Ice Storm of 2009

It started raining and freezing yesterday afternoon about 4ish. We then had freezing rain and sleet all night.

I left home and came to my son's house. If the power goes out, I have no way to heat my house. He has a big fireplace that will heat most of the downstairs, so I camped out with Superhero last night. We slept in the floor(because he wanted to, not because it was necessary).

The trees have a heavy coat of ice with more to come today and tonight. We are expecting to be without power, possibly for several days.

I wish I could show some pictures of the back yard here. There are lots of skinny oak trees and several really tall pine trees that are covered with ice. They look as if they are draped in lace. We also have nice fat icicles hanging from the roof. We could hear trees snapping and popping during the night, but don't see any down this morning.

I'm concerned about my 4 small(4 year old) Redbud trees. I'm afraid they will all split and have to be cut down. They are so pretty in the spring, I'd hate to lose them, but I guess we'll cross that bridge if we have to. I'm thankful the 13 pine trees are gone. At least I don't have to worry about any mess they would make.

I hope you are staying warm and dry today.

Have a great Tuesday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

PS. Go visit Chickens In the Road and vote for her blog. She has the link in her post this morning.

A Puzzling Thing

Have you ever received a 'Forbidden You don't have permission to access /blog/ on this server' thing from a blog you read? I'm not sure whether its a glitch or if I've actually been removed from being able to read a particular blog.

I've never had anything like this happen before. The blog that I'm getting this message on is 'Chickens In The Road'. I've been reading this blog for quite sometime, and occasionally comment, but I can't for the life of me understand why I've been ex-communicated.

I make it a point to never say anything negative about anything anyone has posted, so I know that's not the reason. And let's face it, I'm a nice person(at least I think I am).

Needless to say, if I have been intentionally cut off, I'm totally devasted. If you can get in from your blog, please let me know. Or if you know an innocent reason why I got this message, I'd like to know that as well.

My day is off to a bad start, what with the bad weather coming and not being able to read a blog that I normally read.

I hope you are having a good Monday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Oldest Grandson's Birthday

As I was going to purchase a gift card for my oldest grandson who will be 24 on Sunday, I was thinking about all my grandchildren and the fun I've had with them.

My oldest grandson was the only one I had for several years until his brother came along. So I got to spend a lot of time with just him. He had no competition. He would come and spend the weekend with me quite often, and I took him everywhere I went. And the thing was he never complained.

He's a pretty laid back young man, just as he was a kid. He was never any trouble. In fact, he entertained himself so well, that I would forget he was there. One day when he was about 5, maybe 6, I got into the car to run to the store and was half way down the street when I remembered he was at the house. I'm not sure if he would have noticed if I had gone on and came back after my errand, but I went backand got him.

Occasionally, when we're all together, he'll say 'grandma, remember when we did......or remember when you took me.....' I guess before he outgrew me(and believe me, they all do), I was taking him to the wrestling that was happening at the fire station in our small community. That was some sort of entertainment, but he seemed to like it.

I also let him drive my car. When he would come, we would get out and drive the country roads so he could learn to drive. My car was small and easy to handle. It was front wheel drive and would drive itself out of a ditch if I needed it to. Fortunately, we never needed to when he was at the wheel.

I don't get to see him very often anymore. He's working, and busy with his own life, and probably wouldn't want grandma hanging around too much(might cramp his style). I do get to see him on special occasions-Christmas, Thanksgiving, 4th of July. We are celebrating his birthday so I'll get to see him tonight. He got to pick the restaurant. We used to go to McDonald's or Burger King. Fortunately, he's out of that stage.

Even though I don't get to see him that often, I have great memories and more important, I think he has some too. As I've told you before, my goal in life is to be the best grandmother in the world. I may not be able to give my grandchildren material stuff, but I hope to give them good memories and lots of love.

What is your goal in life?

Have a great Friday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Thursday Lunch

One Thursday a month, I eat lunch with the senior singles from our church. You have to be 55 or older to go, so we have people 55 and older. In fact, I think one lady is approaching 90.

We always have a good time. I have to eat and hurry back to work since I'm about the only one who has a job. The rest are pretty much retired, or self-employed. The lady who is nearly 90 has her own business, and works 6 days a week. I can't imagine that, but she is probably in better shape than I am.

Today we discussed taking a trip. We have a new bus at church that holds 32 people, and some are itching to use it. Since I work, I probably won't be taking too many trips. They are wanting to go to the Passion Play at Eureka Springs, or to Branson, Mo. I don't really have much desire to go to either place. I've been to Branson twice in the last 30 years, and that was one time too many.

I've never been to Eureka Springs, but I'm just not a passion play type of gal.

And I'm not really a stick in the mud, really I'm not.

Are you making any plans for a vacation in the near future? Is so, tell me where you are going. I need some fresh ideas. Or just tell me somewhere you've been that you think I should go--and the place that might freeze over is not an option.

Hope you are having a great Thursday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Where's My Stimulus Check?

The parties are over and it's time for the new president to hit the ground running. So the burning question in my mind is 'where's my stimulus check?'

They've given the banks and automakers tons of money, so I'm ready for mine. I'm not expecting a ton, but a few hundred would sure be nice. I'll be checking my mailbox every day.

On a different note, I'd like to thank those of you who sent me your meatloaf recipes. I will try them and my oldest daughter has agreed to sample each and every one. Like I'm going to share. Who does she think she is anyway?

Not much going on around here today. It's a typical hump day, because I'm already looking forward to the weekend.

Hope you are having a nice Wednesday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Historic Day

Today is a historic day. Not only will our 44th president be sworn in today, but also our first African American president. Folks, we are part of history!!!

Whether or not I voted for Senator Obama or not is at this point unimportant. What is important is that I do everything I can to support him. He has now obtained an office that deserves my respect, and, he will have it. There will be things he does that I won't like, but I will not dis-respect him. But there were also things I didn't like that the former presidents have done that I didn't like, but I didn't dis-respect them either.

However, the thing of which I'm most proud today is that I'm not part of the expected 2 million people who will be in DC for the inauguration. It's cold there, and I don't like being cold. I'd much rather be right here in my office with this little heater going at my feet and staying warm. I'll be able to see it as often as I'd like, because you know it will be replayed on every tv station every 15 minutes for days. And let's not forget U-Tube. You know it will be there.

And just where are these 2 million people going to go when nature calls? How many porta-potties will be available? This would be my number one concern at this point. Some of those people have been here all night.

There was a time when the inauguration was held in March. But I think sometime in April or even May would be good. Have it when the cherry blossoms are blooming. It would be much more comfortable and beautiful at the same time.

Maybe I should go to the Bush after party. It will be much warmer in Midland, Tx than in DC. There probably won't be nearly as much competition for the bathrooms, and Lee Greenwood is going to entertain. He's one of my favorite singers. And I'm sure he'll do 'I'm Proud to be an American'. Bet there'll be some good barbeque at that shindig as well.

But since I'm not invited to either party, I'll stay right here in Arkansas, mind my own business(no comments from my children) and try to be the best American I can be.

I am proud to be an American. How about you?

Have a great Tuesday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Meatloaf Snob

I think I'm a meatloaf snob. I'm not comparing myself to self acclaimed 'food snobs', but I really am particular about my meatloaf.

When I was growing up, my mother would take 1 lb of ground beef, and make it a meal for five. She did this by adding oats along with whatever other seasonings she normally used and made this incredible meatloaf. It was always moist and tasted great, and it didn't fall apart when you sliced it. So I guess that is what I compare all meatloaves to.

There are three criteria for my meatloaf.
1. Taste - of course
2. Must be moist, but sliceable
3. How hard it is to make(time)

Unfortunately I didn't get her recipe(if she had one) so I have been in search of the perfect meatloaf ever since. I have a friend named Charlene who makes a good meatloaf, and on the meatloaf scale, I'd probably give it a seven. It has a good taste and is pretty easy to make except it calls for slices of bacon to be placed on it, and I've never decided why that is necessary, and the slice of bread you soak in liquid and then wring out. How do you wring out a piece of bread without making a ball out of it? And I always thought the bread/oats/crackers were put in the meatloaf to soak up some of the liquid generated by the cooking of the meat anyway.

My friend Sara has a good meatloaf recipe, and I would probably give it an eight. I've made it a couple of times. It has a good flavor, holds together and is pretty easy to make.

Last week, I ran across a recipe for SouthWest Meatloaf. It sounded good so I printed a copy and gathered the ingredients. The first thing I noticed was the difficulty in getting all the ingredients. It called for both red and green bell pepper. It also called for Chipolte peppers in adobo sauce. Not easy to find in some supermarkets. And it used a lot of garlic which I thought I'd be able to taste in the finished product but didn't.

But the kicker was that you had to make Chipolte BBQ sause to not only go on top of the meatloaf, but in it. This lovely sauce was made up of a cup of vinegar, a cup of catsup, 1/2 cup honey, worshestershire sauce, and dry mustard along with red and green bell pepper, onion and garlic which then had to be cooked until it had reduced in volume and gotten thicker.

This took some time, and my house smelled of vinegar. I finally had to light a candle to get rid of the smell.

I got the meatloaf made and in the oven. The recipe said to make two meatloaves, but since I am by myself, I decided to make 6 small meatloaves so I could freeze some of them. I took them out of the oven and let them rest for a bit. Then I transferred them to a plate. When I thought it was the perfect time to eat one, I did.

I gave it a four on my meatloaf scale. It was ok, no better than any others I'd made, the texture wasn't the greatest, and the amount of work to make it was seriously not worth the time. I had taken some pictures of the sauce, and of the finished meatloaves, but didn't want to post anything I didn't think was worth making again.

I did find a recipe in a Taste of Home magazine that I'm going to try. It has onions rolled up in the middle of it. Sounds interesting.

So there you have it, I'm still on a quest. What is something you are out there hunting?

Hope it's a great Monday for you. Pray for our country. Love one another.

My Great Bargain

I have been looking for new dishes for a while now. I look at dish sets and think I don't really need everything in the box, since I don't need the cups and saucers. I really only want plates, salad plates and what I call cereal bowls. To buy most any dishes by the piece is pretty expensive. So it seemed cheaper to buy a set than to buy by the piece. So I would look and not buy, and later look again and not buy.

I wanted something plain that I could use with anything. I'm really, really tired of the blue geese dishes that I've been using for years. How out of date are they?

The other day I was in TJMaxx looking for a collander, when on the mark down isle I spotted some plates I really liked and there were 8 of them and they were 3 dollars each. What a deal! They are Lennox, Butler's Pantry. The pattern is Fruitier I knew they had to be a discontinued pattern or they wouldn't have been on the clearance isle of TJMaxx. There were also 4 salad plates but they were also 3 dollars each and I thought that was a bit much since they weren't as big as the plates, so I didn't get them.

I knew they had to be good dishes because they are Lennox. So when I got home, I searched the internet and found that similar plates of the Butler's Pantry persuasion and similar in design and color were 25 dollars per plate. So I decided I'd gotten a good deal. That was when I decided to go back and get the salad plates if they were still there, and they were.

I looked at some of the websites with replacement pieces, and to get more salad plates, I'd have to pay 14 each and the bowls I would like to have are also 14 each. So for now, I'm totally satisfied with what I have, and can add other interesting bowls to my set. I kinda like having an ecclectic set. Actually, I'm pretty ecclectic about most everything anyway.

I'm all about good deals, and I have a friend at work who is the queen of good deals. She's always finding them, and I'm usually really jealous.

What good deal have you found lately? Was it something you've been looking for a long time, or just something you ran across and couldn't pass up.

Hope you are having a warm Friday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Brrr! Baby It's Cold Outside

I know there are lots of people living in this country who are dealing with negative numbers on their outdoor thermometer. And to them I say, 'What are you thinking? Living in such cold places.'


We are at the high of 18 degrees today. I just about froze my backside off just coming into work from my vehicle. That is a total of about 25 or 30 steps. Plus, we are having a hard time getting our offices warm. I have a little heater under my desk to supplement the heat in the building. We have our thermostat set at 80, and we are at 69.

Needless to say, we continue to go about our business, just as those do in the colder climes. I would much rather be sitting in my recliner, wrapped up in a throw or maybe one of those backwards fleece things with sleeves.

I was just trying to think of a time I could remember when it got really cold and stayed that way for a while. When my kids were young, one winter it got cold enough and stayed cold long enough that the river froze. People played on it, and someone even drove a VW bug out onto it.

We had snow along with that cold, and lots of people used the levee as a hill on which to sled. You have to remember we don't have too many hills, and since the levee ends up in the river, it would definitely need to be frozen to keep anyone from sliding right into the water.

Then six or seven years ago South Arkansas was hit by an ice storm much like the one Oklahoma had last year. It looked like a war zone with all the downed trees and broken limbs.

Do you have fun winter memories? Maybe being frozen in, or being able to get out and play in the snow with friends?

Have a warm Thursday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

MEME

If I understand this right. You should copy this list, and bold those you have done. Then post it to your blog.

This list makes you realize, at least it did me, that you haven't done much and haven't been many places. Kinda makes you want to start a Bucket List.

I think one of the first things I'd put on my list would be to go to Alaska. My dad talked about it often. He was there when he was in military service before Pearl Harbor.

What would be the first think on your Bucket List?

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/ world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisioning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving/ snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served in a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood/ platelets
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Been to the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Hope you are having a warm Tuesday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Superhero's Five Today

Superhero is five years old today. I called him on the way to school and sang Happy Birthday to him. I asked what he was taking to school, and he said cupcakes. He sounded excited. His mother said I could come by the party at 11:00 for a few minutes.

Now on to what I want to post about today. The news this morning spent a good bit of time talking about how history will remember George W. Bush. This made me start thinking about how history will remember me. Now I know I won't be remembered on the same scale as George, but at least for a while, there will be a few people who remember me. And how do I want to be remembered? I've said for years that as I get older I'm going to get cranky, hateful and say whatever I want to. But that isn't really true.

We don't always have a great deal of control over what people think of us, or what they say about us. There are some who never have anything good to say about anybody, and choose only to remember any bad things we ever did. We've all heard that phrase that goes something like this, "Yes, they may be doing good now, but don't you remember when they............." and you can fill in the blanks. It may have been 5o years ago, but we are often remembered for what we have done in the past no matter what wonderful things we have done lately.

So let me tell you how I want to be remembered here on this earth after I'm gone. I want to be remembered as a Christian mother, grandmother and friend. I don't think my children will forget me, and I want my friends to remember me for the happy times we've had together.

But I especially want my grandchildren to have wonderful memories of me. When my oldest grandson was little, he was the only grandchild. I was in better health then,(he's in his 20's now) and he spent a lot of time with me. I used to say that I dragged him all over creation, and I honestly believe he would have gone anywhere with me.

Now when we are together, sometimes he'll say, "Grandma, remembr when we did this or that? That was pretty cool." Those are the type of memories I want all my grandchildren to have. I always tell them I love them, and how pretty or handsome I think they are. I want them to think each of them is the most special to me. I try to spend one on one time with them. I like to read to them, and let them cook, but mostly I like to be in their presence.

Hopefully, I won't ever be that old grandmother that no one wants to go see because my house smells like an old person, or because all I do is fuss at them for making noise or something. I hope they always give me a kiss or a hug when they come and go because they want to rather than because mom or dad insists they do.

How do you want history to remember you?

Have a bright Tuesday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

A New Week

I always dislike Mondays. They remind me that the weekend's aren't long enough. I think we should have three day weekends. I should think that a 4 day workweek should be enough to get everything done, don't you?

That would also shorten the school week to 4 days too, which since I have no small children at home, would not be a problem.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I spent the night at my son's house. I babysat so my son and wonderful dil could celebrate her birthday. Superhero had gone home with his other grandmother so I only had the smallest princess and we had fun. She ate a good supper, and after we played, she let me rock her to sleep and then slept all night.

Saturday morning, I cooked breakfast and went home. I stopped to visit the other two princesses and played with them for a bit. I did very little else on Saturday except for buying a box of crackers for the chili we were to eat at the friends group on Sunday.

Went to church on Sunday, took a nap in the afternoon, and went back to church Sunday night. Afterwards, we had our chili supper. It was very good, and we had fun.

But alas!, it's back to the daily grind on Monday.

Hope you are having a productive Monday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Starting Off Right

Has your body ever rebeled, mutineed, revolted? As you can see by my picture, I an not a little girl. I have been overweight for many years. But like most folks who diet, I would lose weight, then ultimately gain back what I'd lost and more.

Then there was the stress thing. Each time I started a new job--20 lbs! Zapp, Zing, Zowee. It just magically appeared. Seldom did I manage to get any of that off. So here I am, 60 and shopping at Omar's Tent and Awning store for my clothes. I know you thought I would tell you how much I weighed--not going to happen, but let's just say I don't go to the ladies department, I go to the womens.

I've had lots of health care professionals tell me I'd be much better off if I'd lose some weight. I would always ask about my thyroid. I think dr's thought women saw the thyroid as a way to either blame for the weight, or as maybe a way to lose weight. Blood would be drawn and I would be told the numbers were within normal limits. But for years, I had no problems. My blood pressure was perfect, my cholesterol was perfect, and I saw no reason to make any life style changes when I was disgustingly healthy.

First time I was ever really sick was 6 years ago when I had to have major surgery. Got over that like gang busters, but as a result of the illness, would be on blood pressure meds the rest of my life. No amount of healthy living would change that. So I soldiered on.

After a 6 month ordeal with a sinus infection, I was sent to an ear nose and throat dr who as a matter of routine, checked my neck. He found, not one, but two tumors on my thyroid, one on each side. He wanted to jerk it out. I said no, and after seeing a specialist, we decided to wait and see if it had changed in 6 months. I go back in February to see if anything has changed.

Two years ago I was diagnosed with diabetes in a regular health screening. I ignored it for a while, but then decided I could no longer do that. After all, I'm a reasonably intelligent person, so why was I being so muleheaded about this. Even then, I only half-heartedly worked on it. I took a pill at night, checked my blood sugar occasionally and ate whatever, whenever, however I wanted to.

About 4 months ago, I began feeling like I had been pulled through a knot hole backwards. Nothing seemed to make me feel any better. I began checking my blood pressure thinking maybe my meds needed to be changed. It was higher on top than usual, but it still didn't seem to be enough to make me feel that lousy. But I called and made an appt to see the dr anyway.

In the meantime, I began checking my blood sugar, and pretty much found the culprit. It was running around 200 consistently.

My dr gave me a good going over, changed the diabetes meds and sent me home to work on it. We discussed all the levels I needed to look out for, but by this time it was Thanksgiving and then soon after Christmas. How could I possibly leave all that good food alone. It just wasn't going to happen. But the numbers on my monitor weren't changing for the better. I was staying below 200, but that was the new med, not what I was contributing to the effort.

Now I'm not much on making New Year's resolutions, but I made up my mind that it was time to change and I started not on 1/1, but on 12/29.

I write down every bite that goes into my mouth, and list the calories, carbs, protien, fat and sodium if I know it. If I cook it from scratch, I just make sure it fits inline with what I'm supposed to have. I know that carbs and sodium are my worst enemies of these 5 items, but calories must be watched also.

I check my blood sugar each morning, and I weigh each morning. Since 12/29th, I have gotten my blood sugar down to under 125,(yesterday it was 115), and I have lost abut 7 lbs. I can tell you all day long that weight loss is not my goal, but it just stands to reason that if I control the blood sugar and eat about a third of what I had been eating that I will lose weight. And I'd be lying through my teeth if I told you I didn't want to lose weight. No one in their right mind wants to be fat.

So as you can see, my body has and continues to rebel, mutiny, and revolt. So, I'm trying to respond to the call and do better. After all what better time to start than when you have just turned 60?

I hope you have a great Friday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Virus, Virus Everywhere!

When we got to work this morning, we couldn't access the internet. Much of our work is done through network connections. So we were in a real pickle.

Evidently there was a virus that was sent out world wide. If you weren't hit, consider yourself lucky. It happened early last night, and our network gurus worked on it all night. We are finally back in business as of about noon eastern time.

We don't realize how dependant on the internet we've become. I not only couldn't work, I couldn't update my blog, I couldn't check my checking account balance, I couldn't look up an address I needed and I couldn't schedule a payment on a utility bill. Basically, I felt like my hands were tied behind me.

How could we possibly allow something like the internet to be so entwined in our lives? I can remember when we didn't even have the darn thing. How did we ever survive?

I can't even cook anymore without looking up a recipe online. And I certainly can't keep up with my new friends without it.

But if you had to choose between the internet and something else to which you really are attached(besides family), which would you choose?

Have a wonderful Thursday. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Middle of the Week

It's Wednesday, which means for those of us fortunate enough to be off the entire Christmas/NewYears Holiday that we are on our way to completing half the week of being back at work.

I'm like Maynard G Crebbs of Dobie Gillis fame, it's hard to say the word 'work' without my voice going up an octave or two. I also just gave away my age by knowing who Dobie Gillis was(like you didn't already know what it is).

Needless to say, it's been hard to get myself to work. Oh, I continued to get up at the usual time, I was just able to sit in my robe to drink my coffee and watch the morning news, then the next news program, then--you get my drift. I did a lot of tv watching while I was off. You need to understand that there are always tv's on in my house when I'm home. I may not always be paying attention to what is on, but it is on anyway. There are times that what I do is done during the commercials. Did you know you can actually take a shower while commercials are on and not miss any of the action in the program you are watching?


I went out to see the two princesses for a few minutes yesterday. They got a dachshund(weenie dog)for Christmas. He's about a year old. They are in the process of adopting him from one of the animal rescue programs here in town. He is a really sweet dog and liked me right off the bat. The girls like to lie in the floor on a blanket with him between while they draw and color. They have found that he likes to chew on crayons, so they are learning to keep them picked up and accounted for. This is a good lesson for them in caring for a pet and in keeping things picked up. He likes both girls, but is especially attached to the oldest one. His name is Skittles.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday. The sun is shining here this morning(a welcome change) and it's supposed to get to 50 today.

Please pray for our country. Love one another.

My Surprise Birthday Party

I only mentioned my surprise birthday party in yesterday's post since I try not to make a big issue of my 'declining years'. However, in not giving some detail, I offended my youngest daughter, so I told her I would give more details today.

My son, whose truck had burned on Christmas Eve morning had borrowed my vehicle since I had no place I had to be for several days. He told me he was taking me out on Friday night to repay me for the use of said vehicle and for my birthday. He then found out that his wife would be unable to join us because she had to work late that night.

I had kept his son, and one of the other granddaughters Thursday night and all day Friday, then thinking it would be just the two of us to keep up with a 5 year old, a 4 year old and an 18 month old, I tried to get him to change til Saturday night, but he wouldn't. Did this raise a red flag as it should have--no, not with my old dense self. So off we went.

I did think it a bit strange that he didn't let me pick the place to eat, but knowing how he loves fish, I wasn't surprised that he headed for Ron's Catfish. We waited in line to pay, and while doing so, I began scoping out a place to sit. And as luck would have it, I saw a table for 4 that would be just perfect for us. Heading off in front of me, he said he'd rather sit in the back. I followed.

The first person I saw was my sister-in-law's mother and dad. Didn't think too much about that. They live near and I occassionally run into them. Then I saw my sister-in-law and was about to say, 'you just thought you could come to our area and not let me know you were here'. Then I saw my other sister-in-law and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I'd been had!!

We had surprised my brother when he turned 60, but since nobody had mentioned my birthday, I thought I was sliding by. They hadn't mentioned it because they were plotting and planning behind my back. I told you yesterday they were devious.

All together, I had 23 family members and friends. Both my brothers live out of state, so I don't get to see them often, but I was certainly glad they were there. My oldest brother lives in Louisville, Kentucky, and my younger brother lives in Brandon, Mississippi. My step-brother and his family and my step-parents all live in Jonesboro. I was blessed they were all there.

We ate, I opened presents, and then we had birthday cake. We visited and pretty much closed up the restaurant. I got a gift card, some money, some really smell good stuff including a bottle of my favorite cologne, and a basket from my younger brother and his wife, and I know she's the one who went to all the trouble. He just got to put his name on the card. It had one of the new cards that you can load 50 pictures on to carry with you, a lotion, shower gel and stuff to use on your hands from Bath and Body works that smells like cotton, an album of pictures of my grandson at Disney World, some candy and the cutest little thing to hang your glasses on(I should have taken a picture). It a ceramic nose. I've never seen one of them before. I also got a really soft scarf and gloves. The kids did a framed picture of my grandchildren. It is a frame for three pictures, and they did each set of grandchidren in black and white which I think I'm going to hang it in my office.

I don't think I've ever enjoyed a birthday so much. They weren't big deals when I was growing up. We got our favorite meal cooked and our favorite cake. Which for poor folks like us was a pretty big deal in the grand scheme of things.

I hope you are having a wonderful day. It's 34 degrees and raining here today. Pray for our country. Love one another.

Back to the Grind!

I am back at the grind. I know you may have wondered why I haven't been posting regularly over the holidays. Let me explain. I work for a university as a computer programmer/analyst. I literally sit in front of a computer(actually two)screens for 8 hours every day. When I get an opportunity to get away from them, I take it. Sitting in front of a computer screen while on vacation would be like a busman's holiday. I didn't post, I didn't work, I didn't surf, I didn't play solitaire, I literally stayed away from my computer.

But now it's back to work, and all the other things I normally do. I just finished wading through about 200 emails. Most of them junk. A few from friends, but few for work, since everyone else was off too.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and that each of you have a wonderful New Year. I stayed denned up like an old bear for most of the time between the two holidays. My son had my vehicle since his met with an unfortunate demise Christmas Eve morning, so I didn't have too many options of any place to go.

My friend Jan came the 19th, and stayed til the 23rd. We had a great visit. Ran around a lot. And just had a wonderful time. I intended to make some pictures, but didn't even accomplish that. I'm planning to go see her in the spring, and I'm taking another friend that Jan has gotten acquainted with through me. Jan lives in the Smokey Mountains so spring should be absolutely beautiful.

We spent the Saturday night before Christmas with my step-parents. The Tuesday night before Christmas I spent with my children and their children. Then Christmas Eve and Christmas Day was spent watching tv and enjoying the quiet.

As much as I love people, I could totally live on a mountain away from everyone. And I say that knowing it's not going to happen and I can see my family any time I want to.

I also passed a milestone. I was 60 on the 3rd. My family gave me a surprise birthday party. We had about 30 family members and friends there. Got some good loot. Found out how devious my children are, and had a great time.

But now it's back to work, back in harness, back to the grindstone. And I'm already looking forward to the next holiday. Yes, that's me, just looking forward to time off and eventually maybe retirement. As much as I joke about work, I am thankful for my job. I know there are many people who have lost their jobs or are unable to work due to illness. My job is a blessing.

Hope you are having a great Monday. Have you counted your blessing today? Pray for our country. Love one another.