This ‘N That On Monday…

It’s another new week, and here I am!  It’s been a bit crazy around here, and this is the first chance I’ve had to get on my computer in several days.  This week is already shaping up to be a bit crazy, too.

It’s barely eight in the morning, and my yard is already filled with trucks, and several workmen.  After three long months of waiting for the remodeling crew to get to us, they’ve finally come to build a cover over our front porch.  Yay!  As I’m writing this, the men are literally sawing the banisters off of the porch.  Oh my!  It’s going to be an interesting day.  Hopefully, by the end of the week, we’ll be able to sit on our porch again–and actually stay dry when it rains!

For the second time in a month, my brother and sister-in-law came to Georgia to attend a funeral.  They spent Friday afternoon and evening with us, and we had another good visit.  It’s just unfortunate that our visits came about under those circumstances. I hope the next time we get together will be for a relaxing visit at the beach.  I’m so ready for that!

Our oldest son’s hot water heater needed replacing, over the weekend, so Ed spent most of Saturday helping him.  Now, our oldest son is not a ‘do-it-yourself’ kind of guy, but Ed and I convinced him he could handle this task, with a little help.  It took the guys most of the afternoon, but they were successful, in the end.  The worst part of the deal was the two [60 mile] trips to Lowe’s that the job required–our price, for living in the country. Of course, one of those trips to Lowe’s wasn’t just for the hot water heater, since I rode along and picked up a few plants for the yard!

Ed and I have been doing some ‘spring cleaning’ around the yards, lately.  We’ve added a few trees, plants, and some new edging.  We also uncovered the fountain, and fertilized the grass.  Our next stop will be the vegetable garden!  Speaking of the vegetable garden, Ed’s taking tomorrow off from work, and we’ll be doing some planting.  Look out aching backs!

Our youngest son called us yesterday afternoon, and said that his family had been plagued by the stomach virus, most of the week.  Baby Evan caught it first, then it quickly spread to everyone else!  This family just hasn’t been able to catch a break during the entire month of March!  I do hope April will be kinder to them.  Of course, Brad did mention that he had a summons to report for jury duty on April 1!

The only unpleasant part of the weekend was the time Ed and I spent working in his parents’ house.  We continued to sort and clean out a few more of his late parents’ things.  This task always leaves me feeling heavy-hearted.  ‘Trouble’, the cat, who’s lived at the house, alone, for the past 16 months didn’t help my somber mood, either, but I don’t think we’ll have to worry about that much longer.

‘Trouble’ has become ill.  She’s over thirteen years old, and age is finally taking its toll on her.  She doesn’t eat much anymore, and has begun to lose weight.  Her breathing is labored, and she doesn’t  have much energy, these days.  Yesterday, ‘Trouble’ wanted to walk through the inside of the house, so we let her.  One more time–and probably the last time–she checked everything out.  I couldn’t help but wonder what she must have been thinking.

Speaking of Ed’s parents, tomorrow would have been my father-in-law’s birthday.  He was born on April Fool’s Day, and used to joke that he was “an April Fool”!  Ed’s parent’s wedding anniversary would have been March 28.

I suppose I should end this post before I get all sappy about things I can’t change.  I’d best get up and go find some laundry to do–or something equally as thrilling.  Perhaps I should find something to do in the opposite end of the house, since the living room is pretty noisy, at the moment.  The men are literally taking the end of our house apart!

Have a great Monday, everyone!

 

 

Advertisements

Springing Into Another Hodgepodge…

Even though our current temperatures (32 degrees!) don’t show it, this morning, we’re ‘officially’ a week into spring! With that thought in mind, let’s all think warm thoughts as we spring into this week’s questions.  Thanks so much to our hostess, Joyce, for providing the questions and a place for us to link up with others!  Don’t forget to visit others, and leave a few comments along the way 🙂

1. March is known as the windy month. Which of the following phrases best fits your March so far…’throw caution to the wind’, ‘three sheets to the wind’, ‘run like the wind’, or ‘see which way the wind blows’?

‘See which way the wind blows’ would aptly describe my March.  It’s been a month of several  twists and turns–including the deaths of several people we know (six, so far!), a salary cut for Ed, and a hospital visit for our grand baby, Evan.  Whew, I hope April will be calmer!

2. Your favorite green food? Your favorite dish made with your favorite green food?

I don’t know why, but ‘Watergate Salad’ (also known as pistachio salad) was the first thing that came to my mind when I read this question.  You know, it’s the salad that’s made with pistachio pudding, cool whip, pineapple, pecans, and mini marshmallows…  so I’ll choose ‘Watergate Salad’ for my answer.  Now I’m hungry!

3. Ever been locked out of your home-car-office-anywhere? Do tell!

Once I locked myself out of my car, but even worse, I locked the twin babies I was caring for inside of the car!  (It was one of my all-time scariest moments, ever!)  My car was parked in the shade, in front of the twins house, so the babies were never in any real danger, but by the time I finally got a locksmith to come and help me get into my car, an hour later, I was a total basket case!  The twins were fine.

4. Yoda, Kermit, Shrek, The Wicked Witch of the West, Oscar the Grouch, The Grinch, or Mike Wasowski (Monsters Inc.)…of the green characters listed, which one’s your favorite and why?

My favorite green character is Shrek, simply because I enjoyed the Shrek movies.  I loved that crazy donkey and those hilarious fairy-tale characters!

5. “The first task of a leader is to keep hope alive.”~Joe Batten Do you agree? Why or why not?

Yes, I agree because it would be very difficult to lead anyone anywhere, or to do anything, without a glimmer of hope.

6. Share a favorite song with an emotion in its title.

Since I just finished reading the autobiography of  the late Jim Croce,  his music is still in the forefront of my mind.  I love almost all of Jim’s songs, but one of my favorites is “I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song”.  Now that I know the story behind the song, it’s even more special!

The story goes something like this:  Early in Jim and wife, Ingrid’s marriage, Ingrid went to Mexico, to study art, I think.  Soon after she arrived, she was raped, by a casual acquaintance.  A short time later, when Jim joined his wife in Mexico, Ingrid confided in Jim that she’d been raped.  Jim became angry at Ingrid, feeling that she’d somehow brought the rape on herself’.  For a long time, he couldn’t get over Ingrid’s rape, and this caused  problems in their marriage.  One night, after a huge fight with Ingrid, Jim stayed up, and wrote “I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song” for his wife– over forty years ago!

The video, below, contains some old images of Jim and Ingrid, together, along with images of Jim’s hand-written lyrics and the sheet music to the song.  Jim is singing “I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song”  in the background.

7. What’s a road trip you’d like to take?

Now that the trees are budding and the flowers are blooming, I’m feeling the need to take a road trip to the beach!  I can hear the sand and surf calling my name!

Random:

One day, last week, our oldest grandson, Caden rode his bicycle down to play with our granddaughter, Madison, who lives next door to us.  About that same time, Ed and I decided to plant our lettuce and cabbage plants in the garden.  When Caden saw Ed raking the dirt off the top of the garden row, he quickly abandoned playing with Madison, and started “helping” Ed work in the garden!  As it turned out, I dug the holes, Ed set the plants, then Caden watered them for us.

 A picture is worth a thousand words, right?

“Gardening Buddies”

Miscellaneous Monday…

our pear trees

Spring has officially sprung in our area!  The trees are filled with beautiful blossoms, and the azaleas are beginning to bloom, as well.  I even noticed those little ‘crosses’ on the tops of some pine trees, which always signal spring/Easter.  Ed has mowed grass twice already!  This doesn’t mean we won’t have another ‘cold snap’, but I think all things are in ‘spring mode’–including the animals!  (more on this another day!)

I kept our grandson, Chase, while his parents did some Easter shopping, on Friday.  Chase and I enjoyed each other’s company while watching three episodes of ‘Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and playing with the Mickey Mouse Railroad set.  Things went well until nap time, then Chase’s stubborn streak came out!  Let’s just say…Chase didn’t take a nap–not at my house, anyway!  He sat in the middle of the bed and watched me attempt to rest 🙂  The little stinker!

Chase, playing trains with me

For the first time, in several weeks, our house was noisy, crowded, and very ‘alive’ on Friday night!  Once again, our entire family was able to gather together, and it was great to see everyone, all in one place, again.  Ed was the cook, this time, serving up a delicious ‘Low Country Boil’, something we don’t have very often!  I think it’s safe to say, we all enjoyed it!  Good times and good memories were in the making.

The rest of the weekend remained relatively busy.  Brad and his family left, on Saturday, to visit Jennifer’s family, and Ed and I piddled around the house, working on various projects–or should I say, Ed worked while I watched.  By the end of the weekend, all of our grass had been mowed, including Ed’s mom’s yard, ‘the girls’, aka our hens, had a new extension on the roof of their home, and the water line at Ed’s mom’s had been repaired.  Ed went to bed tired!

Okay, now that the weekend has come and gone, Monday means it’s time to kick-start the week with a little ‘Monday Quiz’.  I’ll be joining Heather and Wayne over at ActingBalanced.  If you wish, you can play along, too, by clicking their button below!

1. Wednesday is “Make Up Your Own Holiday day” – what will it be for you?

I may be celebrating with a ‘Spring Cleaning’ holiday.  I’ve been feeling the need to do some of that!

2. Is your March full of madness?

Yes,  the month of March was filled with some ‘madness’ for us!  First, Ed’s work salary was cut by 5%, then our grand baby, Evan, got sick, and stayed sick for two whole weeks, culminating with a visit to the hospital!  Hopefully, April will be kinder.

3. Yesterday was National Chip and Dip day – are you a fan? What is your favorite dip, favorite chip?

I’ll eat chips and dip, but it’s not high on my list of ‘must haves’.  Hamburger dip with tortilla chips is pretty good though!

4. Is it a good idea to write about discord in your workplace on your blog?

Writing–anywhere–about discord in the workplace is never a good idea.  You never know who might find it and read it–and what the consequences might be!  You have to be careful who you talk to, as well.  I once got called in and reprimanded for discussing discord in the workplace, after I confided in a ‘friend,’  whom I thought I could trust 😦   Thank goodness, those days are well behind me, now!  On that note, I’ll just say…

Happy Monday, y’all!

Thursday’s Thoughts ~ Messin’ Around With Jim…

(image via Google images)

After two weeks, I finally finished the autobiography of Jim Croce, entitled I Got a Name – The Jim Croce Story!  I’ve been a long-time fan of Jim Croce’s music, and owned all three of his last albums, back in the 70’s.  I played them constantly, and still remember most of the words.

I, like so many other fans, was heart-broken when Jim’s life was claimed in a plane crash, en route from one concert venue to another.  Jim died at the age of thirty, just as his career was beginning to sky-rocket, leaving behind a wife and two-year-old son, Adrian James, now known as A.J.

While I’ve always loved Jim’s songs, I had no idea of the story behind the man and his music.  Fortunately, his widow, Ingrid, along with her current husband, Jimmy Rock, finally decided to share Jim’s story–forty years after his death.  (The book was written a long time ago, but never published)

Here are just a few interesting facts I learned about the man and his music:

Jim began his journey with music, at the tender age of five, by learning to play the accordion!

Jim was a college graduate, but preferred to play, write, and sing music, above all else.  Jim’s decision to play and sing [for a living] caused a rift between him and his dad.  That rift never really healed since Jim’s father passed away before Jim became really successful with his music career.

Jim played and sang folk songs, while he was  in college.  He met his wife-to-be, Ingrid, during a ‘Hootenanny’. (She performed, while he was a judge.)  Jim was in college, and Ingrid  was still in high school, at the time. They later married, while Ingrid was studying art, in college.  The two began playing and singing together whenever and wherever they could.  They wrote several songs together, as well. 

In addition to making music, Jim’s various other jobs included: selling radio ads [in the black section of town] , writing radio commercials, working on a construction crew, truck driving, and even teaching some very rowdy special ed students!  He wrote several of his songs based on some of these experiences.

Jim wrote virtually all of the songs on his three albums from the 70’s.  He was a talented song writer, who used his life experiences to make lyrics for some great songs.  He carried a pen and notebook with him at all times.  He frequently carried a tape recorder, as well.

Unfortunately, Jim wasn’t able to open up and talk to his wife, when problems would arise between them, and, sometimes, he wrote songs to tell her how he was feeling. (I’ll Have To Say I Love You In A Song, and Tomorrow’s Gonna’ Be a Brighter Day are two such songs.)
 
In order to avoid being drafted, Jim joined the Army National Guard two years before he and Ingrid were married.  Unfortunately, he wasn’t ordered to actually report for basic training until exactly one week after their wedding!

Jim and Ingrid – still newly weds

(image via Google images)

Jim hated Army basic training!  His wife states “Jim didn’t take directions easily”.  Ultimately, Jim was forced to repeat basic training for a second time, even though he passed all of the tests the first time.  Jim met a man named ‘Leroy Brown’ while he was in basic training, who helped inspire the song Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.

Jim, also, received inspiration for the song “Operator”, during basic training, while waiting in line [with the other recruits] to use the pay phone.  He once struck up  a conversation with the operator, while making a call,  [to buy some time] because Ingrid’s line was busy and he didn’t want to give up his turn in the phone line.

Jim drove a VW Beetle, for years, that he and Ingrid eventually referred to as, “The Raisin”. The car became filled with dents at the hands of some of Jim’s special ed students, and Jim spray painted the car brown to help hide the dents. This made it look like a raisin! (During this time, Jim’s tires were also slashed five times!)  Following the eventual demise of ‘The Raisin’, money was tight, and Jim proceeded to purchase thirteen different ‘clunkers’ within the next twelve months!  His streak of bad luck with cars, was the inspiration for a song–‘Hard Time Losin’ Man’.

One day, Jim’s friend, and former college classmate, who had become a record producer, in New York, contacted Jim and offered a record deal.  (Jim and Ingrid had been playing and singing at coffee houses, colleges, and such.)  Jim and Ingrid then moved to New York to pursue a music career, which didn’t flourish, at that time.  The song, ‘New York’s Not My Home’ was inspired by this experience.

Jim was a trusting soul, and refused to read the recording contract, or even get a copy of it when he signed it.  Ingrid questioned this decision, but eventually signed the document, too. Both of these decisions came back to haunt them.  As a result, Jim received very little monetary compensation for his music, even after his music career finally began to take off with the release of ‘Don’t Mess Around With Jim’.

Ingrid went to court, following Jim’s death, and, finally, after ten long years of litigation, won the rights to Jim’s music (some of which she co-wrote).

Last picture of Jim Croce (and guitarist, Maury Muelhleisen) – taken 15 minutes before their plane took off and crashed

(image via Google images)

If you are a fan of Jim Croce’s, you would enjoy his autobiography.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once I finished the book, I was still curious, so I did a little Google research.

I discovered that, following Jim’s death, his wife, Ingrid, became very accomplished in many ways.   Among many other things, Ingrid developed a Head Start program for Costa Rica, opened a children’s school, and wrote a children’s book!  Ingrid, also, renewed her singing career, and recorded a couple of albums after Jim was killed.  Eventually she was forced to give up singing, due to a tumor on her vocal cords.

Ingrid then opened a very successful restaurant/jazz bar in San Diego, California, in 1985.  She located her restaurant in the same spot where she and Jim had once discussed opening a “Croce’s restaurant/jazz bar” together.  She named the restaurant Croce’s, in memory of her late husband.  The business was expanded five times, in the years that followed!

Ingrid decorated Croce’s with memorabilia from Jim’s career, which was a good thing, because her house burned down about the time she was preparing to open Croce’s! Over the years, Croce’s became a favorite spot for Jim’s fans to come and remember him.  Unfortunately, Croce’s was forced to close its doors, in December of 2013, after the landlord refused to renew the lease.  Ingrid has since opened a second restaurant, Croce’s Park West.

A.J. Croce

(photo via Google images)

I, also, discovered that, after the death of his father, A.J., contracted a brain tumor when he was about four years old.  The tumor caused swelling to the optic nerve, which left A.J. blind, for a time.  Fortunately, by age 10,  A.J. was able to regain sight in one of his eyes, but A.J. became an accomplished pianist while he was still blind.  A.J. sings and plays the guitar, as well.  A.J. has recorded several albums, and now owns his own record company, too.  By the way, I think A.J. resembles his late father a lot!

Hodgepodge # 167

The sun is supposed to shine here today–for the first time in three whole days!  I’m feeling almost giddy at the thought of finally saying good-bye to winter, and I’m ready to ‘spring’ into another edition of The Hodgepodge.  As always, thanks to our hostess, Joyce, for hosting and providing the questions.

1. Thursday marks the first day of spring…to celebrate would you rather plant a garden or go for a walk in the woods? Would either of those activities be possible on Thursday where you live?

I’d rather plant a garden!  We have two rows already planted, and are waiting for the ground to dry out, so we can plant more.  I’m not sure if it will be dry enough to plant on Thursday or Friday, but we’re hoping!

2. When did someone last spring something on you? (or when did you last spring something on someone?)

The uppermost thing in my mind is when Brad and Jennifer announced, last spring, that they were expecting a baby!  (This was something all of us feared might not ever happen.) Now we have another adorable little grandson, Evan William, who will soon be 5 months old!

3. We often think of spring as a time for new beginnings. What’s something you’d like to start doing this spring?

I’m looking forward to getting outside, getting active, and back in shape again.  I’ve been sitting around inside of the house way too long!  Look out garden, here I come…

4. Where do you like to sit in a movie theatre? When did you last sit there, and what were you watching?

I prefer to sit in the middle section, about 3/4 of the way back.  Sadly, it’s been over 3 years since I last sat in a movie theater, and I was watching Toy Story 3!  These days, I prefer watching movies at home.

5. When you meet someone for the very first time, what do you want them to think about you?

I’m  shy, so I always hope people are able to realize this and not think I’m ‘stuck up’ or unfriendly when I don’t have a lot to say.  Once I get to know someone, I become a lot more talkative.

6. March is frozen food month (yes, really!). Besides ice cream (gotta make you think a little) what’s your most often purchased frozen food item?

Frozen breakfast waffles, plain or blueberry.

7. What’s something you avoid?

I try really hard to avoid any kind of family squabbles, especially involving our children/spouses.

Random:

About three weeks ago, we had a bit of a phenomenon happen in our community, when a set of Quarter Horse twins were born here, on February 25.  This is quite a rare occurrence–only 1 in 10,000.  The mare, a horse named ‘Vicki’, gave birth to two fillies.

photo borrowed from  Facebook’s Claxton’s Quarter Horse Twins page

Unfortunately, when twin births do happen, it sometimes means death for all, since horses’ bodies aren’t built to carry and deliver twins.  Sadly, Vicki lived to see her babies, but suffered ruptured intestines during the births, and had to be put to sleep.

Afterward, it was a mad scramble to find nurse mares to feed the twin foals.  Baby “A”, the brown foal, was named ‘Victorious’, while baby “B” was named ‘Grace’.  Nurse mares were secured for both fillies, while the horse owners took turns doing round the clock bottle feedings, as well.

The weaker of the two, ‘Grace’, (the white one) had a difficult time (her nurse mare dried up, among other things), and Grace, ultimately, passed away a few days later.

photo borrowed from Claxton’s Quarter Horse Twins page

Victorious continues to survive and seems to be doing well, so far.  I check her progress almost daily through the Facebook page  Claxton’s Quarter Horse Twins.  She’s a sassy little one, and I enjoy the pictures and videos they post of her.  I do not know the owners, but I do love animals, and the story, which was on the local news, captured my heart.  I’m hoping Victorious will continue to live up to her name!

Rainy Days And Mondays…

I went to sleep with the sound of rain on our tin roof, and woke up to the same sound, this morning. From the looks of our yard, it may have rained all night. The title of a first grade book, entitled Oh, Lovely Mud, comes to mind…

It was a strange weekend.  My spirits were low, and I seemed to have trouble getting motivated to do much of anything.  I haven’t been sleeping well, lately, and that tends to make me tired and ill.  I did manage to wash and put away all of the china that I brought home from my MIL’s house, though.  I put away all of the groceries, too, but went and bought a new batch on Saturday afternoon.  The end of the kitchen table is covered again!  I went to bed early on Friday and Saturday nights, but didn’t sleep well either evening.

Our two oldest children came by for a brief visit, on Friday afternoon, but then I didn’t see anyone else the rest of the weekend–until Sunday. Everyone is always busy, running here and there, and we don’t seem to see everyone like we once did.

Ed woke up on Sunday morning, and asked if I thought our son, Brad, would mind if we surprised him with a visit, so that’s what we did.  We knew that Brad’s wife was working, and Brad was babysitting Evan for the day.  We hopped in the car and headed toward the city.

Everyone at Brad’s house is feeling much better, thank the Lord!  Brad and Evan seemed genuinely happy to see us, and we had a good visit with both of them.  Evan smiled, squealed and cooed at me when I picked him up, and it was great medicine for my weary soul.  I think Ed must have known just what I needed–or maybe he needed it, too!

Brad even loaded Evan up and went out to eat lunch with us!  I was so impressed with Brad’s parenting skills, it made this mama proud.  Not just any man would babysit their four-month-old son for 12 hours, and even fewer men would pack a diaper bag and attempt dining out and shopping! Evan was happy the entire time, and I noticed several people watching Evan and Brad, while we were out and about.  It was a sweet sight.  Wouldn’t you know, I forgot to bring my camera?!

Two more good people, that I know,  passed away, last week.  That makes three within a week.  I’ve always heard, death comes in threes.  All three were men, which means there are three lonely, grieving widows left behind.  One couple had been married 53 years, one couple had been married 63 years, and I’m not sure about the other, but I’d say, close to 40 years.

That’s my weekend, in a nutshell.  Now it’s time to join Heather and Wayne for ‘The Monday Quiz’.  Thanks to both of them for hosting a great way to ‘jump-start’ the week!

1. March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day – where do you think the Leprechaun hid his pot of gold? Are you celebrating in any way?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  No, I don’t really celebrate this holiday, but I do decorate for it.  I have the ‘year round tree’ all decked out in shamrocks, beads, and pots of gold, along with many St. Patrick’s Day collectibles sitting on shelves.

my corner shelf, decorated with St. Paddy’s collectibles

 As for where the Leprechaun hid his pot of gold?  Today, I’d have to say the Leprechaun hid his pot of gold in a mud puddle!  I guess Savannah will have a rainy St. Paddy’s Day Parade…

2. What kind of luck do you have?

Overall, I’ve had more good luck than bad.  (I prefer to think of ‘good luck’ as blessings from God, and I’ve certainly had plenty of those!)  Everyone has a run of ‘bad luck’ or some life challenges thrown at them, occasionally, but, overall, life has been good.  I’m very thankful.

3. Do you have a favorite pair of shoes right now?

My favorite shoes would be my Crocs.  I have several pairs, in several colors, and that’s generally all I wear.

4. What is your current theme song?

My theme songs seem to alternate between “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” and “Rainy Days and Mondays”.  Most of the time, I’m a “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” kind of person.

 

Is It Friday Yet?

Yes, it’s Friday, which means it’s time for a few ‘Friday Fragments’–you know, those bits and pieces of news, or thoughts, from the week.  As always, I’ll be linking my fragments with Mrs.4-4-4-4, over at Halfpastkissintime.

~~~~~

What a crazy week this has been–beginning with the time change!  My body still hasn’t adjusted to the change, and I’ve been feeling somewhat like a zombie all week.  I don’t know about everyone else, but it takes me a while to get back to normal after the time changes.

~~~~~

On Monday evening, my brother, David, and his wife, Kay, came for a quick, unplanned visit, due to the death of our cousin’s husband.  Ed was able to switch things around, at work, and get Tuesday off, so he could visit with us, too.  We all had a great time together, as always. Unfortunately, time passed way too quickly, and before we knew it, it was time for them to go back home.  We all treasure these visits, which don’t happen nearly enough, since we live so many miles apart.

~~~~~

Ed and I got a call, from our son, Brad, on Tuesday afternoon, telling us that their baby, Evan, was being admitted into the hospital.   On Wednesday, Ed got off work at lunch, and we made the trip to see Brad and his family at the hospital.  I don’t know who looked ‘worse for wear’, out of the family of three, but all were all a welcome sight for my eyes!  We hadn’t seen any of them in almost a month!  Evan had been sick for a while, then Brad had gotten sick, as well.  Jennifer had been trying to work, in addition to caring for Evan during her time at home.

~~~~~

Evan’s been sick, first with diarrhea, then later with fever.  Although Evan’s white count was 35,000, which is super high, the doctors couldn’t find any source of infection in his body.  They did numerous tests, and finally concluded, after the white count began to fall on its own, that Evan probably has had a virus.  We were all very relieved, especially since the dreaded word “leukemia” had been mentioned among the possibilities of what the problem could be.  Evan’s been released from the hospital, and is continuing to recover at home,.  Our son, Brad, is still sick (cold/flu) but is slowly improving.

~~~~~

It’s been a crazy week, here, and those groceries, from last weekend, are still on my kitchen table!  The china, from Ed’s mom’s house, is still sitting in the box on the floor.  Several other mementos from her house are, also, scattered about, and a stack of laundry is in the living room chair.  Hopefully, by next week, everyone will be well, I will have recovered from the time change, and life will be back to normal–at least, for a little while!

Have a great weekend!

Little Bit Of Hodgepodge…

Once again, it’s time for a little bit of this, and a more little of that, otherwise known as ‘Wednesday Hodgepodge’.  As always, thanks to our hostess, Joyce, who supplies the fantastic questions each week!  Here are my answers:

1. Do you have an interest in learning about your family’s heritage? Why or why not? If you know a little bit about your roots, share an interesting piece of trivia or a fun fact about someone who goes way back on your family tree.

A few years back, our oldest son became interested in Ed’s side of the family, and actually did all of the research.  He, then, typed up his findings, put them in a binder, and shared them with each one of our family’s members.  Prior to that, an older lady, at our church, who knew Ed’s family history well, gave him a hand-written account of who married whom, and who their children were.  This lady must have spent hours doing this for us, and we especially treasure it, now that she’s passed away.

I don’t really know anything about my family’s heritage, beyond my grandparents.  I do know that there is some Irish heritage on my mother’s side, and I have some red-headed cousins to prove it 🙂

2. Branch Rickey, the baseball exec credited with signing Jackie Robinson, is quoted as saying-

“Luck is the residue of design.”
Agree or disagree? Why?

I disagree.  Sometimes, things just don’t work out for people, no matter how much they plan or prepare.  Then, of course, there are some people who plan nothing, and have all kinds of good things happen for them, anyway!  I guess you could say, I believe in the ‘luck of the draw’, not the ‘residue of design.’

3. In the town where you currently reside, what’s your favorite green space?

My favorite ‘green space’  in our tiny town, is a little place called “Barnard Park”.  It’s a small park, with a gazebo, a couple of benches, and a walking track.  Sometimes weddings are held there, or other special events.   Occasionally, I used to enjoy walking laps there, after work.

4. Who is your favorite comedian?

Steve Martin.  He used to be a “wild and crazy guy”!

5. March is National Nutrition Month, and almost everyone needs to improve their diet in some way. What about you? How can you improve your nutrition on a daily basis? Will you try?

I need to give up all fried foods, but it’s hard!  Us southern folks tend to like things like fried chicken, french fries, and fried squash.  I don’t eat as many fried foods as I used to, but I could do better.  Will I try?  That’s a good question!  Only time will tell.

6. Which of these green expressions have you ‘experienced’ in recent weeks -green with envy, green thumb, green around the gills, or give the green light? Explain.

I’ve been planting seeds and cultivating seedlings for our spring garden, so I guess you could say I’ve had a ‘green thumb’, lately.  Soon I’ll get the ‘green light’ to transplant those seedlings into the garden, and  then I hope my neighbors will soon be ‘green with envy’.  LOL

7. Where is one place you don’t mind waiting?

At the hair dressers–aka ‘the beauty shop’!  I always find out the local news of the day, plus I end up looking and feeling better, when I leave!

Random:

I mentioned in an earlier post, our youngest son, Brad, and his baby, Evan have both been sick.  Brad has been sick for almost a week(with cold/flu symptoms), while little Evan’s been sick for about a week and a half. Evan first had diarrhea for several days, which cleared, but was followed by fevers of unknown origin.  (Jennifer has been trying to adjust to a new job while all of this has been going on.)  Evan was admitted to the hospital, yesterday, after his lab results showed an abnormally high white cell count.  Prayers for all sure would be appreciated.

A Simple Woman’s Daybook Post…

FOR TODAY-

Monday, March 10, 2014

Outside my window…

It is still dark!  This time change really sucks.  The weather is predicted to be warm and sunny, though.  We had two glorious warm and sunny days over the weekend, thank goodness!

I am thinking...

I’m not ready for the weekend to be over, yet.  Yesterday seemed like a really short day.

I am thankful…

for many things, but, today, I’m especially thankful we’re almost debt-free (we still owe a bit for Ed’s eye surgery), because beginning today, we’ll be living on less income.  Ed’s reduction in pay kicks in today.

In the kitchen...

I have a mess.  The kitchen table is covered with groceries that need to be put away, then there’s the box of china sitting on the kitchen floor, waiting for me to find a place to put it!  As for food, I’m going to have to cook ‘from scratch’, today, because Ed and I ate the last of the ‘left-overs’ for supper, last night.

I am wearing…

my night-gown, a house coat, and some socks.  It’s a bit cool in the house, this morning.

I am creating…

more clutter in our house every time I bring something home from my MIL’s house!   It’s so hard for me to let go of things, sometimes.  There are over sixty years worth of memories in that house, and were having a really hard time deciding what to keep and what to let go of.  Hence, the box of china sitting on the kitchen floor, as well as a shoe box full of ‘treasures’ sitting in the living room.

I am going…

to do some serious house cleaning today.  When the weather is warm and sunny, I become inspired to do ‘spring cleaning’!

I am wondering...

when my cousin’s husband’s funeral is going to be.  Charles passed away early yesterday morning.  My heart is heavy for his wife of fifty-something years.

I am reading...

I Got a Name, the biography of singer, Jim Croce.  It’s quite an interesting story, so far.  So much talent, gone much too soon!  I think the saddest part of Jim’s story, other than his untimely death,  is how he never really reaped any of the financial benefits of his amazing talents before he died.

I am hoping…

my son’s household gets well soon!  Brad, called last evening to say that he is still sick, and, now, baby Evan, is sick with congestion and fever, too.  It seems to be a never-ending cycle at their house, lately.

I am looking forward to…

having some family time, again.  Our family once spent so much time together, but lately, everyone has been busy doing other things.  You could say, life’s been getting in the way of getting together.

I am learning…

how amazing it is to have ‘Google’ at my fingertips!  Anything I ever need to know can be found through Google, such as–how to fertilize pecan trees!

Around the house…

everything looks nice.  Ed mowed all of the grass, for the first time in 2014, on Saturday.  Let springtime begin!

I am pondering…

how time managed to slip away so quickly.  It seems like, just yesterday, when Ed and I were newlyweds.  We’ll celebrate our 42nd wedding anniversary, in June.

A favorite quote for today…

“But there never seems to be enough time to do the things you want to do, once you find them” (from the song Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce)

One of my favorite things…is listening to good music, and reading a good book.  I know that’s two, but who’s counting?

A few plans for the rest of the week…

planning to do a little ‘deep cleaning’ inside of the house, but, also, plan to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather outside, while it lasts.  I’ll spent the week trying to get my body adjusted to the time change, as well.

A peek into my day…

it’s almost time for the sun to make its appearance for the day.  After that, it will be time to go outside and feed the five chickens, our twelve cats, and two dogs. Let the day begin!

From my photo files:

The video, below, isn’t from my photo files, but it’s worth sharing.  While reading ‘I’ve Got a Name’, I discovered a video made shortly before Jim Croce was  killed. (Jim’s wife mentions it in her book)  It features Jim, along with his wife, Ingrid, and son, Adrian James, and was filmed at their home.  Jim’s wife says he wrote ‘Time in a Bottle’ for their son.  It was almost as if he knew he’d be leaving this world soon…

 

Thanks to Peggy Hostetler for hosting The Simple Woman’s Daybook.

Friday Fragments…

It’s been a long week, with cold weather, and lots of rain. I’ve been shut in the entire time, and, as a result, I have lots of fragments floating around in my head.  I’ll be linking them up with Mrs. 4-4-4-4 at Half-PastKissinTime.

~~~~~

The week started off with a ‘bang’, when Ed,and many of his fellow co-workers, learned they’ll be getting a reduction in pay, beginning next week. On the bright side, some said “At least we still have our jobs.” This is true, at least for now.

One fellow co-worker had been off work for several days, caring for her ailing mother, then fighting a case of stomach flu, herself, only to return to work and discover her salary was being reduced.   Talk about a run of bad luck!

~~~~~

Our youngest grandchild, Evan, was sick last weekend, and throughout the first part of the week. Without going into great details, let’s just say, he was requiring LOTS of diaper changes due to an upset tummy. He’s better now, thank goodness! Unfortunately, Evan’s dad is now sick with a cold and sore throat. Ed and I had planned a visit, this weekend, but I guess we’ll have to post-pone. It’s been three weeks since we’ve seen this family, and this Mimi is missing them a lot!

~~~~~

I’ve posted here, a couple of times, about the local guy who escaped from jail, back in January, and has been on the run ever since. He’s been spotted in Texas, Alabama, and, now, back here, in Georgia. (I can’t begin to tell you how many vehicles this guy has stolen, among other things!) On Tuesday night, our little town was ‘a buzz’ with another manhunt, after the man was spotted in town.  The manhunt made the local news, but wasn’t successful.

Recently, some somebody thought it would be amusing to start a Facebook page, in support of this fugitive!  Strange, but true.  The page has caused quite a stir, and, once again, the story made the local news.  We’re living in some strange times, when people begin to root for the bad guy!  There’s even been some talk about printing t-shirts.  That’s just wrong on so many levels.

~~~~~

Does anyone remember the saga of the cats living at my MIL’s house?  Well, ‘Trouble’ is still staying there, all alone, but ‘Jo Jo’ found his way to our house.  The third cat, known by our grandson as, ‘Stranger Cat’ is now living at our oldest son’s house.  Ed continues to go and feed ‘Trouble’ and ‘Stranger Cat’ daily, believe it or not.  He tried hard to tame ‘Stranger Cat’, without any success.  I suspect she’ll be delivering kittens in time for Easter, since she’s now ‘expecting’, thanks to a stray, red tom cat!

~~~~~

My heart is heavy, today, for a cousin and her family.  My cousin’s spouse has been fighting a three-year battle for his life, and the battle is nearly over.  They’re an older couple, one of the rare ones who married and stayed married for the long haul.  Fifty-plus years. Where you saw one, you saw the other, and one name was rarely spoken without the other.  I know my cousin will be lost without her ‘other half’.

~~~~~

Last, but not least, I just have to share a piece of our oldest granddaughter’s school work.  She’s a home-schooled first grader, and we are so proud of how much she has learned, this year!  Madison, recently, began learning creative writing, and she seems to have a real talent for it.  She’s, also, mastered the lost art of cursive writing, and I’m so happy about this!   Madison’s assignment was to write a story about Abraham Lincoln, and here is what she wrote, from things she’d learned in class:

Many public schools no longer teach cursive writing, and I find this unacceptable!  My heart sank, this week, when I saw a high schooler, on the news, printing his essay for the SAT…

On that note, I’ll just say, Have a great weekend 🙂