Welcome to My Ol' World

This rooster says, "Welcome to my ol' world!" This tin rooster was and maybe still is situated next to an old house in Northwestern Wisconsin. It welcomed visitors, usually family, to my parents home. I started to write house instead of home, but thought better of that. To my parents, unlike me, that house is their HOME. It's the first house they bought after many years of marriage and renting. They have lived in that home for 43 years. I only spent four years of my life living there full-time before I went to college.

I chose this picture today, because this morning I happened to pick up a book, "Come Read With Me." This book is a collection of stories and poems written by members of the Northwest (Wisconsin) Regional Writers club, of which I was a member. Many of the writers in this club are people of my parent's age and they often write of their youth and things that occurred then. One story told of an old house and the happenings there for several generations. For some reason, it brought on a sense of nostalgia and sadness, perhaps homesickness, in me. That's OK, because as the story implied, things change. Even thinking back to my own history, I have memories of fun, happiness and sadness. We all do. That's OK, that's life.

I have this photo of the rooster framed and setting on my kitchen counter for several reasons. I like the oldness of it with the rust showing. The stars remind me of the Texas stars that prevalent down here. The deep red of the rooster comb and the flowers is my second favorite color and it matches my granite counter top. :) I have to put a smiley face here, because I value color coordination. Also, the word WELCOME is not commonly used in a greeting, but for some reason, I have often used that when visitors arrive. "Welcome!" Another reason I like the photo is that it reminds me of my parents. It's not great photo, technically, but to me it's a symbol of my ol' world. Welcome!