Mid August and Heading For the Homestretch

 Good morning. Our week has held some much welcomed rain and in our little area with very little of the storms passing through. The rain has kept Mike from mowing and he began yesterday after the heavens opened with a good rainstorm. Too wet to continue. Hopefully, he will be back today. The green is really green and the contrast to the sky makes for one beautiful view. 

Our little number 6, better known now as Chubola, is making those in her timing changes wanting to be petted. Each of these cats are different but when Chubola or Willie make a move toward being a family pet rather than a feral cat being inside the house it is welcomed. Willie spends more time downstairs on one of the chairs at the kitchen table. It's metal so cool for a long haired cat and it gives a great vantage point of the backyard as well as the kitchen and family room. Chubola is more interested in treat time so she watches when Roy goes upstairs cause the likelihood of treats in the bonus room go up. Buster and Mr Mo spend time with me more than the others. Buster likes to nap beside me while I read or nap. 

Monday morning I braved the early morning fog to my appointment for bloodwork. My doctor appointment was on Wednesday morning but not such an ungodly hour. We changed doctors this year so this was my first official "real" appointment for a checkup. Overall it was a good appointment, with improvements but I also encountered a few surprises that were not anticipated. In fact I am trying to get settled with I need to do and mark out appointments for the next few months. I am still processing and have yet to journal it all out and until I do, I won't have updates or news for those who ask. I have to come to the conclusion, well in process, that when you are younger and an issue pops up, you do the things to take care of it, you get better and you move on. Now, issues pop up, you take care of them the best way possible as an older one, but it might create several more issues that need attention. Maybe people think we don't have enough to keep us occupied so we get occupied with health or the lack thereof. Our personality, our minds and of course the bodies get caught up in a new identity, saying in the best cartoon voice, " I've been sick." Thinking it over, whether it be dental or medical or eye exam, it's all an adventure and I will take the ride as long as possible. The best timing of all, my new journal okay journals have arrived ready for rumination and processing. I do know this, that competitive spark in me reignited Wednesday morning. It has been a while. 

Our blackberries are just about finished, plums are ripening and tomatoes are still producing well. Roy has done such a great job. Roy went to Windy Hill Farm this morning to get peaches, red and yellow bell peppers. We have apples but neither one of us have checked them. Waiting for the grass to be mowed. We do need to have someone come and take out some overgrown areas that are difficult to get to. And the rain held off this afternoon so Mike was able to do a large part of the work today. So thrilled to see him this afternoon. Roy did check the apples and the birds have eaten most of them. That's good cause we don't do all the stuff you need to do to have a good apple crop.

I have yet to start the book club book and that is looking likely starting tomorrow. I am finishing up a book where the writer is related to the professional criminal but never knew him. He wrote the book after interviews with his great uncle in prison and those who knew him as he rose through the ranks. Almost finished with it. The book is Blood Relative, written in 2015. 

Now this journaling worthy, I bought items to put together as a project. First, I began the project and second, even though it is not turning out how I pictured it, I continue onward with it. That is the huge step, the stuff came out of the boxes and I worked on the project. Trying to overcome some ADHD brain antics. 

It has taken a year but the first Beth Moore reference in Bible study happened this week at the Presbyterian Church. It has been refreshing only because at my former church someone told a fib saying she and I were best friends and she didn't make a decision without my help. Hahahahahahaha! Let's see, not finished sarcastically laughing hahahahahahahahaha! I spent a lot of time undoing that fib. This week we read her poem on pride, which is very good. 

Roy is bringing home lunch and I need to finish up laundry. Just fed the kittos so nap time will be coming up.  Hmmm....maybe I should follow their lead. 

Bug, Birthday and Blessing

 Well, it happened. I was standing near the remaining blackberries that needed to be picked. Roy said something funny and I opened my mouth and laughed, then something larger than a gnat but smaller than a fly flew into my mouth. Shocked, yes, and swallowed, yuck! It kind of got stuck in my throat and with this dilemma, I ran to the garage spitting loogies as I went and got a bottle of lemonade. Didn't help, so I went in the house, ate a few cookies, drank the rest of the lemonade and then threw up just a little. Enough to get the bug and yes, I made it to the bathroom to deposit said bug out of my system. Meanwhile, Roy had gone into the yard to pick plums. I'm reminded of a song from childhood;

There was an old woman who swallowed a fly,
I don't know why she swallowed a fly,

Thank goodness I didn't swallow a fly. I did learn something in all of this, I am a pretty good spitter. Yes, just another one of those womanly arts....mastered.

I am another year older today. So thankful cause there were days I didn't think I'd make it to live this long. In 2008, said five years, ten is I was lucky and I am going on eighteen years this year. God is so good! I woke up after midnight because my toes were cramping...hmmm didn't I just read something the other day about this? I stirred enough to wake up Roy which is a difficult task after midnight. He started singing Happy Birthday to me, with his mouth guard on. Ah, melodious and off key but beautiful. By choice today is an ease into the day kind of day. Even got a birthday nap in cause I didn't have a good sleep night. 

In our Circle Joy yesterday we studied about rejoicing, joy and giving thanks. So I welcome along with cramped toes, a little bit of dizziness, and hearing aides, these wonderful blessings of ageing out of several things. The biggest one, jury duty. Yeah, I'm less than stellar of wanting to do that. I did have Fort Bend jury duty once and the case was settled before they called jurors. So the judge feeling some civic responsibility didn't let us leave right then and there, no he gave us a history lesson which really was very interesting. Just about at colonoscopies and mammograms age out age. The lesson yesterday was great and such lively discussion and sharing. The homework ended with Habakkuk 3, even though, yet and feet like hinds feet like a deer on the mountains.    

Here in the midst of summer when one tires a bit of the enthusiasm one experiences at the beginning of spring, you have to keep taking care of everything even though you'd just like to sit inside. We were out in the evening and it had cooled off tremendously. Roy watered the tomatoes and some of the flowerbeds. He pulled more vine from hell off of shrubs and then we felt the little bitty drops of rain. We closed up shop and in short order the rain fell and fell at a good pace. Told him he had primed the pump to get that rain to come on down. 

Our American Plums are doing so well. We got out there this afternoon since Mike came by and mowed to pick plums and tomatoes. We got so involved with harvesting I totally lost track of time and realized too late I wouldn't make it in time for choir. We've not been able to get out there or in the backyard to kill Japanese Beetles and to dead head roses and such. Cut back the wild blackberries. 

I am looking forward to this next year of conquering challenges and finding contentment in ordinary days. It is the best! 

Gruntled

I learned something wonderful Sunday at church. Our pastor asked us if we were gruntled. Now, immediately, I thought, nah, there isn't such a thing. We hear about disgruntled and usually the descriptive after that word is postal worker. Gruntled is a word and one that has been used for a very long time. The word gruntled means, pleased, happy, satisfied. Who knew? It is the right word that I have been looking for the past couple of weeks. We've talked several times over the past few weeks about being content. We have actually been experiencing that. How can one not be happy living in such a beautiful area with mountains surrounding our valley? So you might say, how is gruntled used in a sermon? Glad you asked, well kind of asked. We are in the book of John and looking at the first chapter, with an emphasis on John the Baptist. John was so gruntled to proclaim, 'Look, it is the Lamb of God!" 

In my daily readings I have found myself stopped on this, when Jesus says "in a little while." Found in John 16. Love the disciples haven't a clue what He is talking about and then they kind of get it and marvel at understanding after Jesus goes literal after speaking figurative. The memory came to me of my mom. She usually made extra pie dough whenever making a pie. My brother and I knew what that meant. She would roll out the dough, put butter, cinnamon and sugar on the dough, roll it back up and slice it and place it in the oven to bake. You know, cinnamon thingies. We could hardly contain our eagerness to have those as a special treat. So, we did what most kids do, we bugged our mom wondering when she would be finished making the pie and the pie was clearly the main event, so that she could assemble our dough. Her response to when was, in a little while. I think we tried to do other things but I am sure we made it back to the kitchen to check on progress. Now the best times? When she didn't make us save a few for our father. Oh, happy, happy day! Guess you could say we were very gruntled with the end result.

I find myself in those "in a little while" moments more concerned with the what and when, rather than the process. What gets my attention in the little while? Love the commentary in the Ray Stedman devotion I read explaining all that entails with little whiles. Yolanda Adams sings a song, Afterwhile. Great lyrics and message. Guess we could find ourselves in little or after whiles briefly or momentarily.

We had a storm Tuesday night, with tornado warnings. They say the last tornado warning for Asheville was in 1999. Going into Weaverville yesterday the roads were littered with tree limbs. The trees that had fallen had been removed from roads but all along the side were huge logs. The sky got that sick green gray and the wind was fierce. Only the very tall sunflower didn't make it. Our part of the county didn't have the worst of it but it was bad enough.

The Trio and The Boys are not getting along this week. It's getting a little too territorial for my liking. These cats live by, I want attention and I don't care if it is bad attention. Mr Mo spends his morning jealous, well make that his whole life, he is jealous. So he picks fights and the other cats are a little bigger than he. So, he acts out. Chubola retreats from all this nonsense, smart girl but she can deal it when she wants to. Willie has changed his daily residence from upstairs under the day bed, to downstairs on a cool metal kitchen chair. He is blessed and cursed with long hair. 

This morning I am here at home gruntled, happy and content. The cat battle zone is over for now and nap time is beginning. Even though I struggle many a Wednesday feeling time restricted, I was content. It has been a good feeling these past few months even in the midst of adjusting to new meds, being in beat (mostly) and realizing there are a few health issues (mostly) that will be addressed in the coming month, feeling pretty gruntled. I've been thinking and remembering good times that have parlayed themselves into the very gruntled now. Last night a Houston friend called and we laughed, we remembered, both of us sentimental but deny that and so we did that as well in our conversation. Such fun and exciting times and now things are fun but maybe not so exciting. Yet, I am gruntled. I need to be a better friend and have been remiss in being exactly that not just to Houston friends but friends here. I used to say in the long ago, I am not good at being many things, but I am good at being a friend. Back then when Roy poured himself into his career making sure it was all done to the best of perfection that might be out there, as he moved up or lateral and maybe in the beginning down, his goal was to give me the moon if I wanted it. He loved learning all those years and made him a great jack of all trades, accountant, auditor, compliance, law and oh yeah, there was a MBA in finance. I was always so thankful when we met he already had his CPA because I told him, I could never be married to someone who studied all the time. Apparently, I can be. I never thought he would adjust to retirement like he did and with that in mind had lined up all kinds of volunteer projects to keep him busy. Probably that would have worked in Texas but here he took to the slower pace of life. Twice in fact, he has apologized to me for being a work-a-holic and now realizes he put me in a situation where I needed to find worth and not be willynilly with my time. Those words mean so much. So, that's why I was a much better friend then than I am now.  Friendships were such a lifeline to living, they still are. 

Roy has gone to work out, stop in the grocery store and then Windy Hill Farms. I'm doing laundry and stop in between to write on the ol' blog. Think we are rather gruntled right now. 

What? It's Not Just A Hangnail?

 I have found the secret of aging well, try to do all the exercises, the stretches, the brain exercises and listening to sound frequencies all day long on FB. You'll get nothing done but will feel so accomplished in doing so. You'll have to find others to do errands and such, but you will be the best you've ever been. Ha! I am learning that the ache and pain of my neck and back, is just not overuse or strain, because now that I am older it could be a grand entrance into solving everything that suddenly looks bleak for your well being and future. If one was able to access medical records from my thirties and forties, you'd see this ache has been with me a very long time. I also know that saying something like, I have always had this problem, gets a side glance....kind of like asking you, did you just make that up? Now, I have learned if you are a little too kind or happy, alarms go off in the medical person talking with you.I will never forget the "sub" doctor on Thanksgiving while I was in the rehab hospital for bilateral knee replacement. I was kind of valedictorian in cognizant patients cause I'm there for knees. Anyway, the sub doctor says to me in a very discriminating voice, you might be faking. You might be faking that you are with it and have saved up your energy all day to act like you know what is going on. What do you think about that? Well, I said, how do I know that you're a real doctor.  Anyone can order a white lab coat from Amazon and buy a clip board at the grocery store.   Again, I have been this way all my life. Just like not being able to focus on things unless it is something that I hyper focus on. Stuff I like...don't ask me a math problem in that wellness visit. Word on the street is, no longer do you have to remember three words, but an address. Yet one still has to draw the clock thing. 

Just now new to me, I have been sleeping wrong my whole entire life. Really? I've been walking incorrectly too. Interesting...again, all my time is going to the above paragraph of busyness. Not to mention writing incorrectly with verb tenses and spelling. I decided several years ago that being a good speller is the result of being a good memorizer. When I was younger memorizing things came natural to me but I gave that to fun things not those pesky necessary things called vowels and consonants. Spell check is my friend. 

When I was younger, yet unknowingly sleeping incorrectly, I would laugh about those senior adult trips to Hunt Retreat to pick pecans or go see something but I'd add this codicil, one day I will treasure things that I am laughing at now. Several years ago we were on The Biltmore Estate, in Antler Hill Village. One of those misty, rainy type days. Also there were three bus loads of senior adults traveling across the country. So many of them sat around holding their decorative 3 bottle wine boxes waiting for the bus to pick them up. From overhearing conversations it sounded like a majority thought that was what you were supposed to do. Now several years later, I will cut them a little slack cause one can get tired but this almost looked like this was an experience they had perfected, do the required sight seeing, complain and then wait for the bus to open again. I also remember writing about this before and wondering how in the world could women wear white pants for this adventure. My goodness, the more white I wear the higher the propensity for spillage goes up. 

So, yesterday The Travelers went to The Balsam Inn for brunch. Beautiful scenery, beautiful old hotel and a lovely brunch, although we didn't get a slice of cantaloupe at the end. Simpson reference, IYKYK. We enjoyed the food of course, great grits and waffles, but visiting with friends was the best. No one was in a rush, stories told and re-told. Afterwards, we all went our separate ways and destinations. On the way to the Inn, we passed by Fern Trail, the first house we had put an offer on and no regrets that they chose someone else. Some took the parkway home, others the regular way and we stopped at Ducketts cause it is just about time for Lou Lou to have greasy beans canned. We were a little early but we did stock up on her tomato sauce and a few bush green beans which are supposed to be kind of like greasy beans. We headed home cause our kittos were probably needing treats and attention. It was a relaxing drive with very little traffic. I always remember driving Dena down that road to our new house and she said so many times, this is the way to your new home? Yep! That route also includes several homes we looked at back in 2014 but we are always thankful for the home we bought. 

*****

Of course it is now Monday. Weekend held ordinary and not ordinary things. I accidently took two of my new meds Saturday. Talk about dizzy, wow! Thankfully, it worked out of my system and wasn't too affected for Sunday morning. Another ordinary thing, I usually don't care for the choir anthem until Sunday morning. With the exception of songs and anthems I love, this has been true my whole choir life. Funny, the following days after Sunday, the Sunday anthem plays through my head and I like it. Probably due to the fact I am not musically trained but just musically appreciating. So many songs sound like other songs, especially slow songs. But Sunday morning, I kept stealing glances at Letty. She is one of the oldest members of the church, I think...she sits with her daughter and son in law. As we sang and proclaimed the truth it was God's grace, Letty had the most peaceful smile. It was a slight smile and it told you all you needed to know in that moment, she knew that to be truth. An assurance for sure. She also looks so much like my Grandma B.  For that moment I am truly thankful. May it be a reminder that some of those slow ubiquitous anthems have great power and worth in the truth of proclaiming the Word. I just need to get over myself. Our closing hymn was Jesus Paid It All. I sang the hymn but was so thinking about the Cindy Berry arrangement we did in choir with Gerald. Ah, good memories. 

We've received much welcomed rain in our area. Maybe there could be some this afternoon. One never knows. The tomatoes and peppers are doing well and the blackberries are wrapping up their season. Some of the plums are starting to ripen but I need to go out and check them. 

Not Too Good of a Catch Up

 Here we are in July. We just celebrated our country's 250th birthday. Some celebrate with big picnics or cookouts, attending parades and fireworks, but we celebrated by staying home. Not a letdown at all, cause that is what we desired to do. We've done all the above in years past but not until recently, well longer than recently, we find being content and slowing down is the new "buzz" for us. No dedicated home projects or yard work. Roy has rediscovered reading books for enjoyment and my attention span is better to stay interested in whatever book I am reading. Since the World Cup is America during this celebration and the videos of people from Europe finding all the good things about America, we did not jump on the soccer bandwagon. It is still an inordinate amount of running, kicking a ball and having fanatic fans cheering this all on. I didn't care of the player on the US team who received a red card and then got a reprieve...no pony in the race. Now if this were the Oilers from back in the day I might be yelling, "give it to Earl!" (Earl Campbell. A friend just posted on FB, well all this with soccer. meh, because SEC football is not too far away. Geaux Tigers! 

Yesterday, Circle Joy. Love that group of ladies. Our chapter this month is on Strength in Christ. Lagatha brought a good lesson and lively discussion. Somehow, we got on the discussion of women pastors and deacons. Yes, inspired by the fine people of the SBC. I am for men remaining pastors and deacons but what I am not for is, demeaning and designating women to roles in the church where you shut up and never question the men running the church show. Our former church didn't feel that way at first, but slowly things began to change and as they changed or disappeared, people began leaving. Covid helped many make the exit. Then the slow trickle began. The new pastor and the church were not a good fit and that is on both sides of the aisle. Very little joy in those years. I just read an interesting article/blog post by Joe McKeever, retired pastor. He wrote of the time he was the pastor of First Baptist Charlotte. It was a very difficult three years.  https://joemckeever.com/wp/broken-pastor-broken-church-4/

He is gracious in the telling and the comments from people attending in those years are very complementary to his ministry there. It has all the classic moves, secret meetings, digging around for information and the like by leaders in the church. His tenure was in the late 80's and after they gave him severance, generous I might add, they called back the pastor who they had gotten rid of right before him. Over all I like so much of what Joe McKeever writes and his daily thoughts on our relationship with Christ as well as others. 

It seems the saga of heart monitors continued this cardiologist visit. Last year they forgot to send the monitor and then they asked me to do a re-do on the readings. I only found out the results because the cardioversion needed to be scheduled. This year, the nurse put the monitor on me but never got the results. Checked in with the PA on the portal. She read the monitor but a physician has not thus not releasing into my health files. It is probably the best monitor read I've had in a while. In fact I was thinking after sending the monitor back that maybe the palpitations I felt were not afib or flutter at all but probably a slow down of sorts. Ding, ding, ding....winner winner, chicken dinner. I had a few sputters and spurts of fib and flutter but it corrected itself rather quickly. I sensed from the message that maybe the PA thought I wanted another ablation. As in the words of Bugs Bunny, she don't know me very well do she.  I want to live independently without a lot of procedures and such. My idea of fun is not doctor office visits. 

****

Another week and less blogging. Screen time is beginning to get to me and had a few things on the calendar that needed to be attended to. One fun thing was the Men and Women's Bible Studies honoring Al and Kathy. Missionaries and long time members of First Pres. They are moving closer to family. We had a luncheon and very good food. Yum! Roy did something different for our potion, he bought Whopper Juniors, had them cut them in half  and sat right there with the finger sandwiches. Great idea and we didn't bring home any leftovers. 

I finished the book from Beth Allison Barr about how the SBC morphed pastor's wife into a whole different type of ministry. It was a good read with lots and lots of foot notes. Think I'll read something light next, a book on how legalism is ruining the church. Nah, have the book but fiction is calling my name. 

Shortly Thereafter

 Way before I began teaching Sunday School when I was able to take sabbatical Sundays, I accidently came across a scene of a lone car in a church parking lot, with an older lady standing beside it dressed in the ubiquitous pencil skirt with a short matching jacket and a fashionable pill box hat. She stood there gazing at that medium to good sized church building. I don't have any idea how long she looked back but in that few seconds of seeing this, she got into her car and made her way to the exit. Several weeks later I read that the church where I had seen the lady had closed. The Sunday I saw her was the last Sunday with only a few there to worship. She told the story of that church in her interview, she had been there since childhood and had watched it grow, blossom, overflow, decrease and come into just a handful of members. They couldn't keep afloat cause that handful of members, now elderly didn't have the funds. Sometime after this, the church property was sold and another church meets there. I think of that woman, church and being a witness of that morning but not in a sense of church closure but in general life lived. We don't always get that opportunity to look, remember and then move on. Many times it is all happening so fast we don't get to make the proper goodbyes. 

We just celebrated the one week in with Millie Mazda. I am still learning and Roy as well where things are, what does what and that includes coming into the house and googling our questions. The print in the manual for the car, well, let's just say the print is small. Feeling limited many times to go anywhere past Weaverville with Mustang Sally, we took a little jaunt yesterday to Burnsville. First stop, breakfast at Pig and Grits. The highlight of that stop is, Christy of Christy's Crafts leaving with family and friends and our chance meeting in the parking lot. So good to see her. We got the invitation to their church's celebration tomorrow complete with dinner on the ground but we are unable to attend. So, this was a nice icing on the cake moment. We then headed over to The Find and I found a few things. We made a quick stop in the clothing store behind them and the name escapes me right now. By this time, with little to no AC in either store, the heat got to me. Once we headed toward home we both took advantage of Millie's cooled seats and dang, if that isn't the best cooled seats we've ever had in a vehicle. We are hoping to venture out a little farther on our next excursion. 

There continues to be reports of the bear I saw on Sunday morning. I am calling him the Tipton Hill Bear cause a whole lot of folks are seeing him and not in the usual places. People are saying this year more bears than ever are being seen due to their habitat being turned into homes and the like. We have not seen him since but I am always conscience of his maybe or might be presence. 

Saturday evening we watered plants so you can thank us for the rain yesterday. Ha! When church was over the rain poured down. We waited for it to let up a little before walking briskly to the car. Our pastor began our new study, the book of John. Looking forward to the coming weeks of John. 

Lions and Tigers, No, But A Bear, Oh My

It was a blissful Sunday morning. We were eating breakfast and I looked up to gaze upon the beauty of God's creation, another type of beauty of of God's creation with a bit of a jog pace moved along the gravel road of our neighbors and into their open wildflower pasture. A bear! Not Yogi. Not Boo Boo but hopefully a Baylor Bear. In the twelve years we have owned this home we have never, ever, nope not once, ever have seen a bear. Oh, there was that bobcat in 2015 that used the front yard as a cut through and there was a bull who wiggled his way out of an opening in the fence, came across the road and stood there until I recognized his existence. That happened when I heard a snorting sound very close to me. Turned to look and there he was moving toward me. I believe I almost ran to the front porch but it was probably more of a brisk walk. Several years ago a pair of deer passed through and one turkey. Other than these mentioned we've had racoons, chipmunks, squirrels and snakes. But, on the seventh day of June in the year of our Lord 2026, I saw a bear. He seemed to be moving along and looked back down the road and continued to make his way over toward our across the way neighbors, who has kiddos and dogs. I texted them and Roy texted our neighbors above us. I tried, really tried to take a picture but I was so rattled and so nervous, I couldn't think fast enough to get that phone ready. That moment of excitement over in those short seconds but the lingering of the "what if "started drifting into my thoughts. Not the what if we had been outside but the what if that bear is waiting for us to come outside. Is he lurking in the shadows? Roy still needed to get some food out to The Feral Fam and he postponed the usual time. They began to congregate around the backdoor. I felt the need to make an announcement to the Fam that Sunday breakfast might become Sunday brunch. Finally, cause he would have been out there sooner if it was up to him. He went out and got breakfast served. Meanwhile I was on bear patrol with the security cameras and going window to window checking out the situation. 

Because of the attention to detail in this reconnaissance mission, I began humming then breaking into full voice singing, The Bear Went Over the Mountain to help guide this wayward bear on his way. Then, I wondered if Baylor University had sent the bear to see where those Alumni By Choice donations were as well as noticing the car with the Baylor sticker was gone. Wow, if this bear was from Baylor, Sic 'em Bears, he did a good job getting my attention. 

I also asked Roy if he had recently made fun of any bald men? I knew I hadn't but in case he had, was this just like the Bible? The story of Elisha being made fun of by some guys and a bear comes to rip them all up into pieces. No, we did not do that. 

The Teen Girl Squad Camp Song? Did the bear know I needed a fresh laugh over old funnies?

And the chumbly wumbly bear came a tumblin' down!
Did he sell beans?
Lord no!
Did he sell eggs?
Lord no!
But he couldn't... so he stapled it down!"

I don't know, but only the fans of Teen Girl Squad will get the above reference. What I do know is this, it is difficult to get ready for church and be on bear patrol. It is comforting to know that all of The Feral Fam have been accounted for. 

Alas, after this visual bear encounter I cannot say if I know or not know the mystery of the universe...Does a bear poop in the woods? No definitive answer on our part.