CHRISTMAS, 2008

I went to the Christmas Eve service alone this year. Well, not really alone. There were about 1100 others there as well with young children making their noises at all the quietest times in the service, of course. That's part of the beauty of it. Came home and began cooking. Christmas Day was busy, busy, busy.

How did it go? Fantabulous!

Because my house is small, and there would be eight of us here for Christmas supper and gifts, I decorated the 7 1/2 ft. tree on the front porch outside the picture window. That serves the dual purpose of a Christmas tree and outside holiday decoration. How clever is that?

By day:






By night:











If you really want to see the pictures click on each one to enlarge it.

But we had inside decorations as well. Here's where we placed gifts, but these are only mine for the family. Note the round red & white package next to the plant stand; there's a story.


Chillax, Jaz, and Oyster arrived about 6:30 p.m., and the Dagromms just over an hour later, and the laughter began. But first we had the indigestion special: rice (thank you, Jaz), chicken enchiladas and guacamole which I made, tamales compliments of Sam's, salsa, and salad, and tortilla chips. Jaz also made apple empanadas for dessert. Yumola!


We didn't have the usual gift opening frenzy. All the gifts were passed out by Tazzonater and Oyster, then we went around the circle with one person opening one present at a time. It so happened that Oyster was first, and she had apparently been intrigued by the large round red & white package I mentioned earlier. The round box held this blond wig on a head form in a zippered wig case. She and Tazzonater were sitting next to each other. (O is seven yrs. old, and Tazz is eight.) Well, she ripped the paper off, yanked the zipper around---not quite all the way, and shoved the top back, and it snapped back shut. But it was open just enough for the two of them to glimpse a "head", and they both jumped back about a foot with very loud intake of breath, and one of them said, "What is that?" Of course, the rest of us were falling off our chairs laughing because it was so funny. If I'd been trying to scare them it wouldn't have worked. Later Chill told Oyster that was just what she needed to look like her mother. (That may be the best $2.50 I ever spent at an estate sale.)

Perhaps the second biggest surprise was what Mr. & Mrs. Dagromm received from Dagromm Jr. and Tazz--pictures they had made last summer when they visited here.

Dagromm was so moved he commented, "You even look as if you like each other!"

Then we got down to the serious business of playing Apples to Apples, a game which eventually included everybody, and we laughed so hard we probably worked off at least a tenth of the calories we'd consumed (about 300, I'd guess). We feasted again the next night, but a different menu which was equally delicious and played and laughed some more. Wish you could have been here. Chill, Jaz, and Oyster live here so they went home each night; the Dagromms left Saturday.

Today I took down the decorations.


It's oh so quiet now.
It must be because, as you see, PhannyCat is back in the living room.


HAPPY NEW YEAR, Y'ALL!!!!

Let's Wrap It Up!

Just like life, it's so much harder to catch up once you let things slide. But I said I would, and I will. So here it is in a nutshell.

While mowing the grass one day in May there were a couple of gusts of wind, and when I went to the back to mow there, what did I find? My beautiful red maple, age 3, had sheared right down the middle. Chillax came later and helped cut it up and remove it. It broke my heart to see the tree damaged, but I tended its wound and hoped for the best. Guess what? It continued to grow and even continued to provide shade.

June---Even more blah than May.

July--the Dagromms came for the 4th, actually arriving on the third. Dagromm, ever the dutiful son, asked what he could do to help me. I eagerly suggested mowing the lawn. He agreed to do it and did. I stood in the shade of the red maple to take this photo. His quick agreement was due in part to the fact that he and the children wanted to shoot fireworks in the yard on the 4th, and they did. It was a lot of fun. Then he and Mrs. Dagromm went home leaving their offspring with me for a week (the true mowing incentive). We had a few adventures.

No doubt, I have previously mentioned that I am currently the president of our local orchid society. Well, shortly after the children left, one of our board members and she was also the monthly raffle chairman, resigned from the board (via e-mail) and all responsibilities, and brought 74 raffle plants for me to tend. She said she would bring the rest later. I read and re-read the by-laws, and no where did it say this was the responsibility of the president.

On the 23rd we had a quick storm, and this time I heard the "pop" and discovered the red maple was a goner.


August---On the third of the month I drove to Jackson, Mississippi, to pick up Goo who came home for a week. The high points of that trip, aside from seeing her, were I got to see rain in quantity near the state line, and on the way home a dead alligator on the side of the road---the most memorable road kill of my experience. We had a fun week, went "estate sale-ing" with Jaz, watched some outstanding videos, and just relaxed. Taking her to the airport on the eleventh was a downer.

But a couple of days before she left the aforementioned orchid society member brought another 60+ plants to my house for me to tend. Thanks, ever so. Goo labeled her deranged. I contacted several other members of the society, and I managed to farm out most of the plants to foster homes and only wound up with about 30 to take care of myself. The majority of all of these were unloaded at our annual picnic/auction in Oct. In the meantime I conducted the raffle as well as the meetings for Aug., Sept., and Nov. She has now decided she is ready to resume her duties, and I was ready to return all the paraphernalia to her ASAP. (Why did I think working with pre-schoolers was getting too hard for me?)

September---I finally began sewing the display drapes for the orchid society.

October---You've already heard about my fantastic birthday. Jaz and I had another one of our outstanding yard sales. In the meantime I finished sewing the display drapes for the orchid society to use in its displays in various shows. Here they are in my living room.

The finished length is 7 feet. It was a massive sewing project; I did six panels. Each one is 5 feet wide. I learned to use the blind stitch selection on my mother's old Singer. Keep learning!---that's my motto. I still need to make some swags, but I'm in no rush on that chore. I also helped with two out of town shows by making all the plant labels for the shows, and going to Monroe to help take down a display.

During the last half of the month and the first part of Nov. I was sick and waited far too long to go see the doctor. When I finally did I wound up with a shot, a Rx for an antibiotic, and two kinds of decongestants. I will eventually get all this crud out of my system.

November---Well, obviously the big moment here was Thanksgiving. Chillax, Jaz, and Oyster were here. Jaz did the turkey, pie, and bread, and I did the other stuff. We ate very well and watched A Christmas Story, one of the funniest movies ever, after our meal. It was a really good day though Chill was feeling a little down (another upper respiratory story). He did, however, help me get down some of the Christmas decorations from the attic. I have really good sons, you know. (My daughters are o.k. too; they're just so far away.)

Anyway, are we caught up now? If I've left out anything you need to know about, tell me, and I'll do whatever I can to rectify the situation. The pets seem to be o.k.; they're just aging like this writer. And if you've read this far, please, post a comment. Sometimes this feels like speaking to the wind.

O.K., One More Fast Forward

Let us all be thankful for the intelligence of our country to vote for change in the administration; let us be thankful that we still have the hope of freedom; let us be thankful for all the grace and blessings we have received in the past. Let us not take any of these things for granted or that we have them because we deserve them. Let us move forward with intelligence and compassion, and let us have a

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, YA'LL!!!

SPRING AS I REMEMBER IT!

At Christmas last, if you recall, I was whining about my kitchen floor which had suffered damage the previous summer when the dishwasher leaked under the floor causing ripples, lumps, and other unsightly rises in the vinyl floor covering. They don't show in the picture to the left, but I promise you they were there in numerous places, and each flooring estimator who came to give me a number stopped outside the door to the kitchen, and you could just see the $$$ rolling in his eyes, just like those gizmos on slot machines. What had happened was that the water leaked and collected on the slab foundation; the floor, however, was on screeds and raised above the slab. Consequently the floor warped, and the screeds were rotting. Got that?

After three estimates from flooring places I finally decided on one, and work got under way.

All the appliances were removed from the kitchen and placed in my dining area---an extension of the living room, and the fridge and freezer were plugged in there. Still usable if I could squeeze my chunky body in between them. I did have the foresight to have them put the microwave in the LR so I could use it. As you can see it was a little tight.


To make a long story a little shorter the kitchen remained below the level of all the rest of the house for five weeks. This was not the fault of the flooring people, but because I obstinately held out for the concrete drying out, and the screeds replaced without putting down a sealant on the concrete which would add an additional cost. It did occur to me after two weeks of microwaved frozen dinners that I have a gas grill outside with a side burner, and I really could cook decent meals. (Double duh!) Five weeks of this:


Once I bit the bullet and again came into reality work resumed, and the new screeds were put down. That night after the screeds were installed we had a horrific thunderstorm which produced over 6" of rain and knocked down half of my red maple that I planted three years ago. The loss of half the tree was sad enough, but everything was so wet outside the workmen couldn't put in the floor the next day because there wasn't a dry place to use their power tools. So, on we went for another day.


It was finally accomplished; they moved all the appliances back, and cleaned up mightily. The company also followed my design for the floor, and I have no complaints against them or their service or workmanship. How often can you say that about a company these days? They were exceedingly patient with me.

So how did it turn out? Take a look and let me know what you think.



Oh, Yes! Many thanks to Chillax and Jaz for allowing me to do laundry at their house in the long haul. Everyone appreciated that.

BIRTHDAY SURPRISES!

O.K. I will get back to the 2008 history, but I've had a wonderful birthday, and compared to some in the past it has been superfragilisticexpialidocious.

First, my Hill Country friend sent me a musical birthday card which arrived yesterday. It shouts out "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." Yeah! Then Goo called last night, and we gabbed as only we can for a good while, and she wished me birthday felicitations. That's always fun.

This evening I went to my weekly Bible study group, and it was so on target with current national events. It was a terrific discussion. For everybody who doesn't know about our group, it is not one in which anybody says "this is what this passage means." Each person says, if he/she wishes, "this is what (based on my life experience/lessons) is what it means to me." It is a very free wheeling and eye-opening experience. On the other hand, don't let me indicate that there is a winner. That's not our goal, but we do support each other in seeing things through a different lens. It was great fun and as comforting as this economic climate can be. (Isaiah 5:1-7, check it out.) BUT, here's the big surprise. The person responsible for refreshments this evening noted in the church mailing that today was my birthday and brought---are you ready?---a chocolate chip cheesecake, HOMEMADE! WITH CANDLES! (Fortunately, not one for each year.) Are you salivating? You should be. It was fantastic.

I came home and prepared my weekly hamburger (best one in town) when the cell phone rang. There was my son-in-law calling on behalf of my daughter who was in bed with the flu (I don't think I mentioned that I got a flu shot and pneumonia shot today) to wish me a happy birthday. Then I spoke with my movie producer/director granddaughter, and the twin grandchildren who have succeeded in making two major moves in the past year, and they sounded so good.

As the hamburger sat cooling on the counter the house phone rang, and it was Chillax calling to wish me a happy birthday. Of course, I had to relate all the news from Illinois, and news of the cheesecake. (He threatened to show up at the front door with his dogs to devour the part I brought home.)

Well, now I would eat my cool hamburger. WRONG! The cell phone, which was being charged by that time, rang again, and surprise of surprises, it was my first born grandchild. I haven't had direct contact with him since his family came here for Christmas two and a half years ago. It was such fun to talk with him, hear his plans, and a little of his experiences since dropping from college and getting a real dose of life. It certainly gave me confidence for him and his future.

After hanging up I looked at my hamburger and wondered whether or not I really wanted it. It looked like a not quite totally wilted bouquet. But I still needed to eat, and I attacked it. Not quite what I anticipated, but by then it didn't matter. I was so full of good feelings, and that is what a Happy Birthday is all about.

FLASH FORWARD: SEPTEMBER, 2008

It was supposed to be a leisurely stroll through the earlier months of this year to catch you up, but some things just can't wait---like bi-weekly hurricanes. And it's so like three years ago with Katrina and Rita. With the first we had the big influx of refugees, and with the second we got the weather and some refugees. With Gustav we certainly received a huge number of people and thankfully the damage was not so great as with Katrina, and they were able to return home much more quickly. With Ike we didn't have as much damage as with Rita, but there were still some hits locally. Lots of people have downed tree limbs and debris, but damage reported in the newspaper happened to be from my neighborhood and the southern part of the city.

This is a fallen tree/damaged house two blocks behind my house. Note the big green bandaid on the house.



My street is only one long block long, and I live on the southwest corner of the block. Here's what happened to the house on the northeast corner at the other end of the block which has a triangular shaped lot. Their house faces another street, but their driveway comes from my street.



Between that house and mine another tree went down in the street, and I really have to hand it to our city crews for prompt attention to getting it out of the way. They were out there Saturday afternoon shortly after it went down and before the worst of the storm came (which was probably 4:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.), that is to say the strongest winds, and had that tree out of the street. As you can see it still has to be cleared away; it stretches across three home lots, I think.


My heart goes out to those who actually live on the coasts. Somebody has to live there to take care of our coastal business, fishing, oil drilling, whatever. But those of us who live three to four hundred miles inland suffer also from these storms---while we try to harbor those who have fled in our direction. And here's my point: Can't we just keep trying to improve how we care for one another as we deal with the natural threats of life? Do we really have any business making life worse for others and ourselves through warfare, shunning those less fortunate than we, denying differences of opinion as unworthy or "unAmerican", political sniping? Who knows where the next house will be flooded or tree falls?

All of these pictures I took the day after (today), and this last one was this evening's sky. There is no rainbow, but I feel in it a promise. It seems that we must now make a covenant with each other to gain the fulfillment of that promise.

JANUARY --- 2008

In this process of catching everyone up on life in my lazy community there were only two events of note (my life). The first was my installation as president of our local orchid society along with the other officers. I have pictures of that event, but that would expose people whose permission I do not have to publicize. So, I won't. It wasn't a big deal anyway. It didn't make the papers, and that's probably a good thing. That was on the 12th of Jan.

10 days later:

The other event was at my church, and I'm not pushing religion, churches, on anybody, but sometimes they have really good things to offer. This event was Trinity Institute which occurs each year in New York at Trinity Church, Wall Street in January. Yeah, right there in the money market. It is really fine. I almost said last year, but it was really this year, in Jan. that the topic was
Religion & Violence
Untangling the roots of conflict
An Inferfaith Dialogue



Several people were interested in our being a partner, which means getting a live web cast presentation of the event, and having discussion groups in live time just as they do in NY, but no one else was willing to push for it---just willing to push me to do it. Well, I pushed, and we were signed up at the last moment in Dec. To make a long story which you don't want to hear short, I was left to do the publicity, get people signed up to come, provide food, do local logistics like space, covering windows for best reception, and do whatever I could to make the church's investment worthwhile within one month.


(How do you like my home made sign?)

The most tedious part was finding food that would meet the dietary requirements of orthodox Jews and Muslims because that is not what I'm accustomed to checking out. However, once you get the hang of it, it's not that big a problem. It's a good learning experience.

Because of the limited time to publicize, and the lack of cooperation of the local newspaper to print the article submitted, I wound up going to the two local mosques to deliver invitations to the event. On both occasions I had conversations with local Muslims, in one case the Iman, and both occasions were very pleasant. We actually had two Muslims on one of the two days, and one on the second day. As these were two full days of presentations and discussions during the work week, there were others who couldn't attend both days. But it was a successful time, and this year we're signed up in time to have a COMMITTEE to handle the various aspects. Thank you, God. Whoever thought I would be thankful for a committee?

Well, anyway, the speakers were outstanding, particularly James Carroll and James Cone, and they really shook people up a bit. Tarique Ramadan was particularly appealing in his soothing presentation of Islamic beliefs, and he's very good looking which did not go unnoticed. Susannah Heschel also upset people's thinking, but I think that was a locally cultural thing. Who knows? If you'd like to hear any of these speakers, e-mail me, and I'll get you the reference. You won't regret the time spent.

The Best Gifts I Ever Gave

In the 30+ years I spent as a parent I rarely carried a picture of any of my children which I think was a curiosity to many people. Somewhere in the early years of my second child (Plug to you guys) I gave up on keeping "baby books." Although I had baby books for the other two about all I could muster was sticking some cards, pictures, etc. inside them and maybe filling out the parents' and grandparents' names. There were three years between my first two children, Chillax and Plug; then a gap of seven years until Goo came along and another three until Dagromm appeared. Two years later came the divorce. That's the quick summary.

What I did do early on was to keep a file for each one of them. Into those went report cards, especially interesting or funny school papers, programs from different events, cards they made me, not so great reports from school, special cards from godparents,etc., and I also have hundreds of pictures from the past. Somewhere through the years I began to develop this image of their finding these treasures in my files after my death. Then my sentimental side met my practical side because I needed to purge my filing cabinet, change my desk to fit my space, and I realized I wanted to witness to some degree their encounter with their pasts. So when I found the memory boxes at Bombay I knew that was what I wanted. (Besides, right after Christmas 2006 they had a really good deal on the boxes.) My gifts for my children at Christmas, 2007, were ready.

The boxes also came with little bronze plates that I had engraved with their initials and mounted on the top. Too classy! Then in the spring there appeared a Noel Coward piece in my Bible study curriculum that said everything I wanted to say with the gifts, so I typed it up and put it on the inside of the lid. Here it is:

From Collected Verse

Nothing Is Lost

Deep in our sub-concious, we are told
Lie all our memories, lie all the notes
Of all the music we have ever heard
And all the phrases those we loved have spoken,
Sorrows and losses time has since consoled,
Family jokes, out-moded anecdotes
Each sentimental souvenir and token
Everything seen, experienced, each word
Addressed to us in infancy, before
Before we could even know or understand
The implications of our wonderland.
There they all are, the legendary lies
The birthday treats, the sights, the sounds, the tears
Forgotten debris of forgotten years
Waiting to be recalled, waiting to rise
Before our world dissolves before our eyes
Waiting for some small, intimate reminder,
A word, a tune, a known familiar scent
An echo from the past when, innocent
We looked upon the present with delight
And doubted not the future would be kinder
And never knew the loneliness of night.

Noel Coward

I talked with Goo on Christmas morning by cell phone as we were many, many miles apart as she opened hers. I had Christmas lunch and gifts with Chillax , Oyster, and Jaz. Later I heard from Dagromm and Plug. The memory boxes were probably a bigger delight to the grandchildren than the parents, my children, but I hope not. We shared so many great times---great good times and great bad times. They were definitely all great! And those were the best gifts I'll ever have to give.

Chillax and Oyster check out his memory box.

HELLO OUT THERE . . . ?

Well, it's been so long since I have done this that I've completely forgotten how to do it. That is bad; or, maybe it's good. It's all in how you look at it. Anyway I've been far too wrapped up in the knit picking of holidays, family, house problems, yard work, national elections, weather threats, declining economy, ongoing war, orchid growing and orchid society politics (please, God, deliver me), old age malaise---you name it, it's on my list--- and my innate procrastination to blog.

Since we all realize that blogging is the most therapeutic mental health technique to come down in a long time I think it's high time to get back in the game. I was still attending sessions, you understand. I just wasn't participating, that is telling my own story, fascinating as it is.

So. . . I'm challenging myself to get it together and catch all of you up on what has been going on since the last post which was . . . oh well, who needs to know that? Besides, I don't want to be dropped from Heather's list (though she's now two atavars down the blog road, and who knows how many jobs). Also I think my family is probably embarrassed that I've not maintained my image as a "with it septuagenarian." However, I've spared them by not running for president.

Now that I've almost completed my Christmas shopping for 2008 I feel the circle is complete, and I can indulge myself if the "me-ness" of blogging. Of course, I still have to mow the lawn, feed and water the plants, take care of the pets, blah, blah, blah, but I can also let it all out. Watch out! It's primal scream time!