COULDN'T HELP IT

As a former Art Teacher, I remember teaching the kids to recognize the Scream, and they all wanted to "play" with it... rename it... many of them said the could identify with it. Well, this cartoon is one I sure can identify with, I am sorry to say. I know, I try to keep politics out of this blog... I try to be an equal opportunity kind of person, and this takes no real sides except for those of us who are so frustrated with what has been going on for the past however many years. It is just plain sad. I feel like Screaming!

SOME THOUGHTS, SOME GRATITUDE

It has been a crazy couple of weeks, but that is not a complaint… not even really an excuse for not staying in touch, but time has been short for blogging with so many other things to worry about. I have tried to keep up with some of you in private emails as blogger is being uncooperative again. Once again, storms have changed people’s lives. My cousin lost their cabin on the Susquehanna River up near Wilkes Barre, PA. But, that could have been their primary residence, so while a serious loss, they still have their home and all their belongings. And no one lost their lives – most important of all. Check off that little box on your gratitude list!

Normally this is a hectic time of year anyway, tons of things to do as summer winds down, a dozen events going on before it gets too cold, sometimes having to run from one event in the morning to another in the afternoon or evening. I feel like my friend, Ralph, bless his heart, who is running for Senate again and is trying to be in 5 places at once and still maintain a practice at Children’s Hospital. As I listened to his schedule yesterday, I just shook my head wondering how he does it all. But, he is much younger and in better health and has a team making all his arrangements. I am feeling my age! But keeping going keeps me going. Does that make any sense to you? I know if I quit and put my feet up, I won’t be getting back up.

My auntie up in the Wilkes Barre area had to be evacuated. This was not an easy thing to do as she was one of the hard heads who stayed in her house back during Hurricane Agnes (39 years ago) and had folks coming by boat bringing food and water to her thru the 2^nd floor window. But, for some folks, Lee brought more flooding and destruction than Agnes. The river went up to 43 feet. It was a shallow muddy puddle when I crossed it this summer to see her. But, as of last night, she is back in her apartment in her senior apartment building, full of praise for her son and DIL for treating her like royalty (which she is, of course!) My only regret is I was not up there to do anything for her – BUT, my house (up there) is on the other side of 2 rivers with lots of flooding creeks in-between Wilkes Barre and White Haven.

Here on the shore, actually, up in Delaware, one little town received 14 inches of rain in about 6 hours. I have been in the Seaford area when it was under water, drove home from PA in 9 inches of water on Route 13 just before they closed it. Talk about timing! That was June, 2006. We saw cars with water up to their roofs in parking lots, drove past houses with water up to the front doors. So sad!

Anyway, it is very busy here taking care of my own commitments and worrying about family and friends. So, if I neglect you a little bit, forgive me. I will catch up maybe sometime in November!

I hope you have made out all right in the storms!

WHAT I WANT IN A MAN

A FRIEND (A MAN!) sent me this email this morning. He is a dear friend, a neighbor, one of the world’s GOOD GUYS. Fer real! Here is the email he sent… followed by my answer.

What I Want in a Man.......Original List

1. Handsome
2. Charming
3. Financially successful
4. A caring listener
5. Witty
6. In good shape
7. Dresses with style
8. Appreciates finer things
9. Full of thoughtful surprises
10. Loves surprising me on weekends
What  I Want in a Man, Revised List (age  32)
1. Nice looking
2. Opens car doors, holds chairs
3. Has enough money for a nice dinner
4. Listens more than talks
5. Laughs at my jokes
6. Carries bags of groceries with ease
7. Owns at least one tie
8. Appreciates a  good home-cooked meal
9. Remembers birthdays and anniversaries
10. Plans together time on weekends

What  I Want in a Man, Revised List (age  42)
1. Not too ugly
2. Doesn't drive off until I'm in the car
3. Works steady - splurges on dinner out occasionally
4. Nods head when I'm talking
5. Usually remembers punch lines of jokes
6. Is in good enough shape to rearrange the furniture
7. Wears a shirt that covers his stomach
8. Knows not to buy champagne with screw-top lids
9. Remembers to put the toilet seat down
10. Shaves most weekends
What  I Want in a Man, Revised List (age  52)
1. Keeps hair in nose and ears trimmed
2. Doesn't belch or scratch in public
3. Doesn't borrow money too often
4. Doesn't nod off to sleep when I'm venting
5. Doesn't re-tell the same joke too many times
6. Is in good enough shape to get off the couch on weekends
7. Usually wears matching socks and fresh underwear
8. Appreciates a good TV dinner
9. Remembers your name on occasion
10. Shaves some weekends
What  I Want in a Man, Revised List (age  62)
1. Doesn't scare small children
2. Remembers where bathroom is
3. Doesn't require much money for upkeep
4. Only snores lightly when asleep
5. Remembers why he's laughing
6. Is in good enough shape to stand up by himself
7. Usually wears some clothes
8. Likes soft foods
9. Remembers where he left his teeth
10. Remembers that it's the weekend
What I Want in a Man, Revised List (age  72)
1. Breathing.
2. Doesn't miss the toilet.

WELL, THAT is someone else’s list… here is my response:

AH, yes... I remember these...

But, lets see, what do I want in a man at age 67? Hmmmmmmm

1. Has his own car. (even better, a pick-up!)
2. Can still drive after dark (in case he wants me to be somewhere at 8 PM)
3. Has a weed-whacker that works. (maybe a chain saw)
4. Can still open the occasional jar.
5. VOLUNTEERS to do little chores around my yard or to drive me places.
6. Can carry my old Adirondack chair out to the yard in the spring and back in the fall.
7. Yells at me when I don't ask him to help. (Imagine!)
8. All he asks of me is to listen to him, give him a little praise (He IS a GREAT guy), show up to vote, or to take the minutes at the next meeting. (or write a check...) AND THAT IS ALL!
9. And then he goes home to his wife who has to feed him, do his laundry, and listen to him snore at night.

I have several of these guys.

I have been so blessed!

Life is good.

If you are one of these guys mentioned above - Please know how much you are appreciated!

THE PLAYHOUSE

 

I hate cleaning out closets, barns, attics… the storage bins of long ago memories, wading thru what some call nostalgic moments. Don’t get me wrong, I have had some wonderful experiences, been to some amazing places, done some exciting things, but at this stage of my life, most of my memories are bittersweet. I guess that happens when you are the survivor, and all of the folks you shared those experiences with are gone. I am not going into all that to depress anyone, no one needs to read someone’s whining about their losses, but this one took me by surprise. A gazillion years ago, back when I was working on my Art Ed degree, I had the good fortune to land a summer job (of sorts) as a lowly assistant to an assistant at a summer playhouse. I got to do all kinds of fascinating things… I learned how to make a castle so cold and damp and forbidding looking that sitting out in the audience, you were glad you did not live in that age and time… or a palace room so beautiful you never wanted to leave. Manor libraries, business offices, tenement kitchens, cozy living rooms with just enough hiding space for a corpse or two… ah, the theatre. From Sweeney Todd’s barber shop to the bed room in the Sound of Music, to the café in La Cage aux Folles… we whipped up scenery in a couple days or so that would have been good enough for Broadway, I swear. And really, it had to be. OK, our stage was smaller and the house only sat 500, but we had real stars playing on our stage. Real ones… where was this? About 30 miles from our house in the Poconos is a little town called Mountainhome, and in the middle of its tinyness is a little road called Playhouse Lane, and on that lane stood the Pocono Playhouse. In searching for some old pictures of the Playhouse, I found the following quotes… probably in the Pocono Record????? I was in such a state of shock, I forgot to make note of the source…

“Pocono Playhouse—theatrical home since 1947 to such heralded actors as Betty Grable, Walter Matthau, Jean Stapleton, Steve McQueen, Shelley Winters, Hal Linden, Gloria Vanderbilt, Larry Hagman, Cybill Shepherd, Richard Kiley, Kaye Ballard, Ted Knight, Bonnie Franklin, and John Travolta.” burned down last night….

And… “Gloria Vanderbilt and Margaret Truman made their debuts at Pocono Playhouse in the 1950s,” said longtime resident Maryann Miller, who owns Theo B. Price store in Cresco with her husband, Warren “Mickey” Miller.”

And… “Stars who played there over the years included: John Travolta, Walter Matthau, Larry Hagman, Cybill Shepherd, Jean Stapleton, Shelley Winters, Ted Knight, Hal Linden, Bonnie Franklin and Kaye Ballard.”

To this I can add dozens of names, the names of the people I remember working with, some fondly, some disappointing to the point of tears. I remember Gary Moore, and Gary Burghoff, Angela Lansbury, Imogene Coca and her husband, King Donovan. Gary Moore was funnier off stage than on – not to say he was not a good actor, just that he was a nut! Probably the funniest people to work around were Imogene Coca and King Donovan. We had to do frequent quickie repair work to the set because they often improvised during a scene and sometimes the set did not handle it very well. When cement blocks are really Styrofoam… well, you get the idea. They were gracious people and actually considered us human, unlike one or two others I won’t mention.

Does anyone remember Betsy Palmer? She was probably the nicest person to be around – a genuinely warm and unpretentious kind person. I always smiled when I arrived at the Playhouse and saw the Mercedes parked out back with the BP license plate. I knew it was going to be a good day. She was like sunshine on legs!

On the other hand, I was so excited anticipating the arrival of Eve Arden, having grown up on Our Miss Brookes, and then I became a teacher myself… well, I was just excited meeting the voice that convinced me that being a teacher would be a great and wonderful thing – and all I can say is – life is full of disappointments, and I will say nothing more.

Anyway, the point of this post, along with general reminiscing, is to pay tribute to one of the greatest little summer jobs I ever had, and one of the neatest places I have ever had the opportunity to visit, let alone “hang out.” The Playhouse used to be the highlight of my summers in the Poconos… In later years, we planned our vacation around what was playing – or often, who was playing, but that came to an end – first when the theatre was sold and it became… um, well, I am at a loss for words… lets say it lost its class. The performers were unknowns, and even though some of the performances were really enjoyable, I guess I always just felt a bit cheated. Several years ago, I wondered why we were even driving 30 miles to see anything. The quality of the performances left so much to be desired… and I guess lots of other folks felt the same way, too. I think the last time I attended a show there, there were empty seats all thru the house. It was sad, I just hoped someone would buy the place and bring it back to the Playhouse it was when Rowena Stevens owned it.

Anyway, I was cleaning out a box of “stuff” the other day, and I found my old make-up kit, my kit from a gazillion years ago. As I said, we all had to learn how to do EVERYTHING, and make up was included. After tossing the kit in the trash can, I came in the house to check on the whether the Playhouse was even open this year or not. I could not believe my eyes when I saw the pictures. It is like losing a family member, really. I read the story and shook my head in sorrow.

If you are interested, google the Pocono Playhouse, the Pocono Record has a great story on the history of the place and the history of the last owner Ralph Miller and his “trail of fire” –

“In this special report, the Pocono Record, Times Herald-Record and Cape Cod Times collaborate to uncover the string of broken promises, questionable business dealings and trail of suspicious fires that have followed Ralph Miller across three states over 21 years. The owner of Pocono Playhouse was also the one-time owner of the Woodstock Playhouse in New York and Falmouth Playhouse in Massachusetts. Every time that Miller or his playhouses have gotten into trouble, fire destroyed a theater or Miller declared bankruptcy.”

It is sad, like losing a dear old family member… and even though the shows were no longer as great as they used to be, I miss knowing I can’t even drive by and look at the old place, let alone buy a ticket and sit for a couple hours and have some live entertainment. The last few years, props were trucked in, unloaded, and the stage crew traveled around to a few different sites in the summer. Nothing was done on site anymore. I guess they were used to working on small stages, so things did not have to be custom built to fit.

I used to love to watch the show, often standing in the back of the house because there were seldom any empty seats. Some shows were sold out at the beginning of the season, a month or 2 before the curtain went up. But I would have to watch the show a couple of times… once to see the show, but initially, to see how the scenery worked. Sometimes we reworked a scene after the opening night to make it look a little better, or to make movement a little more realistic.

Several of us would stand in the back with ice cream cones in our hands as the curtain went up. The sign of a good show was forgetting to eat the ice cream and having a handful of runny glop as we got caught up in the show. I always kept a pocketful of paper towels in hopes of an excellent show!

SPRING, FINALLY, and LUNATIC SQUIRRELS

I THINK SPRING has finally arrived - no, not just on the calendar, but out in the yard where it counts! The rains took a vacation this week and the yard is trying to dry out... but more rain is POSSIBLE... SIGH. It has been wonderful to hang the laundry back out on the line. Yes, I am an old fashion woman - I like to hang clothes outside. Dryers are OK for when it rains or is below freezing, but give me a clothes line any day. My lakes, which used to be grass to mow, are now moss beds when not under water... I wonder when the grass will come back? Or will it this year????? The ditches still have water in them as do many of the farmer's fields. They have been liming the fields that they can get into, but ya can't take your tractor into a lake, even if the water is only 4 or 5 inches deep. I feel for the farmers... it has been a rough year. Even Buddha is sitting by a lake. As the water has receeded, the deer have been eating the buds off the young trees and along the mossy patches of ground. I scare them at night when I take stuff out to the compost pile. It is hard to see... but see those 2 bright dots? Sometimes I am not sure who scares whom the most. When the wind is blowing we can almost bump into each other out there! Spook and Punkin like to sneak up on them in the dark. Such funny boys! Sometimes Spook pretends he is a garden figurine. Saint Spook here.... The birds are making their spring noises staking out their territories and fighting each other at the bird feeders. This guy is saying, "I dare you to come near this feeder!" It certainly sounds like spring. The squirrels seem to have gotten a little nutty. Sorry. One in particular... he is chewing on everything... he seems determined to destroy anything in his path. I had to take down the squirrel feeder because the fool was eating the plastic, not the food - even when he was inside the feeder where the food was, he sat and chewed on the plastic like he could not figure how to get out. He has also chewed the bottom of the big bird feeder. I had to put a pie tin in the bottom. The good part is, the daffodils have finally started to bloom. Not sure what happened to the crocus - just one or 2 little clumps this year, and a month late! Guess they gave up. Another sure sign of spring is the wheelbarrow out for its maiden voyage of the year, carting old left over wet leaves to the compost pile and toting fresh mulch in to a few low areas. The best part of the day, however, was the uncovering of the adirondack I never got in out of the yard last year... Oh it felt good to sit in the sun in this chair.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF GIFT

ACTUALLY, THE BEST KIND OF GIFT...
AS YOU can see, I have been posting with pictures of things I call “Gifts” – little surprises, butterflies, flowers, little moments that have stopped me in my tracks and made me smile and wonder at the beauty of it all. Well, on Wednesday, I got another gift, and it was a gift of the best kind. A gift that hugs! On my companion blog, http://onley-spots.blogspot.com/ , you can see the entire story. I won’t bore you with the whole thing here. What I will tell you is I got a phone call from our “Station Master” – otherwise known as the President of our tiny corporation “Society for the Preservation of the Onley Train Station” telling me that our local electric co-op was arriving to put in a new pole and hook us up for electricity. We had a volunteer, Tom Gonzalez do the prep work, install the big breaker box and meter box and outside connection wiring. Tom does the wiring for Habitat for Humanity around here… (Isn’t it great that there are so many wonderful people out there? We just have not met them all yet!) Anyway, I digress as usual. So I grabbed my camera, hopped in the van, and drove the half mile to the old train station. The guys were getting their trucks in position, and one guy was already in the bucket ready to go up to prepare the wires on the building for connection. I got off a few shots from the ground, then climbed the steps which another volunteer had fixed and attached to the building (Thanks Pat Morrison, Station Master) and prepared to get a closer shot of the guy clipping the wires. First shot taken, he looked down at me and called me by name! “Hey, how are you?” he asked. So we spoke a few more words to each other as my brain furiously worked to recognize any of the face – and there was not much of that I could see as it was in shadow, he was wearing sunglasses, a hard hat, and I had a feeling that I taught him YEARS ago… I strained to see the name on his jacket, but I could not see it for the bucket and his gear. He reminded me that I had taught him his freshman year in high school and he mentioned another student… my mind went racing back – what was that, 20 years ago? 25? I have lost track of who and when as well as names. I guess that happens if you teach long enough. So when I thought he was not looking, I quietly asked his boss what his name was. Virgil! It was Virgil! I taught only one kid named Virgil, and I will never forget him, but that was a few years ago. Sadly I do not remember any of his art work, but I do remember his personality. Here on the shore, Virgil was what people call “a mess.” Now if you are from away, just hang on tight. Being called “a mess,” especially when accompanied with a smile and a loving tone of voice is a compliment. It denotes someone who has a great sense of humor, is guaranteed to make you smile just by walking in the room, is probably trustworthy, and a lot of fun. He is the kind of kid that is just plain lovable without even trying to be. It is funny how kids expect you to remember them even after 30 years, they’ve grown a beard, lost their hair, gained 100 lbs, have grandchildren… not that that describes Virgil – just sayin’… they expect you to remember them even if they were only in the 2nd grade when you had them. I have no idea if Virgil has any hair or not – he was wearing a hardhat. He does have a beard – and it was a very bright sunny day, I think I was the only one who did not have sunglasses on. I have never gotten the hang of taking a picture thru sunglasses… anyway, Virgil got us all connected. Well, not by himself, of course, he had a delightful crew working with him. Truly, they were a nice bunch of guys. And today, we have electricity! But the best part of all, when he finally had his feet on the ground, I got the BEST hug I have had in a long while. In fact, I got several hugs. Maybe he was as happy to see me as I was to see him!

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE

Subtitle - did you put your socks on this morning?

A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
Everything in life is based on our own personal perspective. For example, what is the most important thing in your life right this minute? What is worrying you the most? The current national crisis? What you are going to have for lunch (dinner, breakfast,) the traffic, the weeds in your garden, your kid’s behavior lately, does he (she) still love me, the weather, the mirror, oh, the list goes on and on! If you live in hurricane territory, right this minute your obsession would be your safety and the safety of those you love, possibly your possessions, packing, getting out of (or back into) Dodge, and if there will be anything to come back to when Gustav (Hanna, Ike, whatever) is over. I doubt your first concern is McBush’s choice for VP or whether your lipstick color matches your dress.
Sitting here on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, we keep a close eye on the weather. If a bad storm is on its way, there is only one way off this peninsula, and there are a lot of people to get off this lump of sand, mud and clam shells. We don’t have 4 directions here, just up the road or down, and the down means across the 17 mile Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel which is very likely closed in any storm. Here we keep an emergency supply of food and water all year round as nor'easters can be as bad as hurricanes, and god forbid we should get snow or ice! A half an inch of snow will close the schools sometimes for a day or two, and a good ice storm can leave you in the dark for a week – and those are the good points!
But, putting major crisis aside, what is your most pressing problem right this minute? Or maybe an hour ago? Most of us just slide thru life with worries no greater than what do I want to fix for dinner or that I have to go out in the rain to feed the dog. Yet there are so many who wonder where they are going to get the food to feed their kids, let alone the dog, and sadly, there are those who don’t care. Sometimes life throws us a different set of problems, and it might be summed up in – were you able to put your own socks on today? Tie your shoes? Get your own cup of coffee?
About 2 weeks ago, well, I don’t know what hit me, but it hit me hard. For several days, being able to get up out of bed, in or out of a chair, get dressed, prepare a meal – those were all things that were simply beyond me. My back muscles totally locked up and the least little movement was met with excruciating pain. It would take 3 or 4 rings before I could manage to reach a phone that was actually within 2 feet of me. Add to that an intestinal flu that left me weak and dehydrated, and in still more pain, and you have the picture – or part of it, anyway.
Over this past week-end, however, I managed to put on my own socks with no help. Yesterday I put on my shoes and tied them. So, it has been on my mind for a while how we take doing the simplest things in life so for granted. I mean, do you think about it when you need to feed the dog or the cat? No, you just go and do it. I, on the other hand, had to sit here, rigid in my chair, while my baby food baby (Snuffy, the cat) would sit and stare those sad eyes at me with the obvious question – Mommy, where is my breakfast? Or listen while the outside cats cried at the back door because it was 10 AM and no one had gotten outside to feed them.
But, I am getting better, and that is a good thing, as we are watching the lower Atlantic as Hanna and Ike and who knows what else are swirling around and looking our way. At 25 feet above sea level on an 80 mile long peninsula, 2 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, 3 miles from the Chesapeake Bay, we keep a close eye on these things. Am I physically able to pack up, put the cats in the van and get out of here if I had to????? I am not sure. Not that I have ever evacuated before… but after Katrina, one looks at these things differently. So we wait and watch.

I have been visiting most of you, reading, but it has taken too much effort to comment. My patience has been in short supply since it takes all I have just to get the dumb things done - like brushing my teeth and, well, putting my socks on.
On the brighter side of things, the fall blooming season has started, so there is beauty to be seen from every window, as I am not yet up to walking around the yard. Plus, it is so dry, the flowers all look wilted close up. And I truly cannot get out there and water things right now. Fortunetely, I CAN feed and water the cats, and myself.

So, I will put on last year’s pics to share a few fall azaleas with every one. I never did get the lilies on. Oh well, too late now. azalea and beautyberry

COMMON SENSE

A friend sent this to me the other day. Even tho we all have probably seen this before, sadly, it bears rereading. Again, I must credit my grandmother for keeping me aware of Common Sense, because my mother and Common Sense were not even slightly acquainted. And so it goes...
Grandma introduced me to Mr. Common Sense early in my life and told me I would do well to call on him when making decisions. It seems he was always around in my early years but less and less as time passed by. Today I read his obituary. Please join me in a moment of silence in remembrance, for Common Sense served us all so well for so many generations.

Obituary

Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were lost long ago in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer an Aspirin, sun lotion or a bandaid to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. Duh. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. And say a prayer for all of us.

I-O, I-O, I KNOW, I KNOW

My friends....
I know I owe a lot of you answers to emails, etc.......... I really am not ignoring you, tho it does seem that way - I have been and am VERY BUSY right now. Kind of almost over-whelmed with STUFF - responsibilities at home, class work, papers to write, tests to take, family health issues keeping me up all hours, and the list goes on. I won't even mention grass that is not cut, weeds that have become permanent residents, and other things too numerous to mention. So, this is my apology......... I promise I will do better as soon as I can.
It is 8:30 AM - so far I have dinner in the crock pot (BBQ chicken), the gardens have been watered (Gabrielle stood us up), been to the ga$ $tation to get ga$ for the van and mower (wishful thinking), cleaned out 2 birdfeeders and refilled them - we got to Sam's (65 miles north) on Sunday and I got 2 boxes of the birds favorite seed - if you have never tried it - DO IT! Your birds will love you forever (and we won't even mention the squirrels), the animals have had their meds, clean water, food, birdbath scraped and refilled (Spook prefers this water to his bowl, yuck! so I try to keep the algae level down), van cleaned out, extra bird seed put away, trash out by the curb, kitty boxes cleaned out, dishes done, bed made, storm windows back down - today will be in the 90s... the A/C was already running when I got up at 4:30... I need to run the vac before I take my godson grocery shopping at 9:30... lets see, what did I forget? Well, I guess that is not too bad for an old lady. I will be 64 next week... where did the time go? But, as long as my wheelchair stays out in the barn, I am happy.
Just so I have time to get a shower before I go to church at noon.......
So, be patient with me. I have not forgotten you - I just do not have any time to read your blogs or answer you all right now. My apologies. Thanks!!!!

FIRSTS

Remember your first FIRSTS?

Grandchildren are great for reminding us of the simple pleasures in life, the joy of FIRSTS.

Remember your first day of First Grade? Your first time on a bike???? I think I can.............. YES!!! LOOK AT ME GOOOOOOOOOOO!

How about your first sandcastle?

Or even your first day at the beach?

It is so easy as we get older to forget those simple pleasures, those first joys of discovery. As I enter my old age, I must remember to find joy in life's simple things, the flowers that bloom in their season, the cat rolling over to show me how cute he is, the honk of the geese as they fly to a new pond.

I remember how temporary everything is and am grateful for the moment.

BIRTHDAY ADVICE

A friend sent this to me this morning........ Lots of good advice here. Since a very good friend of mine just turned 60, (I did that a few years ago) I thought I would pass this along to her and anyone else who might need a nudge!

Life is Good, by Regina Brett

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over-prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. ....Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read some good books. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, get dressed, and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.