January and February are all tucked away now into history. Today there is snow on the ground but Spring is coming. Winter will have his way for one last time. David is out of town this week, Silas is working and the house is free from workmen.
We had a kitchen grease fire about two weeks ago. Thank goodness no one was hurt but the results have been a lot of repairs. New paint, Living room and Kitchen, new kitchen floor, new kitchen wallpaper border, everything cleaned and some things packed away, The carpets have yet to be cleaned and the cabinets returned refinished and the floor to be installed.
Silas' quick thinking saved major damage. He covered the greasy inferno with a plate. By the time the fire department arrived, the fire was out. The response time by the F.D. was VERY quick!
Mr. Fritz and Hans are living in our usually off-limits to bunns, bedroom. I've worked a bit with the two in bonding. Bunns in the bedroom! Now there's a idea.
Back Tracking Now
January. (first half of the month)
Early in the new year someone forged our bank account number and wrote a bunch of checks. Funny, though, the bank didn't catch the different name on the checks or the fact that the account number was not totally correct. Didn't catch the fact either that the checks had been printed on a home printer.. Good Grief. At least we didn't have to honor the bad checks..only had the hassle of getting a new account and changing everything to that. Turns out this woman wrote checks on a bunch of accounts. The phone number on the checks.. Too Funny.. turned out to be a social worker's office. Probably used a phone number she knew well...her caseworkers,,, Oh well.
Fire Damage
Double Click to Enlarge
Wallpaper Border
Because I could not stop for Death
Emily Dickinson
Because I could not stop for Death--
He kindly stopped for me--
The Carriage held but just Ourselves--
And Immortality.
We slowly drove--He knew no haste
And I had put away
My labor and my leisure too,
For His Civility--
We passed the School, where Children strove
At Recess--in the Ring--
We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain--
We passed the Setting Sun--
Or rather--He passed us--
The Dews drew quivering and chill--
For only Gossamer, my Gown--
My Tippet--only Tulle--
We paused before a House that seemed
A Swelling of the Ground--
The Roof was scarcely visible--
The Cornice--in the Ground--
Since then--'tis Centuries--and yet
Feels shorter than the Day
I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity--
January 25, 2005 (Thoughts on Death)
Ethel passed away today. She was 80 years old. David said he felt death in the room at Christmas when we were there to visit.. Thinking back on all the events, it is truly amazing how God works out every detail. We went to see her on Sunday. She had pneumonia. Went to see her on Monday and David spent time with her Monday night. She seemed some better. Tuesday morning, I felt very wide awake--unusual knowing my night owl habit. (I'm usually zonked) But I decided to work on a dress for Ethel I had cut out last Spring. It was a new pattern and the sleeves were too snug so I cut sleeves from another pattern, sewed those in, put in a hem. I called Tuesday morning to check on Ethel and the staff told me she was doing better, said she ate a good breakfast. (she had been having trouble swallowing) and that they were going to get her up today. I finished the dress, starched and ironed it, just had hung in on a hanger, when they called and told me the news. Of course, we knew it was a possibility she would pass away soon, but since the positive news of the morning, I was thinking that the dress would be lovely for the Spring. Ethel never knew I made dresses for her. If she did, I never knew. This Spring dress was my last gift. She is wearing it now.
All the events surrounding a death are a whirlwind of details and decisions. All the while, the mind is attempting to grasp the expanse of it all. I am thankful for the pre-planning we'd had to do when she went into the nursing home almost 6 years before. Funerals are expensive!
David rented a van and we took Ethel back to her home in Arkansas. Our last act of kindness. Transporting a loved one yourself is a bit odd, I suppose. We could have had her body shipped by air, but neither of us wanted to do that. Reactions to our decision were mixed but it seemed perfectly natural to us. Not in the least bit morbid. We covered her casket with a blanket and drove the 680 something miles to Arkansas where she could rest between her Grandmother and favorite Aunt.
I was so impressed by Brother Rogers. Years ago, he brought his Dad from Indianapolis in a covered pick up truck to be buried in Jeffersonville. I always thought that was a wonderful gesture of love. We found out too, that David's brothers had done the same for their grandmother, taking her back to Louisiana many years before.
I suppose I didn't find the idea of this last gesture of kindness morbid or strange because I think of death with a different view. How could I be totally sad for Ethel. Alzheimer's had robbed her of her memories and her body was giving out as well, It was a blessing how God just reached down and called her away. When the nurses went to get up her, she had already gone..
How wonderful is this thing called death we fear so much. How awful it would be if there was never a way to escape.this negative side of life into the positive side of forever.. Death is an open door and Jesus Christ stands in that door.
Death where is your sting? Grave, where is your victory? If all is right between you and God, death must have a sweet taste. This trip reminded me of my faith. I still believe.
I haven't written in a while but I think of writing a lot. Things I see, hear, taste, smell or touch inspire me and I think... that would make a lovely story. Sometimes, I even compose the story in my mind. I can see the characters, hear them speak but alas. These days they tend to stay in my mind.
Over the weekend we took a trip back to Jeffersonville, Indiana. We counted our days there-comings and goings. Coming to Jeffersonville the first time... Sept, 1980..The actual milestone date is written somewhere..in my Bible I suspect. How I loved addressing envelopes with "Jeffersonville, Indiana" written on them!
Going away, 1992? The pressing need of livelihood took us away to Michigan. 5 Winters there!
Back- well not back really.Indianapolis..
2 hours away but as I have learned.. 2 hours
can be as far away as the moon.
I think often these days about time.
Where does it go? What is time anyway?
I've heard it defined like this: Time is just a bump
on the great circle which is eternity. When time is over, it blends back into eternity.
Doesn't that make perfect sense?
I seem to be at odds with many things of late. Like who
is that horrible sad old woman in my mirror and what is she
doing in my bathroom. Where did the giggling little girl go?
The one who waved at planes, splashed in puddles
and donned rabbit ears just for the effect of it? I miss her.
I don't even know where my rabbit ears are anymore. I used to keep them in the glove box in the truck..just in case.
Note to Self: write about wisteria and porch swings, Shirley, Voices in my head
Floor Pattern
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Amazing, exactly one month since I last updated my journal. May has slipped in and is half gone already. Today I am reminded of a word. It flashes in my head and has caused me much trouble in the past. Will I ever learn restraint? The word is exuberance.
.
Webster Says:
1 : the quality or state of being exuberant
2 : an exuberant act or expression
Now, that was a lot of help, wasn't it? Let's try again, shall we?
The state of being exuberant; an overflowing quantity; a copious or excessive production or supply; superabundance; richness; as, an exuberance of joy, of fancy, or of foliage.
Somehow, I have this great need to share..to connect.-.to exuberate and it often gets me into trouble. I tend to share pictures with strangers. All they need to do is exhibit the slightest bit of interest. Or if something delights me, I share- well, delights beg to be shared, don't they.? I think the fault lies in the "JOY" part. Joy sometimes overwhelms me, erupts and bursts out like some wild river desperately seeking the ocean. Hummmm? To be covered in joy? Perhaps, akin to being covered in chocolate cherry essence However, many people don't care for ice cream or cherries or chocolate and so it is with exuberance.
Another word that seems to be flashing on and off this morning like some demented warning sign, is spontaneous. I tend to be spontaneously exuberant! Note the use of an exclamation point. See what I mean? <sigh>
Apologies to the victim of my latest surge of spontaneous exuberance.
Retrieving Note To Self
Many thanks to Shirley, Joyce, and the Brothers for their kindness and hospitality to weary travelers. I can't recall a time when I've felt more welcomed.! The home made muffins and wonderful breakfast was magnificent and the "treasure" biscuits were wonderfully devoured at some juncture in the journey.home. I can't recall the location but the biscuit memory remains very tasty.. Thanks also for checking on our progress and seeing us safely home. Thanks S. I'll think of you with
great fondness sitting on your porch swing enjoying theWisteria. I, too have a fancy for porch swings and purple blooms.
Voices in my Head
The voices I've heard in my head never direct me to do horrendous things. I think it's my heart speaking to my head, making it audible. Strange? Yeah. You Betcha! I can only recall this happening three times.
Recently, we visited some wonderful friends who live South of us. Illnesses has left our dear friend Bob, unable to speak..
I've heard it said that all voices and sounds are still with us going round and round. Radio and TV waves are flashing past at this moment. It's just a matter of having the right device to capture them. I think it must be the same with voices in my head. The device to capture would be memory but it seems to be self-activating.
One morning after our visit, I was eating oatmeal and tilted the bowl to get the last bit. Suddenly, very plainly and audible I heard this gentle man's voice . His wonderful Alabama accent was intact.. His voice came with the memory of another tilted bowl of something or other that I was eating and wondering whether or not to tilt in public and enjoy the last goodie bites. No one else at the table noticed me I suppose, except Brother Bob and the memory of this moment was tucked away neatly happily waiting to reappear some glad morning.
"Go ahead, Sister." Brother Bob said. with a smile.
And I did. <grin>
I've heard voices in my head before.. Once, I heard my husband calling me and he wasn't even home. It was so real, I went to search for him and even answered. Another time I recall voices was when I was 18 years old. I had moved out into an apartment. One morning I heard my Dad's voice calling me to get up. (as he did many times before) I remember answering him and sitting up in bed. I always thought I'd heard him calling out to me because of all the pain I caused in moving out. Just a theory .
I have learned.... if someone suddenly comes on your mind, they are probably thinking about you as well. If the person comes to your mind and stays for a while, say a prayer for them, they are in need.
Audible voices in my head are not at all the same as talking to myself. I firmly belive that sometimes we all need a "good talking to".
David gave me lovely pink roses and a nice rabbit card.
May 20 - My 53rd birthday.
It was a very nice birthday. I received many
e-cards and greetings from on-line friends,
some very beautiful cards from others
(actually sent VIA USPS) and a special card from my Mom..
Thanks to all who remembered and took the time
to make my birthday a very special one.!
Friday, August 12, 2005
I haven't written in a while. June and July just slipped away. And it's a shame that as I try to think back on something to mark their passing, nothing comes to mind. Now, that's just sad!
I have made a couple of quilts. One was a simple nine patch put together with fat quarter scraps and bailing wire. I've decided a name for the type of sewing I do.. It's called: "Don't ask, Don't Tell!" So, if it pleases me and the mistakes don't yell out at people passing, then I'm happy.
This Summer has been really hot! I bought a bird feeder with
my birthday money and it has been a constant source of joy.
The other day there was a rooftop of Doves (Dove families,
Mamas, Daddies & offspring) all waiting for their supper.
I Delight in Doves! One Dove remained very brave. He never
flew away when we opened the door. All the others flew
in a flurry. He just sat by the bird bath and waited.
I told all the other Doves, not to fear for I would never
harm any of them but this lone brave Dove was the only
one who understood human language.
The bonus to the feeder is that ducks from the pond discovered it. A mama duck brought all her babies (one behind the other) to eat at the base of the tree. We started buying squirrel food for them.. Lots of corn and peanuts. . News travels fast in the duck world... we counted 15 hens feasting on the corn. It took a while to get a picture of them and when my Husband and I hide ourselves behind the Morning Glories on the porch, we discovered why.
The ducks were suddenly there, ate voraciously and rapidly and then were gone.. Poof!
Our bird feeder has attracted other wildlife as well. We were all surprised to see a Red Fox making his rounds one early morning. Silas took his picture. He was munching seeds that fell from the bird feeder
Our Blue Heron came by this afternoon and graciously posed for his picture before talking his leave.
These are pictures that made me smile.
None are mine but the captions are...Click the squirrel to enjoy the slide show.
October 10, 2005
Wow! September slipped away without stopping to say hello. Here we are in October.. My favorit month.
Silas has moved out into a place of his own- away from parental advisings. That was September's news!
David has been in training class last week and this as well. There will be two more weeks in November. Then the exam in December. Perhaps, I will be able to go with him and after the exam have a nice visit to Chicago. I hope Christmas decor will be up by Dec. 2,
We go to visit family down south this next Sunday. I'll miss seeing Michael as he has moved to Texas.
We continue to be amused by the wild ducks. They have become so cued to us. Now, if I walk toi the mail box, those greedy quackers will begin the march to the food tree. Two by two, they line up and begin their march. It is too funny for words!
We have new friends in Sao Paulo, Brazil. A family of five. I recieved e-mail from them and we began corresponding via the compuer. Portuguese is a beautiful language! There are two versions... European and Brazillian. These nice folks were searching the web and came upon my web site. Of particulair interest to them was my COELHINHOS. (rabbits) The little boy of the family is seven years old, has a bunny named Long Legs and wants to be a vet when he grows up! How cool is that! And the girl, Isabealla send many kisses to Mr Fritz!
Indiana
to Arkansas
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
We have returned from our vacation "down south" We enjoyed ourselves-even managed to stay an extra day! We visited with friends and family and enjoyed all the GREEN! I was hoping for many colored leaves but there had been no chill to inspire the leaves to change. One day it was 90 degrees, but the next day, Fall was in the air for sure.
I kept a road trip journal on the way down but on the way back, I was just too tired. Here's our route and a few of my notes:
Hot Springs has changed so much, I was lost most of the time. David and I snapped some nice pictures on North Mountain and at the Gulpa Gorge. When Silas was a baby, we spent some time at the Gulpa Gorge Campground. It was Christmas and we stayed in a converted school bus borrowed from the folks. It was actually, cozy and quite nice. This campground offers no lights or convenience facilities but the memory is a happy one. David and I used to come often to Gulpa Gorge to have our lunch long ago. It's a beautiful place!
A friend from highschool came down from Pascagoula and we had a nice visit before she had to head back. We went to visit another class mate at his business and pose for a few pictures. Christopher has those on his camera. Hurry up Christopher and post those.. :)
Time passed too quickly as it always does. The rabbits did well with the sitters. David laughed at me for leaving messages on the answering machine for the bunns. I admit they did sound kinda silly when I replayed them. GRIN.. OH WELL. Velvet spent her time chasing the sitter out of her room, and pulling socks and pant legs. Mr Fritz spent his time plotting escapes from the kitchen. He succeeded a couple of times.. the naughty rascal! Happy to be Home Again in Indiana.
David and Me at the Campground
North Mountain Scenery & Gulpa Gorge
Double Click to Enlarge
Now, I want to go to Starlight, Indiana
for a lovely Fall drive!
Get some apples and sugar free apple butter.. YUM!
Halloween.... We had some great looking ghosties and goblins last night. David and I had fun passing out goodies.
David and I had a lovely weekend together. Yesterday, we went to Starlight, Indiana and the Huber Farm Market. We enjoyed everything-bought some apple butter and carmel coated apples for the neighbor's kids to put in their Halloween treat bag and some old-fashioned peppermint candy. The Petting Zoo was the most fun though.
Wow! Not a single entry for poor November. Thanksgiving was especially nice. Silas brought a turkey he received from his work and he bought many of the other dinner fixins. We had a very nice visit. He visited all his time off for the holiday. We all ate too much but enjoyed each other's company. I'm still amazed by the change in our relationship.
No Christmas trip to Chicago. David took the exam the last day of training, so there is no need to travel back for the exam. He did very well on it as he always does.
We had snow yesterday. little spitting snow.. some in the South called it "hominy" snow. I always think of it as "sugar snow". It's actually tiny little flakes that look more like ice than snow. The grass is still green. Imagine
that!
Some Thoughts on Christmas-Then and Now
When I think about the Christmastimes of my youth and compare them to the Christmastimes of today, the contrast is amazing to be sure. My Sister and I sang many carols while washing dishes, In those far off days, we always had a live tree, put up.. maybe two weeks before Christmas.. When the lights were put on the tree, we always held our breath because one bulb blown out would make the entire string fail. Those were wonderful, deliciously secret days. We believed in Santa Claus and no gifts were ever wrapped. They would all appear Christmas morning under the tree. Times were hard and I'm sure Christmas was a struggle to manage, but I never felt deprived or underprivileged. I remember Daddy going to woods and cutting Christmas trees and selling them on a corner down town. Mama made live holly berry wreaths. Some of the trees were spray painted silver.. that always fascinated me. We had live mistletoe too if Daddy could find some in a tall tree and shoot it down.
So, here we are at another Christmas.. It has become a big fight about what Christmas really is.and what to call it.. Shall we call it.. Winter Holiday? Sparkly Day? Season of Red and Green? Virulent Consumer Day? No, it's still Christmas!
There were always folks with different beliefs when I was growing up. Schools used to exchange gifts and have a Christmas party. Kids that didn't care to participate just didn't. It was no big deal. but we didn't change to accommodate them and they were not offended.
My views on Christmas would no doubt seem very strange, so I will keep them to myself. There is enough strange and shocking things in the world and I'll not add mine to the mix. Well, I won't unless specifically asked to share.. <smile> Happy HumBug Everyone!
December 31, 2005 New Year's Eve!
This month has rushed by quickly. Christmas was a lovely experience this year. Silas visited with us for a while. I cooked.. We all ate too much. I feel very blessed this year with so many cards and gifts from freinds and family.
One friend in Texas sent a wonderful package filled with good stuff to eat. Elderberry jelly, Tomato Relish and Bread and Butter Pickles.. most special because the lady that "put these" pickles up is no longer with us. How thoughtful, my friend, sending these sweet reminders of home long ago, when pickles were in mason jars.
Another friend sent some delicious Chex-Mix with Cranberries and Pumpkin cookies... Happy New Year!
