Goodbye Dear Friend

It has been my privilege to know and have known some very special people during my earthly sojourn. I feel particularly blessed for having rubbed shoulders with a dear lady who passed from this earthly existence to the other side of the veil on Saturday. She and I shared many interests one of which was our mutual love of the organ as an instrument of choice for church services. Another was our love of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This lovely lady always had a loving hug, a smile, and a lively conversation to share. I learned to know her best when she visited my home regularly each month as a visiting teacher some years ago. During this time her devoted husband had passed away and she came to live with her daughter who lived near by. She had a lovely relationship with her daughter and son-in law. I am certain that her departure leaves a tremendous void in their home and lives. I also have a deep conviction that my friend looked forward to "going home" to dwell with those she loved who waited for her just beyond the veil.

Rest in peace, dear friend. I love you and will miss you. Till me meet again.

Ms Fix-It

It is very sad to me to know people whose hearts are aching and not to be able to fix it. I always seem to want to fix it or make it better when really I am just an ordinary human being with no power to intervene I know individuals who have recently lost a spouse. How well I know that pain. I really believe it is impossible to have any understanding of that grief until you experience it. One individual has just buried her husband about a week ago and it is quite heartbreaking to read what she writes of the pain she is experiencing and her calls for prayer and help. It reminds me of pain of my own and I avoid going there -- so I understand. In other cases individuals have aching hearts after learning a spouse has been unapologetically unfaithful. Trust has been lost. Mates are bewildered wondering where to turn, what to do, and who(m) to believe. Families are broken and children are hurt.

Grief is the hardest work you will ever do in this life, I believe. When faced with grief we all must struggle through its many stages whether it comes as the result of the loss of a loved one through death or infidelity. The stages of grief do not come in a set order. We all deal with it in our own way and through its stages in our own order. Some people experience anger before hurt. Some on the other hand may not deal with anger until the final stage. But however it comes it is most difficult.

It goes without saying that we should always be kind to one another-- so that we can be in a position to lift one another up. At best we all have difficult days and we do not know what burdens our friends may be carrying or what unspoken needs they may have.

Domesticating Me

So I have decided to again become domesticated! Huh?? Yes, if I can get my act together I am going to act like Holly Homemaker for at least a minute. For many years, too many to count, I have been involved in a profession that owned me--meaning it consumed all of my spare time.

While I am not divorcing that profession I am being tempted to dabble back into one of my former hobbies, activities, whatever you might call it.

At one stage of my life I made most of the clothes I wore to work, church and wherever. I grew up in a home where my Mom made everything whether it was clothing for us and herself or other items she used. Therefore, one of the first things I did as a young married was acquire a sewing machine and do likewise. As the years moved along I often found myself with not enough time at home to complete clothing for which I had purchased patterns and fabric -- sometimes getting as far as cutting them out and sewing parts together. I also was losing interest as I was cramped for time and had to move on. So sewing went by the way side. I gave up.

I continued to mend and do some tailoring as needed to purchased clothing. I also purchased a Bernina serger. It helps with finishing edges.

After Ken died I purchased a new Bernina machine and thought I would get back into sewing. But I didn't. Instead when I built a new home I misplaced or packed away essential parts of that machine and have never been able to locate them. There have been times when I needed to use the machine to mend or for other tasks and I have learned to make-do with what I can do with hand needlework. So.....I had read reviews of the machine used on Project Runway garbs! I kept seeing one of the machines, refurbished-- and all-- on Overstock.com.

When they ran it at a fair discount right before Christmas I decided to take the chance and purchase one. So now I have that little machine looking at me everyday. Time will tell if I can get the bug again and decide to give it a try!! I continue to have some mending to do....hhmmm.

Or would I rather open a tutoring service?? Big decisions.

Jumpin' Jehosophat

Now, here I am back today with some adventures of the old gypsy woman and her two canine gypsies. Today we have just realized that we have fifty-four more days until DST again. Can you yell a big "hal-leh-luh!" Well, let her rip, sister! Can't wait to hear yours! Mine was oh so good!

What a miserable cold winter. Can I complain any more and any louder? I am really gettin' tired of myself!! So right now I am committing to stoppin complaining and start doing my "sprang cleaning" right away so as I don't have to miss watching for" sprang". Now ain't that a plumb splendid idea or idear as the natives sometimes say in the ole north state.

It must be time for the resolutions because I think it is time for me to start being more productive as well -- so I better get started on that, too. I have to get my backfield in motion which means I may have to wait for the dang thang to thaw being as it has been frozen ever since December came along. (Uh, I forgot I wasn't supposed to mention.....)

You know I get to go out in the garage this week and move everything four feet off of the wall. I am sure you are thinking what is she talking about now. Well, when the termite inspectors came to do their annual inspection the little critters had reared their heads behind the freezer in the garage. So now I get to move everything into the middle of the garage so that it can be re-treated for those little pests. My home is ten years old and this is the second time the critters have broken through the barrier. Something smells about that story. Oh well, Not fun. Gotta go get to work!

Just Juicy January

Oh heck, people, January is just rolling along in spite of my distaste for it! I have nearly frozen my booty off and January just didn't seem to care. Now on the news today they are telling me that today, January 17th, is the most depressing day of the year!. What have I been trying to say folks! Not just about today but all of January. Isn't anyone listening!! Then they had the audacity to say that I have to wait until June 17th for the most "undepressing day." Will wonders never cease?

Just so you know the news says that one of the reasons today is so depressing is thinking about those bills we/ folks ran up during Christmas. Well, shame on them! Whatzamatta, no self control?? Jes' don't run up them bills is all I gotta say.

Hey, I gotta a really good idea. Why not take back one of those gifts they gave you and credit it back to their account so they don't owe so much money and have to be depressed. Think that will work?

I am signing off for now cause I think there may be some more cold weather coming in before January runs out of days and I gotta start shivering early.

Private or Secrets

Quite often when I write stuff on this blog it is done quite tongue-in-cheek. What I write is often my way of looking at the world. Lately I have been really wondering about an issue that I probably do not understand at all.

I think the majority of us understand when we put anything on the internet that the world is going to "have at it." I would hope that we also understand that there may be / and are things about us on the internet that we did not put there nor would we necessarily want them there by choice. Try googling yourself.

With that said I am perplexed as to why folks make their blogs "private." Now, how private does one think the blog is going to be. The other thing that often puzzles me is why folks would care who looks at their info on Facebook. I see this little bit about checking on who is looking at your info. Well, you put it on Facebook for people to look at -- so why would one care who is looking or "stalking" as it is called.

Perhaps I am missing something in all of this . Can't figure what!

My Clowns and Me

I love my girls. I am just an old lady who lives with two schnauzers so what else is there to love. Nothing more than the two living things that you spend the most time with. My Piper is six years old, not too far away from her seventh birthday. At the moment she is hiding away in her sister's pet taxi sleeping and snoring occasionally. She snores when she goes into a deep sleep and sometimes makes some really unusual noises. Stretched out beside me is schnauzer number three sleeping lightly. If I make one move other than typing here she will be ready and awake. This girl is a true piece of work, just full of puppy! She can be sooo funny while being sooo pesty at the same time. One hundred percent puppy.

Now up on the mantle is girl number one. We lost her on November 10th to cancer. This girl had my heart and took part of it with her. When I look at her picture on the top of this blog I can hardly believe that I had to let her go. I can reflect on the hours I spent over twelve years rubbing, stroking that little schnauzer body and spoiling her. I miss her and think about her everyday. I will see her again some day and we will run among the flowers and play.