Perfectly Harmony

“That’s right. Your not from here. You moved down from New York? Aren’t the winters there the same as year?” Karna might even argue they were worse conserving they were right on the water here in Maine. “It’s hard, somethings, when I didn’t get to do any normal things as a child I don’t know how to do them with Harper.” She admitted, feeling a bit out of element. “ I want to be the best mother, I can be, but sometimes it’s hard. I feel like I’m failing her.” She sighed, taking a sip of warm tea from her  thermos. “That’s right. I think I’ve seen posters. Their putting on A Christmas Carol right? Which part are you?”

“Yeah, I was in New York for the last fifteen years.” Harmony explained as for a long time she had thought that she’d never leave. The city was her home but it hadn’t felt like that the last few months she’d been there. “I am from eastern Canada originally though.” The woman added as it wasn’t a fact that most people knew about her. While Harmony tried to go home as much as she could, it wasn’t always possible. “I think the fact that you are trying makes a difference though.” Harmony added as she felt that was more than a lot of people did. “We are putting on A Christmas Carol. I opted to mostly do behind the scenes stuff, but I am also being Emily.”

“I’m seriously done now. No more.” She had planned to be done after Lucas, but the twins were unplanned and came as a complete surprise. “And I’m totally here to talk any of that out with you. I know you’ve been through so much, and I’d be more than happy to lend an ear,” she offered, a kind smile on her face. Liv had been through a divorce herself. It was one of the hardest things to deal with. “Perfect! Hardwood is the best. And it’s so easy to clean. Do you have a spin mop? Let me tell you, it is a game changer and way better than a Swiffer.”

“I mean at this point you almost have enough for a whole sports team, you might as well keep going.” Harmony teased her friend with a wink. She knew Liv was a good mother to all of her children, and they were lucky to have her. “Right now it is mostly just figuring out if I should jump back into the dating game, or wait things out.” She replied as Harmony wasn’t even sure how to seriously date as an adult.  “I do have one! I completely agree, I don’t think I could live without one honestly.”

“I don’t think the thought is bad.” Anni laughed. “At least then we know we wouldn’t have any snow in our socks.” she laughed again, a small shake of her head. Anni had always loved the snow. From childhood into adulthood, she could remember how excited she’d get at the mere thought of snow being around would make her happy for weeks. Which always made her mother laugh; Anni claimed her favorite season was Fall, but knowing just how much joy filled her in the winter time it should’ve been Winter. “It’s funny that you mention that, because my favorite season is surprisingly fall.” she laughed. “I know it probably doesn’t seem that way with the way I talk about snow sometimes, but as a parent to a four year old who hates when any part of her body is cold, I totally get where you’re coming from.” she laughed. “I will say though, I bought a pair of wool socks - both short and long - from Blush Boutique that seem to hold up pretty well and don’t slip. They aren’t super thick either so they pair nicely with even the tightest boots.” 

“Having that guarantee is sometimes all we can ask for as far as snow is concerned.”  Harmony said as she new that is was probably too much to ask not to get a ton of it. She hadn’t lived through her first Maine winter yet, but she knew they were pretty north which meant tons of snow was unavoidable. “There is something beautiful about the fall time. All of the leaves changing colors and the entire atmosphere of it all.” Harmony replied as she understood why so many people were obsessed with the season. It was great from an aesthetic point of view. “Four year olds tend to be pretty set in their opinions too.” She added with a chuckle as children always seemed to know what they wanted.  “I will have to go check it out and see if they have anymore. I good pair of socks is never something that you can have too many of.”  Harmony replied as she made a mental note about it. She was in need of some more wardrobe in general at this point hoenstly.

“ Oh ya, when I was a kid I feel like we had a lot more school days than the kids do now. Now they have the roads plowed before you’re even up in the morning. “ Sylvie laughed slightly. “ I mean you still have to get out of your house which sucks. I hate having to clear the driveway and walkway just to get the kids to school. “ Sylvie said giving harmony a smile. “ Hey if you need anything though you let me know. “

“Oh the magical wonders of a snow day.” Harmony replied with a small chuckle. There was no better feeling in the world as a kid. It was a bit of a shame that adults didn’t get snow days from work. “I think I might need to find someone to pay to shovel my driveway.” She said as Harmony had never had to worry about that sort of thing before.  It was yet another thing she’d taken for granted. “I will for sure.” 

“ Oh of course. I think I have grown so use to it that the blizzards and winter storms do not even faze me anymore. “ She said with a slightly laugh. As most people had always loved spring and summer, Sylvie adored winter. There was always something so magical about a thick blanket of snow covering everything. It made everything sparkle, made it all so bright. “ I don’t think we will loose power. I don’t think we have since I was a kid. Everything technology wise has gotten so much better. “ She offered a smile trying to calm Harmony’s worries. “ It will be the perfect time to snuggle up and read a good book or too. “

“I was definitely that way as a kid, but I feel I have been spoiled these last few years.” Harmony said with a chuckle. Sure, New York got snow but it didn’t get it to the level that she had been used to when she was young. Then again, nowhere seemed to get that much snow anymore.  “That is true enough, a lot of the power lines and things are a lot more protected than they used to be.” She added as likely overtime people had realized it was just better to not lose power. It was a lot safer when people were able to  keep themselves warm and things.  “Very true indeed. It’s been ages.”

“How? You’re wearing less than I am.” Karna pointed out, unaware of her  Canadian origins. “I’ve never really been a fan of the cold.” She had to admit, pulling on her leather jacket as she got situated. “Same here. We didn’t really have the money for this sort of thing. I didn’t start coming till a few years ago, I guess I’m making up for lost time.” She’d been doing that a lot lately, now that harper was back. “You’re right about the car for the kids. It’s just hard for me to see sometimes, because then I feel guilty for leaving Harper and missing out on so much with her.  What about you, anything exciting going on in your life? Any shows are beau’s?”

“I guess it’s in my blood.” Harmony joked with a chuckle. She could understand not being a fan of the cold though. To a certain extent she wasn’t sure that anyone fully loved being cold. “I guess that makes sense.” Harmony replied as movies in general could be pretty expensive, so when you were hard on cash they were an easy thing to cut. What her family lacked was time mostly, not money. “I am sure that you did what you thought was best.” Harmony replied as while she couldn’t fully relate, she figured that Karna hadn’t missed out on her daughter’s life out of malice.  “I have been really busy with the theatre lately. I haven’t had much time for anything else.”

“You can take a couple of mine if you need to” Liv offered, letting out a laugh. “But no, I get it. And I’m sorry she is so stuck in her ways. She needs to broaden her horizons and just let you live your life. If you want to be a mom, you do that. Doesn’t matter if your kids are biological or not. If you don’t want kids, that’s fine too.” Liv would always be in Harmony’s corner no matter what. “Are you thinking hardwood? Tile? Carpet? I might have some contacts who could help you for that project.” 

“You do have a few to spare it seems.” Harmony joked back with a small chuckle. She couldn’t imagine having to juggle that many kids.  “It’s always just been a little bit complicated, even before I got divorced. So I guess I just need to figure out where my life is heading.” She replied as she knew that she did want kids. Harmony had always wanted them, but things didn’t work out the way she thought it would. After her and her now ex-husband had been unable to conceive she’d given up. “I want to get hardwood because I think it will look the best.”

“That’s one of the things I’m grateful for.” she paused, realizing that her statement didn’t quite match up with what the other was saying. Anni had this habit of listening, but then replying with whatever the after thought was, and while she was working on getting better at it, it was moments like this where she blurted out only part of what she was thinking and not all of it. “Sorry..” she laughed a little shaking her head. “I’m not grateful for snow in my boots, that is really frustrating, but, I am thankful that my daughter is still young enough for me to throw a snowsuit on her and call it a day. Because I know she would pout if I let snow get in her socks, and with good reason, it’s no fun.” she admitted. “Sadly, snowsuits are the only real solution I’ve found to that problem, and well, I don’t mind how it looks if it’s comfortable, but, the price of the few adult snow suits I’ve found is not something I want to put my money towards.” 

“Honestly, I am starting to wonder if the price of an adult snowsuit is something I want to put my money towards.” Harmony countered with a chuckle. She knew that sort of thing was likely expensive, but it wasn’t as though she couldn’t afford it. While she hadn’t made a fortune on Broadway, she had gotten some money from her divorce. While it had been money she hadn’t wanted, her ex-husband had insisted she take some of the money that she was entitled to. Harmony had used it to purchase a house, but she still had some left.  “I put my home country to shame with how much I hate winter.” Harmony added with a shake of her head. The woman’s kindness might embody Canada, but her hatred for all things cold really put a damper in her overall pride for the country. 

“Wet feet is the worst. I’m the kind of person that will have to stop everything I’m doing to go get clean socks.” she spoke. “Unless of course I am and then like you said, I’m just miserable until I can get home to some fresh ones.” she spoke. “Tights work!” Nia nodded, clearly excited someone else was on board with the idea she’d used in New York a few time. “Or leggings which are practically the same thing, minus the feet part. I’ve noticed when I wear those under my jeans or something like that, the socks don’t tend to fall as much, especially if I put the bottom of the leggings on top of the socks. But, I think the tights idea makes more sense. That way your feet are also covered and you don’t have to wear socks. That’s smart.” 

“I used to carry a pair of dry socks with mee everywhere I went. It’s a habit I fell our of when I lived in a big city, but maybe I need to get back into it.” Harmony replied as often the sidewalks in New York were actually clean so it was less of a problem. Now that she was transitioning back into small town living it likely wouldn’t hurt to be prepared. “Leggings are honestly one of the best things to ever be invented. They are so comfortable that it is almost like wearing PJs out of the house but without the judgement of wearing actual PJs.” Harmony replied as she knew that she use to wear leggings almost every day,

“merino wool.” he commented briefly, a small nod of his head. “the stuff from New Zealand is the best in my opinion. It’s never failed me once. Keeps you dry, never slips in leather boots. It’s good.” Not that he knew a great deal about it, but he seemed to always get gifted a pair of marino socks at christmas, and at least one scarf. He didn’t mind though, they were decent enough gifts. 

“I will have to look into it.” Harmony replied as she knew that she was open to any suggestion at this point. “Thank you for the suggestion.” She added with a small smile as she  felt it was something she’d look into. “I should  really be better at dealing with snow than I am to be honest with you. I think I just got used to not having to deal with a ton of it when I was living in New York.” 

Sylvie LOVED nothing more than winter. There was something so magical about a white blanket of fresh snow covering the ground.  “ I mean I would buy fresh stuff and make some fresh soup. That is what I do if and when there is going to be a storm. It’s always better for a snow storm because you’ll have unlimited amounts of snow to keep things cold. Do you have a generator and gas burner incase you loose power? That is something we always have ready, but I don’t think we have had to use it yet. Knock on wood. “ Snow storms for her were nothing new as she grew up in Bridgeport. “ If you need anything don’t be afraid to reach out to us. I always make sure we are stocked up. Teenage boys tend to eat a lot. :

“Yeah, that is probably some good advice. It sounds nice to have some fresh soup while I watch the snow fall.” Harmony replied as she made a mental note of that. It wasn’t something that she had thought about. “I do have a gas burner, but I am not sure about how it works. I should probably look into that.” She replied as Harmony wasn’t great when it came to that thing. “I am hoping to just not lose power, but I know I can’t rely on that.” Harmony added as she knew it was bound to happen at some point. It was better to be prepared about that sort of thing than not.  “Thank you Sylvie, I do appreciate that.”

“I thought I was the only one that hated that!” Nia couldn’t lie; she’d quite loved the idea of the snow falling. It reminded her home and it also helped that winter had always been her favorite season. “I used to wear leg warmers, the ones that sit just over your socks when I lived in New York and that used to help.” she shrugged. “Though, now that you mention it I did have the issue with my socks falling even then, so, I totally get what you mean there. That’s kind of the worst feeling. Second to snow in your shoe.”

“I just hate having wet feet, and it happens every time. The snow melts and then I am just uncomfortable until I can go home and put on fresh socks” Harmony replied as she knew that it was a pretty minor thing to complain about.  “Maybe the best solution is to just wear thick tights all the time. Your socks can roll down into your boot if you aren’t wearing any socks.” Harmony added as she wondered if that could be the solution. “Or knee high socks maybe. There’s got to be a solution to it.”

Having known Harmony for a long time, Liv never cared that much for her mother. She just wasn’t good for Harmony, and Liv didn’t like the way she was towards her. “Oh gosh. I don’t know why she feels the need to say those things to you. You seem to be doing perfectly fine on your own,” she said with a nod. “She should be trying to support you, not tell you what she thinks you need to do. What do you need done at the house?” 

“She just wants grandbabies and all of those sorts of things, and while I could adopt kids and raise them as a single mother, she is a bit of a traditionalist.” Harmony explained as that was the best way to put it. Children always been something she wanted, and she’d been thinking about adoption before her marriage imploded.  “Nothing major, that’s the thing. But I’d love to get one of my floors replaced, but that is more of a want than a need.”

“Do you know what I’ve decided I like about winter around here?” Harmony asked the man but didn’t leave the time for him to actually answer. “Someone snowplowed for me so when I woke up this morning my driveway was already clear.” She added as it had been a pleasant surprise to wake up to. “I am sure that it saved me at least an hour of my time. I am a weakling and I only own a shovel.” 

“The thing I always seem to forget about the snow is how cold it gets when it somehow makes its way down your boot.” Harmony replied with a small chuckle as she could feel that her sock was growing a little wet from some rogue snow that had gotten in there. No matter what sort of boots that the woman wore it always seemed to happen eventually. The only way she’d prevented it as a kid was by wearing snowpants, and she couldn’t exactly run around with those as an adult.   “The only thing that might be worse is when you wear the wrong socks and they slip their way off your foot and inside your boot.”

Big Al’s drive in @theharmonyjones

“I’ve got extra blankets if your cold. The cocoa should warm us up though.” Karna smiled, moving her seats down so they could sit comfortably in her back seat to watch the movie. “Let’s hope no one decides to show up with a car load of kids next to us.” She chuckled, stretching herself out. “I haven’t been to the drive in since I was s kid. I’m usually always working. Maybe I’ll start doing this more often. Mental health days are a common thing these days, right?”

“It’s not too bad.” Harmony replied because she was used to chilly weather. Growing up in Canada had prepared her for the cold, although she was realizing that Maine got pretty cold as well. “This does seem like the type of place to bring a car full of kids when you need a break.” She pointed out as Harmony knew movies had always kept her entertained when she was young.  “I have only been to a drive-in a handful of times honestly. It just wasn’t something my family did.”