Laundry Mishap

As I was tossing in a load of laundry this morning, I was thinking that this is a picture perfect day to hang it out on the line to dry. I love using my clothesline...I'm being ecologically responsible and the clothes smell wonderful. Today looks like a great day for that -- sun shining, low humidity, nice breeze. But looks can be deceiving. We have also just really started pine pollen season. Anyone who lives with pine trees knows what I'm talking about. A light yellow powder covers everything! I laughed to myself and said, "Not today. I don't want my undies coming in looking yellow!"

Then I proceeded to toss yesterday's new bright, sunny yellow Easter table cloth into the tub. Well....same result as hanging outside. I did have a split second thought, so I also tossed in a dye magnet sheet. I guess I didn't realize how much yellow dye was in the table cloth! So now one of the nice, white fluffy towels in the guest bathroom is a very lovely pale shade of yellow. Actually, it matches the room quite nicely. And if I knew how to get a very pale purple one and a very pale green one I would go for it. But I don't, so it just looks goofy.

If you see a guy running around in tighty yellows -- as opposed to tighty whities -- just send him this way. He's mine.

Communication Sherwood Be Good

We were eating lunch yesterday and the phone rang. Jerry answered it. I heard him giving someone directions to our house. When he hung up, I asked him who it was that needed to know how to get here. Here's how the conversation went:

Jerry: "It was Sherwood Forrest. They need to make a delivery."
(Note: Sherwood Forrest is a miniature golf course here in town.)

Me: "What kind of a delivery would Sherwood Forrest be making? Are they bringing you a new putter?"

Jerry: "I don't know."

Me: "You didn't ask what they were delivering?"

Jerry: "No."

So a short time later there was a knock at the door. He answered, I heard him say "Thank you" and then he came in...with a funny look on his face and a flower arrangement in his hands.

Ooooohhhhhh....Sherwood FLORIST! It was a beautiful spring arrangement from my cousins who were here last week! And my kitchen looks bright and sunny with them sitting on the table, even though it's raining outside and soaking the roots of all the spring flowers in the yard. Thanks, Cathe and Melissa! It Sherwood be fun to get together again soon!!

Wednesdays with Nanny

Since the first of the year, it's become our habit that on Wednesday mornings, after BSF bible study, I either bring the grandkids back to my house or take them back home...depending on what Jodi has going on. Many times they'll come back here, and last Wednesday was one of those days.

The weather has been wonderful and we had a good long time together because Jodi was trying to get some things done in the office. We started by having their favorite...a "living room picnic" lunch of yogurt and goldfish crackers in front of the TV (Tom and Jerry cartoons come on at noon). Then we had to do some more surgery on Emery's beloved - and increasingly tattered - "blankie". While we were in the sewing room, Savannah decided to finish her second quilt. One she started a while back for her little pink lamb, Bubble Gum. When I say "she" finished it, I'm speaking in very broad terms. But she did pick out the fabrics and did a little more of the work on this one than she did on the first. Baby steps.

Then it was too beautiful outside to stay in the basement, so after they had played for a while we took a quilt and some books outside to read for a while. Grandpa came by with his lawn tractor and cart and they were off to get rides. After he drove them around for a while, he let Emery drive. Then Savannah got a turn to drive, too. They loved it and didn't want to stop.

By now it was getting to be supper time. So we checked with mommy and she said she was almost done and would have time to eat with us when she came to get them. She offered to pick up something on her way. But Savannah and I decided to go to the store and get Boboli pizza crusts and the toppings. Savannah likes to make pizza and eats that particular kind better than any other. We all eat a bunch whenever we make that.

So there you have it....an afternoon with the grandkids. It doesn't get any better than that.

One Cheap Nanny

Did anybody else buy their kids Loc Bloc brand building blocks back in the 70s? They were the cheaper counterpart to Legos. Looked just the same and worked just the same. I'm glad they're one of the things I've kept over the years...because now the grandkids are enjoying them all over again. It's just funny to get the (original) boxes out and see the pictures of the little boys on the boxes with their long, shaggy, 70's-style hair cuts. :)

Who is That?

If you're like us, you get tons of return address labels in the mail...and you hardly ever mail anything. I usually just keep most of them for the grand kids to play with as stickers and don't always look closely at them. But the other day we got some interesting ones.

A few years ago my friend, Mellie, said that when they fill out information for places like the grocery store (to get a discount card), etc. her husband suggested that they alter the spelling of their name a little bit. Then if they start getting mail addressed that way, they would know the store had sold their information. I thought that was a good idea -- but I never remembered to do it.

So I was really surprised to see address labels that said, "Mr. Jo and Jerry Beth". Once in a while there will be a little different spelling, especially in my name...but this? I had to laugh. "Mr. Jo" (not Joe) is apparently married to a "Jerry" (I've seen the spelling of the female names as Jeri or Jerri) and there was a huge B for the last name of "Beth". It just tickled me. Must have been a slow day.

Do You See What I See?

We spent the weekend gutting the master bathroom. So....I guess at long last, we're really going to do the redecorating thing. On Friday, the plumbers came out and cut apart the fiberglass tub and shower unit and hauled it out, and they moved the drain and put in the new pipes. It just so happened that at that same time, there were somewhere between 12 and 20 (so it seemed, anyway) guys on top of the house ripping the roof off...to replace it with a new one. It sounded like I was living in a war zone! But I digress...as usual.

After the plumbers had gone, I went in and stripped all the wallpaper. Boy...that was really good wallpaper. I don't know how many years it's been up there, but it wanted to stay even longer! Finally, after I got all that down I started prying the tile up off the floor. We're having new put in that will match the new, larger shower. Jerry wasn't sure it would come up the way we wanted, but I couldn't stand not trying it. It worked out pretty well.

Jessica came over as I was working on that part of the project and she said, "You're going to keep some of those pieces, right? At least this one. (She pointed with a toe.) You HAVE to keep this one!" I knew right away what she was talking about, but I just said, "What am I going to do with it?" She said, "I don't know. But you have to keep it."

You see...for 18 years I have spent a great deal of time sitting on my "throne" and pondering the floor tiles. If you used just a little imagination, you could see shapes in them. You know...like Charlie Brown sees in the clouds. Jerry always thought I was nuts and couldn't see any of what I was trying to show him. But other people could see them. It was a little awkward to ask someone to come into your small (tub and toilet area) bathroom with you and look at the floor. But I did. The one particular tile Jess was referring to was, to us, the most obvious. When we look at it we see a horse...facing left, complete with bridle. You can clearly see his head and his back. You can't see his belly or legs because, standing in front of him, facing right, is a lamb! You can see that she's white and wooly and she has her head down. Her nose and legs are black. You can "clearly" see that, right???

Jess was right. I really need to keep that one. This barnyard duo have been friends of mine for a very long time.

The "Circle" of Life

Back in the 70s some time, I decided my girls were at an age where I could get them each a nice doll that they would take care of and that I could then hand down to their children. Fisher Price had just the thing...My Friend Mandy and My Friend Jenny. One Christmas I got the Mandy doll for Jodi and the Jenny for Jessica. Then I got the "official" patterns and made lots of clothes for them.

But it wasn't long before reality bit. One day I discovered that Jodi had cut Mandy's bangs! (Did she think they were going to grow back???) And not long after that, Jessica was playing with a smurf stamp and decided Jenny's forehead was a good place to try it out! Getting ink off of a vinyl doll's face isn't easy...and in trying many types of removers I managed to remove not only the smurf, but Jenny's painted-0n eyes as well!! So then I decided to keep the dolls anyway to show my girls' children just how awful they had been. I still have Mandy and Jenny and they are still friends. That's Mandy - on the left - having a perpetual bad hair day...and Jenny - on the right - who sweetly doesn't seem to "see" any flaws in her dear friend.

Skip forward (so quickly) 30 years and I'm glad I kept the dolls and all the clothes I had made for them. For now I have a granddaughter! :) Delight of my life, but a girl who really has never been interested in playing with dolls. :( What she loves is animals. Stuffed animals, plastic animals, pictures of animals. If it has four legs and makes strange sounds she's in love with it and will imagine it to have all kinds of personality. Her very favorite and closest friend is Meo. Aunt Jessica gave it to her when she was a baby and it has been her constant companion for these last 6 years. It is a little lamb and we have no idea where the name came from...except from Savannah's imagination. Jess got the lamb at the gift shop where she works and Savannah has come to call that place "the Meo store".

No way to make this long story short, so I'll continue. The other day I was talking to Jodi on the phone and she said, "I meant to tell you that the dress for the Mandy doll fits Meo and Savannah loves to put it on her". I said, "Well, then, she's in for a real treat because there is a box with more of them in the basement." She told Savannah that and now Savannah is so excited about coming over here this weekend. For Christmas this year, Jessica got her a blue lamb (Fluffy) and a pink one (Bubblegum) just like Meo and now she's wanting to dress them all. So today I dug out the doll clothes and washed them all up. They are now ready for Savannah to get excited over on Saturday.

Looking at them again brought back memories. It really is amazing how quickly the 30+ years have gone by since I made those clothes. And in my imagination they would be played with again by a little girl who was fascinated to have her mommy's old doll to dress up. But in reality they will be worn by a pastel plethera of sweet little lambs by their even sweeter friend. Sometimes the circle of life isn't a circle at all, but more of an ellipse. But it still just keeps rolling merrily along.

Gotta Get a Gun

Do you know what a "Gund" is? Here's one on the left. They are adorable, cuddly little stuffed animals. "Gund" is the brand name and their marketing slogan is, "Gotta Get a Gund". Cute.

Every once in a while I look at my neighbor across the street and paraphrase that slogan to myself, "Gotta get a gun". Most of those times have to do with his motorcycle. He is a man about our age, not a kid. But his motorcycle has no muffler!!! So many times while we're sitting on the front porch enjoying nature sounds or just mostly peace and quiet, he will decide to get the bike out and go for a "little" ride. And I do mean "little". He'll rev the bike, rev the bike, rev the bike...then go down the road. We can literally hear him when he makes the turn on Salem Road -- a mile away! Then in a couple of minutes, he's back. He'll rev the bike, rev the bike, rev the bike and then put it away. Just making sure it's still loud enough, I guess. This is an almost every day occurrence. Sometimes more than once a day. Sometimes early in the morning. Sometimes in the afternoon, when the grand kids are napping if they happen to be here. As I sit on my front porch, I level my eyes over the top of my book as he goes slowly -- but loudly -- past the house. And I think to myself, "Gotta get a gun".

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a violent person. I've never shot anything in my life (I'm no Sarah Palin, after all)...but there's a first time for everything.

Then earlier this week, as dusk was setting in, Jerry noticed something across the street. "Mike's got his Christmas lights up", he said. It's not even the middle of November yet! What ever happened to Thanksgiving? He gets earlier every year. And he's one of those fellows who will be out there on Christmas morning taking them all down. I don't get it. But it's a pet peeve of mine when people rush the season like this. It not only takes the joy out of it because you're sick of Christmas by the time it gets here, but it also makes me feel pressured -- like I should have my tree up, all my gifts wrapped, and be sitting here sipping egg nog already! Not only all that...but his decorations are UGLY. The bushes in front of his porch are all completely covered in red lights (the big bulbs). It looks like his bushes are bleeding. More like hemorrhaging. All except for the one on the far left. It is covered in blue lights. My thinking is that there are no more red light bulbs to be had in the county.

Yep....Gotta get a gun. Maybe I'll ask Santa.

Falling Back

Unless you live in Hawaii or Arizona, you turned your clocks back this weekend. We're saying goodbye to Daylight Savings Time until next spring. Time to hibernate.

Everyone gets all excited about getting an "extra hour" of sleep. Well, if you get up as many times as I do during the night, that sounds great. But yesterday as we were going around the house resetting all the clocks, this occurred to me:

We have 19 clocks to reset. That includes the computer, the coffee maker, my watch, the car and truck, radios, and two TVs as well as actual time pieces...but still. If you figure it takes an average of 3 minutes to reset each clock, that's a total of 57 minutes. That means we actually gained only 3 minutes! Hope you enjoyed your "extra time" and spent it wisely.

Just wondering...why do two people who are both retired need to know what time it is anyway???

The Making of a Fan

Except for enjoying the successes of my friend Mellie's son, Sam, as he finishes his high school football career and goes on to benefit from his full scholarship at Mississippi State...I don't care anything in the world about football. In high school all I cared about was going to the game for social reasons -- and the dance afterward. I don't care about college ball, pro ball or any of the bowl games. I don't eat chili, I don't tailgate -- I simply don't get it. And I'm fine with that.

One of the fierce local rivalries around here is between the University of Georgia Bulldogs and the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech. Jodi and Jeremy are big UGA fans and they go to home games whenever they can. And when the "Dawgs" are playing an away game, you can bet they're hosting a party or watching the game with friends at someone else's house. Today, for instance. The grand kids are playing in the other room as I write because mom and dad are cheering their hearts out with their friends. I think they are playing Florida today. The "Jackets" are on TV today also, but I couldn't tell you who they are playing. As I said...I just don't care.

But I'm starting to rethink that now. The weather has been great here this week and I've been enjoying sitting on the front porch in the afternoon sun and reading. Yesterday as I was doing that, I was sitting with my legs stretched out on the porch swing. As I gently swayed and read, my feet were crossed at the ankles. Then -- all of a sudden -- as I slowly rolled my feet together, there was this INTENSE PAIN! I had trapped a yellow jacket wasp between my feet and he, in a snit, decided to inject me with copious amounts of his venom! A simple "ouch" on his part would have brought out an instant and heart felt apology on my part. Why did he overreact like that? I put ice on it and took some ibuprofen, but that horrible and excruciating pain lasted for over 15 hours. I couldn't do anything the rest of the day but lay with my foot up and an ice bag in place. I couldn't sleep, because as soon as my foot left the ice, the pain would instantly wake me. Today I refused to give into the pain, so I'm going about my normal routine. But the intense pain has been replaced with a constant sore ache. Jerry's been stung before, and so he's sympathetic. He asked, "Does it feel like a deep puncture wound?" Well, yes, as a matter of fact...that describes it very well.

So from now on when I hear that UGA and Tech are playing against each other, and word on the street has it that the Bulldogs are going to obliterate the Yellow Jackets, I have only one thing to say: "Go, Dawgs! Sic 'em!"

Week in Review

Okay, okay. I've had some comments (complaints, too) because I haven't posted for a week. What can I say? I've been busy just being retired. Following my nose around most days, just giving into my adult ADD. I didn't think there was much to write about. But looking back, I guess it was a pretty good week.

On Monday we went with the Yorks to the Pumpkin Patch in Watkinsville. That's just south of Athens, so Jess and I went up earlier in the day and went clothes shopping at the mall...then met up with the rest of the family at the Patch. It turned out to be a very nice warm and sunny day. There was lots to do besides pick pumpkins. Emery and Grampy are pumping water into the pvc troughs to race their ducks. There was a cow train ride, a big slide, a petting zoo, a hay ride, a bale maze (similar to a corn maze, but easier and less scary for the little ones) and pig races. Savannah's pig won the race, so she got a pig nose as a prize. After the Patch, we ate dinner at Rafferty's...always a treat.

On Tuesday I finished piecing the fish bowl quilt that I'm going to give Emery for Christmas. I started it back in April at the retreat. Tuesday night we had Batty Babes and I took it to one of my friends there to machine quilt it for me. Then I spent a lot of time in the sewing room the next few days working on Savannah's pink and purple that I also started last April. I want to hand quilt this one for her for Christmas and I need to get on it!!! I also finished a wall hanging that I made for a friend for Christmas. It's the same as one I made for myself last year, but the border fabric is different.

On Wednesday we had some good friends over for dinner and played cards. It was fun. I don't know why we don't do that more often.

Then yesterday I dug into a new craft project I've had on my mind. I can't go into details here (more Christmas presents), but I will tell you that there is a HUGE mess on the dining room table. But I like the way it's coming along.

So there you have it. My week in review and it was a good one.

Let There Be Light

A few years ago, we remodeled my sewing room. It's a regular bedroom in the basement. Jerry stained some unfinished cupboards for storage and cut down and stained some base cabinets to use to support a work top. I love it! There has always been a problem with the lighting, though. It has a standard 3-bulb fixture in the ceiling in the middle of the room. Not great light to work by. We tried putting some fluorescents in there, but they were worse for some reason. And whatever light was coming from there, I was working in my own shadow. So I've just continued to sew and Jerry continued to worry about my going blind.

A couple of weekends ago, I was gone for two days to the annual Women of Faith Conference in Atlanta (awesome, by the way). He had intended to surprise me by having an electrician in while I was away and put some lighting under the cupboards to illuminate my work space. He had to tell me about it, though, because the electrician wasn't able to come out until after I got home. But that way I did get some input into what I would like. It's all done now and the difference is really amazing!

And, lo, though I have worked in the shadow of darkness I have now seen a great light!

The Birds and The Bees

After we had the house painted this summer, I posted about how I had fixed up the front porch. It's so nice out there with the fresh coat of paint on the house, trim and shutters...and the new wicker furniture and we've really been enjoying it. But we haven't been alone. No sooner had the paint dried then the carpenter bees were back at work drilling their neat little perfectly round 1/4" holes in the eaves and under the porch rails.

Then a little over a week ago, we heard this tapping sound. Upon investigation, we found there was a stupid little woodpecker pecking at the post on the south end of the porch! I guess he thought it was a tree. We figured he would give up when he found there were no bugs in the porch post. Well...he was determined, if not bright. He kept pecking away at it. This weekend, while he was pecking away, I showed the grand kids the bird at work on the post. By now he had made a hole big enough to stick his head in! Jessica was taking his picture and she noticed that on the porch floor, underneath him, the Geico gecko was standing there watching the chips fall where they may. He looked right at her and seemed to be thinking, "Need homeowner's insurance?" Now you'd think that even a bird brain would realize, when he could stick his whole head inside, that there are NO BUGS in the porch post. But no...our friend had to look so far into the hole that he fell in!!!

So now he's flapping around inside the post. It's too narrow for him to fly, and there's nothing for him to hang on to in order to climb back up. You have to feel sorry for the poor little idiot. So Jerry got his tools out and cut a piece out of the bottom of the post so he could come out that way. But he's still inside. We thought the post was hollow and he could come out the bottom. But there must be something in the middle section. He's been in there for two days now and we don't know what else to try. I suggested Jerry make a little "rescue ladder" from jute or something to drop down inside the hole. He didn't jump right on that idea, but he did agree that he can take a funnel and put some bird feed inside the hole. If there is something that's keeping the bird from going down to the bottom, it may catch the seed. Then maybe we can put a piece of twine down there and see if he'll climb up on that. So while I relax on the porch swing, Jerry is busy with continuing rescue efforts and further demolition of the newly painted post.

A Good Start

A week ago I said I was retired and looking forward to what that would feel like. I'm glad to say that the first week was great! On Monday I finished a quilt. It's the one I had said I couldn't show when I recently listed the ones I've finished lately. That's because it was a gift...for Melisa's birthday. We had a big Babes' birthday party (for 3 members) on Monday night and I gave it to her then. So now I can show it. The printed part in the top center says, "Melisa's Kitchen" and I've used 30s reproduction fabrics. The 5 traditional pieced blocks have kitcheny names like, table for four, broken dishes, cut glass dish, pork and beans and churn dash. Two fill-in blocks have applique; an apple and green and yellow sweet peppers. In the lower right-hand corner is one of her favorite recipes. You can print on special fabric anything that you can type or scan on the computer -- so that's a fun design option. Finally, after all the quilting is done, the apron in bottom center is appliqued on by the waistband...leaving the bottom of the apron to hang free. I like the way it turned out.

So I finished the quilt in the morning, then we had the party in the evening. In between I went with Jessica to look at a house. She's in the market and there was one she wanted to see the inside of. A couple of days in the middle of the week were spent working on scrapbooks. My friend, Mellie, came over and we worked on our books together. I finished two "works in progress" in two days! And I organized all my stickers, papers, etc. Feels so good to finish something like that.

The other days of the week included things like Bible Study, more laundry than I've done in the past month, a little baking, and more quilting. Also...we had the grand kids for 3 days! We went to the zoo with the Yorks, church with Aunt Jess had a picnic lunch in the front yard, collected a whole bunch of cicada skins and read a lot of books.

Jerry and I managed to get a couple of walks in, but didn't play golf yet. That's on the agenda for this week. But so far....I think I'm going to like this! :)

Do Not Panic

A year or so ago, I would crack up when Savannah would say, "Do Not Panic" in a dramatic low voice while slowly waving her arms up and down. It was something she was quoting from one of her animated movies...maybe "Bug's Life". She seemed to use the quote at very appropriate times and it was really cute.

Well, this is now a very appropriate time to remember; "Do Not Panic". But it's hard not to. Here in the southeast we've had a gas shortage. In case you haven't heard, the operations of many of the refineries in the gulf were affected by the two hurricanes that went through there last month. That is directly where we (as well as Tennessee, Florida, etc.) get our gas from. So until they get up and running to full capacity again, we're in trouble. For the past 19 days we have been stressed out looking for gas. Most stations simply don't have any...so you drive around using more gas looking for a station that does. If and when you find one, the lines are long and there is no guarantee that they won't run out before you get to the pump. Georgia has passed some temporary measures that will help a little. They are suspending some safety measures -- letting the tankers carry a fuller load, letting the drivers log more hours -- and easing back on the EPA standards just until production gets back to normal...which could be a couple of more weeks. Just yesterday and today they say these methods are slowly beginning to work. So Do Not Panic, fellow drivers.

Then there's the whole mess from Wall Street to Washington. Such a short distance on the map...but has all of us tangled up with them. Do Not Panic? What...trust our government? Trust the guys on Wall Street? Who do we trust? Well....Do No Panic. Look at what little money you have left and it will tell you, "In God We Trust." In the mean time, try not to watch too much of the news...it'll only make you crazy. Everyone now agrees that this is a crisis. But not long ago they were trying to tell us that it wasn't a "depression" or even a "recession". They were calling it a "market correction". I like what one commentator said. "If this is a correction, then why don't we send the ones responsible to the house of corrections?"

Dear Lord, when you're finished fixing our gas crisis and our financial crisis...we still need some rain. Thank you.

Re-Retired

A little over 4 years ago, I "retired"...well, sort of. I left my full-time job with the school system after having been a school bookkeeper here for 14 years -- and previously in Illinois for another 6. Twenty years of keeping books for teachers is enough! Actually...I left to have more time to spend with my young granddaughter and to have time to help care for my ailing mother. But I guess I wasn't really ready for retirement, because I immediately took a part-time job as an On-Call BOA (branch office administrator) for Edward Jones. It was the very best kind of part time job because it was completely flexible. They would call if they needed a sub, and I could say if I was available or not. Can't beat that. Shortly after that, my friend and fellow quilter, Melisa, started getting ready to open her quilt shop. I went and volunteered some time to help with the original set-up, inventory, etc. When she was ready to hire some help, I went to work there...also part-time. Between these two very good jobs, I was working quite a bit again.

So after a few years, I quit the Edward Jones position. Then I cut back my hours at the quilt shop. I've been thinking of actually retiring full time...maybe some time next spring. Then I started thinking, "why wait?" I am at a season in my life right now where things are very good. For the first time in my adult life, I don't have any real responsibilities! Wow! That one took a while to sink in. I am not responsible for the daily care of children, grandchildren, or a parent. I am so lucky to have a husband I really enjoy spending time with...and he is retired also. We both have our health and enough money to enjoy ourselves. I started to become fully aware that all of these blessings do not come with guarantees. So....last week, I retired again -- from the quilt shop. Now I am full-time retired and can't wait till Monday morning to see how that feels. Jerry said something about going for a hike. I think he wants me to get in shape. Could I be looking for a job again soon???

Hittin' the Books...Again

I never liked school. When we were kids, my sister liked to play school. So I'd agree and we'd get out all the books and pencils and get all set up...and then I'd quit on her. I liked school supplies -- but not the actual work of learning. So it was with the real thing. I would get excited about "Back to School" and get my new clothes and supplies, but then I really didn't want to actually go back to school. When I have adult friends who say they'd love to go back and just take class after class after class, I look at them with a mixture of shock, suspicion and concern (for their sanity). It is a little surprising, then, that I spent more than 20 years working in the school system. But that was okay. As the school bookkeeper, I got to order the supplies...but didn't really have to use them! :)

In light of all that, it's a little surprising to me that I just signed up for a bible study class. Notice the words "study" and "class" used in that one sentence. Yikes. I'm going to be expected to learn things...and that's okay...but I'm also going to have to do homework. That was always the worst. But I am excited about this. Last year Jodi took the BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) class and said she really got a lot out of it and encouraged me to think about going to it when it started back up this year. So last Wednesday was our first meeting and I've had homework this week. So far, so good. I'm pretty much on track with my lesson and I really am looking forward to getting into the Word and learning more about things that I should have known more about for a long time. Better late than never, I guess. And while we're using platitudes, let's see if someone can teach this "old dog new tricks".

Thank You

I'd like to shout out a thank you to our dear friend, Fay. She finally came through with some wonderful soaking rains for us. We had about 3/4" of rain on Sunday afternoon and evening, another 3/4" overnight on Monday and yesterday was the most wonderful all-day rainy day we've had in memory! I worked at the shop and business was brisk and not one person complained about having to go out in the rain. We all thought it was a very beautiful day. Jodi said the kids had a ball playing in it. There was no wind or lightning or thunder...just rain. At times it would come down very heavy, but just straight down. You could almost hear the earth sighing with relief.

High and Dry

I'm sure you've heard of Tropical Storm Fay. She's been in the news for over a week pouring record-breaking amounts of water on all parts of Florida and the south east. If you've seen pictures on TV of her large, swirling swath of orange, you would think we were getting a good soaking, too. You would think that...and you would be wrong. I've been waiting for days for the raining to start here. But on the radar, the rain was only getting as far as Macon -- about an hour south of us. But I kept looking...and looking...and looking. Yesterday it was inching a little closer, but was very spotty. I was just sure today would be the day. But I awoke to only more gray skies. I looked at the local Doppler radar and thought, "Hey! What do you call that????" How did all that rain get from the southeast of us to the northwest of us -- and MISS us completely??? So as I was getting ready for church, I was being mentally grumpy and thinking, "According to Matthew 5:45 'the rain falls on the just and the unjust'...but it just doesn't fall on us!"

But it's been a weird day, weather-wise. We've been mostly cloudy, but every once in a while it would pour straight down -- a nice, heavy rain -- that lasts for about a minute and a half. Then the sun would come out and it would get very steamy and humid...and we'd have mostly blue skies. It did that several times. Very strange. But I think if you add all those little intervals of showers together, we may have actually accumulated about 1/2". We'll take it. But I'm watching the radar still, because now Fay may be forced back over us from the west this time and maybe she'll be a little more generous in the next few days. We can only hope.

God is Good

Due to the ongoing drought...and especially the past few years...we have several large, dead pine trees around the property. A few seem rather threatening to the house, the pool, etc. We had been looking at one very big one in particular. I say "had been" because God took it down for us the other night during a brief but very windy thunder storm.

I had been at a scrapbook retreat over night and had gone with my friend, Mellie. I drove, so when we got back here I pulled my car up into the back yard and we unloaded her things. Then I pulled my car into the garage and unloaded my stuff. I was tired and it would not have been out of the realm of possibility to leave my car where it was and deal with the "stuff" in the morning. If I had done that, my car would have been sitting on the left side of the yard...right where the trunk of the tree fell. And Jerry said that just about 1/2 hour earlier, he had pulled his truck into the back yard -- as he sometimes does -- and it would have been just to the right of that...where the top of the tree hit. But then he had moved it over by the shed.

Also...God "pruned" it for us. It broke off about 8 feet up. If it had fallen over at the very bottom, it would have smashed through the fence around the pool. As it was, it came within a few feet of touching it.

Usually I ask Jerry every morning, "What are you going to do today?" or "What's on your agenda for the day?". Yesterday morning when I asked, "Gee...what are you going to do today?" he looked at me funny. Well...you know...not funny "ha-ha" more like funny "you're not very funny". He worked all day in the 95-degree heat, bless his heart, and got it all cleaned up. Today he is hauling it away. What would I do without him?

What some people might see as a series of fortunate events and decisions, I choose to see as the hand of God...blessing us and providing us with constant little (and not so little) miracles. Thank you, God, for your constant care.