Just In Case

 The last couple of days I have been Roy's eyes and ears for news and updates. We got a weather radio with all types of gadgets ordered for him in case of any future weather developments. Around 3:00 am he got power along with internet and water. So, he paid bills online before taking a shower. I love him! 

What a hassle with my Instagram account being hacked and then the ensuing email that contained a threat of blackmail for very specious reasons. I reported it and filed a IC3 claim with the FBI. Then I took to my blog and Facebook letting anyone and everyone know that the Instagram message is not from me. Also the message of sending to my contacts and also via social media me being disgusting in front of my webcam. The only times I have used this webcam is for Bible study with Community Bible Study and with Houston's First Baptist. 

Last night we got a lot of rain and even some thunder but our temps are above freezing but it looks as if they will plunge tonight thus setting up icy conditions tomorrow. I was able to run errands yesterday and so I am ready to be here just in case. Since Covid, I'm usually always here, just in case. Just saw there might be a rock/mudslide on Monticello. I did some other preparations last night just in case after reading about generators that stopped working. Both in Katy and here we had house generators installed and the one in Katy paid for itself during this week long cold and miserable weather. Well, it has been paid for for quite sometime but you know what I mean. Someone kind of made a snide remark to us once about the generator. When budgeting for them, we traded vacation trips for electricity. In the big picture we may have not gone far in travels but we are happy for the decisions we made. I went to bed early last night thinking I might be up a lot during the night with impending ice and such. I was up a lot but not due to a storm but Buddy. At least she was able to settle quickly once returning to bed. 

Tuesday evening on PBS I watched part of the first part of the program on black church. I felt like I learned so much, heard things I had never heard before. But, maybe that isn't unusual cause I'm white. I am reading books on racism and this truthfully is the first thing I have watched because as I have written about before, my attention span for watching programs or documentaries, no matter the subject, is just not there. I ask the Lord each day to show any hurtful or wrongs. As the Church of the Redeemer song says, "I want to walk as a child of the light. I want to be like Jesus."

I defrosted a container of taco soup yesterday and it hit the spot both in warmth and in comfort food. Then after that delicious lunch, it was time to cut up strawberries. Strawberries from Florida is the beginning of the most wonderful time of the year. That means it won't be long and NC and SC strawberry season will be in full swing, which is usually the herald of produce stand season. Since December, we are slowly working our way through what we froze and man, those peaches taste so good, like a summer afternoon, when you bite into them. 

The strange and odd emails continued yesterday. I received one from a bank that Roy uses and then from LifeLock. Neither one of them sounded legit. I did not use the links but logged into accounts in a different manner. The affirming message that would be on the website was not there claimed in the emails and both of these phishing emails had very similar language. Then last night I got another email from a computer service that wasn't real.  A friend told me a relative of hers is getting almost the same kind of stuff and a hacking into the Instagram and trying to exact info from scam emails. It makes my head and heart spin, emotionally exhausting especially since I try so hard to protect my heart from overreaching stress. So all passwords have been changed, everything updated and doing everything to keep safe, just in case.

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Yesterday afternoon around here became the perfect storm. I won't go into a lot of details but several unrelated happenings, happened and since I am the daughter of one of the best conspiracy theorists that could ever put together unrelated happenings to make them a happening, I was at it. Yet, I was fighting the compulsion to do so. Roy talked me down so to speak. 

Got a few more of those phishing emails from companies we use or have used. It is a bit emotionally draining to be on point all the time. 

We are rejoicing this morning that Roy has power, internet, water and phone. They are still under a boil water directive but that is a small price to pay. The casita bedroom did fine and maybe the heater company will be out to fix the damper that goes into that room today. Temps are to be above freezing. 

Around here we are rejoicing that the temps held one degree above freezing thus saving us from an ice storm. The rain was plenteous and heavy. With the exception of the mornings today and yesterday holding some black ice situations and with the sun shinning through, roads are probably passable now but being cautious, I will give it a couple more hours if I decide to head out. It is almost the high for the day this morning, so in a bit I will refill the birdfeeders. I was just on hawk duty and got the kitties back into the garage. Just hanging out on the trash can...without a clue to the danger overhead. 

Instagram Hacked and Attempted Blackmail

 My Instagram account, that I hardly ever use, was hacked this afternoon. I changed the password, friends reported the fraudulent account and then I deleted my account. This afternoon I received an email from a scammer threatening to blackmail me and reveal on social media and via email to my contacts that I had either logged into pornography or that I had been doing unseemly things in our home, more specifically in front of my webcam. None of that is true! I filed an IC3 complaint with the FBI. I know that these criminals send out these things often hoping that someone will take the bait.  Now, if someone posts something or sends you something, you know it is fake and not true. I cannot believe that a sixty six year old woman has to write this out, but these are the days in which we live. 

Texas, Wow Too Cold

 It seems topsy turvy that Houston is waiting on the much anticipated as well as dreaded winter storm. If snow comes with it, I will get to marvel and wonder over snow pictures posted by friends. Here, we are in the low 40s, with overcast skies with a slight chance of both rain and some sunshine. 

I feel like I am being kept under surveillance by Buddy. On Friday I tried bringing HP in under controlled circumstances. Buddy was not very happy at all. Since then HP wants in and Buddy follows me downstairs when she suspects I might be seeing other cats. My neighbor thinks I should just let it be a free for all with those two but Buddy is old and fragile. If a fight killed her, I would be so upset and beyond being consolable. 

Once again, I will say, this group of the Feral Family has been my favorite of all the Fams that have come through. They are fun to watch like the others have been but they play with the toys and are a little more interactive with me. Radley let me pet him yesterday. Bobbsey is more friendly and even the family of Boos are trying. The orange cats, still skittish. On some of the coldest mornings I go out to the garage and the Fer Fam is in the corner, some asleep, some looking at me, orange cats run out the door but come back in when they hear the clinking of their metal dishes. HP, is at my feet, with Biggio close by. I fix them a small bowl of food next to me. Radley climbs up toward the back of the area where I am dishing the grub and I give him a bowl too, which he will sometimes share with Baby.  Then I get the other dishes fixed and on the carpeted area I set up for them. Their paws gets so cold and to give a little warmth break to them is something that doesn't take much effort to do, and hopefully, appreciated by them. This morning the heart pillow was on the steps again to the backdoor. Yes, I know they have no idea what that heart is but it is a little thing that I appreciate greatly, cause just maybe, that is God letting me know I am doing a good job at taking care of those He has sent my way. A little Valentine's from the Feral Fam. 

After several instances of having heard asides in the past few weeks, I still think that is where the truth resides in conversations or listening to someone talk, in asides. They are those words that the tone drops a decimal or two after stating a sentence. There is where you hear the heart of the matter. 

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It is so hard to look at Texas and winter weather right now. It is more unbelievable than hard I guess. Houston, over a fourth of the city and surrounding areas are without power and have been for hours. ERCOT who regulates the grid and power for Texas aren't able to meet the demand due to power sources being maxed as well as wind turbines are frozen and can't produce. Roy has power but just lost water. He had faucets dripping and to Roy dripping means a stream but he thinks it is a problem at the water company cause it all just went off like that and with the house being warm, probably not due to frozen pipes. I am so used to this being here that I keep thinking like I am in the midst of all this, but no, in a balmy 45 degrees. We will get colder temps tomorrow, but for now, NC seems a bit tropical compared to TX. Meanwhile, water has returned for Roy. He wanted to go out and take pics but not enough communication with our cell phones in case anything happened. 

The road crew is back at work and it has started to rain. Lots of noise happening and guess it is getting me ready for the coming months of construction noise. 

Just saw that Sephora is carrying Oribe now. Wow! Wish I still used a lot of their products but I am slowly making that shift away. I do like the dry texturizing spray and think it is about the best out there. 

Buddy is out like a light. Checked on the Feral Fam and most of them are in the garage with the exception of Radley. 

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Roy still doesn't have electricity. The water came back yesterday afternoon. We have a generator so he is warm but the furnace is doing some funky things and he has a call into the AC company. Without much water yesterday, he didn't go to our neighbors but he is this morning to see if they would like to come over and get warm. No internet, so he is limited on what he can do to work from home today. I am so glad he added a Houston TV channel to stream here and I keep him up to date on the Houston local news. When it starts cycling stories, I turn it off. Last night he called really late and said I just need to talk to someone about what I am planning to do with the furnace situation. I think is so concerned about a fire starting, he just wanted me to know. The connection wasn't very good so I only understood every other word. His plan has worked so far. This morning's phone connection is much better. Despite everything, he sounds in good spirits. 

 

Mom Jeans, Hair, Rain and Feral Fam

 Yesterday, I wore the most ever, in recent years, the most ever mom jeans. Everything about them from the color to the fit. The jeans had some kind of tummy control thing, which I guess, made my pants stay up better. The blue was some weird, non jean looking denim blue and I went ahead and wore them because the only people I would be seeing are at Goodwill drop off and the grocery store. When did I buy these jeans? Probably from Haute Look cause they are at a discount. Think they will become my work around the house jeans cause, really, since I am not a mom, I shouldn't even be wearing these jeans. I will call them the crazy aunt jeans and feel good about them.  

Back to a new painting project. I haven't finished the first one, the tree, because I didn't have the color of metallic paint I needed. It has arrived so once I finish experimenting with a smaller project I will get back to the tree. Last week I began painting and I hated how it looked so, I am going to gesso and spray paint a background. That project is discontinued but it is good practice for me. Maybe I will start it again. 

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A dreary Friday morning and it is mind boggling to think that this weekend and into next week Houston will be colder with chances of snow and ice than here. Who would have thunk it? In 1973 parts of Texas received significant snow, well for Texas measurements. I was at SWTSU now known as Texas State. My dorm was at the bottom of the hill but we made it up the hill to the cafeteria. One of my friends knew about a window that didn't lock and went inside and got cafeteria trays that we would use as sleds. We weren't stealing, we were borrowing because we returned them to the cafeteria after all our sledding fun. In 1983, Houston got a blast of winter weather. The pipes in the garage going to the washer burst. 

Thinking about those crazy aunt jeans I wore the other day, I wonder if and when the pandemic portion of life is done with, if we will go back to the way we were? 🎵Memories in the corner of my mind, misty water colored memories of the way we were. 🎵 When you spend anytime in a hospital setting it comes to a point where you just don't care...so many come in and look at you, treat you and it feels like we leave our dignity at the door. While rehabbing from bilateral knee replacements for two weeks in the rehab hospital the thought came to me, will I go back to normal once this is over? Thankfully, I didn't choose hospital gowns with open backs as a fashion choice upon returning home and then resuming life as I knew it, although with more mobility. So, will I stick with non-highlighted hair? Will I keep wearing stuff that doesn't match, usually just around here not out and about? Will I go back to wearing makeup everyday? On Tuesday at the hair salon, we talked a little about adding some blond back into my hair. Mainly as chunky streaks on the hair near my face, but I don't know. I think that if we keep it short enough and soon spring/summer will be here and it will be for most days visor hair, don't care. 

I am a hair product junkie. Since I am social distancing, see above reference, I am not caring too much about my hair. Jenn, stylist, thought she was introducing me to a new product line but oh contrare I have some of the products by that line. My search for the perfect styling products continue and maybe we have hit the one. The thickening shampoo and conditioner and the style product goes by the name Dallas. Now, being a Houstonian, I try not to have anything Dallas in the house. I told her it has to be called Dallas cause you can almost tell a woman from Dallas by her hairstyle...cause it's big, high and poufy. Jenn is from New York. 

This styling product I bought is pretty dang good. Best for second or third day hair or during a pandemic, week long hair. 

I'm trying to work through a book that came recommended and I am struggling with it. Seems like there is a lot of anger in it, especially toward her husband. Now, I totally get being mad at the hubs, why even one time I was mad at Roy. Wow, what was that huge flash? Lightning? Oh, nonfiction book by the way. Anyway she is telling her perspective of moving from the south to New York City, going from conservative to liberal. I don't care about that. I love reading from all different perspectives and it is how we learn. Being a fence sitter and all. I already know how to be angry and fight it constantly. After heart issues, you better make a change cause your heart cannot stand that stress of being mad or angry or bitter or whatever. Several reviewers said they couldn't put the book down, I am having trouble picking it back up. 

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Another drizzly day with a little bit of rain. Meanwhile, friends in Houston prepare for one of the coldest weeks ever there. Lots of Lowe's shoppers and grocery shoppers preparing for the coming days. It could be a work from home week. 

Our fluid plan for starting back to Sunday School remains fluid. Love the leadership of our pastor. I had begun to work on the four lessons I am responsible for and that is never wasted time. The Luke 17 story of the ten lepers who are healed and only one returns to thank and praise Jesus. The despised Samaritan. I ran by church yesterday and afterwards headed to Shorties BBQ for a burger and a side of fried okra. That was my lunch and supper and it was good. 

The kitties are a little stir crazy hanging out in the garage. They were all there for breakfast and hardly gave me any room to move. Last night I did an old tradition that none of them other than Punky, who was not around last night, knew about. Sharing my tuna salad with them. It was a hit and this morning I was greeted on the steps by HP and Biggio along with a stuffed heart toy I gave them this week. So, I am taking that as a declaration of love, better than chewed up, not distinguishable animals that they have killed and then played with, where they leave them by the back door as a token of thankfulness. 

No Theme, Just Thoughts

 Another foggy morning greeted the mountains this morning. The fog doesn't bother me except for those few times I am out early and the fog is set in making driving a little more tedious. You know more tedious than twists and turns and narrow mountain roads. I read a devotion several years back about fog and being thankful for the fog experience, not so much what fog hides and then reveals just fog. This morning I have another thankful and grateful reason for fog, it will cover up just for a bit all the new homes that will be built in the pasture, in the near future. 

This post will be just some random thoughts, although that is pretty much what it is most of the time, but those times are usually thematic. Today, not so much. 

A friend on FB, Pam, posted an article about Carole King  turning 79 and the 50th anniversary of Tapestry, her album of music and words she authored. The article mentioned that King really doesn't have a singing voice but I never noticed that. Whenever I hear any songs from Tapestry, Fire and Rain by James Taylor and Rocky Mountain High, by John Denver, I am whisked away to musical memories from high school and college. Like Pam, Tapestry is a part of the sound track of my life. I wore out my original vinyl album, then got the CD and now have it in my Apple Library on my phone. How can Carole King be 79? Wow! Then if she is 79, then I am...still young, at least at heart. 

Another friend, from the long ago, back in the day time, which is from the previous paragraph timeframe, so this might be thematic after all, anyway, my friend and I keep in contact via FB. But we, in the last few weeks, we have had some messaging and email conversations. She mentioned a revisited song that had meant a lot to her again. The song, I Want To Walk As A Child of the Light. It is from an album that Church of the Redeemer released in the early 1970s. I had the album transferred to CD many years ago and I put it on iTunes library, but several computers later, Apple won't let me listen to it. My friend Emily told me years ago, the music can be ordered from a church community in PA. So, I looked them up and the site is still like an early website construction, so I wasn't too sure this would work, but I ordered and received the CDs in the mail just a few days later. I've been listening to the CD, God's People Give Thanks while running errands. It is as if I'd been listening to it all the time over the years. The words came back easily. That album got me through a lot of dark days and many times it was as if I was in church. Well, liturgical church, which I really have a heart for and don't experience too often but relish those times I do. As the Baptist music has gone more contemporary, many times liturgical music in Episcopal churches has gone that way too. It looses something. Ya's got to have an organ playing those high holy church songs and hymns. 

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Wednesdays seem to be some of the clearest and warmest days here recently. I've missed a lot of CBS because of the weather. This week I have gotten out and about twice, Tuesday had a haircut appointment. Being so close to Biltmore Park, I ran over there for a few minutes and then came on home. I had such a rough Buddy sleepless night on Monday that I came home and crashed. Even went to bed early, 9:00 pm. Yesterday, I didn't need to wear a jacket or gloves as I ran errands. Made the Goodwill drop off, then grocery shopping. After putting up groceries, I hit the road again going to the Post Office and then on a drive. Even with warmer temps a few icicles hung onto the rock, slowly melting along the river road. Truly a beautiful scene.  When it is warmer, without a cutting wind, it is so much easier to take care of the outdoor chores. I am contemplating asking Mike to bring more stone like last year and finish up a few projects when we make that turn toward spring. Also, talking to him about planting a few trees for us as well. 

Several books and some Twitter comments has me thinking about a book that I need to re-read. Leaving Church by Barbara Brown Taylor. The title expresses not how she left the church but how her approach to ministry changed. She saw that the same type of ministry she could do in her sleep, needed something, not meaning to but she was doing it by rote. She gives an example of how she tended to a wounded wild bird. She took care of it and when it was ready to fly and resume bird life, it didn't want to leave her. It didn't want to fly away. The wounded and then healed bird was an experience that helped the move to ministry that wasn't so predictable. Everything is so cyclical said the cynic who really fights being one. Predictable is rampant, consistency is difficult sometimes to see. Many times people or programs trying to be consistent are just so predictable. As the saying goes, we will see if this dog hunts, can be applied to catch phrases and definitions used by businesses and institutions. Like a laundry product, the advertising is in the vein of "new and improved." Wow, I feel really dumb, using an inferior laundry product, now. Oh well, there will always be spin and advertising and marketing campaigns but when they are rolled out with the thought of not respecting people's intelligence...

I also watched on the History Chanel, The Men Who Built America. Mainly, I watched the episodes on J P Morgan, Carnegie, and Rockefeller. They built their businesses in the time of monopolies. Low pay and unsafe work places seemed to be the hallmark of the electricity, steel and oil industry. The show made it clear that it was more of a competition between the three men on who could be the richest in America. The tie in toward the end episode I watched was the breaking up of Standard Oil made the way for Henry Ford to win his lawsuit to be able to produce cars an average person could afford. Mainly, this was on in the background but it didn't seem that the problems back in the early 1900s day, are no different than what we experience now. And the fact that several "disgraced" business leaders are featured as they comment on these three moguls, means this series was produced long ago. 

The rain has been light this morning. The garage currently has almost a full house of kitties napping. Thankfully, the temps are not too cold. I've heard a few cat fights out back from cats I do not claim. Always the fight for being the dominant male. The black and white who used to win these fights was injured last year and although he has recovered, he isn't the dominant force he was. That means Frankie and Radley are fighting it out. 

 

Weary and Exhausted

 

We’re all exhausted. A perfect time for proving our love for one another is real. By God’s grace.

 Ray Ortland tweeted this yesterday morning and it was a rope, a word rope thrown to me in some recent days of rough water. It has been creeping up on me for a few weeks but Friday night into early Saturday morning, the not too often but yet with familiarity, the thoughts were pounding on my brain, you're depressed. Get over it, give into it, you're depressed. You know how middle of the night thoughts are usually worse than daytime musings. Buddy couldn't settle Friday night, up and down, in and out of the bedroom, that finally after the fourth time in an hour, I shut the door behind her as she went into the hall. Buddy normally cries for a little minute then goes to one of her favorite sleeping places. She did not do that. She cried off and on. Finally, I got up, didn't immediately go downstairs or to the bonus room and Buddy followed. I chose the bonus room after a few ups and downs the hallway, turned on the TV and argued with myself about the onslaught on depressed thoughts. Buddy went to sleep beside me and when she looked to be out, I went back to bed around 5:00 am and got some sleep. 

When I woke up and after making coffee, I realized not depressed, the dreaded pandemic fatigue was trying to settle in. All these months I have kept busy, been productive, rested, read and enjoyed staying home. None of that has changed but there have been a couple of things I would have attended, but in the back of my mind, the limited space available to properly social distance and an iffy weather pattern held me back. Friday night, I had just totally vegged out in front of the TV with The Andy Griffith Show. You know, you can feel that sadness start up on the inside and sometimes in the sadness you tell yourself lies. I took those baby steps to telling myself truths, and one of those truths is, we live in one of the most beautiful places in the country. The pace of life is slower, six or seven months out of the year I get to wear boots, jeans and flannel shirts. The pressure to dress up or dress to impress is practically nil in my life. Camels and elk just live down the road and watusi cows live around the corner...being generous on the around the corner thing. But the cows no longer live across the road and there was the huge drift into my feelings. They were tearing down the trash trees and burning them in the pasture across the road Saturday morning. Soon enough the barn will be gone and they'll begin building houses. Roy and I have discussed, not too seriously, about moving but we also have a plan in place to make some decorative changes in the front yard. Cause really, we still have long distant views of the mountains and dang, the flowers in the yard make me happy. I spend most of the spring and summer on the back porch...so, we will probably stay. Everyone we talk to says the same thing, where would we go? I thought of one place but the address is Asheville and don't want to pay the city taxes cause taxes are going through the roof. Of course there is the Southern Living Master Planned Community...ah, no. Been there and done that mindset long ago besides I don't play bridge, don't want to take up tennis again and neither one of us plays golf. I'd have to give up boots, jeans and flannel and be a lady who lunches...of course social distanced and all. Oh and HOAs, really...I mean, no. I have felt so exhausted from just about everything going on elsewhere. I am weary and tired, have no clue at times what I can do or say. There are wearier people for sure and people dealing with more than pandemic fatigue, but right now this is where I am. Here is where I am struggling. 

Then I read the above quote on Twitter...I didn't forget about it to the story. A perfect time to prove our love for one another. I was so happy to find it because I was all too enamored with, we are all exhausted. That is only a part of the story. All exhausted but in that exhaustion prove our love to one another. Several opportunities to avail myself to doing this opened up over the weekend. Some took action and some of that proving took no action other than keeping my big mouth shut, not to mouth off in weariness and exhaustion. 

Now, thinking about the flowerbeds in the spring and makes the thought of spring more exciting because daffodils and tulip stems are sprouting up in the backyard. I looked in the front bed I put in last fall but don't see any stems coming up yet. The ones in the back are several years established so that might make the difference. 

About four or five big trucks pulling equipment are lining the road on old 20. Looks like today the developer will begin in earnest to develop the pastureland into stick homes. Makes me so sad and I've noticed that people are slowing down to look and it has the feel of a funeral procession passing. Respecting the loss of a way of life and more break ups of farms and pastureland and mourning the loss, cursing the traffic and all that goes with the way of progress. It is just a view we are loosing and in the grand scheme of things, it is not that important. People need homes and people need work. Know people feel the same way about pipelines and such, but because Roy is employed in the oil and gas industry, I have empathy and sympathy for those experiencing that. Just seeing the equipment has made me sad on this beautiful, sunny Monday morning. 

Yesterday's snow melted rather quickly with the sun and the temps getting above freezing. Major concern for the day, getting the trash bin down to the road. I had two weeks of trash in that can because last week I only felt like rolling down the recycling, which is every other week. The wind is a biting one, going right through you. 

The good news at the end of today is, the barn is still there. The men worked mainly on getting the road prepared for more people and traffic. It is a hint of things to come with all the noise they make. Gives me a little hope that it will be with us this week. I think I could fall asleep and the sun hasn't even gone down. 

Snow Melts, Kind Of, In Time For Maybe More Snow

 We are certainly enjoying the warmth of the sun coming through the windows on this very cold day. At least we will get above freezing, so that snow is melting. Buddy is enjoying her regular sleeping locations that are bathed in the sunlight. She is not quite sure where to land on overcast days. She spent most of the day yesterday under the covers of the bed. I turned the electric blanket on the lowest setting and she was a quite delighted cat, roasty toasty and warm. 

This morning I set out to see if something worked and it did not. Into the trash bag, but while I had been working with this thing, in a kind of desk/secretary type deal, I began cleaning it out. Not on the plans for today but just sorta happened. So much junk has been thrown away, things to donate to Goodwill and a few things for a young friend who loves paper products about as much as me. It became a fun time because all kinds of cards from friends were packed away in corners and I stopped and looked at many of them. This cabinet also held things I had forgotten about, like the letter from my father's lawyer asking me to contact my father and ask forgiveness...uh, from what? He is the one who lied and fabricated this whole mess. She reminded me that she wasn't sure that I was on the up and up when she served the papers to me that contained my father severing the relationship, legally. I still don't know what that means other than, my father was one of the best liars ever! So believable, so convincing and yet so wrong. It is ironic that soon after she had done his dirty work, he fired her because he thought she was overcharging him and might have transferred some of his stock. I remember Roy was furious at her emails and wanted to try and have her law license revoked because she was "acting" as a therapist in these emails. Of course, Roy goes 0-60 in a half a second, over reaching somewhat, but I loved that he wanted to protect and take care of me. I skimmed the journal I wrote in reference to that difficult time and truly it helped that my word for the year was perseverance. Of course that is all behind now and trying to come to grips with more of that time of life, well that retrospection ended in January and really ended on a good note while remembering fifty years of Jesus being my Lord and Savior. 

Before undertaking this job this morning, my new boots I wrote about were delivered. Most of the snow had melted off the front deck so it wasn't slippery or dangerous. Got the boots and then went down to the road to pick up the recycle bin from Monday's pick up. Looks like none of us on our little road was too quick to get the bins while it was snowy and icy. Earlier this morning, I watched my neighbor make her way down to their gate to close it so that the horses can roam about the whole property. Must have been some ice close to the gate because she walked gingerly to and from it. 

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 I stayed up past my bedtime and finished The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett. I really liked this book and it is not the type I usually buy so it was good to read out of my comfort zone. All along you knew how the ending had to go but she took some twists and turns to get there. Many have compared the book to A Man Called Ove. I never could get into that one and gave the book away. 

Last week I did an old person thing. I really try to keep that kind of stuff at a minimum or at least just here at home. Checking out at the grocery store, thinking about the next errand, I removed my debit card before I was supposed to. The young woman gave me a look like, are you okay? Are you able to drive by yourself? When I was in the rehab hospital for knee replacements, I once said I was confused about something. The look on the nurse and her assistant, said...oh...we have someone who doesn't have all her wits about her. There are certain words and actions that tip people you might not be all there. With ADD I go from thing to thing, trying to pay attention but there are days of slip ups. 

The kiddos left me another present this morning. I saw them playing with "it" yesterday and determined it was either a mole or a field mouse. At that time, it looked like a field mouse but this morning, it is undetermined mass and matter. 

I got out on the roads after several days of being home and the forecast looked rather clear but now people are talking about sleet in Weaverville and near a couple of other places I went to. Glad I am home. There is talk of a slight chance of snow tonight and again on Saturday afternoon. Did the grocery store thing, church drop off thing, book drop off thing and The Fresh Market thing. Now if I'm lazy, I can just fix tuna sandwiches. I love their tuna salad. 

Beautiful Winter Days

 I must confess that when I woke up yesterday morning and didn't see snow, the lack thereof was somewhat disappointing. Then during the morning and into the afternoon, we got a few snow showers that stuck, then melted. Last night, the snow began to fall and upon awakening this morning, the delightful scene of snow was a gracious and fun greeting. The snow continued to fall and at times rather blustery winds accompanied them. We must have gotten around 4 1/2 inches, maybe 5 with this mornings flurries. The French Broad River Valley was blessed with one of those streams of snow making weather while passing through the higher elevations. Watched a video from someone driving down Alexander Road toward New Leicester Highway and the closer he got to Leicester, the less snow was falling or even covering the ground. Even after living here nearly six years, the snow fall and forecasting mesmerize me. In Houston winter weather comes from the north and in the summer from the south. Sometimes from the west but rarely from the east. We gets it all here, from all directions. Guess the old wives tale of thunderstorm in winter certainly proved true this time. We had a rather mild. snowless winter last year, but this year seems colder and snowier. 

Yesterday afternoon after applying gesso on some boards, vacuuming the upstairs and folding laundry, I sat down to continue reading The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett. It is an interesting and thoughtful read. I am almost done and I have enjoyed the main characters except Eudora is a little too proper. Takes place in London so proper is a proper word. Of course loving to read southern fiction and nonfiction, when I read Eudora, I think Welty not Honeysett. Eudora Welty is not one of my favorite authors but she certainly is one of the more interesting authors of her time. Just like Elizabeth Eliot and Jan Karon, I have tried and tried to read  their works, and their style and my reading style don't mesh together. 

Hopefully, another Facebook ad for the win. It is so difficult to find size 12 boots. Sometimes Merrill and Keen have them, but mostly no. Academy Sports and Outdoors in Johnson City no longer carries size 12 tennis shoes for women, so at times, there is difficulty in finding boots and shoes. This morning a new ad for Kuru came up on the timeline. Began looking at their site and they carry size 12 in just about everything they have and not only that but their advertising says their shoes help with plantar fasciitis and bone spurs. Last spring, the bone spur on my right heel started up, again after years of not experiencing that kind of pain. Because I said if someone made good boots in my size, I would order from them, I did so this morning. Looking forward to them arriving to see if these boots and then order shoes will help. Some part of me thinks my hip replacement and not working on my stride and steps is causing some of the pain. Part of the pain is from a pair of cute boots I wore last February and those boots are no longer in the house or even the garage. 

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With very little sun and temps not getting above freezing, the snow stuck around all night. Yesterday afternoon as the wind picked up and howled from the north, the snow on the side of the driveway, whirled its way across the driveway into the flowerbed on the other side. Actually had a few small drifts of snow. The wind gusted from time to time in the night. It is a lonely and eerie sound. This morning there was a full house of the regulars for breakfast. All three, Boo, Boodos and Bootrey were in the garage. That is unusual. Last night all three of the male dominant cats ate dinner together, which is rare and they didn't fight or command territory. Easy food overcomes the macho strutting of cats.  Mama Cat and Punky came for supper last night as well and they are the ones who will stir up trouble. Once everyone saw there were enough bowls of food for everyone, the cats ate together like it was a family reunion. 

Where the Boys Are, was on in the background last night. I've seen it so many times, so I didn't pay it too much mind. The movie is based on a book. I Googled this up last night. The author heard an interview of girls at the beach on spring break and asked why they didn't go home for the week with mom and dad. One girl said, this is where the boys are and as they say, the rest is history. Book written, movie made. 

I'm seeing a lot of local shops closed for the day due to ice. Yesterday, several closed due to water pressure issues. Lots of reports of ice still on side roads with not all roads being salted or sanded. The mountains I can see from our windows have snow on them. Not an unusual sight but these are the ones you rarely see snow on for any period of time. 

The snow from our roof is beginning to melt and the sound of snow falling onto the deck and driveway is loud. One of the orange cats is sitting on a table on the deck and I sure hope he is fast enough to outrun the falling accumulated roof snow. 

This morning the sunrise was brilliant and exceptional. There seemed to be a shaft of pink light coming down from the heavens. Someone said, sunrise all for you, Nancy. My response, I have to remember to take the time and go to the front room to see the scene unfold. There are many mornings I'm just getting downstairs to make coffee. These winter days can be like that. Not taking in the full beauty of snow and blue skies or gray skies. The reflection of sun on snow, can almost be blinding at times but the trees proclaim with those leafless branches, the glory of God. Life is flowing where we can't see it, but in about six weeks we will. 

Delightful

 There is nothing like watching snow fall and taking a bite of summer. I opened a container of peaches. Those peaches we sliced and froze were so delicious last night. I ate them partially still frozen reminding me of the peaches that were severed at Wyatt's Cafeteria back in the day. We still have snow on the ground but as temps rise and as the sun is trying to break through clouds, the snow is fading away into slush and water. Gone are the kitty paw prints on the driveway that were made earlier this morning in the snow. The comings and goings of kitties. Junior let me pet him this morning, a first, but probably because he was enamored with treats on the steps. I think Boodos has a little limp going but he is one of those cats that has never ventured close. It is a miracle that they come into the garage to eat. HP has started going to the opposite door on the porch, to be let in, eat some treats, maybe rest a bit and then wants an exit. It looks like HP likes to eat alone and doesn't care for the hustle and pushing the kitties do to eat morning treats on the back porch. 

Churches in the area have all cancelled services due to the snow and ice. Even our road, which is a rather busy one, is seemingly quiet. At both ends of the road, there are predictable patches of black ice. Our driveway looks a bit icy but now with temps above freezing, this afternoons hauling of garbage bins to the road shouldn't be too treacherous. The sound of snow sliding off the roof catches me by surprise now and then. Yesterday, I was very tempted to go to Burnsville and then onto Johnson City, but in hindsight, I am glad I talked myself out of going. With the snow beginning just a little before 4:00, I probably wouldn't have been home yet. 

Since today is Sunday, I noticed I am wearing holy clothes, a Baylor sweatshirt and a long sleeve Montreat shirt underneath it. Wearing warm sweatpants to complete the outfit. Funny, during this pandemic time at home I have rarely worn sweatpants. Sometimes workout pants, but I didn't work out in them. 

I discovered a FB group last night that is from where I was born, a then and now kind of site. Lots of old pictures that seem vaguely familiar. The question to join the group, I couldn't answer specifically but I was able to give enough details for them to know I knew the area. Interesting to look at pictures from the early 1900s and beyond. Reading people's memories of places there resonates with the few places that I remember. Sometimes I have to go to Google Maps to remember street names but I somewhat remember how to get from grandparent to grandparent homes. 

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I woke up to no snow, so the forecast for snow in the night didn't pan out. It is snowing now, light snow and it is accumulating but not like Saturday. Roy is still trying to predict mountain weather with Houston knowledge and it just doesn't translate. 

Since I have been going to online church for the month of January, I have noticed one trait with most of the younger, trying to act younger, and a few of the older preachers, they all wave their arms and make way too many gestures. It is probably done to emphasize their point but when it is almost an exclusive thing...for every sentence and point, with ADD I get to watching the waving, pointing and arm spread instead of listening to their points. I understand arm and hand gestures usually mean you are a good communicator but it seems like every online preacher has taken the same communication course. Just one of my January observations. 

Saturday evening The Music Man was on TCM, so even though I was so tired I stayed up and watched most of the movie. Last night as I was falling asleep, I was trying to remember the actress' name that played the librarian. I went through tons of names trying to get to hers but it didn't ever come to me that is until I woke up this morning and knew it was Shirley Jones. Weird how the brain works or doesn't work or finally shows up to work. 

Light snow is back after several hours absence. Made a quick walk to the delivery drop box and it was as if Christmas had come. Several envelopes and boxes. Didn't disturb the kitties by using the garage but I will be out there soon enough with their supper. I am almost finished with my second book of the year and I still had time to vacuum, fold laundry and pick up a few odds and ends. I love these days or even weeks where I have nothing planned and don't have to be anywhere at any time. I made lean pork chops in the slow cooker yesterday and had leftovers for lunch. Delicious as always. Never was much of a pork liking girl, with the exception for bacon, but since living here, more pork is on the menu. Buddy has settled once again in the window to keep an eye on the kitties, but the kitties are not playing on the driveway, too cold. Now Buddy has drifted into another nap. I worked putting Gesso on some small boards so I can paint them but directions say 24 hours is best to let it rest. So now, even with some new metallic colors I will option the rest of the afternoon to reading, sitting by Buddy, in the window with a cup of hot tea. It is a most delightful afternoon. 

January 29, 1971...

 The promise of ice, sleet, rain and snow are in the forecast but depending on the temperatures, even by one or two degrees will determine what area gets snow and the rest a cornucopia of an outpouring of condensate. Right now our forecast is of the mixed variety. Several on FB have posted red sunrises which by the comments being made other than beautiful is; there's some bad weather a brewing. 

Last night I remembered what happened fifty years ago on January 29, 1971...I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. He has made all the difference in my life. I've shared the story before how my friend Beth invited me to a revival at her church. I said, sure, I'll go but I cancelled with the excuse of homework. Now, I find that kind of funny because that was in the period of my life when doing homework wasn't even a blip on the screen. When she hung up she prayed, Lord, get her there anyway you can. As I hung up the phone, it began ringing, I answered and it was the boy who I dated at that time. His friend had invited him to a revival at his church and Richard told him yes, we would attend on Friday night. I was not happy about this development, in fact I was downright mad. How fitting the preacher for the revival at Willow Meadows was James Robinson, who at that time was known as God's angry young man. My plan for Friday night, was to sit all disgusted like in the pew to show my miff-dom. As we drove to church I told Richard my plans concerning Friday night church would be for a wedding, not some revival. We arrived the pews were spacious, I could not slump my attitude. Then I recognized several acquaintances from my church. Oh great! That night, God touched my heart and I knew I was not saved and very much in need of a Savior. The invitation was extended to those who would like to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. My pride would not let me walk that aisle, those people from my church, what would they think? They had assumed I was already a believer and it seemed that reason would be the stoppable reason  until Richard looked at me and said, I don't know about you, but I am going down front and asking Jesus into my life. Me too! And we both walked down the aisle.

Afterwards, we went over to Westbury Square to have pizza. I had a joyous perplexity because I knew, this night forward would be a changer. A friend from high school came over to our table, Richard and I went to rival high schools, and he looked at me and said, do you want to tell her what happened tonight? Scared, nervous and unprepared, I told Karen, I had asked Jesus into my life. Her response is lost to me from that long ago night but what isn't lost to me is the gift that Richard gave me that night. It wasn't ever too difficult from that time forward to share my faith. Really, Richard gave me two gifts that night, the first in giving me the opportunity, stupid dumb pride tried to hinder me, to make the best decision ever. 

When I think about it even more these days, I see the path and map God had in deliverance not only from sin, but from the trap and future mapped out by my father for me. As the old Campus Crusade pamphlet said, God has a wonderful plan for your life, but my father had a devious and destructive plan for me. God used this what seemed insignificant beach trip in junior high school. That's where I met Richard and on the way home I sat on the school bus seat beside him. Ah, those school bus trips that don't bother you when you're young but now, I shudder at the thought of. You see, I went against everything that I was being told at the time by my father. Not to approach or talk to boys, not that it would do any good for me to do so because no one wants to talk to an ugly girl and that he, even my father had difficulty talking to me due to my repelling and awful face. Richard just seemed like a nice guy. He was a year ahead school wise and I really don't remember seeing him too much after that. The week before I was to begin high school, all of us, Mom, Dad, and Doug were painting bedrooms in our house. The phone rang, I answered and heard; this is a voice from the past. Do you remember me? Anyway, Richard asked me to a church dance and I said yes. My father had to be steaming mad at this development after all his gaslighting. I had no idea how to act on a date, so I feel like I was really stiff and too formal. Acting differently than who I was because I thought that is what one did. Richard told me later that after that date, he had no plans on asking me out again cause I wasn't very friendly or at ease. But, once again, I went against all that I had been told at home and asked him at the end of the dance if he would like to go on a picnic at The Hill in Herman Park in the near future. Again upon reflecting on this, I am glad I did that because you know my father would have turned on me with the, see I told you kind of stuff and thus taking away the little bitty tiny shred of confidence I had in this area of life. Richard and I dated on and off the next few years. 

Richard went onto college and seminary. He married, has a lovely family, now with grandchildren, and retired from being a pastor in the Methodist Church a few years ago. We are friends on FB and I saw him once when Peggy and I did a Mildred and Gertrude thing for a group at the  state Methodist conference in Galveston about nine years ago. 

Seeing how what seemed to be unrelated circumstances became the first baby steps in loving Jesus and following Him. At the time, it seemed like, just a date, a revival service, and pizza but truly, it was a whole lot more than that. Fifty years! Wow!  

God made such a change in me, even my parents were amazed that this sullen, depressed, apathetic girl had seemingly changed overnight. I began attending Willow Meadows Baptist Church and made some of the best friends and we are still friends to this day. I was taught the Bible by some of the best Sunday School teachers. God truly laid a foundation for me beginning on January 29, 1971. There were still tough times and issues at home but now I knew I was not alone. Life has not always been a breeze yet there were times that it was as if life was floating on a breeze. Reflecting on these past fifty years, walking with the Lord thanking Him for His goodness, His gift of salvation and His gift of friends, His gift of people in seasons of life that helped me, and for His fabulous gift of Roy, fills my heart with joy. 

I started out this post talking about snow, precipitation and the chances therein. Our area got snow, more than we anticipated here on dry ridge. The snowfall began slowly and then escalated into big flakes of falling snow. In just over an hour everything was covered, thus bringing on the quietness of snow. 

Friday Morning Catch Up

 The beginning of this post feels like Snoopy on his doghouse, typing away..."It was a dark and stormy night." Last night was a dark and windy night around here. The weather service had a winter wind advisory out for the early morning into the afternoon. Right on time last night, the wind began. Around here I do not like wind from the northwest because it affects us more than wind from other directions. Just like storms that move toward us from the south seem to be worse because the mountains aren't as high and don't break up the storms. Late in the afternoon yesterday, I began checking things, making sure the cat toys were put up and checked on other items around the house. 

On schedule, the rain began with a forecast of possible snow, just a dusting. I decided to settle in early and was soon joined by Buddy. Restful, peaceful sleep until around 12:30. I heard a noise. It sounded as if something was on the back porch roof. Drawing back the curtains, I saw nothing. Laid back down and soon enough, the noise occurred again. This time I got up, looking out both back windows to see nothing making the noise. I came downstairs and checked, nothing amiss but I decided to stay up and see if I could decipher the origin of the noise. Got my book and settled into bed. Buddy got comfortable finally. Then I heard something, not the same noise as the two times before, almost sounded like a bobcat. All through this the constant was wind. Some of the gusts seemed like micro gusts and the force of the wind was making objects outside, sound differently. I was deep into the plot of my book when I heard one of those micro gusts and a crash. Up once again only this time I went out onto the back porch, cold and windy. I shivered while looking for the crash sight. It was a vase of flowers that held both wooden tulips and artificial foliage. Scattered by the wind, so I quickly gathered everything and put it all in a decorative white enamel bucket and hoped for no more wind bursts to break the silence. All of this felt like I was in a movie or that the happenings held more meaning to them other than wind.  That emotion could have come from the book I am rereading. I have read this book many times but this time around I am picking up truths that didn't stick with me or even noticed from previous readings. The ending, it stays with me though. So, now once again I read through the lives of the people involved and can see how the conclusion comes to be. Hopefully, I will finish it today. It is easier knowing the ending up the process of getting there has more of my attention on this reading. 

It looks like we are getting a few flakes of snow, very tiny flakes. At first, it seemed it was from wind blowing snow off of trees and roofs, but alas my non professional opinion is snow. I just had to walk down to the road for a package in the mailbox and it is a mix of blowing snow and snow falling. Dang, it is cold out there! I even put my hoodie hood on my head. On the way back in, gave the kiddos a treat or two and emptied the litter box so no one would feel like they had to go out in the cold and snow to go. 🎶 no go on snow, no go on snow. In the bleak mid winter, litter box is the way to go🎶

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Waiting for the temps to get above freezing before getting out to run errands. The sun is bright and so welcomed. I finished Keepers of the House last night. 1965 Pulitzer Prize winner by Shirley Ann Grau. In interviews she told how after the book was published the K%& came to her home to burn a cross in her yard. They couldn't get it to stand up, so they laid it down, set it on fire and the fire fizzled. I've started the next book, The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett. Opposite genre but it is entertaining and didn't take long to pull me into the story. 

The Feral Fam was hungry this morning, well most mornings they are. Last night at supper, we had a full house including feuding male cats. Laid down the law that they would need to get along at least while eating. Everyone settled down, thankfully. 

Off to run errands...not above freezing but with the amount of cars and trucks going by, the roads shouldn't be too bad. 

Storms, Ferals and Birds

 We had a storm Monday night, in the middle of the night. The lightning flashes and then semi close thunder that woke me up. It is kind of unusual to have a thunder storm in winter. The old wives tale says, if you have a thunder storm in winter, there will be snow within the next ten days. Guess, we will have to wait and see if this come true. What is kind of unusual about the thunderstorm is, almost everyone I have talked to heard the thunder, and part of this conversation comes from my dental appointment, talking with people who live all around the Asheville area. 

My plans had been to go over to the Biltmore before my dentist appointment but thick fog that rose up late in the morning as well as cleaning paw prints off the Mustang before leaving took those plans away. It was a warm, spring-like day here and just like Texas, we can get all four seasons in a twenty four to forty eight hour period. I ended up doing the practical thing after the appointment. The Lowe's on Tunnel Road had a throw rug that the Weaverville Lowe's didn't have. The floorplans of those stores are almost the exact opposite but I finally found my way around. Then on the way home, a quick trip to pick up a few things at the grocery store. 

Since it was so nice in the late afternoon, I put together some treats for the kitties and set on the back step to draw them in a bit closer to me. They were enjoying the treats, fighting one another off for them and I enjoyed the brilliant winter sunlight. The sunsets in winter are spectacular because of the clouds but for us not only the clouds but the sun peeping through the branches of those tall trees make for a beautiful scene. My neighbor Nancy stopped by for a visit on her daily compost horse poop disposal trip. The land they have been trying to purchase, went under contract to a couple from the Weaverville area. While they are disappointed in not getting the land, the new owners are going to build a house for themselves and told Nancy that she and her daughter can continue riding on the acreage. She didn't know about the pasture in front of us and we are all feeling a bit hemmed in. My dentist lives out this way as well and said yesterday our rural is going suburban and then we all say the same thing, where would we move to avoid this? Some of the most beautiful areas can be sketchy and we all like our neighbors on our hill, so guess we will wait and see. 

The Feral Fam continue to be entertaining. With a warm day, I scooted them out of the garage to run off some of their energy. Monday morning, they left me a present at the backdoor steps. I don't know what it was when it was living but it had been played with quite hard before their leaving the gift. Guess, this is the Feral Fam regifting. Progress with them is slow at times but keeping patient with them has been a good lesson for me. Poor Boo, his siblings rescued but we could never get him. Punky kept him with her for weeks and then one day, as mama cats do, she had no more interest in him but moved on and had another litter. He is a bit of a loner, but he will hang out with the others. He has just now started coming into the garage not only to eat, but to sleep. He and Jazzy are the two that exit the moment I enter the garage, if they have been back in the sleeping corner. They make a racket doing so. Mama Cat doesn't hiss at me whenever she is around. Punky is still being a pain to the others but I know her actions are a result of missing Strawyer. She can stir it up in the garage. She has always had panic eyes, or at least that is what I call them, and her eyes hold a little more panic than they used to. I get impatient with her but deep inside, I know this cat is hurting, still. Biggio and Bobbsey are becoming friendlier. During treats in the morning, Bobbsey will let me touch her nose. Biggio lets me pet him every once in a while and that little bit of petting is usually associated with food. Radley is expanding his territory, he just loves the prayer of Jaybez, and taking on other male cats. Baby doesn't look like a baby anymore but is a beautiful cat. Funny, started out a black and white cat, then became a little greyer in color and now has gone back to more of a black fur. Baby is so playful and always looking for a fake fight better known as play. Sadly, I have not seen Gramps for several days. It is not unusual for these cats to take a road trip exploring the area. Nancy thinks he has been riding the fence line near her but the fence line is connected to coyote country and I hope that Gramps, as little as he was, did not find his demise among those viscous animals. I hold out hope because these cats have shown up before after I had given up hope.  But now, thinking about it just a bit, Gramps had signs of not feeling good. Since he was the smallest and the smallest don't always survive, I have a hunch, Gramps did what most cats do when they're ill and maybe close to death, he is probably back there hidden along the side of the gravel road. Junior and Jazzy, the two orange cats take after their dad, Strawyer. A little whinny at times but love the comfort of a warm bed. They are usually the last two up when I am fixing their food. 

Most of the birdfeeders have been moved to the front yard. The birds are able to eat in relative peace. I hung a feeder in the pear tree yesterday, meant especially for cardinals. They require trees and shrubs close by to use a feeder on a continuous basis. I walked the front yard looking for any problems that will need to be taken care of when spring arrives. I did see where I would like to put in a fence and then use the rest of the openness to plant trees to obstruct views closer to the road. Dreaming on a warm afternoon with the threat of a storm on the horizon. I went down to the road to check the mailbox and Nancy was there picking up her garbage can. We visited a few minutes and in those brief minutes, the weather turned. The wind picked up, clouds moved in, and the temps began a descent into the coolish range. Even a few drops of rain fell. 

For Now

 So many times I berate myself over social media. It can be a stealer of time, reading articles on Twitter or keeping up with friends on Facebook. I have Instagram, but hardly give it a look because it is just one more thing. The joy of social media is keeping up with friends and now living in another state, so far away, I would miss out on celebrations, those in need of prayer and many good laughs. Yesterday morning, I was especially thankful for Wifi and the technology that comes with it all. I was able to Zoom with my former Sunday School, Life Bible Study, class. My friend Dena who has faithfully taught in Dayspring for twenty years, is retiring....for now. She knew the Lord's leading for her to step down from teaching, for now. So, it was wonderful, for now, to be able to participate in that Sunday morning class. Dena is one of the best teachers and my Bibles are filled with notes in the margins from her lessons over the years. We have been friends for almost twenty years, about the same time when she began teaching in our class. After her lesson, when she shared her decision to step down, she went through a few memories that we have shared as a class. She mentioned her surprise 50th birthday party at Peggy's. We got her there, barely, under the guise of the party being for Carolyn's birthday. Y'all, I was so nervous that she would decide at the last minute not to go and that can always be a factor for this friend who cherishes her down time, alone. Thankfully, she rode with Roy and me out to Peggy's house and she certainly was surprised as church friends, work friends and family gathered to celebrate her monumental birthday. 

My Bible is falling apart, which is a good and bad thing. Good, because that is a sign of being well used but bad, finding one to replace it. I have one in the wings and when I read from it yesterday I realized that something was missing. I am a center reference column reader. Not so much that I use it but because it makes an ease on the eyes for reading. the turquoise Bible was not going to be the one. Dang, cause it is so cute.  I began the search online yesterday afternoon. Neither Amazon nor Barnes and Noble had what I was looking for. I did a Google search and lo and behold, I found what I was looking for at Target and Lifeway. I went with Target because of free shipping and a discounted price. Lifeway was about $10.00 more and $6.99 shipping to boot. This is partially why the selling part of Lifeway has done badly in the past few years and closed all their stores. Lifeway came out this week with a rebranding, with the W now not being capitalized and the i with a tear away look or something. Deep down inside for me, Lifeway is still The Baptist Bookstore. My favorite Baptist Bookstore was by South Main Baptist Church in Houston. Lifeway stores of the recent past had way too much Jesus Junk in them. There was a sleek but cold atmosphere in the stores. It never felt inviting to browse. In fact, when we had the store in Asheville, it was a stop of last resort. 

Yesterday morning, the verse from Proverbs 4:23 rolled around on the inside of me. Guard your heart. Sometimes the verses that become plaques, or plates or platitudes gets lost in the familiarity. We can regard verses like that with a yea, been there, done that kind of attitude. They might be memory verses that have just been that, a memory verse to get a star on a poster or to rebrand that thought, a notation on an Excel spread sheet. Guard your heart. Last week while delivering some things to friends, social distancing of course, Kelly and I talked about not going stir crazy as we hunker down during pandemic times. Mainly, I have unfinished projects and work occupy a lot of time and since I have slowed down just a bit, they take longer to accomplish. But, there are those days, if I don't watch it, contemplations can quickly turn into taking way too much attention and that is when guarding my heart kicks in. It is a literal thing, stress brings on afib and a spiritual thing. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. 

On this rainy day, with pewter gray skies, my neighbors huge tree stands against this steely color. The branches are empty of leaves long ago fallen to the ground. Some think dreary, but I think hope, because against the dreary, in spite of the rain, there is life flowing deeply within that tree. Resting for the upcoming seasons when trees truly are on display, budding, blooming and sustaining until those cool fall days cause the leaves to turn and fall. I don't sit here and worry that the there isn't life over there, that buds aren't showing, yet. It makes me think in this quiet January time, when life slows a bit, nothing too showy going on, is there life teaming within getting ready for the upcoming seasons? I remind myself quite often these days not to be like a stunted shrub in the desert, Jerimiah 17:6. 

Being a fence sitter, this house is perfectly placed for a fence sitter. Sitting in the living room I can see the north skies that are seen from the back of the house and then I see the southeast from the front of the house. North skies can be clear, almost blue but a quick glance to the southeast holds dark skies and clouds. Yes, as a fence sitter, the views are adequate to continue fence sitting. 

I will leave this post with a Dena story. Dena was moving from an older apartment to a brand new, building of apartments, set in a park like setting. Parking garage so as not to worry about flooding when the rains came. Roy and I stepped into her old apartment to help her begin sorting and moving the smaller things that the movers would not be transporting. Roy about shook her to the ground when he asked, "what can I throw away?" At the end of cleaning up the old apartment with the big things moved already, there was a small pile of stuff. Dena gives great contemplation to these kinds of things and in the pile was an old globe that had been her sister's globe for use in junior high school. Her older sister mind you. Dena called her sister to see if she wanted the globe...that would be no, she hadn't thought about it since junior high school. Dena handed us the globe and said, don't tell me what you do with it. Well, we held onto it because I knew it could be of some use in the future. Dayspring had a apartment warming for Dena. Becky S and I had a plan for that globe. Becky decorated it, wrapped it up and gave it to her at the party. We had made it into a guest globe instead of giving her a guest book. When friends came over, they could sign the globe which turned out to be quite fun because Dena had international guests in her home from time to time. The look on Dena's face was priceless when she unwrapped and saw the globe. Maybe there was a bit of relief too, since it had not met a garbage ending but had been rescued and repurposed. 

Rainy Days and No Cows

 A beautiful sunny morning! So welcomed because the day will be warmer and tolerable even if there is a breeze or a windy breeze. Just stay out of the shade. Overcast days do not bother me and in fact I am probably more productive on cloudy days turning my focus to the myriad things to take care of, that sometimes, I don't take care of as quickly as I should. With a warmer day in store, closer to 50 degrees, I will open up the garage cause those kitties need to be outside in the sun playing. Wow, I just sounded like my mom. 

This past week I have been working on two blog posts that may or may not be posted. They are serious ones. One post in particular has been written and edited since the fall. Not the fall of mankind but the fall of the year. Nothing earth shattering in these serious posts and I take my usual position of being a fence sitter. Bad thing about being a fence sitter, you get it from all sides.  

Mustang Sam communicated to me that he was going into deep sleep mode to conserve the battery. After getting this news I decided it had been quite some time since Sam had hit the road. The truck is driven more in the winter because of hidden ice or slick roads. Since the day was beautiful and sunny, Sam and I hit the road over to Madison County. The kitties paw prints were all over that car, so I did a little bit of a cleanup and it was a limited cleanup because the hose is disconnected to the faucet. It was a bucket kind of thing, not a bucket list mind you, just two buckets and a micro cloth mop bought specifically for this chore. Too cold to get my hands wet. To finish this chore, the destination in Madison County, the car wash across from Ingles. Included in the communication from Mustang Sam were the instructions of how long to drive to charge things up. This worked perfectly because the drive over that way is one of my favorites and with the choice of several ways to get there, made for a beautiful drive. One of the instructions was not to run the A/C while helping the battery charge up...that was easy to do on a coolish day. After doing the cleaning basics, I made a stop at Ingles for strawberries, salt and pepper. Yes, my salt and pepper are out of date. Who knew? I didn't know or expect expiration dates, especially on pepper. 

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Yesterday, I got some unwelcomed news. The owner of the pasture across the road has sold it. The family leasing the land for their cows have removed the cows and yesterday took down the fence. Most probably it will be homes built across the way. Kind of sad how the rural is becoming less rural everyday. They'll probably take down the barn so it is my intention to take as many pictures of that barn and pasture. We are deciding if we will make a next step or not. You know the day will come as more pasture land is being developed and we were fortunate to have nearly six years of this pastoral view. Maybe we will add fencing to the front like we had talked about but tabled that project. I do know we will not use the same fence company that put the fence in the back. 

Finally almost a month later, I got Brenda her Christmas. I am so late or is it I am very early for 2021. Got to visit with her a bit and she is doing well almost a month later from having a knee replacement. 

More articles are being written concerning, especially women, enjoying the simplicity of life wearing a mask. Or more so working from home, not having to dress up, wear makeup and keep hair maintenance rolling. Buddy and the Feral Fam don't seem to care what I look like, they just want their food and treats. Roy likes the natural color of my hair, so, for now I am content with every five or six weeks getting a haircut. 

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Our rain has arrived. An overcast, warmish kind of day but we've been warned the warmth is not here to stay. Well, of course not, it is January. I'm rereading Keepers of the House and this seems like a good day to curl up on the couch, with my coffee and cat. 

Simplicity

 When I fed the Feral Fam this morning, the younger kiddos and HP were snuggled in the blankets, flannel, old sweaters and sweatshirts. The corner of the garage has become a little slice of warmth for the kitties. Up off the ground with kitty beds and other soft things help them. Several years ago when Riley decided to come into the garage every night to sleep, nothing soft, nothing bed like could entice her. She chose hard places to sleep. Maybe she knew she would give up garage life and didn't want to accustom herself with soft when she knew life would be rough. That is a lot of thinking to attribute to a feral cat, but nonetheless, nothing could tempt her. This group has taken up every offer, warm place to sleep, food, warm cat houses outside and toys. In the early morning, okay early for me, some wait out on the rocks like groups in the past. Now, with porch steps, they sit on that top step and crane their necks when they see the kitchen light has come on. I look out the window and especially Boo who has developed quite the sad look, motivates me to get treats out to them sooner than later. Before doing that though, I make sure I have left out treats for Buddy. Some mornings she is right there with me but here lately, she has been more the late downstairs arriver. 

After several attempts to rearrange and clean out my closet, I finally got serious about the job yesterday. Still some work to do but the basic plan of attack went into practice. Funny, the things one discovers that have been put away, then totally forgotten about. Happy to find several pairs of tennis shoes that can be used this spring as well as several pair my feet don't care for anymore. Yes, looking at you Asics. The next scheduled work in the closet is a drawer with leggings and another one that has shirts. I've seen on Facebook classes being offered to become a minimalist. Seeing that my attention span is rather short these days, twelve weeks of classes don't interest me, but I do know that I don't need so much of what I have and possessions are held rather loosely in my hands. Some people binge watch shows, I binge shop oh lets say leggings and shirts. The leggings thing was from a couple of years ago and the leggings I bought for clothes that have been given away a long time ago. If I was to analyze the binge it would come from the chaotic childhood we experienced. I never knew when, but I knew it would be happening, that my father would go through my stuff and decide whether I should be allowed to keep a pair of shoes, a notebook or a dress. He read my diaries and had a way of punishing me for my thoughts. I had to get really good at hiding the notebooks or I wrote the opposite of what I was feeling and experiencing. Every once in a while I come across a diary from the way back and it is filled with happy slappy gushing...lies...well maybe not the slappy, cause I did get hit in the face a lot, sometimes a slap or it would have been a hit with a fist or a hairbrush or some other object within reach.  As an adult I overcompensated when it came to stuff to fill that long ago void. There was a huge tree or shrub that had gotten out of hand in our backyard. It was tall and wide, in the corner. I got to working on that corner, cut out small branches to form a "secret" place in view. I smoothed out the dirt to make a level floor of sorts and built a low bench to be a table or a place to sit. Whenever I could, without being detected, I would tear off sheets of aluminum foil and take it out to my play area. I used the aluminum foil to wrap up notebooks and then hide them in holes I dug. Of course rain kind of destroyed that thought, and I had to figure out something else. This was the choice spot for reading library books or sometimes I climbed up in the trees to read. The Helms who lived on the corner grew cucumbers every summer and they had so many they told us, pick em on your side of the fence. Wow, what a great snack raw cucumbers and salt. I don't think I would think that was a very good snack now. 

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When I went to sleep last night, the snow was falling at a heavy and quick pace. It didn't seem to be sticking. This morning, what a lovely surprise to find snow scenes. A few of the Feral Fam sat out back on the rocks, watching for the kitchen light and hearing the alarm turned off. Slowly, several of them made their way to the back steps. Buddy was quietly eating her treats, the coffee was being made, so I went out to the porch and gave treats to those kitties. HP had been in the garage but heard the door opening to the porch. HP made his way through the group and came onto the porch as per usual and just like he owned the place. 

The sun is showing and the snow is slowly melting. The sound of it coming off the roof startles me the first few times, then gradually, I get used to the noise. When we have snowy days, I dust off my copy of Explorations by Wilma Dykeman, well known writer here in these mountains. I love the way she puts together sentences and thoughts. She not only wrote the definitive book on The French Broad River, she wrote fiction, nonfiction and had newspaper columns, one of which the NY Times carried. Early civil rights activist. 

My pair of Unlikely hiker boots arrived on Saturday and I am wearing them today. Haven't hiked in them but they are certainly comfortable boots. 

It is a little after noon and most of the snow has melted. It was certainly beautiful and it slowed everything down just a bit. I have just about decided on my theme, word for the year and I am leaning toward simplicity. Simplicity has meaning on so many levels. 

Sleep, Snow, Books and Nooks

 The sound of something like a garbage can being dragged down to the road awoke me way too early this morning. I have no clue what caused the racket but maybe the neighbors have left for out of town or in our case, left for out of rural and took the garbage cans to the road. Who knows? Nothing is missing around the outside of our house. Everything looks in place over at Mary Joyce's. I couldn't go back to sleep so I got up and began the day. With the warm up yesterday and the cool down last night, the house had all kinds of pops and creaking sounds going on. 

Buddy is asleep in the window and HP is asleep on the back porch. Got an old bed out that Buddy stopped using and added some flannel jammie shirts that don't match anything to the bed. I had the porch heater on but it seemed to disturb more than help HP. 

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Saturday morning, early on we had sunshine, now the skies are a pewter gray and the snow alert on my phone just sounded. I don't see any snow falling and I am not even going to add yet, because I don't believe it will be happening around here. +++I sit corrected, there are a few flakes falling now. 

This morning Roy was telling me about his speech he is working on for Toastmasters. He told me he was thinking about it so much yesterday as he drove into work, once on the elevator he realized he was so caught up with the speech, he parked on the wrong floor of the parking garage. He had to go back and park on the correct floor. Then last night as he rode his indoor bike, he rode for 45 minutes as he mapped out his talking points. He worked on transformational moments in story telling. He used an example from Raiders of the Lost Ark. Last night I had a transformational moment. Buddy has been wandering at night again but it hasn't been too bad, meaning I haven't lost tons of sleep, just enough. Last night, she came to bed around 2:30 am and she was wet. Wet! Buddy isn't one of those cats that loves water, so out of the fog of sleep, I began searching for where she might have found water. In the hallway bathroom last Friday, I filled the tub partially. Although we have a generator, the reports of so much snow...didn't happen...made me a tad nervous. We are on a well so when the electricity goes, so goes the toilet, but we have  generator. Well, being an overthinker I took the forecasts of lots of snow and translated that into blizzard. When we didn't get the snow as forecasted, I totally forgot about the water in the bathtub. So, instead of just a groggy wake up, I now had faced a groggy, wet, wake up. Emptied the water and went back to sleep. 

The sun came out yesterday afternoon and I took the opportunity to go out and enjoy the sunshine. Now it is a different story when the sun is obstructed by clouds, cause it turns coolish rather quickly. I had gone to the road to check the mail and came back, sat down to take in the sun and vitamin D, when HP joined me. At first by my side and then on my lap. Little Biggio hung around with us, at a distance but every once in a while, he would chance a closer position. This morning when I went out to feed them, Biggio came up to me and began to rub against my boots. Such a surprise and a breakthrough. He has never done that before. And I will add I was wearing my I Love Lucy pjs with my black Bog muck boots with a fake furry bed jacket, fur is fake, the bed jacket real. I really hope I haven't tempted anyone to sin by that description and by that for someone to think they need to come and put me out of my fashion sense misery. The Post Lady just stopped here with a package, but before going out to get it must remember that now I have on a Baylor sweatshirt, with I Love Lucy jammie bottom and socks. 

I had kind of sworn off Merrill boots and shoes. These days in boots I need a size 12 and for the most part, they only go up to size 11. Lot of outdoorsy type shops stop at size 11. But they now carry boots and shoes named unlikely hiker. Oh there was a day, I was the likely hiker and even with knee replacements, the thought of hiking, even a short distance, just doesn't sound like fun. Does walking around Lake Louise in Weaverville count as hiking? I do like that.  Guess boots are my Covid choice for buying as was ice cream was my Covid choice for dessert. Now that it is colder, thankfully, nothing has replaced ice cream, but I am still loving boots. 

This wire basket is for sale and under the title of cozy book nook. Uh, it takes more than a wire basket to make a reading nook cozy. 

This is my messy yet cozy book nook, one of several in the house. Not a wire basket to be seen although in the great Covid cleaning purge I do believe one went to Goodwill. 

Lunch  was kind of picnic like, two cold fried chicken legs and some vegetarian baked beans. Needed some potato salad. 

That closet cleanout project keeps getting put on the back burner. I begin and then forget to return until later. Since I have become book oriented again, I was looking through my collection of LSU Voices of the South series. I have most of the series except for a few I wasn't interested in. This is where I met Elizabeth Spencer, Ellen Douglas, Shirley Ann Grau, and Louis Rubin, Jr. Before their time in writing about civil rights, pro civil rights. If you can get your hands on a book by Shirley Ann Grau, Keepers of the House, get it! Read it! I still remember the first time I read it, did not see the ending coming. Poor Roy, I woke him up to tell him about the book and the ending...it was that moving. 

None of the snow stuck, but it sure was pretty watching it fall from the sky. 

Try and Fake It, But Your Body Language Betrays

 Hair life is a lot easier without having to go to the salon and spend over two hours getting highlights every other month. Even though the hair salon I go to has the strictest policies and the cleanest salon, only have 50% occupancy and installed an air filtration system, I really don't want to sit there for that amount of time. Although most days when I look into the mirror, I wish I had just a little more blond mixed in with the gray and brown. Usually lipstick brightens my faded out look but you know masks. I am not complaining about masks at all. Love that I go so many places without putting on makeup cause most of my face is covered. Also they are so useful in the cold temps. 

This aging thing, this getting older so far isn't too bad. Last year most everything health-wise seemed under control, well except for the dental thing, see previous blog post. No heart issues, bloodwork good, knees working and the icing on the cake...my mental and emotional outlook stayed positive. We all have those little mental and emotional dips, but I didn't experience any big dips. Pandemic or not, I am never bored here. There is always something to do or fix or read or create. Since the temps have kept me inside these January weeks, I have all kinds of fun things to keep me occupied and amused. I am easily entertained. Not known for a very long attention span, that seems to be the one constant. Videos, unless they are short and funny, I just can't. Even reading could not interest me for a while but thankfully, wanting to read a book has returned. I have seen several talk about this on Twitter and while I don't think it has to do with getting older, it is somewhat troubling to me. Roy and I were talking about this last night as I told him about my lack of concentration. He assured me, that this is nothing new, and he is correct but things that would have totally taken my consideration in the past, hardly can be found an inkling of interest...I don't pay attention for very long. I don't always have on background noise preferring quiet but if it is going to be the TV providing the noise, it is mostly on shows from the 1960s and 1970s. It is just noise because I have seen every episode multiple times. If it is an episode I don't like, I turn it off or find another background noise show. Music in the background is usually instrumental. These are not nostalgia invoking. I do not think those days were the good old days. Adam Feldman in his book Journaling writes that nostalgia robs us of being present in today. When people wax nostalgic, so many times I cannot help but think of other things going on in life when this great and wonderful memory is resounded thus I cannot fully get into the moment or memory. Of course in my opinion, these days here in NC with the good and the not so good, are the favorite part of my life. These are some of the most contented and happy days, ever. Roy says on a consistent basis, North Carolina saved your life. Yes, it did. 

I watched an interview the other evening and it was obvious multiple plastic surgeries had happened for this person. You know, you can try everything to look younger and it is achievable but your body gives subliminal messages to others that betrays you. Many times older people sit around with their mouth hanging open, for no other reason than maybe mouth muscles have grown a little tired. Older people chew their lips and make faces. It is a battle I tells ya! As an older person, I fight this all the time, when I am awake and aware, other times, I just chew on my lips, stare or drive with my mouth hanging open. What? I used to wear rimless, titanium glasses cause you could barely see those glasses but it just advertises, hey, I'm trying to look younger here. So I adapted but I refuse to let glasses be the last bastion of fashion for me. That is what boots are for.😁Too many older women go with the wild glasses that just screams, not too much fashion left out there for me, so wild glasses it is. When we are younger we will wear glasses to look older and when we get older??? Well, let's just say when you decide on Lasik or contacts, look at what your glasses uncover, like a receding hairline or something. Or crowfeet around the eyes... or like my personal favorite, glasses hide the dark circles that came with this face from the beginning. Dang, I am chewing my lip as I write this. Stop it, Nancy! 

I am really enjoying Under the Gilded Moon and I believe I found a mistake. Some of the characters are with George Vanderbilt touring the house while still under construction. One person makes a reference to the organ in the banquet hall. Wait a minute...to The Google. I seem to remember that the organ was not original to the house, so I Googled it up. There might have been an organ bay, but I am not too sure if the house had an organ. Guess during Pass Holder Appreciation time when there aren't as many people, I need to ask about this. Nevertheless, it is not a detraction from the book if anything, my interest is more piqued. 

Hector Protector got some back porch time this morning. Ate some food, then rested on the daybed. He was a little too active this morning for me to leave him there while I am upstairs, so his family greeted him on the steps and everyone got a few more treats. Today will be a warmer kind of day temp wise so they need to get out and play before the drop in temps over the weekend. The rough and tumble world of play. 

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Friday morning, the word of the weather forecasts is a light dusting of snow. Now that the morning light comes through the look of the sky is a snow sky. Glad I got all my errands done yesterday. I try to get everything done one day a week to limit exposure to the virus. Lowe's earlier in the day is the time to go. Picked up a few things and then headed over to Weaverville for grocery shopping. I wasn't planning on a Publix trip, but went ahead while the temps were warm and not too many Instacart shoppers were in line. Came home to put all the cold stuff away and then ran over to church to drop a few things off. Filled up the truck and since I was almost there, I went to the Krispy Kreme to try one of those lemon dessert donuts. Yum! Worth the traffic and the trip. 

 One more thought on an older person mindset, it is true what you read on Facebook. If you have a favorite burner on your stove, keep good sturdy boxes cause you might need one, think you should start getting ready for bed at 9:00 and you feel like you're 18 until you get around people who are 18 and you know it is merely a feeling, cause you can't keep up or even care to keep up, you are definitely old.

Implants, Squirrels, Coffee and Fog

 Yesterday's theme might have been the start of an impact, no, the theme is the start of an implant. Another one, but the first implant on my bottom jaw. We could have started this last year, but my dentist suggested we begin this work in January 2021. With the unexpected rework on the first implant from 1999, the budget as well as my mouth needed a rest. He said I have had all three types of implant work he does. Hope no one discovers a fourth type cause my teeth probably would want to cooperate and align. Dr. Hodges is a great dentist, funny, skilled, cares and has a great attention to detail, even the smallest ones that make a huge difference, but in the beginning stages doesn't look like the detail will make an impact or an implant. Waking up on January 1, 2020, to an abscessed tooth pretty much set the dental tone for 2020 and when January 1, 2021 rolled around, no tooth associated pain. Hope that is a precursor for the new year.  

Think word is out in the squirrel world that the ferals have killed or maimed several squirrels in our area. The battering about of a squirrel paw might have been the last straw. I pulled in a parking spot near a tree at the dentist office and immediately a squirrel ran up into the tree. The squirrel began working on an acorn but he was positioned at an angle to keep an eye on me exiting the truck. I made the call into the dentist office and they told me when to come into the waiting room. So, with those few minutes, checked email, texts and FB, while keeping an eye on the squirrel. With the sound of the latch releasing on the door, the squirrel scampered off as I got out of the truck and then I felt something hit the top of my head. Looking up, there was a baby squirrel at the tip top of the branches, watching me, maybe my response to head hit. Great diversionary work squirrels. After the implant work began being in the chair for an hour and a half, the sure footing of my steps had a little zig zag to them, but I remembered to look up into the tree before getting into the truck. I wanted to make sure a squadron of squirrels had not assembled to bombard me with acorns. I had safe entry into the truck. What an adventure. Could there be a squirrel mafia? I don't know but after yesterday, it seems likely. Just as I came out of the building, you know before getting to the truck in my zig zag step, the skies opened up with snow, snow, snow! The temps were above freezing, so it wasn't sticking but it was so beautiful to drive through. In Weaverville, the snow showers were much heavier so the few things needed from Publix, got picked up quickly and thankfully, didn't get behind an Instacart shopper so checking out was a fast paced endeavor. 

The Natty was on last night, Ohio State vs Alabama. I watched the first half, a lot more calmly than watching the whole game last year with LSU in it. Alabama has such a great team. This morning someone said they should be called the Kleenex team cause if one goes down, the next one steps up and in, and does the job. Not a great falling off. As a LSU fan, this isn't difficult to write because this year's Bama team, with returning seniors, accomplished their mission. My favorite play from the past season for LSU, the throwing of the shoe by Florida. 

Somebody on FB market is selling a recliner for $20.00. It is one of those big, overstuffed arms and head rest recliner. I kind of laughed thinking back when my brother was going through my parent's house and getting ready to put it on the market. Two big ol' same type recliners to sell or give away. But due to the wear and tear, and the odious fragrance and I'll let you come to the conclusion of said fragrance, he couldn't give those things away. Neither Salvation Army or Goodwill wanted them. So good luck to FB market selling your recliner. Hope always springs eternal. 

In yesterdays cold, snowy and wet weather, there isn't much that could tempt me to go outside. Ensconced and warm, I watched from the window the UPS driver deliver the package. I knew it was from Williams Sonoma. The coffee maker I ordered in November had finally arrived. So, yes, that delivery tempted me to go out and get that package. Normally, I would just go through the garage, but the door was at the perfect height for the cats and they had settled into their corner, so out the front door I went. This morning the old coffee maker probably made its last batch of coffee, but I keeping it for backup. Roy talked me out of bringing it upstairs to the bonus room and encouraged me to do a one cup Keurig up here. Takes up less space and maybe not as messy. 

Got the kiddos fed and opened up the garage door. When it warms up a few more degrees, I will go down to the road and pick up the trash bin. Too wet and windy yesterday to make that journey down to the road. 

A report on the resistance bands...the box after being delivered a week or so ago, has been opened! I repeat, resistance bands for exercise, recommended for Roy by his physical therapist have been opened and maybe kind of used on Sunday night. So this is the result when an over-achiever marries a chiever but the chiever is an overthinker. Roy wants to focus on the stepper platform and I'm reminding him, nicely of course, he needs to do the exercises and not concentrate on an implement used to test his fitness. The therapist has stressed, he really, no really really, needs to increase his upper body strength. As a practicing yet trying to not practice being an overthinker, my thoughts are this, he is going to get backdoored by something he didn't prepare or think about as he concentrates on what he is really good at doing. Of course this being said by someone who has always had upper body strength, but I did share with him from the not so long ago, knee replacements. Before surgery I concentrated on building quad strength, but not hamstring. That came back to bite me, right in the hamstring. Also, I did do a lot of upper shoulder and arm work cause that is very helpful as one rehabs, but I ignored core work and that, yes ladies and gentlemen, hindered me in my two weeks at the rehab hospital. 

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Wednesday morning and lots of fog, not just fog but freezing fog. I am still making coffee with the old coffee maker. I didn't get around to unpacking and then cleaning the new one. I had several projects going yesterday and that one didn't quite make it on the schedule. Like I have a schedule. I did some research on getting a single serving Keruig for upstairs and so far the reviews of the choices isn't giving me any assurance that these could be a total waste of money. Looking at other brands as well but so far nothing looks good. 

I did start reading a book last night, Under the Gilded Moon. The setting is Asheville and the story of a family who is resisting the offers being made to buy their land from George Vanderbilt. The story line drew me in immediately, even though I fell asleep reading it. Woke up and went to bed, only to wake up at 2:00 am, wide awake, so I got up and got back to the book. Several times already a reference to the Approach Road has been made and I can visualize that road.