I received this in an e-mail yesterday and thought that I would send it on by way of my blog today. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
"As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the Kentucky back country. As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn't stop for directions.
I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play.
The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played with my whole heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless person. And as I played 'Amazing Grace,' the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full.
As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "I never seen nothin' like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years."
Apparently I was still lost...."
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Jiminy Cricket
I don't understand how Walt Disney made mice and crickets look cute. I can't stand mice anywhere at anytime, and last night the cricket that got into my bedroom was anything but adorable.
How can one small critter make so much noise? I got up twice to try to find it, but they have the sense to shut up just as you are ready to zero in on their location.
Well first thing this morning, after a sleepless night with the background music going, I armed myself with a can of Raid. Hopefully my slumber tonight will be chirp free.
How can one small critter make so much noise? I got up twice to try to find it, but they have the sense to shut up just as you are ready to zero in on their location.
Well first thing this morning, after a sleepless night with the background music going, I armed myself with a can of Raid. Hopefully my slumber tonight will be chirp free.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Sleepless in Seatle?
I don't know if you have ever seen this movie, it is one of my favorites, but I wish I could find out where Tom Hanks got that orchestra that csme into his home to play that beautiful music when he couldn't sleep.
Last night was one of those sleepless nights for me. I could not get my mind to stop working. Okay, I know all the jokes, such as: "I never knew your mind worked in the first place!" or "What mind?" It was a very frustrating night.
I tried to read myself to sleep, it worked until I was just drifting off and smelt a skunk. Our dog, who kills any animal that happens to wonder onto our property, was sleeping outside and I was afraid he would tangle with the skunk. So, I jumped out of bed and called him in. After making sure that he hadn't already been sprayed, I tried to fall back to sleep but by now I was wide awake.
You know how it can be, I felt like "The Princess and the Pea". Even the smallest piece of lint felt like a bolder.
And then there is my husband! I don't think that man can hold still for a second. He runs in his sleep, he jerks more than a side of beef waiting to become Slim Jims, and he insists on sticking his arm under my pillow. Now to most people that may not sound like a big deal, but remember the pea reference above? Well, I swear that there was a tree trunk jammed up under my head. And then he is still jerking which makes his nails scratch across the sheet and it sounds like someone is scraping out the inside of my head.
So, here I am on a sunny Thursday afternoon feeling like my eyelids weigh ten pounds each. I am counting the hours until I can climb into my bed again tonight and that hopefully Tom Hanks' music will come floating in through my bedroom window and lull me to sleep.
Last night was one of those sleepless nights for me. I could not get my mind to stop working. Okay, I know all the jokes, such as: "I never knew your mind worked in the first place!" or "What mind?" It was a very frustrating night.
I tried to read myself to sleep, it worked until I was just drifting off and smelt a skunk. Our dog, who kills any animal that happens to wonder onto our property, was sleeping outside and I was afraid he would tangle with the skunk. So, I jumped out of bed and called him in. After making sure that he hadn't already been sprayed, I tried to fall back to sleep but by now I was wide awake.
You know how it can be, I felt like "The Princess and the Pea". Even the smallest piece of lint felt like a bolder.
And then there is my husband! I don't think that man can hold still for a second. He runs in his sleep, he jerks more than a side of beef waiting to become Slim Jims, and he insists on sticking his arm under my pillow. Now to most people that may not sound like a big deal, but remember the pea reference above? Well, I swear that there was a tree trunk jammed up under my head. And then he is still jerking which makes his nails scratch across the sheet and it sounds like someone is scraping out the inside of my head.
So, here I am on a sunny Thursday afternoon feeling like my eyelids weigh ten pounds each. I am counting the hours until I can climb into my bed again tonight and that hopefully Tom Hanks' music will come floating in through my bedroom window and lull me to sleep.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Evening
Last evening, we decided to eat our supper, yes - I am from the country and say supper, out on the deck. It was a very pleasant evening with a soft breeze coming out of the North.
My husband had cooked the meat and vegetables on the grill so we didn't have to heat up the house.
Our patio set was one of the things that I had just refurbished and this was the first that we had been able to put it to use.
We had just settled in our chairs and were admiring the sunset when we heard the Amish neighbors across the field playing out in their yard. We couldn't see them because of the crops in the fields and the forest between us, but we could hear the children laughing and it sounded very sweet.
Out of the blue, one of them started to yodel. We stopped our eating and conversation and just listened to the wonderful music floating in across the way. It really did make a lovely end to our hectic day.
My husband had cooked the meat and vegetables on the grill so we didn't have to heat up the house.
Our patio set was one of the things that I had just refurbished and this was the first that we had been able to put it to use.
We had just settled in our chairs and were admiring the sunset when we heard the Amish neighbors across the field playing out in their yard. We couldn't see them because of the crops in the fields and the forest between us, but we could hear the children laughing and it sounded very sweet.
Out of the blue, one of them started to yodel. We stopped our eating and conversation and just listened to the wonderful music floating in across the way. It really did make a lovely end to our hectic day.
Monday, August 23, 2010
The Rat
When I was still in grade school, we moved over 100 miles South from where I was born. My father had gotten a promotion, not more money - just more work, and we had to relocate.
We moved to a home that had been standing empty for a couple of years because of being tied up in court with a divorce. The house was up a long lane and the yard was overgrown with weeds from the road clear to the house.
Since the place was empty and out in the middle of nowhere, teenagers had been using the long driveway for a lover's lane. My little brothers soon discovered that someone had left "balloons" and brought them in the house for someone to inflate for them. My aunts, sisters, mom, and I were trying to clean the very dirty house so we could move the furniture in when it got there. My mom was horrified when she saw what my brothers had and my one aunt quickly tossed the balloons, scrubbed the little ones' hands, and whisked them off with my little sisters to her home for safe keeping.
My father and uncles were out trying to tackle the yard. My dad saw that there were signs of rats in the barn and not wanting to alarm my mom after what she had just gone through, he quietly put out a bunch of rat poison and told all of us to stay away from the barn.
Several days later, while dad was at work, mom wanted to go see if the barn was usable. She told me she was going out to check it and I informed her that dad had told us to stay away from it. Thinking that he had said this because he didn't want the boys to get into things, she thought that it would be okay for her to go check it out. I told her that I would go in with her.
We went to the two big doors on the front and opened them up. We stepped just inside the barn and was letting our eyes get accustomed to the dark and also to look around for the light switch. To our right, on a beam about head high to us, sat a dead rat. My mom jumped a little when she saw it causing me to jump also. She stood there a minute watching it and finally determined that it had died in that position. We were looking at it making comments on how strange it was that it had breathed its last and ended up just perched there like that. Mom saw the light switch just to the right of the rat and reached up to turn on the electricity and that dead rat turned and ran.
I am not sure which way it ended up going because mom and I were in a foot race to the house screaming at the top of our lungs. I was only fourteen years old and my mom had had polio when I was born. I couldn't believe it when I finally ran into the house and there sat my mom at the kitchen table shaking and laughing her head off. Although this event happened well over forty years ago, we still can get a good laugh over the whole moving in experience and the day we saw "The Rat"!
We moved to a home that had been standing empty for a couple of years because of being tied up in court with a divorce. The house was up a long lane and the yard was overgrown with weeds from the road clear to the house.
Since the place was empty and out in the middle of nowhere, teenagers had been using the long driveway for a lover's lane. My little brothers soon discovered that someone had left "balloons" and brought them in the house for someone to inflate for them. My aunts, sisters, mom, and I were trying to clean the very dirty house so we could move the furniture in when it got there. My mom was horrified when she saw what my brothers had and my one aunt quickly tossed the balloons, scrubbed the little ones' hands, and whisked them off with my little sisters to her home for safe keeping.
My father and uncles were out trying to tackle the yard. My dad saw that there were signs of rats in the barn and not wanting to alarm my mom after what she had just gone through, he quietly put out a bunch of rat poison and told all of us to stay away from the barn.
Several days later, while dad was at work, mom wanted to go see if the barn was usable. She told me she was going out to check it and I informed her that dad had told us to stay away from it. Thinking that he had said this because he didn't want the boys to get into things, she thought that it would be okay for her to go check it out. I told her that I would go in with her.
We went to the two big doors on the front and opened them up. We stepped just inside the barn and was letting our eyes get accustomed to the dark and also to look around for the light switch. To our right, on a beam about head high to us, sat a dead rat. My mom jumped a little when she saw it causing me to jump also. She stood there a minute watching it and finally determined that it had died in that position. We were looking at it making comments on how strange it was that it had breathed its last and ended up just perched there like that. Mom saw the light switch just to the right of the rat and reached up to turn on the electricity and that dead rat turned and ran.
I am not sure which way it ended up going because mom and I were in a foot race to the house screaming at the top of our lungs. I was only fourteen years old and my mom had had polio when I was born. I couldn't believe it when I finally ran into the house and there sat my mom at the kitchen table shaking and laughing her head off. Although this event happened well over forty years ago, we still can get a good laugh over the whole moving in experience and the day we saw "The Rat"!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Public Restrooms
Two of the most frightening words ~ EVER!!! Oh, how I hate to use public restrooms and it seems like I have had to use a lot of them lately. We went camping - public restrooms. Took a long trip - public restrooms. Had to stay in a hotel - almost public restrooms! Went to the drive-in - you guessed it, but I didn't!
Yesterday was the real kicker, though! My sister came into town and several of my siblings and our mom decided to get together at a resturant. With extended families, we ended up having around thirty of us sitting at a very long table in a large facility. There was no way you could visit with everyone. It took our waitress an extreme amount of time to get the drink orders, the appetizers, and our orders taken. My husband and I were helping our daughter-in-law at one end of the table take care of her three boys. This made visiting with others almost impossible.
By the time our food finally came, we had been in the resturant for over two hours. We finally finished eating and left to get into our cars. Did we leave? Of course not, we had to stand and talk in the parking lot for an extra half an hour. This is bringing our lunch together at a three and a half hour rate.
I had water, which since I am trying to loose weight is my usual choice of drink now, and the waitress and manager made sure that my glass was never empty. Although I had sat just several feet from the restroom inside, I didn't think about needing one until I was standing out in the parking lot. I thought that I would have felt foolish walking back inside, so my husband took me to a local retailer, building supplier, because he needed some things. I should have walked back inside the resturant and felt foolish, I am sure that it would have been a little bit better. But at least it was clean and I didn't want to turn and take my chances on making it somewhere else.
Since we had taken so long eating, we decided to stay in town because my grandson was having a birthday party at the local bowling alley at 5:00. We wasted some time in the store and then went through a drive-thru to get a drink. Of course I got a large one, it was very hot outside.
At the bowling alley, the kids and some of the grown ups bowled and I helped take care of the smallest ones. Somewhere a long the line, someone got me another large drink.
You would think that I would learn, but very shortly I was looking for that international sign that said women's restroom. After entering the dark recesses of the chamber, I really wished that I would have been wearing a Depends. You can not even imagine! There are no words to bring justice to my findings! I tried to cover the seat, but the tissue would only come off one very thin sheet at a time and speaking of time, I was running out of it. My legs were crossed and I was biting my lip to keep from screaming.
I finally sat down and to my surprise was blessed with reading material. Did you know that Edward Collin was hot? He must be because it said it on the walls four times. Also, Kat-Kat sat here - which made me pray that this was a person and not a feline.
There were some words that made me blush and some that made me ponder. I am not for sure which statement is true because it said that vampires were real people and then again some one said that they were not. One very intelligent person wrote that they had done their duty. As far up as they wrote this message, I am pretty sure they had to have been standing on the seat at the time and that would be a most peculiar way to do anything.
It was time for me to leave my little library and once again I had the distinct pleasure of pulling one sheet off the roll at a time. With at least twenty single sheets in my hand, it was still like looking through plastic wrap. I know it did a really fine job!
I went out to wash my hands and of course there is no soap, and the only drying material was just that, a roll of fabric towels that should have been changed a couple of years prior. (I used my shirt!)
I could not wait to get home and scour my whole body from top to "bottom"!
Yesterday was the real kicker, though! My sister came into town and several of my siblings and our mom decided to get together at a resturant. With extended families, we ended up having around thirty of us sitting at a very long table in a large facility. There was no way you could visit with everyone. It took our waitress an extreme amount of time to get the drink orders, the appetizers, and our orders taken. My husband and I were helping our daughter-in-law at one end of the table take care of her three boys. This made visiting with others almost impossible.
By the time our food finally came, we had been in the resturant for over two hours. We finally finished eating and left to get into our cars. Did we leave? Of course not, we had to stand and talk in the parking lot for an extra half an hour. This is bringing our lunch together at a three and a half hour rate.
I had water, which since I am trying to loose weight is my usual choice of drink now, and the waitress and manager made sure that my glass was never empty. Although I had sat just several feet from the restroom inside, I didn't think about needing one until I was standing out in the parking lot. I thought that I would have felt foolish walking back inside, so my husband took me to a local retailer, building supplier, because he needed some things. I should have walked back inside the resturant and felt foolish, I am sure that it would have been a little bit better. But at least it was clean and I didn't want to turn and take my chances on making it somewhere else.
Since we had taken so long eating, we decided to stay in town because my grandson was having a birthday party at the local bowling alley at 5:00. We wasted some time in the store and then went through a drive-thru to get a drink. Of course I got a large one, it was very hot outside.
At the bowling alley, the kids and some of the grown ups bowled and I helped take care of the smallest ones. Somewhere a long the line, someone got me another large drink.
You would think that I would learn, but very shortly I was looking for that international sign that said women's restroom. After entering the dark recesses of the chamber, I really wished that I would have been wearing a Depends. You can not even imagine! There are no words to bring justice to my findings! I tried to cover the seat, but the tissue would only come off one very thin sheet at a time and speaking of time, I was running out of it. My legs were crossed and I was biting my lip to keep from screaming.
I finally sat down and to my surprise was blessed with reading material. Did you know that Edward Collin was hot? He must be because it said it on the walls four times. Also, Kat-Kat sat here - which made me pray that this was a person and not a feline.
There were some words that made me blush and some that made me ponder. I am not for sure which statement is true because it said that vampires were real people and then again some one said that they were not. One very intelligent person wrote that they had done their duty. As far up as they wrote this message, I am pretty sure they had to have been standing on the seat at the time and that would be a most peculiar way to do anything.
It was time for me to leave my little library and once again I had the distinct pleasure of pulling one sheet off the roll at a time. With at least twenty single sheets in my hand, it was still like looking through plastic wrap. I know it did a really fine job!
I went out to wash my hands and of course there is no soap, and the only drying material was just that, a roll of fabric towels that should have been changed a couple of years prior. (I used my shirt!)
I could not wait to get home and scour my whole body from top to "bottom"!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Fire and Water
On the news lately have been numerious places, both in the United States and other countries, that are suffering from great fires and huge floods. I have to admit that I have always been terrified of my house catching fire, but I think a flood would be just as devestating.
I am not sure if it would be easier to know that all of my possessions had gone up in smoke or to see them soaked with water and ruined anyway.
We just found out today that an Amish neighbors almost got burnt out last Thursday. One of their sons were reading with a lamp and fell asleep. While he was sleeping, he accidentally knocked over the lamp and it caught a chair and the curtains on fire before he woke up. The father of the household ran upstairs and put the fire out before it could do much damage, but it could have been a deadly fire. Also, look at all of those wild fires out in California. It seems like hundreds of homes get burnt out each year.
Then I see on the news that somewhere out west a fifteen year old girl was washed away in a flash flood and got killed. I am sure that she was just an innocent bystander and not doing anything foolish. And don't forget the floods in Pakistan. Wow does that look horrible! You can't help but feel bad for all the people over there.
So with these gruesome thoughts behind us, I would just like to say that I hope you have enough fire to keep you warm and plenty of water so you will always be refreshed. Stay safe out there, it is a wild world!
I am not sure if it would be easier to know that all of my possessions had gone up in smoke or to see them soaked with water and ruined anyway.
We just found out today that an Amish neighbors almost got burnt out last Thursday. One of their sons were reading with a lamp and fell asleep. While he was sleeping, he accidentally knocked over the lamp and it caught a chair and the curtains on fire before he woke up. The father of the household ran upstairs and put the fire out before it could do much damage, but it could have been a deadly fire. Also, look at all of those wild fires out in California. It seems like hundreds of homes get burnt out each year.
Then I see on the news that somewhere out west a fifteen year old girl was washed away in a flash flood and got killed. I am sure that she was just an innocent bystander and not doing anything foolish. And don't forget the floods in Pakistan. Wow does that look horrible! You can't help but feel bad for all the people over there.
So with these gruesome thoughts behind us, I would just like to say that I hope you have enough fire to keep you warm and plenty of water so you will always be refreshed. Stay safe out there, it is a wild world!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Young vs. Old
In our younger days, we couldn't wait to be older. We didn't like the start of school because it ruined all those summer nights and fun. We had to go to bed early so we could be on the bus in the morning. Our parents were allowed to stay up and watch TV to all hours of the night, we supposed.
We came home at night and had to do homework while mom got to have all that fun in the kitchen. We would help with the supper dishes while dad got to go sit in on the sofa and read the paper. Where was the justice in all of this?
Now we look at the young and think how do they get so much energy? How can they run and play like that and never seem to tire out? We wish we could get in on some of this fun.
We put them down for a nap and think how lucky they are to be able to rest in the middle of the day.
I guess when it comes down to it, we are happy looking into the future or the past rather than living in the present. I say we just enjoy today for what it is ~ a wonderful life.
We came home at night and had to do homework while mom got to have all that fun in the kitchen. We would help with the supper dishes while dad got to go sit in on the sofa and read the paper. Where was the justice in all of this?
Now we look at the young and think how do they get so much energy? How can they run and play like that and never seem to tire out? We wish we could get in on some of this fun.
We put them down for a nap and think how lucky they are to be able to rest in the middle of the day.
I guess when it comes down to it, we are happy looking into the future or the past rather than living in the present. I say we just enjoy today for what it is ~ a wonderful life.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Birds
What wonderful creatures? I am a novice bird watcher, not sure what I am seeing, but I know that there are some really beautiful ones.
This morning as I was looking out my window, I saw a male and female cardinal. They were busy at the bird feeder, but the male, whose bright red feathers were almost blinding, kept a lookout for his mate while she was feeding. When they were done or he had sensed danger, he let out a cry and off they flew.
Saturday, while we were out on the lake, we saw a majestic bald eagle. What a wonderful sight, and one that you don't get to witness every day. At first he was perched up on a high tree branch and then he took off and soared over the lake. We all just stopped and watched the graceful moves of this glorious bird.
At the beauty shop where my mom gets her hair fixed is another sanctuary. She has blue birds who nest there. They put up special boxes for them and they come back year after year to raise their new young ones.
Also, she has one of the biggest collections of humming birds that I have ever seen. There is a bird feeder right outside the shop window and they seem to flock to it. One day while we were in the shop, one of the humming birds tried to come in the front door. He kept pecking at the window in the door, trying to figure out just how to accomplish this feat. I finally was thrilled when he gave up and decided that his appointment to get his feathers curled must have been at another time or day.
I love to see a blue jay with its distinct color, but I get very angry with it when it trys to rob the other birds' nests. I guess there are nasty breeds in every walk of life. But all in all, no matter what the variety of bird that it might be, I will always take the time to wonder at them and to be thankful for their presence.
This morning as I was looking out my window, I saw a male and female cardinal. They were busy at the bird feeder, but the male, whose bright red feathers were almost blinding, kept a lookout for his mate while she was feeding. When they were done or he had sensed danger, he let out a cry and off they flew.
Saturday, while we were out on the lake, we saw a majestic bald eagle. What a wonderful sight, and one that you don't get to witness every day. At first he was perched up on a high tree branch and then he took off and soared over the lake. We all just stopped and watched the graceful moves of this glorious bird.
At the beauty shop where my mom gets her hair fixed is another sanctuary. She has blue birds who nest there. They put up special boxes for them and they come back year after year to raise their new young ones.
Also, she has one of the biggest collections of humming birds that I have ever seen. There is a bird feeder right outside the shop window and they seem to flock to it. One day while we were in the shop, one of the humming birds tried to come in the front door. He kept pecking at the window in the door, trying to figure out just how to accomplish this feat. I finally was thrilled when he gave up and decided that his appointment to get his feathers curled must have been at another time or day.
I love to see a blue jay with its distinct color, but I get very angry with it when it trys to rob the other birds' nests. I guess there are nasty breeds in every walk of life. But all in all, no matter what the variety of bird that it might be, I will always take the time to wonder at them and to be thankful for their presence.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Is Anyone Out There?
Sometimes I feel like it is just me and this computer. I am not sure if anyone is listening to me. Computers are funny! Unlike a phone call where you can at least leave a message and hope that someone will listen to it sooner or later, posting a blog on a computer makes you wonder if anyone is reading what you are writing.
It isn't important to know, I guess, because it won't change what I write about. I just hope that if someone is reading that I am not boring them to death.
So if you are reading my words, I thank you. If you aren't reading them, I wish you would. If you think they don't make a lot of sense sometimes, I am sorry. If they make you stop and think, I am glad. And if they make you smile or laugh, you have made my day!
It isn't important to know, I guess, because it won't change what I write about. I just hope that if someone is reading that I am not boring them to death.
So if you are reading my words, I thank you. If you aren't reading them, I wish you would. If you think they don't make a lot of sense sometimes, I am sorry. If they make you stop and think, I am glad. And if they make you smile or laugh, you have made my day!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Racing Heart
Sorry for the break in the blogging, but I went on a camping outing and there wasn't any internet service. I guess they still think that when you go camping, you should rough it and not have some of the nicer things in life.
While we were camping, I had a few heart racing moments. The first one was my one year old grandson crawled way too close to the fire ring. Luckly my one daughter-in-law was Johnny on the Spot and got to him before he could reach the hot iron.
Another heart stopper was when we went out on a pontoon boat and I decided that it would be a good thing to jump off the side of it to go swimming. Little did I realize how deep the lake was. I usually only swim in our pond that is only thirteen feet. When this not too small body of mine plunged into the mighty depths of the lake, I went down way too far. At one point on the trip back up I was wondering if I had flipped and was really heading down further. All I could see was dark, murky water and no sunlight anywhere. I realize that it was only a few seconds that I was under, but it seemed like a lifetime. I know my heart started beating again when I broke through that glorious surface.
My last brush with a racing heart came at 2:30 Sunday morning. My husband had woken up to take a bathroom break and in the process woke me up also. I don't do well sleeping on a strange bed in the first place and waking up suddenly doesn't help. I decided to use the facilities myself. Believing that no one else would be up at that time and the restroom was only fifty yards form the camper, I didn't bother to put on my house coat. I was just a few feet from the campsite and I saw headlights coming up behind me. Now I am sure that without the protection of a housecoat, I was going to be quite a sight in my nylon nightgown with those lights shinning on me, so I quickened my footsteps. I turned towards the restroom and the car came to a screeching halt behind me. The car door opened and I heard footsteps running up the pathway. I bolted for the bathroom door, flinging it open, and sprinted to the open stall. As I reached it, I heard the door open behind me. I grabbed the stall door and pulled it shut. Through the opening as I was rushing to close it, I saw a women in desperate need of a bathroom. As I sat down, I noticed that my legs were shaking, my breath was labored, and my heart was racing. I was glad that I didn't need to use the restroom that bad or I am sure there would have been a puddle on the floor also. I chuckled all the way back to the campsite. It is good to know that this old heart can still take a little excitement.
While we were camping, I had a few heart racing moments. The first one was my one year old grandson crawled way too close to the fire ring. Luckly my one daughter-in-law was Johnny on the Spot and got to him before he could reach the hot iron.
Another heart stopper was when we went out on a pontoon boat and I decided that it would be a good thing to jump off the side of it to go swimming. Little did I realize how deep the lake was. I usually only swim in our pond that is only thirteen feet. When this not too small body of mine plunged into the mighty depths of the lake, I went down way too far. At one point on the trip back up I was wondering if I had flipped and was really heading down further. All I could see was dark, murky water and no sunlight anywhere. I realize that it was only a few seconds that I was under, but it seemed like a lifetime. I know my heart started beating again when I broke through that glorious surface.
My last brush with a racing heart came at 2:30 Sunday morning. My husband had woken up to take a bathroom break and in the process woke me up also. I don't do well sleeping on a strange bed in the first place and waking up suddenly doesn't help. I decided to use the facilities myself. Believing that no one else would be up at that time and the restroom was only fifty yards form the camper, I didn't bother to put on my house coat. I was just a few feet from the campsite and I saw headlights coming up behind me. Now I am sure that without the protection of a housecoat, I was going to be quite a sight in my nylon nightgown with those lights shinning on me, so I quickened my footsteps. I turned towards the restroom and the car came to a screeching halt behind me. The car door opened and I heard footsteps running up the pathway. I bolted for the bathroom door, flinging it open, and sprinted to the open stall. As I reached it, I heard the door open behind me. I grabbed the stall door and pulled it shut. Through the opening as I was rushing to close it, I saw a women in desperate need of a bathroom. As I sat down, I noticed that my legs were shaking, my breath was labored, and my heart was racing. I was glad that I didn't need to use the restroom that bad or I am sure there would have been a puddle on the floor also. I chuckled all the way back to the campsite. It is good to know that this old heart can still take a little excitement.
Friday, August 13, 2010
Nothing but the Truth
Why is it that some people can not tell the truth? Even if they know that they are going to get caught in the lie, they will still tell one.
I can see smaller children not telling the truth because they don't know any better, but for adults - there just is no excuse.
I know one man that I can tell you what he is going to say before he ever says it because he doesn't know honesty if it jumped up and bit him on the lips. He was entrusted with some papers that were of importance to someone other than himself. My husband told me about this and I said, "I bet he throws them away because they are not having to do with him. Then he will make up some lie if the papers are ever needed again." Well, less than a year later my prediction has come true. He swears that someone stole the papers. Why would someone want to steal papers that had nothing to do with them? But then again, why would anyone ever trust this man with even toilet paper?
I pride myself with being honest. I don't break laws, I drive the speed limit, and I have the utmost respect for other people's property. I don't think it is asking too much to expect this same courtesy.
I can see smaller children not telling the truth because they don't know any better, but for adults - there just is no excuse.
I know one man that I can tell you what he is going to say before he ever says it because he doesn't know honesty if it jumped up and bit him on the lips. He was entrusted with some papers that were of importance to someone other than himself. My husband told me about this and I said, "I bet he throws them away because they are not having to do with him. Then he will make up some lie if the papers are ever needed again." Well, less than a year later my prediction has come true. He swears that someone stole the papers. Why would someone want to steal papers that had nothing to do with them? But then again, why would anyone ever trust this man with even toilet paper?
I pride myself with being honest. I don't break laws, I drive the speed limit, and I have the utmost respect for other people's property. I don't think it is asking too much to expect this same courtesy.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Back to School
Those words mean so much to so many. How can it be that the same three words can make some smile while others begin to cry?
In my daughter's family, her son - who will begin 3rd grade - does not want to even see back to school supplies. He is very content to just be at home enjoying the great outdoors and the pool. On the other hand, her twin daughters - who will begin kindergarden - are just too excited about starting out this new adventure that they will be embarking. They can't wait to strap on their backpacks filled with all of their new markers, crayons, and pencils. Now you would think that this would be the end of the emotions in this household, but my daughter, who happens to be a school teacher, is thrilled with the fact that they don't have to have day care anymore but at the same time she won't even let that six letter word (school) be said in her presence. She doesn't want to think about going back to work until the night before this tragedy happens.
All across this nation, some parents and students are happy about the prospect of that school bell ringing while others would prefer a never ending summer. My emotions are mixed. I personally don't like the idea of my oldest grandchild being in the third grade but I know that time marches on and with that age creeps up on us all. And then there is the fact that with the start of school comes the start of a new season. Fall is a wonderful time of the year, carving pumpkins and turkeys, playing and watching football, and leaves covering the ground. Yes, I can see where people can be happy and sad about the same thing. After all we are human!
In my daughter's family, her son - who will begin 3rd grade - does not want to even see back to school supplies. He is very content to just be at home enjoying the great outdoors and the pool. On the other hand, her twin daughters - who will begin kindergarden - are just too excited about starting out this new adventure that they will be embarking. They can't wait to strap on their backpacks filled with all of their new markers, crayons, and pencils. Now you would think that this would be the end of the emotions in this household, but my daughter, who happens to be a school teacher, is thrilled with the fact that they don't have to have day care anymore but at the same time she won't even let that six letter word (school) be said in her presence. She doesn't want to think about going back to work until the night before this tragedy happens.
All across this nation, some parents and students are happy about the prospect of that school bell ringing while others would prefer a never ending summer. My emotions are mixed. I personally don't like the idea of my oldest grandchild being in the third grade but I know that time marches on and with that age creeps up on us all. And then there is the fact that with the start of school comes the start of a new season. Fall is a wonderful time of the year, carving pumpkins and turkeys, playing and watching football, and leaves covering the ground. Yes, I can see where people can be happy and sad about the same thing. After all we are human!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
People Watching
Have you ever been somewhere and have nothing to do but to watch people? I have had the pleasure of doing this several times in the past week. One of the times I already wrote about, the Urgent Care, and now I am going to comment on some others.
One of these times was last week when I was waiting for my daugter-in-law out in her truck while she was getting her two oldest sons out of Bible school. One of the doors to the church was locked. One by one, people would go up to this door and try to open it. It was fun to watch them, especially when they would see someone else try the door but still have to go try to open it themselves. One lady was so determined to open it that she would pull hard on it, wait a second and pull again. Then she turned as if to leave and went back and pulled again. She tried to open that locked door six or seven times. And then as she was finally giving up, a man came, they had a discussion about the door, and then he tried to open it also.
And then on Monday, my husband and I had business to do in a local town. After we were finished, he had a meeting in the same town so I went to McDonalds to wait for him. I had an opportunity to watch many individuals come and go. Also I got to observe the workers. The people who worked at this particular McDonalds were younger workers. They were laughing and getting along with each other very well.
The people eating there were an odd lot. Most of them came in twos or threes. Not many of them talked to each other. But there was one group of four men, looked to be in their early twenties. They ordered their food, joking with each other and the girl behind the counter, and then proceeded to have the best time while they were eating. They laughed and carried on the whole time that they were in the resturant. It was fun to watch them and nice to hear them having such a great time.
I enjoy listening, watching, and talking to people. We do make up a great bunch, don't we?
One of these times was last week when I was waiting for my daugter-in-law out in her truck while she was getting her two oldest sons out of Bible school. One of the doors to the church was locked. One by one, people would go up to this door and try to open it. It was fun to watch them, especially when they would see someone else try the door but still have to go try to open it themselves. One lady was so determined to open it that she would pull hard on it, wait a second and pull again. Then she turned as if to leave and went back and pulled again. She tried to open that locked door six or seven times. And then as she was finally giving up, a man came, they had a discussion about the door, and then he tried to open it also.
And then on Monday, my husband and I had business to do in a local town. After we were finished, he had a meeting in the same town so I went to McDonalds to wait for him. I had an opportunity to watch many individuals come and go. Also I got to observe the workers. The people who worked at this particular McDonalds were younger workers. They were laughing and getting along with each other very well.
The people eating there were an odd lot. Most of them came in twos or threes. Not many of them talked to each other. But there was one group of four men, looked to be in their early twenties. They ordered their food, joking with each other and the girl behind the counter, and then proceeded to have the best time while they were eating. They laughed and carried on the whole time that they were in the resturant. It was fun to watch them and nice to hear them having such a great time.
I enjoy listening, watching, and talking to people. We do make up a great bunch, don't we?
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Pre-recorded Messages
I am going to rant today on the pre-recorded messages that seem to take up the better part of my day anymore. I can't seem to be able to call anywhere anymore without having to push 1 for this or 2 for that. Some days I just want to start pushing buttons as soon as I hear the phone on the other end start to ring.
The other day I had to push 1 if I needed English. (Why don't they just assume that I need English and ask the other guys to push 1 if they need another language?)
I then had to push 1 if I was a customer and 2 if I wasn't. (I can't figure out why I would call if I wasn't a customer. Are there really people out there just calling these numbers for the heck of it?)
The next prompt wanted to know what I needed with this department. If I didn't say exactly something that they wanted to hear, the recording told me that they didn't understand what I was trying to say and maybe I meant something else which she proceeded to give me about six different options, which none applied to my problem. She even did a "hum" while trying to figure out what exactly that I wanted to do.
I started screaming into the phone and at the end of my tirade a very polite voice - still a recording said, "I'm sorry, I did not understand what you said."
This prompted me to start choking the phone and saying some words that were not the best ones in the world.
At this time, I started to just push the "0" button to try to get a live person on the other end of the phone. Everytime that I pushed this a recording would tell me that this was not a correct response. After about the sixth time of trying to get an operator on the phone, the sweet voice came on to tell me that I would have to try my call later and proceeded to disconnect.
Obviously I was not needing the service of this company after all. Who cares if I now have a curling iron caught in my hair or not? I will just put a bow on it and tell everyone that it is a new style.
The other day I had to push 1 if I needed English. (Why don't they just assume that I need English and ask the other guys to push 1 if they need another language?)
I then had to push 1 if I was a customer and 2 if I wasn't. (I can't figure out why I would call if I wasn't a customer. Are there really people out there just calling these numbers for the heck of it?)
The next prompt wanted to know what I needed with this department. If I didn't say exactly something that they wanted to hear, the recording told me that they didn't understand what I was trying to say and maybe I meant something else which she proceeded to give me about six different options, which none applied to my problem. She even did a "hum" while trying to figure out what exactly that I wanted to do.
I started screaming into the phone and at the end of my tirade a very polite voice - still a recording said, "I'm sorry, I did not understand what you said."
This prompted me to start choking the phone and saying some words that were not the best ones in the world.
At this time, I started to just push the "0" button to try to get a live person on the other end of the phone. Everytime that I pushed this a recording would tell me that this was not a correct response. After about the sixth time of trying to get an operator on the phone, the sweet voice came on to tell me that I would have to try my call later and proceeded to disconnect.
Obviously I was not needing the service of this company after all. Who cares if I now have a curling iron caught in my hair or not? I will just put a bow on it and tell everyone that it is a new style.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Alarm Clocks
How annoying are alarm clocks? They seem to pick the worst possible moment to go off! How many times have you been in the middle of a great dream and then the blasted alarm goes off and destroys all the evidence of the fantastic images that were just present in your brain?
Or how about those times when you have had the most restless night's sleep that you have had in ages? You finally slip into that blessed deep slumber that you so desperately need and in what seems like just a few moments later, there goes that radio again or worse yet you have it set for the non-stop, irritating buzzer.
Oh, you can hit the snooze button, one - two - three times and pretend that it helps, but in the end it just makes you start the day behind.
It makes one wonder how the pioneers did it? I suppose that they had the sun to wake them, or the cows that would have needed milking. But according to my children, it was probably the rooster, like the one down the road at the Amish barn. The annoying one that crows endlessly waking up everyone camping out in our back yard. I guess we should be happy that our alarms don't sound like a crazed rooster or a cow with a full udder.
Or how about those times when you have had the most restless night's sleep that you have had in ages? You finally slip into that blessed deep slumber that you so desperately need and in what seems like just a few moments later, there goes that radio again or worse yet you have it set for the non-stop, irritating buzzer.
Oh, you can hit the snooze button, one - two - three times and pretend that it helps, but in the end it just makes you start the day behind.
It makes one wonder how the pioneers did it? I suppose that they had the sun to wake them, or the cows that would have needed milking. But according to my children, it was probably the rooster, like the one down the road at the Amish barn. The annoying one that crows endlessly waking up everyone camping out in our back yard. I guess we should be happy that our alarms don't sound like a crazed rooster or a cow with a full udder.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Garage Sales
I went to the 127 garage sales with two of my sons today. My one son thinks this is a real holiday and the other one thought it was all junk. It is strange how one thing can take on two different meanings.
As far as the holiday goes, there were a lot of good bargains and we ended up with a few of them. My biggest bargain was a pair of Carhart coveralls for one of the grandchildren for a dollar. The best part of them is that there were no holes and all of the zippers work. You talk about b-a-r-g-a-i-n-s!
And then there was the junk. I agree with my son, there was too much of it. I sometimes wonder why people keep some of the stuff that they do and especially why they would put a price on it and set it out in public for others to see that you have kept this piece of crap. One place thought that they could hide the rust on a old wheelbarral with a thick coat of bright yellow paint. The rust under all that paint was bubbling up and making the whole thing look like it had a strange disease.
But the best part of the whole day was being able to spend time with my sons. I don't do this often enough. When we get together it is a whole big lot of us and that is great, but I do so love my one on one (or two) time together. Just out making memories on State Route 127.
As far as the holiday goes, there were a lot of good bargains and we ended up with a few of them. My biggest bargain was a pair of Carhart coveralls for one of the grandchildren for a dollar. The best part of them is that there were no holes and all of the zippers work. You talk about b-a-r-g-a-i-n-s!
And then there was the junk. I agree with my son, there was too much of it. I sometimes wonder why people keep some of the stuff that they do and especially why they would put a price on it and set it out in public for others to see that you have kept this piece of crap. One place thought that they could hide the rust on a old wheelbarral with a thick coat of bright yellow paint. The rust under all that paint was bubbling up and making the whole thing look like it had a strange disease.
But the best part of the whole day was being able to spend time with my sons. I don't do this often enough. When we get together it is a whole big lot of us and that is great, but I do so love my one on one (or two) time together. Just out making memories on State Route 127.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Urgent Care
Last night I ended up in Urgent Care with my daughter-in-law because one of my grandsons fell and put his tooth through his bottom lip. He had to get a stitch put in it. It took us over two hours to get in and out of this emergency situation.
The reason that I am writing about this today is not to complain about how long it took us to get service or the fact that the chairs are very uncomfortable and way too close together to entertain three little boys for two hours. No, the reason for this blog is that at 8:30 on a Tuesday night there were more people in that waiting room than there probably were at the movies. I came to find out that there were so many there the night before that they ended up calling an emergency room at a local hospital to come take some of the cases.
The other reason for this writing is the interesting people that you can meet in one of these situations. There were people there who did not feel well and were clearing having some very strong issues with keeping their supper in their stomachs. Some of them had broken bones and some needed stitches like my grandson. There were children waiting for help and elderly also. It was clear that ailments were not to particular this evening.
But the most interesting case was the lady who sat across from me. She was ahead of us to be waited on and so we had a while to enjoy some conversation with each other. She had picked up some poison ivy on her right arm and leg from her garden. Her arm was swollen and giving her a great deal of pain. She was a mother of eight and a grandmother of eighteen. She had been trying to take care of this on her own for a week and was not making much progress, in fact it was getting worse. The thing that was the most interesting about her was that she worked in a hospital and didn't think about going there for help anytime in those last seven days. She waited until that time of night to go to Urgent Care because she didn't think that she could stand it one more minute. People are unique!
The reason that I am writing about this today is not to complain about how long it took us to get service or the fact that the chairs are very uncomfortable and way too close together to entertain three little boys for two hours. No, the reason for this blog is that at 8:30 on a Tuesday night there were more people in that waiting room than there probably were at the movies. I came to find out that there were so many there the night before that they ended up calling an emergency room at a local hospital to come take some of the cases.
The other reason for this writing is the interesting people that you can meet in one of these situations. There were people there who did not feel well and were clearing having some very strong issues with keeping their supper in their stomachs. Some of them had broken bones and some needed stitches like my grandson. There were children waiting for help and elderly also. It was clear that ailments were not to particular this evening.
But the most interesting case was the lady who sat across from me. She was ahead of us to be waited on and so we had a while to enjoy some conversation with each other. She had picked up some poison ivy on her right arm and leg from her garden. Her arm was swollen and giving her a great deal of pain. She was a mother of eight and a grandmother of eighteen. She had been trying to take care of this on her own for a week and was not making much progress, in fact it was getting worse. The thing that was the most interesting about her was that she worked in a hospital and didn't think about going there for help anytime in those last seven days. She waited until that time of night to go to Urgent Care because she didn't think that she could stand it one more minute. People are unique!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Slogans
As I was power washing my walk-out last night; yes, I am still at this task, I realized that I was running out of things to power wash. I tried to think of ways that I could go around with a power washer and help people out with some of their chores. The only real thing that I could come up with was a slogan for this kind of service, "Have power washer, will travel!"
I have come up with other slogans through the years, especially when I am doing something that I am not too crazy about doing. Some of my better ones was when I was younger and we had to pull weeds, set runners, or hoe strawberries. Those slogans were, "Save a strawberry, pull a weed!" or "A runner set today, will increase your pay!" and the ever lovely, "Be sure to bend, better strawberries in the end!"
But I do have to say that some of my best slogans came about the year that my mom and I spent several weeks in a row attending different relative's funerals. For some reason that year about everyone we knew had someone close to them pass away. We were not surprised when someone would call and tell us that they had lost a loved one. As we were sitting in our 9th or 10th funeral home, we started to come up with different slogans. This was probably not a good thing to do at the time because it made us giggle and it really wasn't the right place to be silly. A couple of our best ones were, "We mourn with the best of them!" "If you don't have a friend, we'll be there at the end." and the one that we thought would make a great bumper sticker, "You die, we'll cry!" Kind of catchy don't you think?
I have come up with other slogans through the years, especially when I am doing something that I am not too crazy about doing. Some of my better ones was when I was younger and we had to pull weeds, set runners, or hoe strawberries. Those slogans were, "Save a strawberry, pull a weed!" or "A runner set today, will increase your pay!" and the ever lovely, "Be sure to bend, better strawberries in the end!"
But I do have to say that some of my best slogans came about the year that my mom and I spent several weeks in a row attending different relative's funerals. For some reason that year about everyone we knew had someone close to them pass away. We were not surprised when someone would call and tell us that they had lost a loved one. As we were sitting in our 9th or 10th funeral home, we started to come up with different slogans. This was probably not a good thing to do at the time because it made us giggle and it really wasn't the right place to be silly. A couple of our best ones were, "We mourn with the best of them!" "If you don't have a friend, we'll be there at the end." and the one that we thought would make a great bumper sticker, "You die, we'll cry!" Kind of catchy don't you think?
Monday, August 2, 2010
Reunions
What better time to catch up with family? This past weekend we had two reunions at our home. Having the party barn is the perfect place to have them.
We put the air conditioners in for more comfort for the oldest generation. We did have a very enjoyable evening on Saturday, my mother-in-law's family, and ended up sitting outside for the majority of the festivities. We also had a campfire and made a ton of Smores before everyone ended up leaving in the very late hours of the night.
Sunday, my father-in-law's family, was the day that we were extra glad for those air conditioners and fans. The pond was also used to its full potential.
It is nice to see my husband's family members and to catch up on all the happenings through out the past year. I am very sad that my husband's brother and sister couldn't attend. They missed out on a lot of fun.
But as for my family, you can't complain about half of my children and their children showing up to help and to enjoy. The others would have been there I am sure had they not been out of state. They all called to see how things turned out and I appreciate them remembering the family.
Some people look on reunions as a chore. I look on it as a time to make sure those family bonds are strong. We need family to keep us going. It doesn't have to just be your immediate family, those outer branches come in handy when you need to grab on to an extra hold or two. I thank all that attended these reunions this year, I thank my children for helping, and I hope that we have as good of a turnout next year. Keep in touch, family. We love you all!
We put the air conditioners in for more comfort for the oldest generation. We did have a very enjoyable evening on Saturday, my mother-in-law's family, and ended up sitting outside for the majority of the festivities. We also had a campfire and made a ton of Smores before everyone ended up leaving in the very late hours of the night.
Sunday, my father-in-law's family, was the day that we were extra glad for those air conditioners and fans. The pond was also used to its full potential.
It is nice to see my husband's family members and to catch up on all the happenings through out the past year. I am very sad that my husband's brother and sister couldn't attend. They missed out on a lot of fun.
But as for my family, you can't complain about half of my children and their children showing up to help and to enjoy. The others would have been there I am sure had they not been out of state. They all called to see how things turned out and I appreciate them remembering the family.
Some people look on reunions as a chore. I look on it as a time to make sure those family bonds are strong. We need family to keep us going. It doesn't have to just be your immediate family, those outer branches come in handy when you need to grab on to an extra hold or two. I thank all that attended these reunions this year, I thank my children for helping, and I hope that we have as good of a turnout next year. Keep in touch, family. We love you all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
