Perils of Pauline and learning to refeather the Empty Nest

Anyone remember the Perils of Pauline? Oh I don’t either but my mother always said that my life was like that short of being tied to the railroad tracks by the evil dastardly villain. Yet it does seem that some of the things that happen in my life could come from a page or two of poor Pauline.

For example, one day I was climbing into my big van that looks like its 8 feet off the ground when I dropped my keys. As I lowered my right foot to the ground, my shoe caught the side of the running board and I went down hard on the side of the foot. I didn’t break it but the awful crunchy sound it made told me I was going to be in for a world of hurt. It has been a month now and I still can’t wear any kind of shoe except something that I can lace up tightly and walk flat footed.

Then I was making pear preserves. As I sliced up the 40 pounds of pears I was extremely careful not to slice off a finger. I was successful at that but when I was filling the jars full of the precious, delectable candied pears, I splashed some on my hand and you have never seen anyone with a hurt foot move so fast to the sink and cool running water to get that mess off before it did permanent damage!

We finally got both girls moved to the W and darling husband and I have been working nonstop to reclaim the upstairs of the house and make it a ‘couples haven’. First on my list was the TV room instead of a formal living room. So he now has the perfect (for us) home theater and I turned the den into the dining room since it has the kitchen on one end of it. Then we turned our sights on the bathroom.

This house was built circa 1960 and the bathroom is a lovely shade of turquoise ceramic tile with matching tub, sink and toilet. Now I happen to love that color but it can be a tad iffy to work with. So when all else fails, you take the retro approach. We had to replace the broken faucets because it was not my idea of a good time when I had to use a screwdriver to turn the hot water on and off. and replace the whole drain system. Neither of us likes to take a shower standing knee deep in water either. After pouring several chemicals down the slower than molasses draining drain and trying to get the snake through the blockage, I figured there was a blond hair ball the size of a grown possum in the pipes somewhere.


Our new tub surround was seven inches too short on eat end because they don’t make them as deep as in the ‘old’ days and I have been living with a whole lot of ugly wall for a while since I could not find anything to my liking to cover it with. Removing the walls is not an option either. Who knew that in the 60’s someone would make the Bathroom walls out of poured concrete then cover that with ¼ plyboard and then put the tile or sheet rock up? We have had a tornado safe room all along and didn’t know it!


As luck would have it, Saturday we were in a DIY store and lo and behold they had stacks of glass tiles on sale and they were brown and turquoise mixed. I was so excited. I grabbed up a stack of them and purchased the glue and grout and a sponge and rubber float and we came home. Have I ever installed tile? No but I figured it out pretty quick. I am now looking at a whole lot of pretty, shiny glass tile in my bathroom. I listened all night for the sound of it falling but it is still there and looking good. I think my 1970’s kitchen is next!


Pauline may have had some bad luck but I think mine is turning around.

The Nest is finally empty

August 15, 2011

Well the “Nest” is empty. Our oldest daughter is a senior at the W. She moved back to the dorm last Wednesday. The youngest daughter is now a freshman at the W. We moved her, and nearly ALL of her stuff, to the freshmen dorm on Saturday.


Some people...a lot of people…primarily Moms, fall to pieces on the day their children leave for school or college. I haven’t. Perhaps it has something to do with my age, I was knocking hard on the door of 40 when I had my daughters and now at 58 I may well be one of the oldest moms sending kids off to college. (Except for my baby sis who has a 6 year old and she is barely over the 50 mark!)

My husband and I have worked hard all these years to raise our girls to be independent young women. We think we have succeeded. I was teaching them to cook when they were old enough to do things around the stove and not get burned. They were making scrambled eggs in the microwave by the age of 6 and making Mac and cheese by the age of 7. During our homeschool years they learned a lot of things that they might not think are necessary now but one day they will be glad they know it. But I digress…

When we arrived on campus Saturday, and began to unload the van, there were swarms of helpers and made that part pretty easy for the incoming Freshmen and families. We were interviewed by a WCBI reporter. I had on no makeup and looked like a 59 year old sweathog but I gave the young man his interview. Why us I don’t know. Maybe it’s because I made eye contact. Maybe it’s because we pulled up in a 15 passenger van that was filled to the roof; or maybe we just looked interesting and were willing to talk to him.
He misspelled my name dang it. Oh well. And apparently a lot of people watched it because my Facebook page went ballistic with messages. Ahhhhh our 15 minutes of fame.

After helping Erin and her new roommate adjust bed height and moving furniture around to make floor space, and unpacking and filling out forms, her dad and I left. We stopped and ate lunch and watched a storm cloud blow over. We drove home and resumed our lives. I had a church bulletin to finish and he had yards to mow. When dinner time rolled around we ordered a pizza. When I heard my husband placing the order, I thought to myself, we have not eaten a pizza like that for years. It was a meat lovers with jalapenos, something the girls never liked so we stopped ordering it years ago and only got pepperoni or 4 cheese. With them both gone now I can cook a lot of things that Scott and I have not enjoyed for years.

When I awakened this Monday morning to the cooler temps, my mind thought about all the little projects I want to get done around the house. I am repainting a couple of rooms, redoing a bathroom floor, and turning the downstairs into a separate living space for when they come back. While this is still their home, when they come back it’s not going to be the same for them; Not because I have moved their things downstairs, but because they have had their taste of life away from Mom and Dad. They have had to start making life’s important decisions without our direct input. They have been able to come and go as they please to a certain degree.



It’s not going to be same for another reason too. Scott and I had barely a year alone before our little family grew beyond two people. Now nearly 23 years later we finally have our time together instead of having to plan a date night. That is already very nice. We miss our daughters, but they are standing on the edge of the nest and its time for them to fly like they have been talking about for the last year.

Acting my age and Harry Potter.

August 8, 2011

Well another birthday has come and gone quietly this year. I am 29 for the second time (times 2). Before you run for the calculator app on your phone…that equals 58. Some one asked me if I felt old and I replied no. My secret to not felling older? Well I don’t look at mirrors any longer unless I am just forced to. That way I don’t notice that crazy old woman that appears to be stalking me at every turn. I did put on my new bifocals the other day and caught a good look at her. Mercy but she looks just like me in the far off future!

I have to wonder some times just what the phrase “Act your age” means. What does a 58 year old woman act like? In my mind I am still able to do some of the things I did in my 30”s. I can’t dance like I used to that’s for sure. But I am physically capable to if I don’t turn my foot as I am prone to doing.

When the latest and last Harry Potter movie came out, my husband and I had tickets to the midnight premier. As my ‘luck’ would have it, I turned my ankle that afternoon and tore the ligaments across the arch of my foot. Again. I was in some kind of horrendous pain but nothing was going to deter me from seeing that movie that night.

I wrapped my injured appendage, dug out my personal pair of crutches (I’m a tad bit accident prone!), took some extra strength Aleve and we headed on up the highway to Oxford. When we arrived at 10PM the line was already 4 deep and backed down to Penny’s. Scott and the girls ran on and secured our spot in line as I limped slowly to join them.

An Epiphany struck me as I surveyed the vast crowd of college kids and high school students and young parents with their children. They were in various types of costumes depicting their favorite character from the movies. There I was, this old woman, hobbling up and I heard a kid say that I was doing the best Mad Eye Moody impression they had ever seen. It kind of perked me up. A little later, a columnist for the local paper me came over and interviewed us simply because we were older and I was on crutches and the little blurb was printed.

When the doors were opened and the crowd started in I picked up some speed to get a good seat. I normally want a middle of the row seat but this time I really wanted the aisle. We secured our seats and settled in for the movie. After it was all over and I looked around, I finally saw a few folks that were probably in my age bracket. We quietly acknowledged each other with a nod of the head.

I may be another year older, and lately as I read the obits there are people my age that are passing on, but I am very thankful for good health and a healthy mind. I still don’t know what it means to act my age. I know NOT to dress like my young daughters, which is just wrong on so many levels. But I have lost my middle age spread and we are now the same size which I think is a pretty good thing. I will concede to acting appropriately, what ever that means! But I’m never going to ACT my age. There is too much leeway in that. How about I just keep on being me taking it one day at a time and Lord only knows what I can get into each day.

Summer time and Livings not Easy

June 20 2011
Summer time and the living is easy….
Fish are jumping and the cotton is high….
While out in this oppressive heat this week, the words to that song from the opera Porgy and Bess kept running through my mind and all I could think about is there is nothing easy about Summer time in Mississippi. It’s hot and humid and mosquitoes are lurking to suck my blood. I did see fish jumping out the water while I was at a workshop at Lake Tiak O’Khata but I suspect it was because the water was a bit hot and the fish was feeling like it might be in a frying pan! As for cotton, perhaps that should be rewritten as “and ‘tater’ slips are in the ground”

Porgy and Bess was not exactly a ‘feel good’ opera and did not end well, it still had many messages. Are rich people happier with all their possessions and money or are poor people happier since they don’t have all that extra stuff around that they have to worry about?

I have to look around and wonder about such things myself. Can people really overcome their past and lead a good life, or will other people refuse to accept them. The Lord forgives us when we do stupid things and ask for forgiveness yet “we” tend to be skeptical and don’t give people the benefit of the doubt or even give them a chance.

Working with the local food pantry for over 11 years has opened my eyes to a lot of things. First, there are hungry people living around me. Second, there are people that really don’t give a damn that their neighbor is hungry. Third, no one believes that it could happen to them and fourth, there is always going to be some busybody that will break their neck to call me and tell me I should not be giving a box of food to ‘someone’ because that ‘someone’ doesn’t deserve it and is just lazy and good for nothing.

This coming Saturday I will standing out in that brutal heat with a ice pack under my wide brim hat as I mark off names on my list of the people in the county that will be coming for the small box of groceries that we have gathered. Your local food pantries depend and exist solely on donations of food from individuals. The pantries are all volunteer based. No one gets paid to do it. The volunteer’s work relentlessly looking and begging for canned food drives, and for people to drive to pick up locations to haul back any donations that can be obtained from the Mississippi Food Network. There aren’t any government funds for food pantries. Its all about people taking care of people. If your brother or sister stumbles and falls, you reach out and help them up; Just like they would help you in your time of need.

Times are hard now with high gas prices and food prices going out of control and the cost of living is in a constant state of rising and the job market is not promising at all for the many that are looking.

It may be summertime around here but the living ain’t easy for some.

No Empty Nest Syndrome here. PUSH!!! FLY!!!

June 5, 2011

This past month has been one of the most hectic months I have had in a long while. Our youngest daughter graduated from high school and is standing on the edge of the nest testing her wings.

As my husband and I were sitting on the bleachers at our second daughter’s graduation, my thoughts began to wander. I began thinking back to 18 years earlier when she was born. She was not eager to come into this world but she did finally. She was born a laid back kid and that part hasn’t changed a bit as she has gotten older. Now she is graduated and busy getting her things packed up for her fall semester at the W.

I was a late in life mom, or as my dear doctor liked to remind me, I was an elderly first time mom. I thought he was trying to be cute with me till I read that women that wait till they are past a certain age are called that. So there I was at 36 having my first child who was due on my 37th birthday. And two years later I had daughter number two just 3 days shy of her big sisters 2nd birthday. For the record, I turned 39 right after her birth.

The first real instruction for Motherhood a woman gets is on the delivery table when her doctor is repeatedly saying, “PUSH! PUSH!” And push I did. I pushed those girls through the door to their first pre-school and to meet their kindergarten teacher for the first time; I’ve pushed them out the door so they would not be late for school. I pushed them to go and talk to people first and not wait for someone to walk over to them. Then I had to start pushing them to do the homework, to do the school projects, to be in dance recitals and get up on that stage and just do it no matter if your shoes do fly off your feet!

I thought of times when I had to push them both to get out of bed and get dressed, pushed them to read books, pushed them to write papers and pushed them to tell the truth when a lie would be so easy. I pushed them to learn to think on their own, to make decisions based on what they thought, not on what I told them they should think. I pushed them to stand on their own two feet. I pushed them to learn to wash their own clothes, to learn to cook, to pick out their own things to wear and to brush their hair. I pushed them through the doors of the church from the time they were a week old and going to church was never an optional activity in our home.

It has been very satisfying to me that both our daughters are pretty independent. They still have a long way to go but I know that with all my pushing, they are ready to leave the nest and make their own way into the world. Sure their little feathers are going to get ruffled and clipped but I hope that all my pushing will not have been in vain and that they will look within themselves to find the inner strength they will need to press on. They are strong in their convictions and faith. They have their goals set and are both figuring out just how to achieve those goals.

Other parents ask us if we are starting to feel ‘empty nest syndrome’ yet. I have say no we are not. I didn’t cry at graduation, that’s not my style. I am proud of both our daughters’ accomplishments. They are both like snowflakes, very different, yet somewhat alike on the surface----without the peacefulness!

So from pushing on the delivery table those long hot summers ago, to pushing through school, I feel like they are ready to be pushed out of the ‘nest’ and into the world. It’s not easy, but after the big push comes the reward; my finest accomplishments are going to fly. It’s amazing what God can accomplish in our lives, especially when we push.
Erin's last time being a high school altar server. She is now a W girl.

April and may tornados

May 2, 2011

Well last week was the week that was! Never in the 10 years I have been a storm spotter have I lived through such an eventful weather week. My preference on weather spotting is usually limited to snow. But the last few years I have shown a little propensity to knowing when its time for a storm to spawn a tornado.

While I am fascinated by the clouds and updrafts and bowlines and hook echos and the jet stream, I do not get out and chase down a storm and deliberately place myself into the path of a large roaring funnel cloud. I have never envisioned myself as being the main character in the movie “Twister”.

Years ago I was fascinated by an interesting cloud formation and was outside standing in the bed of the pickup and gazing at its awesome horrible beauty when my mother looked out and saw me. She saw the rotation and knew exactly what was going on and started yelling at me to get my stupid self into the building. We barely made it in when the sucking started and opened all the doors and the whooshing sound was heard. That little whip of a tornado touched down about 3 miles from us and turned over a few cars. I think I was really ‘hooked’ on the hooks after that!

My husband and I were in Oxford early last Wednesday and just missed getting our bumper snatched off by the monster that devastated Pine Flat. The deadly calm and the weird green hue were right there and we raced down 9w. I watched the sky in the mirror and saw nothing but a black rain wrapped cloud. That was a tornado that no one would see until it was on top of them. Seeing the damage the next day was sobering.

On Friday I had to drive through Chickasaw County to go to Columbus to make the yearly pilgrimage to the W to load up one daughter’s belongings and bring it all home for the summer. As we traveled on 8, my second daughter started seeing the debris hanging in the trees that were still standing and then seeing all of the ones that were snapped like they were dry brittle twigs. The awesome and fearful power of the storms that scourged that area became evident.

Living with tornados in the southern states is like no other region. We can have all the sirens in the world blaring out warnings and the TVs telling us to take cover. The hard truth is, in our region, most of the time you can’t see them because of the lay of the land, and the trees, and ours are usually embedded in rain soaked clouds and all we see is a darkness that is touching the ground.

I can only hope that some how, we will all eventually have a storm safe shelter within our homes and that we are not ever again hit by the near perfect conditions that created all the super cell tornado spawning of last week. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say, I don’t want to have to be out looking at those clouds for any other reason other than to say, hmm it looks like its going to storm.

Illuminating Mothers Day and the Labyrinth

How was your Mother’s Day? Mine was illuminating.



One of the many hats that I wear is I serve as the Parish Catechetical Leader at St. Luke the Evangelist Catholic Church in Bruce. This is the time of year when our high school youth are preparing for the Rite of Confirmation which is coming up this Saturday May 14th. I don’t teach their class, Miss Jettie is their teacher but sometimes I ‘listen’ and observe just to keep abreast of how things are going.



We have an awesome group of kids in Jettie’s class. They ask questions, they read their bibles; well…let me shed some light on that subject. Jettie and I have been looking for just the right Study Bible and so far we have not found one that just trips our trigger. In the mean time, I stumbled up on a Bible App for cell phones. I shared this tidbit of information with the kids one night and showed them that they could get a daily reading plan set up and the idea took off. So they now all have the Bible apps! Technology CAN be a good thing. We older folks just have to learn to be more comfortable with it.



About a month ago as I sat watching these kids and listening to them in their class, I was inspired to create a mini-retreat for them to help them discern their path in life as they approach the Rite of Confirmation. As I mulled over what I might do, the idea of a labyrinth took hold of me and the retreat idea took off.



The weather did not cooperate for several days as I gathered all of my materials that I would need and finally one week ago, I was able to bring my ideas to fruition. I laid out the canvas in the driveway and marked the lines for the labyrinth and got it painted. It was tiring but turned out awesome.




The kids and their sponsors and Miss Jettie and Sr. Mary Jean did not know what to expect when we arrived at Davis Lake and started unloading. We had a light lunch and then had fruit kabobs, with different fruits representing the Fruits of the Spirit. Lemon slices was symbolic of Patience and Long Suffering.



Then they all took a slip of paper and wrote down what they wanted to change in their life and the baggage they want to release. I had some beautiful praise music playing and we all went to the labyrinth and started the path to the center. Upon reaching the center they placed their paper in the firepot and then picked up a stone to bring it out as they continued on their path.




The fire pot is made of stone with it hollowed out spot and was sitting at the exact cross mark of the center of the canvas and represented Christ as our light and our corner stone. Burning the paper was them giving up whatever they feel is holding them back at this point in their lives. The rock they chose was Christ is our rock to hold on to. Each stone also had a scripture verse reference painted on it. Each person was eagerly looking up the scripture verse to see what Gift was referenced.




It was a very moving day and I just stand in awe that a tiny spark of inspiration became a flame of more than I had imagined it would be.

April 18 Blog

April 18, 2011

There are many times of the year that I love for various reasons but I love Spring because of the new life and the way the earth changes colors as it awakens and goes from dull lifeless browns and grays to brilliant hues of green and the full color wheel of reds, purples, yellows, oranges, etc. of the flowers.

There are seasons in the church year also and we have just exited Lent and the purple vestments and penitential trappings and we loudly marched into Palm Sunday to begin Holy Week in the Catholic church.

The Paschal Triduum, often called the Easter Triduum or simply the Triduum, begins during Holy Week, and consists of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. This includes the Great Easter Vigil, the high point of the Triduum. The word Triduum comes from the Latin word meaning "three days." It begins the evening of Maundy Thursday and ends at Evening Prayer on Easter Sunday. Thus the Triduum consists of three full days which begin and end in the evening. The Triduum technically is not part of Lent (at least liturgically), but Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday are still reckoned as part of the traditional forty day Lenten fast. The Triduum celebrates the heart of our faith, salvation, and redemption: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus, the Triduum commemorates the Institution of the Eucharist (the "sacrament of sacraments"), the passion, crucifixion, death of the Lord, his descent to the dead, and finally his glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday morning. Along with the Ascension, these important events make up the Paschal Mystery.
Catholics world wide will be worshiping and celebrating this week in very visible ways. You may drive by the local Catholic church and see people walking in a path of a series of crosses. They will be praying the Stations of the Cross. This will be occurring on Good Friday. Tuesday, there will be groups of us from different parishes that will be making the trek to the Cathedral in Jackson to attend the Chrism Mass when we will also be picking up the holy oils that will be used throughout the year during various Rites.
Just as the season of change is washing over our earth, the season of change is in our church. The darkness is dispelled by the Light. As the Sun warms the earth and life springs anew, so the Son brings us new life and creates new within us.
I hope you have a blessed Easter.

laughing at the Devil (march 28 2011)

March 28, 2011

As we go into the third week of Lent, I realized that its been an interesting one for me. I broke my right hand on March 7th as I was rushing out my backdoor. I have never heard a more sickening sound as the sound of my bone snapping. Nor do I recall ever feeling the amount of sudden and blinding pain that came after that awful sound. After swallowing some extra strength Tylenol, I taped my fingers together and wrapped my hand. How I made it through that day is just a miracle but I can tell you this…I was praying 90 percent of the time.

Most of what I do when I work is pretty solitary work so I have time to either grumble or pray. Occasionally I have little epiphanies and the bum hand gave me a good one. The broken fingers were a temptation to get me to fail on my Lenten journey. I know some folks might not agree with me on this one but I think ole Lucifer has been trying to get me to fail in my Lenten journey this year. I gave up drinking soda and specifically Mountain Dew.

One store that I was working in had absolutely nothing in their coolers except that. I had worked for 7 straight hours without stopping and my hand was throbbing and I was so thirsty and without thinking, bought the Mountain Dew and had downed half of it before I realized it. But before I let the fallen one get a laugh in and use that slip up to mock me and try and make me feel bad, I decided that I would laugh first!

Laughing at Lucifer means that I am a happy warrior. Lent is a time of spiritual battle. It’s a time of wandering in the desert so to speak. I think of the Israelites as they wandered for 40 years. They grumbled so much that they just wandered a circuitous route all over that desert because of their grumpy disobedience. Jesus went into the desert for 40 days to fast and pray and Lucifer tried to bring him down but he failed to defeat the Lord.

The best way to drive out Lucifer is with fasting and pray and quoting the Holy Scriptures but remember he can quote right back at you. The one thing he absolutely cannot handle is laughing at him. He cannot stand to be mocked and scorned. He is too proud. That’s what got him tossed out of heaven to begin with.

I don’t underestimate him or his power but I have a mean sense of humor and a good sense of timing on when and how to use it in my spiritual battle. I do take my sinful nature seriously. Going into this time of Lent I have entered the spiritual battle wearing my full armor of prayer. Drinking that Mtn. Dew after I said that I was going to forego them for 40 days is not the problem. I was thirsty and there was nothing else to drink. The flesh is weak and it will not happen again because now I carry my own refreshment with me when I leave the house. I laugh loudly as I pack that water in my bag when I leave the house.

Mom's broken arm and the sisterly "pillsbury cookoffs"

Feb 28 2011

My, how time flies when I’m having fun. Broken bones take so long to heal, especially in older folks. I feel for my poor Mom. With her right ‘wing’ clipped, she is like a fish out of water. She has had to relearn to feed herself with her left hand and it been giving her some severe headaches. Life is hard to deal with when you have a limb immobilized to your side.

We have laughed about the ‘alien’ hand that appears to be growing out of her stomach. My sister’s young daughter is 6 and she finally asked if Grandmommies arm had broken off and was that why she couldn’t see it sticking out of the sleeves of Moms oversized shirts. We finally let her see that Grandmommie still had an arm under there. She thought when you had a broken arm it was like when you break a dolls arm; it breaks off. We quickly reassured her that was not the case.

It has been like the Pillsbury Cook Off between my sister and I as we make sure that Mom has nourishing meals. We both plan what we are going to cook and I’ve got to tell you, Mom is eating pretty ‘high on the hog’ these days. Sis and I have a tendency to be adventurous in our cooking and we both have pretty impressive culinary skills. We both can do ‘country’ cooking but we also create our own dishes and branch out into dishes from other cultures. Mom never knows what she going to be served but she hasn’t turned anything down yet.



I’ve been inspired to make sure she has good things for breakfast. I have made kolaches filled with pear and peach preserves and my Cape Cod Breakfast Cake and the old stand by of fluffy cat head biscuits topped with sausage gravy. I’ve even started taking photos of my meal preps each step of the way and sharing them on Facebook.

My cooking also spills over into my work with the youth at our church. Last Wednesday I was busy finishing a watercolor architectural rendering and I realized I had not even thought about what I was going to prepare for the kids at church that night. I quickly roundly up my waffle iron and pancake griddle and all the things I needed to make some yummy pancakes and headed to the church kitchen.

I made 20 Belgium waffles and about 50 pancakes and had then ready when the kids started arriving. Everyone loved pancakes but they had never seen all the toppings I had available. I showed then how I like my pancakes; 3 arranged like a 3 leaf clover on the plate and in the center of that was strawberries and bananas drizzled with strawberry syrup; Then a big squirt of whipped cream and a sprinkling of tiny chocolate chips finished it. The kids all looked at that plate and quickly said that was exactly what they wanted.

One child, the tiniest little guy you have ever seen, polished off 7 pancakes AND a waffle.
He tried then with blueberries and strawberries and bananas and with chocolate syrup and maple syrup. He was like me, he just likes pancakes. I didn’t have any left over pancakes from that meal.

I know I will be cooking for my young ones at church for a long time. I think their tummies need filling before we start feeding them spiritually. And it looks like I will be cooking for my mom for a while longer too.

We were talking about her great meals and I asked her what she was going to do when she recovered and could use her arm again. She just smiled and said that she would be visiting my sister and me on a regular basis and mostly around meal time. Hey, I’m not complaining. Meal time should be family time any way.

I’m just going back to the Beatitudes and there is not going to be any poor in spirit or hungering while I’m able to do something about it!

Jan 23 blog

January 23, 2011

“Are there no work houses? Are there no prisons? If the surplus population is going to die than let them hurry up about it , it is no business of mine" Ebenezer Scrooge
In the mid 1800 's Charles Dicken's wrote that dialog in the novel A Christmas Carole. The ghost of Scrooge’s deceased partner, Jacob Marley, answered Scrooge with “Mankind IS your business”

The best way to judge a society is by how it treats the weaker members. So how are you doing in that department? How do you think we as citizens of the US of A are doing? When was the last time you helped someone that had a true need? Or perhaps, when was the last time some one helped YOU when you were the one in need?
On the purely political level, poverty affects us all. On a personal level, I'm a Christian, and as such, it is my DUTY to care. On a simply non-religious but moral level-if I don't care, who will? If I don't care for my fellow man in times of need, how can I expect anyone else to care what happens to me?

I recently asked this question in the course of group conversations or when standing in a line somewhere and listening to people growl about people using food stamps or making remarks about someone’s personal hygiene or the cleanliness of their clothing. I got some answers that give me insight into the heart of a people; some of it is good and some of it is sad.
One school of thought on poverty that someone fired back at me was, “The majority of people who are in poverty are there because of the decisions they made throughout their lives. Aside from being disabled in some way, there's no excuse to be poor in this country where you can do anything you want. Government dependency is a main factor in poverty too. People want the government to take care of them instead of taking care of themselves.”
“People being too lazy or addicted to crack or whatever else their problem may be is certainly not a problem of mine. I work hard and pay my taxes and I don’t like it that my tax dollars are stolen and given to people who are too lazy to work. If someone is poor and gets handed food and shelter then what is his motivation to rise up out of poverty? There is none!”
“I'm not a christian and I’m not religious at all. Religion is all based on emotion. People should instead look at things logically - unlike you. You look at the issue of poverty with emotion rather than logic. But unfortunately, people are so hard headed that emotion seems to trump logic every time. We can care, but instituting things like welfare is a death sentence. Welfare goes against everything that is American and everything that can possibly make a country work.”


Yes I’ve gotten some answers to my questions. But my answer is still we should care, because we don't know the circumstances. We can't judge all poor people to be the same. Many people who are poor are born into poverty, which is not their fault. Many people have made bad choices or may have mental problems. Some people were doing just fine and lost everything due to some catastrophe like serious illness or loss of a job, or GASP this wonderful economy we are all struggling with.

I am not saying that I don’t have my days of having Scrooge like thoughts myself. I am ashamed of myself for having those thoughts too and I usually have to stop and pray for forgiveness. We can't pass judgment on people when we don't know what has happened. We're all on this planet together, like it or not.

January 16, 2011

Que Sera Sera. What ever will be will be. A little snow in Mississippi is an amazing thing for us and we are well aware that we don’t know how to drive in the frozen stuff. Snow in and of itself does not bother me. It’s the slushy stuff that refreezes and the black ice that strikes fear in my driving heart. Therefore I tend to stay off the roads until I hear they are clear.

Last week I stayed in doors that first Monday of the Great January Snowmageddon. I could hear all about the many snow induced accidents being broadcast over the scanner. Cars and pickups were apparently sliding and slipping into ditches and trees and each other on a regular basis. I felt quite safe and snug as a bug inside my little home perched on the hill. I did bundle up and walk down the hill to my mom’s and walked her little dog. It didn’t take him too long to find just the right spot to mark then he was ready to get his little frozen toes back inside.


My own two mutts were burrowed into their igloos. I had stuffed an old king comforter in one and some old lumpy pillows and a blanket in the other. Both of the dogs were in their padded rooms and all I could see was little noses sticking out waiting for me to come fill the food and water bowls. They were not the least bit impressed with the white stuff blanketing their yard.

I was not able to ignore my phone though. The part time work I do was put on hold because number one, the roads were slick and I was not about to get out on them and number two, the stores didn’t open because of the same reason I gave in reason one! I did start out on Tuesday as soon as I knew the roads were okay and that is when the strange weather related accident happened to me!

I had parked the van pointed toward the east and when I opened the door to get out, a strong gust of wind, caught the door and hyper-extended it. It sounded like something had ripped the door off. I got out and looked and everything looked normal until I closed the door. Another loud pop and I saw it was hanging a bit askew and had a wrinkle in it. Uh ohhh!

I had to climb in on the passenger side and drove it to the local body shop and after he got the door open the verdict was not good. The complete door has to be replaced. It seems the gust of wind popped the outer skin loose and the hinges are warped. I really hated to walk into my insurance agents office and lay that story on them because it sounded so bizarre but when I arrived the same thing had happened to one of them so it wasn’t such an oddity after all.

Now the roads are clear, all that is left of Snowmaggedon are the remnants of the snowmen that my daughter built, my husband has taken down the Christmas lights and my van is sitting in the body shop getting fitted for a new door and some work on the front fender and a paint job. So here I sit without a vehicle because of a freak of nature and I am still behind in work. Que Sera Sera

As seen on TV. Some things I think I will pass!

February 1 2010


Most stores now days have the infamous “As Seen on TV” aisle now. Anything that has ever been hawked on the TV screen is now available in your local stores for the same low price that those loud mouth guys on the infomercials are trying to get you to buy for! Without the shipping and handling!

For some unknown reason when I am in a store working, I have a clear shot at the “As Seen on TV” aisle. It’s just the luck of the draw but I can stand in one place doing my job for about and hour and see all manner of people that are drawn to that aisle like a moth to a flame. Now I am not laughing at anyone about this because I always make that trip myself.

Several years ago I was watching a little late night television and all of a sudden the Turbo Cooker appeared. I drooled over that amazing thing. But I was not about to pay what they were asking for it on the TV so I forgot about it. Until a couple of years later and Mom and I were in Wal-Mart Christmas shopping and there was a new aisle….’As Seen on TV” ……..a whole aisle of things to look at and there sat the Turbo Cooker. Mom looked at and I looked at it and we just grinned. Pay dirt! She gave me one and I have to admit that is the most used item in my kitchen. That thing is amazing and I use it all the time; when I choose to cook that is. It’s huge and bulky and won’t fit in my cabinets but I love it.

The next amazing item I happened to purchase was those fit over HD glasses. I found myself over in Amory one day and I lost my sunglasses. I have to have ‘fit overs’ because I wear glasses and I prefer the kind that blocks light coming in from the side. They look funny but I prefer driving with my eyes open. So there I was in Amory and the sun was brutal and those HD wrap around sunglasses were on the As Seen on TV shelf. I bought them and that was the best thing I could have done. They really do help not just with sunlight but during dusk and when the evening light is just a bit strange and you don’t really see those pesky deer; these crazy things help you see the deer.

Now there are snuggies which I see being bought up by the buggy loads, and twin draft guards (another of my purchases and I love that one too!), and the space bags which we love in our closets but they sometimes do lose the seal and all of a sudden your closet doors will pop open and those vacuum sealed clothes and linens will cover you like an avalanche of snow!

I introduced space bags to our two exchange students last year when they were trying to pack all of their things to go to their home countries. It was amazing what all we got back in their luggage. But it sure was super heavy and they had to pay a lot to get their luggage on the airplanes.

So far this year I have resisted the urge to buy the ‘Toasty Toes” foot warmers, the “Point and Paint” painting system and the “Sliders” cooking kit. Then there is the “Caulk like a Pro kit” for the do it yourselfers and the Puppy Poopie Patch. Dogs just LOVE to ‘go’ on it! I will pass on that last one.

I have noticed that some shoppers just like to look at the products and read the packages. And some, like me actually find something that is worth using. Then there are those that are specifically looking for a certain thing. I was working in a store in a college town recently when a huge group of college kids came in and they asked me where the ‘As Seen on TV’ aisle was. I pointed them in the right direction and then I stood there and observed them. I have no clue what they were doing but they stood and looked over the vast collection of unique items for a good half hour and then they made their selections, paid for them and left.

Now part of me wondered if it was something for a marketing class and then I wondered if it was to get gag gifts. But again maybe, just maybe they found something as useful as my turbo cooker.

January 9 2011 Snowfall

January 9, 2011

I have always been fascinated by the weather. I probably should have studied meteorology in school if I had thought about it, but the call of the artist was much stronger. Plus, years ago when the dinosaurs roamed, females were not exactly encouraged to go into the ‘man’s realm’ in some disciplines.

The weather is constantly amazing me now. We actually had a Christmas Day snow which is a miracle in itself and now as I sit here on Sunday evening, I can still hear the pecking of the sleet mixed with snow that has been transforming the world around me into a true winter wonderland. I am starting to feel a little like I am living in Sarah Palin’s Alaskan tundra.

My husband and I have been patiently waiting for just such an occurrence. We have not attempted to remove any of the 40,000 plus lights outside in the hopes that we would get a good blanket of snow and be able to finally get a pretty photo of our lights all aglow on the new fallen snow. I thought my fingers were going to snap off as I was outside snapping the pictures.

Where are gloves when you want them? There must be a glovezone area like there is a sockzone area where gloves and socks go to hide. We turned this house upside down looking for something to cover our hands to no avail.

My daughter wanted to do some sledding but my sleds mysteriously disappeared a couple of years ago. But she showed some creativity and blew up an air mattress and that served her well until it popped.

It has always been a source of amusement to me what people what when snow is predicted. They rush to the store and get milk, bread and eggs. Someone on Facebook said that everyone has to get up and we must all eat French toast for breakfast. Ahhhhh, now it makes sense. Except I always want to make a loaf of bread, a peach cobbler and a huge crock pot of stew or soup.

What is my idea of a snow day? Well, I am going to brew a huge cup of ‘butter toffee’ flavored coffee, cut a big slice of warm banana bread and slap a pat of butter on it, sit in my reading chair wrapped snuggly in my soft blanket and read a book and munch on my bread and sip my coffee. I might venture out to see what is going on in the world just outside my door, but rest assured that I will not be driving on any slick streets nor sliding down a hill. I am amazed by the weather but I certainly don’t want to be a statistic and have to see the inside of the ER because I decided to slide down a hill at breakneck speed and bounce my brittle body against the frozen tundra!

Playing catchup on the Blogs

I haven't blogged in a while. Well I have but I forgot to put them up on the site. They are on my facebook page. so I am going to play catchup with some of my columns and I hope that whomever reads this will enjoy how my year has progressed so far.
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December 27, 2010

Change is hard. We fight it with a passion most of the time but there comes times in our lives when we have to accept it and embrace it and treat it like a friend.

Christmas and New Years celebrations are full of traditions. Some are shared by many, some are found only within communities or are cultural and some are only shared within families. It’s never easy to break those traditions or to even ease something new in. That is when you discover that the ‘traditions’ have a capital T instead of a lower cased one!

This year during Thanksgiving, my sister decided that we would have our annual Christmas feast and gift opening at her home. I thought it was a good idea since she has a child that Santa visits. It would be much easier for her to get the young one into bed after we all left. Everyone seemed ok with the idea; even our Mom, the staunch defender of family traditions (“it has been done one way and one way only since I’ve been on this earth”) seemed ok with the change of venue. THEN baby sister dropped the bombshell as we were sitting around the dinner table eating the traditional dressing and other foods; the menu was going to be steak and all the trimmings. While the rest of us eagerly said “OH YEAH!” Mom’s face looked like it was set in stone. “uh oh” I said as I poked my sister in the ribs and nodded in Mom’s direction. Sis and I both knew we were in for a battle. I al so knew it was NOT the time to suggest that we not buy gifts for everyone in the family.

It’s not that we don’t like the same dishes we have eaten for the last 57 and 51 years of our lives. Our family dynamic is starting to change. Our daughters are nearly out of the nest and both will one day be in their own homes and starting their own traditions that will have to blend in with their future families. There just comes that time in life when change is inevitable and can be a good thing. So the planning started on the new Christmas traditions of 2010 and beyond.

Sis and I had already discussed the price cap on gifts for everyone except Moms gift of course. I did find out that my sister wanted a Keurig coffee brewing system and I had 3 of them because I have been doing demos for the product in stores since November. I called her and told her I would be glad to give her one if she didn’t mind getting the top of the line model that I had been using in the stores. Needless to say she was excited about the prospect of getting that along with the different coffees and accessories that came with it. My brother in law, on the other hand, had to find something else to give her!

Christmas arrived and all went well. The new venue was great, the new food was fabulous. Mom took up residence in the most centrally located comfortable chair in the house and Christmas Eve just swirled on around her. We had changed the family ‘Tradition’ and the earth continued to spin on its axis without even a wobble. Perhaps next year I will suggest ‘dirty Santa’ and see if that flies!

Now we can concentrate on the coming year and the changes it will bring. My husband will be without employment in this new year. His company is closing down one depot in Mississippi due to the economy and lucky us; it’s his region that will be closed. About 12 families will be affected employment wise with this change. The customers that purchased their product will just move on to something else and never really know what happened.

Even though my family is facing an unsettling New Year, I am not completely shaking in my boots. I do have my moments of panic. “What are we going to do and how are we going to do it” does race through my mind at odd times. But in a moment of peace came one day last week as I prayed and then I did something that I rarely do. I asked for a sign that all would be well. I even was so bold as to ask for a specific sign. When I told a young friend of mine what I had done, he just laughed at me.

When I went to sleep in the early hours of Christmas Day, in that time that is called the darkest hour before dawn, I repeated my prayer and my request and then I laid down to sleep with a peaceful heart. At 6:30 our daughter came running into our room saying it was snowing.

Hmmm. Snow….In Mississippi….On Christmas Day. What a miracle. I am still smiling.