Sunday, December 27, 2009

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

My Little Chrismas Story



One day last week I woke up overwhelmed with all the things that I needed to do.  Get ready for a Christmas party....decorate....and many other things. Normally I am a very happy glass is half full type of person, but this morning I was not in the best frame of mind.  I was feeling sorry for myself and in an ill mood.
As I was driving to work it occurred to me that my days are numbered.  No I don't have a terminal disease, but my days are numbered and only God knows how many I have.  I should live in the moment and rejoice in every single day.  As the scripture says; Rejoice and again I say rejoice. (Philippians 4: 4)
So during my short drive to work, I prayed to God.  I always use ACTS  for my prayers. A--affirmation--give God glory and praise, C--contrition--ask for forgiveness, T--give thanks for your blessing and S--supplication--give God your cares and ask for His blessings and grace.  My short version of this is: I love you Lord, forgive me Lord, thank you Lord and help me Lord.  
This particular morning I asked the Lord to help me be joyful, to live the day as if it was my last, and to inspire others with my attitude.  I finished up my prayer as I walked toward the hospital. As I walked up toward the canopy, something made me look up.  I saw a little feather floating down just above my head.  It landed gently at my feet...I think He heard me...don't you?

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Oops I Did It Again



I took this picture late last night with my phone.  I'm pooped.
Conversation about a month ago:
Joyce:  Can we have the hospital Christmas party at your house?
Me:  Sure!!
A few things to do...finish the deck, decorate outside, decorate inside, clean up the perpetually dirty/messy garage (David desperately needs a "shop")........make sure house is clean clean clean and neat neat neat (I ironed the turn down part of the sheets and the pillow cases--I know I'm crazy).
I am only about a fourth of the way ready and I'm sitting here on the couch resting/procrastinating.  I'll post pictures if I can get the camera charged and find the USB cable...........


Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Best Christmas Present


My son is home on leave from Iraq and will get to spend Christmas with his family.  God is so good.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Sigh........





This is a whine free zone, so any of the things that I post that sound whiney are not...I'm simply stating facts.  Here is what has been going on in my life. Monday through Sunday
Beg and pleade for David to go and get the Christmas decorations.  (They are in the attic of our previous home that is now rented)
He does this and the garage is full of boxes of Christmas stuff.
The garage is also full of hunting gear.
The garage is also full of stuff he used to mount a deer for a friend.
Said deer is in a chair in the dining room..drying and awaiting finish work.
I take the 4-wheeler out and gather pine branches and some other dried  branches and vines to decorate the front porch.
I do this, but I can't find the spot lights. Wal-Mart in Winona does not have any. 
Drive to next largest town 20 miles away--that Wal Mart also does not have any..Good ole True Value does though and I buy two.  Put them to highlight doors and porch.  Looks nice. 
Buy green spray paint and paint the ferns that are in ceramic pots on the front porch, place dried branches etc in them, along with silk poinsettias...this also looks good--until straight line winds blow them over..plan B...straighten them up and replace with more pine branches later on this week.
Arm starts to hurt...cellulitis in elbow from venipuncture? tendonitis in elbow?  bursitis in shoulder from driving the 4-wheeler? or all of the above.
Plan on real Christmas tree this year..buy it at Christmas tree farm probably...looking at messy house, can't decorate inside until cleaned up.  Laundry piled to the ceiling.  Arm is hurting worse.
Arm is almost unbearable now.  Understand why people with chronic pain are not nice people.  Elbow is hot-get started on antibiotics.  Have big monthly meeting and get throught it...but arm is hurting so bad, unable to think straight.
House getting dirtier and dirtier...too tired to clean when get home...much less decorate inside...the outside looks good though.......
Friday--took off work to try to rest my arm, which is hurting from my elbow to my neck...and am beyond miserable.  Besides my house looks like somebody picked it up, shook it and put it back down.  And next Saturday is the hospital Christmas party here!!! Got to get started.
Take my time and get the house cleaned up, ice my arm and alternate with heat to my arm.......maybe a little better.
Saturday--Nursing Home party for my uncle and retirement party for one of the physicians David and I have worked with for years.  We are greeters...I am very good at this...I know a lot of people and I am a friendly person and I like seeing people and meeting new people. Arm a little better..can at least get it comfortable so that I can sleep.
Sunday--to church...we are going to a little country church now and I love it....David and I ride the 4-wheeler all over looking for a tree--no dice.  Buy one at a Christmas tree farm...paid a little more than I intended but we left feeling very good about it because the young man said business had been very slow.   Camera missing.  Can't find cellphone either.
The wild monkeys grand children came over and helped decorate the tree and only broke 2 ornaments.
So it is official--Christmas can now come to our house--the tree is up, the snow babies are out, the tiny Nativity Scene is placed, and the Santas are on the mantel...but the house is a wreck!! Oh well I'll clean it up again tomorrow.
Oh and my arm is better.  I'll post pictures soon as I find my camera.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Miss Maidee Had It Right


It seems that Miss Maidee (pronouced May-dee) who was my second grade teacher, was right all along.   She was an old maid and she seemed to me to be ancient.  She had blue hair that she kept in place with a hairnet, wore those "Ole Lady Comfort" shoes (my Mama's name for them) you know the kind that came in any color that you wanted as long as it was black, and  laced up and had big chunky heels...okay I digress......she wore shirt waist dresses that I thought were beyond ugly and she was germophobic.  In fact she took germophobia to a level that is impressive even by todays standards.
She never ever touched any of us.  Well, she never touched our skin.  If for some serious reason that she had to touch one of us, like to jerk Mark Bowie out of his chair and stand him in the corner, she would grab the tiniest corner of our shirt with her thumb and index finger.
And she never ever ever touched a door knob.  Never.  There were three doors to our classroom.  It was the job of whomever sat next to the door to open it for her.  She never touched our desks, our pencils, our books and we never ever touched her desk or her.  If we were called to her desk we stood within 3 feet of her desk and never touched it.
And are you ready for this, she kept a bottle of alcohol on her desk and poured if over her hands anytime she had a potential or real contamination of her hands.  So see that was 50 some odd years ago and she was using alcohol to decontaminate her hands!!  Now that said, her hands were always in terrible shape, they were red, raw, cracked and arthritic.  But I don't remember her being sick or missing a day of school.
She would have loved the alcohol gels..........

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Things I Bought At The Auction

I love the first Satuday of the month.  I had a choice--go to the annual Christmas parade and see my friends on the hospital float or go to the auction.  Duh...I can see my friends everyday and I can go to the warehouse and look at the float.
So I got up early (for me) today on a Saturday, showered and dressed in my best auction clothes, extra layers because there is very little heat in the auction house, stopped by Micky Dees for a sausage/biscuit and large black coffee.

































Next I go in the auction house, get my lucky number (22), mark my chair, speak to all my friends and puruse the merchandise.  The first thing that I see is this gorgeous vase.  I don't act like I want it,  I don't even pick it up or touch it.  I figure by now the people there know me and know that I collect/love vintage glassware, in fact I love most glassware.  They are always asking me if I'm a collector.  So that said, I'm afraid they will start bidding against me.  Judy (my auction buddy) and I sit in the back, which has it's advantages--people don't know we are bidding.   I know that this vase is coming home with me.
Judy's son, Chance, helps with the auction, and since I'm getting ancy,  I (stealthly) point this out to him and he brings it up front for bidding.  I wait till the bidding drops to $2.50 and I jump in.  Somebody bids $5.00, but it goes home with me for $7.50.  When I get it in my hands I realize that it is handblown glass!!!  The bottom has the place where it was cut off from the blowing thing and the flutes are not all exact, it is a lovely shade of green.  It looks great in the kitchen and I plan on putting Christmas ornaments in it.  This picture doesn't do it justice...it is quite large.

This is the next thing that came home with me.  An ice bucket without the top, but it has bubbles in the glass and the coolest deer etched on it.  It is big, tall and heavy.  Mine for $2.50.

This is one of two pictures of state birds and flowers I bought.  I didn't realize until after I bought them that one is the Magnolia and Mockingbird of Mississippi.  They are very cool and look like vintage pages out of a book.  They are also framed nicely. Mine for $2.50 each!!  They are now hanging in my bathroom.
Then...Judy and I were talking and I wasn't paying much attention when this beauty came up for bid.


I had not seen it when I looked over the stuff......and I thougth $#^+ that looks like Monax!!!  If you don't know anything about Monax depression glass google it.  Nobody but me wanted it.........mine for $2.50!!!  And the funny thing is, all those dealers there, with their stores didn't recognize it!!  I don't really know my depression glass, but this is only the second piece I have ever seen. It is American Sweetheart Monax which was produced between 1930-1936. I don't think Monax has been reproduced, it is very beautiful and as you can see is translucent.
I think that I made some great purchases....and I had a wonderful time.
Until next time..........

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Strange Folks At The Salvation Army


My friend Christine's post here   made me think about my visit to the Salvation Army Store last Friday.  There are always unique characters in there.
As I was checking out, this older gentleman who had been hanging around the counter talking to the checker said, "Well, I guess I better go, I got work to do in Winona."
Me:  (ever the friendly/nosey one) What kind of work do you do in Winona?
Him:  Oh just odd jobs--some of this and that.  Do know Winona?
Me:  Yes I live there.
Him:  Oh that's nice, so do I.
He wandered back around to the other side of the counter and began mumbling to the checker again......and then he said to her, "I need to go, but I can't seem to be able to leave.....you must have hoo-dooed me."
I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt then that it was time for me to go.  I don't believe in any of that stuff, but I'm just saying........