Little Detours and the Like

 I read a snippet of an article on LSU football and something that Brian Kelly said. This week LSU plays Louisiana Tech in Death Valley. When asked about preparation for the week Kelly said, it is difficult when you have an un-named opponent verses preparing for SEC games and rivalries. You know what to expect and the players themselves know the history. There really isn't any history with La Tech except that LSU is trying to help football programs at universities in Louisiana with much needed funds. Also hopeful that one of these other teams doesn't upset LSU. Preparing for an un-named opponent verses an unknown opponent has kind of settled in the brain thinking through that in life situations. Maybe even into a spiritual capacity. Don't have much to write about in this capacity cause I need to think about it and ponder it. This also will help me remember I once had a thought about this. 

We are socked in with fog, a dense fog. The house across the way has disappeared again from view. The weather report last night told us it would thusly and they were right on this one. No place pressing to have to be at this morning. So thankful for that. 

With the beginning of fallish like temps, some days, and with those autumnal hues of nature come the "good try" colors of fallish clothes. I love looking at the websites suggested to me by FB. That also means my inbox is filled with offers from said clothiers. Love J Jill and April Cornell, I check in with The Nord and Macy's and a few others. This year got the early jump on two pairs of boots. Now I'm on the search for a particular style jacket and so far the regular stops on the internet have proved futile.

Got the good news on the skin biopsy, the mole is benign. PTL! Now I just have a return appointment to take care of another little problem area and I should be good to go and maybe even get on the once a year mole patrol. 

I finished the book When Narcissism Comes to Church. So much packed into the relatively small book. The author goes beyond a person with NPD but systems that continue a supply for a church or nonprofit system to run. This goes to a deeply personal level with me being raised by a father with NPD. All the hurt and quirks are brought to the level of the years and years of his abuse toward our family and toward others and the best part, the escape out of those grasping emotions. Textbook really because he couldn't find a new way of using people as possessions. Men with NPD have mother wounds and believe you me, he had those issues with his mother. He was not the golden child he was the scapegoat. It caused his attachment issues and lack of compassion, empathy or mercy. I read yesterday that abnormal brain development can be seen clearly in those with NPD. I've remembered these past few days the enormous weight I carried as a child because he put all those issues and problems on me because and this is no surprise at the end of the story where life did not turn out to his way of thinking, I was the cause of those problems. So while most second and third graders were challenged by math problems and learning how to write in cursive, I was worried that we wouldn't make the mortgage payment or that he was going to lose his job. The problems he had with my mother and that mainly to her credit was resisting the total destruction of her personality by him. I think about that more now than the destruction attempted on my brother and me. His lack of friendships at church of course, were due to my mom. She wasn't good enough and no one wanted to be around her. Uh, change that pronoun to he/him and there is the true version of that story or stories. In his later years he chose the attempt of taking down a good man that was beloved by their church. My father failed and he was left to sit alone on Sunday mornings, at home, reviewing every hurt that had come his way instead of making things right with the church or visit other churches. The term I learned in reading this book is, looking for a supply. Supply = people to control. His supply was running thin and I think the attempt he made at trying to ruin Roy and me and our reputations with his false accusations and false reports made to the police, constable office and adult protective services was the last straw in his once never ending supply. His malice and hatred turned into his being the victim. I truly think during all of this he wanted his cancer, non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, to return because of all the attention he received in his first go around. All the friends and church that did care, had died, including my mother. He had been fortunate in most of his life, getting away with his behavior. It's ironic, he got tired of taking care of my mom and most probably hastened the end of her life. One of the very things that saved him, her presence and her willingness to pick up the pieces in the places he messed up. She did the reconciliation with friends and family, she made things right. Here was this man with huge mother wounds, issues with women but most particularly strong women and they and we were the ones that did the work to cover and make excuses for his problems. edswf - Baxter tried to help me write. Just within the last few years I have realized the huge price my mom paid, the things she gave up and her actions to appease the wildly predictable reactions and thought process with my father. Maybe that should be lack of thought progress with my father.   

Looks like our detour will be needed for several months. We don't mind it because the detour views are beautiful, more scenic than the regular route. We are having rain in the afternoons again and everything is so greened up. Hopefully, this will make for spectacular fall colors. 

LSU won but they didn't look good and Florida is the next opponent in Death Valley. 

With the cooler temps we have checked a few things off the list concerning outdoor chores. We decided to outsource a couple of things that we felt we could take care of but if we outsource we can do some of those little bothersome chores. I put a new coat of paint on the railings of the front yard steps. Dead headed two and a half rose bushes and cut off some zinnias dried blooms for the seeds for next year. Looks like our beans and peas are finished blooming for the year. I didn't think anything would come of this experience and happily I can report I was so wrong. The footrests of the outside furniture got a coat of paint today and the chairs will be ready to do later this week. 

Roy took a bunch of stuff to Goodwill yesterday. Once again I can tell stories of where I was in life but what brand of clothes I liked. When Eddie Bauer launched dressier clothes back in the day, those clothes were the foundation of my work wardrobe. Then in an especially trying time of life, Soft Surroundings but not the full price clothes, always the clearance. Clearwater Creek because it was convenient in Katy. J Jill has been a recent love but April Cornell has been my choice of late. Every once in awhile I would buy Soft Surroundings things since they were across from Wink, where I got my hair cut. But not a lot cause of the memories in that time frame. 

All Along the Way

 Officially, we are in the "ber" months and probably some of my most favorite months. Increased use of the word autumnal is always welcomed. Autumnal food is tasty and dare I say cozy. Cozy is a funny word to me but maybe on another post I will write about that. One pair of my new glasses came and I am still trying to get use to them. In hindsight I wish I had gone with chunkier frames. 

Saturday was the memorial service for my friend I wrote about previously. As FB memories go a lot of her comments and nine years of celebrating our friendship are reminders of just what a lovely and fun person she was. I was hoping for a few stories to be told at the service but none were. Don't know if that is what the family wanted or if the interim pastor who didn't know her except for one visit in the hospital chose to do. But, we honored her life. I met the assistant principal she worked for at Asheville High School. What a delightful visit. I don't think Ann knew a stranger. She sang backup with choreography at at Sunday School party with me in our lip sync of Ain't No Mountain Hight Enough. We both loved Earth, Wind and Fire and sang and danced in the Mustang on our way to The Farmer's Daughter. Her bear at the backdoor story is hilarious but underneath all that fun was a woman who relied on the Lord to get her through so many tough days. And in it's a small world...don't think about the song...don't think about the song, her son works on our Mustang at the shop we take Mustang Sam to. 

When we woke up Sunday morning I checked the LSU/Clemson score thinking it would be another opening season loss for LSU. I couldn't believe that LSU won. Now where did that LSU flag go? Another chore on the list, find that flag! 

 I officially tendered my resignation from teaching The Joy Class. I miss my friends but the stress I put on myself studying had an effect on my health. Over the weekend I read about this kind of pressure and if it is isolating you, stress feels heavier, health problems become overwhelming and your general outlook begins to be more inward. The article gave me words to help describe how I have felt and knowledge to take care of the issue before it became more cumbersome. When Gale, the former class teacher resigned due to health issues, she came back a couple of times as a class member. She pulled me aside after class and told me it was difficult to be a class member after teaching for so long and she had decided she wouldn't come back too often. I know how she feels. This summer as I have written before went very differently than expected. The routine cardiologist appointment became a little more than routine. The time it took for a decision for what needed to be done was delayed several weeks by the lack of follow up by the N.P. The new addition of high BP added a little drama to the whole thing and thus this summer has been laid back, relaxing and eliminating stresses that caused spikes and such. I have been researching some lifestyle changes in having a little more balance to life. We have changed up some of our meals and I am working through putting exercise as a priority. That seems so strange to write that because exercise was always a priority. 

Last night I talked with a friend whose health has caused her to step away from a lot of life. She being always busy, thinking of others and doing for others. She has a few things to conquer in the near future. Some daunting and some just the ordinary themes of our lives that now don't seem ordinary but a mountain to climb. While we were visiting, an interloper disturbed the conversation. A stranger, but maybe the boarder renting the airstream on our neighbors farm or maybe not. She walked the gravel round with an eye toward our backyard. I alerted Roy when she circled back on her path and stood for a bit by our gate on the driveway. Then headed down toward the main road. He went outside and it worked out that he was doing a regular nightly thing with the Feral Fam. Roy came inside and before long the young lady came up our road carrying a big ol' cat. It had gotten out. I felt like she was the boarder at the farm but just to be on the safe side cause there are reports here and there of people scoping out homes. 

After several weekends of making tacos, we will have a blip on that record. In May at VBS training we had a taco bar and I had forgotten about shell tacos cause I made soft ones regularly. Since then we have been on a hard shell kick. This is not to be confused with hard shell Baptists. Queso, meat, lettuce and tomatoes are much easier to stomach. This weekend I am making Carol Billing's famous chicken tortilla soup, chicken broth based. Roy loves it! He kind of wanted Taco Soup but it really needs to be chilly temps outside to truly appreciate the tastiness of such an easy recipe.  

During the summer we had planned on visiting churches around the area. I chose them merely on aesthetics. They looked beautiful but a couple of things happened to those plans. Heart stuff slowed me down quite a bit and some of the churches are down to like 13-15 people. That would just feel weird to me. 

I came across the snippets of a Pod Cast, with visuals so that's what kept me interested for those couple of minutes. It was an interview with Fannie Flagg. She is known for Fried Green Tomatoes. She told the story of how she won a writing contest and met Eudora Welty. As she continued working on the manuscript that could not find a publisher, by chance she met Harper Lee. Harper Lee encouraged her to keep working and keep at it and finally, as we know the rest of the story it was published and became a movie. Fannie Flagg said until the manuscripts acceptance, she was told, no one is interested in a story about a woman in a nursing home. Guess some beg to differ. I also came across an article or a Substack thingy, by Karen Swallow Prior. Her thoughts and outlook? Well, I find them refreshing and she is so articulate as well as poignant as she selects and shares her thoughts. While academia has never held any sway over me, her experiences translate into mine on a much smaller stage...no stage, maybe a tiny step. So, as we've made decisions and choices based mainly and mostly on my health, there are some contributing factors that have truly made a path for us we never expected to take. Of course, that is true about so much of life. Are we willing to trust the Lord? Will we trust Him by faith? We have made that decision of yes, we will. A couple of weeks ago the choir sang with the congregation added, "So Send I You." I haven't heard that song since I was in elementary school. At the close of the service we sang, "Wonderful Words of Life." We sang the three verse version but I have seen five or six verse versions. Just reaffirming to us knowing we have been led by the Spirit as all along the way reassurances of, "this is the way." 

 

Nothing Earthshattering To Report-Yay!

 We've gathered the Feral Fam into the garage because our neighbors just down the road and as it is affectionally called the crack house in our area, well their two pit bull dogs are running free and terrorizing the unsuspecting. Our neighbor texted us that they were headed toward our home and I thought I had seen the dogs when the neighbor was trying to take horse renderings to the compost pile down the gravel road. Roy decided that a later pick up of the garbage can from the road could wait. 

The next three days hold various appointments for either Roy or for me. Roy's appointment is the earliest but mine are the farthest. Once this week wraps up that is it for at least several months before we do the doctor regimen again. 

One of the first friends I made at church passed away a week ago Friday night. She was such fun, loved Earth, Wind and Fire, one of the kindest people I have ever known and she was very familiar with Texas, Clear Lake and Pearland because her in-laws moved from this area to Clear Lake. She said her family, hubby and three kids would drive all the way through. She knew of the oppressive heat that one comes into contact with along the coast of Texas. Her stories were so good. She and her hubs had been cloggers and danced with a group that entertained tourists at a Pisgah area farm. Her husband's funeral was the first funeral I attended here and just the people and the eulogies gave me such a favorable impression of not only life here but death and remembrance. So once again we will honor a loving and giving friend, full of joy in the midst of her circumstances. Her strength to endure came from her steadfast faith in the Lord. Over the years I have told and laughed over her story about the bear at her back door. 

******

The three days of appointments is finally over. No more driving into the Ville with a major detour and August fog. The detour doesn't deter me much, you just have to plan accordingly. With such beautiful scenery it is almost a very calming addition you need before doctor appointments or any appointments. We did enjoy a Moose Cafe breakfast after Roy's eye exam. Those appointments are usually scheduled early in the morning and thus the bonus of breakfast. The additional bonus for this trip was going to see Audrey at Warby Parker. Roy needs a pair of reading glasses with a slight adjustment to see away. Like in church going from looking at the pastor and then looking down at notes or the scriptures. 

It has been a lovely day staying home. Roy worked out and did a little grocery shopping. I worked around here taking care of some small things that have been getting on my nerves. We've been outside watering and picking green peppers and tomatoes. I quit early on but I did do less strenuous chores. The breeze was lovely and made the work not as strenuous since we weren't battling the heat. We need to pull out the greasy beans because I believe they have harvested out but the peas seem to be going strong. 

The result of the smash and grab mammy gram-y came yesterday. All is well but I am still puzzled by last year's results with an additional letter weeks after last years about further investigation and it mentioned things that were not in the initial report. This year during my regular check up I balked over going for a smash and grab this year instead of the every other year thing except for Covid time. Some numbers were mentioned that didn't register or mean a thing to me except being advised to get the mammy gram-y. Email letter yesterday didn't mention anything about numbers but I went to the patient portal and read the report and once again the word malignant shows up and this time some comparisons were made and the conclusion is nothing found. I welcome that news but I am also being vigilant in my prayers cause I don't want no surprise next year. 

Low Wires and Stability

 It's a lovely foggy morning in August. It's a lovely Monday morning in August. It's a lovely verse, how lovely are the feet of those who bring good news. 

Last Friday we took the backroads with adjustments to the bridges being out on several of our main roads we take to get over to Troyer's. We left earlier than we usually do to get to the store before 10:00 am when the parking lot fills and the store overflows. We shopped just a bit before going to the register to check out and get our receipt marked for peaches purchased. While the scenic return is usually our choice we opted for the quicker route, not as scenic but we were in TN to shop, not fun shopping but stock up on things we use and our supply is getting low. The pre-winter stock up. We also need to go back to Ducketts and see if Lou Lou has canned anymore greasy beans. 

As is the tradition it is now a week out from last Friday. We are nearing what is called false fall 2 this weekend. It has been so dang hot and most are looking forward to the temperature respite. The forecast calls for a low in the forties on Wednesday. Less humidity too. It will be tempting to start that season exchange of clothing but I will hold off. 

This week I have been reading Luke 5. Funny how I came to that chapter. I was watching an old interview with two Bible teachers or pastors. One told about his mentor and how the mentor came to Christ. The mentor was doing conscientious objector work on a farm assigned menial farm work. His mind was free to think and pursue. He was an agnostic but had been challenged to read the Bible. So in his readings nothing particular stood out until he read Luke 5. It was the pattern of numbers that drew him in and there on a farm doing menial work he accepted Christ. So you know, being the numbers girl that I am...did you laugh? Anyway, I thought that's interesting how God had gotten his attention. The Bible teacher guy was right, you do see a pattern of one, four and large crowds all throughout the chapter but the verses that drew me in is the story of the four friends bringing their one friend to Jesus in the large crowd. The verses that stood out for me: after Jesus heals the man on the mat He says to him, Get up, Pick up and Go Home. This time those words hit me differently. One would think the stand up and the pick up would be the hardest part of doing what Jesus commanded but now I am thinking the go home would be the hardest. Why? Well, I am glad you asked. Just thinking back to those days of bilateral knee replacement rehab days, standing up was a little easier than pre knee replacements. Learning the correct way to pick up stuff was easier and quickly do-able. Now this is where the example ends because I was so ready to go, but it was the best. Take what I have learned and put it into practice. Go home but when you think about it, after a huge miracle for that man, he would have been hounded by the Pharisees and swarmed by the people. The Lord knew he just needed to return home and be surrounded by his family. Jesus would take care of the Pharisees and teaching the people in the house and out of the house. The healed man would be overwhelmed and maybe he just needed to get away from the crowds to truly ponder what he just experienced and then tell others of the miraculous love of God . We are told he was praising God and for this we give thanks. 

Most afternoons this week have had rain and some of that rain rather heavy. We are both thankful we haven't had to go out and water. The purple peas are doing well and with cooler temps I can get out there and get some picked.  

The thought of how everything is cyclical has been in the forefront lately. Our lives, culture, churches, and schools just to name a few. All the hype of the Cracker Barrel changes is viral in all the media types and hypes. My first experience with CB took place in the 80s. Roy and I were visiting my brother north of Atlanta and there was one near his apartment. My goodness I think in those couple of days we ate there every chance we got. Home cooking, well not like my home cooking but somebodies. Through the years it was not a destination but a oh, it's close to _________, and that is where we ate. In 2019 we ate there after Roy's colonoscopy. He was hungry for pancakes. In all the trips between Houston and here Cracker Barrel became a safe spot to stop and use the bathroom and pick up more snacks for the road. My most famous relationship with Cracker Barrel was breaking my hip at the one in Lafayette. Of course they contacted Roy and said they could not compensate much financially and Roy said, can you just cover out of pocket expenses? They agreed most heartily. They sent me a CB gift card in good faith and let's just say Dayspring, my Houston Sunday School class, gave me one with a lot more money on a gift card than CB. People are mentioning the nostalgia factor and I see that but it did bother me that if I was thinking of grandparents upon entering I would nostalgically remind grandma that her floors should look cleaner. Several years ago I read about the man whose one job was to shop for things to go on the walls of CB. Why was this not covered as a job option in high school? Guess it is because CB wasn't even around back then but this guy had a full run on his job years until maybe last year. When we were traveling back and forth to NC we liked stopping at the CB in Sulphur, La because LSU shirts and sweatshirts were a reasonable price. 

Oh my, I just learned that Chuck Girard has passed away. His music played a huge part of my early Christian life and my favorite song was, Love Song. Just listened to it and remembered how that song ministered to my spirit on some of the hardest days I had faced. 

I went back and listened to several more songs from that era. It seems that I am getting sentimental about music these days. Two separate afternoons last week I listened to The First Baptist Choir Dallas on You Tube. Once again I cried but not from having those opportunities anymore, but because I did. Think I was having so much in those days and because in that time of life I wanted every minute to be filled with busyness, I didn't take the time to appreciate the musical foundation given, yes, even to people like me that loves music but never had any kind of training. 

Our main road is closed again, same spot and same problem but the detours are farther out. I bet it is kind of messing up first day of school traffic. Hazards everywhere. When we turn right on the road there are very low hanging wires that should mess up dump trucks and to the left a road that is having trouble staying stable. Sometimes that kind of sounds like life. 

Eyes, Lunch, Books and Supper

 It was such a relief to get my eye exam done and come away with good news. Prescription, very little change and while I could have cataract surgery all that eye stuff has stayed the same so I don't have to get it on the schedule right away. That's great because the thing that is holding me back from doing this is, I hate putting drops into my eyes. I know, stupid excuse but messing with my eyes has always been kind of wonky to me. Main reason I never got contacts. We have a wonderful eye doctor and he is just so kind because he went over with me how to easily put drops in the eyes. When he asked if there had been any health changes I mentioned my what I have done this summer essay but my primary care doctor kept my art work so I had nothing to show him. I can always go on the patient portal and print heart art out. The doctor said, oh no can do your eyes right now even if you were looking to get on the schedule. They wouldn't even let me schedule you. So, that ended well really. I am looking forward to getting new frames and seeing my friend at her new eye glasses place. Anyway, it was a rainy and cloudy morning so my eyes didn't have to deal with bright sunlight. 

Tuesday we met a friend for lunch and then stopped for cat food. The cat food that was on sale has not been a fav in times gone by but for some reason both inside and outside cats love it so we stocked up. I was so tired by the time we got home I didn't do too much else. Today, Wednesday, hair cut day and then we came home. The rain had cleared so we decided to go back to the store for the new specials and stop at 6 Pigs BBQ food truck. They were by the river a little later than usual. We ducked out of most of the afternoon rains. 

Years ago, I saw a documentary on all that goes into selling a book from the publishers standpoint. A great portion of time was given to selecting the book cover to draw attention. Until then, I had never really thought about that work. Not all the time but some of the time I notice trends in book covers. It might be the end of this design, but the silhouette of people with their backs to us looking into mist or fog or murky surroundings seems to be very popular. Here are a few examples and I don't know anything about these books other than the cover design is the point. 

 

I've been thinking about trends and I don't know why. Saw a thing on what backsplash not to use and what counter tops are popular. By next year what is unpopular will be popular again. Just an opinion of what I did this summer theme of doctor and procedure appointments, but I feel like I and maybe we are standing with our backs to the view of foggy unknowns. Right now whether it be popular or not; being your own advocate as well as having someone like Roy who advocates for me when it comes to health decisions is the trend or picking up in popularity. Maybe it is really survival. I have done a lot of research over the past few years to help me along with a few issues and now that I have a window of opportunity to stake a flag so to speak, I am trying to take advantage. Something I have expressed before but it is reminding me that our idea of quiet times with our cup of coffee, favorite chair, lighting, journal and Bible...oh and a lovely throw, favorite jammies and all that...which I like but it doesn't seem too many in the Bible had that luxury when they needed to pray or seek God or study His Word. Those whose prayers and cries were on the run, in the wilderness, on a mountain...not a beautiful mountain but a dry and dusty looking mountain, Moses, Elijah, Joseph (prison), David and John the Baptist. Don't get me wrong I'm not asking for a change from coffee and a comfortable chair but we fall into a trap of things like that. Somehow the conversation is going through social media again about what people wear to church. It seemed like that was settled several years ago and could be a rallying point or something. It would be so Christ like to wear Colossians 3 clothing. 

These days as I wont to do this post has turned into a weekly reader kind of deal. There are things I want to write about but it is not such a time as this. In our quest to get out more, mainly for me, we headed over to TN very early to pick up peaches from Troyer's. Then we did our usual Erwin thing and then had Pal's for lunch and as usual we ate as we drove. Made for a very fun day. By the time we got home I was looking for some much needed rest time. My energy waned as we finished up in Walmart and then at Food City. My supper last night was Amish bologna and fresh tomato sandwich. Delicious! 

 

Celebrations, Memories and Reality

 Oh Friday, no fog and the high temp of the day is around 80 degrees. This has been a week of appointments and such, mixed with the regular chores which has made me be out and about more this week. Doesn't matter, really because I enjoy being home and I enjoy being on the go. The Trio and The Boys might be happier that we are home because meals are served on time and there are laps to sleep on. 

We celebrated my birthday on Wednesday. Roy had a dental cleaning in the morning but we left for Waynesville a little after noon. We stopped at Duckett's Produce first and got some greasy beans canned by Lou Lou and some of her veggie soup. Stocking up for the winter. Next stop, Blue Rooster. We avoided the lunch rush and settled in the booth. After such a long drought of fried chicken and coconut cake it all tasted divine. The fried okra, perfection. It was one of those days where I could have ordered all veggies cause the choices were excellent, but the call of chicken of the fried variety was the stalwart call. Had to get the coconut cake to go. What a treat! The next big stop, Tractor Supply and we got the kitties some dry food and the indoor gang some different flavors of wet food. Oh and at the last minute I found a cute t-shirt cause you know I don't have enough t-shirts. We then headed over to Barber's Orchard. Our first trip of the season and the crowds were still around. Think it was due to the first day of their honey crisp apples available to purchase. Apples, peaches and muscadine grapes along with an assorted choice of baked goods. Not many though cause we are putting in some changes for food choices. Of course the fried chicken did not count cause it is not an every week or month thing, desserts are more accessible. On our way home we stopped at our friends home to deliver some baked goods. Had a great visit. Wednesday night, I was surely worn out and tired but I wouldn't have changed the day because we had fun doing the things we've wanted to do. Very simple for sure, don't care about traveling other than day trips. Roy said the other day he traveled so much earlier in his career that air travel just reminds him of work. He also has one of the worst airline travelers ever by his side so he is getting the double whammy.  

The main road we take just about everywhere has been dealing with a slide causing the embankment to be unstable. About a month ago they came and repaired the breach but low and behold that embankment slid again and there is a modular home just a few feet away. There are so many issues I could address but it is mainly some car skids over the edge and into their living room as well as flooding and ponding of water because your home is below the road. 

Our Von Cat Family Climb Every Obstacle Cat is making us use new deterrents to slow down his hiking and climbing ambitions. Since we have foiled his attack...hahaha...on the top of the refrigerator with the thinnest aluminum foil ever barely created and since he has somewhat moved on from being on the top of the tall bookcases, Baxter now faces the challenge of a arts and craftsman style bookcase. It just happens to have the TV on it. Baxter gained access via my desk. This cat has no spatial presence. When he jumps into my lap most of the time his face hits my face.   

And now easing into Saturday morning. A little fog, so fog number 1 if one is counting August fogs for winter snow days. Last night I de-peaed... the peas that we grew this year. We will probably go out and pick a few more this morning and shell them. It was such a beautiful late summer evening. Nice breeze with good temps. It was almost but not quite the feel of fall that one can experience before autumn sets in. I kind of just sat in the rocking chair taking it all in because I am experiencing a few side effects from the increased dosage of heart meds. To help Roy out though I tackled watering the flowers by the delivery box and in the flowerbed. Zinnias are looking good here in August. Last night the view from the front bedroom of the full moon was spectacular. Yes I got those professional type moon pics with my phone. Doesn't pick up the night sky nor does it take clear pics of the moon and then the moon and the clouds. This morning it is always a joy to watch the the sky go from black to gray and then to light. 

 This afternoon I worked on a couple of projects mainly because they are sitting projects and I don't feel bad while doing them. Then I started listening to First Baptist Dallas Choir and Orchestra. You Tube made a mix of all the choir songs and anthems we as a choir of HFBC sang through the years. There were the Gerald songs, John Bolin and then some of the music we sang when we had a choir here. I don't sing much anymore and just barely a blender alto at that, but I sang along. My voice weak and not able to hit the higher low notes of an alto. Poor Roy, he had to listen or he blocked out all my singing. Then I listened to a few more and I sat here this afternoon and cried while listening. Shedding tears for the past and the present. Memories of hard work and memorization not using a folder. Thinking of friends like Loraine, our Naomi cause whatever notes she sang, they were our notes, we followed her. Velda and Lois were a hoot to sit with as well as Angela and Karla, Donna and Beth. In Houston I loved choir and love the friends I made. I was thinking the other day that I wish I could talk with Gerald because I would apologize for not liking and making fun of Sanctus back in the day. I've been listening lately and it is one of my favorites now. Guess I will add it up to immaturity. Being on the social committee better known as the Socialists was more fun than anyone ought to have. So many opportunities to play fun parts. Being Tonto or rather Tontito as the orchestra of HFBC played the William Tell Overture, Drew was the Lone Ranger and Peggy the villain. Type casting for sure. Maybe I am circling back in my history craving to hear these hymns and choir songs. Soothing to my soul and helps keep my heartbeat in sync. The ol' heart murmur is alive and well. 

That is the reality of things, what am I going to do to insure my health doesn't get worse when everything hurts to maintain status and move ahead when that is a reality. Of course I go to The Word and find my strength there but the next steps. A friend who just had quadruple bypass heart surgery says keep moving forward, be motivated, and don't rest and don't give up on doing the hard things. 

Cool Temps and Green Beans

 Our August 3, 2025 started out with a bang or maybe that should be an alarm. Come closer kiddies and I will tell you the story of the morning. Roy slept in a little and got up around 4:30 am. There was some sleep left in me so I didn't get up. Until I did when I heard a loud noise like someone falling. I went to check on Roy, not him but it was GMoey signaling his discontent of Roy's slow speed of releasing them from the bonus room. Once again, I settled in seeing if I could get at least another hours worth of sleep. That's when I heard our house alarm blaring through a once quiet morning, well a short time of the morning. Usually, one of us, Roy, opens the door without turning off the alarm but it wasn't Roy, it was Baxter. I have mentioned his The Sound of Music stage of life as he wants to climb to the top of just about everything. He jumped off the industrial metal table in the middle of the kitchen that we use as a small island. But his jump caused so many things mostly metal or glass to come crashing to the floor. Thus, the sound of breaking in and the result the aforementioned alarm. Roy got everything turned off and I came onto the scene just at the beginning of cleanup. Nothing broke but fruit fly killer juice spilled onto the floor. Oh, the fragrance of vinegar and whatever else they put into that jar. We picked up all that had fallen and the kitchen was returning to normal. We had bought some cheap aluminum foil from Big Lots and when we began placing the foil around the industrial island table we knew why it was so cheap. The thinnest foil ever. Spread it out and then added aluminum foil balls all around the edge and then put the foil balls around the top of the refrigerator. So far the aluminum defense has kept Baxter grounded, although the bookcases are looking to be conquered once again. This time he cannot knock off anything but still.... Once we sat down with our coffee I said we might be too tired to go to church or that we should stay home to keep an eye on Baxter. After we had breakfast and more coffee we decided we were good to go and started getting ready for church. 

Our church of choice for Sunday, Newbridge Baptist. In June we met the nicest lady in Publix as we helped her pick BBQ and she invited us to her church. At the time we told it would be late July or August before we could visit. We also have found a couple of other friends who attend. It was a good service with the son of the pastor preaching. Sounds like the son is at Liberty University and headed back that way on Tuesday. Green must have been the fashion church color back in the day. Newfound is decorated in too much green as well. When we arrived at the church we pulled into visitor parking only to be met by a scowling gentleman straight out of central casting. He came equipped with the biggest black leather Bible, probably KJV to complete his ensemble. We were getting the sneak eyed once over making sure we were really visitors and not a lazy parking church member. Usually, I meet the strong gaze and don't look away, but I told Roy we were under suspicion of illegal parking. He went on up to the men at the doors and whispered something to them. As we approached the opened doors they smiled and greeted us, then asking if we were visitors. Of course, yes, our first time to visit and the scowling gentleman felt like he had done his duty and moved on to his regular pew. This week by chance on FB Reels a pastor asks his congregation to let the life of Christ flow out of them not the check off the box mentality toward legalism and keeping made up and sounds spiritual rules. While studying the Gospels the last few years while teaching, I have come to realize keeping rules even for a rule bender such as I,  is easier to make up rules than to follow and obey the Holy Spirit. 

Sunday had rain off and on all day. And the temps were so cool, like early fall but this is false fall #1. Roy got out his fleece jacket and I put on a sweatshirt. We had planned to work out in the garden but the rain hindered those plans. I worked a little on the bullet journal I started and got some reading in. 

Yesterday was my birthday and it was low key and I liked that. Had fun looking at FB greetings, texts, messages and yes, a few cards. Since I had a doctor appointment today, didn't want cake or anything the day before. We are celebrating tomorrow afternoon. Yay! 

We were finally able to get out in the yard to pick peas and beans and of course tomatoes. It is pleasant outside but the little breeze stopped and it started to get too warm. The trellis is falling apart yet things continue to grow in spite of it all. Hmmm, a spiritual lesson just maybe. Last year we lost two fir type trees to bagworms. We pulled them off and sprayed them off. This year, no bag worms but we are doing the usual battle with Japanese beetles. Ugh!

We usually stick around Hendersonville when we have appointments etc. around there but yesterday we did not. South of Asheville has received so much rain and the ground is saturated. So glad we did that because we were able to make a quick stop at the grocery store and we also picked up lunch. All the kittos were happy to see us and then I took a much needed nap. Emotionally tired from all the ups and downs of health this summer. This was not on my dance card but it did not surprise the Lord. The rest of August has appointments spread out so that is good, emotionally. 

We have heard that beans haven't done well so Lou Lou and others that can are scrambling to find green beans. I should set up a green bean stand down by the road you know like a lemonade stand. I didn't have faith that our beans would grow and produce so I didn't prepare for the work involved. Keeping up with it but barely. 

Catching Up-August 2nd

 Last week while proofing a post I accidently hit something and it disappeared. Tried to recover it but to no avail. While it was just some ramblings and wonderings and wanderings, I hated to lose it. Thus, I stayed away from writing for several days. So with that in mind I took on a couple of projects that have been on the to do list for quite some time. Results? Three boxes of books going to Habitat today as well as a few other things. When I have the energy to do these things I take advantage, well, advantage within my parameters. 

While cleaning out a bookcase I found a book I bought in 2022. I knew it would be informative reading but at that point for most of 2021 and 2022 I was dealing with a tremendous amount of brain fog which affected my diminishing of a too short attention span. I also put away a book on the error in thinking one needs to build a platform to be involved with church work and service. Several years ago we had a guest preacher one Sunday and he talked a great deal in his sermon about building a platform, specifically his platform. Uh, okay. Rural area and the content of platform doesn't seem right. Of course the opposite of that is, nothing solves a problem like making a church to look back, at the good old days. There is a big problem with nostalgia, because it robs us from being in the present and seeing God in our daily scenes and routines, instead we'd rather remember what was. It really isn't remembering though, it becomes a safe world not ever enticing any movement forward. While reading several chapters in the afore mentioned book those non-nostalgic thoughts came back of growing up with a narcissist father. The reminders of how oppressive life can be. Bearing up while trying to read the room and his emotions were draining. I think the hardest fact that I had not been able to accept was this; I could think that although his beliefs were wrong, the decisions he put upon me, the always be a hard emotional person well, I thought he just has a weird way of loving me. When I finally figured out and when his friends told me how much he hated me and had hated me since I was five years old...well, those odd beliefs and decisions were the attempt at sabotaging my life. He constantly told me I would never fit in nor would I have friends. Then just being as wacky as narcissists can be he would get mad because I didn't have any friends. Thankfully, with God's help and people He sent to help, I can remember but it doesn't shadow my life or decisions now. Although, when I see a person with narcissistic personality disorder, I stay away. No, make that run away. 

Had a delightful afternoon visiting with a friend. Our cats have not had the experience of anyone being here other than workmen and we all wanted them to scatter and hide until check list worked through or repairs made. Even when Roy came home the kittos stayed to themselves upstairs. Thus this morning all is normal with these cats. Baxter has been on the top of the refrigerator four times this morning. He can get up there but he can't or won't come down. Good thing we are tall people. In response to his attempts of jumping on top of the bookcases, I have removed every temptation. Now with nothing up there to knock over, the thrill of the bookcases is gone. The Boys and The Trio continue to make inroads to hang out together and for this we give thanks. Chabola is standing up for herself in a world of boys. I think she had made headway in getting Buster to stop stalking her exclusively. 

You know you get into the FB algorithm and until you find something you watch more you just wait it out. So, I looked at one article about narcissists and it is everywhere on the timeline. I read one article about rescuing little baby kittens with most of them not making it. As the story is told and you know tears are going to come not only because the story is poignant but I remember caring for those little kittens throughout the years that did not make it. Many I sat with until they breathed their last breath and some who went to sleep and did not wake up to sleep no more. 

Someone on FB posted pictures of the ride I worked when employed by Astro World. I had splits between two rides and I also worked as much overtime as I could saving up for the next year of college. The Barrel of Fun, yes it had to reach 35mph before we could drop the floor. Several natural laws were in place. As you raised the floor up you slowed down the ride and people returned to the original starting point. Cleaned up a lot of vomit, off the floor and off the person next to the vomiter. Mostly the vomit was pink because they sold pink ice cream bars right in front of the ride. This is the thing that gets me now, I was 18 years old running rides all day and into the evenings. I was 18 years old and these riders of both rides I worked trusted me to do the right thing. I can even imagine working on any of the roller coasters back then. 

Today is the official opening of Barbers Orchard. At this time of year I am not too much interested in apples, but oh my, apple cider donuts, peach fried pies and the like. Their corn, peaches and other fruits take up my interest until honey crisp apples are brought into the shed. It's the most wonderful time of the year. I will tell the truth though, last year I only had three apple cider donuts and one peach friend pie. Lots of apples and peaches though. Just read their opening day was record breaking. We will probably make it there one day next week. 

It is 70 degrees now on this fine Saturday morning. It is not supposed to get much higher than that. For this we give thanks. Hopefully, I can get the beans and peas checked out. Roy brought in the small tomatoes last night before we got some rain. We had a bit of thunder so that scared Mr Mo and he wouldn't go to bed. He wandered a bit and came and went visiting us or rather waking us up in bed. Finally, Roy was able to get him to go into the bonus room. Lost a bit of sleep but hopefully I can make that up. 

Gardening, Cat Raising and Car Maintenance

 And just like that, in one little zap, everything is back in rhythm and everything isn't as difficult as it has been. In retrospect and with a little bit of research my unprofessional opinion is, I think I've been in atrial flutter longer than what the past few months have been like. Flutter can hide and be inconsistent is what I learned in research. My last three cardiologist visits have been with PAs and NPs. All in all internally things looked good but some experiences were dismissed or attributed to whatever things get attributed to. I find it peculiar when no one listens to your heart with a stethoscope at a heart appointment.  

I am easily amused and the amusement continues as our garden produces copious amounts of tomatoes and round two of greasy beans. The peas that are akin to the purple hull peas that I know of in Texas are beginning to produce and oh such joy that brings me. All in all the beans and peas were just for fun with no expectations and no really good trellis but they're thriving in spite of that. Bell peppers are starting to produce mainly the green ones but we see some little red ones in the mix. The blackberries continue but I think we are on the other side of the hill with them. It was a fun afternoon of visiting with a couple of friends as we delivered tomatoes. 

The Trio and The Boys are keeping us diligent in giving attention. Baxter must have listened to the soundtrack from The Sound of Music. He is climbing every mountain cabinet and bookcase. Yesterday he climbed to the top of a dresser and then went to the top of the hutch that sits on the dresser, knocked off a pic of his beloved human parents and then tried to play with the famous sticker of the 80's at HFBC; conserve tithe dollars, use other role first. I rescued the sticker just in time. 

Having some time off from teaching has been stress relieving in that the constant thought of study doesn't hang over my head. Last week we attempted to go to Duckett's for canned greasy beans as well as tomato sauce and salsa. We had to divert our plans when a big ol tractor trailer truck was getting to a place of pulling a single wide modular home up the mountain and all those winding curves. Yesterday, we tried that trip again with no problems. I was hoping that the greasy beans had been canned but just had half runners and blue lake green beans. We did hit the jackpot on salsa and chili tomato sauce. That will work for taco soup this fall and winter. When we returned home we ate lunch and then took out to deliver tomatoes to some friends. The day was so fun but by the time we stopped at the store and then headed home, I was pretty much done. My Houston cardiologist told me your heart doesn't know the difference between good stress or bad stress, it's just stress. No words ring truer than his advice of live within your parameters. They will change over the years and you'll need to make those adjustments. It feels like a parameter shift but I'll wait and see. Bloodwork tomorrow and just keep moving on getting these things checked off the list. 

*****

The bloodwork was quick and painless, although Lab Corp found a bill from 2021 that hadn't been paid. It referenced our Kay address and it was when we still had the most wonderful insurance. Fifty seven dollars later, they took my blood and out the door. Since it was a fasting appointment, I hadn't eaten breakfast but a protein bar took care of the hunger. We stopped at Marshall's and Hobby Lobby before heading over to the Publix with all the other old people and the young people who must enjoy being ran into with grocery carts buggies and have patience with the slowness of decisions over which is the best cantaloupe. Remember those parameters I mentioned, well I didn't stay within them and I was drained of energy before even going into the grocery store. I blame just having a power bar and no coffee. It didn't look like 6 Pigs BBQ would be at their regular spot across from the Alexander Post Office, so much to Roy's delight we picked up hamburgers at Burger King.  He loves their hamburgers and soft serve ice cream or ice cream product. Who knows these days? 

And speaking of bloodwork I already have the results. 

I have enjoyed reading Just As We Were, Prudence McIntosh. It's an old book that I found on Thrift Books. I always loved her articles in Texas Monthly. I may have to go back and read Just As We Were because it is especially poignant to situations and circumstances going on. Her insights of the 70s and early 80s of camp, sororities and Junior League somehow and in someway apply to my non camp, non sororities and Junior League life. Her truthful insights written in a humorous way is engaging but it is also reviving memories of long ago. But none of my memories are in this same vein of thought. 

This morning Roy headed out in the car to go workout and then bring boiled shrimp home for lunch. He called and he was at the tire place by the carwash. The low tire pressure light had come on for the passenger side front tire. Long story short, a bubble in the side wall and a new tire will be in by noon tomorrow. Roy also got some sage advice, putting different rims on the car with new tires would not solve the continuous problem with this whole thing of the last two years. The man told Roy, go buy a Honda. In this little story is such a great story of God's provision. We didn't take the care yesterday nor did Roy take the car on Tuesday to go workout. With very hot temps for the area, it wouldn't have been safe. The tire man said it should be good to go home and return tomorrow to the shop. Another provision of the Lord; we've been thinking about just fixing and keeping the car but the question of buying something new or fixing was answered. Yep, if you lack wisdom, the Lord will give it to you. 

 

Flittering and Fluttering, A Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On

 Once again fog has rolled down the mountains and across our valley. I had a prime seat from the upstairs front room. Just as Mike was finishing up with our yard the rains came down giving flowers, tomatoes and greasy beans a good refreshing. Rumor has it we will get rain this afternoon. We didn't quite know what to do with ourselves last night because our routine is watering everything and I dead head roses when I can. The stupid Japanese beetles are back just taking room up on this earth with their destructive appetites for food and for s3x. 

I cannot tell you how flattered I am by all the job offers and yes, several Who's Who chances I have. When Best Buy is interested in what I can offer in this tight business season, you know it is a scam. I could understand Target thinking I had the best to offer this work from home opportunity with maternity leave. I wonder if that would somewhat cover dealing with feral cats? Now TEMU will pay big bucks for me to work just 15 minutes a day. As the old joke reminds us, I would think What's That would be more interested in me than Who's Who.  

Why is always seem like every important phone call I get comes when I go to Ingles. Wednesday, we were in Weaverville doing the grocery thing when my phone rang. Actually, it buzzed cause it was on silent. I was surprised because texts and calls seem to never get through when at Ingles. It was from the cardiologist office and I struggled to find a spot where I could hear what they said clearly as well as a spot where my responses could be heard by them. I have a couple of decisions to make concerning the next step but I do believe I will go the familiar route I taken before. So again, after our communication through the patient portal I am awaiting a call. Maybe I should head over to Ingles except I don't think it works when you're trying to get the call back. 

Good news, I didn't have to go to Ingles to make the call happen. The call came Friday afternoon. I am scheduled next week for a cardioversion. My nick name for the procedure is, Chaka Khan.

 I believe this is my seventh or eighth one. Good news, I don't have to do the TEE thing the day before. I just saw there is a TEE appointment included with the cardioversion. Ugh, but I do feel better they will do that. In Houston that was the way they did it, before the procedure itself. All this caught me a little by surprise. The heart monitor reveal, I was in continual arterial flutter the whole time. Seems I can detect afib better than aflutter. No wonder I felt at times like my heart was shaking. Just like afib for me, the night time was the right time to experience those thumps and now knowing, flutters. There have been more than I want to count nights that I get up to help everything inside slow down a bit and not have to work so hard. After a couple of hours with things calmer it is back to the bed. I noticed tiring quicker and circulation not as good as it has been. Some of that has to do with my nocturnal early mornings. I was just a little tempted not to have the procedure done but while waiting for the call back my time was spent researching why this wasn't caught with the echo or the EKG in the Dr office. Mayo Clinic to the rescue answering all the questions that had been popping up. This aflutter is usually caused by stress and I internalize a lot of stress related matters. So...that's where all this is of now. 

Friday, I did something that I haven't done in a long time. I ordered a few things from the Anniversary Sale at Nordstrom. Got Roy some new shoes and a pair of dressier pants for me, well, dressier than jeans. Ordered Roy pants from Macy's. He doesn't need nicer pants too often but wow such a deal. We are attending a wedding in Sept and it is dressy casual which we love, so a great time to find things. 

Last night I went out to the greasy bean trellis and low and behold I saw one bean pod. Then much to my surprise I saw a few more. I called out to Roy and asked if he would bring a basket to me. It is nearly filled and told the beans will be de-stringed. So thankful for friends who gave me advice on how to fix them. Good ol' Facebook to the rescue again as well as texts and messages. The purple beans didn't do as well or they might be purple hull peas but we will wait and see. Meanwhile he was picking blackberries and they are full and plump. Must be all the rain and sun we've received this summer. 

A quick note, The Trio and The Boys are trying to find some kind of truce and it seems to be working. Willie, took himself into timeout for a couple of weeks but he is back with the crowd. Baxter, who is willing to leap tall buildings or so it seems has been a bad boy. No cat ever in the history of cats in our home have ever jumped up on the industrial catch all table in the middle of the kitchen. His job to procure cherry tomatoes and a few blackberries for soccer practice in the kitchen. Sprayed him with water and told him no. Then the great idea of putting Vicks around the edge of the plates came to me and that welcomed fragrance of the good old vapor rub helped us breath better and deter any cat ideas of absconding with said tomatoes. Since they all know the kitchen counters are off base Baxter found a loophole. The Trio still have some teenager in them but we have noticed a few more naps and praise be, longer naps from them. 

When Rivers Run Through Things

 My heart breaks for the families who have lost loved ones in the central Texas flash floods. We are so familiar with all those areas. Dude ranch vacation when we were kids, went to college in San Marcos, when Roy was in law school this is where we would take our limited funds vacation days, and my parents lived in Georgetown TX for several years. So many friends live in that area now and it is good to have FB to keep up with their situations. All are safe so far. The pictures are too familiar because Helene left WNC in that same torn up condition and the aftermath that continues on nearing the year anniversary. Camps in the Hill Country are like the camps held here in Montreat and Black Mountain area. I never went to Camp Mystic or Waldemar or Heart of the Hills. We were firmly invested in camps through the church, GA and junior camp. Well, invested is not the term I would have used but those were my camp opportunities. I wasn't too fond of those week long camps held at Peach Creek Baptist Assembly which now goes by another name with no Southern Baptist affiliation...I think. Just looked it up and that land is part of a state park. Comments were interesting so many talking about attending camp there over the years in the 1960s. I started enjoying camp while in high school. I started going to church where my friends attended and had a blast. Making friends at Westbury Baptist was difficult for me. Our family attended the off time Sunday School and service, so when there were youth group activities that my father forced me to go to, I didn't really have anyone to hang out with. Also, I was a strange and offbeat type of kid so even if we went to the popular time for Sunday School, I don't think that would have helped. Oops, I kind of got off track but these hill country camps have been life-changing for generations of girls. The introduction of those who you'll meet later on in college etc...is the foundation that networks, alliances and sororities that will come later on in life have provided an advantage because of the chance opportunity to meet beginning at age 7 in the hill country at camp. I am praying for those families and for all who have lost so much over the July 4th weekend. 

I found the link to Texas Monthly that I read a long time ago. Published in 1975 and written by Prudence McIntosh. I might still have one of her books on the Dallas area. 

https://www.texasmonthly.com/being-texan/the-greatest-experience-of-your-life/?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwLYBHdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHq_WiXNHavXDXb_FPEFch1YS2Pm1LeZKZOUSsG90yC6X3tsh7GNfY1ep2MH_aem_v5Sr2issopUtPuGgBTjV7w

The link may or may not work but you can go to the Texas Monthly website and look through the archives. It is worth the read if you like stories, traditions and the like. I remember a family that lived on our street while growing up. The dad was an architect, home filled with children, and always covered in chaos. It was a loud home and it was so interesting to experience this because our home was quiet, little rowdiness tolerated and our mom didn't shut her bedroom door on the mess happening in the rest of the house nor did our mom drink to ease the edge of her nerves of a house in pandemonium. My mom didn't drink although I fear her two kiddos might have made her think about a drink. Ha! This home of what some neighbors called, the "itinerate Catholics" was a main topic of neighborhood gossip. Then, this dad put the house up for sale because he had bought a home in Memorial (wealthy part of Houston) and now the kids could go to a better class of parochial schools. My dad at our dinner table one night said, well, they'll be house poor living there and they won't be able to furnish their home like they ought. He continued that he and mom had decided they would rather have nice furniture than live in a fancy house. Okay, y'all, there is so much wrong with that statement. Even as a kid who spoke her mind, I knew not to contradict what he believed, first of all because we didn't have "nice" furniture. Well, it was nice but it wasn't Ethan Allen nice and that is what he was referring to. The living room furniture didn't match being a hodge podge of early American. With the exception of our parent's bedroom furniture which now would be called mid century modern, we were a hodge podge , what was on sale, home. When the architect family moved, the daughters began going to camp in Kerrville but don't remember which camp. I had heard through friends they had loved going to camp but felt they needed to upgrade themselves before the next year. Funny how things come to mind from the long ago while keeping up with coverage of the recent tragedy. 

Through the years I've known many women who are the results of going to camps in Kerrville. Even the most edgy woman who didn't quite fit in the mold that maybe grandparents and parents wanted to instill in her to consolidate her comfortable future; they carry themselves differently than from the rest. One such friend made some very poor decisions in marriage partners. Last I heard she was on marriage number four, but each time...except maybe for the third one, she married well and while selective in her "requirements" to others she was able to withstand her wayward dreams and mostly lived a dilettante existence. Like I said at the beginning of this post, camps in Kerrville were not on any list of what would I like to do kind of thing. Nothing like attending Baylor or anything. 

The scenes along the river and throughout the hill country are so reminiscent of the damage and destruction of Helene. Because I was so sick during all that time I knew it was bad but I didn't know how bad until later. Clean up is moving along in Texas and it took some time for that to begin here. I just saw the number of missing people has risen to 161. Be so close to Texas, Lord. 

 

Pet Peeves (Again) and Other Assorted Thoughts

 Over the years I have written on my pet peeves that have to do with doing everyday life. Grocery stores, parking lots, mini vans, various options and experiences at churches and the like. I've written on authors I like, books I've read and those on my TBR list or in many cases my TBR stack. Some things are excessive in that there are five desks located in various rooms for various purposes. There used to be more because there were desks in each of the guest bedrooms. Quickly the realization that not all love a desk came to me, so the excessive desks went to Habitat store. One of those remaining is a secretary kind of thing that I haven't used as a desk for quite some time, since our Rancho de Five days. Now we store cat toys and such so The Boys and The Trio can't get to things. I do believe that God, who is Holy and Mighty, has a sense of humor. So, below are things that bug me, but came to me as funny when we did this last Sunday at the Presbyterian Church, it didn't bug me.

• Let us stand to honor the reading of God's Word is said a lot at the beginning of a sermon yet we don't stand if he adds some verses to reinforce the point he is making. What, we don't honor God's Word then? Let's be consistent, not part of a show. Standing for the reading of God's Word has been a long standing practice in most Presbyterian churches. We participated in that tradition Sunday morning. No one had that more spiritual look on their faces, it simply was this is how we do it and have done it for nigh these many years. 
• Kyle Lake taught on prayer years ago and he was tragically taken from this earth too early due to the baptistry not being wired correctly. He said you can add to the list of taking the Lord's name in vain, besides cussing, church people over saying His Name every other word. We don't treasure, respect and hold sacred His powerful name. He also wrote about praying His Name in vain when someone from the stage wants to move from opening to offertory, pre preaching, post preaching, invitation, after invitation prayer and closing dismissal prayer. I've known people to use prayer to quiet a room, then pray one minute later. Which one was the real prayer? EM Bounds, a prayer warrior and author, calls those prayers professional prayers. We had a lot of prayers on Sunday but each one was more than moving to the next thing in the bulletin, there was a purpose not a proposal of praying cause you don't know how to handle the moment. We had responsive reading and we said scripture together. Nothing new under the sun but it was refreshing.

Like I wrote in the first paragraph these are things and yes there are more, but two is enough, have bothered me for years and years, even pre North Carolina. Just reminded with the plethora of visiting speakers at church before the interim guy came. 

I was thinking this morning about characters that would need to be in a novel based on church people. Ya gots to have all the kinds, for sure. The insecure, the gossipy,  You need a character, male or female, that knows the scripture that sizes up their practicing beliefs and productive legalism, and knows Robert's Rules of Order by heart. Procedure and Patriarchs, Pastoral Epistles and passion...light on the passion is all this saint needs to equip a meeting. See how Baptist I can be, alliteration is always welcomed for points and emphasis. This is not a well thought out character needs list but wanted to get this down so I wouldn't forget. It is more like a running character list of foibles and qualities. Over the years there have been a few works of fiction where a pastor or deacon or leader does something to almost ruin a church but then the miraculous happens, repentance and rejoicing to carry on after a setback. Being sneaky doesn't win the day. Another option in this genre is, the pastor's wife doing underhanded stuff...then repentance and rejoicing. 

*******

This morning I got up a little bit after 5:00 am. We have found that if Roy brings me coffee I will stay upstairs and not disturb his quiet time. So, Roy brought the coffee and I was mesmerized by the changing scene of the skies from my view in the front room. The prettiest formation of clouds combined with pink skies changing into grayish blue and capped off with a rolling fog that was mere minutes instead of hours like usual. I used my new Bible to read and mark verses and I also learned a few new phrases, studies and updates from X. Baxter, Mr Mo and GMoey kept me company. In fact when I opened the bedroom door this morning all six were sitting at the door. Immediately, I checked on Roy cause they usually hang out with him in the early mornings. 

  

July 4th from years gone by...twenty years ago I was in the process of preparing for a hysterectomy the next day. We usually spent the 4th at Lake Bain, the end of cousin's camp for the family. Always so much fun to be with Peggy and the extended family, related and non-related. I also didn't know if the tumor seen on the ultrasound was malignant or benign. Twenty years later I know, benign. Last year we kind of knew that Sister probably wouldn't make it. Sister was one of the siblings to The Trio, we actually brought her in first. She  didn't and we found her partially in a blanket with one paw stretched out, like she was reaching for the hand of Jesus to take her to kitty heaven. The Feral Family has two in the garage, Beanie and Coco. Fido was in there as well, but he left after breakfast. Beanie and Coco are catching up on food and rest. 

Keeping informed and staying in prayer for Kerrville and the Texas Hill Country. Scenes from along the river and water intrusions into downtowns and neighborhoods reminds me of what we saw happening from Helene here in WNC. 

Sleuthing and Stuff

 Nancy Drew Monarch here and my sleuthing on the patient portal through appointment notes gave me a sense of direction of where health-wise things might be going. In my unprofessional opinion. Anyway, I got the doctor's review of the notes and I wasn't too far off in my findings. Not dire but not good, not normal but not abnormal.  Ned Nickerson I mean Roy and I celebrated the "gray" news by picking up lunch while out and about. Well, we were going to do that anyway. Definitely, there is work to be done and I am waiting for my lab approval to get bloodwork taken care of. A lot of stress has been relieved and that is always a key part of the puzzle in all these years of a heart journey. Oh and heat but I am trying my best to stay cool, you know like a cool kid. 

Since Willie has taken over my project desk, I have gone a new direction. Amazon to the rescue with a small rolling/adjustable table by the day bed. Got things moved around a bit last night and also went through stuff for another trip to drop off at Habitat store. With Willie using the project desk for all naps and down time, it has helped with his going to the bonus room at night with GMoey and Mr Mo. I think The Trio gets on his nerves. He used to get on GMoey and Mr Mo's nerves. It's all cyclical. 

After supper last night, we planned to go outside and continue tying up tomato plants and cages, water a few things and pick up some yard cuttings that we let dry out. Our plans changed when the rain showers began, they picked up and added hard rain to the mix and not to be left out, the wind came in blowing things and plants thither and yon. Lots of thither and yon. Blew over the bean trellis and some of those unsecured tomato plants. 

******

Yesterday, we went to First Presbyterian Church in Weaverville. We had been there a couple of years ago for a Christmas program and then for a Christmas Eve service. Architecturally, we've seen it but God added a little extra to it. As soon as we parked the car and started for the church, they began ringing the bell. A rock/stone church right out of a Hallmark movie, complete with the musical accompaniment. The church is very near Main Street so the surrounding homes are older homes that reminded me of my Grandparent's home and their walking to church. The music meaningful to the sermon and beautiful. The sermon was good and came with fill in the blank type notes. Roy filled his out I was so focused on the sermon I didn't want to break that with note taking. The people very friendly and of course the inside of the church itself, beautiful. Saw a couple of friends and got to visit with them a little. Roy even dressed Presbyterian, translated dress pants, wingtips and pressed shirt. We were Bapterians Roy's last year and a half in law school. His study group was on Sunday mornings so I attended church alone. Every Sunday the same question with that look of, are y'all still together? Got tired of it so we attended Grace Presbyterian because the pastor was such a good Bible teacher and nobody knew us. That way whether we were there together or me by myself, no questions. Oh, but then I discovered the organist at the church was awesome and loved her prelude and postlude. This coming Sunday we haven't decided where to attend, but we are working on that. 

Today is the day we brought in The Trio, just temporarily of course. They stayed out on the back porch in a little play pen meant for cats. So little and oh so cute. We gave them numbers because we knew as soon as we named them, they would be ours. We searched for fosters but everyone was full so we began the adventure with some little two and a half or three week old kittens. Round the clock bottle feedings, getting the fleas taken care of and the all important rear end help all young kittens need from their moms. Buster and Chubola exceled in taking to soft food and liquids. Baxter brought up the rear in finally eating from a dish and once he began he hasn't stopped. As you can see we named them eventually and they claimed us as waiter and waitress. Mostly, they are good cats but every once in a while the call of adventure reaches out and there are messes to pick up and temptations are placed in a drawer. The Trio get on Willie's nerves and his reaction is usually an upset stomach. Several weeks ago it was an all nighter with him but he has settled down and for this we give thanks. Baxter and Mr Mo are the jealous cats, Buster loves taking naps by me in the afternoons when I read, GMoey gets along with everyone and Chubola, she gets her own description but she is the only girl. That about says it totally. She loves to play and she is getting more comfortable jumping up on our laps for pets but she does not stay long. Buster follows her around but lately he has let up on the constant patrol. Baxter loves Roy and Roy made Baxter his own sleeping spot on his desk. 

We are having foggy mornings of late and it kind of reminds me of August mornings. 

Nancy Drew and The Mystery of a Patient Portal

 In my best Nancy Drew writing voice I'm about to tell the story of The Secret Report or The Mystery of a Patient Portal. Monday marks two weeks since my echo/stress test with no results actually conveyed. Roy and I were outside in the early evening when the delivery of the heart monitor arrived. This time three days wearing. Once we got back inside, I got to thinking about the report and the lack of correspondence from the cardiologist office in the recent week. Before closing down my computer last night I signed onto the patient portal remembering the notes of each visit posts rather quickly. I went through the the options and came across the  notes from both the office visit and the echo/stress test visit at the hospital. Not all of my questions are answered but I feel more confident the direction my heart health is taking, at least in my mind. Since the test I have adjusted a few things to see if there is a better result and some of those changes seem to be making a difference. I've also adjusted the Bible verses I am reading and believing that God will answer my prayer and honor His Word. Maybe, I'll share later but I will share this. Several months ago while finishing up teaching Exodus, I took a little detour into Numbers. In Numbers 21:17-18, the Israelites come to a spring of water...The Bible says the people sang unto the well. They were expressing thanksgiving and gratitude to the Lord and several commentaries say while singing to this particular spring, they were also singing to remind themselves the next time they were looking for provision. In their case, water. I remember saying to the class when there are problems, things we don't understand, we can thank God that He knows and we should sing to our problem or needed answer. This morning I have been singing and I plan on more music playing in the house. Roy has been playing The Psalms accompanied by music in the morning and evening. This is so different for Roy because music doesn't mean that much to him but I love seeing this change. Community Bible Study is studying The Psalms in the fall. Maybe I will join an online class. 

This has been a week with more freedom to take care of stuff around here since I have additional time. I stepped aside from teaching for the summer and will re-access health and other things in September. Since I was enjoying a book on the Psalms, I'll continue to read it. I decided to order a new Bible because the one I use for teaching is just that. Sometimes, not always, there is a difference in how God speaks when you are studying to teach than when you are reading and studying for that quiet time with the Lord. And this is the best, I found a new NLT Bible on Thrift books that has a center reference column which I love! And the cover is pink and gold. 

******

Seems strange that usually this time I am in the Sunday School room waiting for the class to arrive. Today, I'm sitting here at the computer in my jammies. I made a list of architectural churches we want to visit this summer and maybe add a couple of just regular churches, even different denominations.  There are a lot, more than I thought, but there are a lot of independent Baptist churches in the area. 

Our attention is on the Men's College World Series as we root for LSU. If Roy hadn't gone to LSU we would probably be rooting for Coastal Carolina. With the temps being what they are both teams are used to hot and humid weather. We are having to acclimate to this hot weather for the month of June. We are having temps in the 90's and that is July or August temperatures. 

LSU won! Yay! 

A little rain shower has moved through and we are hoping that will help. Roy has gotten things gathered to take the trash down to the road. Oh and it is recycle week. The power washer guys come tomorrow afternoon. 

This week I cleaned out a couple of boxes and much to my surprise I found CDs from Houston's First Baptist Choir, the songs I love so much and define in a huge way that time in my life. I have been singing so much this weekend. I had a small CD player that I used for choir here but since we haven't had a choir in a long time, who knows where the player went. Roy ordered a player so I could listen and of course sing along. What a great surprise! I know I wrote a little about this in the first paragraph but it is such a special thing. 

Cats, Stories, and Produce Stands

 The song Fare Thee Well keeps rolling around in my brain. Guess I've heard it several times in the past few days since discovering the two CD set of the Houston's First Baptist Choir in a box in the back of a bedroom closet. I remember Gerald telling us, it is not a fare thee well as a goodbye but may you fare well in that great getting up morning. 

Ours is a battle of keeping the flowerbeds weeded. It is an impossible task cause the weed coalition is strong. Some of the flowerbeds we admit defeat and have just turned them back over to the wild side but we are vigilant in our task in the beds we are trying to keep clear. We mistook a weed for the ever present four 'clock that fills our side flowerbed. So, we will be getting to that sooner than later. 

The above came up in FB memories this morning and coincidently I was thinking this very thought yesterday. The stories that make up our lives become more compact, a little more organized and a whole lot shorter than the stories we talked of just ten years ago. Basically, our natural lives here are a compilation of short stories that define us or we make the stories define us or we are looking for a new definition and do a lot of editing. Also the natural progression of forgetting plays a part. 

Part of the stories of my life will be that I am easily entertained and amused. Like yesterday, we went to the DMV to get the license tag for the Mustang. Afterwards, we went next door to the huge and above average Ingles. Wow! Presentation of products is through the roof beautiful. The dull beige and brown tones that accompany anything Ingles was dwarfed by the displays and the openness of the store. Of course our basket or buggy as is said here, was filled with all those products that makes it look like we are shopping as college students. Popcorn  and  Pepsi products. We stopped by church and while Roy turned in his deacon book, he rolls off June 30th, and his VBS t-shirts, I stayed in the truck. Good thing cause I got a call from the cardiologist office to do another stent with a heart monitor. Got all the instructions again and by this time Roy had returned. We went to exciting Publix where the atmosphere was totally weird, but it was Wednesday and the all important discount makes people do crazy things. While doing all of these things, I was talking with another representative from the cardiologist office because I had received a text that I had an appointment that morning. Clearly, I knew nothing about that appointment but everything got resolved. I left a message with the nurse of my doctor again asking why my results have not been given to me if the NP had someone call last Thursday but with the wrong answer to the reason for the stress test and echo. I'll remain proactive but I'm getting ready to tell them I am about to release Roy on them. He has the time and patience to deal with tedious things and he doesn't give up. I had a great day after a bit of a blip with afib in the night on Tuesday. 

 Our prodigal cat is home! Coco hasn't been around for about two weeks. There might have been a sighting from someone down the road but the pic was blurry. Last night Roy was making his last rounds to make sure the Feral Fam had water and a little dry food and there she was waiting by the door. She has slept mostly and hasn't missed any wet food offerings for those who visit the garage once or twice a day. Fido came in with her. He has been rather regular again to show up for meals and want to spend the night in the garage. In other cat news, We have trouble a brewin' in our own home. It seems Willie and Mr Mo are upset with one another. Willie won't go to bed in the bonus room and now Mr Mo is hiding and he has some really good hiding place because we could not find him. He finally showed his face for supper but he thought he saw Willie. Back upstairs. I will go up there in a bit but we're thrilled he is not hurt or dead in his hiding. 

******

This morning we headed over to Duckett's Produce for some Lou Lou salsa and whatever else she has been canning of late. We got some tomato sauce and vegetable soup. Also, peaches, tomatoes and those delicious little plums. We were able to also stop at Clementine's in downtown Canton. The same people own it but it is more clothing now with a few pieces of jewelry as well as paper goods...stop drooling Nancy, and local artists creations. I didn't stay long but I didn't leave empty handed. We came home to indoor and outdoor cats acting like it has been a week since they last ate. Fido came running across the yard leaving his cool retreat in the fir trees. Everyone has settled in for a nap, including Roy. 

We are finishing up the last bucket of strawberries for the season. Seems like strawberry season went by so quickly this year. It was a good season and now peach season is upon us. 

Celebrations and Echoes

 I streamed the Celebration of Life service for Gerald Ray Friday afternoon from Houston's First Baptist Church. His creative touches and his gift for helping us remember was so evident in the service. He had sat down with his daughter Kristy about a year ago to go through what music, who would speak and details planning for that great and glorious morning, fare thee well. The family sat in the center section and those who have been in Gerald's choirs over the years sat all around them. What a wonderful and thoughtful touch.

Being Gerald's choir at First Baptist was so special. That is when I started making friends at HFBC. Everyone told me that I should meet Peggy Bain cause we'd be good friends. She was recovering from major knee surgery and was out of choir for a while. We finally met at a Camp Sponsor meeting for Camp Houston. She came up to me all 5'1" to my 6' and said, heard you're funny. My very cool response, can be. She asked me to rewrite the words to Do You Love Me for the Clean Cabin Girls. Said, yep, I'll do it. I cannot tell you how excited I was, really thrilled and enthusiastic. Even call Roy from my car phone on a thirty minute plan cause why would I need more minutes? Told him I had finally met Peggy and that my friends is the start of a beautiful friendship. Yep, right there in choir, who knew? I loved the songs we learned even the ones that were loved by the musical type but not the average choir person. I was remembering the signs that Gerald had to help us with those memorized words. The video of Wonderful Name, yes I remembered to sing soft on the first Jesus just like many of you. Gerald had such a good reading voice. I told him once I would pay him to record reading a book cause his voice was so kind. Gerald told Peggy and me about all the tapes people sent to him of their singing or songs they wrote. If he didn't like them, he threw them out the window of the car. Peggy and I said if we ever recorded a tape for him we would call it, Going Out the Window With God. 

While our home was being built in Rancho de Five, my job was to go through stuff we had moved from the townhouse to the condo to discard or donate. I did one clean out early on and once we were closer to moving in to our new home, there had been delays due to shortages, I went through everything again. The wadded up Kleenex in a zip lock bag did not make it through the second round. If one looked closely enough a small note could be seen and if one was so inclined to be interested the small printing said, tissue used for drying my tears at Trevleyn's memorial service. That little Kleenex filled baggie was a remembrance that I needed to hold onto, for awhile, out of honor for her life, her love in serving her Lord and I just wasn't ready to say goodbye. We were not close but Peggy shared the greatest and funniest stories about Trev before she became so ill and the fatigue kept her from doing a lot of things. Joining choir was a such a time as this moment in life. It seemed so difficult to make friends in a large church and Sunday School was less than desirable for us. Too competitive on accumulating stuff, too much. I was a late bloomer in that regard. When I joined choir and when the CLC gym was built that is when we made friends and a big church felt less lonely. 

I have had all kinds of echocardiograms and stress tests beginning in 2009. They have come a long way technologically since then. In fact, this was the best experience ever and I have to tell you, I wasn't expecting that. I had to go to Mission Hospital to have the test done. From the front desk person to the nurses performing the tests I was so pleased, but when you have friends specifically praying for everything, all I could do was take in the wonder and blessings that the Lord gives. A humorous thing, I was sitting by an older woman in the waiting area, older than me and guessing she might be about 88 or so. Her phone rang and her ring tone was, The Thrill is Gone by BB King. If I was drinking water or anything, I would have spit it out laughing. Nurse Katherine came and got me from the waiting area and she said to Roy, we will try to have all this done in an hour, we will be overachievers. As we went toward the echo lab, I told her my husband will love that because he is an over achiever but as for me, I just chieve. No under or over for me, I am just a chiever. We hit it off, you know best friends for the hour or so and talked about a lot during all the prep. She asked me why I said my husband is an overachiever so I told her. Passed CPA exam the first time back in the olden days when you took all four parts of the exam over the course of two days. He went to grad school working full time and got a MBA in finance. Then he decided to apply for Law School and was accepted despite the fact he was in his early forties. He was laid off in the middle of law school but worked contract jobs, graduated and passed the bar on the first try. He was one of the first Accredited Petroleum Accounting holders in the county. He took the Certified Internal Auditor exam, given world wide and he was in the top five of over two thousand people that took the exam that year from around the world. His specialties, Sarbanes Oxley, Risk Control and Compliance. That is why he is an overachiever. She was blown away and after writing this afresh this morning, I am blown away too. I added my overachieving was being on time for my appointment. They did the echo and added all the stuff in my IV to make my heart react as if I were exercising. I needed to reach a certain number and I was about twelve points below where I needed it to be. So, I was pumping heart softies, pedaling my ankles and feet as well as doing a one landed jumping jack. I might keep checking out America's Funniest Videos to see if I am on cause it was foolish looking on that table with my left arm overhead. I got the number up to 129 and we ended the session, one point above the requirement. In the procedure I got to watch the screen as well as they explained or merely reported what they were seeing. The nurse said to me, if you had any other of the nurses here, they would have stopped everything in defeat and a long afternoon would be ahead of me going to the heart cath lab but she knew I could do it. The scheduler forgot to tell me not to take my beta blocker twenty four hours before. They left me to change back into my clothes and she would escort me out to the waiting room. Before taking me out there, she took me by the shoulders and told me, now who says they aren't an overachiever. We almost made the hour time limit but we were over just be a few minutes. A concern though, my BP was through the roof which is unusual for me. Most of the time my BP is normal or in a very low range. This was very high. They asked me if I was nervous for the test, no I said. Do you have something you are stressed over? Yes and Sunday night didn't help that. 

I was so tired afterwards and kind of hungry since I had to semi fast. We stopped to pick up a milkshake and then continued home. I was told my heart had just run the equivalent to a 5K race. Easy evening around home, even got to talk with Peggy for a few minutes.  

Just Put a Ribbon in Your Hair and Act Happy

 Roy and I were riding around the countryside yesterday taking in all vibrant greens and the once plentiful blooms of spring have winnowed down into a few flowers here and there. Mostly, the flowers are along the roadside. My friend Inez told me once that her sister called them God's flowers. I agree whether He uses the wind, birds or squirrels for distribution. Several years ago in the ditch/culvert daylilies appeared. Mike never mows over them and what started as a small plant has grown into one that likes the wide open spaces. As we took all of this in, I made the comment about what a difference eleven years has made. In 2014 while here looking for a home to purchase I could not get over how many junkers I saw. Not classic cars or trucks but cars and trucks duct taped together or so it seemed. Now, there are more Lexis', BMWs', Mercedes, and the like hitting these back roads in the country. One of the other observations I made so long ago was over the price of groceries. There is a local to other southern states grocery store chain that was the queen bee for so long. Nothing, like having an H-E-B or Kroger in Houston where sales were good and eating was cheap, well cheaper than here. That in itself seems strange right here in the middle of produce fields and orchards. Then in 2017 Publix changed the landscape in the grocery world when it opened in Weaverville. The local store across the road from the new store, cleaned up and semi-modernized their store to compete against this latest foe. When store colors are brown and beige, it is hard to compete with green and white and yes bright interiors of Publix. Publix brought in more BOGOs to entice the unbelievers in. Some converted quickly and there are others who swear by the local store whose prices might be a little lower but not by much. Recently, local has advertised a few BOGOs but still penurious in sharing the discount. 

I realized this morning while attempting to put a bowl away in a bottom cabinet I bent over and looked like my Grandma B. What an honor of keeping the don't bend your knees tradition in our family. Need to start wearing a house dress to complete the total look. 

The heart monitor people called yesterday wondering why I hadn't activated the monitor. Well, because it hadn't arrived but blessed be the name of the Lord and He is a right on time God, as we were speaking it was delivered. I have this leftover symptom from the October sickness and every once in a while my rims of the eyelids want to stick together which kind of fuzzies things. Yesterday was a bad day for it and with all the books and notebooks littering the daybed I was having a difficult time of focusing on instructions and calling etc...  I read the booklet and finally put it all down because it would look different to me the next morning and so it did. My most difficult feat was getting the template in place. Roy had gone outside so I got a piece of handy dandy scotch tape and got that template taped and placed in order to get that monitor thing going. These monitors are getting easier and easier to use. Gone are the days of having to have a landline and calling in fits, bits and afibs for the record. I don't think I ever did one of those correctly nor the thirty day monitor I was wearing during the whole grief time when my mother passed away and her weird and odd graveside service. There are many changes in medicine these days; mainly ones I don't like but upgrading heart monitors...I am all in for change. 

I love this statement. It is a welcome thing to see a pastor encourage coming to the Word with expectancy. Many a time I've heard a pastor say things about reading the Bible that were merely aside comments, although that is where truth is found, doing year through the Bible programs and quiet times are boring. Maybe in an attempt to say hey, I'm no different...this is hard to do, the OT can be dust dry etc...heard once you could not go to the Word every time and think you would receive a joyful or exciting word or even an eye opening word, just do the duty of quiet time. I always think of this book from the 1950s on how to have a happy home. Just put a ribbon in your hair and act happy. 

What is left of the pasture land across the road has been doing all the hay prep work and last night while dead heading roses, I watched just like in times past, in awe of how the work is done. Grabbed a couple of quick pics because each time I see this happening I think this might be the last time. What talented farmers in that they were able to maneuver around the stakes in the field. Some of our tomato plants have little tiny tomatoes on them. Yay! The bell pepper plants are developing nicely as well. While I was at Bible study, Roy did some trimming and shaping up on several shrubs. Sometimes taking care of everything is overwhelming. Yet, we muster up the strength. We just came home with more zinnias.