A Day Without

Sniff, sniff.  Monday I took my sewing machine in for repairs.  It would not, well, I am challenged to describe it since the machine has a type of hard drive.  Using a slightly modified phrase describing some people that are not quite all there, the lights were on but the system could not find home.  The motor to raise and lower the presser foot had quit working.  Not on warranty so I have the pleasure of paying the total bill.

So there have been several days without one of my favorite toys, my sewing machine.  I did use the time to finish cutting out 20 more bags.  Also, pieces were fused together for two additional bags bringing the total to 75 bags.  Today I spent time attempting to "block" a shawl.  I'll see how that works to keep the edges from rolling.

Gene went for some time at the gym.  Usually my preferred time to vacuum and clean the hard surface floors is while he is out of the house.  After vacuuming for some reason I decided to really scrub the kitchen floor.  Oh, good grief why did I think that would be a good idea.  Yes, the floor was needing a good, deep cleaning.  I gave out after scrubbing by hand using a 2 inch brush about a 6' x 10' area.

I am now sitting with a heating pad on the shoulder of the arm primarily used in the scrubbing.  It will be a goal in the future to make certain my toys are in working order.  And I will be looking for a mechanized scrubber.

Sometime I Should Be Arrested

The assignment or challenge for the week from Gretchen's Spin Cycle is 'sometime'.  Sometime pop over to Second Blooming to read other's take on sometimes.


I awoke this morning with the word on my mind and wondering how I might approach the subject.  Sometimes I think too much.  Sometimes I simply do not think at all, usually just before I say something stupid or hurtful.

Sometimes the day before this retired person seems full of promise of fun or lunch with a friend.  Sometimes the days are an abyss of laundry, vacuuming or dirty toilets.  Sometimes the days are preplanned, commitment filled crowed shopping days.

Sometimes I think about really awful things I have done.  Like when this one guy at work would not shut up about George Wallace and his outstanding character.  Sometimes other people need to learn to shut their traps around me when I ask them to do so.  It took three or four men, strong men to pull me off Tim that day.  Sometimes I should have been arrested or at least fired.  Sometimes, that time, enough other people shared my view and nothing happened.

Sometimes I think about just filling in the small pond in my back yard.  Sometimes I do not want anything but cold cereal for meals for several days.  Sometimes I think I will go on a weight reduction plan.  Sometimes I actually have.

Sometimes I have really great ideas.  Sometimes the plans are carried through.  Sometimes I think about the virgin birth.  Sometimes I think about the cross.  Sometimes I will think about the weighty ideas of creation.  Then sometimes my mind is consumed about which is the best dental floss.

Sugarcoating

A wet snow fell during the night.

It has left our world

sugarcoated.

 

 

 

perfect

once i sought perfection in everything

 

now

 

i choose to be perfectly happy



Vacation Dreams

Saskatchewan wheat fields

This week's Spin assignment is dream vacations.  My first thought was I have done most of my dream vacations.  That is the thing about being a 66 year old woman married for almost 46 years to my 72 year old husband.    I made sure through the years we took vacations to places in the States.  We have travelled into parts of Canada.  Several of the trips were four weeks or longer.  About half included tent camping and all were road trips.  We have visited 46 of the 50 states.




Mt. Kidd, Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, as viewed from our room.

Lake Louise, Alberta Canada, as viewed from an overlook about 800' above the lake.




Split Rock State Park, Wyoming, USA

Since a vacation would include Gene, I posed the question to him at breakfast this morning.   His first response was, "some safe places in Africa.  Australia and Thailand."  Eventually he came up with Ireland and England.  Wow!  Guess I had best start saving some air miles as we will not be driving to any of those locations.

Wildflowers, Yellowstone Nat'l Park, USA

  My Vacation Dreams   The British Isles and Northern Europe by train.  As long as I'm there, might as well see Switzerland, France, Italy and Spain.   There was a time I longed for  a Mediterranean cruise. But with recent cruise ship disasters, I am thinking, 'what's the use'.   At this point in life I have more memories than dreams. It's been there, done that The t-shirts have rotted at the seams!

 

Harvest moon on Cape Cod, 2005




 

Cabin in Acadia Nat'l Park, Maine, 2005



Humpbacks off Cape Cod, 2005.

Roadside near Bar Harbor, Maine.

     You will probably enjoy visiting some of the other dreamer's vacation places over at Gretchen's Spin Cycle.       

Looking across to valley from Signal Mountain, Grand Teton Nat'l Park, USA

Just Winter

Icicles hang like teeth from shingles

Icy dentures with a biting breath.

All of the day's meetings were cancelled.  That has given me not one but two days to do something besides sitting in a meeting.  Or getting ready to host a meeting at my home.  Now I am faced with attempting to accomplish something.  I do not especially want to accomplish anything.  That makes me pretty much worthless.  Why not learn to knit or crochet?  Don't wanna.  Sewing, maybe?  Possibly reading a book would be a meaningful use of time.  I really just want to channel surf and dream of far away, exotic places.

So, Winter's icy teeth



Are but pictures framed by my windows.

Researching RAM

Why is my RAM running so full?

  74%.  

Have the Chinese invaded my computer

 to use it for some ulterior motive?  

Oh, no.  

This is it.  

I must be unwittingly helping the Chinese 

overthrow our monetary system.  

Sake's alive.

So, too much "stuff" running 

in the background.

And I hardly move at all!

Confession of a Sinner

This early morning was spent cutting out 12 bags to be sewn and given to women living in a shelter for abused women.  Next the prayer cards for the Mission Blitz were modified and forwarded to the person for printing.   An article for the church newsletter was sent via email.  A handout for our UMW for newcomers was completed and ready for publishing tomorrow.  The list of needed items for the abused women was printed for distribution to the women's circles.

Finally it was time to shower, dress and arrive at the church nursery in time to care for Brody.  Brody is a precious little toddler that is so sad to be away from his parents.  I volunteer in the nursery only about once a month.  But when there is a child that needs some special care to become comfortable with the nursery I will go in for about three or four Sundays straight.  That is usually enough time to help the child begin to feel comfortable.

This was my third week with Brody.  I have committed to two more Sundays as Brody is not ready to stand on his own.  What a sweet little child.  He hardly cried at all this week as we watched birds and felt the chilly breeze coming in a slightly open window.  He even smiled and played catch with children and workers while he remained safely in my arms.  Yes, a couple more weeks should have him managing very well.

After attending a thank you luncheon for nursery volunteers we came home and dressed down for the remainder of the day.   Gene settled in with his laptop.   A call from Gene's niece updating on Ken who is in the hospital with double pneumonia, left the rest of the day open.  Grabbing my new Valentine gift, I began streaming a little movie on Netflix.

'That's What I Am' is based on true events.  It is set in a junior high school in 1965.  Once my anal mind got passed the incorrect autos and bikes for the era, I was sucked into the story.  The story is about a 12 year old 'A' team type paired with a very tall, red-haired, big ears boy on a project.  No spoiler alert here as I will tell you no more.  I enjoyed the movie and Ed Harris' portrayal of the teacher that paired the young boys.

This story brought back to me one of my worst memories.  Let me say that in my teen years I was on a good day at best a bench warmer of the "B" teams of whatever.  I was overweight, bookish and very homely.  And this is not an exaggeration.  My hook nose along with the protruding chin gained me the nickname of parrot.  One would think I would have had compassion on the others of my same social level. 

Bobby Hamby was a freshman.  He and his older sister were disliked by the 'A' team in Allen, TX.  I would always speak to Bobby cause I could see no problem with him.  The high school had fewer than 80 students.  How the heck can there be an 'A' team with a school that small?  But intolerance knows no size, it has no sensibility.  And this is where confession starts.  Bobby was being bullied by the guys in my class.  They literally had him on the ground beating him.  I walked over and did the unthinkable.  I kicked Bobby.  The look Bobby gave me was not of fear but understanding.  The 'A' team had let me in for a few moments and he understood.

I have sinned many times over in my life.  That one kick is my sin of sins.  And Bobby's look?  A look surely close to that of Jesus on the cross looking on Peter.  And that is just one more reason I will go back next week to hold Brody.

     

Updating stuff

We have been updating some of our furniture.  Gene's old recliner was so big, we would have to move it out of the room to have room for extra chairs for gatherings.  In addition, we had given our son a hand made rocker last year.  We took it down with us on the Jeep, sort of like Beverly Hillbillies style.  John Roger was mortified to think we had pulled up to the Adolphus hotel with a rocker strapped on top.

We did not have the rocker on top but under a tarp on the hook 'em up device.  The device is a trailer hitch cargo hauler.  We let John Roger believe the rocker on top for a while because we just mess with him some.  He came to visit during his internship during grad school.  We convinced him he kept us awake with his snoring. 

There was the time my folks were visiting.  My dad always joked that his teeth came from the undertaker.  Daddy and I had thirteen year old John Roger convinced Granddad had used teeth.  My mom told him the truth. 

Anyway, we are sitting in our new chairs enjoying a fire.  Women are coming on Thursday and I will not have to re arrange the room.  No kidding.

love

love is neither loud nor noisy

just a lower case quiet, calm joy

Join the other love struck folks at the spin cycle.

Password Protected

Yesterday my wonderful husband surprised me with a new Dell XPS 10 tablet.  He said it was to assist me with my presentations for the various groups to which I belong.  I was very pleased with the new device but full of trepidation knowing what the setup of applications held for me.  At 3 A.M. I finally went to bed.  I had spent about 8 hours attempting to get all my applications to run on this new device.  I may need to be re-baptized after all the words I used toward said applications.

Passwords are the bane of my existence at this point in life.  Due to identify theft issues each application should have a unique password.  It takes a password protected Excel spreadsheet on a non internet connected device to keep up with all of the passwords.  I use due diligence and attempt to follow the guidelines for "strong" passwords.

In spite of all this, I have had my email and this blog hacked.  Yesterday we received a bogus $1500 check.  We suspect a posting on craigslist was the root of the contact.  Gene answered an email that probably should have been ignored.  But maybe with the check and the email address the crumb of a person can be found.

And then getting signed up for each application on a new device requires more time than buying a gun at a gun show!  I mean really.

Pop on over to Gretchen's Spin Cycle for more complaining and venting as this weeks subject is "pet peeves".  

PS:  I could not use my device this morning until I opened my password protected spreadsheet to get the password to open the tablet.  I will get better in a couple of days.  Not the device but the brain of the device user at fault!