Anything for a Snack

I gave blood for the first time ever today. I'm not sure why I haven't. Needles don't bother me - usually. It's probably just the thing about my needing somebody to take me by the hand and lead me to do something. And it pretty much happened like that today.

A bloodmobile bus was at Wal-Mart last fall, and I agreed to give blood then, but Mama was with me (or I wouldn't have been there in the first place), and they weren't going to be there later that afternoon. Again at the post office not too long ago, I would have given except I was headed out of town. Always an excuse.

Today was my "me" day. I pretty much did just what I wanted to, and one of those things involved going to the downtown library for audio books. Outside the entrance was a lonely-looking lady with an umbrella and 2 balloons and some papers on a table. I usually avoid eye contact with anyone like that. No polls or petitions. No subscriptions to the Montgomery Advertiser. I'm already registered to vote, and I didn't see Girl Scout cookies. But somehow I glanced over, and that was enough. She saw the hesitancy and pounced. It didn't seem to bother her that I had never given blood before. I was in that bus in 2 minutes. I felt strangely like prey being led to my fate as we walked across the parking lot.

But it was all very nice. Everything explained well. Festive paper lanterns and streamers on the ceiling. I hadn't eaten lunch so I had my choice of snacks. No pain. No lightheadedness. Got a T-shirt.

And maybe I helped someone. I'll definitely do it again.

Middle of March

I need to add something interesting today to make that pot of shamrocks go away, but I'm having a hard time finding anything.

Going back to last Friday, here are some pictures from when Debby and I went to the cemetery to take Aunt Betty some spring flowers. It was a nice afternoon. We jabbered on, sometimes in the present, sometimes in the past, memories of Grandma, memories of growing up in a simpler time, and if you're related to me and reading this, yes, we talked about you.

The pretty day turned into clouds and rain, and I loved every minute of it. It wasn't as much fun on Saturday having to get out in it though. Emily came rushing in from Warm Springs, and we had to get to the alterations place before it closed to get Dress #1 fitted and ask about hemming Dress #2. It probably wasn't pretty to see us juggling an umbrella, a big box, and 2 wedding gowns through the deluge. As we burst in, the place was full of bridesmaids, all getting fitted. It was hectic, to say the least, but we finally got the dress all pinned up to fit. We're still not sure in the confusion when it will be ready but certainly before she'll have any need for it. We then went to Dillard's to take back the "unacceptable" dress and get a new one, but then it turned out the new one was unacceptable too. I can't remember what we did after that, but we ended up stopping to get veggie sub from Publix. Yum. Emily picked out the ingredients, and I need to remind her I don't consider jalapenos veggies.

I was not wanting her to go to Atlanta Sunday morning in the pouring rain, and I didn't actually ask her not to - well maybe hinted a little - and made staying in the warm house making lists and drinking coffee sound like a lot more fun. We did get a bunch of things decided. It's slow going, but I think with this next trip to Atlanta, she and Ryan will get the ball rolling. Talking to the caterer, going to the photographer's, looking at cakes. That and the music will be the big things, and it'll be a relief to get those things decided.

The last 2 days have been just working and getting nothing done in between times. I did go to Michael's and take pictures of votive candle holders and pots and vases so we can make more decisions and bought some more outside hanging lights at Target - on sale!

Today I had to learn a new account at work, and I kept having to wait on this and wait on that, so my morning was wasted. I decided to plant some of the seeds I bought. These are the cute little pots I got. Mama thought they were chocolate cookies. They do look edible in those little candy-box containers.

I got two packets of seeds planted, and then I weeded the front flower bed a little, kind of half-heartedly, but I think it looks better. All the trees are budding out, the althea, the crepe myrtle, and even my little dogwood that is still in a pot from last year. I think it likes it there.
I'm always surprised to see this clematis every spring. In the fall, it turns into an ugly tangle of vines that looks like it will never come back, but then I've watched the little leaves come out in the past week, and it's already trying to climb.
I think I can see from the kitchen window a little purple on the wisteria in our neighbor's yard that is amazing every spring. Unfortunately, there's nothing pretty about this corner disaster, and I don't have much time to work on it. Maybe I can throw a few blooming annuals on top of the mess until the gardenias and azaleas start blooming.

So that's my exciting week. Tomorrow is beauty shop day for Mama and her weekly outing to Wal-Mart afterwards, and then I'll probably go to Andalusia Friday. It'll be a nice drive if the weather stays like this. There's something interesting and free going on at the quilt shop Saturday that I might like to get to if I have time. If anything more exciting than this comes up, I'll be sure to mention it.

Oh, Mike said he and Elise were going to just drive down to El Paso this weekend. I would go too if I didn't have to fly and had time or maybe lived there. I hope they have fun and take some interesting pictures for me.

By Popular Demand

Actually only a request - or maybe hint - to update my blog. I do this little (nearly) daily update just for myself so when I'm old(er) I'll remember that I had a life, as mundane as it is. Things simply haven't been happening the past few days. Normally that doesn't stop me from writing, but I have been pretty occupied. I called Mike during lunch to tell him a piece of mail he had been expecting had arrived, and he was kind of busy - busy as in the kind of busy where you hear noise and laughter and clattering silverware in the background. He said, "How are you? You haven't been web logging lately." So this has taken the place of phone calls and emails. It's a one way street though. He knows everything about me, and I know nothing about him. On second thought, nothing's changed there.

I can't even remember anything interesting to mention. Every spare minute has been spent fighting with that little quilt. I found I had cut 16 of the little strips 1/2-inch too short and had to go looking through my remnants to see if I had any leftovers of that particular fabric. I did, thank goodness, but barely. Hope I don't find any more surprises. It's not really getting easier to square things up, but I think it may be because the sunroom where I sew is chilly. Maybe I'll bring the sewing machine to the kitchen table. The light is better in that bay window, and it's warmer. I don't like this cold at all.

Today was the first day of our official "punching in" at work. Getting ready to work at 8 a.m., I pulled up the web site for the clock and saw "Time Started 7:30 a.m. Hours worked on this shift 30,829." Wow, I should get a good paycheck this month. There are some more glitches (obviously) to be worked out, but I think I like it. It keeps me focused to know I have this little time frame to get my work done. I pretty much doubled my line count, although getting lots of dictation from my favorite doctor who says, "Use, the ENT normal. Use the cardiovascular normal. Use the pulmonary normal. Etc." helped tremendously. That means with just a few keystrokes I get a whole page of typing. I get happy when I see her name come up.

Mama is taking it seriously and says she will answer the phone and the doorbell and not come tell me who died in Andalusia until after work. Trouble is, I get most of my calls on the cell phone, and no one has gotten it through to the cats that things are different. Stella still rings the bell several times a morning for no apparent reason except to see me get up and open the door, just to scratch to get back in 10 minutes later. She know with her weapon of carpet-shredding claws, I'm her slave. Threatening to have her de-clawed hasn't seemed to make a difference.

Still waiting to hear from Emily about the actual wedding date. Something about pulling up sod and planting new grass at her friends' house where the wedding will be. They're having an open house or photo shoot or something the end of April and are putting down some kind of grass just for that, but I guess it's not what they want to grow there permanently. It looks like we're at the mercy of their landscaper as to when the wedding will be. Emily graduates the 9th of May and wants a couple of weeks to relax and get things done, so I hope it can stay the 30th.

Looks like I had a lot to say about nothing. Let me look for some interesting picture that has nothing at all to do with what I was saying. How about this one from a couple of years ago - the plumeria that came from Hawaii from Gray and Steph's honeymoon. It started out as a 2-inch-long stick. It's a big stick now with 2 branches, but pretty soon the leaves will come out, and it'll bloom again.

Weekend

I was glad to have my Saturday back, but I can't say I made good use of it. I did work 5 hours and I did put some more quilt strips together, but I guess I mainly read or cleaned a little. Pretty good bit of talking on the phone with Emily and Elise. Things seemed to have fallen into place in Atlanta as far as getting catering arranged and finding a dress that she loves that fits. That was the big excitement. Her friend Karen deserves a medal for making her stick with the dress search and not get discouraged. And Meghan is just full of ideas and plans.

I can see many more phone calls and brainstorming. Just searching for things on the internet can take chunks of time out of a day. I guess it needs to be done though. We both had the same Real Simple (ha) wedding magazine, so we were able to know what the other one was talking about. "Look at page 94 - I like the cake there." "What about zinnias and dahlias?" We have a lot of the same tastes, but with a few points we veer off into opposite directions, and I have to make sure I show the same excitement over things I don't like that she does as over things I like. I don't want to cause her one bit of sadness during these whole 3 months, so I'll need to be up to the challenge when we talk. It's interesting how things will come together in 3months that seem so disjointed now.

It's another chilly, fresh-pot-of-coffee working afternoon.

Oh, speaking of weddings and since it's our daughter-in-law Stephanie's birthday this week, here is a beautiful picture from not too many years ago.

Stephanie and Gray. One of my favorite pictures.

Lots of Weather

It seems like the warning siren went off constantly yesterday afternoon. It's such a scary sound even when you look at the weather map and see you're not in any danger. It did make me a little nervous to read the Weather Channel report tracking the weather and see it mention roads within a mile of our house and the word "tornado." I love bad weather - but the way I like it. Wind without rain. Rain without wind. Both in moderation. Turns out we had just a lot of hard rain for a little while and then again later last night some more, less fierce but lasting longer.

Our walk yesterday was perfect. Darby was frisky, the wind was blowing,and there was a threat of rain with the added pleasure of seeing the blooms of the Japanese magnolia and forsythia that I once again went out of my way to see.

Random pictures from the walk.









This was taken sitting outside and enjoying the wind yesterday afternoon.

My absolute favorite kind of weather - until the siren started wailing. I read a little bit but couldn't work on my quilt because the wind would have blown all my little rectangles away. I did finish the square I was working on and one more. It went faster. Maybe I'm relaxing a little bit and can start doing them assembly line fashion.

Busy day today. I have 4 hours to work, and then Barbara and I are going shopping - sort of - mainly just looking. But we do have our 40% Hobby Lobby coupons. I'll probably use mine for blades for my rotary cutter. Those things are expensive, and I use them as long as I can. When I start having to saw back and forth across the fabric, then I know it's time for a new one. Maybe I'll treat myself to a new needle in the machine today to celebrate my newfound confidence in quarter-inch seams.

Spring Fever in February?

That must be my problem. I'm in a sunshine stupor this afternoon and can hardly keep my eyes open. There's no law against taking a nap in the middle of the day, according to Stella.

Darby and I walked this morning, but we missed the sunrise, not to mention the garbage pickup. I saw them on the next street and started to ask them to go back by my house. They like me because I give them cookies at Christmas, but they like me as in waving excitedly, not back-tracking 2 blocks. I need to get those guys some Easter cookies, I guess.

It's close to a perfect day today, cool and a little windy with blue, blue skies, one that you would like to freeze and pull out in August or January.

  Then it was Mama's beauty shop day and a trip to the post office to mail 2 packages that took 30 minutes because of 2 people being out today and the line being 15 people long when I got there. After the beauty shop (which is next door to Wal-Mart), we went in WM for a few things. It could have been worse. The parking lot was filled with cars (thank goodness for that handicapped parking sign we have), but I'm not sure where they were inside. Certainly not in the pharmacy and grocery sections. Maybe in the garden center where I would like to have been. This is the only thing green in my yard. It's been sprayed and is looking a little sick though.



So now I'm home and have the rest of the day for my own, and the big question is: Housework or quilting? I think I know the answer to that, but I'll probably decide after my nap. Maybe something worth writing about will happen between now and tomorrow.

Oh, my cousin Bobby, who is custodian/photographer/ carpenter for the Northwest Florida Ballet in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, sent me the web page for their mascot/mouser. Meet Mr. Pants, the Ballet Cat. I would like to encourage Bobby to update Mr. Pants' web site instead of taunting me with pictures of Florida beaches.

I think it's obvious I'm proud of myself for learning how to link things.
I was aiming for a post at least once a week on Sewing Memories, or Atrocities I have Created in My Life. The 70s is a really good decade for examples of this, and I'm going to look through some old pictures to see what I can find. Think lots of green and orange!

The Rest of the Day

Back to the doctor's office for my followup after lab tests. All the tests were good except for my vitamin D. Normal is 30, and my value was 10, so I have to take 50,000 units a week (one $2.50 pill) plus 2 daily pills of 600 of calcium and 400 more of vitamin D for 3 months or until it the value comes back up. Maybe I'll go sit in the sunshine some. But then you have to worry about skin cancer.

Those big old calcium tablets are not going to be fun for someone who can't swallow pills. Thank goodness for pill cutters and bananas. One more year of being healthy otherwise, though. Can't argue with that.

Below are three little things that make me happy. Silly little things but nonetheless...



The first is a tiny little scoop that I found at World Market (got one for sugar too). My family gets tired of hearing me say, "Did I show you the cutest little thing I found?" It's only about 5 inches long, but it's heavy and just feels good. (Doesn't take much to please me!)


This next strange-looking thing is my pill holder/divider thing. I got this at the Container Store a few years ago, and it beats those plastic things with the giant days of the week on them. I guess one day my pill-taking might be a little more complicated, but I can enjoy it while I can. Aren't those vitamin D pills pretty?



The last one is a little embroidered flower on a daygown I made years ago. The front has more flowers on it, but this is on the back placket and kind of unexpected. Once my sewing history reaches heirloom sewing, I'll take a better picture of it.




That's probably all the excitement I can stand today.

My list of 25

My new blogging friend Lydia "tagged" me to tell 25 random things about myself. I think she meant interesting things, but I'm having a hard time thinking of any, so I just did a stream of consciousness list. I'm supposed to "tag" someone, but I don't really know anyone personally with a blog except Lydia, and I'm sure she doesn't want to do another list. If Sherry can on her work blog, I'll tag her. Or maybe she will leave a comment about her 25 things!

1. I've been married for 41 years to Mike. Seems like just yesterday that we headed out to Auburn with all our wedding gifts and a gray kitten in that burgundy Chevrolet.

2. We sat across the aisle from each other in 6th grade but didn't speak to one another that we can remember.

3. We lived in Andalusia, Alabama, 20 years and in Thomaston, Ga, for 20+ years and in between times in 13 different dwellings, not counting the pink trailer in Pennville and the haunted room in Summerville.

4. I took piano lessons for 10 or so years with no talent whatsoever, causing the teacher and me both to suffer too long. I then took violin with Elise for a year - still no talent, but it was fun. Oh, and I also carried a clarinet in the high school marching band.

5. Our children are the bright spots in our lives - Gray, Elise, and Emily - now Stephanie and later this year Ryan. I talk to at least one of them every day.

6. Rainy, gloomy days cheer me up, and a small storm with thunder and a little wind make me downright giddy. Too much sunshine depresses me.

7. I was lucky to have married into a family that loved me and put up with me. I could never join in any of the in-law jokes.

8. I haven't watched TV in 2 years unless someone comes to visit and turns on the TV.

9. I hate to fly - I'm working on that - but love to drive. I once drove from Oklahoma to Georgia in one day because I just wanted to be home.

10. Mike gave me a little bottle of Chanel No. 5 when we were in high school and that's about the only perfume I wear - when I think about it.

11. I think I've only had 2 years when I didn't have 1 or more cats.

12. I love to organize and hate to put things back, so I do a lot of organizing.

13. I haven't been sick since 1985 unless maybe it was last month, but no one was around to witness me suffer, so I won't count that.

14. My mother is almost 86 and lives with me. My daddy died a few years ago and my mother-in-law a little over a year ago, but they pretty much are always with me. Those two made the world a better place, and I miss them terribly

15. I'm about as talented in needlework as I am in music, but that hasn't stopped me. There are not too many needlecrafts that I haven't tried - maybe rug-hooking.

16. I love gardening but am hampered by my fear of worms and the creature whose name starts with an S. That's why I garden with cats.

17. I've been a medical transcriptionist for 16 years and have always loved it, just not the long hours.

18. I learned to type before I could read, typing words from my uncle's biology book, and being fascinated by those drawings of the grasshopper.

19. I once worked at a prison.

20. I'm addicted to logic problems.

21. I can't swallow pills.

22. I never wear shoes unless I have to.

23. I spend way too much time reading blogs about quilting and sewing and not enough time actually doing them. Reading about it is mistake-proof.

24. My phobias are elevators, heights, and those creatures alluded to in #16 above.

25. I'm way over my head trying to do a blog, but I'm having fun learning. Small things just thrill me to death, like learning how to link things or how to separate my pictures. Hopefully I'll be thrilled a little bit more and learn how to make my page look nicer.

So there you have it.

Early Ramblings

I'm feeling pretty smug because I woke up a whole hour before the alarm this morning. That's an hour of valuable time, and I was determined not to waste it, so I thought I would see if Darby was up for a walk. She was VERY much up for a walk and was so excited I had a hard time making her understand she couldn't take her "puppy" with her.


She reluctantly left it behind, but it was soon forgotten. So many mailboxes to sniff, so much sidewalk to snuffle, and most exciting of all - the Bumpus Hounds.

These dog live about a block from us and obviously have an electronic fence because they don't come near the street. When Darby gets out, I'm sure she goes to their yard and taunts them, because they really do fuss at her when we go past.
It was a glorious morning for walking, just a little nip in the air but not cold. Unfortunately, it was time for people to start pulling out of driveways and heading down the street, not to mention school buses and a couple of sullen teenagers slouching in front of our house. Just a normal day.
I did walk a little farther than usual because I had seen this beautiful star magnolia last week, or I think that's what it is. It's not a Japanese magnolia, and it has little star-shaped blooms. We had one in Thomaston, and I think it's one of the prettiest little trees. I'd like one if anyone is giving me a gift any time soon. This is not a good picture because it's obviously past its prime, and I also didn't want to seem to be a lurker standing there snapping pictures of a stranger's tree. I'm not sure, but this may be the only house in the neighborhood with cannons on the front porch. You can see one if you enlarge the picture, and I think there may be another one behind the tree.

And finally, this is what happens when over-sized puffy cats try to stand on the window sill. I think the one-ear look is charming.


I'm sure the rest of my day will be even more exciting.

Lovely Sunday

Beautiful day, beautiful music at church. We did have to endure several choruses with trumpet and strings accompaniment, but it was all forgotten with the choir's special, beginning with a solo from a young lady with an amazing voice and ending with an arrangment of "Spirit of the Living God, Fall Fresh on Me."

A nice change today was the sermon by "Brother Billy." Our pastor had knee surgery, so we had a guest speaker. I had seen this man welcoming us at the door, but it wasn't until he started to speak that I realized that he was the one who does the closing prayer many times. I find myself looking forward to those prayers, which are mini-sermons in themselves. He will start off with something like, "Now you know I love you, God..." and commence to just have a conversation with God. I thoroughly enjoyed this sermon. I believe he is a retired pastor with a lot of the "fire and brimstone" characteristics of earlier times. Daddy would absolutely have loved sitting in church listening to him; in fact, when we sang, "The Old Rugged Cross," I could almost hear Daddy's voice and feel his presence.

As I mentioned, the sun is shining, and all's right with the world - except I have 8 hours of work ahead of me. But that's not an entirely bad thing. I'm happy to have a job. I saw just the teeniest pale green leaves of my fluffy white clematis on the way in awhile ago. It looked like just a bundle of brown vines, but it never fails to come to life again. February does that to you - gives you that promise of spring - not immediately - but not as far away as it used to be.

Weekend Leftovers

Mama wheels into church but is very unhappy with Josh the weatherman who promised her a "pretty day" today.

Darby has to share her new bed with Stella - or else.

"Well, she was snoring."

Maddy stops work long enough for a pedicure.

This is what I found when I went back into the kitchen after forgetting to put up the Fancy Feast. I wonder at what point it was clear one more lick was going to send it over the edge. I don't usually get this lucky.

Onion in the Freezer - Edited for Results

It's a slow day when the most interesting article I read this morning was on my Google Page: How to Chop Onions Without Crying. I plan to read it more carefully later since I have some onions to chop this afternoon, and my eyes are already stinging just thinking about it. There's even a video. I'm not sure I could wear safety goggles, although there are times when I would have gladly put on a pair. And cutting them underwater just seems somehow dangerous. I thought I would try the idea of putting one in the freezer though - just to see.

I did buy pre-chopped vegetables once. I looked around to see if anyone was watching me. I had always passed those by with a superior attitude: That's what's wrong with the world. People can't even chop their own vegetables or make their own salads. I can't even remember what combination I bought or why I was in such a hurry for them, but I don't think it was a bad experience at all. By the time I used them, I had forgotten how much they cost and was making plans to buy them any time I wanted them. I probably waste as much money letting onions go bad.

So if my eyes aren't too bleary and swollen this afternoon, I'll record the results of the experiment.

2:13 - So, it's official, putting an onion in the freezer for a few hours works. No tears, no odor, nothing. I think I'm a little late to this party, but I'm glad to find it out. Not that I usually plan ahead enough to think about putting an onion in the freezer, but it's still good to know. And that little case of frostbite? I imagine that will be as believable a work excuse as my friend Rita's - umm - goat procedure she had to help with this morning.

Perspective

For some time now, I have been talking to my daughters about a blog I started reading last year. I went there in a search for something - vegetarian pizza or something like that - and I was intrigued by her photography first and recipes and then read a few of her entries. It wasn't long before I had gone back to her first entry and read it straight through like a novel. I'm not sure what kept my interest. We certainly have nothing in common except love for our families. In fact, she exhausted me with her energy and love of life and made me wistful that I had not been able to call up that energy and excitement when our children were little. I loved her sense of humor if not her clothing style and her propensity to take pictures of herself - that's SO me. Anyway I think that original blog is up somewhere. I'll look for it later, but in August of last year, she and her husband were in a plane crash that killed the instructor. Christian was badly injured and burned but recovered enough to go home in a matter of months. Stephanie, however, had burns over 80% of her body, and it was doubtful for awhile that she would even live. I checked on her progress through her sister Courtney's blog, who kept the children, and amazingly she not only lived but progessed through many, many skin grafts and who knows what else and now is home. Since all my old web sites were wiped out when my computer crashed, I did a search yesterday, and this is what I found: http://www.nieniedialogues.blogspot.com/

This is where the perspective comes in. I got up this morning when the alarm beeped and groggily put my feet on the floor. I felt stiff and blah and not at all anxious to get up and do my animal feedings before starting to work. Then I remembered having read Stephanie's 15 steps to get up (not pretty) and could not believe my attitude. So I took a couple of her steps - I believe #6 and #13 - and used them: Cry/pray. Then I was able to go with a lighter step to my mundane duties. She has a long road ahead of her, but she has a large strong family. However, the extraordinary thing is how many web followers she has. Her family was on Good Morning America, and it was mentioned how the internet has formed whole communities, and people had never met Stephanie but read her blogs - thousands and thousands, it seems - who prayed, had fund-raisers, sent encouragement to the families, and gave money to a complete stranger - but yet not a stranger.

I do spend more time than I need to on the computer, but it's not a complete waste of time when you can gain something that will make your life better. Now a lot of it WON'T make your life better, and there are quite a few "favorites" that I chose not to put on my new computer.

The weather looks not quite as bleak as it did yesterday. I took the garbage and recycling out yesterday, forgetting it was a holiday. Nothing like a bright orange bag on a holiday (or the wrong day) to advertise your scatter-brained-ness).

Random Catch-up Pictures

Since my computer has been sick or dying for a couple of weeks, I haven't been able to post any pictures. That didn't keep me from taking them though, so here are a few that I had in my camera.



The amaryllis finally bloomed, and it was worth the wait.



Somebody doesn't feel good! But getting better day by day. Lying in the sunshine was a treat.

Having a friend to sympathize with always helps. One without claws. See below.


No one passes here without a password.






Miss Stella will ring the bell to get out, but she feels it demeans her and does it sullenly. It beats getting yelled out and having things thrown at her though when she scratches the carpet. Maybe. She's still thinking about that.



And finally, here is Sandy escorting Mama out of the beauty shop after getting her weekly hairdo.

How many ways can you mess up a pot of coffee?

1. Forget to add water.
2. Forget to add coffee.
3. Remember to add water and coffee but forget to put in a filter.
4. Remember to add water, coffee, and filter, but forget to put in the basket.
5. Let the filter fold down on itself.
6. Not seat the carafe the proper way. On my particular coffeemaker, if the handle is not turned the right way, the water will go into the basket but not drip down. Real mess.
7. Yesterday when I was on the phone, I turned on the coffeemaker and then noticed the basket sitting on the counter. I quickly turned it off hoping to save a mess, and I had forgotten to add the coffee as well. Less messy, but definitely a minus in my scatter-brained column.

But when it is done right, there's nothing better than that first cup of coffee in the morning. Or maybe one late in the afternoon when I'm about to start working on a cold rainy day. What's even better is if some sweet person makes it for you and brings it to you with just the right combination of sugar and creamer.