More Pictures
I put more pictures on Flickr today. You may like to check them out. I've put a couple pictures of my husband there, some of our pets, and some of the snow scenes here at our house in winters past.
Outdoor Work
I had to take some letters to the post office to mail today. I decided that the walk would do me some good, so I put on my old winter coat and my warm synthetic furry hat and walked to mail my stuff. Two of the letters were actually bill payments. The other was a medicare supplement bulk mail piece that was delivered here but was meant for someone on Pleasant Street. It had stuck to my identical mail and ended up in my mail box.
I was thinking that when I got back, I would do a little more yard work, getting the downed branches burned. It shouldn't take long.
However, though a lot more branches have come down in my yard and my neighbor's yard in the last wind storm, it is much too wet to try to burn today. I did bring in more of the flower pots that I had neglected to bring in, and I picked up some trash that had been thrown around, but no serious yard work today. The cold that Kim promised us has arrived. It was spitting snow pellets which promptly turned to cold wetness. Not a good day for yard work, but it was an OK day for a nice little walk.
Ha the Warranty Has Expired?
One of my next tasks in purging the files which no longer have significance is to go through a huge bundle of warranties. Some of these papers go many years back and I have to determine which are no longer valid and get rid of them. Some of them are manuals for how to operate the "thing" and I have to determine which "things" we still have. But some things, after you use them and get to know them, you don't need the manuals. Some are easy to dispose of but what about the Cordless Drill Kit with Keyless Chuck or the Craftsman Cordless Screwdriver? Do I need these manuals? Are those tools in the "shop" in the garage? And what about the Magic Stat thermostat information? There are two separate sets of information with that name, both with the same installation date of January '91. I'll have to try to determine if they both are needed.
And, that's just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. I have a lot of pondering to do!
My Reading
The message board I read about reading books contains lots of references to Mount To-Be-Read, or my TBR pile. Readers all have them and I'm no exception.
I have books I'm trying to get to, but first, I've had to read some of the papers and magazines that have been accumulating around here. I was away for three days, so I had six newspapers to go through when I came home, --but first, of course, I had to do important things like shoveling the driveway.
This afternoon I did take time to go through the newspapers and I'm up to date now, waiting for the afternoon newspaper.
But there are still Christmas catalogs and a couple of magazines that I ought to check out before I dispose of them.
And on top of that, I'm reading through my old journals and sometimes I'd rather read them than the newspapers. But I can't live in the past. I have to make some effort to know what's going on today.
It's a good thing that I like to read. I certainly have plenty to keep myself busy.
November?
Today feels like April, except that it doesn't carry any hint of promise of new life just ahead. It's dull and drab as November often is, but it's pouring rain and it's not very cold at all. I've been to the doctor for a check up on my presumed spider bite and I'm doing OK. I was so surprised to find out that the emergency room doctor had taken a culture and sent it away for analysis. She hadn't told me that she did that. They don't have the results yet. I wonder if the findings will clear up the mystery or if this episode will go into the cold case files.
There Was a Day When
There was a day when I was completely sure of what I said and did. I mean, I knew for sure what I'd done and said. If I neglected my page-a-day diary, I could catch it up to date a month at a time, remembering what I'd done each day.
When I watched Mission Impossible and found that many of their schemes worked because they made the villain think he'd "remembered it wrong" and the villain became confused and thought he was losing his mind, I thought that was absurd because I was so sure I would know someone was messing with my mind. I knew what I'd done and what was going on around me.
But that day is gone. Mission Impossible could confuse me big time nowadays. Just this morning I took the kitchen broom upstairs to sweep up a bit. When I was ready to do a bit more sweeping, I couldn't find the broom any where! I was starting to think that I hadn't really taken it upstairs after all. I couldn't even remember for sure if I'd swept at all upstairs, though I thought I had. I was feeling confused, and then I saw the broom behind the bedroom door. It all fell into place again smoothly. I knew I had taken the broom upstairs, I had swept a bit and now needed to complete the job. The confusion was over and my brain is young again. Well, at least for now.
Today's Agenda
My priority for today is taking care of my thumb. It's no worse this morning and I think it's a bit better. The redness and swelling are down a little. So I'll keep doing the soaks and the antibiotic and I'll make arrangements to get to my doctor as needed.
Today is the opening of deer season in PA. It's not my favorite time, but we get through it every year. I don't like to be anywhere near woods at this time of the year.
The weather is mild again today. We have lots of snow piled up but already the green grass is showing through in places. The little birds are back at the feeder. There's been a big spill of seeds under the feeder. I suppose a squirrel did that. The birds seem to prefer to eat from the feeder but some take the seeds from the ground.
Things are looking better this morning.
What a Revolting Development This Is!
With absolutely no awareness of what I've done to harm my thumb, I've developed an awful sore on my left thumb. It started as a tiny itch and from Friday afternoon it has grown to a dreadful sore about an inch long in the creases of my lower knuckle. This morning I went to the Emergency Room instead of to church. I won't go into gory details but I am now taking an antibiotic and I'm using warm soaks on it every few hours. If it isn't much better in the morning, I'll be going to the doctor who treated my knotted muscles.
Personally, from what I've heard about such things, I think I've had spider bite. I hear that some of them have venom that takes a while to get over. It has certainly changed my plans for today, and for tomorrow, too!
Calm Morning
We've had no more snow since I got home yesterday at noon. That means I don't have to shovel the driveway to get out this morning. Of course, I only shoveled a slot that was big enough for my little Echo to fit in and that took long enough. I'm thankful for this calm morning.
Water Dish Casualty
After I unloaded the car, I filled the dog's big water dish for they were very thirsty. Just before I lifted it up to put it on the floor for them, I discovered a crack in the side of the dish. The water was running right out of the dish. I don't know how it got cracked on the trip home, but perhaps it was from the cold. Maybe it got bumped and being very cold made it crack. It's a guess. I got out another big plastic bowl but it's not as big as the one we've used for years. But! It holds water!
At Home in the Snow Belt
I'm home safely again. We did indeed get at least a foot and a half of snow while I was gone. The trip was harder, in a way, coming home than going. At Butler, the roads were wet. At Franklin the roads were slushy. At Titusville the roads were snow covered and the worst roads of all were right in Corry itself.
I have learned that it is easier to shovel out of the driveway than to shovel into the driveway. For one thing, if the car is parked in the driveway, I don't have to shovel the place under it.
When I got home, I saw that the snow was really deep in the driveway but I decided to give it a try and see if I could muscle my way into it. Of course I couldn't. I got stuck, but people could get past behind me. So I decided to let the car sit there and take the dogs into the house, turn the heat up again, get the shovel and dig myself into the driveway.
While I got the dogs out of the car, my pastor neighbor who lives catty-corner across the intersection from me, came to help me get the car unstuck. Then one of the boys I taught in first grade more than 12 years ago stopped to help. I said I would get the dogs settled in the house and come back out. I said I trusted them to drive the car out of the stuck position if they could. When I got back to the driveway, the car was parked in the school parking lot and Pastor was bringing me my keys and my purse. I put those in the house, with many thanks, I hope.
Then I started to dig my way into the driveway. It took about an hour and a half. I wanted to finish because I suspected that after I got indoors, I wouldn't want to go back out to shovel again.
Now I've had lunch, had a hot bath and rested for a few minutes. Now I'm ready to get to work again, but not shoveling quite yet. I still have to do the back door neighbor path. Maybe I'll do it before nightfall.
I was so in hopes that some miracle would have happened and I wouldn't have to shovel the driveway, but now I'm thankful that I had the energy to get the job done on my own.
Shopping
My daughter-in-law and Sarah and I went shopping late this morning. Where we went it wasn't crowded as many stores are on this bigtime shopping day. We went to a book store, a fabric store, a dollar store, and a grocery store. We did have to stand in line for a long time at the fabric store because a woman purchased Christmas lights at another of the the chain stores earlier in the day and wanted to exchange them for clear lights instead of a color. Because the item had been discounted at 20% at the other store, that made a problem for the cashier to unravel. I think it took three people to sort it out and while they did that our line grew longer and longer. There was only one other checkout station, and they could have used three or four of them during the time we were there.
It's very cold in the Pittsburgh area today. We didn't want to be outdoors very long. The temperature was well below freezing. We were glad to get home again.
I know, you may be thinking, Christmas lights at a fabric store? Yes, Christmas lights. Stores often carry much more than the product they are most known for. In the book store there was lots of interesting things to look at, --many stuffed animals among other things. There were life sized dogs, soft and cuddly, and a giant sea turtle pillow which caught my attention. Another thing that attracted me was the Shea Butter, which was a hand cream/body lotion. There were a number of scents to choose from and there were some already open with a "Try Me" note. I tried the cranberry-mandarin orange and it was delightful. As we drove home, that scent lingered on my hands. I didn't buy any but I almost wish I had. It really is a nice aroma.
Feeding the Animals
Sarah and I were talking this morning about feeding animals, while we were feeding the dogs their breakfast. I told her that to me it seems odd that someone would not give Rusty enough to eat because most people really like to see animals eat. When we go to the zoo, we like to go at a time when the zoo attendants will be feeding the animals because it's more fun to watch them eating than sleeping in a corner in their cage.
It reminded me of the time we went to the Washington, D. C. zoo. One of the attendants had dropped a stalk of bamboo when they were feeding the animals. I am always interested in plants like that and I picked up the bamboo and carried it with me. Everywhere we went, the animals came to the front of their pens and were happy to see us. It was fun to get such a good look at them but we didn't know what made them so friendly until somehow we put it together that they weren't actually happy to see us, --it was the bamboo stalk. They associated it with the zoo attendants having it with them at feeding time and they expected us to be feeding them.
We humans miss so much of what is around us that we don't realize how much animals notice any little thing that is different, as well as what is routine. If you have access to a stalk of bamboo, you might try to carry it with you the next time you visit the zoo. It worked for us!
Making Dinner
When it's time to make dinner, do you ever find yourself thinking, "What should I make for dinner today?"
I'm remembering my mom making dinner. Even on the days when she said, "What should I fix for dinner?" she sorted it out quickly and bustled around, from refrigerator to sink to stove, and in bringing things out of the cupboards. Soon the kitchen was filled with food simmering or frying and with wonderful aromas. I think of crispy, tasty food, of cozy warmth, family conversation, love. If Mom didn't do it effortlessly, she made it look that way. She was fast, efficient, tidy and those meals were first rate. I get flustered when I have a lot of people to cook for. I think my mom never was flustered about preparing dinners. I think she must have been a born cook.
Holiday Blessing
Today is the Christian's special holiday. Of course anyone can be thankful but a Christian is thankful every day of the year so it's nice to set apart a special day to express our thanks even more. Many Christians start each day with thoughts of thankfulness, mentally listing ten things for which they give thanks. Others keep a little booklet in which they list daily blessings.
I'm thankful to be with family and that God is in control of my life. And there are many, many more things for which I give thanks.
I like listening to Garrison Keilor's Thanksgiving program because he has his audience list their thankfulness and then musicians set those words to music. Some of the pharases are funny but most of them are heartfelt.
One thankful phrase from long ago that stays in my mind is, "I'm thankful that my name isn't Bertha." No offense to any Bertha that may be reading this. Bertha could be sining, "I'm thankful that my name's not Nancy." Each of us have name preference and usually, in the end if not before, we come to the conclusion that we are thankful for our name. It becomes special because it's our identity.
Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks to the Holy One!
Couch Cushions
When I discarded our old couch a month or so ago, I kept the two seat cushions, so that the dogs could use them as beds. Even though I put them down on the floor, neither of the dogs slept on them much. When Dan visited me, he discovered that Rusty thought he wasn't allowed on them. After all, he hadn't been allowed on the couch.
Somehow, he convinced Rusty that he was allowed on the cushion and he's been enjoying the softness of it since then, but Desy was still somewhat reluctant to do so. Now we're visiting family and the younger of the resident dogs immediately recognized the couch cushion which I brought along for what it is now, a dog bed. Now that Desy has seen Tyme lying on the cushion, she's become more bold about sleeping on it, too.
Tyme is much smaller than either Desy or Rusty and she fits on the cushion with room to spare. Rusty has to curl up to fit on the cushion and even then, his head hangs over the edge a little. But he seems comfortable. And, I'd really like to protect my pets from getting arthritis from sleeping on a cold floor.
Safe Arrival
I took my time and didn't push it at all. The roads were slushy in my area and snow everywhere but I soon drove out of it. However, that wasn't before there ws on unnerving incident. An oncoming truck sprayed my windshield completely and it was hard to see. I got the windshield wipers on but they were frozen down and had to struggle to engage. I had no idea that they were frozen. I had cleaned the windshield completely. It was the only bad incident that I had.
As I traveled, I listened to the radio. At one point there was some "special person" giving highway safety tips because of all the extra travel that people will be doing over Thanksgiving. I was amazed to hear her tips: Wear your seat belt and drive safely!!! I was expecting much more than that, like a whole string of good advice, not two fundamentals that even people who don't drive know. I wonder if she was being paid for her advice.
I was wearing my seat belt and I did drive safely, so I guess I took her advice.
Travel
I'm getting the car loaded to head to the PGH area for Thanksgiving. I'll blog from there this evening. We have snow here in Corry but I hear that it's not snowing in PGH. That sounds good!
Blog Birthday
I started writing my blog two years ago at Thanksgiving. I started writing it the first day I heard about a blog. It was a whole new concept to me, but I took to it like it was invented expecially for me. I do enjoy writing my blog. I want to thank my son for setting me up with it. What fun it's been for me!
More Pictures
This evening I added more pictures to my Flickr display. I went through my box of pictures and scanned in some of my favorites from years gone by. Some of them are snow scenes. We have started getting snow this evening and looking at snow scenes seems appropriate.
More Progress
I've had more help in getting some of the heavy work done here. My son and his family from Baltimore area were here from 11 this morning till just a little while ago. We got another file cabinet emptied out and on its way to another home. We got more of the summer tools put away and the driveway cleared out. It feels good to be making progress, and I'm doing it slowly so that it isn't overwhelming.
Sorting Through Papers
I feel like I have papers everywhere! That includes books, newspapers and magazines. I'm in the middle of reading many things. It's a teacher characteristic to read a lot and to keep a lot. We have too many papers. We love articles and we know we'll be able to use them in a teaching project some day. I don't like to discard newspapers till I'm sure I've read them. But they will take over if they aren't discarded, so I spent some time this afternoon reading through newspapers and getting them stacked for recycling.
And now, in addition to the reading material I've already mentioned, I have my husbands old letters to go through. In addition to letters from Linda, there are letters from his dad and from some of his close pals from high school days. His friend, Jim, went into the military out of high school and they kept in touch for some time. I have it in my mind that Jim died a good many years ago but I don't know how or why he died. But how can I throw those letters away? I need to devise a way to keep them safely for posterity. I can't do as he did and put a rubber band around them and drop them into a drum. He did that before plastic protective sheets were so easy to obtain. Today, he would have put them into plastic sleeves, and I probably will do that as I get them sorted out.
But for now, it's a really big task!
College Expenses, 1954
Among other letters that we found in the garage that I'm still going through, there is a set of four letters from the office of the registrar of Nyack College. First was the reply to his request for an application to attend college in the fall. That was February.
The next letter was dated May 12 and notified him that he had been accepted to be a student at the college in the fall. It said that a fee of $5 was due from the applicant when they received word that they had been accepted. "We shall be glad to receive this at your convenience," the letter said.
The third letter was dated May 17 and explained, in response to his letter of concern, dated May 10, that he hadn't heard from them, that his transcript from high school hadn't included his rank in his class.
The last letter, dated August 7, was in reference to his question regarding the cost of books. This came from the Dean of Men and said, "I can say this: Twenty dollars would be sufficient to buy your books and supplies for the first semester."
I have two grandsons who will be entering college this fall. I'm thinking they would be really happy to have expenses like this!!
It Isn't Love!
There is a conversation between Richard Jury and Vernon Rice in Martha Grimes' book, The Grave Maurice, which talks about love in terms of how you know whether you're in love or not. Vernon says:
"I know I wasn't in love because when she went away I didn't miss her. Because I could stand having her out of my sight; because I didn't want to touch her every time I saw her; because I didn't have the urge to buy her flowers every time I passed a flower stall; because I didn't look for her around every corner; because she wasn't in my head every time I looked up from a market report; because she didn't make me feel stoned--and didn't make me feel glad I wasn't; she didn't fire up my imagination; she didn't make me forget the gloom of the past, as the song goes. Because she didn't make me almost wish she'd disappear so I could find her."
That's a lot to think about!
How Come?
How come I can look at my evening about 7 PM and think that I'll get to bed sort of early tonight and then before I know it, it's after 10, and it takes me another hour to get settled in bed and turn the lights out?
I was sure tonight would be an early night. I didn't even turn the TV on tonight. But I got started to work on the Columbus newsletter, made one phone call and talked to two people about their news, and then got it typed up. Today I completed two full pages and got another one more than half done, and I have ideas for further pages. But now it's 10:30, my time, and I haven't headed for bed yet.
I was thinking that anything I got done for the newsletter tonight would make the coming days easier for me because I should have the newsletter completed, ideally, before Thanksgiving. I think it won't be done till afterwards because some people won't have their articles or news to me before then. Still, I'm pleased with my accomplishments this evening even though I'm not having as early a bedtime as I thought I would.
I'll Take It
I don't understand why a day can be filled with emotion that is hard to understand or live with and another day can be filled with calm and contentment. Today has been a good day. I feel that calm contentment today. I'm not sure what made it that way, but I'll take it! I hope tomorrow will be emotionally pleasant, too.
Personal Letters
While my son and I were working in the garage on Friday, he found a packet of letters that had been stored in an old oil drum. Unfortunately, the drum didn't keep the dampness out and everything in the drum was musty, really overpowering musty.
The packet of letters was from his girlfriend before me and were mostly from the summer of 1953. There were a couple of pictures of her, too. I've only read two of the letters, so far. They are so musty that it bothers me to smell them as I read. But I'm finding that I really like this Linda. She really loved him and kept urging him to come back to Canada for a short visit. They met at Canadian Keswick and she lived in Meaford, Ontario. She wanted him to come to the CNE, in Toronto and they could be together again. This was the summer before we would be seniors in high school. It was also the summer that Marlin began to come to our youth group at church. I don't know how old Linda was, but perhaps our age or a little younger. Marlin never told me much about her.
How much she wanted to see him again but I'm wondering if that never happened. When he asked me out the first time, sometime in the late fall of 1953, he told me upfront that there could never be anything more than friendship, because he already had a girlfriend, in Canada. We would just go places together, have an occasional night out.
We went out more often then, talked on the phone a lot, and then one night he wanted to kiss me. I asked, "What about Linda?" He said, "Let me deal with that." Some time later he told me that Linda was no longer his girlfriend, and after that, he didn't talk very much about her. I'm really surprised to find these letters that he kept but I'm glad he did. He hadn't even looked at them since '74 when we moved to town, so I know he wasn't still in love with Linda, but I'm pleased that there was a special spark in his heart keeping alive his memory and appreciation of his former love. She should be special.
I wonder what became of Linda. I wonder if she's still alive and if she'd like to know about Marlin. I would love to meet her.
I have several more letters to read. I wish they didn't stink so of mold and mildew. I wish I could find a way to freshen them and keep them for posterity.
My Artist Friend, Evelyn
Evelyn was one of my older friends. When I first met her, she gave me a lot of encouragement and advice in my art endeavors.
After I had known her for several years, she told me this story:
Her father was a painter and she had been very interested in being an artist, too. Her father liked her first painting and encouraged her to do more. He said that she had real potential. She took him her second painting. He said that it wasn't quite as good as the first one but still it showed promse. The next time she went to see him, she found him using her second painting as a palette! She didn't paint again for years after that and then she never did much painting because her dad's action had broken her spirit.
This is not only a sad story, it's a little frightening because it shows how easy it is for us to to do some thoughtless thing that will really discourage our family members or friends. On the other hand, how much thought would it take to know that using your daughter's painting as a palette would be a serious put down for her?
Intelligence in Dogs
I heard Stanley Coren, author of the book, Intelligence in Dogs, in an interview with Peter Gzowski in 1994 and this statement he made really tickled me:
"When people first heard that the poodle was the smartest dog, they had trouble believing it. But they weren't realizing that the poodle didn't ask for that haircut!"
Keeping Things
My Grandma Emma was a keeper of things. She lived with us about six months of the year and with another son in Indiana the other part of the year. She had boxes and boxes of things stored at our house. I loved being with her to see her "treasures," when she decided to go through her things. Some times she called it her "trumphrey," but I called it her "Junks." I think she had materials that she used to make quilt patches, and probably articles of clothing, but there must have been more than that to grab my interest.
I know that for a while she sold small leather coin purses and she had some of them left over and I received one of them. And there was a little box about five inches square, roughly, which I still have in my bedroom.
Once she gave me a small, green glass elephant, which I still have today and it became the basis of my elephant collection. It was probably the best of the trumphrey that she gave me.
By the way, I've been trying to find that word, trumphrey, in the dictionary or through Google, and it doesn't seem to be a word. I've tried many spellings with no success. If she made it up, she certainly came up with a good word for odds and ends of things saved for no special purpose.
Aha! My son just found "trumpery" which means exactly what I've been I've been telling you about. "Old wares, old stuff." So Grandma Emma didn't make it up, but may have mispronounced it, or I maybe didn't hear it right. I could tell you stories about words I thought I heard only to find out later that I missed something.
But now it's bedtime again. Goodnight.
Rolls VS Buns
I usually use the term rolls instead of buns because of this little story about my mom:
We were together at my daughter's home and Charlotte had sent in some dinner rolls that she had baked. My mom really enjoyed them, (as we all did), and she said to my daughter, "Please tell Charlotte that I really like her buns." And all of us burst into laughter and my mom had no idea why we were laughing.
I don't want to get caught in that kind of humorous statement, so I just say rolls.
An Outlet
Today I wrapped up the cinnamon rolls from the smaller pan and took them to the library for my friends there. My librarian friend had told me on Sunday that they would be glad to receive my baked goods when I wanted to find an outlet for them.
Magic Baking Bowl
Many years ago when my mom was visiting me, she was baking for me and a little boy from our neighborhood came in to visit and talked to her. He told her that his mom could take an empty bowl and fill it up and make the best cookies from it. That idea intrigued me.
Years later Marlin and I were in a store that specializes in supplies for cooks. I saw there this big stoneware bowl, beige with vivid blue lines running around its circumfrence. I pointed it out to Marlin and told him how much I liked it. He wanted to buy it for me but I told him that I hadn't meant for him to buy it, I just wanted him to know that I really liked it. While I looked at other things, he bought the bowl and when we got home, he gave me the bowl.
I've always thought of it as my magic bowl, that I start out with it empty and fill it up with ingredients and the most wonderful things come out of it. Today I used my magic bowl again, after months and months of not using it at all. I made cinnamon rolls. I filled it part way full with flour and yeast and eggs and milk and let it alone for a while and it soon was full to the top! The rolls just came out of the oven a few minutes ago and they are wonderful!
I love to use my magic baking bowl! I wish I had more people here tonight to help eat these rolls. Perhaps I can give some away tomorrow morning.
Snow Today
Early this morning, I scoffed about today sending us snow. But by 10 o'clock, small, independent flakes of snow fluttered around. By this afternoon, the flakes were more organized, getting together more. At sunset, the cars in the driveway were covered in snow. I just looked outdoors to check on the progress of the snow and found that there is a thin skift of snow on the road and sidewalk. The grass is covered in snow, and, the flakes, big ones now, are still falling.
So, I was wrong and the weatherman was right.
Dog Stories
This morning I was remembering a couple of dog stories that I've heard that point out intelligence in dogs.
The first is from a dear family friend, Aunt Mary. She had a little dog that was a well pampered pet. She played games with the dog, mostly playing with the ball, but she got to hiding behind the dining room door and when the dog would walk past she would jump out from behind the door and startle the dog. In time, the dog learned to hide behind things and jump out at her and startle her! Who would have thought that a dog would do that?
And that reminds me of a dog story that I read in Reader's Digest many years ago. A man told that his dog liked to sleep on his favorite comfortable chair and the dog hated to get up and give him the seat. So, the man would go ring the door bell and the dog would jump out of the chair and run to the door, barking, and the man would dash to the chair and sit down and laugh at the dog. Then one day the man was sitting in the chair when suddenly the dog started barking at the door, or window, indicating that someone was coming. The man got out of the chair to check on it and no one was there. He turned around to find that the dog had run to the chair and was comfortably curled up in his seat!
Like I said, who'd have thought that dogs could reason like that?
It Tickles
I've been spending some of my time at the Y in the whirlpool/hot tub. When I first tried it, I thought it was too hot, but I gess a person gets used to it. I've been leaving the Aquarobics session early and going to the hot tub. I get down as low as I possibly can in order to get the heat on my shoulder as well as my arm, which really is improving. I like to get up against the jets of water sometimes because it's like a massage. When I have the whole tub to myself, I stretch out in it and put my foot over the jet on the opposite side. Funny thing, it really tickles the sole of my foot. In other places the jet feels stimulating but it really tickles the sole of my foot. Instead of stimulating, it's tantalizing!
Dark and Early
During winter months, Peter Gzowski (radio host of Morningside for many years) used to talk about getting up dark and early to prepare for the morning program at 9. I'm noticing the dark and early part of morning more and more this fall. Some times I haven't noticed as much. I think I must often have my mind busy with other things but sitting here at the computer looking out the window while I write lets me see how dark it really is early on November mornings. I usually enjoy seeing the first snowfall of the season, but this year, I don't feel that way. Today it's raining again, and here I am being thankful that it's rain and not snow, on this dark and early morning.
Bedtime Snack
I made apple pie this afternoon and we had a piece of pie for dessert at suppertime. So, now it was bedtime and there was the rest of that pie, so temptingly delicious. We gave in a had a bedtime snack. And Rusty came to join us, looking as much interested in a bedtime snack as we were. How could I ignore him, when he obviously was so hopeful? We gave him and Desy each a dog biscuit, which they seemed to enjoy almost as much as we enjoyed our pie. But then, Rusty came over close to me and seemed to know that if he waited patiently, I would give him a bit of my crust.
You need to know that Rusty is really big. He can lay his head on the table with no difficulty, except that I don't want him to do that. He could walk over and quickly snatch food from the table and I'd have trouble stopping him, but he has great restraint and good manners. He never does that. He waits and watches, and I usually do reward his expectation and give him a tidbit. What a softy I am!
Counting
I've said it many times, that I'm not good with numbers. I don't like math and I drag my feet about doing adding and subtracting.
Today I reconciled my bank statement. I think it came in the mail last weekend. I didn't really put it off a long time. Any way, I had problems this time. Come to find out, one of my problems was that I had done the check sequence wrong in one place. To simplify, I will just say that it went like this: 34, 38, 37, 36, 39. It would have always been wrong as I went forward if I hadn't gone back and reworked the sequence from 35. I really can count, but I often just get distracted and mess up the counting sequence. When I was giving a spelling test, I gave up numbering the words because I'd slip up and get the sequence wrong. I let the kids keep the number sequence straight for themselves.
When the Present Isn't Working
A poem I wrote in 1994
When the Present isn't working
You can delve into the past
Find a little bit of happiness
And hold it fast.
When you think of all the things
You did so long ago,
You begin to understand
The things that helped you grow.
You start to realize that
Happiness will come again,
You know that when you live for Christ,
You're going to win.
Well, it's great to be a winner,
Makes you feel so grand and tall,
And the thought that you've succeeded
Makes you feel the best of all.
And, though your greatest triumph
Was away back when,
You can coax that spark into a flame
And make it work again.
Even if you have to reach
Far back into the past,
Grab a little bit of happiness
And make it last.
===========Hmmm. Sounds like I could use some of my own advice for these day.
A Story About Sheba
The story I am about to tell you is one that I heard on CBL in 1994, in February. I heard it on Peter Gzowski's morning program. I loved hearing the story then and I love revisiting the story now.
Sheba was a mixed breed black lab and rotweiler, in Manitoba. She had this bad habit of breaking her collar and running off. She ran away one evening when the temperature was - 30 degrees. Her owner went out looking for her but couldn't find her. He had to give up and go home. But in the morning, he was wakened by the
RCMP on the phone. They had his dog at the pound, and he could get her there. But he should know that Sheba was a hero!
The Mounties had seen Sheba in a field and since it was so cold, they tried to get her to come to them. She stayed where she was, so, they went to her. She was standing there with a man who had fallen and was lying there unconscious. Sheba was licking his face and trying to help him. She saved his life because when the Mounties found Sheba helping the man, they got the man the help he needed. He was suffering from hypothermia but they were able to bring him out of it.
When Peter was told that the owner had to go look for Sheba, Peter asked, "Do you know what he was saying while he looked?" The woman who was telling him this story answered, "I think he was cursing!" Peter said, "No, he was saying, 'Come Back, Little Sheba!'"
It's a heart warming story, and I loved Peter's little joke, too. (Come Back, Little Sheba was a 1952 film and play, about an aging couple and a dog named Sheba who had been missing for over a year.)
Today's Pictures
Today I posted pictures of two of Carolyn's cats, and one picture of the moon over Concord School in the early evening. How dark it is just after 5 o'clock. It wasn't completely dark when I took the picture but the moon was showing up already. Look for my pictures by scrolling to the bottom of my blog and clicking on one of the pictures on display there. It will take you to my photo stream.
Keeping On, Keeping On
I've been keeping on with keeping busy today. I went early to get my shots and it took longer in the waiting room than usual, so I was late to Aquarobics any how.
I'm still not using the hand weights at Aquarobics. The water was nice again today and then after I did the cardio and the ab work, I spent some time in the hot tub. Oh, that felt good.
I took another bag of books to the library and an old newspaper to Dave Johnson's book store in hopes that someone would like to have it. I bought a few groceries and after I got them put away, I worked outdoors for a while. My son helped out there. He cut down some of the scrub trees and got dead branches out of the big maple. I made a fire and got a lot of the old tree wood burned. We also raked the neighbor's leaves to the curb. It's still vacant and I like for it to look lived in and cared for so I do what I can to help out.
Keeping busy is good for a person!
Memorial
Today was the memorial service for those who died in the Hospice program during the last year. It wasn't easy for me to attend this service because in the past, my husband was very much involved with the service. He was somewhat of a host to grieving families and went among them saying and doing things that would be of comfort to them. Today is also the first year anniversary of my mom's death.
It wasn't an easy day for me but my family and my friends really helped me, even though there were several times when I was swamped in tears.
One of my friends reminded me of the value of memories and helped me realize that my fond memories will become dearer as time goes on.
Snapshots That I Didn't Get
The digital camera that I have is really a nice one but it does have a flaw. After I press the button to take the picture, it takes 2 or 3 seconds to process the information and snap the picture. During that time, the scene often changes, especially when I'm taking a candid shot or trying to get a picture of an animal. They move and I don't get the shot I wanted.
This reminds me of something I wrote about Christmas 1993, about Daniel, my then two-year-old grandson.
"When Daniel toddled into the living room after they arrived on Saturday, he saw my creche on the coffee table. His face lit up and his eyes just sparkled with interest. He loved it! After they left on Sunday afternoon, I found some of the refrigerator magnets had joined the scene. Once I found the three kings face down, as though they were doing push-ups. But he was careful with them and did not hurt them. I wish I had a picture of his face when he saw the gifures for the first time."
Is It Just Me???
Is it just me, or is packaging getting harder and harder to open? I wanted to try out my new headphones so I got the package and started to open it. Yeah, right! It was like breaking into a jail cell, --although I don't know why someone would want to do that.
When I finally got the plastic case open, there was another plastic inner case surrounding the headset. I tell you, it wasn't easy. The headset, the cord, the little mike were all nestled snugly into recessed niches in the inner plastic case. Another struggle was necessary to get them out. The hardest of all was a little clip which is meant to keep the cord from tangling. It was separate and deep into a little nest in the center. It was so snugly into it's crevice that it took a while to get it out.
But all the struggle was worth it because the headset really works! I called my librarian friend to test it. First I couldn't tell that her phone was ringing and then I discovered that I hadn't pushed the jack the whole way into the phone port. I tried again and we said hello and started talking and then I decided to stand the phone upright in its cradle while we talked. It immediately cut us off! I had to call her back the third time and that time, we successfully had our conversation. I think this headset is going to wonders for my aching arm!
Fight Telephonitis!
Today I went to Radio Shack and bought a headset for the telephone, in hopes that freeing my hands from holding the phone will also take the strain off my neck, shoulder and arm. I still have a tiny pain deep in the muscle of my left arm. That kind of thing really takes AGES to go away!
Still Speaking of Comics
When I was a girl, one of my favorite comic strips in the newspapers was Etta Kett. She was a young girl with teen aged friends and a boy friend, Wingy. I suppose Louann is the Etta Kett of today.
Etta Kett was discontinued in 1974 and now those comic strips are collectors items. Of course, I didn't save any! But I think the real collector item would be the original drawing of the comic strip.
Today Etta Kett is often an answer in a crossword puzzle.
Speaking of Comics
Quite a while ago, our local evening paper carried a comic strip named "Betty" and I got to liking it quite a bit. Then suddenly without warning, the paper stopped carrying it. I liked it so much that I looked it up online. Now I check it out every day. I like these comic strip characters.
And, also speaking of comics, what happened to Cathy? As August turned to September, Cathy disappeared and I can't find it online. Have you heard anything about the artist giving up her comic strip?
Comic Books
I heard the question this morning, "How old were you when you read your first comic book?" Interesting question. Of course, I don't know the answer to it, but it made me think.
My mom wouldn't ever consider letting me spend my money on comic books! But my uncle was very friendly with the owner of Greco's Junkyard, and for some reason, Greco had piles of old comic books. My uncle would bring them home and he would let my brother and me look through them and borrow some to take home and read and return to him.
I probably got to read these comic books before I was 10 years old, but I really am not sure. I probably enjoyed reading these comic books well into my teen years. I loved the comic ones, like Buggs Bunny and Donald Duck and Nancy. But I enjoyed Wonder Woman and Superman and a few other dramatic ones whose names I don't remember now. I liked Archie, which was also a funny one but involved teens and dating.
Comic books cost a dime when I first was reading them. I haven't even looked at a comic book in years. I suppose they are still being made but are probably more dramatic than comic, and probably a great deal more violent now.
Now I like collections of newspaper comic strips, like the Peanuts Gang, and Calvin and Hobbes.
Restoration
A couple of weeks ago I bought what I thought would be new pedals for a very old tricycle which I have. It may be from 1960 or 1961. It's rusty, --not to be confused with Rusty! One pedal is broken. It's the "Clown Trike" that I have on my Flickr pictures.
So I bought these new pedals, thinking I could fix the pedals and then probably do some sanding and paint it nicely again. But today I was told that the new pedals won't work for the old bike. I'll try to return the pedals, though it's no big deal for they cost less than $10.
My friend said he would try to find replacement pedals for the tricycle, and that I shouldn't give up on fixing it up yet. I'm hoping he'll be able to find the right thing.
Antiprocrastination!
Today I did a few things that I've been putting off for a while. Sometimes it's hard to do certain chores. It really gives me a good feeling to have completed the chore which I'd been putting off. Usually it's not all that hard to do so why put it off? I can't think of a good answer. I can understand putting off the jobs that are complicated and hard to do, but the things I caught up today were simple to do.
I raked leaves this afternoon. I didn't have that many to round up because the wind had helped me out with that, but there some leaves to be raked and I helped out with my neighbor's leaves. To my great joy, my arm was totally OK with that. It felt good to be doing some hard work again. That is a great feeling, to be able to do the work.
I Forgot Again
I think I just have a lot on my mind that makes me do this, but I forgot something again, something that I usually always remember to do. I forgot to bring in the evening newspaper. When I saw it out on the mail table this morning, I wondered how we could have a paper for today while it's still morning. For one thing, Hannah, our paper girl is in school and can't deliver today's paper till school's out. Oh, yes, and the paper isn't printed by 10 AM! Small point, eh!
The funny thing is, I thought I'd read last night's newspaper. I didn't go out the front door last evening, so I guess that's why I didn't notice it.
Now I'll quit writing and read last night's paper. I found out from the morning newspaper who won the heated District Justice race. By the way, the winning candidate was ahead by only 59 votes. That's pretty close, but not close enough to call for a recount.
Drinking Water
What an amazing amount of water two dogs can drink in a day's time. How good dogs are about drinking water, unlike some people, who don't drink nearly enough water.
I've got to refill the water bowl again before I head for bed. I take comfort in the fact that I would have to supply a lot more drinking water if I were taking care of two cows. They REALLY do drink a lot of water.
I think I should drink a glass of water before I head for bed. Maybe I'll drink tea instead. See what I mean? Desy and Rusty never drink tea. They love water.
November Stormy Weather and Clean Up
We've had stormy weather off and on all day today. We started the day with a storm that had Rusty feeling insecure and anxious. Then it cleared up for a while but around 5 o'clock, it stormed again, and that time, we lost electricity. It was just for about 15 seconds, but that's enough to mean that I've had to reset a number of clocks and reprogram the microwave. But there was no damage done, and that's good.
Dave, the Builder, came for about an hour this afternoon and helped me sort out scrap metal to dispose of. He also took surplus old wood to burn. We bagged up about 4 big bags of trash from the garage. I've been hampered in doing that because I don't always know for sure what is trash and what is useful. Some things that I think can be used turn out to be junk, and vice versa. It's good to have helpful advice from someone who knows.
I feel good about the clean up we've accomplished in the garage this afternoon.
Monday Thoughts
When I woke up this morning, from a busy pleasant dream which I can't remember at all now, I thought it was Monday. I lay quietly thinking of what I needed to do. It's an Aquarobics day, I was thinking, and I didn't get my allergy shots last Monday so that means I really have to get them today. I was thinking that I could leave a message with the doctor who treated me for my aching arm, that I'm doing fine and almost over the problem.
Then I suddenly became aware that this isn't Monday! It's Wednesday. So it's still an Aquarobics day, but I don't have to get the shots for days and days. That makes me smile this morning. I don't get my allergy shots for almost a week yet.
Harvest Celebration
Today we had our monthly fellowship dinner at the Columbus Church. Our cook and her helpers prepared a real Thanksgiving feast, which she called a Harvest Celebration. It was a very special meal and everyone had enough to eat. That's an understatement. Everyone had more than enough to eat. And the fellowship was very special, too.
At the Polls
Outside of the doors to the school entrance where we voted, there were so many people gathered to make one last plea that we vote for their candidate, --for district justice of the peace. Each one handed me something, a pencil to write in the vote, a leaflet, and one was giving out a small M&M packet. Everyone was bright, cheerful and ever so hopeful to snag my vote! It was a hard decision to make. I think the two main parties had the strongest contenders, either of which would make a very good person for the job. They both ran a good campaign, just telling why they should be elected and there was no nastiness or mud-slinging.
It was really difficult to make my choice, but it was helpful to me to know that either of these two people will be a good choice.
One of the great things about America is that we don't have to tell anyone who we voted for. I love this privilige. I did vote, but I won't tell how I voted!
Vote!
Today is Election Day. After the way I nearly forgot to go to the birthday party on Sunday afternoon, I've been a little concerned that I will forget to vote today. I'm planning to vote when I'm on my way to the Harvest Luncheon at Columbus Church around noon. Surely I can't forget that!
There is no school today. I hadn't realized that till this morning but I should have remembered. We use the high school as a polling place and the school district likes to give the building over to the use of the voters without the usual school activities taking place around them.
Cartoons
I was reading a church leadership magazine today and saw this funny cartoon of a church choir all wearing old bathrobes. Someone in the congregation was saying that they really ought to consider doing something for the choir robe fund. It tickled my fancy.
It reminded me of another church choir cartoon I saw a couple months ago (maybe, --it could have been much longer than that). The choir was wearing patchwork quilted robes and the person in the congregation was saying that they should have realized when they let the quilter's guild provide the choir robes what would happen. That one did amuse me. Quilters can make all kinds of quilted garments and choir robes would be a snap for them.
Talking About Time
I think I've mentioned before that I'm having difficulty with time. I know there have been many repetitions of day and night, but yet time is standing still for me. There has been a sameness about each day in a fundamental way. I do different things on different days but morning and night are so same that it seems as though the days stand still. I notice that the months keep changing, the daily date marches on, but I stand still.
The way this affects me the most is in doing the household chores and in keeping food supplies fresh. I feel like I've just done that, just a little while ago and then I have to wake up to the fact that it's been longer than I realized since I last did that chore. Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever have a proper sense of time again.
Winds
Yesterday was a very windy day, starting with the morning and escalating through the afternoon. A big gust of wind blew the porch furniture around and made a lot of noise. It set Desy to howling. She was sure there was someone out there making that noise on the porch.
Later I found that the bar that the bird feeder cage hangs on was down on the ground. I didn't try to put it back up yesterday afternoon because I thought the wind was still too vigorous. I put it up this morning. The bar just lays across the top of two sides of the dog pen fence, forming the third side of a triangle there. It wasn't hard to replace. But something is different about the hanging hook for the wire cage that holds the block of birdcake, and I can't figure out what it is. It hangs crookedly now. But it hangs and the birds and chipmunk can eat from it. I'll try to figure it out later. Maybe I'll need to rework the hook.
A Good Forgetter!
At church this morning, I was reminded that there would be a birthday celebration in the afternoon in the church social rooms. I knew about this beforehand, but had completely forgotten. I made a mental note of the party and even talked to someone about it on my way out to my car. Party this afternoon, 2-4, --Yes, I'll come, if I don't forget.
I had dinner with my librarian friend and cleaned up the dishes and sat down in the living room to rest a little. It was just about 3 o'clock. Suddenly, the thought popped into my head again. Birthday party! Two to four this afternoon. I got myself together and left immediately to wish my friend Happy Birthday. It's kind of scary to me that I forgot like that. But, at least this time the memory kicked in while there was still time.
A Sudden Discovery
Yesterday there was a little more than half the leaves still on the maple tree in my yard. This morning when I went to church, I realized that the wind was picking up quite briskly. The sky clouded up, the day became dark, and it rained a little.
I've had dinner and washed up the dishes and now that I'm at the computer, I looked out the window and noticed that the sun is now shining. I saw a bright spill of yellow leaves thick across the yard. It looks like it is now enough leaves to make it worth while to rake. Then I looked up at the tree. It's almost entirely bare! They must have swooshed down all at once! Wouldn't that have been a sight to behold, if I'd seen them let go and head for the ground!
Nearly New
I am now just about completely free from pain. How good it feels to feel well! I'm doing the stretching exercises and taking over the counter pain meds, the appropriate strength and dosage, and I feel like a new person again. I haven't had to rub my shoulder with the pungent smelling ointment. It's a dead give away that a person feels achy! Thank God that I'm feeling well again.
Coal to Newcastle
You've heard the saying, "That's like carrying coal to Newcastle" when someone brings something to a situation and there's already plenty of that thing already there. Newcastle was known for coal mines and it was very unnecessary to take coal to them. There was more coal there than a person could take to that place.
I did that today. I took an African violet to a new friend and found that her long window sill was alreay lined with beautiful African violets! I felt a little silly, but she graciously took the plant and said, "There's room for one more." She put me at ease right away.
Busy Today
Today I attempted to get a lot of things done in the dining room and in the bedroom. I had decided to clean and organize the dining room closet. There is really a lot to do about stuff in this closet and though I know I made it better it is not as good as I'd hoped to make it. Still, progress is progress, even if it is tiny steps. It did make for a busy day.
Dad Discovers That the Earth is Round
I recorded this in my journal, at Thanksgiving in 1993. I was talking to my dad and he told me the story of how he discovered that the earth is round. Dad was born in 1914.
Eclipse of the Sun - 1925
When I was a boy, my older sister, Blanche, told me that the earth was flat. She was pretty smart, so I believed what she said. Besides, I knew that if the earth was round as a ball, like they said, we would fall off when the earth turned around at night. So, I decided that the earth must be flat, like Blanche said, but round like a disk, like a Frisbee.
Then scientists announced that there would be an eclipse of the sun on January 24th or 25th. We prepared smoked glasses and went out in the snow to Schallers' field to watch the eclipse. To my surprise, it started just when the scientists said it would and it ended just when they said it would.
That made me think. If they knew that much about the eclipse before it happened, they probably were right about the earth being round. That's when I knew that the earth really was round.---
I know my dad was always interested in the sky, --the stars, the moon. I'm so glad that I recorded his story in my journal because I had completely forgotten that he told me this. It was such a nice surprise to me to read this journal entry today.
I hope my family enjoys reading this small slice of life about Grandpap (and Great-Grandpap) as much as I did.
Finding the Phrase
Check out the link Edith Nesbit : The Bristol Bowl
After I posted my last entry, I went to the Internet and looked for the phrase "for any sake" and to my delight I found this story of the Bristol Bowl by Edith Nesbit. My granddaughter introduced me to the "magic" stories of E Nesbit and we both enjoyed them. This is a short story, and not about magic, but an interesting little tale of a young girl helping her aunt while hoping to inherit her aunt's wealth and possessions.
"There was every kind of china uselessness that you can think of," the main character says as she's dusting the knick-knacks. That's just one of the many enjoyable turns of phrase that Nesbit uses. And, several times, she uses the phrase, "for any sake." Now I know that it wasn't a family thing that my grandma developed. It was probably commonly used during the time when she was young, but I think it's not commonly used any more.
Remembering an Expression
"Foranysake!" my dad and my grandma used to say sometimes. I just thought of that last night. I don't think I know anyone else who said/says that. In my family, it's more common to hear, "Oh for Pete's sake!" Of course, Pete is a substitution for the word God, which our family doesn't say. I wonder if my grandma started saying, "For any sake," which avoided using either Pete or God and then my dad picked it up, too. After saying it a while, it could come out as one word, "foranysake." Do any of you remember hearing this expression?
A Good Outlook
I just had one of the new pain pills and I started to feel relief from my arm and shoulder pain. I could tell though that it's time to take the second pill. I expect I'll have an easier rest tonight.
A funny thing happened when I was trying to get advice about the pain in my arm. I talked to the nurse and she kept asking me if my pain was inside or outside. I kept saying I was pretty sure it was in my muscles, and she would repeat her question about whether it was inside or outside. I thought I was answering her question because my muscles are inside my arm, as opposed to the skin, which isn't sore at all. Finally I began to realize that she meant the side of my arm toward my body or away from my body. Aha! That kind of inside or outside. The pain is on the outside, which apparently is a good answer because inside pain would suggest that the heart could be involved. I had to laugh because I couldn't understand why she didn't know that my muscle is inside my arm, not outside!
So, I'm feeling better already.
Good Dogs
I finally decided that I need some help with this pain in my arm so I called the doctor today and while I was waiting for a call-back, I decided to cut Desy's toenails. I got out a hot dog and cut it into many little "treat" pieces and gave her little bites during the process, so that she wouldn't be too upset with having it done.
When I was finished, Rusty joined us and I started to work on a training session, ---something I've neglected recently. I had a handful of hot dog treats and was getting Rusty to walk beside me when the phone rang. I dropped the hot dog pieces on the dish on the table and answered the phone. One thing led to another and I finally got to the point where I was told, "Come right away."
Yes! I grabbed my jacket and purse and left, forgetting all about the hot dog pieces on the table. Given Desy's track record for food, and seeing how hungrily Rusty had eyed the dish on the table, when I thought about it on the way home, I was sure there would be just an empty dish on the table. Surprise! It hadn't been touched. I was so impressed.
I divided the remaining treats between them and praised their good behavior.
My arm pain turns out to be knotted muscles. It turns out that the medication I was taking was a child's dosage, according to the doctor, but not according to the bottle directions. With stronger pain medication and a muscle relaxant, I should be feeling better real soon. It was beginning to wear me down!
Weather Update
The way November started here, with rain and dreary gloom, I expected it to continue with dropping temperatures and more rain. But today has been a beautiful fall day. No complaints from me!
I heard on the radio today that the wooly bear caterpillars have predicted a mild winter. It's something about the proportion of brown and black stripes on them. I don't think it's really true about wooly bears predicting winter weather, but I would really like this prediction to be true.
Rice Socks
Some years ago people began using men's new hunting socks and filling them with rice, closing the sock tightly with a knot at the open end. The object of this strange behavior is to microwave the sock and use it as a heating pad.
A little while before my husband died last December, a good friend gave us a couple of these socks in hopes that they would ease his pain and bring some comfort. It wasn't at all what he needed. It was too heavy and hurt him to have it on his achy places. I felt so bad that it didn't help him.
This last week, I've been having pain in my arm, so, I've been micorwaving the sock! It does help me. The microwaved rice gives off a pleasant food odor and smells like something nice is cooking in the kitchen. I was telling my friend about this and she told me that some people use scented oils with the rice, or maybe herbs, for that purpose, to give off pleasant aromas.
Another friend said, "But you have to be careful not to burn it! That's not a good aroma." Burn it? If you microwave it a little too long, it doesn't just heat up. It starts to burn, which is not good at all.
Now I know that three minutes is tops for microwaving the rice sock. And it really does make my achy arm feel better.
Connected
I wrote a few days ago about having a challenge in my life, to connect the parts of the computer which I have set up in a corner of the living room, especially for kids to play games on. I wasn't sure that I could do it. However, it went pretty well. I discovered that the ends of the cables and the ports on the modem, keyboard, and computer had all been marked clearly, so all I had to do was match the numbers. The one thing I didn't know was whether the monitor really needed to be plugged into a wall outlet as it seemed to be set up to do. A quick IM to my son answered that question and I got the project completed successfully. It's ready for kids now. However, they will have to play the older games. It's an older computer.
Idioms
Recently I was talking with a friend and the phrase "wears his heart on his sleeve" came up. I thought I knew what it means. I was thinking in terms of easily falling in love. But I got to thinking about it more and decided that maybe that wasn't it. So I looked up the saying, and I found that it means "expressing emotions openly for all to see." Hmm. So, it could mean that when you fall in love, everyone can tell, but it really goes beyond that and means that you express all your emotions openly. Live and learn.
November
So, today is the first day of November. November is known for it's "no" kind of weather. In keeping with November thoughts, the weather was appropriate to November. No sunshine. Cloudy, rainy and dull. It was a good day to work indoors and to take a few minutes out to read a good book and savor some hot tea or cocoa. Sounds good to me. I'm going to put the teakettle on!
Books
I've been spending some time, both yesterday afternoon and today, working with books. My husband and I both loved reading and owning books. He bought many books, ordering books from publishing houses, often every month. Many of the books he wanted to have on hand for counseling sessions. Some books he stocked for Bible study helps. Before I started sorting books and giving extras away, I had enough books to stock a good portion of shelves in a book store.
Today I culled books to take to the library book sale and some to donate to the church library or the new pastor. Today I am taking back to the library some craft books that bought at a library sale years ago. I freed up several shelves which I then filled up again with books from the extra bookcase in the side bedroom. One of my next goals is to get that bookcase empty and give it to someone who could use it.
Today I noticed again two Strong's Concordances, really big books, on the top shelf of the hall bookcase. These books are brand new, not even unwrapped from their celephane wrapping. Who, I wonder, would like to have these books? It should be someone who doesn't have access to online help because today we can easily find the book, chapter and verse for any phrase from the Scripture.
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