Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens …

by cmehochko68

When I played the piano regularly – and used to provide accompaniment to singers and choirs – there were a few songs that were on my short list of favorites.  Most of the songs from The Sound of Music were at the top of this list because they were relatively easy to play and the accompaniments were kind of fun, using different variations of the 88 keys.  One of my favorites, of course, was “My Favorite Things”.  “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens … bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens …”  You know the rest.

Tonight, on my mind, are not only a few of “My Favorite Things” but more specifically … “Things that I Greatly Miss” (Dear Rogers and Hammerstein, Please allow me to take a few liberties with your tried and true tune with a dash of creative license!):

  1. Cool fall evenings and walking along a path full of vibrant, colorful, dry, crunchy leaves – CA does not even come close to IL/Midwestern autumns
  2. Along those same lines, wearing sweaters or sweatshirts for the first time in fall
  3. The first snow of winter. I. Miss. Snow.  (yes, I just said that – the November/December variety, anyway)
  4. After experiencing said snow, sitting by a forced-air heater to warm up while the rest of the room and outside was bitter cold
  5. The sound of the laughter and giggles and the low rumble of talk – both from loud booming voices to low, discrete whispers of my three children (when they were small, of course, although hearing the adult version of their voices still puts a smile on my face)
  6. The security I felt when all three of my children were asleep at the same time under the same roof and the feeling of serenity I experienced when I would check on them one final time before going to bed
  7. The feeling of life growing, expanding, and moving inside of me when I was pregnant
  8. The smells of candles and incense at church during the quite moments before service – I have many fond memories of Masses at St. Francis and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Bakersfield
  9. The smell of bright lavender lilacs in the spring
  10. Seeing fireflies dart and hover around the horizon at dusk during late spring and summer
  11. Feeding baby calves from a bottle
  12. The feeling one has the first few moments after mounting a horse and taking the initial first, few steps
  13. The comfort I felt to be surrounded by extended family; the security and warmth that would overwhelm with the sense of loving and being loved and cared for
  14. The feeling of running ones fingers over the keys of a piano when playing “Fur Elise”
  15. Innocence … mine was lost way too soon and I have never recovered
  16. Almost anything cooked or baked by my Grandma – kolache, bismarks, hotdogs wrapped in dough … you name it
  17. Teaching a small child to sound out a word for the first time and the look on his/her face when he/she realizes that a word was just “read”
  18. The sound of Slovak being spoken… from those I loved and who have been long gone
  19. The feeling of loving and being loved and not every thinking that it could end – someone would leave – or it could be taken away
  20. The sensation youfavorite things feel when your own small child falls asleep while sitting in your lap
  21. The joy of reading anything by Roald Dahl out loud to students
  22. Seeing famous awe-inspiring sites for the first time: The view from Sacre Cour in Paris; Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament; swans along the River Thames; the majestic Redwoods; the deep purple Rocky Mountains. The list can go on and on …

Apparently, it is a good thing that my ambitions are not to be a famous lyricist as I would have failed miserably with this rather long, wordy list of “Things that I Greatly Miss”!  While there may not be any “cream colored ponies” or “schnitzel with noodles” on my list, these are all things that I remember dearly and fondly.

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