swimming around. After a month of such hot weather, the water temperature was perfect!
Our anchoring spot with a view of a town’s beach and home at the point
It was so relaxing and I remembered how much I enjoyed it! Maybe it was the shift in the time? The gorgeous weather and warm water? Sadly, not having our dog Wally to have to get home for which allowed us not to have to rush home, played into it as well. We headed home around 6, and ordered sushi to pick up as we got closer to home.
Heading “home” to Gerard’s Marina
Here’s to (hopefully) a longer boating season this year!
If I say the number on the scale is “just a number” when it goes up, why don’t I say the same when the number goes down?
Here I am again analyzing what I ate that would cause the scale to increase by .6, yes, half of a pound. It never ends.
Does it reside in my head past the weight check? Really, that’s all it is, it is a weight check.
No, I realize it doesn’t. There are so many factors that can cause it to shift. The delicious sourdough cinnamon raisin bread with butter I had after dinner last night comes to mind….
But I drink my coffee, fill my water bottle, and head out the door for my morning workout.
“The eensy weensy spider came down the water spout”.
Was it eensy because it was in the great outdoors? What about if it’s inside your house? Still eensy or does it look like a tarantula? And where does it come from??
When I got into my glass enclosed shower this morning, I saw nothing unusual. When I got out of the same shower, there was a spider on my counter! Of the 27 or so listed on Spiderid(dot)com said to be local to Connecticut, I didn’t see my guy, but I’ve seen him before.
My colleague would have gone screaming out of her bathroom, but me, I just grabbed a tissue and – I’d like to say opened the window and let him go, but I wasn’t taking the time to think – squished him like a bug and dropped it in the toilet.
This isn’t the first time a bug mysteriously appeared in the bathroom. I guess when you live in a home a year shy of 100 (or it could possibly already be), there’s probably a whole host of things living in the attic amid the insulation and air cooling system. Maybe he dropped through the cooling vent in the bathroom? Would he have taken the long arduous route through the bathroom exhaust fan, moving forward and getting blown back each time it went on?
I don’t know how he got into the room but I’m more interested in How did he go from NOT being there to BEING there? Jump? Web and pull it in behind him?
Are you squeamish about bugs like my friend? Would you have opened the window and let him be free? Would you have shrugged and let him be?
This morning I sit in the spot my father occupied most evenings during the summer as I grew up.
In his webbed chair that glided back and forth, he’d sit with his cup of tea after dinner and watch the neighborhood go by. We might sit near by on the metal couch glider reading a book.
The Porch
Was he surveying what needed to be done around the yard? Mowing the lawn was the main focus as there were no shrubs and the trees and bushes were growing “naturally”. He was not a man who enjoyed taking care of yard work and we three girls did our share of mowing the lawn (we enjoyed the exercise!). Or was he just enjoying the view, our company, and counting his blessings?
I know he would have sat here on a Sunday morning like I am as there would be a flurry of preparation for 9:15 mass. But after Sunday midday dinner, he’d be here listening to his radio with a ballgame on or country music, watching the neighborhood go by.
Friday evening and Saturday morning I was in Massachusetts for an event with Beth Moore.
Have you ever heard of her or gone to one of her events? She is a dynamic woman who conducts bible studies through Living Proof Ministries.
The first time I was introduced to her was an online Bible Study on the book of Galatians, “fruit of the spirit”. There was a lot of food for thought – pun intended!
The second time was in Atlantic City with two long time friends. The events involve a 2-1/2 hour session on Friday evening and another on Saturday morning. I can’t recall what book of the Bible was involved but I remember Peter feeling like he was sinking when Jesus called to him to walk on water – so maybe it was Matthew!
This time in Swansea Massachusetts and was the book of Luke and specifically Chapter 9 and the transfiguration. Who was there, what it meant, chapters and verses leading to it and after it.
Along with the Bible study there was the most glorious music led by Travis Cotrell and 3 other singers and musicians. I admit there were tears rolling down my face many times during the two days and my eyes still feel a little sandpaper-ish.
I attended with my college friend again and we had such a wonderful time talking and talking on the hour ride, at dinner, in our hotel, and then breaking down the two days on the ride home. We’ve been friends since our freshman year – holy moly – 46 years! We had our time apart over the years when I was living in California but we rekindled our friendship and it’s richer than before.
I have been reading verses in my bible daily along with my daily devotional and I have realized as I read that I really want to dig deeper into various books and what they mean. I will see where what I experienced this weekend leads me.
Physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, social, and relational. When I looked online for self-care, I found those categories.
Based on the descriptions, I was pretty surprised that I have always practiced self-care but never put the two together.
I eat heathy and work out every day. I write in my journal daily. I read my Jesus Calling devotional every day, followed by the associated bible verse. I read at bedtime and play the New York Times games (almost) daily. I have been working on my relationship with my husband to be more open and honest about things that concern me.
I was going to say that my social self-care would be where I was lacking but I realized – that’s not true! I belong to a group at the library, and attend library events at least twice a month. I meet with former neighborhood friends every month for dinner. I meet with our class reunion committee monthly, which consists of 6 other women who really like seeing each other every month because our next reunion is still 3-1/2 years away!
I could improve on all of that if I could stay off social media!
This weekend in Connecticut is the SEVENTEENTH consecutive weekend with rain on one or both days. That means, since February we have had “weather” on the weekend. We may have had beautiful weather for 5 or 6 days and then, Boom!, the one day you have off or something planned for outdoors, it can’t be done.
Rainy morning
My husband tells me it was predicted and it’s just for the morning which is good because the Travelers Golf Championship final day is happening Cromwell today. It will be hot again after the rain, so hydrate!
I’m curious by nature. I ask (a lot of) questions when I meet someone or when I’m talking to a friend because I enjoy a conversation. Sometimes though, it’s because it takes the spotlight off me.
I like to comment and ask questions of the bloggers I read as well and I like when they comment and ask questions of me (hint, hint 😉).
I’ve been following a blogger, I don’t think she follows me and I enjoy what she writes. She’s from a different part of the country, has a different lifestyle, and still raising children while I’ve raised one.
I’ve read back posts and had been trying to follow the threads of her life, and was looking forward to upcoming events.
I made a comment to her latest post, and now she’s gone. Perhaps in saying I’ve known those feelings in the past, I overstepped the bounds she felt were acceptable. I appeared to be the only person commenting so it must have been something I said! In this case, I’ve tried to ask general questions because it’s a public forum and you never know who else is reading.
I read many blogs that I really enjoy for a variety of reasons, and I’m really disappointed that she has disappeared.
Have you ever felt a well-intentioned comment you made caused someone to disappear in real life or online. Notice I said “well-intentioned” because we know how our keyboard fingers can fly when angry!
Thoughts From The Passenger Seat 