Can You Make Change?

In this day of calculators, computer aided cash registers, and kids who can subtract in their heads, people just don't know how to make change.

I went to the local grocery store yesterday afternoon to pick up a couple of things. When I got to the register, one young man was training another to check groceries.

I laid my stuff down, the trainee scanned my items and asked if that was all. I politely said yes, and he hit the total key. My purchases came to $4.17. I gave him a $10. The somewhat arrogant trainer(although they looked to be about the same age)told him to hit the $10 button, which I assume would tell him how much change to give me, but he evidently didn't hit it hard enough and my change came up $.00.

The trainer huffed, walked over to the cash register, opened the drawer, counted out $5.82 and as he told the trainee what he had done wrong, tried to hand me the money. He laid the change on the five and attempted to hand it to me.

I asked him to count it to me. He said $5.82 cents. I said no, count it to me to make $10. He said he didn't owe me $10. I told him I was well aware of that, but I wanted my change counted back to me. He said he didn't know how. I said then how do you know this is the right amount of money. He said he subtracted it. I said where? He said in his head. I told him I didn't trust his head and I wanted it counted back to me.

He couldn't. I smiled at the trainee, he was smiling too. I felt the trainer had belittled the trainee when he became huffy. Mr trainer got paid back. He assured me it was correct, that he had subtracted it correctly. I assured him that he was probably right, but I didn't want to be cheated, and I felt sure his employer didn't want to be cheated either.

He again tried to hand me the money. I said not until you count it back. I wasn't being ugly. We were all laughing(mostly at the trainer), but I made him hold out his hand in which he held the change, and counted the money back. 3 pennies made 20 cents, a nickel made 25, and 3 quarters made $5. The $5 bill in his hand made the $10.

I explained that my money was mine, and I didn't want to be short changed. Neither did I want any money that wasn't mine and that he needed to learn to count money before someone cheated him. He didn't think it was funny, nor did he think it was necessary. But you can bet, any time he checks me out, I will pay with cash, and I will make him count it back.

My Dad taught my brothers and me that if we didn't take care of our money, we wouldn't have it long. Now, I can certainly let enough of it slip through my fingers, but, I'm not going to let some wet-behind-the-ears kid cheat me out of it. Plus, it was fun seeing the trainee get a laugh at his superior's expense.

I know that sounds like I was mean to this young man. He probably has a much higher IQ than I, but he's still got a few lessons to learn. And everyone needs to know how to make change. Sometimes the fancy smancy computer cash registers lose power, crash, or someone just happens to accidently hit the wrong key.

If you can't make change without aid, then you should learn. You might need to run a yard sale or help your children learn to count money. I'd rather not know how to read as to not be able to count money.

I had an uncle that couldn't read a word, but he could count money. It should be second nature.

I'll get off my soapbox now. I guess this is a pet peeve of mine. Do you have one? If you do, tell me about it.

Otherwise, have a great July 1st. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Fins To The Right! Fins To The Left!

I am a Parrothead! Can you be a ParrotHead if you've never actually been to a Jimmy Buffet concert? I hope so. Can you be a Parrothead if you don't have a tattoo of a Parrot on your sholder? Please say yes. I love Jimmy Buffet's music. I knew all the words to Margauritaville(except for the lost verse) back when it was getting play on the radio. And if I'm going to have a drink, it's usually a Marguarita.
I know every word to the songs on the 'Songs You Know By Heart' cd. I've read his books about his life and the novel he wrote a few years ago called A Salty Piece of Land.
I recently read he's had a 40 year career as a singer, songwriter, author and businessman. He's been proclaimed the musical Mark Twain. A true American Storyteller. I don't know if Mark Twain was quite as tongue-in-cheek as Buffet, but I tend to agree with his being a storyteller. He rose in my opinion when I saw him participate in Ed Bradley's funeral service. It seems he'd taken Ed to his first Blues concert in New Orleans, and to his last.

What got me started on Jimmy Buffet this time of the morning you ask? I had a dream last night. Several other people and I were on a beautiful white sail boat. It was large enough that we could live on it, and we were seeing the world. Why were we on it, and where were we going? I don't know. I just know we were seeing some of the most beautiful scenery in the water travelling world. And seeing all this from the bow of a boat, gliding through the water. There were ocean beaches, and there were volcano's. But it was just the most serene ride I'd ever had. Everyone was laughing and pleasant. And yes, Jimmy and the Coral Reefer Band was there. I don't know when I've enjoyed a dream quite so much.

Unfortunately, I woke up to find I was just in my bed waiting for the alarm to go off. Isn't it a wonderful thing that our minds can rest in this way? I have a lot of silly dreams that I just can't possibly think of a reason I would have dreamed what I did. And I don't know what sparked this one, but I'll take this trip again.

Have you had a dream that you wanted to go back to sleep and finish? This was one of them. Tell me about yours.

Have a great Monday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

My Oldest Grandchild

I spend a lot of time talking here in this blog about my grandchildren. That is some of them. I mention in my bio that I have six, but you hear mostly about the youngest four who range in age from five down to the age of one.

However, I have one that is eleven, and one that is over 21. I say over 21 because my 'oldtimers' kicks in and I can't remember if he's actually 22 or 23. He is, however, one of the greatest joys of my life.

I was a young grandmother. I'm still a young grandmother--you can stop laughing now!!! When my daughter married, she and her husband lived with me for a while. It was during this time, GS#1 was born. Therefore, they brought him to my house. I worked 3rd shift at this time so I didn't get in on any of the 2AM feedings, but I was there in the morning and was able to spend a lot of time with him.

As he grew, we became very close. He spent a lot of time with me, and I enjoyed every moment of it. He was one of the best little boys I had ever encountered. He would go anywhere, do anything. He was never crancky or irritable, just a happy little boy. Sometimes, I would almost forget he was with me. He had a big bucket of 'stuff' that he played with when he came. I would spread out a quilt on my bed where he would dump all this 'stuff', watch tv and play for hours. One day I needed something from the store, got in the car, got half way down the street, and realized he was at the house. I immediately turned around and went home to get him. He got an extra treat that day.

I have lots of wonderful memories that I made with him. He would go absolutely anywhere with me. I took him with me to give blood one day. He was about 4 at the time. He was all about seeing everything they were doing to me, and he was getting all the special treatment from the lady who had all the clamps, scissors and more importantly band-aids and stickers. At one point during all this, he referred to me as grandma. She said I didn't look old enough to have a grandchild. He chirped right up and told her I was 100. I think with that, she gave him an extra sticker.

He continued to go lots of places and do lots of things with me until he turned 10 or 11. And yes, he outgrew me. He still loved me. He still came to see me, but he had other things to do and other people to do them with. I will tell you that I hated when that time came. I knew it would, and I'm thankful for every minute of grandma time I had with him. He does and will always hold a special place in my heart because he was my first grandchild.

I don't get to see him as often as I used to, he's busy working and having a life. But on those rare occassions that I do see him, he still gives me a kiss and tells me he loves me. But the best thing is when he says, 'hey grandma, remember when we used to.......', and I know for sure I have built some memories that no one can take away from either of us.

If you have grandchildren, tell me about your first. If you don't, tell me a memory you have of yourself and a grandparent. I love those special bonds between grandparents and children.

Have a great Saturday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

How Quickly Our Plans Change

Our first plan was that both these girls would spend the night with their memaw. Daughter #2 had plans to play Bunko. That's Princess #1 and Princess #2.

Then the Bunko party got cancelled, and it was determined that I needed to work late, at least until about 6:30. That was change #1

Then P#1's BFF Anna Bobanna, called and wanted her to spend the night with her leaving P#2 without anyone to entertain her. Not that she needs much, it's just that she feels left out when she doesn't have anything to do when P#1 does.

So Daughter #2, calls me at work and asked if P#2 could go ahead and spend the night, and since I thought I'd be leaving around 6:30, I said sure. Bring the little darling to me at work along with her suitcase, and she could go with me. That was change #2.

P#2 came bringing her supper in a bag(health consious as we are)lol, from Hardees. Her mother left, she ate and began playing while I continued what Iwas doing. This meantI was basically waiting to see if the budget rolled correctly, or if I would have to do some programming to fix any problems the budget folks ran into. Notice I didn't say caused--but rather 'ran into'.

Unfortunately, things got changed once again. Thus change #3. It became apparent that it was going to take much longer than originally thought to complete the processes, and it got close to 8:00. P#2 usually goes to bed around that time and I could tell she was winding down. I suggested she put her pj's on so in the event she fell asleep in the car, I would only have to get her in bed at home. This is when she discovered that she had forgotten her pj bottoms. She was not a happy camper. We called her mother who suggested if she came and got her, she could go home, get her pj bottoms and then go to sleep in her bed rather than on the floor by my desk. Fortunately, D#2 and her family live only about 10 minutes from my work.

Change #4 occurred slowly as 8:00 turned into 9:00 and then into 10:00. We finally called a supervisor who came back to the office to make the decisions as to whether we should stay, or call it a night and let the budget folks finish their work next morning.

I, living the greatest distance from work, was then sent home and the supervisor and my co-worker went over to the office where the budget folks were working. I haven't learned the outcome from that. The bad thing about having to call our supervisor back is that she is having her 50th birthday today, and we had decorated her office and didn't want her to see it. Oh well, so much for a surprise.

I said all that to say this, besides the fact that I never miss an opportunity to show off two of my granddaughters, is that I'm entirely toooooo old for this much change in one day. I used to adapt to any situation(some may call that being a willow in the wind), I could just go with the flow. Now, even though I smile and say,'oh yes, whatever we need to do', inside I'm saying, 'why didn't you decide that in the first place and save me all this work'.

It ended up being 11:30 when I finally got to bed last night, yet here I am, the devoted employee, ready for yet another day in the land of information technology....And wasn't all this computer stuff supposed to make our lives easier?

At least it's Friday. What changes have you been faced with this week that really didn't don't amount to a hill of spit, but you just want to complain about them? You've listened to me, I'll listen to you.

Have a 'cool' Friday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Listen to the Mockingbird!

This is an Eastern Mockingbird. I have at least one of these residing in my Japanese Maple which sits at the NW corner of my house. I also sleep in the bedroom on the NW corner of my house.

I always thought that birds, unless disturbed, were quiet at night, else they give away their position to the possible maurading night preditor. Except for Owls perhaps. Not my Eastern Mockingbird! It obviously isn't afraid of prowling cats, which is about the only night preditor around here. At least I hope so.

Anyway, about 1:30AM this morning, after the night had cooled enough for the central unit to kick off for a while, I was awakened to the glorious serenade of none other than a Mockingbird. At first I was puzzled, then a bit annoyed, then I decided to just enjoy the concert.

Either, it finished it's song/songs, I drifted off to sleep, or that preditor had a meal, because I woke again about 3 and could no longer hear it.

This particular Mockingbird also likes to sit on the wrought iron of my front porch and sing. This is when I get to enjoy it most since it's entirely too hot to sit outside right now for a concert.

Although not as pretty as the Bluejays and the Cardinal that also reside in my yard along with several Robins, the Mockingbird gives me the most listening pleasure. I like to watch the Bluejays dive and swoop at the cats that come around, and I just like seeing the bright red of the Cardinal male.

My mother used to have a Mockingbird that sat on top of the tv antenna. Dad used to accuse it of causing poor reception.

When was the last time you experienced an unexpected serenade? You have to tell me. I just have to know.

Hope you have a fabulous Thursday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

And When Those Cotton Bolls Get Rotten

Does anyone besides me remember that song that was popular a million years ago, I don't know the name of it, but the chorus said, 'And when those cotton bolls get rotten, you can't pick very much cotton, in those old cotton fields back home'.

If you ever picked any cotton, you know that you pick the cotton when the boll is open, white and fluffy. I'm attaching a picture of the cotton field across the road in front of my house. And I'm standing on a paved street to take it. We have some farm land that is in our incorporated town. This cotton was planted sometime between mid April and mid May. And I noticed they have started watering it. It will get about twice as high as it is now. It will have blooms, then they will turn into squares and this is where the boll will form. When it matures, the leaves on the cotton will begin to turn a rust colored red, and you will begin to see white as the bolls begin to open. The other thing about cotton, is the unmistakable smell when it is getting ready for harvest. It isn't offensive or anything, it just has it's own peculiar smell. Needless to say, if they make a perfume of it, I won't be buying any.

It's a big deal to find the first bloom, and a really big deal to gin the first bale. You usually get your name and picture in the paper for either or both.

I know many of you weren't interested in a farming lesson this morning, but cotton was once the bane of my existence while also being what put most of the food on our table and the proverbial room over our heads. There were few things I hated more when I was a kid than chopping cotton. This came in second only to picking it.

Now I just view it as a photo opp. There is no more hand picking. That has been replaced by machinery. As the cotton progresses, I'll take some more pictures and let you see what it looks like. Maybe, if I happen to be home when they pick it, I can get a picture or two of that as well.

What Can I Say About Tuesday?

It was a dark and stormy night! No, wait, that was the way Snoopy always started his story. In fact, it's an absolutely gorgeous day here in NE Arkansas. It's afternoon already--sorry for the late post--and it's 91 degrees. Fortunately, I work in a cool place with a window that allows me to see what is going on outside.

I'm always amazed at how the seasons progress. Only a few days ago, it was too wet to plant cotton. Now that cotton is at least 8 to 10 inches tall and looks perfect. We are into the wheat harvest now and every afternoon as I make my way home, I see black billowing smoke as the stubble is being burned off to make way for soybeans. Early soybeans are about the same size as the cotton and many people can't tell the difference from the road. But when you've lived as close to the fields and have chopped as much cotton as I have(and I haven't chopped nearly as much a a lot of people) you can tell the difference.

When my dad farmed, we grew cotton, soybeans, wheat, corn and some milo. Rice was just beginning to get it's foothold in our area about the time he retired. We chopped and picked(by hand) the cotton. Most everything else was cut with machinery. Occasionally, if we had a small patch of corn that we were raising for feed, we would pick it by hand. Nowdays there is very little work done on the farm by hand, although, I did see some people chopping cotton one day. My heart went out to them.

And now it's only a few days until July 4th. You had to have your crops 'laid by' in time for the 4th. That meant that all the work was done and you would now wait until time for the harvest. I think also, that after the 4th, it was just about too hot to be out working in the fields anyway.

I'm looking forward to the 4th this year. I'm hoping that my children and I can get together for a bbq, some potato salad and banana pudding. Those are the main dishes for most of our get-togethers. Daughter #2 makes some mean deviled eggs too and I'm sure there will be a pot of baked beans. As the Bush Baked Bean commercial says, 'it's just not a bbq without baked beans'.

What are you doing for the 4th? I wish all our blog friends could get together and have a huge, and I mean huge picnic. Wouldn't that be fun?

Tomorrow is my friend Mona'a birthday. I won't tell you how old she is, but she will be one year older than I for 6 months and I'll be 60 on my next birthday. Several of us gals, are taking her to the movie tonight. Don't know what we'll see, really don't care. It's the fellowship with these women that I'm looking forward to. Wish you could join us.

Hope you are having a great Tuesday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Goodbye Friend

As many of you know, my friend Linda has been struggling with Cancer for the most of this last year. She lost her battle Saturday morning. No one has ever fought as courageous a battle as she. She will be laid to rest this afternoon.

She was a vital part of our ladies class at our church, so as you might well imagine, she was on our minds heavily as we thought of her Sunday morning. She wanted no tears from us and the last thing she told her sister-in-law was that she was going to beat her to Heaven. She maintained her sense of humor til the very end. She had every right to also. She knew exactly where she was going as she took those final steps in her transition from this world to the next.

We as mortals, however, are sad that we will no longer see her smiling face. We will miss the hugs and words of encouragement she was so well known for. And we know that we are being selfish in our desire to keep her with us when we all knew so well how she had suffered. So we tried to rejoice and talk about the love we had for her and she for us.

At some point in our lives, we are all afraid of dying. When I was younger, I worried about what would happen to my small children if I wasn't around to see to it they went to church. I wondered who would see to it they went to school and had clean clothes. Most of us mothers don't think anyone can take care of our children like we would.

Now that my children are grown, I don't have that fear any more, I simply want to know they are in a good relationship with God. I know they can take care of their children.

I guess we don't really know if we are afraid of dying until we are faced with that prospect. And when faced with that five years ago, I wasn't afraid. I think as we mature, we know whether we will be able to spend time in Abraham's bosom while waiting for judgment or if we'll end up in the Hadean realm like the rich man.

I know that Linda is waiting in Abraham's bosom for those of us who knew her, and will be standing there to welcome us into that comfort.

Do you think anyone has ever left this world without knowing which side of that great gulf they'll be waiting on? Do you think anyone has ever began that journey with a question in their minds? We won't know the answer until we actually take that step.

Goodbye my friend. I'll miss you and look forward to seeing you again.

Are you afraid of dying? If so, why?

Have a great Monday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Oh What A Beautiful Morning!

I left work a little early yesterday. Bought gas, went by the bank, stopped at the Library to pick up the books I'd requested earlier in the week and went home.

I sat down to begin reading the first one, and read a little more than a chapter when I fell asleep. I guess I was much more tired that I realized. I woke up at 12:20AM the next morning, and went to bed.

At some point I dreamed about my dad. He came to see me and the little Princess. He played with her and told me how beautiful she was. She'll not remember his visit, but I don't think I'll ever forget it. Even thought it was just a dream, it seemed very real and that's the way I'll remember it. I've dreamed about him before, but I don't think I've ever remembered it so vividly. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have the people we miss visit us in our dreams more often?

It's a beautiful morning here. It's cool outside, and there's some fog over the cotton field across the road. There's a big robin in the front yard pulling worms from the ground probably to feed her babies. My son came and cut the grass last Wednesday so that's done, and I'm going to pull a few weeds from my border of monkey grass. My beautiful clematis has finished blooming(I wish they bloomed all summer) and my lace cap hydrangea is in full bloom.

Summer is officially here and the heat is supposed to be back with us soon. But today is going to be wonderful.

I hope you have a great Saturday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

It's a Boring Friday

Today is the first day of summer. And to be quite frank, I'm blank. Nothing of note happened yesterday. I came to work, didn't cough quite as much. I picked up Superhero and took him home to his mother. He tried his best to persuade me that I was supposed to take him to his other grandmother's house. I knew better. His mother asked me to pick him up and bring him home.

I delivered him and played with the little Princess for a few minutes. We have found out she's allergic to penecillin and is one large red whelp--her mother says she's better today. Then I went home.

I sat down to watch 'the wheel' and slept through the bonus round. About 8, I woke up to find there was no Cardinal's game on so I went to bed.

What a boring, uneventful life I lead. I'd love to put in a cute quote, or a funny story or something that would amuse my readers, but it's just not there folks. Just think, it seems that only yesterday I was hating the fact it was Monday. Now I have the next three days to hate it again--bummer!

Maybe after I get all this crud cleared out of my head, it will work a little better. I see the ent's on Tuesday. Maybe decapitation won't be the cure.

Have a great Friday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

A Tribute To A Friend

My friend Linda has been on my mind almost continually. But that's the way we are to pray - continually, and that's what I've been doing on her behalf. You see, she's nearing the end of her life.

I got acquainted with Linda about three years ago. At that time, she had gone through breast cancer, and reconstructive surgery. She actually caught my attention after the breast surgery when she wore a machine that was a drain contraption and it would periodically make a swooshing sound. She was apologetic about the noise, but nobody cared. We all knew it was necessary and we would much rather hear the soft whoosh occasionally than have her stay home from worship. At that time, she was deemed 'cancer free'.

In the last year, one of her checkup's began to cause concern. The cancer had returned and it was in her liver. She has gone through every kind of treatment the Dr's could think of to give her. She lost her hair, but never her dignity. The meds caused her joints to be stiff, she got a cane. She lost the feeling in her hands and feet, she just made sure she was careful. But the one thing she never lost was her ability to come to church.

Linda and her husband have no children. No one to help her during this trying time except her husband and her church family. She is one of the kindest people you would ever want to meet. She always has a smile and a friendly word.

She has been such an encouragement to me. She would probably tell you she came to church because it was the only time she could get out. But she came to church because of her deep abiding faith. She loves the Lord and wants to be in His presence along with her Christian brothers and sisters.

Within the next few days or possibly weeks, she won't have to come to worship to be in His presence. She will be making her journey home. We will miss her terribly, and our best memory of her will be her enduring strength and faith.

If you pray, please add to your list my friend Linda. My prayer for has changed over the last weeks, I started praying for her recovery, but since that wasn't in the Master's plan, I am now praying for an easy transition from this world to the next.

As a side note, I will be seeing an Ear, Nose and Throat Dr next week. I haven't been able to get over the congestion and cough that I have been dealing with for over a month. I haven't been able to get out and enjoy these cool days because I'm going to work, coming home and going to bed. And here it is the last day of spring.

This is also a difficult day for me. My mother died in an automobile accident 39 years ago today. I miss her each and every day since we lost her. You never get over needing your mom.

I hope you have a great Thursday(Is it Thursday already?) Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Books in Series or Stand Alone Stories?

I've found an author that I really like. Her name is Debbie Macomber. She has been writing for quite some time, but I only recently found her. I love books that are a series, sort of like Anne of Greene Gables and The Mitford Series and one of my favorites - Love Comes Softly by Jeanette Oke.

Debbie has several series out. There are at least three in any of them, and as many as 8 in some. Why do I like books in series you might ask? They are almost like reading a small town newspaper. You get acquainted with characters, then are able to see what they are doing five or ten years later. You can't wait to get to the next book to find out what they are doing.

I found Debbie through the Blossom Street Series. I was looking for something to read, and ran across Twenty Wishes. Not knowing it was part of a series, I read it and then went looking to see if she had any other books I found I had read the 4th book in a 5 book series. So now I'm looking for the first 4. Daughter#2 picked up what she thought was the first two for me from our main county library. But what she got was the companion books with actual knitting patterns. I like to knit, but not so much in the summer time. Actually I've decided to knit everyone a scarf for Christmas, but don't tell anyone. But I digress.

When I got home, I stopped by the branch library, and they have ordered the two books for me, and I'll get them on Friday. I think I'm going to go ahead and get the 3rd one, or have them order it for me.

What type of books do you read? Do you like books in series or one book, one story? If you have read a good series, tell me about it, and when I finish with Debbie's books, I'll give them a try.

Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday. Do something silly. Make someone smile.

And as a side note, the Little Princess is allergic to penicillin. When I dropped of Superhero yesterday, Princess had spots all over her little body. Her mom thought it might be something she was eating, but this morning it was much worse. I don't know if she called the dr's office or went to sick call, but no more penicillin for her.

Losing Your First Tooth

Do you remember losing your first tooth? I don't. And I never got any money for any tooth that came out of my head. I don't remember any of my friends from school getting any money either. How do these things get started? Who thought up the tooth fairy? And why didn't someone shoot him the first time he appeared?

The only thing I remember about losing teeth is that I was told that if I could keep from putting my tongue into the empty hole, I would grow a gold tooth in the place of the one that came out. Now what's the first thing you do when there's no longer a tooth in that hole? Of course, you stick your tongue into it. So, guess what, no gold teeth for me.

I also remember my dad saying I'd have to be careful or else a bean would slip through the hole when I was eating. We ate a lot of beans so I'm not sure why I'd care about that.

I tell this story because the oldest princess lost her first tooth yesterday. It had been loose for a week or so and she was so excited about it. About 3 yesterday afternoon my phone rang at work. She was calling to tell me about the toothShe didn't talk long. She had other people to call. It was hard on her mama. She is losing her babies. They are turning into little girls.

I remember hearing a story about a fellow whose tooth wouldn't come out and he was a big boy. His dad had him lie down on the floor and they tied a broom handle to the tooth and the dad was going to yank it out. When he pulled up on the broom handle, it slipped and hit the boy in the nose. His tooth didn't come out, but he had a broken nose. Dosen't that conjure up an interesting picture?

Do you have any funny teeth stories? I'd love to hear them.

Have a good Tuesday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Poor Monday

I feel sorry for Monday. I think it the most disliked and mistreated day of the week. Why, you ask? I can't think of anyone who wants to get up and go to work on Monday. I personally spend at least 2 or sometimes 3 hours on Sunday despising the thought of having to go back to work on Monday.

Monday is the fartherest day away from the beginning of the weekend. We never want it to come around. Songs have been written about Monday. There's 'Blue Monday' I think Chubby Checker sang. There's 'Monday, Monday' by the Mama's and Papa's.

Maybe we could vote it out of the week, and make Sunday two days long. That way, we'd have an extra weekend day, and it wouldn't take as long to get to Friday.

I think those of us in favor of this action should unite. What do you think? Would you like to do away with Monday? Do you think we could ever get on any kind of ballot?

Let me know a reason you dislike Monday. I'm inquiring.

Have a great Monday(if you aren't too despondent). Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Father's Day 2008

Father's Day is here. It's time to reflect and reminisce. My dad died of cancer in 1993. He was in his late 70's and had lived a pretty full life.

His own father had died of pneumonia when my dad was only 14. At that point he became the man of the house for his mother and 4 of his 5 siblings. He had to go to work, and work like a grownup in order to buy food for his family.

In the late 30's, he entered military service and was stationed in Alaska the day Pearl Harbor was bombed. Soon after, he shipped out and landed half way across the world. He saw England, Belgium and France through the eyes of a young man trying to stay alive when there were people looking to kill him.

He was in an engineering battalion that came in after the area had been deemed safe, and would then begin attempting to rebuild what had been ravaged by war. He didn't see any of the hand-to-hand combat that so many did, but he was close enough at one point that he ended up with shrapnel in his right knee and leg.

He came home after the war ended, met and married my mother, and began raising his family.

In his later years, while he was sick, and since his death, people who knew him when he was a young man have given us an insight to a man who took care of people. We were told about how he took up for the little kids at school. He didn't let the bullies on the school yard pick on the little kids.

His step sister made a trip from Alabama when she found out he was sick, and told about a trip to the Memphis Zoo when they were young. Several of the kids in the area had decided to make this trip. His step sister wanted to go, but her father didn't want her to. Being the oldest, he took responsibility for her and his youngest brother. They drove the 70 miles to the zoo in a flat bed truck. Can you imagine hauling a bunch of kids on an open truck?

Once they got to the zoo, and had walked around for a while, he needed to sit down and take off his shoes. They were new and were hurting his feet. As they sat resting, one of the monkeys(which were allowed to roam free back then) stole one of his shoes, and they had a terrible time getting it back.

I never felt close to my dad. I never felt any love or approval from him. He was quick to criticize and even quicker to punish. I never got the benefit of the doubt, regardless of how much I tried to persuade him. He always assumed the worst.

After we lost mother in 1969 to an automobile accident, he seemed to change. One thing was that if we had a relationship with him, she was not there to encourage or buffer it, whichever the case may have been.

He mellowed with age, and we became more like friends. I seldom went to him for advice. He was very good to my children. I saw him treat them like I would have loved to have been treated, but they didn't seem to be as much a disappointment to him as I thought I was. And my children have wonderful memories of him.

Finally, by my late 30's, I was much more close to him than I had ever been. I spent a lot of time with him near the end. I think we made peace in his own way, and that was fine. He was a good man in many ways. I hope he is in a better place.

Tell me a good memory of you father. I love to hear good father child stories.

Happy Father's Day!

Have a great Sunday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

The Little Princes--Part Deux

Here is the Birthday Girl at her party. She was quite oblivious to what was going around. She just wanted to have fun playing. She is the perfect hostess. She was nice to everyone.

She got some really cute toys to play with and a new dress. I got her pajamas.

She had a good time playing with all the other kids, and was totally pooped when it was over.

The Princess Is One Today

The Princess is one today. We are having a family birthday party at lunch and the little ones will swim.

I asked her mother what to get her for her birthday, and she suggested pajamas. I bought her three sets. They weren't easy to find, but I finally got them at Target. The neat thing is they have a pair of short and a pair of long bottoms with each top. I guess you determine how much leg you want to keep warm and go from there.

It seems like she was just born last month, instead of 12 months ago. This picture is what she looked like at about 6 weeks.

I'll post her 1 year old picture today after the party.

This is going to be one of those lazy Saturday's. I haven't done much today. It rained last night, but I don't know how much. I'm hoping it's going to be cooler today.

What is your Saturday going to be like?

Hope you have a great Saturday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Blast From the Past

I watched a special on PBS last night about Johnny Cash-His Music and His Vision. What a trip that was. He was the first country music star to have a variety show on a major network. He had people from all types of music. It probably wouldn't have been very interesting to people in their 30's and maybe even 40's, but it brought back so many memories for this nearly 60 year old woman.

I wouldn't have recognized Neil Diamond if he hadn't been introduced and that the voice was definitely his. He was a very good looking fellow. James Taylor has definitely gotten better looking with age. He really needed a haircut. He sang Sweet Baby James.

The best performance of the night was Ray Charles doing his version of Ring of Fire. I never cared much for Neil Young or Joni Mitchell. Bob Dylan would never have made it past Simon on American Idol.

I can remember watching my cousins and their boyfriends dance to Blue Suede Shoes by Carl Perkins. That was in the mid 50's and I wasn't old enough to dance or have a boy friend for that matter.

They showed a clip of Jerry Lee Lewis. I remember listening to Whole Lot of Shakin Goin On on the way to the field to pick cotton as a kid. Then many years later(back during my wild days)a group of our friends had been somewhere one Saturday night and stopped in to get something to eat at Berry's Truck Stop, well after midnight, and he and his band were there eating. He was also very drunk. There were lots of people there eating. It was one of the few places that stayed open all night, but then again, it was a truck stop. About the time we got our food, he stood and made a little speech about the people who were there. It wasn't very nice, but we just laughed, ate our food, paid and left.

I guess that's my story of meeting the rich and famous, execpt for the time I talked to Walter Matheau in Hot Springs.

What has sparked a good memory lately that you were not expecting? Those are the best to share.

Hope you are having a great Friday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Random Questions

I get a lot of junk email, don't you? Some of it is scams saying they are holding my inheritance in a bank in some foreign country I've never heard of, and I'm supposed to supply basic information to a person with a yahoo address so they can pay it to me. I've got enough sense to know that giving anyone basic information is going to allow them to clean all of my $42 out of my bank account.

Then I get stuff from 'friends' that say after you read this, send it to X number of other people including myself and I'll know you are a true friend.

Or the ones that have a prayer and some scripture that say if you love Jesus you will keep this message going, and if you don't forward it you don't love Jesus. I don't think whether I forward an email determines my love for Jesus.

So, I'm a chain breaker! Sue me!

I always read them, I just don't forward. But the other day I got one that as I read it, it brought back memories, so I'm going to put a few of the questions here. Answer them if you wish, I don't need to know those answers, but if any of them strike a familiar chord, then the time to put them in will have been worth it.

Have you ever:
( ) Gone on a blind date
( ) Skipped School
( ) Watched someone die
( ) Been lost
( ) Swam in the ocean
( ) Cried yourself to sleep
( ) Played Cops and Robbers
( ) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Sang Karaoke
( ) Paid for your meal with coins
( ) Done something you told yourself you'd never do

Hope you are having a wonderful Thursday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

What Kind of Butterfly is This?

This beautiful yellow and black creature floated across my porch this morning. I stood and watched him for a minute knowing that by the time I grabbed my camera, he'd be gone, but I took a chance and when I got back he was still there. I took one picture through the glass door(not shown here), and then sneaked out the kitchen door and slipped around to the front and snapped a few pics. He flew up and toward me, and I figured that would be all I'd get, but he soon landed on another flower and allowed me to get quite close for these pictures.

Monarch's are what we have most of in this area, but I'm not sure if that is what this one is. If you are a butterfly officianado and recognize this one, please let me know what it is. I was just tickled to get a picture of it.

What beautiful thing have you seen this morning?

Hope you are having a great Tuesday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Nice Award

I received this award from my friend Robbin at
Cedar Chest of Dreams last week. I was very
touched that she gave it to me. It is to be given to someone who is Nice.

It is now my turn to share this award with someone I feel is a Nice person. I have chosen (Drum roll please) Marge at Road Sage. She is having to deal with placing her mother in long term care. Her mother has health issues that are difficult at best. I read in her posts about the love she has for her and the fear she feels about what lies ahead.

So, Marge, I give to you the Nice award for all the love and kindness you show to your dear mother.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Did you make it to worship?

Have a great Monday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Saturday's Ramblings

I told you a couple of weeks ago about my dissapointment in my Lace Cap Hydrangea. I had planted it about 5 or 6 years ago and it just had not bloomed. Oh, maybe one or two, but just not what I had expected.

I'd had people say they bloomed on old growth. I'd had people suggest I prune it back. I had tried everything with little luck.

This spring I had mentioned to my son(aka The Builder) that I wanted it pulled up along with some other shrubs that I'd grown tired of, and he said when he had time, he would get them out.

I think the hydrangea overheard this conversation, and began to shake and quiver and decided it had better produce or it would be thrown on the burning pile. It is now totally loaded with blooms, and of the several pictures I took of those blooms, this is the best.

I cut the grass Thursday afternoon when I got home. The Builder was planning to do it, but when I told him I was going to, he came over, got the mower going for me(I'd never used it before and didn't know how to start it). But I didn't do any trimming. All I have is an electric trimmer, and dragging the cord around is a lot of trouble. I went to Lowe's yesterday at lunch and bought the smallest gas powered trimmer they had that also said 'E-Z-Pull' start. I came home with the intention of trimming as much as I could, but when I drove in, I realized it had been done.

The Builder had beaten me to the punch. And boy, I was glad he did. Needless to say, the new trimmer is still in it's box. But I will need to go ahead and learn to use it. The Builder is getting ready to start their house, and he will have more than enough to do without having to do all my honey do jobs.

What jobs were you able to get out of this week? Did someone else do it for you, or did you put it off for other reasons? I can always figure out reasons to put things off.

Have a great Saturday. Do something silly. Make someone smile.

What Is My Name?

Have you ever been flustered, at your wits end, tired? Have you ever forgotten your name? On Wednesday, I had a dr's appointment. I left work at noon, and on the way to the dr, I remembered that I hadn't gotten my car tags renewed. I had plenty of time, so I ran home, got the renewal form and went to the court house.

I stopped and assessed, waited my turn, and while getting my things ready, I realized I didn't have any checks. The revenue office isn't set up to take either credit or debit cards, so I had to run back home and get a check. This is a small town, so it wasn't like it took forever, and I still had plenty of time. But by this time, I was getting tired and a bit flustered.

I got my sticker for my license plate, put it on and drove across the street to the dr's office(remember, I said small town). I parked, got out of my vehicle, and went inside.

The receptionist(I've known her for about 45 years) spoke as I came in, and I walked up to the window to sign in. Here is where the problem started. My name is Shirley, if you don't already know that. I picked up the pen so I could sign in, and as plainly and simply as anything at all, I write "SHERRY". I immediately realized what I had done. I said to Pam, 'look what I just wrote for my name'. She looked at it and said, 'your name isn't Sherry'. DUH!

What kind of a brain bubble did I have? I really don't ever remember wanting to be called Sherry. I hadn't been thinking about anyone named Sherry. I can only think of about three people I know named Sherry. Needless to say, everyone thought it was funny. We decided I had a split personality and maybe she is trying to come out.

I told Daughter#1 about it later that night. She died laughing. I didn't think it was too funny, but I'm getting over it. I can't say it hasn't bothered me. Sherry! Where did that come from? I just have to shake my head when I think about it.

Doc listened to my complaints, prescribed some medicine for them, and had the nurse take some blood. I don't expect anything unusual to show up, and I'm feeling better. In fact I cut the grass yesterday when I got home. And I guess I'll just wait to see if any other personalities to pop out.

Have you ever done anything so dumb? If so, please tell me so I don't feel like a total dork.

Got any great plans for the weekend? I'd like to know about those too.

Hope you have a great Friday. Do something silly. Make someone laugh.

Signed, 'Sherry', I mean 'Shirley'. Whoever!!!

Bloom Where You Are Planted!

We talked about blooming where we are planted in our Ladie's Bible Class last night. Several people had thoughts on the different places they'd been planted in their lives--moves, new jobs, that sort of thing.

But then we went a step further. What kind of a bloom are you? She used the illustration of a sunflower and how once the bloom forms, it follows the sun. If you've ever noticed a field of sunflowers they look different at various times of the day. That is because the bloom is following the sun. Her question then was, 'Does your bloom follow the SON?' This made a profound statement to me. Am I following the SON 24/7? Or do I just turn my face in His direction when I need something? Do I forget that I should be looking in His direction as I sit at my desk and work? Do I forget that I should be looking in His direction as I pump gas? I'm afraid the answer to both those questions and others is yes, I do sometimes forget.

Then we talked about whether we were sunflowers or african violets. The sunflower can grow most anywere, has a sturdy stalk, doesn't need much water and produces hundreds and hundreds of seeds. The african violet is picky about the soil, the amount of water, and the handling--she called it persnickety. Am I producing seeds or am I just sitting waiting to be pampered?

Please Lord let me be a sunflower!

What kind of flower are you? Are you blooming where you are planted? Does your face follow the SON?

Hope you are having a great Thursday. Do something silly. Make someone smile.

The Primaries Are FINALLY Over!

I don't know about you, but I'm sick of all the presidential campaigning on TV. I don't know if it gets worse as I get older or if I just notice it more. I'm worried about the directions we are taking as a country, but we've just had millions of dollars spent on campaigns, and we don't even get to pick the winner.

If you want my vote, then it should count. That was the way it was in high school. If it was time to vote for the student council president, you cast your vote, it was counted and the person with the most votes won. Isn't that the American way?

Since the delegates and super-delegates know how we should have voted, and since it's their votes that count, why did we waste all the money on primaries. Wouldn't it have been cheaper to go online and do a vote there. Let the computer tally the votes. Either that or have all the primaries on one day, eliminate all but the top two of each party, and then continue. I'm not sure that if the voters had only had McClain and Huckabee from the beginning, the outcome might have been a different one. I can't even remember any of the others in the democratic primaries.

Now that we have the two delegates, why do we need conventions? To lay out platforms? I don't really think so, and truth be told, you don't either. The candidates can lay out planks for their respective platforms all day and it doesn't amount to a hill of spit. Once in office, they are going to do what they are told, smile, shake a few hands and lie.

I'm a registered democrat(don't hold that against me), I think probably because my parents were. But my dad always voted a split ticket. Maybe that wasn't a good thing, but he voted for who he thought was best for the job.

Unfortunately, in the last presidential election, I felt I was voting for the one who was the lesser of the two evils. And that is probably what I'll do this time. I can't promise I'll vote democratic, I can't promise I'll vote republican, I can't even promise I'll vote. Neither will I watch either of the conventions.

Needless to say, I'm quite disgusted with the whole thing.

Put in your two cents worth. Tell me what disgusts you today. It may be political, it may be family, it may be work, but if you were terminally happy before you read my post today, I'm sorry for bursting your bubble.

Try your best to have a wonderful Wednesday. Don't forget Bible Study tonight. Make someone smile.

Commitment!

What do you think of when you hear the word commitment? I usually think of the plan my daughters have for me soon. Daughter#1 talks about my commitment quite often. Usually, it 's when I do something stupid-which is pretty regularly.

I mentioned that I have started a new diet and along with that comes commitment. And I have to ask myself just how committed am I to this new adventure. I do pretty good in theory, but in practice is where I fall down. I think about all those good nutritious meals I'm going to make for myself, then at the last minute, throw something together that although may be healthy, doesn't satisfy my palate.

Last night as I was eating my fairly tasteless meal, I got to thinking about some of the other commitments I've made in my life and how that's working for me. I made a commitment to be a Christian that hasn't been that easy at times to keep on keeping on. It has gotten easier as I've gotten older, but I wonder if that's because there just aren't the same temptations to an old lady as there were to a young woman.

I made a commitment to two marriages that have also failed. I won't go into details of those here, but thought I was giving both all I had at the time.

I made a commitment to three children when I brought them into the world, and certainly had failings in that. Fortunately, they all survived, and seem pretty well adjusted.

I made a commitment to get my education at 40, and accomplished that, and have worked for the last 14 years in that field.

Then there have been too many lesser commitments to even mention. Sewing projects that have fallen by the wayside. Diets that have come and gone. Exercise programs that started and finished in the same day.

So, am I a non-commital type of person? Why am I this way? Why do I not finish so many of the things I start?

What about you? Do you make commitments that you don't take to the finish line?

Have a great Tuesday. Do something silly. Make someone smile.

I'm Behind Again!

The days pass quickly when you are busy at work, and then busy at home. My 11 month old granddaughter has been sleeping in the room with my computer, so posting is difficult when she's here. Her mom and dad have been on a much needed and deserved vacation, so I've had the little one since last Tuesday. I can't possibly tell you how much fun she is, but she is a lot of work, and now that she's gone home, it's awfully quiet around here.

Maybe I can get back to posting on a regular basis. I know you have missed me, and I even got one email asking if I'm ok. Yes, I'm ok, thank you IzzyBeth for asking. I plan to get back to regular posting.

I'm also attempting to start a new diet. Pray that I can stay on it and lose at least half of me. I think many of my 'medical complaints' would magically disappear if I'd lose some weight and get back on some sort of exercise program. Last year, I participated in an exercise program at work. Some of the students needed guinea pigs for part of their grade. We worked with an exercise student who put us through our paces, three times a week. I didn't lose a lot of weight, but I felt so much better than I did and do now. I hate it when the experts are right about feeling better with exercise. I'm by nature a couch potato and love to do nothing. That has to stop! I've got to start moving or I won't be around to post any more.

Do you exercise? If not, why not? I need to know.

Hope you have had a great Monday. I hope you did something silly. I hope you made someone smile.