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Sue Spitulnik

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Sue Spitulnik

I am a retired grandmother that grew up in western New York State, left for 25 years, and am now back in the area. I happily live with my husband and two cats. I am pro-military, writing, food, family, and quilting. I am con-exercise, insulting commercials, and lack of common sense. I have met some great friends through this website.

Snakes

It’s National Serpent Day. According to the National Day of Calendar, only 1/8 of all snakes are venomous. So tell me, why are so many people afraid of snakes?

When I was barely a teen ager, I stayed overnight with a friend who lived in a small town. The railroad tracks ran behind her house and we could use them as a short cut to get to the candy store on Main Street. We started out with our quarters, which bought a lot in the ’60’s, but saw a dead, DEAD, snake on the tracks. She wouldn’t walk past it. We went back to her house, and walked on the sidewalks, all the way around the block, to the candy store. I laughed all the way.

A few years ago this same friend called me on a sunny afternoon. Mind you we are now in our forties. She was hyperventilating….I finally got out of her she had hit a snake with the lawn mower. It was DEAD, but she wouldn’t go back out to finish mowing the lawn. I’m still laughing.

My daughter, when in her late teens, came home very excited and told me she was going to work at the local county fair. I asked what she would be doing. “I’m going to wear my bathing suit and be the snake lady,” she answered. She had the right figure. I told her to have fun. There were six or eight black snakes that she handled on stage, letting them crawl around her legs, hang over her shoulder, and wrap around her arm. She made a lot of money in three evenings and I learned snakes are like any other animal, some like the human touch more than others. They each had their own personality and name.

I’m not one to run over and pick a snake up, but when I see one, I admire them. I find the way they slither to be fascinating, not frightening. Maybe I would feel differently if I lived where poisonous snakes were prevalent. I think I would still admire their beauty, but maybe I’d walk a few extra blocks to bypass them. I’d much rather deal with a live snake, than a person who is a “snake”.

 

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Thank an Artist

It’s National Inspire Your Heart With Art Day. I’m going to move the words around a bit and tell you about a person that has inspired my heart, then when I found out he is a nationally recognized artist, I felt compelled to purchase one of his pieces as a memento.

I have been attending a Veteran’s writing group for almost two years. I consider the two facilitators and core group of attendees, friends and confidants. When we get together we write about our own military experiences and what effect, usually long-term, they have had on our lives. It’s a safe place to share deep emotional pain, and sometimes joy or silliness. (I am an ex military wife, not an actual veteran.) Because we focus on writing, we still have some anonymity, and not a lot of time to share current personal situations.

We have veterans from Viet Nam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and one World War II vet. When he talks, we listen for as long as he wants to go on. The military was so different back then. One got discharged after earning points, rather than on a time served schedule. The members knew what they were fighting for, and all parts of life were achieved without social media, cell phones and computers. His stories are fascinating as is he.

Our WWII vet’s name is Kurt Feuerherm. You can search his name to see some of his modern art works. I will get my Owlets on Saturday at our next gathering. The mixed media picture will be a forever reminder of my special friend, and they will fit right in with all the other bird pictures I have in my home. I should probably admit, none of the rest were done by a nationally known artist.

Think about what type of art moves your soul. I create quilts, stories, poems, cakes, and dinners that could be called works of art. I love the way music feeds my soul. Some of my best story ideas have come when I’m out listening to live music. But sometimes, it’s not just the art that inspires my heart, it’s the artist too.  What a treat to know Kurt personally.

 

 

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POP IT

It’s National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day. Have you ever thought about how it came to be? The calendar tells us: Engineers Marc Chavannes and Alfred Fielding sealed two shower curtains together in 1956 in the town of Hawthorne, New Jersey.  This technique created a smattering of air bubbles which the engineers initially thought would make a great wallpaper!  Sales for the wallpaper never materialized, so they moved to selling the product as greenhouse insulation. (Can you imagine it as wallpaper? Not!)

The Sealed Air Corporation was founded in 1960, but Air Cap (name before it became Bubble Wrap) wasn’t used for shipping until IBM starting shipping the 1401 computer in 1961.  Bubble Wrap is a trademarked brand of Sealed Air Corporation.

Today, we wrap everything in it. Rolls of it are sold in packaging, office supply, and hardware stores. I used to work at a retail store and the employees would fight over who got to pop the bubbles, or take the piece that arrived that day home to their children. One person admitted to taking it home for herself to jump on to vent anger. Everyone likes to pop bubbles.  It’s a good thing there are parts of us that just never grow up.

Occasionally we would get something wrapped in bubble wrap that was more of a honeycomb and the air moved between the bubbles, so one couldn’t POP the bubbles. We were always disappointed when it was that type. Then, the store owner had a couple of grandchildren; the discussion as to who got to take it home ended. Any piece, big or small went on the owner’s office chair and her grandchildren got to have the fun. I’m not working there anymore, I don’t know who gets it now, but I’m sure it doesn’t go to waste.

Let’s give a big thank you to engineers Marc and Alfred for giving us a great product that has multiple uses, and can be used to entertainment. Pop those bubbles folks!

 

 

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Thank You Honey

It’s National Spouses Day! (Yes, I know I’m a day late!) Say THANK YOU to your spouse just for being who they are, how they make you feel, how they enhance your life, what they do for your family, how they pay, or help pay, the bills….the list could go on and on.

Personally, I think they should have used a picture of a couple that had been married over 50 years for this day. If you make a relationship work that long, then you can brag you’ve made it. I know I’m jaded, but a couple as young as the one above hasn’t had time to climb the mountains and ford the raging rivers that happen in a relationship. To me it appears they are still thinking love can conquer anything. It sure as hell helps, but it’s not always true. People grow and change, or not, and if you aren’t growing together, all too often you are growing apart.

Wow! This got heavy really quick. Sorry.  I think you can guess I have experienced both types of relationships. Back to the real reason for writing this a day late. My husband is a loving, supportive spouse. He gets that when I make comments about a bad meal in a restaurant, I’m not complaining, I’m just stating facts. If I were complaining, I would be whining too. He has encouraged me to grow, is excited for my changes, and has given me the support needed so I could quit work and write a really long novel that may never get published. He’s a gem, or as they say today, a keeper. He has helped my children on multiple occasions and I can proudly say, they talk to him before they talk to their own father. I am truly blessed.

My husband and I became spouses when we were both over fifty. Maybe that’s the key. We had become mature enough to not make crazy demands of each other and knew the reality of being friends was more important than lust. Anyway, we appreciate each other, try not to take each other for granted and still say ‘please and thank you’ on a regular basis. It feels good at the end of each day to be able to say, “I’ve got a great spouse whom I love!”

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Recognition

I think all humans crave recognition, some just need it more than others. I thrive on compliments and have learned as an instructor to say, “I am proud of you,” or “Good job,” as often as possible. My quilting students beam and try even harder when they get praised. A genuine compliment goes a long way, for both people involved.

Way back when, as a new bride, I served my husband my first and last attempt at making Spanish Rice. He took a bite and made a face. I burst into tears (mind you, I was very young) and said, “I haven’t even sat down yet!” He replied, “It’s good. I’ll eat it.” After my first bite, I grabbed the bowls and threw them in the sink, saying, “That’s not fit to feed to the dog.” We laughed and went out for a hamburger. I don’t remember why it was so bad, but I remember how crushed I was at the face he made. Finding out he was correct, put everything into perspective very quickly. He deserves an accolade for attempting to eat it.

I’ve become a much better cook since then, but sometimes, my experiments aren’t very good. I have a different, and wonderful husband now. He eats whatever I put in front of him. If I say the meal isn’t very good, he smiles, and says, “You can’t hit a home run every time.” He knows how to stroke my desire for positive reinforcement.

The National Day of calendar information points out that a compliment about someone’s character and a compliment about how someone does something are two different things. I had to think about that for a minute, to decipher the difference. I figured out, I can always find some reason to praise someone, even if I don’t care for them as a person.

I challenge you on National Compliment Day to hand out genuine, plentiful compliments. The people around you will notice and I guarantee it will help you see others in a more positive light because you are looking for the good.

 

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Not Legible!

It’s National Handwriting Day. I have a girlfriend that loves handwritten letters. E-mails are acceptable, but she likes a letter to arrive via snail mail. I admit to liking the latter myself. Today I got a thank you note and a late Christmas letter in the mail. It made my day. The even better part, I could read both sets of handwriting. That doesn’t happen to be the case when someone gets a letter from me. Well, that’s not entirely true, but let’s just say, handwriting has never been one of my strong suits.

I remember in second grade learning to write in cursive. We would sit and draw circles over and over again on very wide marked lines. Some of my classmates made perfect circles that touched the lines. Mine were more like ovals that had trouble touching the line for more than the length of a pencil dot. I was told to practice, but it didn’t do much good.

I remember in my high school junior year, there were projects displayed in one of my classes. I had received a B on my work that had been lowered to a C because of my illegible handwriting. Right next to mine was another “brainy” students who got an A with a + for handwriting. Now, I didn’t wear glasses back then and her writing was so fancy, I had trouble deciphering her a’s from her o’s. I guess it was all from the teacher’s perspective, which I still believe was slanted….oh well. Life went on.

My handwriting is no better today but I have read that people with poor handwriting are actually more concerned with how well they do a job, than with how it looks, so I’ll hold on to that. I have also read that bad handwriting is a sing of a higher IQ. I’ll take that one too. Think about your doctor’s handwriting.

And of course, the argument today in the U.S. is whether they will even continue to teach cursive in the schools and that it may eventually become a secret code because our young people aren’t being taught how to write or read it. Wow, that sounds like a step back in history when people weren’t allowed to learn. That’s a sad thought.

I for one, still use my check book and still sign my name in handwriting and I will probably continue to do so. When I write a letter, I prefer to type it, just so the recipient can read it more easily. Handwriting is a great tool, but I know my real friends will say, “Oh good, she typed it,” when they take a letter from me out of an envelope.

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