Excitement's a'brewing

After a sleepless night, I decided to add a very brief blog before leaving on our PA trip. I guess I was just too excited to rest well, so I decided to discontinue my tossing and turning at 5:30 AM and blog. I talked with both sisters last night and I'm not sure which one is more excited about this trip; I think my older sister since she has never been to the Amish country. She and her husband often talked about going but never got there. My younger sister has been there with our church group and also on a camping trip, both being quite a few years ago. Me, well, I have been probably been at least 6 times but I enjoyed them all. It's one of my favorite places to visit; however, since my first trip there in 1983, the place has become so commercialized and congested that it hardly feels like the same place; it gets a little more congested on each trip. It probably appears to me the same way that Alaska appears to my brother-in-law who has visited there 6 + times. Alaska, too, has become quite commercialized. It used to be considered the last frontier; however, roads are better, towns are quite modernized, churches are plentiful, and inhabitants are making a good living. In fact, people who live there get a certain amount of dollars for living there (which I think would be a great place to live).

At any rate, I'm satisfied where I am but have never seen a place I didn't like something about. As Hubby always says, "I like everywhere. A place is what you make it and I can be happy living anywhere." Sometimes, we may get the feeling that the grass is greener somewhere else. We need to learn satisfaction so long as we are doing the best that we can, living honestly, and serving God wherever we are.

Boring...Boring...Boring

I cannot believe that I have been so negligent in my blogging this week, especially since I have been home all week. Actually, I had so little to tell that I figured anything I wrote would be boring. That reminds me of my daughter, Kendra, when she was in the early grades. One day she came home and I asked her how school was. Being the smart child that she was and still is, she responded with an analogy. She frowned and, as she jumped up on her bed, she said, "School was just like my mattress...boring!...boring!...Boring!!"

I apologize but I cannot say I will do better next week. My siblings and I will be leaving tomorrow morning for a 5 day trip to the Amish county of Pennsylvania so I won't have access to the computer. I was told that the place we will be staying doesn't haven't WiFi. I will try to blog again next Thursday night or Friday morning after my return.

My older daughter came down Friday and spent last night with me. We stayed up until after midnight enjoying talking; then, today, we enjoyed a few hours shopping. It was a fun time we shared together before she had to drive almost 3 hours back home.

I mentioned in an earlier blog that I wouldn't be able to see my grandchildren again before I left on my trip but there was a change in plans. Since they had car trouble, they went to the lake instead of the mountains as previously planned. The first opportunity I had, I rushed down to see the 2 cuties. When I arrived, Mark was getting them out of the car and taking them to swim in the lake. They were so cute with their floats! When they returned to the camper, Clay had to show me all his Thomas the train pieces and Livvy had a little cars; however, she was more interested in a twist tie off a bag than any toy. Isn't that typical of little ones? Sometimes, I wonder why we spend so much money on toys when some little something is all they often want.

Some things are never forgotten

I'm not having the best of luck today seeing my grandchildren. This afternoon, I went by the sitter's home thinking I would see them when they awoke from their naps...not. They were still asleep at 3:15 and more company came in then so I decided I should leave. At 5:30, I had a nominating committee meeting at the church. Wouldn't you know they came over while I was away and by the time I returned at 8:00, they had gone home to bed. Why is it so bad to miss the kiddies today, you may wonder. They are leaving for the mountains in the morning and will not return until Sunday. That's not too long; however, I will be leaving Sunday morning with my siblings for our annual summer vacation. This means that I will be unable to see them for an entire week and a day. I realize that I have to suffer longer than that in the winter when we are away for several weeks; yet, it's still no fun not seeing them on a regular basis. What will I do? Who will ring my little magnet phone? Who will tease me and beg for treats? Maybe I can talk my baby sister into doing these things. She used to be guilty of this; maybe she remembers how even if it has been about 50 years. Some things one just never forgets, right Sis?

The Mail Must be Delivered

On May 5 of this year, I called the local florist and ordered a flower arrangement for my dear brother-in-law (and a beautiful arrangement it was!). Because I called it in and the owners know me well, they just charged it to me. They usually do this for me then send me a bill through the postal service. I was so pleased with the florist and told them so on many, many occasions; but, I noticed they were a bit quiet the last time I ordered from them. (Since May, when I ordered, I had gone in to order and paid them on the spot). I had wondered why I had not received a bill for the May flowers but decided that they were just backed up with business or something and that I would get it soon, not realizing how long it had actually been since I had placed the order. Yesterday, I received a phone message from one of the workers saying that the owner was wondering if I had thought I had paid them or if, perhaps, my check had been lost in the mail. Actually, when I returned the call, I learned that they had sent the bill to my old box number and the post office had not forwarded it to me as was our request (You see, we get so much mail that we had to get a bigger box; however, I had kept the old box for a long time so that the transition could be made. Then we requested our mail be forwarded). The florist indicated that the bill had not been returned and neither had it been forwarded. (Please note, that bill has been paid as of yesterday afternoon).

On this date, in the year 1775, Benjamin Franklin became the first postmaster general. He did a lot to establish a mail system for our country. Now, I wonder what he would think of today's system. Would he be pleased with the US Postal Service today? Would he see much change? Hmm...I say thank you for getting the ball rolling, Mr. Franklin, but snail mail is still with us, even if it is delivered at some speed and accuracy, regardless of rain, sleet, or snow. (Everything's okay now, though...problems are solved)

First things first

Late this afternoon, Mark came over with the children. I was on the computer trying to finish my previous blog when I heard Clay and Livvy enter the house. When our church group went to New York City several years ago, I bought this little magnet telephone which resembles a pay phone. I put the phone on the side of my refrigerator which is beside the kitchen door. Well, when it rings I know that Clay has entered the premises because he always...always has to push the little receiver and make it ring. (A few weeks ago, it quit ringing and I missed it so much when Clay comes that I had to make a special trip to find a battery that would fit it). After I got it working properly again I placed it where Clay would have no trouble reaching it. Well, today, when he and Livvy came into the house, Mark and PaPa were outside and I was blogging. All of a sudden, the little phone started ringing...I smiled knowing who had arrived. Then, both Livvy and Clay started calling, "MaBoo...MaBoo...are you here, MaBoo?" I called out to them and they came running into the study yelling, "MaBoo, the phone is ringing! Did you hear the phone? Come and answer the phone!" Clay, with his dimples shining, pulled at my arm to come on; of course, I jumped up and ran; therefore, I had no idea how I finished my first blog or if I had even completed the sentence. First things first, I say, and that is Clay and Livvy (and that's what they say, too! If you don't believe that, just ask them!)

What's in a saying?

Today has been different from yesterday in that I have been involved in different activities. First, I went to Curves and met two ladies from the state of Oklahoma. I thought that was quite unusual since I have lived in this southern state for 23 year and probably have not met that many from there in those entire years.

Later, my sister and I spent the morning with one of our older church members whose wife has chemo every Tuesday morning and he is not well either. Well, that was a real treat for us because J has a really neat sense of humor and some old sayings that really tickled me. He first mentioned "rocking chair money". Maybe I'm behind times but I had never heard of such a thing but soon learned that he was referring to social security (I guess that makes sense). Later, he talked about someone who didn't "iron his collar". What does that mean, I wondered, and I was unable to figure that one out until he added some additional context; then, I learned that he was referring to someone who tended to be on the lazy side, one who had never done much work, especially outside an office. Would you say this was an interesting time?

No more junk!

Just a quick blog before I turn in for the evening. Today has been basically uneventful around here. I was surprised to arise this morning and my daughter was already here so I enjoyed my time over coffee with her. After visiting Curves, I decided to tackle our garage and I did some major cleaning, at least I began the job; there's a lot to accomplish out there but it was rather rewarding to make some progress. Kendra is getting ready to have a yard sale in a couple of weeks so I was able to come up with a few things to add to that pile. As they say, one person's trash is another person's treasure. I found plenty of that. I often wondered today why I purchased some of the little things I found out there; for example, a cruet, an aluminum pitcher, a whirly bird which I never would put up in my yard. Do I tastes change or are we compulsive buyers? I think I am both to some degree. I promise myself that I am going to buy no more doodads that I have no need for; yet, I find myself falling into that trap over and over. After seeing some of these things today, however, I am once again promising myself, "no more junk". Tomorrow, I need to do some more pitching out and hope everyone who comes to the yard sale hasn't made the same promise that I have.

You're Welcome to Take a Little

I'm wondering: just what exactly is an "express line" in a store? I'm curious because my definition appears to be different from Wal-Mart's. There were 2 or 3 lines that posted a sign that read, "Express line: 20 items or less". Does that mean 20 items counting by one's, two's, or even ten's maybe? Without a doubt, the couple in front of me was at least counting my 3's. It seemed that both "express lines" were having the same problem. I saw other couples that must have had 40+ items in their basket (perhaps they were counting 20 each). What can Wal-Mart do about this problem? Nothing, I suspect, because any action would probably make the customers leave their items and never return to the store. I had only one small item and it took me more than 30 minutes to check out. No one apologized; no one showed any concern for the "legal" customers. I know there is no need to get bent out of shape over things like this and I really didn't; yet, I believe that we should adhere to the guidelines of the stores.

I'm also hearing that Wal-Mart has publicly announced that it will no longer arrest any shoplifters who steal less than $25 - $50 worth of merchandise. This bothers me. I wonder, who will pay for these "small" thefts? Honest shoppers like you and me? I realize that it costs the stores a lot to charge someone but right is right. Will this announcement cause more people who are basically honest to "take" a small amount knowing they can actually get away with it? It sounds like an invitation to me: you're welcome to take a little. Maybe you should take a calculator with you to make sure you stay "legal". I pray that people's conscious will cause them to stay honest. I have heard, also, that some of the larger stores do play tapes which you don't realize you are hearing, subliminal recordings, telling customers to be honest. I wonder if they work better than the "quit smoking" tapes.

It's OK to call your mom

Another week has come and almost gone. I just cannot believe how fast time flies. I was reading a blog of one of my younger friends last night and she was blogging on how fast the past year has come and gone. She has been a mother for only one year now but indicated how much has happened in such a brief time. This was a bit surprising for me since most younger people don't give too much thought to the passing of time, other than anxiously awaiting some special event. When there are people, especially your children, so special to you, I believe it makes the time go even faster. It seems that one day they are creeping along trying to stand and walk. And, before you know it, that someone who is creeping along trying to stand and walk may be you. (I'm not there yet; I just thought that makes a fairly honest turnaround of events for the future).

The weekend is upon us and that's very obvious around here. All one has to do is to look at all the additional street traffic and know the weekend has arrived. The young folks are riding around playing their radios at a very high volume. In fact, our county is now considering a noise level law which will require these people to play their radios only for themselves, not the entire neighborhood. I don't know how I feel about this ordinance; it really doesn't bother me unless I hear it during the wee hours of the morning. I do agree, though, that this loud noise is harmful to one's hearing.

Our state has become interested in a law that prohibits teenagers below the age of 18 from talking on their cell phones while driving. For safety reasons, that is probably a good law for all drivers. I understand that the young teenagers can only be on the phone if they are talking to their parents. It's okay to call your mom, teenagers! My question is how are the law enforcement officers going to know that, first, the teenager is 16 or 17 when they just see them driving and talking (I cannot always distinguish between a 16- and an 18-year-old); and, second, how will they know for sure that the teenager is really talking to a parent? What would you do if the cop calls you, the parent, and they ask you if you were just talking to your teenager? Will you tell them No, when you know that your child will then receive a ticket, or will you be honest? I'm afraid many parents will respond the dishonest way and try to protect their children. Hmm...this is going to be interesting to say the least.

Let's travel

I'm blogging tonight with nothing particular in mind to talk about, just wanted to let my readers know that I am alive and well. We had a great time at the beach last week and are looking forward to a great trip beginning on July 30. My sisters and brother are taking our annual summer trip together, this year to the Amish country of Pennsylvania. I have made this trip on many occasions and it's one of my favorite vacation places. One of my sisters has never been there and she is quite excited about seeing the trotters as they so proudly clomp down the highways and byways of the countryside. The rolling countryside is so beautiful in all of its summer greenery, too. If you have never been, I urge you to make this trip someday; it is well worth the trip. (I have a young blogging friend who lives somewhere in that great state but I know not where. If she happens to live in that area, it would be so nice to see her.)

Upon our return from PA, we will be home only a few days before leaving on a church trip to the mountains of Tennessee. We plan to visit Dollywood while there. Following that brief trip, Don and I will be attending a motorcoach rally for another 6 days. So, our summer has been booked, it seems. I will try to blog on all of my trips when I am back home and also while away if WiFi is available. Let the traveling begin (well, not for another week yet).

Fires Ablazing

I haven't heard from my son and daughter-in-law since their return to California. Don always says that "no news is good news" though and I know that's true. I suppose they are back at work now. They live where all the fires are blasting away in San Bernardino County and I do hope they are safe. I recently heard that the 2 big fires did join together so that must be an even bigger fire than appears on the news. I also noted that today was the beginning of the big fire in Rome in the year 65 AD I believe it was (at any rate, it was many years ago and did a lot of damage in that city just as it is doing in California). I do hope that everyone there will be safe and the fire will soon be extinguished! Let's keep those people in our prayers, especially the firefighters.

Empty Nest

We arrived home to an empty nest last Sunday afternoon. You may ask what is new about that since our children are ages 33 and older and have long since moved out. When we left on our trip last week, our son and his wife were visiting with us from California; now they are back home and I feel lonely with them gone! While they were here, so were all three of my other children at one time or another. Marty and her son were here for four of those nights; Thom was here one night; and, Kendra and her family were in and out the entire time. I remember the days when the four of them were home all the time. Now, I realize and understand that families have to grow up, move out, and live their own lives; yet, that doesn't mean that Mom and Dad don't miss them. Anyway, it was great having them here running in and out as usual. I look forward to their next visit.

Another Loss; A Plus for Heaven

Yes, I'm home but as usual after a vacation, we return home with many things to do. So many sad things have been happening lately. One of my friends and his family lost their 33-year-old son to a freak accident over the weekend. He was at church with his boys and a group of RA's (Baptist youth) when a man was having trouble with the traction of his tires. As a result, the man floored it, the wheels quit spinning and caught on cement, and plowed into Chuck dragging him several feet I'm told, and pinning him against a tree. The young man, Chuck, pushed his sons out of harm's way but the nine-year-old received a broken arm and many bruises while his dad was reaching for his cell phone. Chuck asked the gent who was driving the van to take his phone and call 911 while he continued to pray, dying during his prayers. What a sad, sad occasion for the entire neighborhood. Chuck was such a wonderful young man whom I can never say enough about. He was friend to many, a mediator for some family members, a dedicated husband, father, and son, and one who was a gentleman to all. What a loss to our community; what a happy addition to God's Holy Kingdom! Smile on, dear Chuck.

Testing...testing...

Yesterday, I had my nuclear stress test as scheduled...well, almost as scheduled. When I arrived at 8:45 for my 9:00 AM appointment, I was met at the door and told that the radioactive materials had not yet arrived. I was asked to either re-schedule or do whatever I wanted until 10:30 AM. So, I went to the local nursery and enjoyed smelling the flowers. I even bought a couple of beautiful hisbiscus. I love it when they bloom. I then returned to the Cardiology department for my test. The technicians were really in rare form when I returned, acting quite jovial (I suppose to try to make the patients feel better about having to wait that much longer before they could eat anything substantial). I went right along with them and actually had fun, that is, until I had to get on the treadmill and they filled me full of the juice to make my heart more stressed (I cannot do a lot of walking due to my leg problem, so they inject some powerful stuff into my veins). The stuff almost made me pass out! My head began to spin and ache; my leg began to tingle and feel numb; my heart was thumping wildly; and, my stomach developed a desire to empty itself! Fortunately, right on target as they had indicated, the entire feeling fled almost as quickly as it appeared! I was then allowed to sit, was given a quick fix of fruit juice, and all was fun again! When I asked the doctor how long I would glow in the dark, he said for 24 hours. So, now, all is quiet and, once again, I'm back in the dark. (no smart remarks needed about my being in the dark. Sometimes I am alert to the puns that my friend, Rob, can throw out in a flash). Oh yes, the doctor did call and inform me that the results were fine, that there was no change since last year's test, and that I still had no significant damages done to my heart as a result of my heart attack. For this I am truly thankful. Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!

Moments to Remember

Tomorrow is a day that will be filled with happiness and sadness, all at once. How can that be, you may ask. Happiness will be when I see my daughter and her family being so excited about leaving for the beach for 5 days. Clay and Livvy are just beside themselves with excitement and I believe that Mark is even more excited. He's wanting to leave at daybreak; however, check-in isn't until later in the afternoon so we will wait for the sun to rise I'm sure. This will be our second camping trip with Kendra's family and I'm looking forward to it too; yet, I'm a little nervous since the last time we went together is when I had my heart attack. I have just had my nuclear stress test, however, and everything looked okay so I should be good to go.

Sadness will come early tomorrow morning when my son and his wife will be leaving to go home to California. It has been such a treat having them with us again and I will sorely miss them. Donnie loves to retire early each evening but I have enjoyed staying up talking with Judy and my 2 daughters when they were here. In fact, Kendra, realizing the lateness of the hour and remembering that we will be leaving in a few hours, just left going to her home. My other daughter, Marty, and my grandson, Alek, went home yesterday, and Thom, my other son, left on Sunday but returned today to spend some time with his brother and sisster. Now, he has gone back home and will be traveling to Virginia tomorrow. So you see, sadness surrounds us when we can no longer feel the love and warmth from the arms of our loved ones. We do have to remember, though, that the happiness will return soon when, once again, we await their arrival. And, of course, let us not forget the wonderful memories we have made when we were together. Just as the 50's song says, "We'll have these moments to remember."

A Hodgepodge of Personalities

I have just returned from meeting with the ladies in my Women on Missions group. They are such a delightful group and each one of them is colorful in her very own way. Some of them are very quiet, only speaking when spoken to; some are outgoing enjoying having the opportunity for input; some come tired and prefer to just listen or talk softly to those sitting next to them; some are "take charge" individuals while some are "you take charge" ladies. This makes it fun to watch, listen, and enjoy the different personalities. Even though many of the ladies are related through blood or "shirttail kin"(kin through their kin, their spouses or their in-laws), their personalities are all quite different. Some of the spouses were present tonight since we had our social with a meal. If I didn't know which men belonged with which women, I might have a little difficulty putting them together. Tonight, all the men, with the exception of one, and all the women, also with exception of one, were sitting away from their spouses. One gent is very talkative, fun-loving, almost boisterous, but his wife is a very serious "take charge" lady (I would never have been able to connect those two). Another gent is busy, always looking for some job that needs doing or something broken that needs fixing; his wife is very laid back, a hard worker but not the energetic type who is looking for something to do. One lady loves to go places, socialize and be with her friends while her spouse prefers to stay home. Another lady is usually tired just coming from work and needs a lot of "TLC" and her spouse doesn't appear to be the type to demonstrate this behavior in public and loves to tease her a lot. One gent loves to crack jokes and speak in "puns"; his wife is one of the sweetest ladies I know but often ignores his puns or waits until later to absorb his drift. One can't carry a tune if wrapped in shiny paper and placed in a non-spillable basket; his wife loves to sing, I think to him. Another lady loves the political realm while her spouse just wants to sit home and maybe watch old western movies on TV. Now, would you agree that we have a hodgepodge of personalities? I can see how some of these ladies and gents are attracted to each other and I could place many of them together. I just enjoy identifying the differences in their/our personalities.

Pick a Book

Once again the family crowd has left the building. They will be returning late this evening though; however, Marty's family will leave tomorrow for home and Donnie's will be leaving for a couple days at the beach. Thom will be leaving for his home later today and Kendra's family will continue to be in and out. Right now, they are home with the children who are taking their afternoon naps. (I think I may join them in "dreamland" for awhile; when they return, Clay will be saying, "MaBoo, will you play with me?").

Yesterday, after the girls returned from their pottery-shopping trip and the guys from their golf outing, we had the family cookout which they had requested. Then, they stayed outside visiting and feeding mosquitoes until late evening. All in all, it was a great day.

Tomorrow, I will be continuing with some of my tests, a nuclear stress test to be exact. I don't mind it, however, only that it does take almost 4 hours to complete. That's okay because that will give me a chance to read further in Nicholas Spark's book, "The Guardian". It took me awhile to get into it but I'm still not finding it as entertaining as "The Notebook" or some of the others. I do love to read and am almost out of books. I will be hitting the Thrift Shop soon where their books sell for 25 cents. There's nothing like a good book to relax you or to make you rest better at night. I'm an avid reader, and, if you aren't, I encourage you to pick a book and try it; try to make some time to spend with an author. It's much better to me than a movie.

Off with the TV

The crowd has returned. Three of my children spent today at a nearby lake where we own property. They are wanting to build a cottage on one of the lots, I think. They would probably like for us to build it but Don says no to that. It will have to be a group concensus before anything goes on the lot, not just one or two of the children making the decision. Of course, there has been no decisions made and I'm sure that an agreement will be easy for them to reach when the time is right for all four of them.

One of our grandsons, the 15-year-old, stayed with us today. He is so well-behaved and gets along so well with the little three-year-olds. They are having a blast now pretending to be on a camping trip at the lake. They have build an imaginary campfire and are roasting marshmallows. I think it's great to see them using their imaginations. So many children now have none, at least they don't have to engage that part of their brains due to everything being fed to them via TV, etc. I recall playing with big boxes as the highlight of our play time. We would cut holes for windows and doors and each of us would have our own playhouse. Sometimes we used the box as a post office or a store. What fun that was! May children turn off the tubes and get back to their imagination stations.

Stop: Pay Attention to the Signs

Just a quick blog and hope that it appears before midnight tonight. I have been trying to get on the internet for some time to surf sites containing helpful information about diabetes. After receiving my recent blood results, I was informed that my blood sugar was elevated to 123. Now, Doc doesn't classify me as Type II Diabetic yet; I'm considered prediabetic which means a structured behavior change. That's good though I'm sure and I pray that it will work to keep me from developing full-scale diabetes. I was fasting when the test was done; however, I had eaten good old Southern BBQ, which is what my son from California was longing for (I heard later that BBQ is loaded with sugar and I hope that's what made the test results high. I'm sure they will want to check it again later). No matter how I look at it, I am feeling somewhat depressed today thinking about this new possibility. Perhaps it's stress from other issues I have been facing since the first of May that is causing the problem; I read that stress will cause this among many other concerns. This is news that I need to stop and pay attention to because a serious condition could result. I'll just pray that the Lord will take care of this and all other issues and I know that He will. A new day...a new issue of concern: that's what happens as the clock keeps ticking.

Losing but gaining...Gaining but losing

This morning, I arose slightly earlier than usual because I had changed my salon appointment to early AM. When I walked into the den, there sat Kendra and her dad talking away, as if they had been there for hours (Maybe they had been; Don said she came over before anyone was up). I looked at my watch and thought the time was incorrect so I checked the time on the television for accuracy. Sure enough, my watch was inaccurate. I told Kendra, "I need to hurry; my watch is losing time". She responded, "Losing time? Your watch is losing time? How is that?" I told her that it was 15 minutes behind the TV. Then she said,"I don't think the watch is losing time; I think the watch is gaining time." Hmm...I always thought if the clock's time is behind the real time, then it was losing time but what she says makes a lot of sense. My watch was indeed gaining time by losing time. If the watch had gained some time, it would be losing time, right? Am I now totally confused or what? Have I ever told you that I have a smart daughter! I think I need to put my brain to bed now...good night.

Shh

It's a bit late and my son and his wife have arrived from California. Since they lost three hours on their trip, they are quite tired and are tucked in bed. I decided to sneak in to my study for a quick blog. They arrived around 4:00 PM and I was so happy to see them both looking so good but a bit jaded. When I asked Don what he wanted for dinner, he quickly responded, "What I really want to eat is barbecue." I sensed that this would be one of his requests since barbecue is a rarity in California, at least the pork kind with the vinegar base, the kind that is most popular in our state. It was fun seeing him enjoy those sandwiches and also the pound cake that he dearly loves.

Kendra brought Clay and Livvy over and they had a ball with their Aunt Judy, especially her story reading. I'm sure they will be anxious to return tomorrow and continue their fun. Clay was only age one the last time he saw them and Livvy wasn't in America at that time so today has been a real treat for them. Today has been a busy one for Don and Judy so I will be quiet and tiptoe down the hall. Good night, All!

A Day to Celebrate

Last night when I was talking with a friend on the phone, she told me that I was to do nothing today but stay cool and enjoy the day...NOT! Today was one of my busier ones. Upon my arising at 7:00 AM, I showered, cleaned the bedroom, started a load of clothes washing, and answered a welcomed phone call. My sister called to invite me to meet her for breakfast at the only local restaurant that remained open in town. That was a nice mid-morning break (thanks, Sis). When I arrived home, I continued my washing, began a much-needed cleaning of my study. (You see, Kendra and I had rearranged the furniture in here after I went to Lowe's yesterday and bought a larger table on which to do my scrapbooking). Now, I can work in a little more comfort and ease. Late this afternoon, I decided that the curtains in my son's room needed washing, so I had Don remove them for me and I began that process. (Man, that room looks and smells so much better). Kendra then called and invited us over to enjoy their patio with her and the children. We rode over on the golf cart and enjoyed playing with Clay and Livvy for awhile. I have just finished re-hanging the curtains and straightening my study and wanted to blog for a moment. You may ask why I did all of this today with it being a holiday. First, it just needed doing. Second, my older son and his wife are on their way from California for a week and I wanted everything to be fairly nice for them. We haven't seen them in 2 years so this week will be a special treat for us. Our older daughter and our grandson will also be coming in Thursday night. Our younger son will arrive sometime during the week and Kendra will be in and out frequently, I'm sure. I'm tired now but happy to get this work done.

Today is Independence Day and I suppose everyone knows the reason for this holiday. So far, no one has tried to take this day from us, thank goodness for that blessing. Don flew our American flag today and it looked so beautiful with the rays of sunshine being reflected off the stars and stripes. Now, I am beginning to hear the rumble of firecrackers around the neighborhood. I hope everyone will be safe when lighting them. I remember when my older brother was lighting those really tiny firecrackers at my grandfather's home and, before he could throw one of them, it went off in his hand. (He had been warned that he was being too slow in getting rid of them but he ignored the warning). I had never seen my brother dance before that day but he was doing some really high stepping! Fortunately, he only received a very small burn. You can bet that he was much more careful after that with all his fancy fireworks! They are beautiful to watch but they really need to be handled by an expert. So, I hope that you will be careful if you are handling them. Have a great day!

God Bless You on this day; God bless our military personnel; and God bless America!

Where Did the Time Go?

I was just changing my calendar and it dawned on me that 2006 is officially half over already! Where does the time go? It seems that we just had Christmas and just returned from our winter months in Florida. I know to the young folks that time goes by so slowly. In fact, I heard that oldie on the radio the other day which includes the line, "time goes by so slowly and time can do so much..." This was a song that a teenager sang for his sweetheart and to him, time stood still when he was away from his love. Ever since I have become an adult, time has increased its speed: from a standstill when I was in elementary school, especially on test days or when awaiting summer vacation, or awaiting May 1 when Mom would allow us to take off our shoes and run through the cool, welcoming grass; to dragging when I was anxious to get my driver's license; to very slow when I was so ready to graduate high school; to a little slow when awaiting college graduation and getting a job; to moving along a little quickly when planning my wedding; to speedy when raising our children; to breaking the speed limit after retiring! I had always heard the older generation (when I was one of the younger set) talking about time flying and thought they were joking but now I know how they felt. Oh well, I'll just have to try to stay healthy so that I can try to keep up with the fast pace of today. Oh no! I need to make my shopping list for Christmas and get started. If you want a gift, you better send a "wish list" soon!

Birthday Greetings to a Young Friend

I just have to take a moment to blog about a dear friend of mine, a very young man who is so special in many ways. Yes, my friend is now 11 years old. Charles is a very intelligent and entertaining young man who has great manners, one who will grow up to become what I shall refer to as a real "Southern gentleman." I know very few men whom I would classify in such a way and the ones that I do are the elderly gentlemen who still open doors for ladies, who offer their seats to ladies and other less able, who will rise when a lady enters the room, who possess a refreshing sense of humor, and who are polite in their greetings and farewells. Now, Charles is still a bit young, it's true; yet, I believe he has these characteristics developing in him. He can carry on a conversation with the best of conversationalists and he speaks with accuracy in his topics. For reasons beyond my control, I missed his birthday even though I knew it at the time. So, now, I want to wish Charles the best birthday ever. May you have a great summer, enjoy your trip to the mountains, and may this year bring you days of happiness as you make new memories to carry with you into your adult years.