Caren Beeman

46th Anniversary and Hoping for One More by Caren Beeman

I was deep asleep when a loud bang woke me, the bed shaking from the impact. I sat up and groggily, called out, “was that an earthquake?!” More awake, more alert I answered myself, “No, we’re in Kauai.” I turned towards my husband, expecting to see him sitting up but he was sound asleep. That is, until the second blow to our mattress. I had watched my husband kick his leg up, as if kicking a soccer ball, and then slamming it down on the mattress. This goalie kick woke him.

He sat up. “What the hell was that?”

“You…” Before I could finish, he got out of bed, mumbled, “restless legs,” and left the bedroom.

Snowshoeing Adventure? by Caren Beeman

Down in our basement we have storage compartments for each member of our family. If you looked in my son Michael’s compartment, you would find climbing gear, camping gear for long backpacking trips, ski equipment and maybe even a plastic kayak which barely fit. My husband’s closet would look similar, except for the kayak. Instead, you’d also find snow shoes and poles. My husband preferred wood kayaks that he made and kept hung up on our garden wall. My daughter had gotten married and emptied her storage unit. So, I converted that unit into a wine cellar. That’s my space.

I also have another storage area by the furnace. In there you will find crutches for when I broke my knee walking the dog, (I tripped) and my walker for when I broke a hip playing golf. You ask, “how does one break a hip playing golf?”