Out with the old....

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Christmas was put into the attic this afternoon. All but the Nativity. It stays until the Epiphany. 

Today. New Year's Eve. A time to remember. A time to look forward.

I re-found these treasures today.

Beach Boy's first song. I think it may be his only one, too. 

May 22, 1987.

Out of Town Son's Bean Story. 

September 19 1991. 

Daughter's sweet Christmas poem.

November 23, 1991.

It doesn't matter if you can't read them. They remind me that I had little children once. 

The memory is sweet. 

And yet another treasure...

Our neighbor was dying of cancer. Her son was our good friend. 

He is our history. He is in most every childhood story we recall.

He was the Dill in this childhood story. The one that was different. The one we felt we had to defend and take care of. 

And then he moved. We lost track. 

We still tell them.  Same stories. They get funnier. Every. Time. We. Hear. Them.

***

Tomorrow marks four years since my father died. Dad was a lover of words. He loved to make us look them up in the fancy encyclopedias he had invested in. 

He loved poetry. He loved reciting poetry.

And so I will wish you a Happy New Year with one of my Dad's favorites.

First FigBY EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY

My candle burns at both ends;

   It will not last the night;

But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends—

   It gives a lovely light!

Old acquaintance be forgot?

I guess there are some old acquaintances I have "forgot". Tomorrow night we will sing and say goodbye to this 2016. I have already heard from many voices that they feel 2017 will bring peace and goodness. I have posted a new challenge on my refrigerator. It says...

"This year

Break a bad habit

Learn a new skill

Do a good deed

Visit a new place

Read a difficult book

Write and send a letter

Try a new food

Take a risk"

And so these are my resolutions. I am going for the Nannybee 2.0. Upgraded version. The new and improved, better me. Why not? Put myself out there on a limb. Go for the gusto. Adventure!

***

Yesterday we drove to Daughter's house and enjoyed a good visit with her and her children. It was the last important item on my Christmas bucket list. We ate at a Tex-Mex restaurant. And, as usual, so many chips were consumed that when the real food arrived we were all full. But we all stopped eating and brought home 4 go boxes. 

We made a quick trip through the Bed, Bath and Beyond store with the kids in tow. Found one of those Christmas light projectors for 50% off! Next Christmas our house will be dressed in red and green polka dots!

***

I am about to run to the gym before I clean up and hunt the groceries. Just a few basics to get us through until the middle of next week. We are actually eating out tonight and tomorrow night. 

But. Come Sunday...pork, greens, and black eyed peas. 

Tradition!!!

*****

Mr. Macho fixed my leaking toilet. My Christmas joy has been multiplied. I woke many a night to the commode refilling itself. And now? Silence. Blessed silence. 

 We will bring in the New Year among old and new friends. We will eat and dance and, hopefully, come home at a decent hour. I am 60 now. I am not even going to pretend like I want to stay up late. 

Perks of getting older. 

Happy New Year evahbody! May it bring peace and love to you. 

Namaste. 

The Eve.

The week has flown by. This time last week...

We gathered at the nephew's house to celebrate Christmas with extended family. We paid homage to the patriarch that is no longer with us. 

Honored with an empty chair.  This photo is entitled "Hats off to Granddaddy Bob!"

(Note: All hats were from his collection.)

Aunt Rhonda tried to herd the cats for a great-grandchildren photo-op. 

The grandchildren. Aren't they grand?!

The reading of the Christmas story was followed by a fun drawing game and the typical Dirty Santa game. Several people went home with the gifts they brought, and another gave away the gift that didn't thrill. Ah well. Weather cooperated. 

It was a good day. Wrapped it all up around a campfire cooking hot dogs and symores. 

On Sunday we had our very own Christmas at our house. It was especially fun watching Merritt during the gift giving. Not only was she thrilled with her own gifts, but she was genuinely thrilled to watch others open theirs! The magic was alive in her. Sheer joy.

Our Christmas dinner was tacos!

I felt like I skidded through the remainder of the week in a steady slide. I could neither slow it down nor stop it. Right up until the last minute when I threw things in my suitcase in about 15 minutes and was ready for the trip down south. 

Out-of-Town Son and his wife hosted a fun Thursday evening of a trip to Soule' Museum. Decorated for Christmas  complete with snow machine and miniature train that Cc enjoyed riding for the first three laps. The other 27+ were tolerated. 

We loved the lights of the season! 

After a very nice local restaurant we drove way out into the country to enjoy a huge Christmas light display! It was amazing! It was just the right touch to light my Christmas joy candle. 

Friday we drove to Mom's. She is 96. In my 60th year I have enjoyed spending my birthday, and now Christmas with my mother. It is pretty special. 

After breakfast this morning, Christmas Eve, Mom and I lingered at the table. Mom admitted missing hearing Christmas carols. You know she is virtually deaf, now. Carols do put you in such a holiday mood, she said. During Advent many mornings she has sung "Oh Come, Oh Come! Emmanuel!" And so, I joined her for a pretty spirited rendition of every verse of that song. I only wish we had recorded it. It would have gone viral. Or given someone a virus. I'm pretty sure. Mom has always longed to sing, but never has excelled at it. In our limited ranges (each very different from the other) we sang with all our hearts for Emmanuel to come. 

The new Christ enters in. 

Today we have visited, via FaceTime and in person, friends and family. Beach Boy and his family came just in time for lunch. Chinese take out. 

Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra! 

Merry Christmas to all!

*****

"Backward, turn backward,

Oh time in your flight.

Make me a child again.

Just for tonight!"

-Elizabeth Akers Allen

The sheep did me in.

Today I had a moment. It has been a great day. Got things done this morning. Cooked my casserole. Went to play bunko. Had fun. Dirty Santa gift exchange with my fun ladies. Won the biggest loser prize!

Then. On the way home I passed one of our local funeral homes. Every year they set up a large nativity scene in front of the business. And. Every year they have live sheep. The business happens to be on a corner with a stop sign. And that's when it happened. I looked over and there were those sheep. And I had no little ones in my car to share it with. And I started tearing up. Then cried all the way home. I wanted my little children back just for a moment. To share the magic of Christmas.

Oh lawd. Its gonna be one of those weekends!
Be sweet.

In this moment.

This day has arrived. That little fog that visited on Thanksgiving morning? It is back. All around. Today Mr. Macho and his two sisters will sign papers on the sale of their father's house.

Sunday we drove over so Macho could bring his lawn mower home. We looked in the house one last time. I stood in the back yard and thought about the memories of it. I was thankful for all those times we were one big family in that place. I was thankful for all the shelter it provided over the years. I said goodbye.

Yesterday I spent the day preparing our house for the weekend. I tweaked my decorations. I baked another batch of Belgian waffles. I have enough. I am almost ready.

The family will gather this weekend. We will celebrate. We will remember. We will be thankful.
Peace on earth. Good will toward all.

It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Mr. Macho had to work today. I needed this day to catch up to the impending holiday. And. I did. And I even saw Santa!

 

I know him. 

I ran around town fleshing out my Christmas cheer. I checked my list twice. 

Yesterday I made the first batch of Belgian waffles. Old family recipe. They turned out so good I think I will make another batch. Not today, though.

Today. I finally put up my pink tree. I was trying to find a replacement 'cause the pink needles keep falling off. By the dozens. It may be bald by New Year's Eve. The trees I considered were too pricey and just didn't have any magic. So, pink tree it is for one more year. 

Tonight! We are invited to a real Christmas party. It starts early. 

I will tell you what I have had a hard time with this year...finding Jesus. On Christmas cards. Lots of dogs, bird, and penguins. Only no Jesus. Today I did find two stores that carried religious cards. So I bought boxes from both stores. Just in case they do away with Jesus next Christmas, I am prepared. 

Do you need a little Christmas? Right this very minute? Then get with it. 

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear" - Buddy the Elf. 

Go ahead. Top of your lungs. Do it.

Peace on earth. 

Senior discounts here I come!

I have been so busy this week that I have not posted. Now I can't find the words to describe what a blast and a surprise last weekend turned out to be.

A week ago...has it already been a week?...we left town Thursday afternoon and spent the night with Out of Town Son. It, so nicely, breaks up the trip to the coast. Plus the fact that we get to play with Cecilia. She is so curly and cute! DIL had fixed a very nice meal...we all went to bed early and awoke leisurely Friday morning. Because - Son had told us he had taken the day off to finish Christmas shopping.

We drove down and arrived at Mom's around noon and picked up some salads and Wendy burgers for lunch. After a quick visit we headed over to The Bay. (Bay St. Louis.) We unpacked the truck and enjoyed visiting with sisters and brother in law. Then we went for a stroll around town...met up with an old friend, that happens to be a priest stationed in Cuba...and visited with him. We had 6:00 reservations at a nice local restaurant (Bacchus) and so when the time came we got ready...only sister doing the visiting with Fr. Gilbert was dragging her feet. She and bro-in-law finally got themselves ready and we were off.

I just can't do justice to how absolutely, totally, and completely surprised I was to walk into Bacchus and see all three of my children, a daughter-in-law, and 7 out of 8 of my siblings!!!!! I had emailed and invited everyone but no one had responded. The sister that wasn't there had already told me she just couldn't get away - and ended up having terrible shingles (I am not saying the two are related!) Sister Paulette was non-committal about the weekend, and I wrote her off. Brother Peegee had been down the weekend before and I was so sure he wouldn't drive down the very next weekend. I. Was. Wrong.

There were many times that clues were accidentally dropped. And. In hindsight I don't know how I missed them. But. I did.

Brother Peegee donned a birthday crown on my head and I had a birthday sash to wear. The dinner was great, the waiters were fun, and then they brought out a huge 6 layer chocolate cake!

I felt so special, loved, celebrated! There was a parade in The Bay on Saturday - I loved it's local flair! We attended a great gospel mass at the local smaller church.

Oh. And. I won't go into details, but there was a autocorrect texting scare. Those involved will know what I'm talking about. Thank goodness - alls well that ended well on that one!

Mimi and Daughter stayed up late chatting Saturday night until some random dude knocked on the door and scared the bee-geepers out of evahbody. It was crazy. Mimi called 911 and the police came. Then it took a while for our legs to stop shaking and to settle down again. Whatanight.

Friday night and my second birthday cake. (The first one DIL made and we ate it Thanksgiving weekend.)

Sisters and Daughter waiting for the parade on Saturday.

Late lunch at the Blind Tiger on Saturday. 

Peyton and I share a birthday month. She and her family came over to play on Sunday.

Monday (my actual birthday) I had lunch with Mom at the White Cap.

On Tuesday my girlfriends treated me to a chauffeured ride to Patricia's house for a super special birthday lunch. Sparkling wine, chocolate strawberries, veggies and edemame hummus, three tiered chilled salad, homemade rolls and herb butter, and butternut squash stuffed homemade ravioli. 

Cake #3 - chocolate cabbage cake. 

Oh. My. Goodness. Am I 60? Doesn't feel different. Yet. I will say that I am going to own the senior discounts now. Save that 35 cents! I am feeling 60 and sassy! Might as well. It sure beats the alternative!

I just want to keep this love light glowing! I love my peeps! Thanks a million.
Be sweet!

The last day.

Is this the last day of giving thanks? I hope not. It is, however, the last day of November. It has been a good month. Less posting. More living. And giving thanks. Appreciating the joy of the present.

Bad storms are the story of the week around here. No damage, thank goodness. We welcomed the rain that came with the winds that blew through.

Last Sunday we began celebrating Advent. I am not in a rush to take out all the decorations. I did take out our advent wreath. Then I placed our nativity scene on the piano. But first I made up my mind to set about a change in myself. I'm trying to let go of negative thoughts and just be kind. I have already failed. But I have not given up. Change doesn't come without setbacks. I can do this. Because. I can do hard things. You see, love does win. 

Peace on earth. Good will toward all.

After glow.

Thanks have been given. We enjoyed an abundant feast and a mostly quiet day. 

With the onset of evening a happy chaos arrived. In numerical order our children, and their children appeared. Laughter was shared. Warm bodies found their nooks to sleep in. Breathing was premium. The next morning it was reported that our oldest granddaughter hums in her sleep! 

After a big breakfast on Friday we all made our way over to the local state park. Though it was damp and chilly, we stayed and played some of our calories off. Silly selfies were the order!

Miss Cecilia was a little out of sorts...but she sure enjoyed the wide world of outdoors!

After lunch our children and grandchildren kicked off my 60th birthday celebration! (Actual birthday not until next week.) DIL baked the yummiest almond/amaretto birthday cake. There were candles and sparklers on the cake - and a good loud singing of the 'happy birthday' song. I guess this was the first birthday party I have had since I was in elementary school. 

We went outside and played a long, fun game called sardine. We hid. We laughed some more. 

I was sorry Cc missed this photo op. 

Mr. Macho and Beach Boy raked a big pile of leaves and the kids had a blast playing in them. 

After dark a rousing game of spotlight was the ticket. We will repeat these games at future gatherings. 

Saturday. Bacon and pancakes for breakfast. Some of us took a walk in the woods, some went for a quick shopping trip, the rest of us just played outside for most of the morning. 

Leftovers for lunch and it was time to pack the cars for return trips.

Then it got quiet. Sheets and towels have been washed. A quick vacuum on some of the floor. Then we settled in to enjoy primo rivalry games. All in all I will say it was one of the best Thanksgivings we have had in a long time. 

We will continue to dine on the leftover for the rest of the weekend. We might rake some leaves tomorrow. The house feels empty. Our hearts feel full.

We are so thankful. 

Guess who came to breakfast?

When we finally rolled out of bed this morning I went in search of grits...thought I had some in the cabinet. Alas, no grits. Mr. Macho opened the kitchen blinds and it looked a sunny day. I settled on oatmeal and after taking the box out the cabinet I passed the window and looked - a fog was rolling in. I was amazed. I got Macho and we stepped out on the back porch and watched it. Talked about it. Then we went back inside. I got the oatmeal ready and was about to put it on the table...I glanced out the window once more. And? It was gone. The fog was gone. It was the strangest fog I have ever experienced. Period.

At breakfast I brought out the old video camera and we watched and listened to Macho's dad recount his childhood. It was from Christmas 2003.

And so begins our day of giving thanks. For the past. For the present. And for the hope of the future.
Thank you, Lord.
Amen.

Offspring.

Just now I went out to put a letter in the mail. I smelled rain. Then I saw some drops on the mailbox. Oh thank goodness. We've been in the "scary drought days" for months now. We need this rain.

This next bit is for my children. So if you aren't one just bear with me.

By some miracle of parenthood we won the offspring lottery. No earthly reason that our three have grown into the wonderful, strong beings they are today. We certainly were partial ingredients, but the credit has to be given to higher powers. It isn't because we were such great decision makers or that we knew just what we were doing all the time.

Our discipline probably dipped on the positive side of the meter. We protected, sometimes too much. We provided, hopefully what each one needed. It wasn't always equal. I hoped it was fair most of the time. We made so many mistakes. So many wrong turns. I think, for the most part, they have forgiven us? The thing we did right was we loved mightily.

We are so proud of each one of our three children. Each one is smart and strong. All three are funny. They love each other. And somehow they still love us.

I thank God for you my children.
Peace.

Natural light.

Early morning sunlight in the trees. Clear skies. Cold air. Leaves on the ground.

The promise of a full house at week's end.

Thankful for the abundance of my life.

Namaste.

Buzz.

The week of Thanksgiving has begun busy as a bee hive. It has started just as I suspect it will end. With a flourish of activity. 

Two batches of blonde brownies are cooked and wrapped. I am a member of the cookie patrol (it is as fun as it sounds) and we are delivering tomorrow to the men's recovery house here in town. 

My sweet potato casserole is put together except for the topping. That will be last minute add on. 

I am cleaning floors, fans, and tweaking my feng shui. Vacuuming, steam mopping, dusting...a table has been moved from living room to back bathroom in  hopes that my new table will arrive before Christmas?! 

Out-of-Town Son dropped in for a quick visit and a sandwich for lunch. He and his family will be back Thursday night. I love the unexpected drop ins. Always welcome. 

I needed to sit for a few minutes and that is why this is getting written. 

I am thankful that if finally feels like Thanksgiving. We went from shorts last week to heavy frost and freezing temps over the weekend. About time! 

Back to the grind stone.

Namaste. 

Skippidy do dah.

So I skipped a few days. I'm not sweating the small stuff.

It is a thankful-wonderful kind of day. I hope it just keeps on going until I fall asleep. The slow wake up was delicious. It didn't feel cold in the house. Weatherman said possible storms last night, but that didn't happen. I ate my usual cereal and cooked Mr. Macho bacon and eggs. It makes the house smell so good. The bacon. After breakfast we got our clothes on and drove to town with several "to do's" on our list.

First stop - the Holiday Farmer's Market. A variety of local vendors sold their wares. I was hoping to get an idea for a Christmas gift for a friend who is hard to buy for. Well bless my soul! The first booth I came upon was a renowned local artist with small acrylic paintings. Perfect for my friend. Done. And done.

We visited with many friends and the Christmas spirit shimmied her way into our hearts. Second purchase was a huge cream cheese pound cake. We ate a slice after lunch then I put most of that in the freezer. You just wouldn't believe how big this cake was.

At the suggestion of my friend, Margo, I made my way over to a crochet artist and purchased, for 75 cents apiece, three pot scrubbers. Margo says that are just the ticket for those dirty pot jobs.

Last purchase was a quart of local honey. Had the wind not picked up, or had I been wise enough to bring an insulated jacket instead of a windbreaker, we would have shopped longer. But the cold air hurried us back into the truck.

Second stop - pick up the cooked Boston butt we ordered last week. Our church men's group does this every year as a fund raiser. This was our main course for lunch. Once again, I froze the rest.

Third stop - to purchase new light fixture for the kitchen. One of our old ones had bought the farm. So we purchased a box of two. After lunch Mr. Macho installed them and voila! They have good light. And can you believe it? There is no light bulb?! I know. Crazy right? And. These are much more attractive than the florescent fixtures that were there. Happy? Yes, thank you.

We have filled the rest of the afternoon with picking up some wooden boxes from the estate, cleaning up around the garage and shop, putting plants inside due to impending freeze tonight.

Finally we are getting some cold air. Maybe that is adding to that Christmas feeling.

I have chopped some vegetables and beef and put it all in a pot for supper tonight. Soup. On a cold night.

It's the most wonderful time of the year. Thank goodness!
Be sweet.

The hump.

Do you ever doubt yourself? Some days I do. I don't know if it is the ghost of old hormones. Or static electricity. Or what. But some days there is this feeling of almost dread. Like if I take the wrong step it will wreak havoc. Maybe it is the book I'm reading. Maybe it is the fact that during lunch yesterday my girlfriend got bad news. I'm worried for her daughter. I didn't sleep so good last night. Maybe it is a combination.

For instance just this morning I typed an email. There wasn't anything negative in the email. Just a 'hello, howz it going...what do you think about blah, blah, blah' type email. I just doubted that I should send it for fear of how others would receive it. So. I deleted it. Better to be safe than put you acorns out there. Right? No? I don't know.

Anyway. Let me try to accentuate the positive. I exercised this morning. My back feels good. It is two years ago this week that I had surgery. I washed my car windshield this morning. I washed glasses and dusted my top shelf over my desk in the kitchen. Sometimes it is the small simple routine things that get me back in alignment.  And so it goes.

Bringing the butter beer fudge to bunko this morning. It is okay, but the pecan pie fudge last month wins. I have to try new things, though. Or where would the adventure be?! Right? Right!

Grateful for adventures. Large. And small.
Namaste.

Warp speed.

How did I get to Tuesday? Where did Monday go? This week is a fast track week!

Yet. I am filled with thanks that I have friends to share it with. Mr. Macho and I were both tired before we went to our dance class last night. Not to worry. Everyone else was in the same boat. Even our teacher - who taught at a workshop over the weekend - was on slo-mo last night.

I did get a pan of cornbread put together yesterday. Am hoping to finish my dressing this afternoon. After I lunch with my girls. This morning I am constructing butter beer fudge to take to my day time bunko tomorrow. I am getting my hairs cut, too.

And. I almost forgot...this is important...drum roll...WE. HAVE. RAIN!!!!! It is a soft, gentle rain, but the ground is wet. That counts. Thank you Lord!

Peace out.

Don't panic.

Thanksgiving is only a week and a half away. And. My cornbread dressing is not made, yet. But. My shopping list is. I hope to get it done this week. 

Sunday has been good. Church. Roast beef dinner. Oh, I love carrots cooked with roast beef. They are so good. That is what I am thankful for today. Carrots. 

Mr. Macho asked me to go to the movies. A date! We went and saw "Hacksaw Ridge". It was a WWII movie. It was pretty good. 

We are hunkered in for the evening now. I'm about to delve into a new book I started this afternoon. 

Busy week ahead. 

Be sweet. 

Quiet.

Dropped the grandchildren off at the half way point. Already...I miss their noise. There is a little empty space here in my heart. I fill the void with busy-ness. 

It feels like a Fireball kind of evening. I am thankful for mellow evenings. Like this one promises to be.

Namaste. 

Noise.

I am thankful for the noise of our three visiting grandchildren today. Yes. It is exhausting. But. It is a joy.

My heart is full.

Namaste.

Can you say "recycle"?

I do believe in recycling. We actively participate in recycling our reusable refuse. Mr. Macho carts it off every other week or so to the local drop off dumpster. And. I consider leftovers to be part of my conservation plan. Tonight I recycled a previously served meal. It is good for the environment of our marriage. And I am thankful for that.

That's it. Short and sweet.

Namaste. 

Out with the old. In with the new.

Not enough emphasis on how glad I am that we are past November 8. I may never admit for whom I voted. Secret ballot. Thank goodness. I don't want to defend my decision to anyone. Let us move on.

Strike one on my Christmas shopping. I was hoping to get some ideas for the grandkids today and set out for town. I visited both craft stores, but totally struck out. On a happy note I came home with some nice punkins for my fall decorations.

The old box is from father-in-law's shop. Mr. Macho said he thinks he built this when he was in high school. I scraped the dirt dobber's nests off and cleaned it up. I added the punkins, pine cones and leaves from my yard. And voila! 

I also cleaned another old wooden tray that I brought home from the estate. I cleaned a pantry shelf of old jars that I won't use any more...and now I have my potatoes nicely housed in my pantry. (Instead of on the kitchen floor!)

I am most thankful for this day. The motion of it feels forward. And. That is good.

Namaste. 

Give us this day our daily bread...

Election day. I won't even apologize for missing the past two days. We have slow forwarded to this day. This day. This day? Oh Lord, this day? It feels like a 9/11 event. CBS, ABC, NBC, Fox, CNN, MSNBC - all media have participated in creating a doomsday atmosphere. As if. As if the world will end with either candidate. Both majors parties are culpable. If we don't vote for their candidate, we will not recognize our beloved country in the years ahead, they say.

That may be. We are broken. We need change. Was it Glennon Doyle Melton that said 'we are all broken. But that is how the light gets in? Through the cracks.' (Something like that, anyway.)***

I will quote another of my favorite authors, Anne Voskamp, "Because eucharisteo is how Jesus, at the Last Supper, showed us to transfigure all things - take the pain that is given, give thanks for it, and transform it into joy that fulfills all emptiness." Perhaps this day, this moment is our eucharisteo. Our moment to take this painful process, give thanks for it, and work harder to transform our country/community into one that fills the emptiness of those around us.

Please dear God, do not forsake this nation. We need You. I thank you for this great nation that we live in. I thank you for our democracy. I pray for your transforming love to soften the heart of whichever candidate is elected. Lead them in your Way.
Amen.

***Leonard Cohen, actually. "Ring the bells that still can ring/ Forget your perfect offering/ there is a crack in everything/ that's how the light gets in." Thank you, Daughter, for this information. 

Sunny Saturday.

Lazy Day. Cecilia has come for a visit. She loved being outside. She made friends with our metal chicken, Beyonce. She kicked the ball around. She played in her grandaddy's shop. 

These curls!

She found a dip in the ground and sat in it. Then she laid her head down and stayed that way. The grass was cool. And damp. 

I am so thankful for time spent with this grandchild. She is so sweet. 

Be sweet. 

Missed that one.

What? How did I let yesterday slip by me? Oh well. I'm over it.

Last week I created a monster. I took muffins to the group of little old men at the YMCA that sit in the lobby and drink coffee. This week, both times I walked through the lobby, the men gave me a hard time about not bringing something. So. This morning I have a skillet of almond coffee cake baking to drop off on my way to church. They will love this one, too. It is one of my favorites.

I have also put together a potato casserole to take with me to our church senior First Friday Mass & Brunch. At present, I am the fearless leader of this group. I love them. It is an easy job. Everybody shows up and is responsible. They help set up and clean up without being asked. It's like having a wife.

Today I am thankful for these friends that I like to feed.
Namaste.

Hope

Day #2. There are clouds in the sky today. I think it has been 2 or 3 weeks since we had 5 minutes worth of rain. We haven't seen this many clouds in like forever.

Hope is a powerful thing. It can make you show up. It can keep you in the game. It can make you look forward to next time.

There's always hope.

I'm grateful that there are clouds today. I hope it rains soon.
Namaste.

Out of the frying pan, into the fire.

Just finished Daughter's #inktober challenge... 31 days of drawing pictures and posting on instagram....and now I'm jumping into my routine of 30 days of gratitude for November. A month of thanksgiving.

So, here goes.

Day 1.

I am so grateful to live in this United States of America. I feel safe. I am well fed. I am free to travel.

Thank you, God, for this wonderful land of yours.
Namaste.

Hello Pilgrim!

So the weekend started during my exercise at the YMCA with this view Friday morning...

The bird on the left was deceased. Probably a kamikaze scenario. You can see there is a circle of moisture surroundingtwo birds. The bird on the right flew in and landed slightly out side the circle. Slowly, and with much song, he made his way toward the dead bird until he was just this close. It took him 30 minutes to eulogize his fellow flyer. He sat shiva for the full 30 minutes. I wondered what was their relationship. Then he was gone. 

On Saturday Mr. Macho and I went on a Pilgrimage. We drove through foothills with winding roads. The ride was therapeutic and the fall colors were only slightly held at bay by the recent drought. I found myself relaxing and absorbing the autumn dress on the trees. I commented to Macho that, at a certain stretch of the road as we drew closer to our destination, I kept smelling something like bread baking. He didn't smell it.  We drove to no-wheresville (Hanceville, AL). And after all the winding rural roads our ride ended at the Shrine of The Most Blessed Sacrament. You have to see it to believe that it landed in the Middle of Nowhere, Alabama. We arrived just in time for Mass. Old school. In the lower chapel. After which we toured the main sanctuary, where I followed a pilgrimage protocol for our Year of Mercy. Check. Pilgrimage complete. 

In the gift shop I purchased the new Bible that I have been needing. 

I lit candles at the underground creche grotto for our parents. 

After a very decent Italian lunch at Carlton's, we drove to the Ava Maria Grotto. It is cheesy, but worth stopping for a look around. The above photo was taken at the Grotto. A monk built miniatures of many landmarks and shrines back in the early to mid 1900s. Price of admission $5. 

This snap was taken at the replica of the Basilica in Fatima, Portugal. Look close. It says, "Oct.-Dec. 1956". December 1956?! What a great month and year! So I had to 'capture' that for myownself. 

We drove a different route on the way home and landed at Daughter's house for a quick visit and some fried chicken! All her kiddos seem to be doing great. 

***

This morning I awoke feeling all "Pilgrim-esque". I hope this shiny feeling lasts. 

Also this morning we learned that one of our parishioners died during the night. I think I have blogged about him before. He was a heart transplant recipient over 19 years ago. He far outlived expectations. And he was a faithful communicant of our church, going to daily mass, frequently, and Sunday mass until just a few weeks ago. 

May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Amen

New to me.

Well let me just tell you. I am all about new stuff this week. Here it is - wait for it - spaghetti squash! Who knew?! We are going to eat it for supper. I had to taste a bite after baking it...you know, just to be the guinea pig. And. It is delish! I have earned my brave points for the week. We will have to wait and see what Mr. Macho's reaction is. He isn't the daring kind. It's iffy whether he goes for it.

Also. I have a confession. My sweet neighbor keeps buying me a pumpkin spice pancake mix...I had two bags in my freezer from last year and what happens? She pops in this week with another! She buys them when she takes a trip to the mountains. It is very sweet of her. We just don't eat that many pancakes. And. Macho likes the plain kind. No fru-fru.

I am happy to report that I have found a use for the pumpkin spice pancake mix. You see. There is also a recipe for muffins on the bag. So. I added shredded carrots and walnuts and cooked muffins. I will top them with some cream cheese frosting and pass them off to the old-fart coffee club that sits in the lobby of the YMCA in the mornings. They will eat them up! Win. Win. You see? All's well that ends well. I will call it 'paying it forward'. Besides. I took a bite of these, also. And. They really are good. Who knew!? (My new phrase of the day is, "Who knew!?") I have always thanked my neighbor profusely for the pancake mix. And. From now on I will be even more thankful for it. Her act of kindness is very appreciated.

And so ends another adventure filled day. All happiness and smiles here.

Namaste.

Yada yada yada...

So it's been a good week so far. Our little Parish Picnic is in the history books. Had a regular lunch with my girl buddies yesterday. Played bunko with more friends today! Tried a new recipe and it was well received. Pecan Pie fudge. Yum-o!

No luck at the bunko, though. I am like the cartoon kid with the black cloud following me around. If I didn't have bad luck, I would have no luck at all.

I am a little jelly that 3 of my sisters are doing a fun road trip this weekend. They are going to our Texas sister's house. I know there will be lots of laughs, good drinks, and primo adventures. Heck there might even be some crafty things made this weekend. Texas sister is into crafts. She is good at it.

I was invited to go, but I'm hoping Mr. Macho and I find some adventure of our own. I am kinda hoping for a day trip somewhere. Anywhere. I'll let you know.

***

I have a piece of marble. Here is the history of it: The marble was in the post office in Laurel, MS. My Uncle Jimmy Bass got wind that it was being discarded in 1961 when a local bank bought and renovated the old P.O. He asked my parents it they would like a piece of the marble and they said yes. So Dad took two corbels off an old piano and mounted them on the wall of their living room. The marble sat right atop the corbels. There was a large mirror over the marble shelf. A frilly white vase sat on the shelf, as did a small bowl. When my Dad would come home he would drop his keys in the bowl.  I'm not sure what the bowl material was, but the sound of the keys hitting the bowl on the marble shelf resounded in the house. It was a particular sound.

Hurricane Katrina destroyed my parents' house and one of my siblings found the marble intact. A few years ago Mom asked me if I wanted the marble piece and I said I did. Until now it has collected cobwebs in my carport.

Yesterday Mr. Macho and I met with a local furniture designer. He is designing a steel table that will frame the marble. I put this on my to-do list this year. In January, I think. Well color me happy that it is going to get done before year-end!

***
Tonight we dine on baked chicken and salad. I am trying to make meals a little less caloric. Fewer carbs. Fresh veggies. Smaller portions. It is my plan. I didn't say it was working yet. I plan to do this.

Gotta go wash my tomatoes.
Namaste.

AWOL.

I know I have been absent as of late. It's been a busy month.

Estate sale is done. The old house is cleaned out. Not so the shop. Mr. Macho isn't finding the time to take off and haul off. It will get done.

Had a really good visit with my coast peeps last weekend. So glad I got to see everybody. Had lunch with Mom, Brother Pete, and his wife and middle child on Friday. Took in a Bearcat football game Friday night. More visit with Beach Boy and his family, and Mom on Saturday. After church with Beach Boy & fam we had a lovely leisurely dinner with my sibs, Mom, sis-in-law, niece and finance. Got to hear the engagement story. Ah love!

Anyway. The weeks are flying by. Lots of stuff going on...garden club, soup kitchen, bunko, keeping up with Instagram challenge, reading, family...just finished reading "The Same Different As Me". I recommend it. The movie will be out in February. Several good movies coming out that I want to see, "The Interpreter"(?) looks good. What good books and/or movies can you recommend?

We finally have cool temps outside, but not enough rain to cancel the fire ban warning.

Church picnic this weekend. Don't want to think about holidays, yet. But. I am already planning The Big Birthday Bash. Oh this is gonna be great!

Peace my brothers.
And sisters.

Life in the fast lane.

 A quick little recap of the last two weeks....Daughter and offspring came to spend the Labor Day Sunday night with us.  On Monday we went to her grandaddy's house for a look round. 

Merritt modeled several items for us. These glasses are famous in our family. A long line of wise guys. 

This hat was made famous by Grandaddy Bob. Prolly everybody has tried it on at one time or another.

I think this hat was a decoration. No problem. It looked super cute on the Super Carrot. 

Fast forward to Thursday and I drove to the Coast. I covered lots of bases while there. 

Friday morning I made it to Millie's preschool for Grandparents' Day. She was under the weather and on Saturday her birthday party was cancelled. She is recovered now. It was a viral thing that had to run its course. 

I got by the old property. I found this lovely little Indian paintbrush flower. And. I picked it and took it to Mom. I got to visit with her every day - and a good long time on Sunday. Tomorrow is her 96th birthday! 

This was taken out my car window at the end of Hewes Avenue. It was so gorgeous out over the water. Loved the puffy clouds. 

Friday afternoon 4 of us sat around and picked boiled crabs. I hadn't done that in years. 

I stayed with Sister Mimi while I was down. She is recovering nicely from a knee surgery. She had Brother Pete and Sister Marsha over for gumbo on Friday night. It was so yummy. 

I got home Monday. Mr. Macho left on Tuesday. He will be home tomorrow afternoon. I am leaving first thing in the morning for a girl trip to Florida. 

A new adventure! 

Will tell you about it when I get back.

Namaste sweetie. 

Getting busy.

Who you gonna call?

Mr. Macho had to get busy spraying for the invasion of army worms. They were everywhere. Destructive little boogers. We think round one goes to us. We haven't seen a live worm in days. 

The real busy season is about to open. September will bring welcome activity. August has been a reading month for me. I have read 4 or 5 books. But in doing so, I have been stagnant. Tomorrow, with the new month, I will start back with my Bible study and Garden Club. Friday is Mass and brunch with the church seniors.

Next week I head to the coast to visit Mom ahead of her 96th birthday. And. I plan to attend grandparent's day at Millie's preschool. We will celebrate Millie's #3 birthday while I am there, too. Plus I get to visit Sister Mimi, post-op. Hope I can cheer her up and make her feel better. The knee. She is having the surgery on the knee.

As soon as I get home from the aforementioned trip, I will turn it around and head to Florida with my girls. Yep. Girl trip! Not looking forward to the long ride, but know we will have some fun together.

Last weekend Mr. Macho and I were able to help out at his Dad's place. The sisters-in-law are preparing it for the upcoming estate sale. We have decided on a date in October. Several items have already left the premises through natural selection. A few other things have been sold.

Yikes! We found this creepy monkey while cleaning out a closet last weekend. He has taken a trip to the local landfill. And all were much relieved. This is the kind of thing nightmares are made of. 

***

A break in temperatures is predicted for the weekend. It is most welcome. Hot again next week. But for two nights it might actually dip into the '60's. Yes.

Labor Day weekend will bring unexpected adventures, I'm sure.
Hope your labors are few and your hearts are light this weekend.

"Do small things with great love." - Mother Teresa

The best by far...

In the month since father-in-law died we have received many lovely sympathy cards. Then last week this one arrived...

Her Mom explained that this was totally Merritt's out of the blue idea.  Merritt wanted to make Grandaddy a card because Grandaddy Bob died.  I understood it immediately. 

Do you? (Three are standing: Nanny, Merritt, and Grandaddy. One is laying in the ground: Grandaddy Bob.)  

How much sweeter can it be? 

Out-of-Town Son and family were up this weekend. He and Mr. Macho went through Grandaddy Bob's workshop and found some tools that Son wanted. Not many. He also selected some for his brother, Beach Boy. 

On Sunday we delivered a few furniture items to Daughter. 

I am happy to have inherited a potting table...

I see it out my kitchen window. 

I think of my mother-in-law and father-in-law when I look at it.

The cabinet top will have to be replace since it is worn out and disintegrating. 

It is a happy place. 

***

Got to run get this day started. We plan to meet a sister-in-law and niece for supper tonight in Starkvegas. 

Other items on the agenda this week: 

1. battling the biblical invasion of army worms 

and 

2. tropics watching. 

Be safe. 

Be sweet. 

The ties that bind.

 Last week wasn't great. No need to elaborate. It was just funky. Slow and a little blue.

Watching father-in-law's house being disassembled is just sad. I didn't realize it would feel like this. My own parents lost so much in The Storm that, when the time comes, there aren't that many material things to handle. And, I know - it is only things.  I am working through the emotions. 

Sisters-in-law are doing all the work. They have cleaned and sacked and already gotten rid of much stuff. They have been real trojans taking it all on themselves to get the work done. 

The week ended well, though. 

Saturday an extended family reunion was attended by all these first cousins. Mr. Macho and his sisters really seemed to enjoy reconnecting with family. Aunt Thelma (seated on the right) is their last aunt on either side. Her husband of a few years is seated next to her. With the suspenders. 

Saturday night we celebrated our anniversary. We ate at one of my favorite restaurants downtown. Macho even relaxed and enjoyed his meal. It seemed like everyone that walked into the restaurant waved at him like they knew him. Until finally someone that we did know came in. It was funny. Macho even found the prices not as bad as he expected. (That is a plus for him.) 

Afterward we visited with Sister Paulette at her home. It was a most pleasant evening. 

Sunday afternoon we headed to town to spend the gift cards I gave Mr. Macho for his anniversary gift. The closer we got to town the more ominous it looked. We made it to the store before the storm broke. It didn't last long, but it was oh so loud on the metal roof of the store.  Macho found a MS State shirt that he liked. I found something, too, and felt guilty spending some of the gift on myself. Macho insisted, and so I came home with a nice pink windbreaker. Both happy. 

39 years. Mom said this morning she doesn't know how she let me get married so young. We really look it in this picture. Many miles since then. 

And the trip just keeps getting better. 

Peace. And love.

Be sweet. 

Tucker's weekend.

We are having a quiet little end to a fun weekend. 

I drove over and picked up Tucker on Friday morning. That was after I had attended a mass where I learned that a long time acquaintance had died the day before. He was younger than me and I was pretty shocked for most of the day. Still can't quite get my mind around it.

Anyway. Tucker and I made a Sam's run and then headed back home. We stopped at the Jack's burger on our way home to grab a bite for lunch. Then we stopped at the Country Mart for some night crawlers. (Those are fishing worms.)

I had planned to swim but

I hadn't realized that our lifeguard was not on duty Friday afternoon so...

 Tucker spent time doing calisthenics in front of the teevee. We played 'Naughts and Crosses', Battleship, Zip It, and Tucker did work in a workbook we had purchased at Sam's. (Before the weekend was over Tucker had me figured out and finally beat me at Battleship. Way to go Tucker!) For supper we dined on meatball sandwiches and cole slaw. I think we even watched some of Jaws that night. Tucker had to text his Dad when he realized that Jaws was on teevee. Apparently, he has seen it before. I was deep into a book and read most of the evening. 

After a breakfast of cereal, fruit, and honey buns we headed over to the lake for some fishing. I spotted these lovely morning glories near the lake. 

We tried to fish from the bank in several spots. Macho and Tucker went up and down the bank to no avail. 

Then we decided to head to the dock to try our luck. 

Tucker actually hooked one, we think a catfish. It bent his pole good before it got off his line. Mr. Macho hooked a big one and just as he got the fish to the surface his line broke. We had old fishing line that had been sitting for years and years. We should have known better. There was a nice breeze that kept us from being too, too hot. We watched some kind of hawk dive over and over again into the water trying to catch fish for himself. 

We did get all our ducks in a row! (These are actually geese.) It was funny watching the parade. We had ducks swim by us checking us out a couple of times during our fishing excursion.

Finally we gave up on catching any fish and donated our remaining worms to a young couple that had just arrived on the dock. They happily accepted our gift. 

A lunch of leftovers and a siesta later and we made our way to the YMCA pool for a refreshing swim. It was uber hot by then and the water felt great. We remembered our sun screen and nobody got burnt. After an hour and a half it started thundering and the life guard required all to exit the pool. So. We went home, took showers, and went bowling. 

That was fun. 

Tucker was a little discouraged with his score, but I think he had some fun. I did. Bowling is a blast. Then he and I rode 3 minutes on the bumper cars. I can check that off my bucket list. It was sorta fun. Tucker couldn't figure out the controls. I figured I had no control and just went with it. 

Next stop - Mi Hacienda! For a Mexican feast. I had the #28. Tucker had the #22. Macho had #37. And then we came home to watch The Fifth Wave. Tucker looked over and asked, "Nanny, why are your closing your eyes?" I was falling asleep. It had been such a busy day, I was worn slam out.

Today we dropped Tucker back home after church and a good lunch. All in all I had a fun time. I hope Tucker will look back and feel like he had some fun with us. 

I think I want to go bowling again. And you know I love fishing. 

Ready for the next adventure. 

Bring it on.

Be sweet.