My most extraordinary ordinary Life

2011-10-13T09:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Fall, everybody! I love this. I love everything about it. The pumpkin candles, the orange and red leaves, the crisp morning air, I love it!!

Each year my youngest loves to get something to decorate our yard. This year it's a little scarecrow, hay bale, a pot of mums and some pumpkins. That's the picture of it at the top of this blog post. His older brother has always tortured him about liking to get mums each fall, and for a few years there he wouldn't get any for fear of ridicule. We finally got him out of that!

Next week we are heading to the Smokies. Well, Jimmy, Mother, Seth and I are going. Layke is staying home, and so is Rachel. We love to go up each fall and see the trees in all their glory! We've got a little apartment rented and have lots of fun things planned. On the agenda are going to get my knives sharpened at the Smoky Mountain Knifeworks, visiting the Apple Barn, going to the Craft Community, taking a picnic to Cades Cove, walking the streets and window shopping, and who knows what else. Since Mother is going it's going to be a much slower pace, but that suits me fine. I want to come home rested and refreshed, not exhausted.

Our big dog Toby is going to have an "operation" while we're gone to Gatlinburg. Mwahahahahahaaha!! I hope it calms his butt down some. He's such a sweet, sweet dog but he has a tendency to be hateful to Ernie, my basset hound. He's tried growling at me a time or two but I don't put up with that crap. It's usually when he's eating and if he growls I go over and stand between him and his food bowl. Typically I'll pick it up and he just sits there and looks at me. Then I'll put it down, let him eat a few bites, then pick it up again. He is NOT going to growl at me. I'm the pack leader, as Cesar Millan would say!!

Jimmy has a few gigs he's going to play this month and next. I'm happy for him; he absolutely loves playing his bass better than anybody I've ever seen. One of the gigs is a Halloween party. That might be fun, although I don't know anybody. I really don't have any close friends that live here in town. That's sad, really. I get lonesome, but I'm not a civic club type person and we go to church in Huntsville, so...I guess I'll stay lonely. :(

Well, nothing much of interest to say, but I did want to check in here at my blog. I'm trying to do better about posting!

Good Sunday morning

2011-10-02T06:05:00.000-07:00

It's quiet in the house. Jimmy, Seth and Layke have gone to church and I'm sitting here half drunk from the medicine I took last night. Stumbling around the house straightening up a little, I realized just how grateful I am for all my blessings. We don't live in a big new house, but I have a home, warm and secure and full of love. Our cars aren't the newest models, but they are in good mechanical shape and get us where we want to go. We all have jobs that are fairly secure in these iffy economic times. The back yard is full of my sweet baby dogs who are so happy to see me every time I step out my back door or pull up into the yard. They see my car and three sweet faces are standing at the fence and it seems like they're saying WELCOME HOME!! Every single day I get a hug from Seth. That's like being wrapped up with a big old teddy bear. Jimmy loves me and treats me good. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be one of the women who have to run to the shelter because their husband has beaten them. My mother is the cake queen. She can't cook regular food, but she's the queen of cakes. She's even taking cupcakes to church this morning. My kids are good kids and I can't believe how grown they all are. Seems like they should be babies. I remember Sunday mornings when they were little, ironing little dresses and pants, making sure Sunday shoes were found, brushing teeth, combing hair and finding their little Bibles and making a mad dash out the door. Never in a million years would I have thought those days would end so soon!

All this rambling from a half-asleep mind is just to say thank you, Lord Jesus, for all of my blessings and for all You have done for me and I don't deserve it. That's grace, folks. And mercy. And unfailing love.

Have a good Sunday. :)

Sunday at home

2011-09-25T12:06:00.000-07:00

I love being at home. This morning I woke up later than usual, so I figured Jimmy had decided we weren't going to make the trip to Huntsville for church. I staggered up from the bed and Jimmy was cooking pancakes and bacon. Yummo!

After breakfast, I headed out to the garage. My first trip out there I opened the door, looked around, and then shut the door and locked it behind me. Oh my gosh, it is so piled up with stuff we boxed up after the tornado last year. I came in the house, paced the floors, then headed back out, determined to start chipping away at it!

Jimmy came out a little later (after he finished watching his Hitler movie *rolling eyes big time*) and we got through several boxes and through some of the clothes. I boxed up some to take to the Second Chance Shop and then I started washing some sweats and things like that. We'll be needing them before long!

Unfortunately Black Widow spiders have decided that they like our garage. Last month the pest guy sprayed everything but there was a big fat one sitting on its web in the corner of the side door to the garage. Jimmy smashed it. I sure don't want to get bitten (again). Hurts like a baseball bat is slamming into you and it also makes your muscles draw and makes you feel like you're dying. It's awful.

I found a box of CDs which will come in handy. Included are Brad Paisley's Christmas album and also Lynyrd Skynyrd/38 Special's Christmas album. "Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'" is one of my favorites. I believe I'll listen to it while I'm finishing this blog! Ahh, yeah, here we go!

That song reminds me of driving down to Biloxi with my friend Debbie one Thanksgiving weekend to see Bo Bice. Debbie gave me the CD and we blared it all the way down there! That was a fun trip.

I know it's only the end of September, but I'm ready to start celebrating the Christmas season! Oh, I'm going to decorate with fall stuff, but I think I'll listen to some Christmas music every day. It makes me smile!

Here's a link to "Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'" on Youtube. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62dvwe5itNg

And if you like it, you can buy it here!

http://www.amazon.com/Lynyrd-Skynyrd-38-Special-Christmas/dp/B0000657WR/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1316977349&sr=8-1

Here is a picture of me and Debbie at Bo's show in Biloxi a couple of years ago.

Ahhh, my favorite time of the year!

2011-09-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

This is a beautiful tree in the yard of my friend, Jayne.

Cool weather (almost) is upon us and I am thrilled to death. That means that I've survived another god-awful hot-as-hell summer in the south! As much as I love being a Southern Belle, the summers are the pits!

My first adventure this "fall"- I don't think it's official yet- was a trip to the north Georgia mountains last weekend. Jimmy and I traveled there to see a concert and we traveled the scenic route. We went through Ocoee, TN and I got to see the people in rafts going down the rapids! It looks like loads of fun but I don't know if I'm brave enough to ever do it! After we saw that, we ended up in Helen, GA and Jimbo had some coffee as we passed through. There was a huge winery but we didn't have time to tour it. Maybe next time!

The concert we attended was held at a county fair. They had camel rides, pony rides, all sorts of ferris wheels and tilt-a-whirls and all that jazz. Now I gave up rides like that long ago, but we found other things to do there.

I had never seen a bird show before, you know, with falcons, and buzzards and owls and all sorts of exotic birds. The man did a wonderful job with them and they would swoop down from the tops of the buildings there so that we could see how very fast they could fly. One bird was used as a model for an aircraft that was built in Tuskegee. It was really fascinating. The owls looked sleepy, but they did their tricks. The little screech owl was 17 years old! It was so cute!

Another thing we did at the fair was cake walk. On our first try, nothing. On our second try I won a cake! It was my choice, so I decided on a Turtle Cake, and let me tell you, that thing was delicious! It had thick chocolate icing over a chocolate cake with pecans and a gooey caramel sauce. Lawzy mercy!

And as is typical for any fair, there was food. All kinds of food. Funnel cakes, pinto beans and cornbread, fish tacos, chicken on a stick- you name it. Guess what I had? A grilled cheese. Oh yeah. It was awesome.

The concert was fabulous and afterwards we headed out with some friends and stopped at Waffle House. My goofy husband put a quarter in the juke box and played the Waffle House March. I have video of him marching out the door. Those people were probably glad to see us go!

A sweet friend lived nearby and she offered her cabin (more like a chalet!) for us to stay. We all went 17 miles up a mountain to the most desolate place I've ever been. But oh, how beautiful! To get to live in that paradise would be, well, paradise! She had a screened in porch, a huge deck, and she has an outside shower! I didn't shower outside because a couple of others were taking turns, but it would have been amazing. No shelter was needed; nobody could see the back of the cabin. So you shower back there just out in the open! Freedom!

Up from her house is Highlands, NC. We drove through the next morning and it looked like an upscale Gatlinburg, or kind of reminded me of the type shops that were in Bar Harbor, Maine. On down the mountain from Highlands is Dillard, Georgia. We went to the great restaurant located at this lodge called Dillard House. The food is served family style, and let me tell you what all they brought to our table! We had Waldorf salad, slaw, relishes, sliced tomatoes, fresh creamed corn, fried okra, lima beans, green beans, cabbage casserole, dressing, rice, gravy, sweet potatoes, rolls, biscuits, fried chicken, fried steak and country ham. Dessert was peach cobbler with ice cream. It was amazing, simply amazing. And if you ran out of something, they would bring more! We left very full!

On the drive home Jimmy asked if I ate any of the ham. I hadn't, and he said it was delicious. Today when I was looking at The Dillard House's website I saw that Alton Brown from Food Network named their country ham as The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Man, I was sorry I didn't eat any! I'm going to have to go back. That's all there is to it!

We're planning a weekend in Nashville in a couple of weekends. Hopefully I'll have lots of fun stuff to share with you when we get back. Ta Ta!!

Not a single blog in 2011! I'm pathetic!

2011-07-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

What a year this has been! Jimmy had knee replacement surgery, I had rotator cuff surgery, and things have been super crazy. The year is half over and this is the first time I've been here. Mmmm. I don't quite know where to begin. Perhaps it would be better if I just skipped over the first 6+ months and started now. I'll just highlight some things, then move on.

Jimmy's daddy passed away suddenly, which was quite a blow to the family, but everyone took it well. We were so glad that he didn't suffer that it kind of overshadowed the horrible loss. And, being Christians, we all know we're going to see him again, and Ray is having a blast up there with Pat, baby Paul, his parents and siblings who got there first!

I spent a weekend in Nashville with friends seeing Bo Bice do his thing at Mercy Lounge on Friday night, The Grand Ole Opry Saturday night, and at Rockin' Through the Rain on Sunday. It was a fabulous weekend.

On the tail of that weekend, I was working late on Monday, heading home to celebrate Jimmy's birthday. When I arrived at home, I found out that Rachel's adopted dog (which she has now returned to the shelter) had murdered my little tiny chihuahua Lulu. I was heartbroken, devastated, inconsolable and I'm still not over it.

CMA week has come and gone. Six nights in Nashville, lots of great music, lots of good times with friends. The week involved everything from a celebrity fishing tournament to a parade to writer's rounds to full out concerts. Oh, and we got a private soundcheck with LoCash Cowboys totally by chance!

Our yard has grown in lush and green this year and Jimmy is so proud. It was redone last year after the tornado.

This year we experienced something we've never seen in our lifetime- April 27 and multiple devastating tornadoes. We dodged a bullet this year, but our city did get some damage, including my road north of where we live. So many lives were lost that it's hard for my mind to wrap around the enormity of the events of the day. I've never been as terrified in all of my life. After last year's tornado hit our home while we were there, I am fully aware of the mighty power of those storms and just how helpless we are. We are in the planning stages of installing a storm shelter underneath the floor of our new garage. Why we didn't think of it last year while they were building it is beyond me. All I can figure is that we were so addled that we just couldn't think straight.

The group Alabama from Ft. Payne organized a show in Birmingham to benefit the tornado victims. It was held on June 14 and I was fortunate enough to attend it. I had pretty good seats, too! The music began at 7:30 and flowed seamlessly for 5 1/2 hours. I laid my head down in bed at 3:50 the next morning and was up at 7 to go to work. Totally, completely worth the lack of sleep! Alabama, Rodney Atkins, The Commodores, Dierks Bentley, Bo Bice, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Luke Bryan, Sheryl Crow, Sara Evans, Taylor Hicks, Little Big Town, Montgomery Gentry, Martina McBride, David Nail, Jake Owen, Brad Paisley, Kellie Pickler, Darius Rucker and Ashton Sheperd- now how's that for a lineup? It was fabulous. Just fabulous!

Jimmy and I celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary June 16th. It doesn't seem possible that so much time has passed. We've weathered some storms throughout the years, but we've made it through together. I look forward to growing old(er) with him!

Rachel, Layke and Seth are all doing well. So is mother. They are all busy with their lives and things are good.

Jimmy is playing music every chance he can. I go listen to live music every chance I can. My next quick trip is July 27 to Nashville. I also have a couple of weekends to TN planned in August and one to GA in September. This year I made a promise to myself that I would try my best not to fly anywhere. So far I've kept that promise, although it gets tempting at times. For example, a girl from Brazil has come to the U.S. this month to catch some Bo shows. She's been a fan since 2005 at age 14. Unfortunately, I'm not going to get to go to any of the shows she's attending in OH and MI, so I won't get to meet her. :( That makes me sad.

Well, that's my life in a nutshell for 2011. I'll try my best to start blogging regularly. Oh, and I'm starting back with my couponing! I was big into that before the tornado in 2010. I'm excited at the prospect of the bargains I'm going to get!

New Year's Eve

2010-12-31T12:53:00.000-08:00

Can't believe New Year's is here again. All I can say is that I hope 2011 is better than 2010. Nope, I'm not in the mood to be cheerful and be all happy and put up a lively uplifting blog. Today it is what it is.

Have a safe celebration tonight and I'll catch you all down the road.

Giving Thanks

2010-11-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

This is Thanksgiving week, and I have so much to be thankful for this year. It was rough with the tornado and all, but we have made it. They finished up the house last week and if I do say so myself, it is beautiful! I still have to get pictures hung on the walls and the boxes in the garage cleared out, but we are good.

There's been sickness this year, too, but thankfully everyone is on the mend or well. I am so thankful!

A week ago Saturday we brought our dogs home from Mother's house where they had been staying since the tornado struck. We took them for their shots and on to the groomer to get all dolled up before they came home to their new digs. They looked so handsome when we picked them up! Each of them had a bandana tied around their neck and they smelled wonderful!

I've never seen dogs so proud to be home! They ran all over the back yard, sniffing and checking out the new fences and their new little covered shed that we had built for them. They were so happy! Later on that week we got a new Great Pyrenees. He's 8 months old and already weighs 85 pounds! Jimmy named him Toby Dick, the Great White Dog. Toby is adorable and is adjusting well to his new home and brothers.

Little Pugsley worried me all last week. He was blind and deaf and when I picked him up from the groomer he just laid his little body up against me, something that little ball of fire has never done. As the week progressed I realized that he was unhappy. He just stood around and when he did try to walk, he walked into the fence. He had no idea where he was going. My heart was so heavy because I knew something was going to have to be done. I grieved all week long over that little sweet dog. Thursday I went out and when I petted him, he curled up his little tail and wagged it at me. He had not done that in ages; he kept his tail limp and hanging down. Friday morning I took their food out and he wouldn't eat a bite, which was unusual for him.

I had a doctor's appointment in Huntsville Friday and Jimmy went with me. The appointment took FOREVER and when I got out I met Debbie to head to Nashville for a quick overnight trip. We were going up I65 when Jimmy called and told me Pugsley had died. He said it looked like he had just fallen over.

The Lord works in wondrous ways. I don't think I could have stood to see Pugs dead. My last memory is of that little tail curling up and wagging when I petted him. He knew I loved him. Friday night I was able to go and see Bo at a benefit. He was sweet and it always does my heart good to see him and hear him sing. We also met a guy named Mike Farris, who sings gospel songs. Mike used to be with the Screaming Cheetah Wheelies but he has been singing gospel music for several years now. He won a Dove award last year. Just listening to him sing gave my heart comfort when all I wanted to do was cry about Pugsley. Here is Mike singing Can't No Grave Gonna Hold This Body Down.

I had a good trip and when I got home, Jimmy had already buried Pugsley right inside our fence. He said that when he was burying him, Ernie, our basset hound, sat and bayed. He has been missing him something terrible and will not let Toby near the grave. Animals amaze me.

Well, I went on a rabbit chase, but it all ends up pointing to this thought: God is good. God is merciful. God loves me and for that I am humbled and grateful.

I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know I am going to!

This is Puglsey on November 13 right after we picked him up at the groomer. RIP, buddy.

Chilly Wednesday in Albertvegas.

2010-11-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

The only thing we have in common with a "Vegas" is that it's a town in the United States of America!!

I’ve been a terrible blogger. Sorry. Just not enough time in the day I suppose.

A lot has been going on as far as work around the house after the tornado. The hardwood is down in 3 bedrooms and the hall and den, and all they lack is our bedroom. They have painted everything except our bedroom and bathroom and they still have to put in the new windows. The privacy fence was put up yesterday and they have constructed the shelter for the dogs. All we need now are the two sections of fencing that will pen them into a corner of the yard. I miss them and I want them to come home. Poor Austin just doesn’t understand why I’ve abandoned them over at Mother’s house.

The library is coming along. Maybe everything will be done here by the end of the year, or if we get lucky, the end of November!

Jimmy, Seth and I went to the Smoky Mountains. It was so gorgeous there with all the fall foliage! We had a really good time, and smack dab in the middle of the vacation was a Bo show. How much better can you get?

The weather is turning colder and I’m making chili for supper. It seems like a good night to hunker down, eat chili and watch Criminal Minds all wrapped up in a blanket.

Boring, boring, boring post. Maybe I’ll get inspired before too long.

Still Hanging On!

2010-07-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

I forgot I had written the previous blog back in May. I had never posted it, so I went ahead. Here is where I started my new one. If I repeat myself, just ignore it!

Wow. My life has been chaotic since April 24. I really think I was in some sort of shock. We stayed outside the house for a week. We had no power, so we only came in to sleep. Mother's house provided showers and charges for our cell phones. Although all the library employees were working at the rec center, I stayed home. I was in no shape to help anyone. A TV crew came by and I promise I sound like a war survivor. I'm stuttering, I'm surrounded by destruction and I'm a total mess. Here is a breakdown of what all happened to our property:

My Tahoe was totaled

Layke's Accord was totaled

Jimmy's Element had $4K worth of damage

The truck had $1K worth of damage

The garage's bricks were blown off. It has to be destroyed.

Our little concrete block building had blocks blown out, the roof lifted and windows broken.

Our chain link fence was totally flattened.

The roof of the house over Layke's room was torn away and the water caused the ceiling in his room to collapse.

Numerous windows in our house were blown out.

Five huge trees were uprooted.

All total, we had about $84K worth of damage.

It's been three months. So far we've only got the roof replaced and the vinyl on the eaves of the house replaced. The trees have been removed. But everything else is still the same. This is a long, tedious process. The chaos has become a way of life. My house inside looks like, well, it looks like a tornado hit it!!

But I'm hopeful. When all is said and done we're going to have some really nice improvements. I've been wanting to remodel, but this isn't the ideal way!

On a bright note, I did get to spend a week in Nashville with my friends at the CMA Fest. It was a much-needed respite and I have been in a good state of mind ever since I got back.

The library was damaged and we opened up for the public on June 3 after weeks of working inside to get the glass, dirt and debris removed. Our children's department is still closed and our internet still doesn't work, but we're limping right along. No summer program this year. We had planned to have it in the park. There is no park left! Only one tree is left standing. The playground equipment is destroyed. So, we had to skip this year.

Jimmy has become a music star! He is part of a group called NewSouth. They had a concert in Guntersville Saturday night. They want to play at private parties, corporate events, community events, etc. They got a great reception from the approximately 100 people who came out to hear them Saturday night. They play country and classic rock. Great combo! The members of the band are Jimmy, Lynn and Tony Morgan, David Ogle, T?, and Johnny. Jimmy told me today that they are going to play at the City of Boaz's back to school celebration, whatever that is!

The future is going to be better. The repairs WILL get finished. And I have a trip planned next week with Jimmy to get away for a night. I'm looking forward to it!

2010-05-16T18:50:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning after the tornado was a whirlwind of activity. Some dear friends came and tackled the the trees with chainsaws and another was scavenging for loose tin to patch our roof. Jimmy was only a week out from knee surgery, so he and I stood or sat there in a stupor and watched as these folks cut the trees from our vehicles and cut the five downed trees into small pieces.

It's all blurring together for me, but I remember Monday more friends and relatives showed up with machinery and pulled pushed and drug all the trees, downed fence and other trash to the edges of the yard. They also did this for our neighbor and I was amazed at how cheerfully they worked to help us, not expecting one thing in return.

I've never been on the receiving end of any kind of charity before. If you haven't been, you cannot begin to know how much every act of kindness means to a victim. Policemen guarded our neighborhood 24 hours a day, people drove by when the roads were cleared and brought hot meals, water, boxes of food and were always asking, "Do you need anything?" I was in a stupor. I kept my phone charged with a car charger and I got lots of messages from friends with encouraging words. I appreciated every one of them, but I did not have the energy to reply. If you sent one or left a message on voicemail, I got it and it meant so much.

One day some people from Domino's pizza came by and gave us pizzas. A television station was filming and I saw myself on tv a couple of weeks later and I looked shell-shocked. I guess I was. The only time I lost it the entire time was on Monday morning. I received a voicemail from my personnel manager telling me to get the library staff and report to the fire station to work. There is no way I could help anyone in the shape I was in. I left an incoherent message on the mayor's cell phone and Jimmy drove me to the fire station in the truck (our only working vehicle) and I just told them there's no way I could work.

I stayed home all that week and reported back the following Monday. We worked at the recreation center, the operations center for disaster relief. Then we came over to the library and worked both outside and inside the building.

My Bo friends were terribly kind to me during this time. Their generosity still amazes me.

The Albertville Tornado~ Saturday Night

2010-05-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I lived through an EF3 tornado which tore through my city, Albertville, Alabama. To say I've been in shock is an understatement and I'm having a difficult time with the entire experience. Bear with me as a recount the night it happened. Then I'll try to summarize what all has transpired since that night in a blog later on.

Saturday night, April 24th, started out being just like any other Saturday night. We had supper with my mother and daughter and all sat around the living room cutting up and having a good time. Except there were tornado sirens blaring. The front moving through wasn't in our part of the county, so we sat there and watched the television as it passed on by.

A little later, we headed home. The boys, Jimmy, and I were in the den and I had received a message from a friend in Birmingham that said for us to watch out, there was another cell headed up our way. The tornado siren blasted a couple of times, but then quit. We had the television on to Channel 19 in Huntsville, where they were tracking the storm. I looked at their timetable and it said that the tornado would be in White Oak at 10:21. Glancing at our DVR's clock, it read 10:21. Since White Oak is literally right down the road, I told them that we should take cover in the hallway, and Seth and I did immediately. Jimmy and Layke went and looked out the front door, of course.

Suddenly the lights flickered and then went out. Jimmy slammed the door, Layke rushed past Seth and me in the hall, grabbed a blanket and threw it over us as Jimmy came and made a dive for the hallway floor. About that time our front window exploded in and the house began to shake. I have never heard a sound like that before. The tornado roared like a freight train and debris was pelting the house. I sat on the floor, head bowed, holding my little dog and praying fervently for protection.

Suddenly it went quiet. Totally quiet. I kept asking, "Is it gone? Is it gone?" and Jimmy made his way to the front door. He said, "Oh my God, Lisa, come here, our cars are crushed." I rushed in there, looked out, saw the trees down, power lines broken and all the destruction and I said, "I don't care. We are alive." And I've never been so thankful to Jesus in my entire life. I frantically called my daughter and mother to see if they were all right and to tell them that although we had been hit, we were all unharmed. They had no damage at their house, but the power was out.

We made our way outside, me cautioning the boys to beware of the downed power lines. Neighbors were coming into the street and everyone seemed to be physically all right. It was pitch dark and all we could see and hear were the sirens heading over to the trailer park. Trees and powerlines completely obstructed the roads and if someone had been injured, there is no way an ambulance could have made it onto our street.

We came inside, lit some candles, and just sat there. We were worried about the dogs and Jimmy opened the back door and called for them. Ernie and Austin came running in, went to the den, and laid down. They did not move all night long. Pugsley, sweet little half deaf, half blind dog, had slept through the tornado and was still in his doghouse. Seth went and got him and brought him inside, but he wasn't aware of what had gone on even though his doghouse was wedged in between a tree and our patio privacy fence.

The night was long, and we tried to go to sleep, but it was fitful. Around 3 we were wakened by flashing lights and chainsaws. Firemen and policemen had arrived in an ambulance and were sawing their way through the trees and utility poles in the road. Layke and Jimmy took them some bottled water and we watched as they somehow cut a path through the debris.

As strange as it sounds, I thought to myself that there was probably still some hot water in the water heater so I took a shower and washed my hair. I knew that Sunday was going to be a long day, but reality had not yet set in.

My Birthday

2010-04-10T06:09:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday. I don't really like to think about them anymore, but I guess they cannot be avoided.

All day long my phone dinged with messages from friends. Every time a post is made on my Facebook page, a message is sent to my phone. So all day, as the phone dinged, it made me smile and feel good to know somebody was thinking about me.

Layke and Seth sent me flowers, some lovely yellow tulips. Jimmy brought by some candy and a balloon and Rachel brought me a Johnny Dep tote bag. Pretty cool. Seth took me out to lunch at the Yum Yum Tree. One of the girls at work had made a cake and we had ice cream and chips. Mother came by after work and brought a gift to me that she had been working on for quite a while.

We did NOTHING last night. It's a long story, but let's just say all that good stuff that happened in the first 3/4 of the day got obliterated in two seconds flat around 4 p.m. The best birthday ever turned into the worst. Oh well. Maybe next year will be better.

A Rambling Blog to Catch Up!

2010-03-12T08:28:00.001-08:00

I have been sadly neglectful of this blog! Life has been busy this year plus I've gone on a girls' trip and I was sick two weeks, so that has sucked up 3 weeks of the past two months!

Yesterday I had my hair cut for the first time since late November or early December. It had grown a lot and I had him even it up around the bottom and put some nice, long layers in it. It's about shoulder length still and he cut two inches off of it! It's amazing how quickly it had grown. My hairdresser likes my hair SHORT, but I told him to just humor me! I wore it short for almost 10 years and I got sick of it!

I'm sad to say that I haven't kept up with my smoothie drinking. :( I have the stuff at home to make them, so I may just do that for lunch today. My diet went down the tubes. Not in the frame of mind to do it. *sigh* Story of my life. My fluffy, chubby, plump, fat little life...! But...

Exercise has got to become part of my routine!! I'm going to CMA Fest for a week this June and we'll be walking and climbing to the top of the Titan's stadium and who knows what and I've got to be in shape to do that in the blistering heat. OMG. Why don't they have CMA Fest in March or April?? That would be perfect weather. Oh well. I am also going to a big event the end of March/first of April in Nashville. The Tin Pan Songwriters Festival has various songwriters appearing at seven different venues for five nights. I'm only going for a couple of nights but it should be great fun.

This is a hodge-podge of subject matter today. Sorry about that, I'm feeling kind of scattered and unorganized. I'll try to bring it together somehow!

Here at work we are planning for the Summer Reading Program. This year we're doing things a little differently. Instead of paying for entertainment for every single program, we are implementing reading books to the kids and doing a craft of some sort. Last year the sidewalk chalk day ended up being the best day we had! The kids drew all over the sidewalks at the back of the building and we fed them popsicles. Perfection on a hot summer day!

At home I have several projects that I would like to get done this spring. Jimmy seems like he's game, so keep your fingers crossed for me! This weekend we're going to start making preparations and decide what we want to do first. This is mainly going to involve painting and flooring. Layke won't be home to help. He has gone to Chicago with the show choir. Ah, the benefits of being a music teacher! They are going to do some fun things including catching a Blue Man show. Now that doesn't interest me, but he seemed excited about it!

Another thing I've started doing around the homefront is that I've started back my couponing. It's addictive! My sister-in-law is really big into it and is a huge encouragement- she even sends out emails telling us what's on sale, etc. Stacking coupons is the way to go! I got one of those air fresheners that is motion-activated last week for about a dollar after using coupons. It's like a game to me. I hope I find some great deals this weekend. Can't wait to see the Sunday coupon section of the newspaper!

And weddings are in the air! I went to a bridal shower a couple of weeks ago and I have two or three more gifts to get for some couples. What an exciting time of life this is for them. Everything is brand new and sparkling and the future is out there in front of them with endless possibilities and dreams. Ah, it's wonderful. I love Jimmy more today than the day I married him. We have been married almost 31 years and we still have so much fun. But I really think people should seriously consider giving us and other oldyweds a shower. Our towels and such are a disgrace! LOL I could use new towels, dishtowels, heck, I'd even like new dishes and silverware! :)

Alrighty, enough rambling. I'll try to be more together in the future!

Pond Scum

2010-01-26T13:40:00.001-08:00

I'm drinking it. Well, it looks like pond scum anyway. A friend told me about "green smoothies", a great way to get in leafy vegetables and fruits. My diet is not very fruit and vegetable friendly, so I thought I'd try them.

Actually, the smoothies are pretty good. I put a cup of water into a blender, add two handfuls of raw baby spinach, a banana, a quartered apple, and some frozen blueberries or frozen peaches or both. Voila! Pond scum! I'm going to try my best to drink one every day and I just might get wild and vary up the greens! We'll see how it goes.

Speaking of food, I bought a local cookbook yesterday and there is the weirdest recipe in there! It's Blue Cheese and Peach dip. Yep, you heard me right. It has cottage cheese, onion flakes, blue cheese and canned sliced peaches all blended up together. It's to be served with vegetables. Who knows, it might be good, but that was a recipe that stopped me in my tracks. Bizarre to say the least!

I'm trying to eat better. Really I am. But I'm craving Cheetos and Doritos and Sour Cream and Onion potato chips! *sigh* Guess I'll drink my stupid smoothie and try to be content.

Our Tennessee Weekend

2010-01-24T17:56:00.000-08:00

We got home this afternoon from a weekend in Tennessee. Friday around noon we left and headed up to Monteagle, TN, where I we stayed in a little cottage (their fancy name for trailer!). We checked in, changed clothes, and headed out to Nashville, an hour and a half drive from there.

We got to BB Kings right around 5:30, the time the Bart Walker Band was going to start their set. Seated on high stools to the side of the stage, we had a bird's eye view. We ordered dinner and Bart's band played their first set.

Bart is an amazing musician! Jimmy loves the blues, and we had a great time listening to him. Typically Reese Wynans plays keys for him, but he was in a recording session that night, much to Jimmy's disappointment. At the break, Jimmy rushed up and purchased a CD from Bart and we chatted a bit, and then who walked in the door but Mr. Wynans!

Jimmy was thrilled to death! He bought a poster and got it autographed and had his picture taken with him. He wanted one of me and Reese and Reese misunderstood and offered to take a picture of me and Jimmy! LOL, I told him that I had plenty with Jimmy already!

The second set was off the hook! It's an amazing thing to be listening to the man who was with Stevie Ray Vaughan all those years. Man, he's a legend, and we had a blast!

At the second break, Jimmy and I headed over to the Limelight where Stephen Cochran and Jeffrey Steele were going to be doing a show. We got there and joined some friends at a front table and waited for the show to begin.

Stephen was first, and he did a great show. Jimmy enjoyed his bass player, Ryan Byrne, who was playing with some slick moves! Afterwards, Jimmy bought him a drink and enjoyed chatting with him. We also talked to Stephen a good while and I must say he is a super guy. He has always been so sweet and genuine every time I've ever seen him, and Jimmy told him that he was his hero. He was injured in the war and has a remarkable story. His back was broken into six pieces and he was told he would never walk again. But, oh, does he walk!!

Then came what I had been waiting for....Jeffrey Steele! Holy crap, that is one talented man! He can sing, play the crap out of the guitar, harmonica, and keys, and engage an audience like nobody I've ever seen. And his songwriting skills are remarkable! To name a few...Tim McGraw's "The Cowboy in Me," Diamond Rio's "Unbelievable," Rascal Flatts' "These Days," Faith Hill's "When the Lights Go Down," Trace Adkins' "Chrome," LeAnn Rimes' "Big Deal," as well as Montgomery Gentry's "Speed," "Hell Yeah" and "My Town." And there are tons more!!

We started out standing at the front over to the side, but it wasn't long before we made our way over to the center right in front of him. He did a 3 1/2 hour show! Unfortunately we had to leave about 45 minutes before he finished due to our long drive back to Monteagle. I'm glad we did leave when we did. It was very foggy and took us until about 2:30 a.m. to get back.

Saturday morning I woke around 7, made some hot chocolate and watched Good Times on television. I crawled back into bed with Jimmy and we got up around 12:30! We grabbed some breakfast at a local Waffle House, then came back and slept all afternoon!

Saturday night we went to a 4 star restaurant there in Monteagle, called High Point. Jimmy had made reservations for us and it's a good thing. The place was covered up! The house the restaurant is in was built and financed by Al Capone. It was just beautiful. We were seated at a corner table in what was probably the original dining room. The house has all the original light fixtures, and it was a pleasure just sitting there!

Our waiter started us off with a drink- me a pomegranite martini and Jimmy an Old Fashioned. He brought bread for us to eat while we perused the expansive menu. We finally decided upon Brie en croute for an appetizer, Lobster bisque, High Point Oscar steak (filet with lump crab meat and asparagus), baked potato, and we shared a creme brulee for dessert. It was an amazing dining experience. I certainly would drive the hour and 45 minutes or so to eat there again.

This morning, Sunday, we woke early and decided to head on home. It was pouring rain and rained terribly on us the entire way home. We have had a nice, relaxing afternoon. I spent some time working on the pictures I had taken and uploading them. It's been a great weekend!

Nashville, Lulu, and Fighting Sleep

2010-01-20T20:29:00.001-08:00

Yes, I know I should be in bed, but sleeping is so boring! I don't know why I fight it so at night; I always have my entire life. I'll be sorry in the morning for sure.

There is nothing really earth-shattering going on in my life right now. Jimmy and I are taking a much-needed mini vacation this weekend. We are staying at a cottage in Monteagle, TN. We're leaving at lunch on Friday, driving to Monteagle and checking in, then heading on into Nashville to go and hear Bart Walker's band play at B.B. King's. He plays from 5:30 to 9:00. Jimmy was SO hoping to meet Reese Wynans, former keyboard player for Stevie Ray Vaughan, who is Bart's keyboard player, but Bart told me today that Reese has a recording session that he don't believe he'll get off in time to play. Bummer for Jimmy, but I'm still looking forward to hearing Bart.

After that, we're making a beeline over to the Limelight where Stephen Cochran is playing. He's supposed to start at 8, but I'm hoping it'll be later! Then after Stephen is Jeffrey Steele. OH.MY.GOD. Next to Bo Bice, he's my favorite! That man can put on a show! And boy, can he sing! And boy, is he sexy! lol

After the shows we're going to drive back to Monteagle, sleep in on Saturday, and enjoy a dinner at a fancy schmancy restaurant that night. Then we're going to go back to the cottage and the cottage's hot tub! Sounds heavenly!

My little Lulu dog, the 2 pound chihuahua, is going to be left at the mercy of my boys. She has to have a pill every day (I give it to her wrapped in some Velveeta) and a half a dropper of liquid antibiotics. Man, they'd better do it or mama will be on the warpath when she gets home!

I inherited that dog from my daughter Rachel, who rescued her from getting put to sleep at the vet's. Rachel got a new minpin, so I got Lulu. I would never have chosen that dog, but I've got her and I love her even though she loves Jimmy more.

Now that's a funny thing, her loving Jimmy. He's not an animal person. But she sits beside him in his chair and he's really sweet to her. I guess it's because she's so tiny. He even took her to the vet today, an unheard of event in times past with our other dogs!! And get this- he made an appointment to have her teeth cleaned! Man. That little dog has him wrapped and I think it's hilarious.

I adore all my dogs. Austin, Ernie, Pugsley and Lulu are the best dogs ever! Cesar would approve of how good my "pack" is! They're sweethearts. And I have a little dog-crush on Cesar! He is THE MAN! He isn't afraid of anything, not pits, not chows, no dog scares that little man. That's awesome!

All right. Back to reality. It's almost eleven and morning will be here all too soon. Guess I'll head on to bed. Adios!!

Pepe la Pew Sunday

2010-01-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

This morning was cold but we braved it and headed out to the early service in Madison. We left the house a little before 8, made our regular stop at Starbucks, and pulled into the parking lot and made it in just at the right time. I was expecting a smaller crowd that early, but I was fooled; once again the place was packed!

Why did we go so early today? You see, I had a family get-together to attend at one, and that’s the only choice we had.

My mother had two brothers, one of whom has passed away. His daughter, my first cousin, was hosting the lunch today at her house.

Pat lives in a beautiful home on who knows how many acres. Her husband raises cattle for a living and they have a beautiful farm. After picking Mother up, we got to Pat’s house and saw several cars already there.

Stepping into her lovely den, I noticed that she had candles burning everywhere! And there was this….smell. Everyone was talking about the skunks that were living under their house and how they can NOT get them out! Apparently one had sprayed and they had done everything in their power to get the smell dissipated, even wrapping the floor vents in Saran wrap!

The day before Tommy, her husband, had set a trap and had successfully caught one of the skunks. He had it in the trap in the back of his truck way out near one of his barns. Of course I had to go look! Jimmy and I took off in the freezing weather and cautiously approached the pickup. There was a piece of old carpeting covering the cage and I slowly raised it up. All I could see was black and white fur. It was very still and we were VERY quiet!!

I learned a fascinating fact about skunks today. Tommy said that a trapper who lives close by told him that the fur has the same feel as mink. He used to sell the fur of the skunks he trapped for $13 and companies made “mink” coats from them. Apparently some regulation has stopped this practice and now the man only gets $1 per pelt.

That makes me laugh to think that some snooty person is parading around in a “mink” coat and it’s really a skunk! LOL

We had a nice lunch (after a while we became immune to the smell!) and visit with my cousins. I’ve been home for about an hour and let me tell you, all of our clothing, down to our underwear, smells like a skunk! Jimmy’s car smells like a skunk! We’re washing everything and hopefully the smell will come out!

That’s been my day so far. I’m going to relax a while and gear up for another week. Just thought I’d share my skunk story. :)

Rest in Peace, Tiger Jesus. I love you.

2010-01-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

Today my heart hurts. My precious Tiger Jesus, the cat who showed up on our lawn as a tiny little kitty 10 ½ years ago, is gone. She has been sick for a while with a skin condition that terrorized her and she clawed her hair out and made herself bleed. This morning things at home came to a head and we made the difficult decision to put her down.

Tiger was a strange little thing. She couldn’t meow; my youngest son said she quacked! She showed up outside and was there a couple of days and I told Jimmy that if she was there the next day, I was bringing her inside. Well, she was, so we headed inside the house with her. I’ll never forget looking around at Seth and asking him what he wanted to name her. He said, “Tiger”. I said, “Tiger what?” because all of our animals have middle names. He said, “Jesus, because Jesus sent her to us!”

Tiger was skittish and would not let us touch her, much less hold her. We patiently loved her and after about 3 years she finally allowed me to hold her. A little later on she allowed Seth to, and ever since then we’ve been the only people she trusted.

She was so funny about things. She slept with me and would stretch herself out against my back. If she got thirsty or hungry we’d know about it because she would tell the news!

Jimmy didn’t share our love of Tiger. He called her “that damn cat” but he’s been sweet to me today.

Layke and Seth took her to the vet; I couldn’t do it. They put her down and were going to cremate her. They asked if we wanted her ashes, but we declined. I’d rather have my memories than a box full of ashes. That’s just too painful.

Thanks for bearing with me while I memorialize my cat. I cried a river this morning at home and I’ve fought tears all day at work. I’ll miss my baby girl.

Joy and Light on a Sunday Night

2010-01-03T16:10:00.000-08:00

It's a cold Sunday night and I'm sad because the holidays are over. The thought of going to work tomorrow is like ramming bamboo underneath my fingernails. Last Monday started off with some man chewing me out when I opened the door because our time clock wasn't with his watch. I dread it like the plague.

Today we went back to Madison to church. It's really a nice place and Seth adores it. We had lunch at Chili's and tell me something: Why do they serve you a main course salad with no form of bread or crackers whatsoever?? I ordered a Cobb Salad and there was nothing but the vegetables and chicken. I'm a carb person; I need my bread!!

I got home and put on my pajamas and gave little stinky dog a bath. She has to have one every other day or she stinks something terrible. Plus she gets fleas. I don't know how to get my house free of them. The cat has them and never goes outside plus Lulu has them. They do not bite anyone but Jimmy.

Tonight I made a farewell to good food snack supper. Buffalo Chicken Dip, nuts, chips and dip, and Oreos. Whooo Weeee. I'm going out with a bang! Tomorrow starts my world of counting points. Again. Why could I not have been born genetically predispositioned to be tiny and petite instead of being HUGE?? All you would have to do is look at the picture of my paternal grandmother and her sisters to know where I got it. Makes me sick. I know of a lady who is older than me but she can wear cute little jeans, heels and has a fantastic figure and she told me that she has never had a problem with her weight. I hate her.

I did not get as much accomplished as I wanted to these 3 1/2 days I was off. I did get some kitchen cabinets cleaned out and my display case rearranged. It's something I guess.

All right, enough joy and light from me tonight. Going to see what's on TV besides freaking football!!

Family Christmas 2009

2009-12-30T07:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas came and went so quickly this year that it's just plain out depressing! I had Christmas Eve off, so I had a four day weekend, which was really nice.

Christmas Eve we went to my mother's house and she cooked her Christmas Eve specialty, bucket steak and gravy. Oh my goodness, that is the best meal I've had all year. No kidding! We ate our fill, then played Dirty Santa. Rachel was working in Birmingham and we decided to go on over to our house and wait on her to arrive after she got off work. She got to our house at almost midnight and that's when we opened gifts!

Our tradition has always been to open gifts on Christmas Eve and we didn't want to change it up this year, even though it was late! Jimmy got me a digital picture frame, the kids got things ranging from Alabama Rose Bowl jerseys to books, and I gave Jimmy a few things related to his bass-playing. One was the cutest little miniature of a Geddy Lee bass, which is one of the basses Jimmy plays. Mother gave me the necklace and bracelet that my grandparents gave her when she was about fifteen. We all were blessed with lots of thoughtful gifts.

Christmas morning Jimmy and the boys headed over to his Dad's where the men were cooking breakfast for his side of the family. I went on over about an hour later and we had a big breakfast courtesy of the guys. We stayed a couple of hours, then headed back home. Christmas Day is always a day of rest and relaxation for us, and this year was no different. I made some Buffalo Chicken Dip for a midday snack, along with Chex Mix and other goodies. Then that night Jimmy grilled us all a steak which we had with baked potatoes and layered salad. We watched It's a Wonderful Life together. Mother and Rachel had never seen it! This Christmas season we watched Christmas with the Kranks, Christmas Vacation, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story and parts of White Christmas and A Christmas Carol.

Saturday we didn't go anywhere, and on Sunday we decided to go to Madison to church with Layke and Seth. The church there is just what I need. From what Layke had described, I thought it would be all younger people, and there were a lot of them, but there were also lots of people my age. It has contemporary worship music with a full band, not a choir. The atmosphere is worshipful, relaxed and the dress is casual. The sermon was great even though their regular pastor wasn't there. The theology is conservative and aligns with my beliefs. As we left, they gave me a visitor's packet which included a ceramic coffee mug, ink pen, and several brochures and booklets telling all about their ministries.

It makes me sad that I have to travel an hour to find a place where I feel comfortable worshiping. Our church here is a good church, don't get me wrong, but I just don't feel comfortable and don't feel I fit in. When we first joined there close to ten years ago, I loved it. We were in a Sunday School class with people I liked, I was enjoying the lessons, enjoying and learning from the sermons, but over time, things changed, classes changed, people changed, I changed. So...I'm thinking we're going to go back to Madison this Sunday. Whether it is the place where God wants us, I'm not positive, but I think I'll have a clearer understanding after visiting a few more times.

One fun thing about going to church there this past week was going out to lunch and shopping afterwards! We got home about 3:30 and relaxed the rest of the evening. That was my Christmas weekend.

New Year's Eve is tomorrow and I have to work. Yuck. But I hope Jimmy and I can find something fun to do, either out somewhere or at home. I'm hoping and praying that 2010 will bring healthier, happier times to my family!

Christmas and my Career, what a combo!

2009-12-22T02:53:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've blogged here, there just hasn't been time. After Thanksgiving I had three weekends in a row where I was out of town having fun and then I had to play catch-up this past weekend in order to get ready for Christmas.

Did I say I was ready for Christmas?! I might as well be! Our family decided to go really simple this year and so it wasn't really difficult to get the gifts purchased and wrapped. I still have a few little things to do, but it's manageable.

I'm up at the crack of dawn this morning for some reason. I'll be sorry in a few hours I'm sure. Only today and tomorrow at work, then I'm off for FOUR days! I live for this. No kidding. I see people bopping in and out of the library all day, busily going here and there and everywhere, talking about how they just don't have enough time to get everything done. Ahem. There I am, stuck in a building from 8-5 and there they are, free as the breeze. It makes me tired. And then on top of it, last night my son tells me that I chose the wrong profession, that I should have gotten into a school library where I would be off half of the year. Thanks, son, that made me feel better...!

Back when I finished grad school, I nearly killed myself to find a job in a school library. It didn't make sense how the doors all slammed in my face at every turn. I had made all A's in grad school; I was the one people came to when they had a question. And there I was, being passed over again and again. I was especially disappointed that I didn't get the position at a school that you can almost literally see from my house.

After disappointment after disappointment, Jimmy heard that there was an opening at our city library. He insisted that I go on the interview. Ok. Why not? So I had an interview with the mayor and city council at 6:30, I went on by the grocery store, got home and they called at 9 offering me the job. Uh. I was shocked! Of course I took it, but when I had my meeting to discuss the particulars, my heart hit the floor when they told me the salary. But it was a job and I had no other prospects.

I remember somebody who had my same degree telling me that they had decided against applying for the job because they were NOT going to work for that much money. That really helped my ego, but I worked hard and now, 15 years later, my salary has doubled and I make comparable pay and have the same retirement as those in my position in a public school. In retrospect, the job I have is the perfect one for me. I don't have to deal with kids all day. Instead I do paperwork and let the other staff deal with the public. Things go pretty smoothly although occasionally there are bumps that I have to smooth over. My boss doesn't micro-manage me and it's a relatively stress-free work environment. I made the right decision all those years ago. It's just when people make comments like my son did last night that I get a pang...I would love to be off right now for Christmas break. But it wasn't meant to be.

My goodness, how did I get off on that subject? Just thinking through my fingertips I suppose!

I'm going to get off of here and make use of this extra time I have this morning. Hope those who are reading this have a very blessed Christmas!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

I think I had the best Thanksgiving I ever had this year. We had it at my house and when I got off work Wednesday, I was ready to start cooking!

Most people complain about Thanksgiving cooking; I LOVE it! Jimmy peeled the apples and I put together the pie filling, I made deviled eggs, cranberry relish, sweet tea and I had gotten smart and when I was home for lunch that day I made my congealed salad! Things were moving smoothly!

Thursday morning I baked the pies, and I must say they were gorgeous! And tasted just as good as they looked. The secret is the freshly grated nutmeg...mmmmm.

Off we went at 10:30 to meet Jimmy's family at Cracker Barrel. We had a very short wait and I enjoyed breakfast. All of the grandkids were not there, but we still had two big tables full.

After we got home Layke put his sweet potatoes in to bake, made his casserole, and I finished up the corn casserole, Brussels sprouts, etc. Mother and Rachel came in with the dressing, mashed potatoes, pecan pie and chess squares. We ate a late lunch and then just sat at the table chatting. That night we all watched our traditional Christmas Vacation and we also watched Christmas with the Kranks. It was a glorious day, so full of blessings!!

It's a Gorgeous Day!

2009-11-05T13:45:00.000-08:00

And I'm inside. :(

Hey, it's been a while since I've blogged. There has been a lot of stuff going on in my life, everything from the happiest happy to stressed out beyond belief!

Part of the happiest happy was Jimmy playing a Halloween gig at Boondocks. He, along with a few friends, did a set and I thoroughly enjoyed spending the evening sitting at a table with a coffin propped on it! I saw lots of costumes- Gene Simmons, Justin Timberlake, a sexy nurse and sexy policewoman and besides the costumes, I saw the REAL Jeff Cook!

For those who may not know who he is, he was with the group Alabama. He moved to Guntersville several years ago and he frequents Boondocks. I didn't say anything to him, but when I first came in he was sittig there and at first glance I thought it was our friend Lee. I had a flash of recognition on my face and then I realized it wasn't Lee, but it didn't dawn on me that it was Jeff Cook until later. Duh.

The most surreal moment of the evening was when he was standing there with his camera videoing the band Jimmy was playing with. I'm sure he's usually on the other side of the camera! He also got onstage and Jimmy handed off his bass to him and Jeff played Jimmy's bass for a couple of songs. Like I said, it was a happy night and lots of fun!

My mother's birthday was Sunday and we did our celebrating Saturday. We went out to lunch then she and Rachel came down to Boondocks. Now that was a sight- my mother sitting in a bar! But she had a good time listening to the music. She left after Jimmy played and I'm glad. The later it got the wilder the crowd got and when the women started dancing together, uh, provacatively, I was ready to leave. Yuck.

This week Jimmy has been in South Alabama working. Nothing spectacularly exciting has happened around home this week. I had my yearly budget meeting and a portrait made for the city's new website. I did have quite a stressful afternoon yesterday which had to do with insurance coverage, but I'm fine today. It'll all work out. I'm sure of it.

For those of you who are in the Albertville area, we here at the library are going to partner with the Marshall County Coalition Against Domestic Violence by being a drop point for people to donate needed items such as toilet tissue, paper towels, and laundry detergent. This is not just for the holidays; we are going to do it long term, so please remember us when you do your shopping. Grab an extra roll of paper towels or an extra pack of toilet paper, bottle of detergent, shampoo or soap and bring it by and put it in the big purple box! The motto we have come up with is "Help Us Help Them Assist Victims to become Victors".

Alrighty. I've spilled everything I know for now! Maybe it won't be so long until the next time I decide to write. Toodles!

Have you ever...

2009-10-27T16:32:00.000-07:00

had a situation where no matter how you try to explain your point of view, the person just doesn't understand what you're saying? You try to be nice and respectful but honestly tell them how you perceive things and it still doesn't work, they still take offense when no harm or insult was intended. I'm a non-confrontational person. I hate conflict, drama, and all that jazz. To be pulled into it makes me very uncomfortable. It's been one of those kind of days for me today. *Sigh*

I wish I was on that beach in the picture up there. It was Atlantic City, early in the morning, and hardly anyone was around. It was so peaceful and serene.

2009-10-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

Well, this is the fourth blog I’ve tried to start since I put up the one about Crow Mountain. I’d write and little, go “EHHHH”, and then quit.

What does that say about my life right now? We’ve been to the Smoky Mountains. I’ve read some good books. I’ve been to a meeting in Huntsville for my work. Exciting stuff.

The Smokies trip was mainly for my youngest son. He loves that place better than any place on earth, so we headed out last Friday afternoon. The traffic was pretty bad when we got there and it rained on us the entire way. It poured all day Saturday and the traffic was bumper-to-bumper. We rode out to the Smoky Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville and it took an hour and a half to get back to Pigeon Forge. I was SO irritated! We went to the Brewery for supper. The food was ok, wasn’t really what I wanted, and our bill was too freaking high!!! That made me ill, plus we got back to the hotel room by around 6:30 and that was that for Saturday. The boys were happy to stay in the room and watch football and the Nascar race. Thank goodness Seth took his laptop so I at least had something to do!

Sunday morning was beautiful and clear. We headed to Gatlinburg where we had breakfast at the Pancake Pantry, another one of Seth’s favorite places. Then we were going to ride through Cade’s Cove. Once again, bumper-to-bumper traffic and a sign that said that going the loop at Cade’s Cove would take 2-3 hours! We turned around and had some other adventures and headed home. Needless to say it wasn’t the most entertaining of all the trips we’ve made to the Smokies, but we did do a lot of shopping and eating!

While we were gone we left Pugsley at the vet’s. He got a bath and his shots and he looked luscious when we picked him up to bring him home. And the vet said to cut back on his food. He’ll think we’re starving him! He’s a little hog! But the most laughable thing is that they told me to walk him. WALK HIM!! A dog that lives outside! No way. He’s 12 ½ and a little old man and his joints hurt. If he wants to walk around he’ll do it himself. I’m not going to make him.

Spunky Bogart was happy to see me when we got back. He’s such a silly bird! I do believe he thinks MY name is Spunky! LOL

We’ve been rearranging all day at work, cleaning out and had a lot of stuff taken to the recycling center. One thing we found was a bag with lots of pretty gemstones in it. It’s been here forever, so I took them and put them in a glass container and they are setting on my desk where I can look at them. There is amythyst, jasper, moonstone, rose quartz, hematite, amber, and I don’t know the names of the rest of them. I don’t believe in any kind of powers from gems and crystals; I just like to look at them.

I’m sad that Hell’s Kitchen is over for the season, but my man Dave won! He beat the others with one arm! I was tickled to death! Tuesday nights aren’t going to be exciting anymore.

Crow Mountain is for the Birds

2009-10-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

Well, we made the STUPID trip yesterday to buy apples. Up early, on the road by 7:30. UGH. On a Saturday! Of course I enjoyed the time spent with Jimmy and Seth, but good grief. That's a loooonnnggg way to go to spend less than ten minutes buying apples!

Does anybody besides me ever feel like they are raising another child when it comes to their husband? I'll declare, Jimmy was picking up bags of apples and setting them back down and the uptight-looking lady said, "Sir, where did you get that bag??" I was mortified. He was just putting them back down anywhere and the stupid things were sorted by varieties, but the bags were not labeled. I've never been so glad to get out of that place!

We drove all the way back home, then twenty minutes further to deliver some of those stupid apples to a guy he works with. At least there was a yard sale where we stopped to meet him and I got some Star of David coasters fro $1 each. They had some great deals on the stuff, but I already have plenty. Mother has given me Star of David platters, bowls, etc. over the years.

Nothing exciting happened yesterday except that we got our junk room partially cleaned out. The carpet needs vacuuming but I think Jimmy burned up my vacuum cleaner sucking up flea powder the other day. Oh, the fleas have been horrible. My cat never sets one little toe outside, so somebody has to bring them in. And they don't bite anyone in this household except Jimmy, which provokes lots of bitching and griping from him. I've bought Frontline for my cat, flea powder for the carpet and Raid spray. Plus we have a bug man who comes every month. What else can I do???

Last night I wanted to go see Jake Owen at a nearby concert. But nooooo. I tell him about this a month ago and he knew full well it was last night. At almost show time I said something about it and he said that we'd go, all the while moaning and groaning and acting like he was about to die of exhaustion. Yeah, right. You wait and see if I do something HE wants to do the next time. Apples be damned. I'm not going back to Crow Mountain!!!!

Friday Night and all's quiet

2009-10-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

Friday night has rolled around again. Last week I was having a girls weekend. This weekend, who knows! Tonight we haven't done anything to speak of, unless you consider going through the drive-thru at Wendy's a big deal!

I've just recovered from a long bout of bronchitis or something like it. My mitral valve doctor made me get a chest X-ray Tuesday, but thankfully it was clear and I've continued to improve.

A new fiscal year has begun at work and that has brought budget plans and statistical reports. I'm pretty much caught up, thank goodness!

In the morning Jimmy wants me to ride with him to Crow Mountain to buy apples. Jimmy is an apple freak. Me? Meh. Take 'em or leave 'em. But he's willing to drive over an hour each way in order to go to that orchard. I personally think it's stupid. STUPID. But whatever rings his bell.

The Harvest Festival is this weekend in Boaz, but I doubt we'll go. We haven't been for years. Tomorrow night there is a show by Jake Owen that I'd love to see. I doubt I can get anyone to go with me even though it's right here!

I'll report back after tomorrow and let you know how exciting Crow Mountain was and if we did anything else exciting! Adios!

That's Southern, Ya'll.

2009-09-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

I survived the weekend by staying in the bed. I also stayed in the bed Monday and I would have yesterday and today but I'm OUT of sick leave. Being sick sucks. Being sick at work sucks even more.

The main thing is that I've got to get better by Friday. I have a weekend planned in Birmingham with my friends from all over the U.S. and I want to feel good so I can enjoy it thoroughly! I know we'll be running around and staying up to the wee hours. I'm so far behind in getting ready. Do I know what I'm wearing? Nahhh. Shoes chosen? Nahhh. Hair colored? Nahh. Suitcase even halfway packed? Nahh. I may end up going looking like a haint.

Know what a "haint" is? It is a common expression here in the south for a ghost or something scary. I suppose the word comes from "haunt". Being from the south with all of our colloquialisms is so much fun. I can't think of anywhere else in this country where there are so many sayings!

Full as a tick.

Mad as an old wet hen.

Mean as a dirt road lizard.

Shut my mouth!

Richer than Cooter Brown.

Tighter than Dick's hatband.

I'm fixin' to.

I reckon so.

It's over yonder.

He's all laid up.

And one I heard a kid from Texas say last night on Hell's Kitchen..."Whistlebritches"! I laughed out loud when he called John-Phillipe that! It's been a while, but I've heard that expression all of my life.

Those are just a few that came to mind. There are literally dozens more but my mind is blank right now. That's just a taste of what southern talk is, ya'll.

I'm so proud to be American by birth, Southern by the grace of God!!

Words of Comfort

2009-09-19T00:54:00.000-07:00

2:54 a.m. and I'm in the den in the recliner. Jimmy's "allergies" sure were contagious. My head is all stopped up, my ears itch and I feel yucky. So, here I sit, cat by my side, on Seth's laptop. Other things are weighing heavily on my mind and I just can't sleep. What little sleep I did get was fitful and I had to have James Taylor singing to me via my ipod and ear buds so that I could relax.

Sometimes I wish I could wave a magic wand and make everything great. Nobody would be sick, there would be no kind of stressors in my life at all. What I'm babbling makes no sense to anyone but me. This blog is a source of therapy so I'm just going to babble on. Forgive me.

At times like this I find comfort in certain Bible passages.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Psalm 91:1-2

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. John 14:18

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4

In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2

And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:29-32

Lastly for tonight (this morning?), here is my favorite hymn, which kind of goes along with my favorite Bible passage, Psalm 91.

He hideth My soul

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
A wonderful Savior to me;
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
Where rivers of pleasure I see.

Refrain:
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life with the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
He taketh my burden away;
He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved,
He giveth me strength as my day.

Refrain

With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,
And filled with His fullness divine,
I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God
For such a Redeemer as mine!

Refrain

When clothed in His brightness, transported I rise
To meet Him in clouds of the sky,
His perfect salvation, His wonderful love
I’ll shout with the millions on high.

Refrain

Teary Eyes and Rainy Days

2009-09-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up, realizing that once again I had overslept. It is raining outside and I seem to be able to sleep on and on and on when it is. Somehow I made it to work on time and I even had my makeup on, including mascara!

These days it seems that I'm quite melancholy. Simple things make me tear up. I despise to be this way because I'm not a weepy sort of person typically. Maybe it's a seasonal thing. Time is flying by so quickly! September is half over! And before I can turn around Christmas will be here again. As much as I love Christmas, a part of me is always sad. I miss the people who aren't here anymore. I've always been sad that Jesus had to come to earth to live and die for stuff I have done. Yes, yes, it's a good thing, a happy thing, an humbling thing, but it still makes me sort of sad. Am I crazy? Am I the only person who has ever looked at it this way?

Thankfully I do have several trips planned for this fall which should take my mind off being melancholy. These trips always make me laugh until my sides hurt and make memories that I treasure. Hopefully I'll snap out of this funk soon.

*Artwork is by http://strawberry-ike.deviantart.com/art/Crying-Eye-118422623

Big-Bad-Bird-Hater~I don't think so!

2009-09-13T10:41:00.001-07:00

Sometimes my husband does something that just makes me smile. Last night we were getting ready to go to bed and he covered up the bird. That in itself is a miracle. Jimmy says he hates Spunky. He will not touch him, he pokes at him and irritates him every chance he gets. But last night Jimmy did something that made my heart just melt. He put the two throws that we use to cover Spunky over his cage, and then he gently tucked them in on all the sides like he was carefully tucking a child into bed. Well, that just proves that Jimmy is not the Big-Bad-Bird-Hater that he says he is! I didn't say anything to him about it last night, but today I hugged him around the neck and told him how sweet I thought he was to do that. He said he just didn't want him to get cold. Now would a Big-Bad-Bird-Hater do that? ;)

Pajamas, Sweatshirts and Perfect Weather

2009-09-09T09:37:00.001-07:00

Today is a blahhh kind of day. I wanted to stay in bed or at least stay home in my pajamas. It has been three weeks since my B12 shot. And I feel it. Every month I start to fade on the third week. Got to hang on another week until I can get my little miracle in a syringe.

But on a high note, it's my favorite time of year. My calendar at work shows a little dog sitting by some pretty gold and russet-colored mums. (My Bo calendar has an adorable picture of Bo and Aidan, but I digress...)

If the weather would just start getting the "nip" in the air, things would be groovy. I love what I call sweatshirt weather. Putting on a sweatshirt and being outside in the sunshine surrounded by gorgeous red and gold leaves and not being hot is heaven! I like for my nose to be a little cool, too. Dogs are healthy if they have cold noses! I feel the same way.!

Last year my family went to Maine to visit Layke while he was living up there. My goodness, how perfect was that weather? The scenery there is more gorgeous than any I've ever seen. We visited several lighthouses and being there on the coast was one of the most peaceful times I've ever spent in my life. I would love to go back. The picture at the heading of my blog was taken in Maine last year. Isn't it pretty?

Hmm. This little trip down memory lane has kind of snapped me out of my blah-ness. And that's a good thing!

Happy Labor Day

2009-09-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

Today has been a little different than I anticipated, but it's different in a good way.

First thing this morning Jimmy woke me up from dreaming I was videotaping a gorgeous beach. When I told him he interrupted a beautiful dream he said he might have saved me from a tidal wave. He's goofy.

Now this was early morning...6 something, and he was rushing me to get dressed. We were going to "First Monday" in Scottsboro. Ok. I drug myself up and got dressed in comfy jeans, a tie-dyed shirt and my old feed-the-dogs crocs. Slapped on a little makeup, donned my "designer" sunglasses and we were off!

First stop was Hardee's. We went inside and ate, which was nice. I can't stand to try and eat going down the road! I had a bologna, egg and cheese biscuit. Yes, my northern friends, you heard me right. Fried bologna is the bomb!!

Full on our breakfast biscuits, we headed out on the 45 minute drive to Scottsboro. Of course we had to stop and get gas. And Jimmy forgot his hat, so he bought one. Can't let that pretty balding head get blistered, now can we?

We got to Scottsboro and it was just not as crowded as I remembered from years past. Some of the stuff was way overpriced, but I did find that my McCoy bowl brings $45 bucks at the flea market. My favorite vendor there had four tables of goodies for $1 each. I found some wine glass charms. I've always wanted some; now I have six pretty pewter ones. I thought one of them was an ear. Jimmy said it was a flower with stems! I'm pretty dense sometimes! LOL

I found some glass earrings like I've been wanting for $3. They sell comparable stuff at Peebles Department Store for close to $60. Can you say bargain, boys and girls??

After we had made the rounds around the town square, we loaded up and went to Unclaimed Baggage. My goodness, if you've never been there you should see it! This place buys unclaimed items and luggage from airlines and there is some awesome stuff. They have clothes, jewelry, perfume, shoes, books, cameras, you name it. Pricey stuff, too, like Coach purses. I ended up getting a couple of shirts.

As we were leaving somebody suggested that we ride on to Huntsville, visit Ross (my favorite store in the entire world!) and have lunch at Dreamland. Jimmy and Layke just weren't in the mood for grilling today. So off we went.

Ross had more clothes than I've ever seen there before. I dug through the racks and ended up with two shirts. I could have chosen several more, but I limited myself as to how much I was going to spend. I love a good deal!

I could have kept on looking, but the guys were encouraging me strongly to come on, so we left and headed to Dreamland, just a short way down the road.

It smelled heavenly! We entered and the wood smoke was all around. We were starving! We ordered and in no time we had a plate of white bread and bbq sauce, our ribs, slaw, beans, fries, pork sandwich...all the things that we had decided to have.

Jimmy started complaining immediately about the ribs. They tasted "old" to him, and to be perfectly honest, they are in no way as good as the ones my guys can cook! But they were not as bad as he was letting on, and when we got the bill...well, his eyes bulged out of his head! But he just says he's counting it as a lesson learned! No more ribs except what we cook at home. We're spoiled!

We got home around 3 in the afternoon. I've been in here on the computer, talked on the phone to Debbie, Mother and Rachel, and have done some laundry. My boys are watching "The Patriot" DVD that Seth bought today.

It's been a good one, but not a typical one. A little change every now and then keeps things interesting, don't you think? And my kitchen is clean today!

2009-09-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Labor Day is almost here! I'm looking forward to a long weekend and for once, Jimmy is going to be off, too. Usually the chicken business continues on without a break, but this year it's a hol-i-day! Whoo Hoo!

First on the agenda will be getting some meat to smoke. Ribs, brisket, pork loin, pork butt...I'm not sure what all he'll choose. Usually he is the one who makes the smoking decisions. He and Layke consider smoking a sport! Jimmy will get up all through the night to babysit his brisket. And let me tell you, the man can smoke a brisket! Layke is the champ with ribs. Oh my. My job is always to provide side dishes. Typically I do corn on the cob, potato salad, slaw, stuff like that. I might prowl around some cookbooks or websites and try to find something new and unique to prepare. Anyone have any suggestions? I tried a new slaw that a guy at Jimmy's work makes the last time we smoked and it is fabulous! It has hot peppers and chopped tomatoes in it. Sounds weird, but honey child, it will make you want to slap your grandmaw. ;)

A Different Kind of Slaw

Chopped cabbage

Finely chopped hot pepper, about a half of one

Finely chopped seeded tomato

Mayonnaise to taste

Chopped onions

A couple of capfuls of cider vinegar

A little bit of sugar, about tsp.

Salt & Pepper

Aside from cooking, I also plan on having plenty of margaritas. I'm not a big drinker as my friends can tell you. One, maybe two of something is my limit. But these margaritas...oh my. I had gotten a margarita at Santa Fe when I was having dinner with some friends. One of them asked the bartender what kind of mixer he used. He said Finest Call sweet and sour. So, off to the store I went and got some and followed the recipe on the bottle for margaritas. Oh. My. God. I really have to watch myself with these. I limit it to two, but I think I could drink them until my eyes bugged out!

Well, that's about it for today. Unless I think of something else. OH YEAH...a funny from Rachel that I've just got to share~

Rachel purchased some Nag Champa incense the other day (I love the stuff) and burned a stick in her apartment. She went out to walk the dog and when she got back there was a note taped to back of the outside door. It said: "To my pot-smoking neighbors, please raise a window, it stinks!" She cracked up and left them a note telling them it was Nag Champa, not pot, but she wouldn't do it again! I told her, "Welcome to apartment living!" She said it wasn't worth pissing off the neighbors to burn it. I just thought that was humorous.

Another One Bites the Dust

2009-08-30T12:15:00.000-07:00

Rachel's new apartment...her bedroom.

Me and Jimbo

Ray

This weekend has flown by! Friday night after work the girls and I went to Santa Fe to celebrate Cindy and Terri's birthdays. My friend Susan joined us, along with two other girls I knew from high school. We had a good time all crammed into a big corner booth.

Yesterday morning we got up and helped Rachel pack the truck for her move to Birmingham. Then we went to Jimmy's dad's Cancer-Free and Birthday celebration at his aunt and uncle's house. Of course it rained, but thankfully they have a huge garage. And my gosh, how neat they are! Every tool is hung perfectly on the wall, car magazines are stacked neatly, model cars are arranged on the walls, etc. Ha! You should see our garage. Pathetic!!

After the lunch, we headed down to Birmingham since Seth had gone in the truck to help Rachel move. She lives right on 20th Street South. The only drawback to her apartment is that you have to park on the street. No likey. But otherwise, the apartment is great. She seems to love it.

We were walking up the steps and Rachel fell and she had a box of glasses in her hands. Thankfully they didn't cut her. She did skin up her foot and her arm though. We didn't stay long because she was going to some gala last night with her boyfriend. I talked to her this morning and she said she enjoyed it. She said it was fun watching all the rich people and see them bid thousands of dollars at the silent auction.

When I talked to her today she was sitting at Starbucks, sipping a latte and using her laptop. I think she will adjust to urban living just fine. Not too sure I would. I'd love to live in the suburbs of a large city, but actually IN the city would be a different story.

Today I've done laundry, talked on the phone, watched TV and uploaded some pictures that I took yesterday. Nothing exciting. I'm in my pajamas and it's almost 2:30! Oh well, it's rainy and they are comfy. I really need to go do some shopping but it willl have to wait.

Weekend's almost over, but the good news is that we get to close early tomorrow so that my staff and I can attend the town hall meeting that our city officials are having. Should prove to be interesting. I hate and despise Mondays at work. HATE IT HATE IT HATE IT. I think it's the combination of starting the week with a late day and the hoards of people who pile in on Mondays. I hate to wish my life away, but I swear I live for weekends.

insert angry emoticon here

2009-08-25T16:23:00.001-07:00

I do not understand how some things work. Never, ever in a billion jillion years will I understand a certain situation, which is totally out of my hands, but still bugs the crap out of me. The one person I can talk to about it just totally blew me off, so here I am. Where's the frying pan when I need it?

On another note...
Found some quotes I love!

A great many people mistake opinions for thoughts.

The dumbest people I know are those who know it all.

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, it's off to work I go!

2009-08-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

Well, my first day back at work was just like I expected. 201 emails were in my inbox, the desk was piled with books and invoices and I got three memos from the mayor. People were pulling on the door as I drove up an hour before opening time. By opening time the front porch was crowded. I hid in my office with my head stuck in the computer monitor trying to get caught up with everything from the past week and a half. I almost made it, too!

Jimmy was fine at lunch, just bored to death. As he begins to feel better, the restless, irritable, frustrated factors come into play. Hopefully he'll be able to go back to work next Monday. He really shouldn't, but if he doesn't he's going to go crazy.

My stomach is growling. For lunch I had a few pretzel chips, hummus, and a banana. Not exactly food that sticks to your ribs, is it? I need to go and make some supper. Tonight it's fish sandwiches. I've never made them that I can recall. I bought some frozen premium breaded tilapia, buns, tartar sauce and I thought I'd throw on a piece of cheese like McDonald's does. I will let you know how they go over!

Changing the subject to something personal...my hair is falling out!!!!! Every time I wash it or comb it big clumps are left in the bottom of the tub and in my comb. It's beginning to freak me out. My hair is getting longer and about ten years ago it was this length. Back then it took me thirty minutes to blow dry it. Now it only takes a fraction of that time. It doesn't even feel like my hair used to feel, which was thick and lush! Now it's thin and scrawny! I looked up causes for female hair loss online and I can't fathom what it might be unless it's the dreaded hormones. You know I did have that milestone birthday this year. Oh my God! Getting old is a bitch! I want to be Benjaminette Button and grow younger! Might as well give in and call my gyno and see if he can test my hormone levels. :(

Changing the subject again...three people were swept off the rocks in Acadia National Park at Thunder Hole Sunday. We visited there last fall when we went to Maine. One little girl drowned, but the other two were rescued I believe. What would make someone not heed the rails and climb up on those rocks? I assume that's what they did because the walkways are gated when the sea is rough. We saw people climbing up on top of those giant rocks beyond the gates when we were there. Makes me shudder to think about it! The ocean is beautiful, but it is mighty and powerful and I respect it a great deal! I don't even want to go out on it in a boat.

Ok, I'm out of here for now. I didn't have much to say today, but I enjoy this immensely. :)

Bored, Junk and the Status Quo

2009-08-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon and all's well at our household, thank God. Jimmy's been steadily improving over the past couple of days and even though it's going to be a long haul, I think he's finally heading in the right direction.

Today is the first day I have gotten out of the house. We were out of everything from toothbrushes and vitamins to milk and eggs. Needless to say I spent a small fortune!

This afternoon I am just bored. Well, actually I'm sleepy, too, but I'm fighting it with all that is in me. There are so many constructive things I could be doing, but ughhh. Who wants to work on a project?

That brings to mind what Mother used to say to me all the time when the kids were little. She'd say I needed to start a project. Now by "project", Mother meant something like cleaning out closets, cleaning underneath the cabinets, etc. She was out of her mind. Who could do that with three small children running around? Now I don't have young ones, I have big ones and they make bigger messes than the little ones ever did. I cannot tell you how many times I have organized the cabinets in my kitchen and how many times it only takes them a week or so to undo all of my work! So why bother? Aren't you supposed to yell, "Fore!" when playing golf and a ball is coming down out of the sky? Well, we should yell "Fore!" before opening a kitchen cabinet. There is always the risk of getting pelted in the head with Tupperware and Rubbermaid.

Several years ago when I started my job, one of my tasks was to clean out the building. They brought a big dumpster and set it outside to make it easy for us to dispose of things. I need a dumpster here at home. No kidding. Do you think they would bring one if I called?? I'm so tired of all this accumulated stuff. But here is what happens to me...the minute I get rid of something I need it. It never fails. Ever. So I guess I'll just keep things the way they are for the time being and hope nobody ever drops by.

Thursday, Spunky, and making Lemonade from Lemons

2009-08-20T05:56:00.000-07:00

Where has this week gone? Things around here have been not-so-good so I just threw in the towel and said I was going to take off the rest of the week.

Yesterday was a really bad one for Jimmy, but on the up side last night was the first night he was able to lie down in the bed and get some sleep. He looks better this morning and I'm hoping that he'll be able to eat something today. He has lost 10 pounds this week, which he's happy about, but the methodology has been quite unpleasant!

One bright spot in our days this week has been that silly little bird of mine, Spunky Bogart. He can make you smile even when you feel horrible. One day Jimmy's dad came over and he reached out for him and Spunks nipped him a good one on the finger. That in itself wasn't funny, but the way Ray reacted was a hoot! Jimmy has laughed off and on all week about how he danced around. He also ate one of my mother's earrings. The little thief was sitting on her shoulder, his beak stuffed with a diamond stud earring, the post sticking out like it was a cigarette. I wrestled it away from him before he swallowed it. And then yesterday Spunky was on my shoulder making his little kissing sounds when Seth started playing with my hair. Spunky did NOT want him to touch me and you have never heard the like of fussing! We howled laughing. Like I said, he's been a true source of laughter for us when we really didn't feel like laughing.

I'm optimistic that today is going to be a better one than yesterday. Since I'm using vacation time, I am going to act like I'm on vacation as much as I can. I'm going to watch movies, nap, and read if the mood strikes me. This cluttered house and dirty laundry can just wait, don't you think?

I'm Staying Home Today

2009-08-19T05:17:00.000-07:00

Last night was a rough one for Jimmy and I'm staying home with him today. When you're that sick you just don't want to be by yourself. Not that our youngest wouldn't be here, but it's not the same.

I'm not in a good frame of mind as you can probably tell and I should stay off of here. But it seems that writing about it helps somehow. Forgive me for being Debbie Downer.

Back To Work Tomorrow

2009-08-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

Yes, I need to go. But do you know how hard it is to do it when your sick husband looks at you and says, "Don't go. Stay here with me the rest of the week."? I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. I have very little time left. There are two doctor's appointments that I know about for him that are coming up and one for me. He said to take it without pay but I don't think we can afford it. Heck, I KNOW we can't afford it. I don't know what to do. I'm so tired.

Not a Good One

2009-08-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

Today is not good. Jimmy didn't sleep at all and at five this morning he was sick as a dog. He can't tolerate anything on his stomach; he just sips a little Gatorade. It's like he's made a major reversal since he's come home. We called the doctor and he told him to rest and gave him a prescription for nausea. I worry about blood clots because of the one he developed earlier this year. We're to call back if he gets worse. I'm scared to death something has happened and his intestines have quit working after they had gotten a little start.

Sorry if this is TMI. I am frustrated and tired and don't know what to do with myself. He's ill, I'm ill, and I have the added pressure of not having any more sick leave. I'm dipping into vacation time now and that's fine, but the times I take vacation are to help me keep my sanity. I guess I'll just have to be insane.

Day Three We Made It HOME

2009-08-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was pretty uneventful. Walk the halls. Sit in a chair. Go back to sleep for awhile. My boys came over after work and they took me out for supper. We got Jimmy situated in bed, made sure he had a current dose of painkillers, had peed and didn't need a drink, then we went to Schlotsky's.

At first the boys wanted to go to Outback. Uh, I looked like a homeless woman. Well, I DID put on some makeup before we left, but I wasn't fit to go anywhere except a sandwich joint.

We had a sandwich and then went to Sam's. I grabbed just a few things- garbage bags, a giant Snak-Pak Pudding (I figured Jimmy would eat them when he got home), some pants for me to sleep in and a DVD set of Alfred Hitchcock movies for Jimmy. When we were dating we always watched Alfred every night!

Today started out rough for ole Jimbo. He woke up hurting (he had gone all night without pain meds) and sick. But as the morning wore on he was up, ate real food for breakfast and lunch and walked the halls a lot. But this afternoon it was all downhill. He did NOT feel good, but he wanted to come home. I drove more slowly than usual and we got home around seven. The poor thing could hardly make it up the steps and when he got in the boys helped to ease him into the recliner and that's where he has stayed for the past two hours. He's still feeling sick and hurting but he's had a Lortab. I just wish I knew what to do for him.

Day Two...

2009-08-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

This morning I sneaked and took a shower here at the hospital. I figured it would be easier to ask forgiveness than permission. As much as our insurance is paying, I would think it would be our perogative to use the facilities as we see fit. Anyway, I'm sparkling clean and fresh and feel pretty chipper. Jimmy, on the other hand, isn't so spry.

They took away his morphine pump and are making him sit up five hours today and walk the halls at least three times. He's sitting up, but with his head propped up against the wall with a pillow and his eyes closed!! Maybe he'll feel better the more he sits up.

We're just listening to Fox News, I'm on the internet, and like I said, Jimmy is chilling. So far, so good for Day Two.

A Hospital Story...Day One

2009-08-13T06:09:00.000-07:00

This is Day One of Jimmy's recovery from surgery.

Yesterday was a long one. We arrived at 11 at Huntsville Hospital, they questioned and started the I.V. and got him to sign papers. They also put this hospital gown on that is called "Bair Paws" and it has this tube that hooks into it where he can adjust the temperature and either cool or warm air blows into the gown and keeps him comfortable. He and I were alone in the room and we had lots of laughs, believe it or not! He's so goofy! After a visit from the associate pastor, they wheeled him off to the operating room and I headed out to the waiting room where Mother and Seth had been waiting already for two hours.

Patience is not a virtue that I possess. I did all right I guess considering the length of time we had to sit there. Of course we snacked (I'm a stress-eater) and watched the television and talked. Layke came on over after he got out of school.

Layke's first day of teaching went well. He has sixth graders, but I think he's going to be able to handle them just fine! We laughed about some things that he said and did yesterday. He's got the bluff on them already....LOL.

The hospital is just fantastic about keeping the family informed during surgery, calling from the OR to the waiting room with status updates. They called every hour. He went to recovery around 6:30 and the surgeon came and talked to us. It was a rough one with several complications and the doctor said he was exhausted. He was so exhausted, in fact, that when he left from talking with us he turned the wrong direction to leave and had to turn around! Jimmy got into a room around 8:30.

Jimmy's brother and sister-in-law came over and brought his dad, so he had quite a welcoming committee when he arrived at his room. I stayed the night and slept pretty well on a fold out chair.

Today the doctor has already been by and told Jimmy that he will be walking around some today. I don't know when; Jimmy is still sound asleep and I'm getting sleepier by the minute!

I'll update this afternoon and report on how well he did getting up and about.

ETA: Jimmy has made two laps around the nurse's desk today, which took a lot out of him, but he did it! Two separate occasions, but on the last one he had to sit and rest for a minute. He hasn't felt well this afternoon and has slept a good bit. He had some pretty bad pain for the first time, but as of right now he is easy. Several people have called asking about him and all of my online friends have emailed, texted and called. You'll never know how much that means to us!

Miscellaneous Blathering and Rambling

2009-08-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

Trying to come up with a catchy title for each blog I write is tough, folks. Today it's sitting there blank, staring at me. By the time I'm finished, I will stick something there I'm sure. If not, just look over me. I don't really have a theme today anyway.

Anyone out there have a hard time sleeping? I stay up late, sleep well for a while, then wake up with the proverbial chickens. Once my eyes open, that's it. I'm awake for the day. Well, I say awake. I'm sitting here so sleepy right now that I could just konk over. I fell asleep again last night playing Scrabble on my phone in the dark. That was the best five bucks I've ever spent! I've played the hound out of that game and I'm addicted. I don't look at it during the day because if I do I'm a goner! So at bedtime when Jimmy turns out the lights I turn on my Scrabble game and play to my heart's delight!

Oh! Oh! Oh! Has anyone tried the new coconut M&Ms? Holy Schmoly, they are amazingly delicious! Jimbo and I got the last two bags yesterday at the Walgreens in Huntsville. We shared one and I've got one stashed at home. Stingy me is hiding it from the garbage disposals who live in my house!

We went from Walgreens to Fresh Market and honey child, I could just go around and look and smell in that store all day! They had marinated fresh mozzarella with bow tie pasta and sun dried tomatoes, pita wraps, giant coconut shrimp, huge fresh dates, and all sorts of other goodies. We only bought a package of sushi (cooked, I'm not eating raw fish) and some little toasts. I wish there was sushi like that here. That wasabe will burn the hairs out right of your nose but it is delicious, as is the fresh ginger.

Yes, I love food. Especially when I'm stressed out. It has a calming effect on me. I can pop a piece of chocolate in my mouth and my worries just melt away like it does! Weird, but true.

I am getting a new washing machine today. Ours flat out died and that is something we absolutely have to have. You would think two dozen people live at our house if you just walked in and looked at the dirty laundry. It's ridiculous. Anyway, Jimmy went yesterday and chose one for us. I'm pouting because if I am going to have to spend money on an appliance, I want it to be a new refrigerator. Oh, how I want one with a freezer on the bottom! So convienient!

My house needs lots of new stuff. I need new blinds. My cat Tiger Jesus has torn head holes in my bedroom ones because she sits up on the chest of drawers and looks outside. My bird Spunky Bogart has eaten the blinds in the den. A new bedroom suite would be nice, as well as new carpeting for all of the bedrooms. But the way things are now, I'm happy to have a house. Times are rough for so many people that I'm blessed to have a roof over my head.

This morning I got online and purchased some concert tickets for myself and a couple of friends. I called right at the moment they went on sale and ended up with the fifth row. Now an ordinary person would say, "Hey, those are pretty good seats!" But me? I had a furrow in my brow and was a bit pissed that three entire rows had gotten gone in about 15 seconds. I don't believe they are gone for one minute. Some stupid computer chooses the seats...my what a tangent I'm on! That illustrates perfectly what one of my friends said to me. She said we are just spoiled. Why yes, we are. And I am not going to apologize for it. I stay on top of things to get good seats, although sometimes it happens just by good fortune! Let me give you an example.

In June a friend and I went to an outdoor event in Nashville. We walked back downtown when it was over to see a celebrity poker tournament and guitar pull. There were no seats left, so we just made our way in and sat down on the steps that were part of the stage, never expecting to get to stay there. Well, lo and behold, when they started setting up for the music the guy from the venue said we could stay right there. So there we stood, right on the very front, right in front of our favorite artist, who by the way, looked at us, grinned and said, "Why you two got good seats!" I know he thought it was funny because he saw us dragging in late. That in itself is another story. So, things work out most of the time. I'm sure the fifth row isn't going to be so bad at The Barns at Wolf Trap. It's a beautiful venue and I can't wait to go back!

Ok, enough miscellaneous blathering and rambling. Hey! There's my title! See ya later, gators.

Saturday fun and changing my mind....

2009-08-09T05:52:00.001-07:00

Georgia 2009

Air Show 2009

Gatlinburg 2007

Yesterday at the Poker Run

The thoughts of going to the doctor tomorrow are weighing heavily on my mind. It sounds goofy, but I am not in the state of mind to drive to Birmingham and torture myself when I have so much other stuff to consider right now. Mrs. Doctor won't care if I reschedule. Will she? I feel...okay. I know I should go, but I will go later. Whew. I think I've made up my mind!

My family and I had a nice day out yesterday in Pelham at a Poker Run. No, we didn't ride (Can you imagine??) but we did visit with friends, listen to music and have a few beers. Layke racked up on door prizes, but ended up giving away the lifetime front end alignment and free oil change to a dear friend who lives there. Seth got a checkerboard drinking game. Honey, if anybody filled those little glasses with hard liquor they would be smashed by the time the game was over! I told him we could play and fill them with beer...or coke! lol

I always love to look at the motorcycles. Harleys are just so fascinating to me. I remember going to Gatlinburg a few years back and there were some parked in our hotel's parking lot and I had to take a picture! I also took pictures at the air show a couple of months back and yesterday was no exception. This was a big ride and it was Harley heaven! Of course I think all the Harley gear is as cool as hades, too. The vests, chaps, doo rags, jackets, etc. are awesome. Oh! And the boots! The boots are hot-looking!

Jimmy has toyed with the idea of getting a motorcycle. His two brothers have recently bought one, but even though we love them and think they are hot and cool and all that stuff, they are dangerous. Very dangerous. I saw that with my own two eyes over in Georgia. In fact, I think some guy had a spill yesterday because his arm was all bandaged up and bleeding. I think, for now anyway, that we'll just watch.

Treadmill?? ME on a treadmill??

2009-08-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

I was minding my own business this morning at work when I received a telephone call. A cheery voice said she was calling from Dr. So-and-So's office and I have an appointment scheduled for Monday at 12. Great. The timing couldn't be better (please make note that this is heavily laden with sarcasm), but this is a yearly checkup I have to keep, so I forced a smile and told her I'd be there. But then she sprang it on me...this is the year I have to have the dreaded treadmill test! Has it been two years already?!

Those of you who know me know that I have an aversion to sweat. I remember one time I had a treadmill test and I got off of the thing after several minutes. The little attendant was asking me all these questions, one of which was "Why did you get off right now?" and I replied, dead serious, "I was starting to sweat. And I hate to sweat." She looked at me like I had two heads!

You see, I believe that there is nothing ladylike about sweating. The feeling of liquid pouring down my scalp, between my boobs, into my butt crack is not one I cherish. Ok, I know it's necessary for those who want to be toned and in shape and all fit. I've never aspired to run a marathon. As long as I can get around, climb a moderate number of stairs and walk where I need to walk, I'm good. Call me a slug. I don't care.

This morning I read in our local paper about a girl from here in my town who won a "figure" contest. She competes to show off her toned, lithe body. Ok for her. Not for me, baby. It has taken me years and years to finally accept myself the way I am. I'll NEVER be thin. I'll NEVER have perky boobs and a flat belly and make men stop dead in their tracks when I walk into the room. That's fine. For too many years I hated myself, was self-conscious and had no self-esteem. Back in my 20's I had a lady call me who was selling some kind of diet powder drink and inform me that I was "too pretty to be fat." Needless to say I didn't buy any of her miracle in a can! Hmmm. Maybe I should have and I might be a "figure" contest winner today!! LOL

The Clouds Have Parted!!

2009-08-04T04:34:00.000-07:00

This morning I feel like my normal self! I feel cheerful and happy and the dark cloud has moved from over my head. Yay!! Funky can be a good thing-IN a funk isn't!! So today I feel funky! LOL

Got up earlier than usual due the the fact that my cat was harking up a hairball. GROSS. Bless her heart. She gets some kind of rash every summer and scratches and licks and makes terrible sores on her neck. Well, I bought one of those "megaphone" collars for her and she can't lick when she wears it. I put medicine on her, snap on that collar and she's good for the night! I think it's finally registered on her that I'm trying to help her, not hurt her, and she sits still and lets me put the thing on her. But since she woke me up harking, she must have had some residual hair. Ick.

Changing the subject, but I am convinced that Yoo-Hoo is one of the best drinks ever. At Wal-Mart this weekend I saw a half gallon of it for a little over two bucks. I bought it, brought it home, and OMG!! I've always loved Yoo-Hoo, but to get it in a carton is bliss. I made an iced mocha latte with it last night. Delish.

And that brings to mind my kitchen. Have any of you ever felt like you had just completely lost control of your kitchen?? My boys are constantly cooking and the amount of drinking glasses they mess up in a day is appalling! I keep asking them why they don't just choose one glass for the day and use it? Rinsing it out is not any trouble. But noooo. I come home every afternoon with the sink piled high. The dishwasher can be completely empty but the sink is piled high. *sigh* Ah, that's not such a big problem, just irritating. I'm glad to have them around.

My daughter is gearing up for her move to Birmingham. She is moving downtown into a really cute apartment. She is a medical transcriptionist and works from home, so she is able to take her work with her. How cool is that? She has a boyfriend who lives about a block and a half from her and she's right there at Five Points near Mellow Mushroom, Jim and Nick's, and all kinds of cool places. I think she'll fit right in. She's especially delighted to be near a store that specializes in vegan and vegetarian diets. She's funny. She doesn't do it because she thinks it's wrong to eat meat. She does it to lose weight and it's worked like a charm for her. If I didn't have to give up chicken fingers and ribeye steaks I might give it a whirl! I love soy milk, edamame, rice, beans, etc. Aw heck, I like anything except sausage and Burger King hamburgers!

All this food talk has got my stomach growling. Think I'll mosey on in the kitchen (it's CLEAN because I did it last night!) and make a latte or oatmeal or something. Everyone have a nice day and thanks for putting up with my downer posts that I have written lately. Sometimes you just have to let it out, you know?

Toodles!!!

In Memory of Mona

2009-08-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

Well, the friend that I was talking about in my earlier post passed away this afternoon. I met her at an online forum in 2005 and she was like a ray of sunshine, always cheerful, encouraging, and full of life. I met her in person a few times and she was the same sweet, friendly person that I thought she would be. She has been fighting cancer for a few years now, and today lost her battle. Rest in peace, Mona. You were a special person and made everyone's life a brighter place.

Yet another Monday has rolled around

2009-08-03T07:43:00.000-07:00

Wow. A week has passed. Last week was a strange week for me. I was down, teary-eyed, just flat-out depressed I guess you could say. Yesterday it rained. When I say rained, I mean the pouring-pee-out-of-a-boot kind of raining. That seemed to just accentuate my feelings and I slept all afternoon. There's nothing like sleep when things are blue.

But when I woke up, I went shopping with my daughter and then to my mother's house for our weekly sit-and-watch-TV-together-as-a-family night. I curled up in the recliner and watched the finale of The Next Food Network Star. I wanted Jeffrey to win, but that woman (I can't even remember her name! Oh yeah, Melissa!) won and she'll be just fine.

After I got home a good friend called and I was able to vent some frustrations. Thank God for my friends. One had called me right before I left for mother's house and then one after. I'm blessed in that regard. Don't know what I'd do without them.

Today I was supposed to go to Huntsville to a luncheon. I'm totally blowing it off because I just don't think I can force myself to be all sunshiney and peppy when I'm totally not. They'll never miss me.

I grabbed a book as it came back in this morning and I'm going to try to concentrate and read it. It's The Devil's Punchbowl by Greg Iles. I usually love his books and two of the girls here say it's a good one. I remember reading one of his books that was set in New Orleans right before we made a trip there. It was cool to hit the eating spots and places that he so vividly described.

My eyes bother me more than they used to and I just don't read that much anymore. Not to mention that I fall asleep! Oh lord, my kids would say it's because I'm old! I'm NOT old. If I say that enough it'll be true! LOL

Let's hope that this week I can shake off this funkiness and be in a better frame of mind. A Bible verse came to mind this morning when I found out about the serious illness of a friend. It's amazing how the Holy Spirit puts the exact words in your heart that you need right when you need them.

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. John 14:17-19

Thy words have I hid in my heart...thank you, Lord.

Monday=Melancholy

2009-07-27T05:28:00.000-07:00

For me it does, anyway. Very uneventful weekend. I spent most of it at home watching TV or napping.

Don't know why I'm in this funk. Could be Jimmy's surgery coming up. Most likely is, with the accompanying stress about it, including, but not limited to, stress about his health, stress over sick leave (don't have enough- you try to stretch one person's sick leave over six people {me, Jimmy, our three kids and Mother}- it's hard to do!), stress over finances, stress because I'm tired, stress because I want to stay here at home with him after the surgery and stress because I can't (refer to the sick leave statement). I keep thinking that someday, just someday, there'll be a reprieve from a stressful life. Don't guess that it's going to happen. Therefore, I'm in a funk. Melancholy. Whatever you want to call it.

A pretty good Thursday

2009-07-23T12:22:00.001-07:00

I was born on a Thursday. Rachel was born on a Thursday and so was Layke. Thursday is just about my favorite day of the week.

Today started with a vanilla latte made with Jimmy's new baby, a Delonghi espresso machine. OMG, it is wonderful! I slap some ground decaf in there (he keeps his high octane beans in the machine, so I use ground espresso) press a button and PRESTO! I have a little shot of awesome espresso. I pour it into a tall glass with milk, sugar-free vanilla syrup and lots of ice. Ahhhhh. What did I do without one of these machines all these years? I know what I did. I went to Jamoka's once a week with Jimmy and Seth and plopped down 15 bucks for our drinks! Now I don't have to wait until Saturday mornings! Plus I save money. Yay!

Back to Thursday...I had a department head meeting at nine. I like to hear what everyone else in the city is doing. I'm especially interested in the recycling efforts that have begun. They are only open a day and a half a week, but this morning it was reported that nearly 500 people are participating. That's a great start. I've turned into a recycling fool! I'm no tree hugger, but if things can be used again, why bury them in a landfill where they may never go away? I pillage through the garbage at home and at work and fuss if I find a coke bottle or styrofoam! My family and my staff think I'm a wee bit nutty, but that's ok! I'll happily wash out the styrofoam containers that hold our breakfasts each Friday!

After the meeting I came back to the library and began working on some financial things that I'm going to need for my end of the year report. It has to be done at the end of September and it'll be here before I can turn around! I'll be very happy that I started doing this.

Lunch at home today was typical. Mr. Spunky Bogart had strowed seeds all over the floor. They haven't been vacuumed yet. That can wait until after 5! Jimmy went to bed after we decided that tonight we're having Cracker Barrel for supper. Simple, fast, and easy. No grease in the kitchen, no dirty dishes. Sounds perfect to me!

The afternoon has been quiet. A woman that really grates on me came in. Kind of threw my Thursday under the bus, but thankfully she didn't say anything to me. She is one of these rich women who think they are just a little bit better than everyone else. I avoid her like the plague. Jimmy and I saw her in the grocery store one day and he asked me who she was and then he said, "She looks like a bitch." Oh, how perceptive that man can be! lol

Hope everyone has enjoyed their Thursday as much as I have. Tomorrow...FRIDAY!!

Got my boy home

2009-07-22T06:27:00.000-07:00

Jimmy is now at home. Well, actually, he's at work. :( The doctor told him to stay out of work this week to recover and do you think he did? Nope. He's the most stubborn man I've ever seen. He's doing all right, eating pretty well, but he's very weak. He's taking 2000mg of antibiotics a day. That would make anybody feel like crap. I'm hoping he'll come home early today.

We go to the surgeon on July 29 to set up the surgery. I think he's scared; I know I would be! What indicated this to me is that last night he asked me if I was going to the doctor visit with him. This, from a man who never wants me to go. So I'm going.

I have a plane ticket and two concert tickets for shows August 12-15. This probably isn't going to happen. I have very mixed feelings about it even if his surgery is scheduled after these shows. I need to spend as much time as possible with him doing things and having fun because after the surgery it's going to be rough. I'm afraid he'll get a blood clot again after this surgery like he did the last one. There's just a lot to think about, and this is more important than seeing a couple of shows. I just hope when I make up my mind definitively that I can sell the concert tickets. They were expensive. The plane fare will be all right; it's with Southwest and I think you can bank your money with them for a future trip. If not, oh well.

Nothing much else to say today. I'm about caught up at work since I came in two hours early yesterday. I still have a few things, but nothing really pressing.

Another day

2009-07-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

Jimbo's still in the hospital with a perforated colon which will require surgery in about four weeks. He has to heal first. He's had nothing but jello, broth and popsicles since Wednesday. Tonight he did get some vanilla ice cream.

Scary stuff, people. The surgeon said that the surgery will be major and I dread it so bad for him. Yeah, the English minor in me says that it should read "I dread it so badly" but I didn't want to write that.

Home isn't home with him here. Even though most of the time he's playing his bass with his headphones on and I'm clacking away at the computer, we are together. We may be in the bed with him doing a crossword puzzle and I may be reading, but we are together. And when I go to sleep at night I can reach out and touch his arm or hold his hand. I miss him being here.

I guess my anger has passed that was so very evident yesterday. I'm petrified, and anger is just part of it I guess. It's a hurdle I have to jump over and apparently I did it in record time this go around.

Looking toward tomorrow with hope that he'll get some cream soup or mashed potatoes to help build his strength.

2009-07-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

Plans sure can change. Instead of getting ready to go out tonight to see Jimmy Wayne I am instead sitting in the Huntsville Hospital with my husband, who is sick as a dog. This is like bad deja vous. We have done this so many times in our marriage. I used to keep count of how many times one of our immediate family (Jimmy, me or one of the kids) has been in the hospital, but I gave up.

We've had our share, that's for sure. I don't mean to bitch about it, but it gets freaking old. I know people who have been married as long as us and nobody has ever been sick, much less in the hospital.

Here are just a few admissions:

Mystery pain about 4 times
Ruptured appendix (the reason for the mystery pain)
endometrial ablation
hysterectomy
infant sleep apnea (twice)
knee surgery
gall bladder surgery
kidney removal
blood clot

Oh, and I could go on. And on. And this isn't counting stuff like ER visits, nephritis, outpatient surgeries, etc.

I'm just depressed. I keep waiting for the time when nothing is going to be wrong. We've always joked about the "Rowell curse" we have, but it's not too freaking funny anymore.

I really, really need to vent today. People who think I'm crazy for traveling and who say things like, "I don't see how Jimmy puts up with it" can kiss my ass. They have no clue what is going on in my family or the relationship my husband and I have. What is so wrong about trying to squeeze a little pleasure out of life in between the crises? He has his music, I have my traveling. It makes us happy to do these things and takes our minds off the stresses of day to day life. And it's none of anybody's damn business.

Now. I would say I feel better, but I don't. I'll get past it. When my Jimmy is better. I'm really worried about him.

Being Lazy on a Sunday Afternoon

2009-07-12T13:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, that would be me. Miss Lazy. In my defense, I AM washing clothes and I DID cook lunch and I DID go to the store this morning. But right now, I'm in my room, light off, a Hershey Bliss in my mouth, squinty-eyed from sleepiness.

The past few nights I have gotten to where I lay down with the light off, play Scrabble on my phone and listen to my ipod. I got in the bed last night at 9:30 and before I knew it, it was three hours later! Jeffrey Steele is who I listen to the most, but Jim Croce, James Taylor, Darius Rucker (When he was Hootie) and a few others join him.

Traveling to work every day only takes three minutes. I can't even listen to one entire song! So there's really not a lot of time to enjoy my music. At work I try to turn it on sometimes but I always get interrupted so I don't even try most of the time.

Music has always been a huge part of my life. I remember when I was four and had the mumps my mother bought a 45 record of the Beatles I want to hold your hand with the flip side I saw her standing there. I laid there in the bed at my grandmother's house listening and trying to smile even though my neck was a big as a watermelon!

I collected hundreds of 45s and had some really, really good ones. When I was in third grade I was coming home from a friend's house and I dropped and broke most of them. Oh, I was sick!

By middle school I was listening to Carole King, Carly Simon, Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin and all of the Top 40 songs. Steve Miller Band's The Joker was one of my favorites. I went to Birmingham to see the Shower of Stars, sponsored every year by WVOK. The Grass Roots were there the year I went. I can't remember anyone else right off the top of my head. Maybe I can look it up somewhere online. And like most girls at the time I loved Donny Osmond and the Osmond Brothers and also David Cassidy, and Bobby Sherman. The walls of my bedroom were covered!

I went to see the Osmonds several times, as well as Chicago, The Carpenters, and the biggie...Three Dog Night!! Oh my, how I loved them! I had every album they ever put out. I was fifteen and saw them in Huntsville at Milton Frank Stadium.

When I started dating Jimmy, we went to see several concerts. We loved Willie Nelson and saw him a few times, as well as The Oak Ridge Boys. Over the years since then I have seen quite an eclectic collection of people. Wynonna, Clint Black, The Guess Who, Martina McBride, Billy Dean, Atlanta Rhythm Section, James Taylor, Vince Gill, Alabama, Kenny Rogers, Fleetwood Mac just to name a few. I didn't see many concerts during the years I was raising my children. But after they got older, I started following Bo Bice, and he has introduced me to some fantastic musicians!

I've become a fan of Gary Nichols, Kris Bell, LoCash Cowboys, Eliot Morris and countless other artists because of his introduction, influence or me being in a certain place because of him. Just because I went to the CMA Festival this year, I found somebody that I just love! Jeffrey Steele is amazing. Outstanding. Talented. Entertaining. I'm smitten. He's awesome!

Next Friday night I plan on going down to Bessemer to see Jimmy Wayne. Bo's former bassist now plays with him, and I love Luis and want to go see him. I'm even dragging Jimmy with me. I think he'll enjoy it and I hope he can meet Luis. Luis has answered many bass questions Jimmy had through me the past couple of years!

Someone Jimmy and I have been fans of for over twenty years is the fantastically talented Mr. John Cowan. We first learned of John when he was in the band Newgrass Revival. We finally made it to a couple of concerts and he is just as nice as can be and his voice is unbelievable. Check him out if you've never heard of him. That voice, man, that voice...is so powerful!

I really need to scan some of my old pictures that I took at concerts back in the day. I'll try and do that soon!

In the meanwhile, check out this website dedicated to the old WVOK. There are several pages of pictures from the Shower of Stars. I was there for the year they had The Grass Roots (as I said earlier) and now I remember seeing Climax, too. Pretty cool site! I think I was at the show in August of 1970 where Iron Butterfly played. Gosh, looks like I could remember!! I know for sure I was there in 1970. It was in 6th grade and I was 11. After looking at the advertisements I'm changing my mind. I may have been at the one with Paul Revere and the Raiders. There are pictures of Climax but it doesn't have them listed on any of the advertisements. I remember that vividly because my friend Susan's mom's eyes like to have popped out of her head when I told her I saw Climax! LOL LOL!!

http://wvok-memories.tripod.com/

Wednesday evening in the 'ville

2009-07-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

I'm at home alone with Jimmy and it's quiet, very quiet. All I can hear are the sounds of the dryer and the bell ringing in the parrot's cage. This is heaven to me. No TV, no music, no talking, just quiet.

Times like these are rare. Growing up I was used to the quiet. I was an only child living with my mother and various pets. I enjoyed my solitude and I was very rarely lonely.

After I married and had three children, it seemed that life was always at full throttle. From Sesame Street to Backstreet Boys to Ninja Turtles to Nascar, there was always something going on. Kids were in and out of the house constantly, slamming doors, playing guitars, giggling, and fussing. There were times when I wanted to scream or just run away!

Nowdays I still have two grown boys at home. It's still not quiet here. There is always an episode of Scrubs playing on the DVD player or music going or phones ringing or computers clacking. Seth does wear earphones all the time to listen to his music. I'm concerned that he's going to be deaf, but he just pooh-poohs me and keeps on wearing them and listening LOUD!

Nobody is home except Jimmy and me tonight and he's in the other room looking up blues songs on the internet. My eyes are closed as I type this and I can feel my breathing, all steady and slow. What bliss this is!

Sad news today though. The wife of a doctor who used to live here died this morning from injuries she sustained from a lightning strike Monday. How weird is that? She was taking out the trash. I remember them well. They visited our home on numerous occasions. She taught me how to make homemade sloppy joes and I fed them chili. At their home was no television-they were Mennonites- but the Mr. always rented one to watch certain football games! Their kids were little aliens, they had to be! I've never seen a 4 year old keep everything in his room spotless and every toy piece and game together organized on a shelf! Man, did my kids wreak havoc over there!

I can't remember the last time I saw her. It's funny how you say you're going to keep in touch when someone moves, then time ticks by and you never do. I'm sorry I didn't keep our friendship going throughout the years. Rest in peace, Dawn; may God comfort Jon and the kids as they cope with your passing.

Holiday Weekend

2009-07-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

It's almost over, unfortunately! Friday was a nice day. We got up, had breakfast and cleaned up things a bit. Then we grilled some burgers and hotdogs and played Rook all afternoon and evening on the patio. We made some delicious margaritas. I have finally found a mixer I like! That might not be a good thing...!

Yesterday we went to Jimmy's aunt & uncle's house and I stayed in the pool. Jimmy, Layke and Seth were poops because they didn't swim. That water sure did feel good! It wasn't really that hot here, which is surprising. The 4th of July is usually so hot that it's miserable. We stayed until the middle of the afternoon, then came home, napped, and then last night we had the ribs and such that Jimmy had smoked. He's really good with that smoker!

Today it is raining. It hasn't rained here in a while. I have started cleaning in my room. Where does all the dirt and dust come from?? And the stuff. I have more stuff! I've thrown away quite a bit and I'm not halfway finished. I want to clean out the bookcase, which will be a major undertaking. I took down my curtains because I hate them. To me it's better to not have anything but blinds up instead of curtains I hate! I'm going to look for a new bedroom suite. Not sure I can afford one right now, but I'm going to look.

This blog is about as interesting as wet cardboard. Nothing to say much and I'm in a blah mood. I'll do better the next time.

July 2, 1977

2009-07-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

This morning I was driving down the road and it hit me that today was July 2. I got engaged on July 2! And it was THIRTY-TWO years ago! Holy cow!

I don't remember a whole lot about the day. Jimmy was rushing around, getting ready for a jazz band performance in our town's main mall. He came into my bedroom, dropped a ring box in my lap and flew into the bathroom and started fixing his hair. (Oh, how vain he was about that beautiful blonde hair!) I remember sitting there with my heart pounding and I opened the box. There was a beautiful solitaire ring in there, white gold, and I was just shaking! I can't remember what he said, but he poked his head out of the bathroom and I said, "Well, at least come and put it on me!" He did, and we left to go to our town's 4th of July celebration.

Details of that day are blurry, but I remember showing that ring off to everybody! It's not like we hadn't talked about marriage, but this made it official! If it doesn't sound real romantic, keep in mind that Jimmy was 17 years old! LOL! No romantic dinner with candles and wine for us!

Another thing I remember is going to Guntersville to the lake where his family was having a picnic. It was either the next day or actually on the 4th. I remember his Paw Paw Eason being there and me showing him my ring. And I remember that Paw Paw asked me if I had heard that song, "Margaritaville"!

So, that's how Jimmy and I got engaged. Awesome, huh? ;)

Monday again...ALREADY!!!

2009-06-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

Jeffrey Steele

Gavin DeGraw

Preston, LoCash Cowboys

Another weekend blazed by me. Whew, they seem to get faster and faster.

Friday night Jimmy and I went on a "date", something we rarely get to do. Date=going out by ourselves, FYI. We went to Red Lobster in Gadsden. I think I love seafood better than any kind of food. We got there and a couple from Albertville was sitting out front. I worked with the man and sat in meetings with him for years and I worked a few years on a charity thing with the woman, but I swear, they acted as if they couldn't quite place me. Rather than be offended, I got tickled about it. I told Jimmy that I must make one heck of an impression on people! They kept looking over at me surrepticiously, so I know they were thinking, "Where do I know her from??" I just ordered my drink and sat there and sipped it while we waited for our table, secretly relishing the fact that their minds were on overdrive trying to figure it out!

We were given the very back booth in the restaurant, which was nice. We ordered and Jimmy had not had any carbohydrates in quite a while, so he was stuffing in the cheese biscuits. Well, about the time I grabbed the basket and told him he was going to make himself sick, the waiter came, overheard me, and sat another full basket of biscuits in front of Jimmy, making some comment along the lines of he'd just put those there for him. He must have thought I was a Royal Bitch.

We were enjoying our crab legs and I swear, the kid in the booth across the aisle, one back from us, puked all over everything. Thank goodness I couldn't see anything, but Jimmy was giving me the play-by-play. ICK. Some poor guy dressed in a hazmat type suit came out and scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. He earned his money that night! I heard the little boy, about 3 years old, say, "I yucked." I cracked up because that's what Seth or Layke used to say!

Saturday morning we got up early and headed down to Jamoka's and then went on to Trade Day. That's a flea market for those of you who may not know. There are always so many cute puppies there, and as usual, I saw some little English bulldogs that I just loved. They were absolutely adorable! We picked up a few odds and ends and then headed home to the sporting goods store.

Jimmy had told me about something that Frog Togs makes called a Chilly Pad. You wet it and it feels 20 degrees cooler than the air temperature. I was going to an outdoor concert on Sunday, so he wanted me to have one of them. After a few more errands, we landed at home where we stayed the rest of the evening.

Sunday morning I got up and headed for Huntsville where I met Debbie at the Cracker Barrel. I was sitting on the porch waiting for her when she called and told me she was getting pulled over. She got a ticket. What a way to start a trip!

After our lunch at Cracker Barrel, we parked her car in the airport parking and I drove us on to Franklin, TN. Debbie's GPS, "Bo-Bo", guided us right to the park where we were going. We drug our cooler and our chairs across the street and found a spot to sit. There was NO shade whatsoever. It was a jillion degrees. We didn't see anybody we knew, so we just settled in. Later on we would see Cheryl and we moved our chairs to the other side.

LoCash Cowboys came on first. They are such cuties. They do a fun show. After they finished, it was time for Jeffrey Steele. He sang a few songs, then introduced his surprise guest, Gavin DeGraw! He's awesome! He sang a few songs while playing the keyboard. Then Jeffrey came back and rocked out until about 9 o'clock. The man sang nearly THREE hours and I didn't see him take a sip of water and he did not take any kind of break. It was an incredible show. We're going back next year. Better take care of that Chilly Pad. Looks like I'll be needing it again!

I drove home this morning and got to work around 11:30. I had forgotten my round brush, so my hair is pitiful. My cooler, which was setting on top of my suitcase yesterday, leaked all into it and all over my clothes. So Debbie lended me some pants to wear on the trip home. Thankfully I had ironed and hung my work clothes, so I was able to change into them when I got to work. I used 50 sunblock yesterday, but you can still definitely tell I've been in the sun. That's an oddity for me. I'm a Southern Belle who believes in staying lily white. Not gonna happen this year! After my trip in August I'll be even browner!!

I'm in a slump

2009-06-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

Last night I was so tired that I went to bed early to read. Well, I was just miserable, so I decided a hot shower would do the trick. Wrong. I was just clean and miserable. This morning I woke up feeling not-so-lovely, but I drug around and got ready for work. Even with taking my shower last night, I was still out the door later than usual.

The city gave a retirement brunch for one of our department heads this morning. It was nice and the guy will be missed. Of course I ate a plate of stuff. I don't feel that bad. I have to be dying not to eat, unfortunately.

Lunchtime consisted of driving home, letting the bird out of the cage, and flopping on the couch to watch One Life To Live. I actually fell asleep, but woke up in time to get back to work.

So I'm slumping toward quittin' time and it cannot get here fast enough. Only 20 minutes left, thank the Good Lord.

Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T12:47:00.001-07:00

Me and my "baby daddy", Jimmy! LOL!!!

Today I celebrate my wonderful husband, Jimmy. He is an excellent father to our three kids, who are now young adults. I hope he has a most enjoyable and relaxing day!

I never knew my father. He passed away when I was four months old. Everyone who knew him said he was a fine man. He was 36 years old, had been married to my mother for 15 months, and was principal of the local elementary school. He had been in WWII, serving in Patton's Third Army. He attended and graduated from the University of Alabama after returning from the war. He minored in Spanish and mother said that when they went on a vacation to Mexico he was jabbering to everyone. My daughter Rachel has a propensity for foreign languages. She must get it from him!

Even though I didn't have a father in my life, I had two grandfathers who loved me and stood in the gap. My Paw Paw Smith was a farmer and a county road crew worker. He and my Maw Maw lived on a farm and I spent countless hours there when I was young. My Grandpaw Thrasher was a retired police chief and was a contractor. He and my Grandmaw lavished me with love. My daddy was their youngest child. Just one example of how they spoiled me...I was living in Jacksonville for the summer while my mother finished up her graduate degree. I DESPISED going to summer school. I was an A student and repeating all the work I had done the previous school year was boring me to tears! I remember my grandfathers both told me that if I would go and stay just one more week, I would have a surprise waiting when I got home.

The next week I arrived home and what did I have? A shetland pony! Not just any shetland pony, but one that was brown with a white mane and tail, just like I had always wanted! Grandpaw Thrasher had bought him and my Paw Paw Smith was housing him on his farm. I remember how I loved that pony, whose name was Thunder.

Well, that's just a little bit of a blog for Father's Day. I'm going to go and spend some time with my kids' daddy now!

TGIF

2009-06-19T08:02:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a rather quick week. The cold/allergies I had sure took a toll, but I'm about over them. Tuesday afternoon I went home at lunch and slept the rest of the day. Exciting anniversary, huh? Ah, we can celebrate any time!

The most exciting thing to happen to me this week happened yesterday. I was at work, paying bills, and I had bb.com up on the computer. Well, Bo got online and was posting back and forth with people. Suddenly he posted that the first three persons to call his SayNow number would get to talk to him live! I had my iphone in my pocket and I just so happened to have SayNow saved as a contact. I pressed the button right quick and imagine how surprised I was to hear a recording say I was next in line to talk! I flew out the back door of the library, praying the connection would hold, and I heard Bo come on the line. I said hello and he did too, and I told him my screen name. He laughed and said, "Hey, Lisa" and something to the effect that I was fast!

My goodness, my heart was beating out of my body, but soon I calmed right down. Bo is so easy to talk to that he immediately put me at ease. He told me to make sure and spread the word that this was REAL, that it wasn't a recording! We talked about several things- his kids, last week, how he's always been "country" (he said he didn't know what the thing was with people, that he had always been country) and that he listened to country radio; he told me about how he wanted to stay connected with the fans and that he wasn't doing things on a huge scale, he was playing small venues. He said he wanted to be a good husband and daddy. I told him how much I admired him for that. He spoke of how sad it is that huge artists are in the news for beating their girlfriends/spouses and things such as that. Let's see...I told him I was at work and really shouldn't be on the internet, but oh well! We chit chatted a little more and were about to hang up and I told him that last week was my 30th anniversary gift from my husband, that I can always remember their anniversary on the 15th because mine is on the 16th. He told me he was glad I came and for me to be sure to thank Jimmy and give him love for letting me come up and spend last week with him. Then my stupid phone dropped the call!! I'm so glad I got that much time in, though. He went back on line and posted that he lost me, he didn't hang up, he promised! He's such a sweet person.

That's just one way my ordinary life is sometimes extraordinary! I usually keep my Bo posts to my Bo blog (http://www.boonthebrain.blogspot.com/), but this was something totally out of the ordinary for me! I also have recapped every day I spent in Nashville and posted pictures over there. I'm doing it every corresponding day this week, so I'm up to Friday. I've got to work on it, then I'll have two more days of CMA Fest to blog about! Check it out if you're so inclined.

It was 30 years ago today...

2009-06-16T15:46:00.000-07:00

I married my true love on this day 30 years ago. Where has the time gone? We were such kids, yet thought we were so grown. Throughout the years we've had good times and bad, but we went through them together and came out stronger. I cannot imagine life without him.

My most vivid memory from that day was how he looked at me during the wedding ceremony. And he still gives me that same, sweet look and smile today. I adore him.

Three days in a row?!

2009-06-04T12:36:00.000-07:00

Left to right: Me, Karen, Terri, Pam, Janet and Cindy

Can you believe it? I must be in a chatty mood. Sometimes I just cannot shut myself up!

Things are awfully quiet at work today. I did my yearly employee evaluations and I've still got to pay some bills, but other than that nothing is pressing too much.

Jimmy asked me last night if I would like to go see Diamond Rio Saturday night. Well, yeah! He's going to see if he can score some tickets to the Alabama Poultry and Egg Festival. That's where they are performing. We've seen Lonestar there before, as well as Little Big Town. It's always held at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center and tickets are like $150 each. It's a fundraiser and usually Jimmy's company has some tickets floating around. We shall see.

Ya'll, I am addicted to Scrabble. I have it on my home computer and when I got my iphone that is the first app I bought!! I lay in the bed and night and play in the dark until I literally drop the phone. Am I sick or what?? Since I got my phone on Mother's Day, I have played 68 games with 1 Draw and 11 Losses. Not too bad. And what is so funny is that I typically win by playing three letter words! I'm just really picky to use triple letter, double letter, and double word placement. That helps a lot! So use that little bit of advice for whatever you think it's worth!

When I went home for lunch today I played two games while I was watching One Life To Live. Now that is my show! I think Todd Manning is sex on a stick. He is gorgeous. Today Jessica remembered everything surrounding the birth of her baby. Now the dilemma is...will Starr and Cole be willing to let Marcie have the baby as they had originally planned? Drama, drama! It's mindless entertainment, but I've done it for so long that I just can't abandon this group of people that I've known since I was like 17 years old!

Now that all of the regular TV shows are in reruns for the summer, I have not even been watching television at night. I've spent my time outside on the patio or on the computer or listening to music. It sure makes the evenings last longer, which is a good thing.

Tonight I have nothing planned. I really should get my clothes out and try on stuff to see what I want to take with me to the CMA Festival next week. My goodness, I'm going to be gone from Monday-Sunday, so I'll have to have a LOT of stuff! And I want to be comfortable, that's for sure. I hope I see some good stars. I know I'm seeing Bo at least four or five times. He's busy all week at charity events.

Ok, that'll do it for now. I'm not promising I won't come back and type more, though!

Oh yeah, I'm putting up the picture of me and the girls from work taken out at Santa Fe Tuesday night. We were celebrating Janet and Karen's birthdays. Funny how we always choose something that we enjoy ourselves to give as a gift! ;)

Things get complicated sometimes

2009-06-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

Have you ever done something that inadvertantly hurt one of your friends and you felt like crud because of it? Well, this has happened to me today. Well, actually last night. Plans were changed which I didn't think would be a big deal and apparently it is... I sure do hate it. I'm hoping that she realizes that I would never, ever do anything intentionally to make her feel bad or left out. :(

I need a piece of quiet

2009-06-02T08:21:00.000-07:00

That's what Seth used to say when he was small...he'd say, "Mama, do you need a piece of quiet?" I guess he had heard me say I wish I had some peace and quiet quite often!

Jimmy and I went out riding around Sunday afternoon like we do sometimes. We take back roads and pass lots of nice wooded areas and pastureland. We live on a very busy road and even if it's late at night or early in the morning, I can hear traffic. I sit on my patio and I can hear the little birds chirping among the noisiness of the cars. I told Jimmy Sunday that I just crave to be out in the middle of a field somewhere in the complete and utter quiet. My house is never quiet. Jimmy thrives on noise. He says he likes the tv on even when he's studying his Sunday School lesson. That just blows my mind.

Thankfully my job is a relatively calm one. But libraries aren't as quiet as you might believe! The hustle and bustle gets into full swing at times and there are babies crying, kids screaming and people yapping at one another full force. Cell phones ring even though we have a sign up for people to silence them.

Am I the only one who craves peace? It's like my soul needs it. If I can start the day out quietly, the entire day goes so much better for me! This morning I sat on the patio (my sanctuary, pictured above) and enjoyed the stillness and the coolness and the company of my animals. So far I feel very tranquil. :)

Back to work Monday

2009-06-01T09:18:00.001-07:00

Well, I made it through the allergic reaction and a weekend of swollen eyes and sneezing due to outdoor allergies. I'm sitting here in an airconditioned office wishing I was sitting on my patio with my bird on my shoulder and my dogs sticking their heads through the gate to say hello. It's well worth the sneezing and swollen eyes!

I adore my animals. My little bird, Spunky Bogart, is the sweetest little thing. To me, anyway. He's a devil to everyone else, but he LOVES me! He preens my hair and my eyebrows, he gives me kisses and he wants a bite of whatever I have to eat. Last night the silly bird ate stuffed eggs!! I called him a cannibal.

My cat, Tiger Jesus, almost 10 years old. She was a little orphan who showed up in my front yard and I brought her inside. Her meow sounds like a quack. She's an odd bird. It took years for her to trust me. Now she and I have a wonderful cat/human relationship. She loves to sit on my shoulder when I'm on the internet and she always comes and sits beside me or on my shoulder when I'm sitting in the den. At night she snuggles up on my right side. She wouldn't DARE get in the bed next to Jimmy!

Oh, and then there's the dogs. Pugsley is 12. He snorts and sniffs and sounds like he's dying all the time. He's a cute little old man. My heart hurts when I think that a pug's life expectancy is only 10 years. I don't have that much time left with the little thing. And the basset just loves everybody. He is so meek he flips over on his back the minute anybody says a word to him. The Great Pyr is a big old baby.

I wish people were as kind and loving as animals are. I feel like I'm a square peg trying to fit into a round hole most of the time. This town is my hometown, but I have no close friends. I'm not comfortable at church, especially after the unfriendly woman experience on Easter. Jimmy is happy and thrilled with his Sunday School class, but when I used to go to it I just felt weird. I'm not sure who all is in there now, and I really should try it again, but when Sunday rolls around, I stay home.

I'm going to say something that some people might totally disagree with, but I'm saying it anyway. Throughout the years, no matter what church we were members of at the time, when hard times came, it wasn't church people who called or gave support. A couple, but on the whole it was the friends we had contact with outside of church who came, called, etc. And we've been through the mill throughout these years. Jimmy was sick a lot in his 20's with different things, the boys were seriously sick several times (Seth had to have a kidney removed) and Rachel has been through more in her life than anybody typically does in their entire lifetime.

I guess I'm saying this to say that I'm not depending on people, I'm not depending on a church, I'm depending on Jesus, because He has never, ever failed me or let me down in any circumstance. He's always there. Always. Whether I'm sitting inside a church building or sitting at home or shopping at Walgreen's, as Seth and I do quite often on Sunday morning. He's with me. I really wish I could find a church to worship with that was casual and relaxed. All I know is there isn't one around here. I do have one friend at church and we do lunch occasionally. She is the only person that I feel like I can be myself around.

Oh me. I got off track big time, didn't I? Oh well, it was weighing on my mind. I just keep in mind a scripture that God put into my mind and heart back when I was studying The Purpose Driven Life several years ago. I asked Him what was my purpose in life. And this is what He immediately put in my head.

What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 NIV

That about says it all.

And to reinforce the fact, when I got to work that morning I opened a package from a Christian book club and there was a 5x7 card with a pretty scene on it with the very same verse on it! Coincidence? I don't think so!

Wouldn't you know it??

2009-05-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got up and faced the day knowing I could only have clear liquids. I went to Foodland and bought all different kinds of juices, popsicles and jello. I worked half a day, came home and popped the two magical pills that supposedly would get me started on my way to colonoscopyville. Four hours later I had to start drinking this salty stuff that I flavored orange. I could have chosen cherry, pineapple or lemon-lime, but I chose orange on Jimmy's recommendation.

At six p.m. I drank a glass of the stuff. Yuck! I sat on the couch all snuggled up to Jimmy and about 7 or 8 minutes later I vaguely started itching. It didn't register on me at first. Then I looked down at my chest! Blotches were all over my chest, arms and legs! Bumps started forming and my mouth got as dry as cotton. I promptly called the pharmacist. He said he had never had anyone have any problems with the liquid, but he would check. I held on for a few minutes and he came back on the line and told me that yes, reactions like mine occur in less than 1% of people who drink it. He told me not to drink any more. No kidding. I guzzled some Benadryl and clawed my way through the evening, feeling nauseous and light-headed.

On the up side, I did get a Coke icee and some fries from Burger King. (I know, I despise Burger King, but I will eat their fries and drink their frozen Cokes!)

This morning I still feel like a truck hit me. The blotches finally faded out an hour or so ago and I no longer itch. I took pictures of the rash just in case nobody believed me! It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?

Thankfully I received a call from the hospital last night. They wanted to pre-register me and I had the opportunity to tell them that I would not be there this morning. Nor any other morning. Dr. D can just forget about it! It was just a screening test and I'm not going to worry about it.

Dum Dah Dum Dum...

2009-05-27T17:56:00.001-07:00

Sounds like doom and gloom, huh? Well, it is. Tomorrow I have to prep for a colonsocopy. OMG OMG OMG. All this stems from my little annual visit with the gyno, and he is insistent that I need one just for screening purposes! OMG OMG OMG. No food tomorrow. Just stupid clear liquids, popsicles and broth. Yuck. The I start popping some little magic pills at 2 p.m. What joy that will be! And the worst...the GALLON of crap I have to drink. (no pun intended)

What I dread is the I.V. And the drugs. I despise to be drugged. I'm allergic to a lot of drugs so it scares me to death to take anything. The actual poking and prodding? Well, that doesn't bother me too much. Sounds weird, but it's the truth.

So today I've eaten some good food. Didn't need it, wasn't really hungry at supper, but you know what? Tomorrow when I'm starving I'll be glad I had that steak.

Tuesday, which feels like Monday

2009-05-26T14:38:00.001-07:00

Kris Bell @ The Limelight

Kris again...

Us with Kris on stage

Happy Birthday to my sweet Jimmy on the 24th!! We celebrated by going to Nashville right after work Friday. We flew up the interstate, arriving in Franklin at our hotel around 7:30. We hurriedly freshened up and changed clothes and headed to downtown Nashville. It was so crowded that we thought we would never get a park, but we finally did and had a wonderful dinner at Demo's. If you've never been, you're missing fantastic food! http://www.demosrestaurants.com/

After dinner we headed over to the Limelight to meet some friends and see the Kris Bell Band. Kris is such a fantastic guitarist, and he's a really nice guy, too. He did a wonderful show, and at the end he had us come and join him onstage. How surreal, standing up there as he tore UP Freebird! Awesome!

Saturday Jimmy and I slept late and barely had time to check out of the hotel! We rode around Franklin and it was so crowded that there was nowhere to park. We ended up back at a barbecue place that Jimmy had seen called Bar-B-Cutie's. He wanted to eat there and I told him that Bo loves the barbecue from there. I can see why! It was wonderful...we got sampler platters and they had fresh creamed corn and cornbread pancakes. We'll definitely go there again! http://www.bar-b-cutie.com/

On the way home we stopped at Starbuck's. Jimmy is the world's biggest espresso lover and he always has to stop when we see a Starbuck's. He likes our local coffee shop, Jamoka's better, and I have to agree, they have better coffee. But this was good and we sat there and had our coffee before heading on home.

The rest of the weekend was spent just lazing around. We went to Mother's house to visit, but aside from that we pretty much stayed home. Jimmy and I did go to Applebee's Sunday for his birthday lunch. I made pizzas that night at Mother's for the entire family.

So I'm back at work today, a Tuesday, but it feels like Monday. But hey, I get to go home at 5! I only have two more days to work this week. I have the dreaded test on Friday...

Woozy Wednesday

2009-05-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

That's how I feel today. Woozy. Stomach kinda hurts, head hurts, I'm freezing. Blech. I'd much rather be at home.

Last night I was banished to the bedroom while the boys and Jimmy watched Mall Cop. I watched American Idol, piddled a little bit on the internet and read. Speaking of read, I am reading the best book! It's called The Help and it set in Mississippi back in the late 50s/early 60s. The story is told from the perspective of a white woman and two black maids. Well worth the read if you're so inclined.

American Idol makes me tired. They have two very different individuals competing and one is an amazing vocalist-probably the best AI has ever had-and then there's the little humble, shy guy who is America's sweet thang. Can't wait to see who wins.

My Bo is back out there in LA this week attending finale festivities. Notice I said "my" when referring to Bo. He is mine. I have supported, voted, traveled thousands and thousands of miles to attend concerts, purchased CDs, prayed diligently, laughed and cried for this man. He has become an extension of my life in a weird kind of way. I tell people he's my hobby, for lack of a better word. Through him I've made lifelong friends. Heck, my BEST friends are friends I've made because of him. He's always been so kind to us, and he knows us "repeat offenders" by now. He calls me by my name or my screen name every time I see him. He always expresses his gratitude to us and I just love the man. It's so good to see him healthy at last, and happy with a wonderful wife and two adorable kids. So that's just a taste of why I call him "my" Bo.

Changing the subject completely, but this morning I thought I would put a glaze on my hair, one that is supposed to make it shiny and the color more vivid. Oh yeah. My hair looks like I have poured lard on it. It's as limp as a dishrag and is so greasy it looks dirty. It will be washed during my lunch hour. I can't stand it! There just wasn't time to rewash it before I came to work. That crap is going into the garbage can. Do not buy John Freida gloss. It's terrible.

I made an appointment to get my hair trimmed tomorrow. I've been letting it grow and I don't want it cut off; I just want it shaped up some. I have three weeks before CMAs so I figure if he does get scissor-happy it will have time to grow some before then.

My son is supposed to be bringing me a coke for my stomach. He's taking Seth to get his hair cut at 11:00, so maybe he'll be here before long. Coke is a miracle drug for me. It soothes my stomach like nothing else will.

Speaking of medicine, that reminds me of pharmacy, which reminds me of the little boy who got killed at our local pharmacy Monday. He was walking out of the store and was on the sidewalk when a Cadillac SUV jumped the curb and hit him. The 77-year-old driver apparently was trying to park the SUV and hit her accelerator instead of the brake. I do not know the family of the child, but it is just a horrible tragedy. And it's also tragic for the driver; I cannot imagine how she feels. I've harped at my mother about being careful driving. She actually has called me on her cell phone while she's driving!! Frankly, I wish she would just chill about driving places. She has gotten better about it; she lets Rachel take her to Huntsville and Birmingham now. It just drives Layke up a wall. She has these "spells" sometimes after she eats and feels like she's going to pass out. Sunday, after we all had breakfast together at the Food Basket, Layke insisted on driving her. He would NOT let her drive because she has passed out on him several times! Once she broke her ankle. They were staying at The Wynfrey in Birmingham when that happened. Then she did it at Los Arcos here in town. They cannot find one thing wrong with her! They call it neurocardiogenic syncope. So...how do you tie down a stubborn 76 year old????

Marvy Monday!!

2009-05-18T15:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, it has been a Marvy Monday. I started out with a mammogram (sorry if that's TMI) then the day has been just lovely. Lovely at work, lovely at home. Great mood.

I'm all hepped up though. I'm not going to jinx it by saying what about, but keep your fingers, eyes, toes, and anything else that will cross crossed for me! I can let you know this time Thursday.

Went home and had salmon and cereal for lunch. Yes, you heard me correctly. I had salmon with hot sauce and crackers first. Then I was still hungry, so a bowl of Special K with red berries and skim milk just hit the spot. The girls at work always ask what I had for lunch because I eat some strange combos. Jimmy fusses at me, but I just go pick at this and grab a bite of that. I think I'll keep a diary of it and see what is the weirdest thing I eat for lunch this month.

It's almost time for me to be out the door. I finished up the last of the bills, made the copies of the bank accounts for Jonboy at city hall and I interpreted Roman Numerals for a lady on the phone. I entered a contest to win audio playaways, which are like books on a little MP3 player. Got the new NY Times Bestseller list posted, ordered what we didn't have of them. Also ordered some Doubleday books. I can get hardcovers there of books that are only printed in paperback. I cleared all of the old notices off of the bulletin board and straightened some bookshelves that were messy. So that's just a taste of my day. I'm smiling because people are actually USING the hand sanitizer that I put on the circulation desk!! I just had to stop and put a squirt on my hands. I'm kinda germ phobic.

We had a new restaurant open today in Albertville. A guy I went to high school with opened a wing place. Jimmy and the boys went there for a late lunch. I can't wait to hear what they had to say about it. Naturally they didn't bring a wing to me. :( I guess they thought I had eaten too much salmon and cereal already.

Spring Bash, Baybeeee

2009-05-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

Me and Barney!

Kiddos going on a train/plane ride

Jimbo in front of a Piper

Lined up waiting their turn

Lots of motorcycles

Details on a Harley- how cool is this??

Southern Biker Boy's jacket patches

Personalized helmet :)

Business end of a fighter jet

In memory of 9/11...and also a Gordon fan!

Well, old Albertville had a great event today! We headed down to the airport around 11. We parked in a humongous field and a shuttle bus carried us right up to the gate. It was so fascinating to see those airplanes do all those aerial stunts. One of them looked like it was on a roller coaster ride!

There were food vendors, planes, antique cars and Harleys everywhere! We walked all over the place, had a BBQ sandwich, corn on the cob, and I met Barney Fife! Wonder where Andy was?

On the way out I got a decadent treat- fried Oreos. Yes, you heard me correctly. They dip them in funnel cake batter, fry them and dust them with powdered sugar. They were really, really good and I got powdered sugar all over me! My camera was covered, my shirt was covered, my jeans were covered and my face was covered with white powder! I was a spectacle, but I don't care! LOL It was fun. :)

Tuesday Morning and All's Well

2009-05-12T07:44:00.000-07:00

All's Well, Thank God. Monday was a bitch. I don't know if I have some sort of psychological problem or what, but Mondays absolutely kill me. Yesterday was no exception. The day started off with me in a terrible mood at work. Then Jimmy's espresso machine came in and it doesn't work. Talk about a dejected man! We are going to send it back to be repaired. I really felt sorry for him.

I went to buy my mascara that was on sale at CVS, thinking I had a dollar coupon. Duh, I had a coupon all right, but it was for another brand of mascara. Got home and ate some wonderful leftovers, but my boys acted like I was offering them hog slop so they went out to Burger King, the nastiest fast food establishment in exisitence. At around 8:30 it dawned on me that it was the day to make Amish bread. I had gotten some starter and the first go around I had thrown it away. This was my second batch and I just couldn't do that again, so I sent Jimmy to the store for pudding mix and I baked bread. It came out of the oven at 10:00.

Hopefully today will be a good one. It is so far. And I just realized that I put up my Mother's Day blog without putting up a picture of my mother. Nice, huh? I'll put one up on today's post. I need to take her a loaf of that Amish Friendship bread that I made last night. I guess I can get the boys to drop it off to her today sometime.

This blog is totally boring. Sorry, folks.

Layke just called. He's having friends over tonight for chicken wings. Big bonus for me...he's cleaning up the house today! Whoo Hoo! LOL~

All right, I've held you poor readers hostage long enough without providing one entertaining tidbit. I'll do better tomorrow. I hope. ;)

Happy Mother's Day!!

2009-05-10T07:19:00.000-07:00

View from the balcony of The Lodge. Pretty, isn't it?

The Rowell Grandchildren, minus Tyler and Layke (who was working.) L to R: Jordan, his girlfriend, Kindra, Ryan (fiance') and Tisha, Seth, Jordan, Chelsea (fiancee')and Justin. Matt (fiance') and Riannon are missing, too! And Rachel. And here I was thinking I had them all in one spot! LOL

Jimmy and me. Doesn't he look thrilled? He hates to have his picture taken.

My daughter Rachel and me.

These are the pictures of the wedding that was taking place at The Lodge while we were there.

This is such a wonderful day to me. I always get such sweet attention from my kids, and I get to prepare lunch for my mother. When I stumbled over to the computer this morning, propped on my keyboard was a card and a silk rose from Layke. Now how do you suppose he knew I'd find it there first thing? LOL, my boy knows me! Jimmy had a card for me also. I laughed because he said he started to get a funny one, then opted for the romantic one. Atta boy.

Last weekend I went to Georgia for a Bo show, and my family was meeting me in Oxford. My friend Debbie from Pelham was driving, so that's our meeting spot. We had just passed Six Flags on the way home and I got a phone call from them, telling me to meet them at Best Buy instead of Cracker Barrel. When I asked why, they said that I was getting an iphone for Mother's Day!! Talk about stoked!! I was thrilled to death! When we got there a tornado was passing through Jacksonville, but that didn't dampen my enthusiasm. I have played with the thing all week. I absolutely adore it. The camera is wonderful and I've bought both Scrabble and Jeopardy to play on it. Woo Hoo!

Rachel didn't like the cover I had for the phone. (naturally) I had gotten a shock-absorbing one and a military grade protective covering for the front and I was happy. But now I have a hot pink skin for it. Guess I'll just swap them out! Seth has a Palm Treo and he's quite envious of my phone. His is nice, but the touch phone is much easier than his which requires a stylus.

Anyway, enough about my phone! Yesterday afternoon we met with Jimmy's family and went to the graveyard where his mother is buried. Of course we took pictures of one another. I have got more pictures of myself in graveyards than any other place on earth! Then after we put flowers on her grave, we all went to the State Park Lodge and had dinner on Ray Daddy. We then went over to his house for awhile.

While we were at the lodge, a couple was getting married out on the terrace. It was kind of sprinkling rain, but they got through their vows before they had to move inside. I sneaked a couple of pictures of them. It was a sweet wedding and I hope they'll be very happy, whoever they are!

I hope everyone has a fantastic Mother's Day. Lots of love goes out to my mother, who has always been there for me, strong, loving and supportive.

Saturday in the park, but it wasn't the 4th of July!!!

2009-04-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

Blog? What blog? I seem to forget I have a blog!! Anyway, I need to get caught up...

Well, since Layke has been home it's been very pleasant. All his boxes arrived safely and he's been out applying for jobs. PLEASE, God, let him get a teaching job!!! Seth is beside himself that his brother is home and Rachel's pretty tickled, too. Especially after the other night...

Rachel made some bad decisions and was dating a guy who was quite the mooch. She finally came to her senses and dumped him, but he wouldn't leave her alone. He actually wanted to drive her car to Talladega this past weekend! When she said no he kept persisting. He sent endless text messages and called her incessantly. So it's brother to the rescue. He called the guy and firmly but nicely told him to leave her alone. Plus he told him to NEVER call my mother's phone again (which he did when Rachel ignored his calls to her phone). That is what sent Layke over the edge. He was so mad smoke was coming out of his ears. Anyway, the guy got the message and hopefully we will never see his face again. Ever. Enough of Jerry Springerness. I despise drama and this guy's family LOVES to wallow in it. It's been so peaceful since he's out of the picture.

Jimmy and I had a nice weekend. We got up early and headed out to Trade Day. Man, it was swarming with people with strollers, people with dogs, people, people, people! We saw lots of junk and lots of cute little puppies for sale. Oh the pugs were adorable! As was the English bulldog puppy. Jimmy grows weary of me oohing and ahhing over the animals, but I can't help myself! We grabbed a corndog (there's nothing better than a Trade Day corndog slathered with mustard) for a late breakfast and Layke got some boiled peanuts for the road!

We piddled around the rest of the day, going to Wal-Mart and then we ended up at the beach at the state park. Jimmy and I sat on a picnic table and watched a few people in boats quietly fishing. It was so peaceful. We've decided that we're going to go there more often. The pictures I posted are not ones that I took. I'll have to take my camera next time and take some of my own. We are trying to decide where to go for our anniversary. Just a weekend trip- so does anybody have any suggestions? We're thinking of flying, so it can be somewhere that isn't drivable.

Speaking of driving, Sunday the boys got up at the crack of dawn and headed to Talladega. I slept in, got up and ate a bowl of cereal while watching some TV, then I cleaned the house, went to the grocery store and just basically chilled. It was heavenly!

My boy is home!

2009-04-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

After almost two years of living in Maine, my oldest son has moved home! He arrived this morning, but boy, what an experience he and his friend Justin had trying to get here!

Justin flew up there Friday to help Layke get everything packed and shipped home. They were to fly out yesterday from Portland, ME around 2:40. Well, Layke calls me and says he has good news and bad news...the flight has been cancelled but they are rebooking them. Ok, an inconvenience, but not too bad, right? Wrong. They could not get a flight out of Portland until Thursday! So Justin and Layke rode a bus to Boston, spent the night there and left out at 6 a.m. this morning.

Jimmy, Seth, Layke, Rachel and I went to lunch at Santa Fe and I heard all of the details of the trip. Layke said both he and Justin lost their cool with the airline people in Boston. They tried to make Layke pay for his luggage again. That went over like a lead balloon! I'm just glad they are home safely!

I wrote a long blog when Layke left for Maine. It just about killed me for him to go, but he did a good work up there and was blessed in countless ways. But I'm SO glad he's home!!! :)

Now, does anybody know of an opening in a school for a music teacher??? He's certified P-12, so hopefully he can find something!

It's official. I'm a Senior Citizen.

2009-04-09T20:45:00.000-07:00

Yeah, mother thought it was hilarious to tell me to stop and get a "senior" drink at McDonald's today. I don't THINK so!

I walked into work this morning and all the girls were hiding and they had decorated my office in black. They had balloons everywhere that said "50...and the party continues..." which I felt was appropriate for me! I ain't quittin' no time soon. They had made a black tombstone and had dead ivy hanging from it. Oh my, it was quite the spectacle. No more lying about my age...not in the library anyway! Or here, where I'm telling the world! Ah, I'm just glad to be here!

This afternoon I took off work and went to Huntsville with Jimmy. Mother and Seth came along for the ride and after Jimmy's doctor visit (which went very well) we went to Ross. Ross is my favorite store in the whole entire world! I find Liz Claiborne clothes, Born shoes, Levi jeans...anything my little heart desires there at fantastic prices! Today I got three Liz shirts, a rocker shirt (it's for my wild side) and two pair of sandals. AWESOME. Jimmy got some nice shirts, too. Mother found an outfit for Easter.

Oh, let me tell you about Mother and her outfits! She wears the craziest things together and today I made sure that everything matched! What is it about older people that make them wear such strange color combinations?? Mother wore socks and open-toed shoes today, but I let it slide because she had a toenail removed last week. But she does look hilarious when she wears her big yellow fleece pullover, navy sweat pants, white socks and black Aerosole shoes. I'm not fashionista, but that is just plain funny!

After shopping we drove back to Guntersville and had dinner at Top of the River. I hadn't been there in a while and I love their slaw, cornbread and catfish. And I love the pickled onions! I love anything and everything pickled! Beets, okra, onions, eggs...pickle 'em and I'll eat 'em!

We walked outside by the lake and I took some pictures. We then went back to Mother's house and had cake. And here again is something hilarious that Mother did...I had said I didn't want 50 on anything, so what did she do? She had them put "59th Girl" on my cake. Huh? Somehow she interpreted that to mean I was born in 1959! I'm sitting here laughing out loud trying not to wake up Jimmy. Mother is a hoot!

Oh me, I can't quit laughing so I've got to find something else to occupy my time and get my mind off of my goofy Mother. Later, folks!

Tomorrow is my Birthday

2009-04-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

Oh yes it is. And I'm not too hyped up about it. God, I hate getting older. I should still be 18. It's just not fair!! Nothing I can do about it so I might as well make lemonade, huh?

My mother has been on me to choose a piece of jewelry for my gift. She wants me to have something to keep. Well, after looking at stuff online together, I could see that we have opposite taste in jewelry! So this afternoon she and I went shopping. Mother wanted me to have a cross necklace and I found one I LOVED! It is marcasite with mother of pearl inlay. Gorgeous! I chose a long chain for it and I am already wearing it. Ha- there is no way I was going to wait until tomorrow!

One thing that has driven me batty this week is that Jimmy and Mother and the rest of my family have looked and me and asked what we are doing for my birthday. Why are they asking me? Aren't they supposed to plan something FOR me? I finally just told them where I wanted to go out for dinner. Jeez.

Oh, speaking of eating, if you live in Albertville make sure and go to the Mexican ice cream shop across the street from Whitten's!! Let me tell you, that is some awesome stuff! They had been open last summer, then they closed and I was sad. Then the other day I saw the sign again! Yay! So this afternoon we went by there and I had not one but two scoops of ice cream...coconut and pine nut. It is the best stuff I've ever tasted!

I feel all disjointed writing this blog. Nothing is falling together smoothly. Can't be "on" all the time I don't guess. All this week I've been rather BLAH. I need another B12 shot even though I had one last week. I cannot think and all I want to do is sleep.

I think I'll try and do better tomorrow. Adios. (Must be the Mexican ice cream talking...LOL)

I FOUND IT! :) :) :) :) :) :)

2009-04-03T22:08:00.000-07:00

Last night after unleashing the hounds here I settled down to surf the internet. The whammo, it hit me. My charger was in the bag with my medicine. I'm not crazy after all! Well, not much. ;)

Today it was back to work. I spent all day working on the monthly statistical report and also going through my email, sorting and deleting. Not too much fun, but it was soon lunchtime.

Jimmy and Seth came to get me and we went to the Yum Yum Tree for a bite to eat. They usually serve enormous portions so today I asked to get small ones. She made the plate just right! Small servings of pasta salad and crab salad and an even smaller one of potato salad. Perfection!

Mother came by the library this afternoon and she had on these god-awful yellow socks with some black toeless shoes. Of course I cracked up but felt like a heel after she told me she had a toenail removed. Ouch! I went on to her house after work.

Rachel was typing and I finally got to meet the puppy, Juliet. She's a Husky and has the most gorgeous blue eyes I've ever seen! She's a strange little thing, though. Sarabella sat with me. I adore that baby! She's a Bichon Frise that Rachel got at the animal shelter and she's now Mother's dog. She's the sweetest thing!

I came on home, took of my uncomfortable tennis shoes (nothing but Sketchers for me from now on) and checked the internet. I hadn't been on since I left the house this morning and I had some catching up to do.

Around 6:30 I called a friend in Ohio. I had to tell her all about my Nashville trip and we talked until 9:30. During this time I picked up Seth from work, took him to Burger King and ate some French fries. Jimmy was playing music and right as I hung up the telephone he pulled up into the driveway. Perfect timing!

He's sound asleep and of course old night owl me is up. It's already Saturday morning. I'm such an idiot!

I'm going to go to bed and tomorrow I'll post about my Nashville trip at my Bo on the Brain blog. Good stuff, folks!

Insert Angry Face Emoticon Here

2009-04-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

Man. I went to Nashville (I'll blog about it on my Bo on the Brain blog) and I came home today happy as a clam. Tonight I started getting things ready for bed and do you think I can find my phone charger??? NO!!

What makes me even madder about it is that back when I went to the end of February Bo shows I got home and put my other phone charger and my mp3 charger on my bed. They freaking disappeared! And now THIS one is gone. I distinctly remember getting it this morning, wrapping the cord around it and putting it...in something. My purse, my camera bag or my suitcase seem to be the only possibilities. But I have searched high and low for those chargers and they just are not to be found. And I'm pissed off royally. My phone will die tomorrow, I just know it. I NEED MY CHARGER.

I looked under my bed and through my computer desk and through the dirty clothes and in all my tote bags (no small task) and underneath the dresser and chest of drawers. Nothing. I found Christmas socks, some Oil of Olay face moisturizer and several coat hangers. And of course in that computer desk I found lots of "mystery" cords. I have no clue whatsoever as to what they connect. They are going in the garbage.

This is a hissy fit on paper if you don't recognize it. I would stomp my foot if it would help. Maybe when I come back tomorrow I'll be in a better humor. And have my phone charger.

Tuesday's Gone With the Wind

2009-03-31T18:49:00.001-07:00

I love that song. Tuesday IS gone...it's almost time to go to bed, then in the morning I head off to Nashville with my friend Debbie! We always have the best time together and we're going to see lots of our friends that we haven't seen in a while. Can't wait!

Last night I went to the Town Hall Meeting here in town. Well, I could have told you exactly what would be discussed before I went. Hwy 431, rental property, mobile food units, retail business and ordinances. There was a good crowd of both whites and Hispanics there. But I really don't think anything much was accomplished, sad to say.

This morning I woke up at 3 a.m. with a headache. At 4 I finally got up and took something, then just as I went to sleep my alarm started ringing. Today was NOT a perky day. Work was work. I had gotten wind that we're going to have an internet policy enforced so I encouraged everyone to get a web email address if they didn't have one at home and to start cleaning off all personal pictures and documents if they had any on the computers. I don't really know what to expect except I heard that we would be randomly checked just like we're randomly tested for drugs. I personally think it's stupid, but I guess they are afraid that somebody is going to go to an inappropriate website or something like that. We rely heavily on the internet at work. I do all of my book and supply ordering online and I can find answers to questions instantaneously for patrons. Of course we'll be permitted to do that, but what if they see where we've looked up "venerial disease" and think we're researching privately for ourselves?? Where does the monitoring end and how do you police it? I guess I'll find out before too long.

Speaking of computers, I'm super pissed at mine right now. For some reason it will not complete the process of burning a CD. It burned three songs and then quit. Said I had a damaged disk. No way. It's brand new and I'm FURIOUS at the stupid thing!!! It does this all the freaking time.

Crap. I'm just going to watch Without a Trace and forget it for now. Toodles.

Stormy Saturday

2009-03-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

Today has been productive around my house. Jimmy and I attacked that room of Layke's and I'm ashamed at how much junk we had accumlated. By junk, I mean clothes. We packed up I don't know how many bags to give to the thrift store. If I were industrious I would sell them on eBay, but I'd just as soon get a tax receipt.

After we finished up in there, we got ready and went shopping for Jimmy some new pants. He's lost about 25 pounds and really needed some. The only problem is he seems to be right in between sizes right now, but we did get one pair for him. I spotted a Fossil purse I would LOVE to have, but the thing was 78 bucks and I'm too cheap. I'll wait and find one on sale or just do without it. I had an outfit in my hand, too, but decided to put it back. I spend way too much money!

We went on and had lunch at Santa Fe and I had no appetite. I only had a few bites of my salad, 1/2 roll, about 1/3 of my steak and a little of my potato. I am still not hungry but I'm not sick. Strange.

Seth wanted to come home, so we dropped him off and headed out by Rachel's house. Naturally she wasn't at home. This was the second time we've tried to catch her with no luck. Then Jimmy asked if I wanted to go somewhere and I said sure, never dreaming he's drive all the way to Nixon's Chapel, through Snead, Walnut Grove and back up through Egypt to Boaz. I was SO tired of riding! He knew I wasn't real thrilled so he suggested we stop at Tuesday Morning. We ended up going in Peebles and of course I bought something. For Christmas I had given Rachel the cutest peace sign necklace and they had them 60% off today so I got one for me. :)

Next stop was Mother's house and we ended up going to the grocery store to pick up some things she needed and we did our shopping, too. When I got home I cleaned out the refrigerator and fixed a big bowl of scraps for my dogs. Well, I was feeding them and I looked down and my pug was just lying there, not moving, choking. I grabbed the little thing up and did the Heimlich Maneuver on him and this huge hunk of chicken came flying out of his little throat. He was so scared! Jimmy had picked the chicken off the bone and he warned me that Pugs would probably get choked but I thought the big dogs would wolf down the chicken. I was so wrong! I petted him and calmed him down and it scares the crap out of me that he would have died if I hadn't been standing right there! That's twice he's been choked lately. We decided to buy him canned food from now on. Poor baby!

Storms started moving in and we were under tornado warnings. My big old Great Pyrenees is petrified of storms so he flew in the door as I was coming in and got right in the middle of our bed! When it started thundering louder he moved in the den with us. He's still in here as quiet as a mouse. My cat is in love with him and won't leave him alone! She wallows all over him. This was the first time my bird had seen the dog and you should have seen the way he was hanging off the cage looking at him! It was hilarious! Yes, I live in a zoo!

I'm patiently (yeah, right) waiting on a stupid basketball game to be over so we can watch something else. NCIS is coming on and we also need to finish up Twilight. I've seen it but Jimmy hasn't and last night we started watching it and he fell asleep halfway through. YAY!! It's over!! Maybe Jimbo will stay awake to finish up the movie!

Thursday's Ramblings

2009-03-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

Oh, thank goodness, the work week is almost over! I've got to get busy this weekend and get Layke's room ready for him to move back into. Since he's been gone, it has turned into the laundry/ironing room and it's a mess. Where I'll put all that crap is beyond me, but I'll make do!

This afternoon Jimmy has a doctor's appointment in Huntsville. Wish I was going along for the ride because I know he'll stop at Starbuck's. But I've missed too much work in the past month to go today. Long story short, Jimmy, my mother and my daughter were all in the hosptial at the same time in February. Jimmy and Mother were in Huntsville and Rachel was in Arab and there I was, running around like a chicken with its head cut off! Thankfully they are all much, much better now and things are looking up. One thing I will say about their illness though- Huntsville Hospital is fantastic. They got wonderful care there. MMCN was ok with Rachel. MMCS ER- well, that's a whole different ballgame. Don't get me started. I don't know who nurse Angela is, but I'd like to claw her eyes out. Good thing I was stranded in Baltimore at the time- I might be in jail otherwise. Suffice it to say that nobody would let a dog suffer like they let Jimmy suffer that day. Incompetent bastards. Pardon my French.

Deep breath and I'm moving on...

I'm trying to make my mind up about going to the CMA festival this year. That is the week before our 30th wedding anniversary and Bo hasn't announced an appearance yet. It will be a load of fun but I just don't know if I can fork out that much money. I've got to make my mind up real soon. My friend Debbie has booked a room and I need to let her know something soon. Next week she and I are traveling to Nashville to see a show. Kelleigh Bannen, a recording artist from Nashville who lost her brother to drugs last year, has been doing "90 gigs in 90 days" in order to to raise awareness about the power of addiction and hope of recovery. Next Wednesday night will be the 90th and Bo is making an appearance with her. He had her open for him for four shows to help fulfill her 90 gigs. There are several of us "local" (TN and AL) girls going to support the cause and a few from other states, too. We always have a great time together.

Jimmy is going tonight to rehearse with the Classic Rock/Country/Blues band. The name of it is Morgan's Acre. They came up with that a couple of weeks ago. Two band members have the last name Morgan and they practice at their house, so I guess that's kind of where the name came from. Personally I liked Twisted Dixie that they had tossed around, but they were afraid it would give the wrong connotations to some people. The Contemporary Christian band's name is A 1000 Second Chances. One of the young guys came up with that. I like that group; it is such a hodge-podge of people. Their ages range from 16 or 17 to 48. They're really good and opened for Disciple in January. That was such a fun day! We got to be there from the time Disciple arrived at the church and we met them and listened to them do their sound check. My son Seth was thrilled to death. He has loved Disciple for years!

Back to the present...tonight I plan on watching Criminal Minds that I recorded last night, see who gets voted off Idol (Please, God, let it be Megan!!!) and I'm going to watch Grey's Anatomy. Sounds like a couch potato night to me!

My life story- I'll hit the high spots!

2009-03-25T14:09:00.000-07:00

Some of you may not know me, so I thought I'd tell you about my life up until this point.

I was born to Jesse and Mary 15 months after they were married. Sadly, my father passed away when I was 4 months old, leaving my mother a 26 year old widow.

Growing up I was surrounded by loving grandparents, both on my maternal and paternal sides. Aunts, Uncles and cousins abounded and I didn't lack for anything. I spent many of my days at my mother's parents' farm where I played barefoot in the fields as the cotton was picked. My first dog was Lady, named after the Disney character. Lady and the Tramp was the first movie I ever saw at the theater. It is still my favorite Disney movie of all time! Sunday afternoons were spent at my father's parents' house where my aunts and uncles congregated. For a treat we'd go to the store and get a "cold drink". My Grandmaw's favorite was grape and that's what I usually got, too.

I lived in town and attended a school a couple of blocks from my house. In second grade my dad's father (Grandpaw) bought me a Shetland pony and I kept him at Paw Paw's farm. His name was Thunder and I adored him! He was brown with a cream colored mane and tail. I talked to that pony just like he could understand me. I also had a pet cow named BeeBee, and I talked to her, too! My favorite toys were my Barbies and my toy horses and guns (of all things!).

Elementary school was not fun for me. I didn't like it AT ALL and fought Mother tooth and nail about going! I was at the same school, Evans, for 1st-5th grade. Wednesday was "turnip green day" and I always brought my lunch! I rode the bus every afternoon to the high school where Mother was teaching.

Middle school is where I made the friends that I kept all through high school and many of them are still friends today. Mrs. Lumpkin was my 6th grade teacher and she read to us after lunch every day. She'd call us "Lazy Ray" if we didn't do as well as she thought we should at something and if we acted sleepy she'd have the entire class go and run around the tree at the front of the school! We sang Christmas songs for her study club during the holidays and we were all awed by her big home with its staircase that had ribbon-wrapped spindles. They looked just like candy canes!

Middle school also brought the first boy-girl parties and school dances. A group of boys our age had a band and they would play "Born to be Wild", "Magic Carpet Ride" and a couple of other songs over and over! Inevitably a few of us girls would have a spend-the-night party afterwards and we had to discuss who danced with whom and if anybody got kissed!

I was also in the band, as were the majority of my friends. In 9th grade we were finally at the high school and marching halftime shows. I remember riding the band bus to away games and singing at the top of my lungs. A personal favorite to belt out was "Satin Sheets". How I knew that song is beyond me! My focus had been on Donny Osmond, David Cassidy and Bobby Sherman. Where does "Satin Sheets" come into play?? I was singing it to make fun of it in actuality...just like I did when I sang "On the wings of a snow white dove"!!

In high school I was in band, was in color guard 10th-12th grade and was captain my senior year, I was on the annual staff and was editor my senior year, I was in Beta Club, Future Homemakers of America, Junior Civitans and I even took Latin one year and was in the Latin club. One of my favorite memories is from Latin class in 9th grade. Every single day us girls would stand and look out the window of the 3rd floor and watch Freddy Carr, this drop-dead goodlooking senior football player, walk across the campus. Every single day, without fail, we'd watch him. He didn't know we were alive! LOL!

During high school I did the typical teenager things. I had a boyfriend, I talked on the phone for hours with my girlfriends, I took biology and put together the bones of a frog, I participated in class skits and attended rock concerts.

At the end of my Senior year I started dating Jimmy (hubby) and he was my Senior Prom date. We went to the lake after prom and stayed out all night long. I got home around 7 a.m. A favorite local band, WARM, played for prom and Jimmy had a man-crush on the bass player. We attended many WARM concerts and we always had to park ourselves right on the front in front of Lanice.

I graduated and attended the local community college and then transferred to Jacksonville State University. Jimmy and I had such fun dating. We went to the movie, hung out with friends, and attended I don't know how many Willie Nelson concerts! We went parking to the music of Fleetwood Mac, Rod Stewart and the Eagles. I can still remember the exact places in the songs where the 8-track would click over!

Jimmy and I married when I was in my Junior year at JSU. He had begun work at a local plant and we were ready to take on the world! I continued on in school for a year after we were married and was ready to do my student teaching and found out...I was pregnant! Child #1 was born on December 11, 1980. I started back to school to finish up my degree and WHAMMO, child #2 was on the way! I graduated when I was 7 months pregnant with him! I kidded him when he graduated from college, telling him that he walked across the stage with me when I got my Bachelor's so I needed to walk across with him! Child #3 was born 19 months after #2. I had my hands full!

I was full time mommy for 13 years, living on McDonald's Happy Meals and Sesame Street. I watched my kids play soccer, cheer for the Pee Wee football team, take ballet and tap, go through school participating and excelling in the band and choirs, attending Bible school and church camp and growing into young adults. Where did the time go?

When my oldest was 13 I went and got my Master's Degree and began my job as a Library Director. I've been here 15 years now. My kids are all grown (as I said in my first blog) and Jimmy and I are enjoying ourselves, doing the things we like to do. He's a fantastic bass player and played for years in a bluegrass band. They played at corporate parties, weddings, and Panoply of the Arts in Huntsville to name a few places. Now he's traded in the upright bass for a jazz bass and a 5-string and he's playing in a Contemporary Christian band as well as in a Classic Rock/Country/Blues band. I'm enjoying myself being a Bo (Bice) Peep, traveling all over the U.S. to see his shows, visit with my friends, and I'm having a blast!

That's about it up to this point...maybe you know me a bit better now and will enjoy reading about my day-to-day life.

Here I go!

2009-03-25T09:50:00.000-07:00

Off and on during my life I have written things down- a diary in elementary school, a journal in high school, on an old computer when my kids were little. What saddens me is the old computer and all those files are gone. :(

My sister-in-law has a blog and it has inspired me to write things about my ordinary life. Amazingly, ordinary things become extraordinary as time passes. So that is my goal. Hopefully I'll get by here every day or so and write something down!

Today I got all dressed up for work because we were supposed to have a department head meeting at city hall. Well, it was cancelled and here I sit in an outfit that I typically do not wear to work. When I first got this job in 1994 I dressed up every day. As time passed I noticed that our patrons are dressed casually, so I decided to do the same thing. Why should a librarian dress up like an executive? Not my thing, so now I wear khakis, sketchers, and casual tops.

On the personal front, my wonderful husband had grilled burgers when I got home last night. He had the potatoes cooked and ready for me to make potato salad. I told him, "Cooperation makes it happen- tm Sesame Street!" We spent the rest of the evening doing our own thing. He chatted with a friend on the phone, watched a movie and played his bass. I talked on the phone, surfed the internet, cleaned the kitchen and watched a little television. Our life is very comfortable. We are happy just being together, not necessarily doing the same thing. He's very generous in letting me go and do things that make me happy. I, in turn, wave him goodbye with a smile when he goes to play his music. After 30 years together, I can truthfully say we love each other more and more as time passes. He says he'd rather spend time with me than with anyone and I feel the same about him.

Yesterday I did it. I joined an organization that will tell the world that I'm old!! I did it to get hotel discounts. What a lame excuse, but hey, every little bit helps and 10% is 10%!! Admittedly I get depressed thinking about my age. I feel in my heart like I'm 18 and I know I always will. That's what makes me sad when I see people in nursing homes or people who are physically ill or limited in what they can do. I know that inside their hearts and minds they are still young and I feel so bad for them.

My kids are all adults now. My oldest son, who has lived in Maine for the past two years, is moving home!! Whoo Hoo! He will be here April 21. Hopefully he can find a teaching position. He is certified P-12 so surely he can find something somewhere close by.

My daughter is my oldest child. She's a medical transcriptionist and lives with her boyfriend. Not exactly thrilling to me (the living with her boyfriend thing), but she's grown and I can't make her decisions for her. At least she is independent and has a good job! She was married six years and is now happily divorced. She's the world's biggest Bob Dylan fan, is smart, funny and very talented.

And last but not least is my youngest. He's 23 and such a special person! I've never met anyone who is as kind-hearted as he is. He works at our local grocery store and is the world's biggest Nascar fan. He is his daddy's best buddy and he helps me out a lot around the house. And he's so funny- maybe I can remember some things he has said and I'll write them down!

That's it for right now. Hopefully I'll get in the groove of this and get more organized!