Glad, Happy, Joyful

 Wednesday evening as we left the choir room and stepped outside, if we slowed for just a moment, there a choir of birds sat in the tree across from the church spilling their hearts out with songs they have sung all their lives. Maybe they were responding to our songs we practiced and sang because the choir had an exceptional night of picking up the new at least for this time around music of the Easter season. I stopped and listened to those delightful notes from those songsters across the way. They even added some choreography for the fun of it. Even here at the house the notes from birds has increased. The birds return as The Feral Fam decreases. 

Enjoyed my first book club meeting although I didn't like the book we read so much. The group all expressed mixed feelings but after discussion I liked it better. I used Good Reads for reviews to give me the pertinent info. One note of what we all picked up on, the mindset, guidelines, nay I say rules put on the 1950 through the early 1960s for women. When we discussed that we all had strong opinions on those rules and how they were typically enforced then reinforced. When I was a kid I worried about the getting my hair curled and fluffed and lacquered with hairspray once a week. I couldn't even think about it cause although I have spent a lifetime worried about my hair, I don't like to give hours and hours toward it. Really, we all know someone who has held onto those scripts from yesteryear and they don't hold much happiness to those who partake. They are required or so it seems to been seen a certain way, respond a certain way and keep those confining scripts in tact. Surely, they will come back in style. We talked about our next selection and we are going to read The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip. I just finished it and was my recommendation. Just realized that Mrs. Kip lived life during those same times but countered all of them by living a full, meaningful and at times somewhat difficult life. 

I missed Bible study but my signs unto me were popping up and I know when that happens to take it easy. So, that's what I did. 

We had very few snowflakes on our way to church on Sunday but it was really, really cold! Roy's UGG boots I ordered for him arrived on Saturday so he was able to wear those to church to keep his toes nice and warm. We get to go back into the congregation after the choir sings our anthem. So that is such a nice thing to add to the service. Love sitting with Roy for many reasons but one is, he keeps up with the note taking and I can grab a glance now and then to keep up. 

This cold snap has the best of both worlds. It is a short snap and the snow that fell didn't really stick. The roads were a problem until they were sanded or salted. I sat in our front bedroom and watched the snow whirling and dancing down to earth yesterday afternoon. I also finished reading The Correspondent. I really liked it and reminded me of my friend Beth. We have known each other since the 6th grade and once we graduated from high school our lives were on different paths but we wrote to each other earnestly and faithfully. We discussed many  issues, joys, problems and things that were difficult to understand. I kept all those letters and only culled through them when moving. Now, we don't keep in touch that often but I know we could pick up right where we left off. 

Last night after choir, I didn't stop to listen for the birds. That's okay other good happenings were going on in those few minutes from the door to the car. Choir practice felt hard last night but that is due to the fact I don't sight read and depend on hearing notes. With several new to me songs I listened more than sang. Also, the voice was raspy and the notes, high. The whole raspy voice thing has to do with tiredness and heart issues. Just like a sore throat is a sign unto me, I am pushing it and it would be for the best to step back inside those parameters. 

We are happy that LSU WBB won against Tenn last night. I was glad to talk with Peggy for about an hour last night. Serious conversation with more silliness conversations being in the majority. I am joyful over our study of Mark 13 yesterday at Bible study. 

Procrastination

Today, is one of those days that I take the time to remember. Recent events and some so very far in the past. Yesterday, I did something I usually do not do, I watched several hours of TV. The combo of LSU Baseball and Seinfeld reruns. I watch in snippets not having the attention span for several hours. 

I had seen on FB that the baseball fields in Westbury Little League were dedicating plaques and such for the 1966 Westbury Little League team that won the LLWS. One of the boys on the team lived next door and another one lived around the corner. The boy next door is a Dr, Chiropractor, and I think he still has a practice although he is probably in his early seventies. As I looked through the pictures I saw names of boys who I had gone to elementary school with. Growing up next door to one of the boys was not easy. My father was always at odds with them over using our front yard as part of a football field. My mother was jealous of the mom who lived there. Beautiful and very thin. If my father talked to her or talked about her, my mom was not too happy over that. It seems to me that the father might have been an alcoholic but memory does not serve me there. It also seems that were problems between the next door mom and dad, but I was too young to know. My goal was to keep out of sight and away from any confrontations with the two sons. They always had water balloons. Ugh! As I looked at the pics from the weekend it led me to looking up the obituaries of the mom, dad and daughter. I don't remember them being particularly religious and it was evident in the obituaries. Suddenly, the people who had been the bane of existence in childhood felt like a heavy load. I don't remember inviting them to church, they would probably bring water balloons 😇. Even after being in high school and no longer nervous over a surprise sprinkling or deluge, no longer running in the same circle of friends, my father put up a hedge between the houses. I just looked up the address and that hedge is still there but not serving in the original purpose. Another thing I noticed with the pics and comments from long ago neighbors, some still run with a lot of bitterness. Some thought it was a high school reunion type thing that only the popular kids got invited to. Several years ago I posted some volleyball pics from back in my senior year and a long time schoolmate took umbrage with me that she didn't play in games and had to do scrub team work but I wouldn't know about that cause I played. I responded to her comment that I never felt secure in my position with the team because the coach didn't like me and she appealed to another girl on the team to lose weight to be able to take my place. I did dress out and was on varsity all three years, but I didn't know from year to year what my status would be. I did know in high school my status was not cool kid and I got over the desire to aspire to that "high calling" rather early in life. Happily even now living as a nerd with traits of dorkiness. 

With a false spring week we are taking advantage. Got the water filter cleaned and little things here and there that have needed attention are getting attention. Roy got the last of the remnants from the weeklong stay from some of those who took advantage of the Inn on the Catmore Estate. Roy loaded up the truck with stuff for Habitat and a little later I'll do some sweeping up on the back porch.  

We had a choir party on the 8th after church at the pastor's home. It was great! Last Friday The Travelers group from church went to Pig and Grits in Burnsville, one of our favorite restaurants. WE enjoyed lunching with friends. Roy and I made a quick visit to The Find. Always such fun to look at everything. While I am not actively trying to acquire things I did see a couple of tempting sheep things. I have enough. I find myself in a vase, candle and tapers season. 

I am de-crystalizing honey this afternoon. I have joined Roy in a hot tea season and using honey, local honey as a sweetener. Some of it has crystalized so finding out microwaving would lose nutrients and such, I am doing the warm water bath on the honey. Making progress. Roy has gone to his first appointment with our new doctor. Roy put us on a waiting list in August and we did a meet and greet last Monday. We've filled out all the paperwork for the process. I asked for an appointment in March cause I want to get some of the weight I gained over the holidays lost.  Just heard from Roy and he is really pleased with the doctor and staff. Yay! 

This morning, well actually I knew last night, I was getting all the "let this be a sign unto you, Nancy" to step back and rest. I missed Bible study this morning but it is always about keeping in my parameters. So, it has been a laid back day. Did get a few things done. I miss studying together but book group will be fun. 

This has taken some time to finally get ready to be posted. Sometimes when I write about those long ago times that were pretty darn tough to maneuver through I think about a whole bunch of stuff. One thing is, in junior high school, That says enough right there, but every once in a while my father would tell me to go over to this neighbor girl's home. Ha, he said he was worried I would never make friends yet he devoted a lot of time trying to usurp any confidence that I had to make friends. Lots of times I'd just go outside for a while cause even though that neighborhood girl that went to school with me was the biggest drug dealer at school. Her nerdy looks covered for her. Now if she dressed like a hippie they would have taken care of that in a heartbeat. I can't even remember her name, maybe Linda or something but they finally figured out she was the one dealing the drugs. 

While Searching for Sweatpants

 When those winter storms arrive and leave, then a little bitty snow and ice come back for the brief visit, when Bible study is cancelled and one doesn't really want to clean baseboards and such, you find some namby pamby project. Today, I searched for another pair of sweatpants but I remember a couple of years ago I gave them to Goodwill cause it was never cold enough to wear them. I was hoping to find at least one more pair in a chest of drawers we only use for putting the TV on in the bonus room. Nope but I found a mesh storage bag that holds a lot of memories. 

Back in 2014 Roy gave me a month in Asheville for my birthday and it was also time to look for a home to purchase. In all the joy I experienced that month hunting for homes, using my pass to Biltmore and sight seeing throughout the area, there was a bit of trembling, not a chaotic storm brewing until overflow, but my father threatening me to come right now to pick up around eight boxes of things my mom wanted me to have as well as somethings that were mine from childhood. He sent threatening letters and threats to our home in Houston. Now in hindsight because of the "flying monkey" I see he knew I wasn't in Houston, thus the all out all hands on deck attack. He mentioned the plates my mom had promised me and that was the hook. When we were served  with documents severing the relationship with him in 2012, we took him at his word and acted thusly. He tried multiple times to get us to interact with him again. No, my chains were gone, I'd been set free. We had friends who volunteered to get the boxes but after returning back to Houston, I met a friend of his at a shopping mall parking lot. A lot of a mall that almost abandoned. No attention grabbing of course. She in a Jaguar and I in a Toyota Sequoia. She gave me the boxes. I opened the boxes in the garage once I got home and I'm so glad because for the most part those boxes were filled with garbage, odds and ends and boxes they didn't unpack when my parents moved back to Houston from Georgetown. No plates because he had given them to my brother.(my brother gave them to me later) I cried some hard tears and then I was mad that he had gotten me like that. Although, in the midst of these boxes were some important papers concerning my mom but there were important memories with my mom and my grandmother. That is what I stumbled upon yesterday while looking for sweatpants. 

My grandparents served at Mound Chapel for many years. My mom grew up in that church. My grandfather was the superintendent of Sunday School for many years in the 1940-1950's. On a whim, I Googled up the church and it is still there and still serving, although an older congregation. A woman made a comment on one of the pictures about growing up there and she referred to someone by the name of Corky. My mom had a friend named Corky. I messaged the lady and she responded. Wrong Corky but she knew my mom from church. Wow! We exchanged a few pleasantries but like me has moved away from the area of that long ago time. She remembered my grandmother too and she loved her. How could you not? My grandma was one of the best!  

I wrote down yesterday afternoon the times these battles and assaults happened and now so obvious, he was getting information from the flying monkey. He once said to my brother, the flying monkey was his best customer. 

We are still in our WWII mindset here. Not us fighting like WWII but watching documentaries. We watched a couple at lunch time and we made delicious fajitas. 

It is a very cold day and the wind chills are fierce. We have a warm up week ahead and for this we are thankful. Looks like nothing weather wise will impede getting to go to church. 

RoyNan of the Cold

 Well, it is a surprise to see it snowing on this very cold Sunday morning. The flakes are small and the ever so often gusts create quite the stir of snow from fir trees and roofs. This has been an unusual storm and cannot recall in the recent past for this rather consistent snow fall. You can barely see the road out front even after snow plows slightly cleared a path. Seems to be a salt shortage throughout the state and it is reserved for emergency situations. I don't think cabin fever is an emergency to the EMS or sheriffs. I don't have cabin fever but looking at social media cabin fever is catching and the cures for it are closed due to the snow and ice. It's a dangerous circle. The sun has broken through and it is a joy to welcome the sun back. It will melt some of the snow. We don't get above freezing today and it will form as ice when the sun goes down. 

The Boys and The Siblings must have cabin fever. A couple of normal cat relationships are on thin ice...ha! It is mainly Chubola and she has been stalking her long time cousin GMoey and he happens to be the alpha cat. The past few days it has been a bit fragile and hissing is involved. All six are asleep as well as the head cat herder, Roy. He and I stayed up in shifts last night. Our upstairs HVAC is sub par to say the least. We should have changed it out before he retired. It runs and never shuts off and goes into emergency heat setting way too much. So after experimenting with a couple of space heaters strategically placed, one in the bonus room and the other at the opposite end of the hall. We do not feel comfortable about going to sleep with them on. Roy took the first watch. I relieved him at 1:00 am and then he replaced me at 4:00. With the low of 5 degrees and dripping faucets and running the dishwasher at 1:30am, we made it through a very cold night. 

During my overnight shift I finished The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip. I've written before that I don't usually read Christian fiction, cause that seems like an oxymoron but this was a very good and engaging read. There is a lot of reasons why I loved this story but one thing that stood out is, the ending wasn't put in a box with a happy red bow on top. The story resolves of course but there are several lives we come to know and we don't quite know the end their end result. Great use of sentence prayers in the character's lives and dying to ourselves daily. One week, the end of life for Mrs. Kip and how her influence even there in hospice was used by the Lord. A couple of times I had to stop because the thoughts of my mom came rushing in and where my father put my mother for those last few hours verses where he passed under luxurious hospice care. I also remembered my last time I saw her, so fragile and translucent. I sat there and told her what a wonderful mother she had been, reminded her of a few funny stories and when I kissed her on her cheek, she puckered her lips and made kissing noises. I will not describe the conditions he left her in but I will say the room she was in was like a group passing thing. It was horrible for all the families involved but he could have chosen better. He could afford it ten times over and still have that loot he had treasured. No, he loved money more than he loved her. 

There is a therapist and author on social media, I've mentioned before, that puts these unthinkable situations one endures with a narcissist in perspective. One piece she has put into place for me is the dominant narcissist needing a flying monkey. The flying monkey is usually the heir apparent to keep abuse going to and for the next generation. Until recently, I had not known about the role of the flying monkey. I have a revised point of view on the April-ish 2024 thing and the end results of choices and decisions being made. The flying monkey has info sourced from my father that are blatantly lies and bits and pieces of stories he fashioned together to match his narrative of lies and fascinating foolery, that is to the uninformed. So, the flying monkey was paid to keep an ongoing legacy going. I will say once again, I don't care. They all worked for their money and I didn't have to and my reward, peace of mind and peace of heart. Truly, a gift from the Lord. In reading the book, Mrs. Kip, original thought here, it helped me process through those things with answers that make sense to all that happened in 2024. I'm at rest with it and have peace therefore there is the joy in that I will never have to talk to the flying monkey again.

We did another night shift thing Sunday into Monday morning. I started the book club February choice, The Mad Wife. I'm just getting into it. 

We lost power this morning and the Duke crew hope to have everything up and running by 11:00 am. A little over a thousand are affected. At 11:07, we were back in business. It would be nice if we could have a little more sun to warm things up. Then melt, then refreeze tonight. It doesn't look like we are going to get above 32 today. Tomorrow brings hope of more of a thaw. 

Snow Day!

 With the roads dry enough the sights and sounds of our busy road are back. As both Roy and I were up early this morning, we saw lots of firetruck and police lights on the corner around 4:30 am. With the temps being so low last night we wanted to make sure everything temp and water pipe wise were going well. I see naps in our future because we checked on things in shifts. We are finally above freezing and it is nearly two in the afternoon. Oh, I hate to see our electric bill these next two cycles. 

I am into the ballet this afternoon on Reels. My goodness, so beautiful. My friend Marti was a dancer in the George Balanchine company in NYC. Over the years I have been to a couple of ballets with her and her description of the work and all the creativity of dance mesmerized me. Our friend Jennifer bid on tickets to Swan Lake complete with dinner and she won. Four of us went to see Swan Lake. We sat in a side box with a serving area behind the curtain. We ate, pulled the curtain to sit in the seats and at intermission we went back to the serving area for dessert and coffee. We had our own bathroom and we lacked for nothing. It was my first time to go to a ballet other than recitals at a dance school. My first experience ruined me to ever want to go by just purchasing a ticket. My time as a trained dancer was very short because I didn't have the attention span to learn along with the details that are required but that same short attention span got hyper focused when it came to softball or volleyball. We each have our talents and interests. But after one hangs up ballet shoes or softball cleats, we still have the aches and pains from giving our chosen endeavor all we could. 

The don't expect too much storm this weekend forecast has changed and we might have a good amount with freezing temps in place. I've had to wear my heavy winter coats the past few days. It has been awhile since those have been taken out of the closet. Yesterday, we took both vehicles into Weaverville to shop. Then Roy went home and I went to choir practice. The store was crowded but everyone treated others with some patience. We are all there for the same thing, to restock and get ready for the next storm. I went back today after Bible study. We needed another container of chicken salad as well as more pineapple. The store was crowded but everyone was on their best behavior. All the stuff we needed was on the first two aisles and a checkout opened just as I turned the corner. So, it wasn't stressful. 

I just saw that Catharine O'Hara passed away today. She was 71. Most know her from Home Alone or Schitt"s Creek but Roy and I watched her on SCTV in the early 80's. Being much younger then we would watch SNL and then SCTV and still get up early and go to church. Her characters were so over the top and I loved how she delivered her lines. I remember my favorites being teaching English as a second language and her many characters on game shows. Wow! This is a shocker. She is already missed by so many and watching some of the clips more poignant. 

******

Snow! Snow Day! Snow this morning and tapering off this afternoon. We do not get above freezing until Monday sometime. It's beautiful to watch this morning. Thinking of going upstairs to get that view. I've seen only one truck on the road this morning. Road...that can't be seen. No snow plows or anything on major and secondary roads. Might be waiting for the snow to be over. We did see a snow plow earlier but the work was in vain cause the road is covered again. It is so quiet outdoors when it snows. One lone  ATV passes by occasionally and the kids one house over have been sledding down their driveway. 

Officially, no church tomorrow.  The temps will be brutal on top of everything else. This is one of those storms that people will talk about in the future. Surely the biggest one I have been in since moving here. 

The Day After the Storm

 This morning the update is slick roads with an icy sheen. About an hour ago a car slid off on our side the road. Good thing it wasn't the other because there is a drop off. The guy finally got his car righted and slowly proceeded. Hope he has a good reason and a clean pair of underwear for whenever he arrives. From the general consensus of all the weather forecasts seem to indicate we had more sleet than frozen rain. Some say we will have another round later in the morning but who knows who we are to believe. We are thrilled that we haven't had too much frozen rain but others are upset at the weather people. The big picture is, it could have been a lot worse and people would be upset if the forecasters said, no big deal. That kind of happened for Helene. Our neighbor above us texted me a little bit ago and the text was cleverly designed as a check on your elderly neighbors text. Don't mind that one bit and we usually have a few laughs along the way. This morning was no exception. We both decided reading took precedence over cleaning baseboards and such. I am also trying to stay out of the kitchen where most accidents happen in the home. Hey, for safety reasons. 

Our pot roast in the slow cooker was delicious and I am sure it will be delicious for lunch today, too. I used the Kinder Pot Roast spices this time but still use ale for part of the flavoring process. Included lots of carrots. 

It has been a while since reading two good, interesting books in a row. Family of Spies, off the chart good and now I am reading fiction and at the other end of the spectrum from spying. Of course the title alludes me right now and I'd have to go upstairs to find the book. Probably I would pick it up and start reading then go onto something else totally forgetting to return to the computer and report the title. Such is life with an ADHD brain. This January I have been reading a lot about my brain and yes, I do have one. It's probably upstairs with my book. There are a lot of good qualities that outweigh procrastination and not much of an attention span when it comes to things one doesn't really love. 

We are above freezing with still some sleet coming down at times. Roy is prepping just in case the FCC truck comes to pick up the trash tomorrow. No official word but the county schools have already released the statement, no school tomorrow. The next two days hold wind and single digit temps. I've seen several reels showing tree limbs snapping from the ice in Middle Tenn. Well, just looked up the official word for trash, on a one day delay cause the landfill won't be open tomorrow. When ice and snow are on the scene the world gets so quiet. Life slows down. The three to four hour window of reprieve gets the restless or the shoppers out on the road. 

Now it is Monday morning, the morning after the weekend. A gentle snow is falling with the sun trying to peek through the overcast sky. Think the high today is in the 20's. Most everything that can close, has closed for the day. Our area north of the city didn't see as much ice as others. We mainly had sleet. The pictures of damage in Oxford MS and Nashville TN is devastating. Our gentle snow is still falling but the sun is keeping it in check. 

Calm Before the Storm

 It is the calm before the storm. Preparation time. Go out and take care of things before the ice storm Fern makes her appearance. I will add this Fern to the Ferns I have known in life. At our condos there was a group of older women that spent every waking sunlight hour sitting by the pool. I was much younger back then and went out a couple of times but Fern kind of camped out at the pool to corner you in conversation. Not random either, she had picked her topic and most of the times her topics weren't that interesting to me. What was funny is the ladies reading their spicy books while they tanned and I could always tell when there were reading a "hot" page cause their feet were moving ninety to nothing. The other Fern I can remember is Miss Fern from the movie The Bad Seed. We put an offer in on a house near Balsam Mountain, thank you Lord someone outbid us, and the road the house is on, Fern Trail. Now Fern the ice storm is traveling across the country. 

This morning we went to Publix not to panic buy but to do our regular pickups for the weekend. Fruit, chicken salad, bakery bread as per usual and cat food. The only thing we bought that is different, a couple of gallons of spring water. We got there a little after 9:00 and shelves were restocked and checkout lines regular like. After we checked out and started putting things in the car, the parking lot was going a bit crazy as it was near 10:00 am. 

For lunch today I had Southern Baked Pie's tomato pie, mini version and it was very good. Delicious! I will order again. We got the petite apple pie with salted caramel as well. I took a couple of bites...oh my goodness, so good. 

It is now Saturday and I just finished up the leftover tomato pie, think little chicken pot pie size, and a couple of bites of the apple pie. The choices when I bake the rest, taco, roast beef and chicken. Have a pot roast in the slow cooker and snacks for ice storms. Nah, it's just the regular snacks we keep around the house.

So now, we sit and wait. Prepare and then hope. I love that the Lord has experience in storms of various kinds. So, it's good to trust Him with this.