Hummingbird topics

You know how a hummingbird flits from one thing to another?  That's kind of what I am doing today. It's all over the map!  Do try to keep up.  : )

First off!  On the t.v. front which I have posted nothing for weeks and weeks.!

I was watching Medium a week or so ago and in the first 5 minutes they led us to believe that they had killed off her husband.  (or had they?)  Then it went on doing it's Medium thing where she dreams about things and people around her tell her she is nuts and has no proof, blah blah blah. Seriously?  This is the whole reason she was hired and then they want to stand around and argue with her?  And the deal with the husband kept getting interwoven into the court case they were showing and finally *****SPOILER ALERT*****

Don't read this paragraph if you haven't seen this episode and if you care.  So FINALLY, her husband comes to her not in a dream but when she is awake and tells her that he is indeed dead and that the whole show we had just watched was not her real life like she was imagining, but was her dream that he was still alive.  He is dead and wants her to know that life for her and the girls can still be a good one and that he will be watching over them and will see her again in the afterlife.  So sad.  I admit I cried here.  Fast forward 47 years to Allison sitting in an old people's home talking on what appears to be a cel phone from the future with a grandchild.  Then she just closes her eyes and kind of exhales and is gone.  Next scene is the current day Allison looking at her old body self and realizing she is dead and over in the corner is Joe, waiting for her. They are reunited to spend eternity together in their young bodies.  Then it showed each of the cast members from the beginning  and through the years of the show and saying farewell.  It ended with Patricia Arquette saying goodbye as the set was being taken down around her.

Would you say that maybe this series has ended?  I had no idea that this was coming to a close, but close it did.  It was a very cool ending for a show that was kind of mediocre towards the end.  Anyhoo . . . . .

On to the obits!  I didn't do them last week so you are in for a treat!  Two, two, two weeks in one!

Ada Allen Hall died and by faith in Christ Jesus entered the gates of the larger life on the 27th of Jan.
**Seriously?  the gates of the larger life?


A lovely lady of 88 years was named Mildred and was married to a man named Kermit.
**I can totally imagine saying to Mr. Big Ed, "We should have Mildred and Kermit over to play some dominoes"  R.I.P. Millie


Listen to this one:  "On Jan. 20, 2011, the Lord called home one of his angels. Ninfa passed away at the XYZ Health Center after a long battle with illness."
**Illness, you say?  I am sorry, I was hoping for a little more detail than illness.


Louis Gene, one of God's Fisher's of Men passed into the presence of God. He was surrounded by his family as he passed into eternity.
**Firstly, that second apostrophe in Fishers was unnecessary, and secondly, that seemed to be a lot of "passing".  Turns out he is a friend of a friend and very nice man who worked tirelessly ministering through many different outreach programs.  It's a sad day when someone as giving as that has to die and at only 67 years of age, too.


Helen Virginia met the love of her life, Loren, at Wyandott High School in Kansas City where they were hall monitors together.  They were married on July 1, 1941.  Helen was born to Chauncie and Rachel Gibson and had a sister named Lolly.
**Hall monitors together!  I love it.  And how can you come up with more awesome names than Chauncie and Lolly in the same family?


On Jan. 17, Eva May, after having been loaned to us, her family, for 63 years, 5 months and 17 days made her final journey home to be with our Heavenly Father.

Mildred (another Mildred!) A. Schneider, Pearl Harbor survivor,  passed away Jan. 17.
**Ok, how can you lead with Pearl Harbor survivor, and then nothing.  No story, no information, nothing. I think they missed a golden opportunity to honor Miss Mildred here.


Mary Elizabeth Benke, age 90, went to God's Garden.

On Jan 18, after spending a quiet evening with his daughter and loved ones, Antonio "Tony" Rodriguez entered into God's loving arms.

WWII veteran Harvey Bamford Piper beloved husband and father, grandfather and great grandfather died peacefully at home, surrounded by his adoring family. Harvey was born to Alfred and Julia Piper. He married the lovely Nora Agnes.
**They just don't name babies Harvey Bamford and Nora Agnes anymore.  I bet they would come play dominoes, or maybe they are more likely Mah Jongg players?

Hugh H. Hardeman will be remembered as a WWII Veteran, square dance, domino player, golfer and that he retired as a Special Agent for the I.R.S.
**That seems to be pretty memorable stuff!


Clarence Hall, friend, brother, father, uncle, grandfather and raconteur died of natural causes on Jan 15.
He was known as J.R., Cecil, C.A., Clarence, the Big C, Dad and Grandpa C.
**Holy Moly!  Raconteur?  All those nicknames?  There should be some awesome and fabulously interesting stories here.  But no, there are tales of him being a coach.


The very best one was Mr. Abram J. Gerson.  A concentration camp survivor from Poland, who was able to make it through by playing his violin for the soldiers in exchange for food. He was in the prison camp for six years and after liberation was sent to a make-shift hospital to recuperate from starvation and malnourishment.  And get this!  In the hospital was where he was reunited with his childhood sweetheart who was working as a nurse's aide.  She had also been imprisoned at the concentration camps. They promised to never lose each other again.  They traded chocolates and cigarettes in exchange for a small wedding band and bribed a justice of the peace to marry them.  Later they were able to emigrate to the U.S.  Mr. Gerson used to say "People who don't like this country don't know what they're talking about. You have to have your liberties taken away from you to really appreciate what this country offers."  He is survived by his beloved Miriam, a son and daughter, 4 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

**Doesn't that bring all kinds of emotions?  Tears of joy, hope, pride and complete amazement over their story.  They could make a movie of this and it would be a huge blockbuster!   I am so in awe of the legacy he leaves behind.  His family line was not to be extinguished by the evil of that war.  R.I.P. Abram.


Enjoy your day!  

List of Firsts

1. First haircut - pixie (I was a small child and had no vote.)
2. First lunchbox - metal red plaid with matching thermos
3. First car - 1966 red and black Plymouth Belvedere (loved that car!)
4. First home of my own - 2 bedroom apt across from the college.
5. First home as a married person - 2 bedroom garden home on Ash Circle.
6. First pet on my own - Alice and Wallace, the cats.
7. First job - babysitting (did this for years with my sisters, we were like a home business)
8. First job with an actual paycheck - Goodies from Goodman's
9. First hospitalization - sadly it is giving birth. which should have been joyous, not necessarily in a hospital delivery room.
10. First out of country move - Guadalajara, Mexico
11. First foreign language learned - German
12. First time I felt less than - when my parents divorced when I was in elementary school and I thought I was now supposed to only associate with other children of divorce, which there were very few.
13. First time going somewhere on my own - summer camp at the Girl Scout camp in the mountains.
14. First trip away from the kids - in 1990 we went to Vermont to see fall foliage, and fell in love with New England.
15. First panic attack - in 1991 in Guadalajara the first time I left the kids with a babysitter and went to a concert.
16. First book I remember reading - Little Black Sambo
17. First smell memory - coming home from pre-school and smelling a big pot of starch cooking on the stove and my mama ironing.
18. First cuppa tea every morning - Taylor's of Harrogate Scottish Breakfast
19. First concert - must have been 1971 or 1972, Rare Earth and Sugarloaf.  (Unless you are as old as I am you might have to google these bands!)
20. First perfume - Evening in Paris (a birthday gift from one of my friends back in 5th or 6th grade)

I can dream, can't I?

One of the best and easily available luxuries is a long soak in a tub.  Whether you add oils, bubbles, aromatherapy, salts, rubber duckies or Gerard Butler, a long bath is good for your body and your soul.

Check these out:

I am in heaven just looking at the pics and thinking of how to incorporate something like this into my bathroom.  Maybe this is the little nudge I need to get started on my plans?

I have no idea how to go about updating a tired old 1970's bathroom with tons of wasted space.  Where do you start?  Contractors?  Architects?  Lowes?  Have any of you ever faced this daunting project?  It's really scary.  And I sure as hell do NOT want to end up on an episode of Holmes on Homes.  As much as I love that Brian Dennehy look-alike, I just don't want to be a case of "what NOT to do".

Holy Moly!  Don't they look alike?  And damn, they are hot, aren't they?

You're welcome.  : )

Today's question:  What would you choose to add to your bathroom to make it a spa experience, or just something decadent?

He's Home!!!

Yesterday was one of the worst days I have ever had.  I took Lester Buster's "recent pic" and made copies and took it to the vet's office, the Humane Society and wandered the streets.  I posted to our HOA website and fielded phone calls from old ladies who swore they have had him in their backyard since before he went missing.

My son and his girlfriend got home in the afternoon and first thing wanted to know if little Lester Buster had come.  She took off roaming the streets and calling for him after I told them no, sadly my little boy had not yet turned up.

I started freaking out a little bit and doing the whole "make a deal with God" thing.  If only Lester could be okay and come home, I will do x, y and z.  And then my over-active imagination kicked in and I started thinking about how this exact situation must have been the catalyst for Stephen King to write Pet Sematary. And how I would be one of those over-wrought idiots who would take a Zombie-Lester over no Lester. And how it wouldn't be that bad, having a Zombie-Lester.

I had to go to my fortnightly Mah Jongg game and on my way home, I started praying that if it was God's will that Lester Buster NOT come home, that I hoped he would be safe and healthy wherever he was.  Because truly that is what I want.  More than I want him for my own happiness, I want his health and comfort.  But as I drove up my street I looked expectantly at the front of my house to see if he might be up there at the front steps.  Nope, no Lester.

About every 20 minutes I would get up from whatever I was doing and go check the front to see if he had wandered up.  Nope, no Lester.  And I would sit back down and just cry.  I cried so much yesterday.  And I am crying right now while typing this, too.  I guess it is just over-flow.

Anyhoo, the girlfriend-almost-daughter-in-law kept checking and calling for him as well, and about midnight she went out and hollered "Lester!!!" and then it was "Lester! He's here!!"  We all jumped up and went running to the door and here trots Lester.  Going right past us and heading for the food and water bowls.  Like he didn't even give a shit about us.

And I wish so bad that I had had my camera out to show you some pictures of that boy.  But I was in such a state yesterday there was no way I could believe that I would ever get another picture of him, so that didn't happen.  But try to picture this:  all of Lester's white parts looked like his black parts.  He looked like a coal miner!  We kept patting him with warm damp towels to clean him up and we opened up cans of wet food (only for very special occasions) and shooed the other cats away from his canned food and kept asking him "Where were you, Lester?"  "What on earth were you doing, Lester, to get so effing filthy?"  And he just looked at us with his beady red-rimmed eyes from behind all the dust and dirt and said . . . nothing.

Nothing.  Well, in his defense he is a cat and he doesn't speak a whole lot anyway.  But seriously, nothing. No whining or mowing to give us his side of things.  Not a damn word.

So while we are semi-cleaning him and loving him and showering him with affection, I was also secretly looking at his eyes to see if this was a filthy regular Lester or if this was a Pet Sematary Zombie-Lester who just got up from his dirt nap.

The mind is a powerful thing, isn't it?  My plan for the day is to stay at home with Lester Buster.  I had plans but they were cancelled on me, so I am going to stay home with my prodigal cat and pat him and hold him and keep checking his eyes for any signs of Zombie-ism.  : )

Many thanks and lots of love right back at all of you for caring whether he made it home or not.

Oh, and you will hopefully want to stay tuned here because next week is the first of the month and time for another Tea Giveaway!!

p.s. You will be relieved to know that since Lester Buster is back in the fold safe and sound, Mr. Big Ed has been given a reprieve.

Missing Lester Buster

This is a photo of my little Lester Buster.  Lester just had his 10th birthday.  He is at the stage of acting like a rebellious teenager and likes to ignore me when I call him to come inside.

Lester Buster is missing.  Someone who need not be named (Mr. Big Ed) let him go outside last night after dark.  I never let these cats out after dark.

Reason for that is that then I have to stay up till all hours standing in the doorway in my robe calling the little fleabags.  And I don't care to do that.

Anyhoo, everyone else had already gone to bed and I was locking up, turning off the lights and doing a head count and was short one Lester Buster.  Lester is my snuggle bunny and we cuddle and snuggle all night long, so it is hard to go to bed without him.  So I started calling him and checking all over the house, in closets, under things, etc and to no avail.  No Lester.

At 1 a.m. I went out in the car driving all over the neighborhood with my high beams on looking. No Lester.

Mr. Big Ed and both took turns getting up all through the night and checking out front. No Lester.

Here it is 11:30 a.m. and still no Lester.

I have been calling all my neighbors and letting them know to call me if they see his fat self roaming around.

I just printed up a recent picture of him and really?  How recent does a picture need to be?  He doesn't have a new hair style.  He looks exactly the same as when he a baby, just bigger.  Anyhoo, recent picture has been printed and I am going to make some copies and plaster them all over the place while I walk the streets calling his name like a crazy person.

Please cross your fingers that he comes home soon and just has awesome exciting tales of his night out at a kitty rave twirling glowsticks with all the other bad kitties.  I don't think I can do another night without my Lester Buster.

Does your cup runneth over?

According to all the stupid personality tests and such, I am a giver.  I am a nurturer.  I am a care-giver.  I know this about myself.  Which is why I was drawn to doing massage work and doula work, I am sure.

I am at a point in my life where I am learning that I have to allow people to do for me as well.  That is hard.  Not only that, but I have to learn to (gasp, this is the really hard part)

ASK FOR HELP.

This means not just letting people help who happen to see me struggling, but to notice this my own self and ask.  Some of us are givers.  Some are receivers.  Some of us are givers that have to learn the hard, hard lesson of  LETTING OTHERS GIVE TO US.

It sometimes helps if I can think of it as my gift to them, this letting others do for me.

And to take it one step further, I am going to learn to insist and demand that others (namely Mr. Big Ed) do for me.

I am finding that there is less and less to give to others if I don't find ways to replenish myself.  Does this make sense?  I am just now figuring this stuff out, so I know that I am less than eloquent at expressing it.

So, if I want my own cup to runneth over, I need to make sure there is at least as much going in as going out.  Seems like a no-brainer, doesn't it?  But if you aren't accustomed to it, it's pretty hard.

Do you have similar issues?  Do you have special ways you keep yourself in balance?  In good mental/emotional/spiritual health?

Ideas I am thinking of are to take time each week for myself and do yoga, get a massage, take time to have a cup of tea with a friend, go for a walk in the park, find a permanent church home, a date night. These are the things I have thought of off the top of my head to see if I can start working a few of these in and see how it goes.

My schedule is already really full, so adding in more items is tough.  Making time for myself needs to be a priority.  I feel like I have been running on fumes and it just has to get better.

My questions to you are these; are you in the same predicament? what things do you do for yourself? what would be the ideal things that would help keep you at your best?

I would love to hear from you!

What are you reading?

I asked this question on facebook last week and got a HUGE response.  People were dying to share their latest book recommendations.  So I compiled them all and made a list.  It is going on my Amazon wishlist for my Kindle.

Then I thought the rest of you might appreciate all these recommendations, as well.  So . . . here is a list of books to put on your own wishlist!

The Watchman's Rattle

The Mistress of Spices

Love Songs from a Shallow Grave

Coroner's Lunch

People of the Book

Set of 3 mysteries by Kate Morton

Room by Emma Donaghue

The Power by Rhonda Byrne

Everything I want to do is illegal by Joel Salatin

The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven - Kevin & Alex Malarkey

I still dream about you - Fannie Flagg

Iron Lake by Wm. Kent Kruger

Finishing the Room

Half-broke Horses

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

First Peoples: A documentary survey of American Indian History

The Lost Symbol

Sundays at Tiffany's

Why We Suck by Denis Leary

Clara and Mr. Tiffany

The Hiram Key

If any of you have read these and have reviews to share, please do so.  Also, if you have any great reads to recommend, I would love to add more to my list.

Updated, necessary or not?

I saw these and thought to myself, "Self, these are genius!!"

Some were of course, better than others, but still very clever.  I am showing you the best ones.

Enjoy!

My Little Pony never looked like this much fun before.  What a hoot!

Reading the Obits part 2,938,474

I know.  You have been wondering if I read the obits on Sunday and if so, why was I not posting the highlights?

You WERE wondering that, weren't you?

One of my clients went to the hospital Sunday night for a scheduled induction.  So I was at the hospital with her until the wee hours between Monday and Tuesday.  Anyway, it has been a seriously busy week and I am just now getting to the obits.

We had some real doozies used as euphemisms of dead.  Check these out:

"lost her fight to infections Friday night, after a long hospitalization, and moved up to a better place."

"A Shining Light was extinguished on Tues."  (Note, their capitalization and abbreviation, not mine)


"Went to rest with His heavenly Father on January 13"

"Billy Guy Buckelew passed into the loving arms of his Savior. "

There were a few lovely things said about the departed:

"Nora McGrath Ayraud was born in Ireland and came to the U.S. as a young girl. Her Irish heritage was a treasure to her and she had the easy Irish laugh and sense of humor all her life."

Okay, I just have to say here I don't get the whole changing your name or having a strange nickname thing, and why they stick them in the obituary.

Stanley Charles Davies, affectionately known as Fritz.  (Now, you just know there is a really interesting story behind that nickname, don't you?)  Fritz was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Elizabeth. (who, interestingly enough went by the nickname of "Liz").

Nan Derounian was born Emily Ann Kennard.  Now, that right there has just got to be a great story!  It goes on to list her parents names, siblings, daughters, and grandchildren, but the kicker is the great-grandson's name.  Maximillion Boghos Hellmueller.

That, my friends, is a helluva moniker to slap on a small baby.    Which brings me to the very cool, old-fashioned and interesting names!

And starting off that list will be the aforementioned Billy Guy Buckelew.  I loved that name!

Next we have Mayme Imogene Young.

There was a lovely photo of a gentleman named Alton Ihnken Seekatz, aged 101. His parents were Ed and Adela Ihnken Seekatz.  He married Lema Ruempel Seekatz.

Never in a million years would I want anyone to think that I would be speaking ill of the dead.  That has never been my intention for sharing these little gems.  With that in mind, you might want to pop over here and read this one your own self.  I am warning you that it is looooong.  It was written by, well, I don't rightly know how to describe the writing style of this one.  I read the highlights out loud to my family on Sunday a.m. and they were all as shocked as I was.  Not at the departed.  No, she seemed like a lovely person and lots of fun.  And you can tell they really loved her.  But, let's just say this, some people should not try to string one word after the next.  There are some sentences and thoughts in there (and I know they were really striving for something wonderful and unique) that were just so over the top. I couldn't possibly do it justice.  Do yourself a favor and go read it.

Sort of makes you want to write your own obit so that this doesn't happen to you, doesn't it?

Papa

Today would be my Papa's 73rd birthday.  He only made it to 57 and a couple of weeks.  He has been on my mind a lot this past week or so.

We used to have 5 generations of family alive.  My great-grandmother, my grandma, Papa, me and my kids.  My dad died in 1995 and not long after that his grandmother died and just this past November my grandma passed away.  That leaves me as the oldest generation on that side of the family.  How the hell did that happen?  I don't remember graduating up from the "kids' table", much less to the head of the family.


Here is a little retrospective of my Papa through the years.  The first is of he and I when I was 4 1/2 months old (apparently my mama was quite specific about the age I was in my baby pics) and this would have been right after his 21st birthday.  My son and 2 of my nephews really favor Papa and while I look a lot like him, I am a little more like my grandma.

This next one is a picture of my dad from before I was born that was in my house all my life.  It was in one of those double frames hinged together in the middle with another photo of my mama from about the same time period in the other side.  So he must have been about 18 when this was taken.  You can tell that he had very dark hair, but what you can't see is that he had the most beautiful shade of dark navy blue eyes.  All those good black Irish genes coming through!

This next one is from 1985 and is of my dad and my son together.  That day he had just popped over in the middle of the day to visit and get to hold Jonathon.  See how his shirt pockets are stuffed with papers on the right side and his left one has a pen?  Every day he loaded up his shirt pockets and that was how he stayed organized.

Look at them here really talking and looking like they connected and understood each other.  So sweet it melts my heart.

And finally here is one of 4 generations; my grandma holding my baby, me and Papa.

Happy Birthday Papa.  I miss you every day.

Your money or your life

You probably already know that I keep a savings account separate from all other accounts.  It is my money.  I am not trying to be separatist and hoarding away money from from family, but I am trying to be practical. Any money that is kept co-mingled with all the rest gets easily spent.  If it is not there, and you don't think about it, it can be separate and grow and be there for the rainy day that always shows up.

If I hadn't had my savings account it would have been a struggle to keep up with all the car repairs and maintenance that we did last year.  If I hadn't had my savings account I would not have been able to just walk in and buy the most precious antique sofa that was just made to go with the set of chairs I have in my living room.

Truth be known, I really like the sense of peace and security it gives me to know that that little cushion is there should we need it.  I try to add to it at least once a month with loose change that adds up.  Also, each week I give myself an allowance out of our checking account and at the end of the week anything that is left goes to the savings account.  I am hoping and aiming for an increase of $20,000 in my savings account this year.  That means I need to average $1666.66 each month.  I might be a tad bit behind already this month!

Anyhoo, I was reading an article about this very topic of women and the need to save.

Please check out this short but informative article here and see what you think.  I was really struck by the facts that twice as many women than men would be poor in their old age.  We live longer than men and yet we save 40% less than they do.  Not a good match up there.

What she says is that we should get in the habit of saving as little as $3.00 per day, every single day.  At the end of the year you will have $1095 and that is a good amount to be able to invest in a cd or other retirement account.  Keep doing this no matter what.

It's just another way of remembering to pay yourself first.

Are you putting away $3.00 or more each day for your future?  What ways are you finding helpful to get  your money socked away?  I would love to learn more ideas about this.  Please share!

and in other news . . . .

So this morning I was perusing the news and what did I find?  An article about zebras.  Zebras that belong to the Hearst family and live at the Hearst Castle.  That's interesting, right?

There they are!  Zebras are awfully cute, aren't they?  Made me wonder if they could be domesticated and used like horses.  You know, to pull a buggy or put a saddle on them and ride them.  Or if they run fast and wanted to race.  (They do need to outrun the occasional lion, you know!)

According to the article when Mr. William Randolph Hearst built the castle way back in the day, he populated the grounds with lots of wild animals.  And why wouldn't he?  So the zebras who are there now are the descendants of the original zebras. (Really?  Really?  Did they need to explain that to us?  Would we be thinking they had gone off the hill and mated with some low-class local from the hood zebras?  Of course!! They are descendants of the original zebras!  There ARE no local zebras)  Ye Gads!

The article goes on to state that three of the Hearst zebras took off and were shot by neighbors.  wtf?

William Randolph Hearst's great-grandson, Steve Hearst, said the ranchers should have called the Hearst Ranch to report the runaway zebras.

"Neighbors are usually there to help their neighbors, not shoot their zebras," Hearst said. "It's a shame they took that action."

Words to live by, people.  "Neighbors are usually there to help their neighbors, not shoot their zebras." I can't tell you how many times that thought has crossed my mind and also come up in conversation. Bah!!

Then we further read that the dickhead neighbor not only shot the zebras but he took them to a taxidermy place to have the hides tanned.  "No point in wasting the hides" he said.  Hmmmpphh.

All I am going to say about that is that Karma can be a bitch, Mr. Zebra shooting, hide stealing neighbor man.  Shame, shame, shame.

If any of my neighbors' pets, be they zebras or aardvarks or dogs, were to meander over to my property I can promise you that the absolute LAST thing in my mind would be to shoot said critter and tan its hide for my own personal gain.  

netSpend

Have you ever heard of netSpend?

Neither had I.  Until recently, that is.

I went out as I usually do and checked the mail.  And I brought it in as I usually do and then sorted it.  Lo and behold, there was a piece of important and official looking mail!


Addressed to:  Ernest Bass

This was a great surprise to me, because the only mail any of my pets get is postcards from the vet's office reminding "them" of their upcoming visits.  And his middle initial "T" was missing.


And!  Since Mr. Ernest T. Bass has no thumbs I opened his mail for him.  It was from the friendly folks (don't you just hate that word?) at netSpend.  


netSpend decided that Ernest T. needed to have a Mastercard of his very own. (Now I tried and tried to take pictures of this, but the card has shiny silver numbers on it and glared like crazy, so don't judge the photographer too harshly)

That's right, my pit bull/St. Bernard has credit.  Not just street cred.


After I quit laughing at how stupid this is, I then asked myself "Self, where did these brain trusts at netSpend get Ernest T.'s name?  And why on earth did they decide he needed and DESERVED credit with their fine high-quality institution?"


Like I said, the only other mail he has ever gotten has been from the vet's office.  But then I remembered that Ernest T. has his very own facebook page.  


Mr. Big Ed in all his wisdom decided that Ernest T. needed a facebook page and needs to post things to incite, shall we say, STRONG debate?  Could facebook have sold names and addresses to netSpend?  My guess is yes.


Any ideas as to who will be getting a phone call from me?  As soon as I can find a legitimate phone number for the lovely people at netSpend.

The Reading of the Obits

I sure hope you read "The Reading of the Obits" with a lovely Irish lilt in your voice in your head, or out loud.  When I read it it comes out like "Ah, the readin' of the O'Bits!  Faith and Begorrah!"

And this week, I surely wish you could see all these O'Bits.  It was a week for the wearin' of the hats.  There were hats of all kinds worn in these photos.

Cowboy hats

Then there was dude who looked exactly like Lee Marvin in Paint your Wagon, hat and all.  Except this guy had more whiskers.  That my friends, is a gutsy fashion statement!  : )

And then there was a guy who also had a full face of whiskers and an Amish hat although his obit said he was a life-long Catholic.

Of course, there were baseball caps a-plenty.  Is that the best your family can do?  A baseball cap pic?  Some of these were side views with no smile, so I don't think it was the best picture ever taken by the dearly loved and newly deceased.  I am curious as to how certain pictures make the cut, I guess.

We had new euphemisms for dead this week too.  Firstly there was Wilma Center Bass who transitioned to her new life on January 7, surrounded by her loving family.

Then the guy with the Amish hat.  He was lifted up from this life to eternal rest.  He gets an honorable mention for his parents' beautiful names: Charles Joseph and Viola Brigid.

Raymond C. (known as Smiley) passed away. He is now in heaven with his loving and best friend, his wife, Celia. By his side was his girlfriend and companion of 14 years, Sylvia.


**Holy Moly!  Who wrote this?  Smiley was one handsome silver fox in his photo.  I am guessing there is a really interesting back story on this!


Mark Christian was born on December 11 and peacefully entered the kingdom of our Lord on Dec 29 after a brave battle with throat cancer.  


**If you can be peaceful after a battle with throat cancer, you are a better person than I am.  His obituary was very loving and said wonderful things about him.  They did a great job.


There was a really sweet picture that looked by the hairstyle to be from the late '40s or early '50s. This woman had beautiful things said about her. "She was selfless and generous. She graciously overlooked our flaws and forever believed in us. She was a woman of strength and character, the youngest and the last of her generation."


This next one got me on two different points.  First, it was so beautifully done. "Rachel was born July 12, 1935 and went peacefully at home to be with the Lord and grandmother Petra on Dec. 31. She was surrounded by her loving family and her last words were "It's a beautiful day!" Rachel led a simple life yet had a profound faith and wisdom. She had an honest, refreshing, and humorous charisma wherever she went. Rachel left a trail of frinds in her wake that were inspired by her sense of wonder; she charmed even the most resisting of souls. Rachel was a sweet lady who showed genuine concern for others."  Then it goes on to list survivors:  her mother Margaret, sisters Judy and Christina, Brother Robert and numerous grand and great grand nephews, nieces.


**Now, how many people who were born in 1935 do you imagine still have their mothers around to mourn them?  Amazing.


Loving child of God Rosalinda has gone to sit beside the throne of her father Thursday, January 6. At the mere age of 57 Rosalinda now stands next to brother pepe and sister Rachel to guide remaining siblings Connie, Nora and Delfina through the next chapter of their lives before they once again reunite.


and lastly we have Gladys, best known as Jean, passed away on Wednesday evening of End-Stage Alzheimer's. "She is no longer suffering from the debilitating disease known as Alzheimer's. She is now at peace."


So  . . . questions.  


1. Do you care about your obituary?
2. Do you care which photo your family puts in the paper?
3. Will you write out a draft or guidelines of what you would prefer to have as your written legacy?
4. Do you find this as interesting as I do?

List-Making

There is nothing I find quite as satisfying as making a good To Do List and then checking things off. I do love the lists.

I make To Do Lists, Shopping Lists, Pros and Cons Lists, Project Lists, all sorts of lists.  The problem is keeping up with the lists.

I used to send Mr. Big Ed emails that had To Do Lists because he would "forget" to do things for months on end.  He seemed to appreciate that until one day he tired of that little reminder and it no longer worked. So I would send him an email with the subject line "Not a To Do List".  That worked just a couple of times and then he caught on to that.  He's clever that way.  Heh!  Now?  It doesn't seem to matter what method I employ of reminding him, it is just not going to happen.  And since I do not want to be known as a nag, and I never applied for the job of Official Family Reminder, I just live with things the way they are or I suck it up and just hire someone else to do it.  I think you could say that Mr. Big Ed does not get along well with tasks on his To Do List.  : )

I am currently making a big Project List.  I think spring fever has attached itself to the cedar fever that I already have.  Why else would anyone lay in bed thinking of all the projects that need listing?  But that is exactly what I have been doing.  I need to keep a list-pad in the nightstand drawer so I can write things down right then and get them out of my head.  As a matter of fact, I should just keep a list-pad in my pocket to write things down all the time!

It's Sunday and you know what that means . . . . .

It's time to read the obits with Patty Cakes!

I am off to make myself a big cuppa and get the newspaper and give Miss Patty Cakes a call.  I will be sure to let you know of any exciting developments or great names or eulogies tomorrow.  Enjoy your Sunday however you choose.

Bottle Caps!

Does anyone remember the song we used to sing at Girl Scout camp about bottle caps?  Never mind, I just looked it up and it is "One bottle pop, two bottle pop, etc."  WTH is bottle pop?  Oh well, I think most of those old GS songs had crazy lyrics.  (But they sure were fun!)

So!  My friend and fellow Compactor Ellen has just made a fabulous little bottle cap ornament.  And that got me thinking about the project I have on the back burner that requires bottle caps.  I am trying to save up as many as I can.  Now, none of us drink bottled soda or beer on a regular basis that have cool metal bottle caps.  Certainly none of those crappy plastic ones, either.  What on earth could you possibly do with those?

And then I remembered that I have not one, but two of the cutest necklace and earring sets made of bottle caps.  So here are some pics of those for Ellen to look at, and of course the rest of you that aren't bored to tears talking about old school metal bottle caps.

First up is a pic of the project I am hoping to get enough bottle caps to make.

And here is a more updated version:

Aren't those adorable?

The old school Granny pineapple pattern comes with variations to make into a bunch of grapes and also a butterfly.  They each require 50 - 60 bottle caps.  

If any of you are interested, I would be happy to post the crochet instructions on how to do these lovelies.

Now, on to my bottle cap necklaces!  The first one is made with all Big Red caps and the fronts are done with all Scotties, plaid patterns and mail boxes (with heavy plastic covering the pics).  Cute, right?  There are little pewter-y dangle things that pertain to the theme.

The next one is all RC cola caps on the back side and on the front each one is different brightly colored quilt patterns.  The little dangly things are scissors, hearts, sewing machines, etc. It is so precious! Could I be any more of an old lady?

Oooh!  Look at the thimble!  Isn't it sweet?

Don't you love them?

Ellen, if you are here and still reading this; could you tell me where you got your bottle cap puncher thing?  That really seems like a useful tool to have around the house.  You never know when you are going to want to embellish your bottle caps with dangly hearts and thimbles and then further dangle said caps from a necklace or turn it into a lovely ornament or whatever.

Oh!  Also, the Sarah with an H has not contacted me.  I will give it a few days and then draw a different name out of the hat.

Have a great day out there!

Mid-week stuff

It's the first Wednesday of the new year.  I haven't listed my resolutions yet.  Pretty much it's going to be the same ones as last year, only this year I will try to remember all of them!

1. I will still be shooting for $20,000 in my savings acct.
2. I will make all my Christmas gifts and I WILL start much earlier this year.
3. I will take charge of my health and doing what I can to get this arthritis thing under control.
4. I will increase my activities of lightening my global footprint. Which is at 3.5 right now.  I can't believe it is so high!  Most all of that is due to living in a hot climate and having to use a/c all the time and what isn't attributed to that, goes to driving a car.  I just do not live in the right place.

I didn't do the obits last week or this past Sunday either.  So I will just give you the highlights of this week:

"Maria Elena found peace with the Lord on Dec. 24"

"In memory of our late father, Pledger Bracket, please help save minds by donating to the Alzheimer's Assoc."

"Katheryn Gaynelle age 89, fell asleep in death due to complications of Alzheimer's disease".

"Howard E. (Bubba), age 67, passed away"

One guy "passed into God's hands" while another man "slipped into the Lord's hands".

But my favorite was this:

"George Eugene lived joyfully with his beloved wife of 67 years."

Living joyfully with your beloved sounds like just the kind of legacy I would like to leave behind.

 . . . . . . . .  and without further ado . . . . . . . . . . .

The very first winner of a free bag of tea is . . . . . .

Sarah!

Sarah with an H, as opposed to other Sara's without H's, please shoot me an email with a mailing address and I will send you a lovely bag of tea.

Next month we will do the same thing.  So make sure you are here during the first week of the month if you want to get in on this excitement.  'Cause what is more exciting than free stuff?!!

On to other news, did any of you watch the first episode of the new season of Biggest Loser last night? I did not understand this at all.  But if I were Bob or Jillian I would be dusting off my resume'.  This does not bode well for either of them.  Yes, I have seen the gossip reports that Jillian will be leaving after this season.  But Bob?  What about Bob?  And still after the 2 hour long opener we have not seen the faces or names of the "Unknowns" as they are calling the new trainers.  Very strange.

Have a great day!

And Sarah, let me hear from you.

New idea and possible free stuff

Ok, hear me out.  I have an idea that may just work to keep me on task with de-cluttering my life (and my tea pantry).  I am thinking of doing a Give-Away each month to one of you lovely readers.

What would I be giving away, you ask?  I will start with the overflowing teas (only sealed and brand new teas of course.  No half-used old crappy teas for you!) and then move on to whatever else needs to be cleared.  Trust me, we have tea to give out for six months before it is time to look in other cabinets.

I was thinking of the first week of each month for this exciting event.  And guess what?  It IS the first of the month already!

So shoot me a comment here on why you want to be the very first recipient of my tea largesse and I will find a way to randomly pick one of the three of you and then will mail you a lovely package of tea.

End of the year mish-mash

Here are some fun photos from the end of the year.  First up we have . . . . . . 

MY TOES!!

'Cause what's more fun that a great pedicure?  My friend Gina has done my feet for years.  She and I went to massage school together and that's how we met.  But even before that she was an esthetician and a manicure/pedicurist.  Every month I get my toes done and every single month she outdoes herself in adding jewels and paint to my toesies to make them cuter.  I told her yesterday that I should have been taking pictures every single time to document all the fun things she has done.  We have really come up with some good ones.  So, here is the first one of this year.  A beautiful shade of blue with crystals and black, white and silver paint-y designs.  The shinyness is the cuticle oil she puts on afterwards.

It is more difficult to take a picture of your own toes than you might think.  But don't let that distract you from the fact that Gina does really good toe art.  : )

And here is my pot of black eyed peas soaking yesterday and getting ready to be cooked.  The spot in the pot is the glare from the overhead light.  As I got closer and closer it got smaller and smaller, but that was as small as it got.  Weird, right?

Regardless, there is a lot of good luck in that pot!

Below are the little Christmas trees that I set up in the corner of the family room.  I do them with the Mexican tissue paper flowers and the painted tin ormaments.  Each tree has its own color lights and pretty shiny sequins-y skirt.  Maybe I should have taken this picture at night with the other lights off to really show off the colors?

What follows is a close up of one of the three ornaments my mother gave me a few years ago. To give you some perspective, that colorful ball is bigger than a softball.  I opened up and unwrapped the first one and was like "Hmmm?"  Then as I opened the other two and found them to be the same I just had to ask "Why exactly did you get me not one, not two, but THREE Gay Pride Disco Balls for my Christmas tree?"

To which my mama said "I don't know what you are talking about." (with a bit of a huff in her voice) "I saw them and thought they looked like something from Mexico and that you would like them".

I said "Oh I do like them!  They are gorgeous!  But seriously, they are sooooo Gay Pride Disco Balls with their shiny little rainbow colored mirrors all over them".

And you might not believe this but my mother said this . . . . . . .

"I can't imagine why you think that.  I got them for you in  . . . . . . .


KEY WEST!"

Seriously.

That's what she said.  She was not joking.  She had no idea that  Key West has a reputation.

So every year I display my Gay Pride Disco Balls on my colorful Mexico-flavored trees.  Aren't they gorgeous?

This is a little Santa collection.  Each of them represents a different area and time period.  The little cloth is one my mama brought me from Germany.  It is all hand-stitched and just precious.

This is a Santa and reindeer that are surrounded by a ton of different Nativities.  I was gathering them into one spot to get ready to pack them away.

See the Mexican painted tin nativity?  very cute!

Below, the Nativity in front is a 3 piece set made in Chile of sheets of copper with brass accents. Each sheet is molded as if it were fabric starched and shaped to represent St. Joseph, the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus.  It's one of my favorites.

This next picture is worthless.  I did the lights all wrong.  It's a stained glass wreath that I stick up to a sliding glass door so the light shines through it.  In real life it is spectacular.  Here, meh.

Next to the stained glass wreath I have a corn husk wreath with a corn husk angel in the middle.  I got this in Mexico City, along with a (wait for it) corn husk NATIVITY!

Next we see the glittery dining room table top.  Lots of shiny stuff to look at!

In my living room on my big Christmas tree I have a wide variety of ornament styles.  The first one is a little needlepoint stuffed bear I made before the kids were born so it is more than 25 years old.

The next one is one of a set that I got at last year's showing of The Lion King, one of our Broadway across America shows.  They were selling ornaments made in Africa to benefit an African women's organization.  They are really pretty.

Look!  It's one of the birthday boys!!  There's little Lester Buster waiting for me to play doorman for him.  He and Stanley are celebrating their 10th birthday today.  Happy Birthday boys!!

Sadly, this may be one of the last photos I take of Maxwell Banks II.  He is not doing well and we are already watching for signs that he is ready to go.  He can't hear well anymore, he can't see well, his back legs seem to be stiff and giving out on him and if that weren't enough he acts like he has Alzheimer's. This little dog is not aging well at all.  He still seems happy and doesn't act like he hurts, he is just perpetually confused.  Our poor little Schnauzer boy.  : (

Here is Lester Buster having a celebratory drink of running water for his birthday.  Notice the hand-knit dishcloth he is trying not to stand on.

And there's Stanley, the other birthday boy standing on the laundry room counter waiting for a treat or three.  Now, that is one handsome cat!

Hope you are enjoying your first day of 2011.  I appreciate you coming by here and hope to see more of you in the coming year.