Our Challenging World…

I’m joining Java today for “Follow Friday”–for bloggers over 40.  I have something I’d like to share with the “over 40 crowd”–especially the “way over 40 crowd“– out there in blog land.

My husband, Ed, sent this email to me the other day.  It made us laugh.  Perhaps it will at least make you smile…

It was written by a person known as “George”:

When I bought my Blackberry, I thought about the 30-year business I ran with 1800 employees, all without a cell phone that plays music, takes videos, pictures and communicates with Facebook and Twitter. I signed up under duress for Twitter and Facebook, so my seven kids, their spouses, 13 grand kids and 2 great grand kids could communicate with me in the modern way. I figured I could handle something as simple as Twitter with only 140 characters of space.

That was before one of my grandkids hooked me up for Tweeter, Tweetree, Twhirl, Twitterfon, Tweetie and Twittererific Tweetdeck, Twitpix and something that sends every message to my cell phone and every other program within the texting world.

My phone was beeping every three minutes with the details of everything except the bowel movements of the entire next generation. I am not ready to live like this. I keep my cell phone in the garage in my golf bag.

The kids bought me a GPS for my last birthday because they say I get lost every now and then going over to the grocery store or library. I keep that in a box under my tool bench with the Blue tooth [it’s red] phone I am supposed to use when I drive. I wore it once and was standing in line at Barnes and Noble talking to my wife and everyone in the nearest 50 yards was glaring at me. I had to take my hearing aid out to use it, and I got a little loud.

I mean the GPS looked pretty smart on my dash board, but the lady inside that gadget was the most annoying, rudest person I had run into in a long time. Every 10 minutes, she would sarcastically say, “Re-calc-u-lating.” You would think that she could be nicer. It was like she could barely tolerate me. She would let go with a deep sigh and then tell me to make a U-turn at the next light. Then if I made a right turn instead… Well, it was not a good relationship.

When I get really lost now, I call my wife and tell her the name of the cross streets and while she is starting to develop the same tone as Gypsy, the GPS lady, at least she loves me.

To be perfectly frank, I am still trying to learn how to use the cordless phones in our house. We have had them for 4 years, but I still haven’t figured out how I can lose three phones all at once and have to run around digging under chair cushions and checking bathrooms and the dirty laundry baskets when the phone rings.

The world is just getting too complex for me. They even mess me up every time I go to the grocery store. You would think they could settle on something themselves but this sudden “Paper or Plastic?” every time I check out just knocks me for a loop. I bought some of those cloth reusable bags to avoid looking confused, but I never remember to take them in with me.

Now I toss it back to them. When they ask me, “Paper or Plastic?” I just say, “Doesn’t matter to me. I am bi-sacksual.” Then it’s their turn to stare at me with a blank look. I was recently asked if I tweet. I answered, No, but I do toot a lot.”

We senior citizens don’t need any more gadgets!  The TV remote and the garage door remote are about all we can handle.

Ed and I tend to agree with George, how about you?  Have a great weekend!

Tales Worth Telling…

Valentine's Day Dinner-2012

Our family ( our three grown children and their families)  will use any excuse to gather, eat, and have some fun.  Recently, when I found a turkey breast in the freezer that needed baking,  I thought, I’ll have a family gathering on Sunday, and I’ll make it a Valentine’s Day celebration, too!  So, I decorated and planned a few games!

On Sunday, after lunch, we had a wonderful time playing “The Newlywed Game”.  We hooted with laughter at some of the answers given to the question, “What animal does your wife most remind you of?”  Brad said, “Jennifer reminds me of an alligator, the way she rolls over and over wrapping herself in the cover each night”, while Clint said Brandy reminds him of a “Sasquatch”!  We’re still trying to figure that one out!

Then, on the eve of Valentine’s Day our phone rang about 9:30 at night.  Ed answered it and I heard him say, “I’ve got it  covered, Buddy!”  When I heard that comment, I immediately knew who was calling and why!

The caller was Ben, a friend and former co-worker of Ed’s,who still remembers that Valentine’s Day, many years ago, when Ed asked me what I wanted for Valentine’s Day, and I told him “just don’t get me anything”–and he didn’t!  (Ben also remembers how deep in the doghouse Ed was the day after Valentine’s Day!)  Ben loves to tell the story of how Ed was running all around Reidsville, looking for some “lingerie”,(Ben pronounces it len-jir-ee) on the day after Valentine’s Day!  So, Ed comes home the day after Valentine’s Day bearing a gift…some sexy black “len-jer-ee”, which I rarely wore for these reasons.  (1) I had given birth to three children–my sexy lingerie wearing days were over, and (2)it always reminded me of a Valentine’s Day I preferred to forget!

Here’s what prompted Ben’s call.   He said he was watching television and relaxing, when suddenly a man and woman came on television.  They were having a conversation about what she’d like for Valentine’s Day, when the woman said to the man, “Don’t worry about it…”  Ben said he yelled at the television, “Don’t listen, Buddy, or you’ll be in deep shit!”, then he immediately got up to call Ed!

Ed did, indeed, “have it covered” this year, because here is what I  found on Valentine’s Day morning when I went into the kitchen…

I found candy…I found flowers…and I even found an adorable teddy bear to add to my collection–but I didn’t find any sexy black “lin-jir-ee”, thank goodness!

I had to laugh when Ed later told me the story of how he accidentally knocked over the vase of Valentine’s Day flowers, the night before Valentine’s Day, sending water all over the bedroom carpeting!  Meanwhile I was in the living room, unaware anything was amiss, while Ed was frantically trying to dry the carpeting!  So funny!  I still don’t know where Ed had those gifts hidden…  Now, moving on along…

The day after Valentine’s Day, I went over to visit my daughter to ask how her Valentine’s Day went.  I got such a kick out of her story, I just have to share it, too.

Brandy and her hubby decided to clean and cook shrimp– for the first time–on Valentine’s Day.  Perhaps not the wisest choice…Brandy said the sight and smell of raw shrimp was almost too much for her to overcome!  (She was still burning candles the day after)  Here’s what happened following the cleaning and cooking of the shrimp…

After getting the meal ready, the three of them (they have a 5-year-old daughter) sat down to eat at their decorated table, complete with candles…Meanwhile, in the midst of their romantic meal, the couple’s daughter, Madison, suddenly announces that she feels like throwing up!  (Not what you want to hear, especially during a meal!)  So they all scurry around and decide to put her in the bathtub to soak while the couple tries to finish their meal.  Then, as Brandy and hubby are in the middle of eating their dessert,  Madison suddenly yells, “I’ve gotta’ poop!”–as they are eating chocolate mousse…  The good news is, Madison felt much better after her bath and a “poop”!

I think it’s safe to say that Valentine’s Day 2012 will be etched in our memories for years to come!  I hope yours was memorable, as well.

Valentine’s Days Revisited…

It’s almost here, folks–that over-commercialized holiday called, Valentine’s Day!  I knew it was “officially” almost here when I began seeing the commercials for “Hoodie Footies” and “Vermont Teddy Bears”…  I wonder how many women will receive those pajamas with a hood and feet?!  How unromantic!  I personally overheard Jennifer telling Brad that he better never buy her any of those!  

 

As for me, I could go for that HUGE Vermont Teddy Bear, but I already have a HUGE one sitting in the bedroom.  He takes up an entire chair, or half of the bed–depending on where he is sitting!  It wasn’t a gift from Ed, but from myself, one Valentine’s Day.  Yes, I actually bought myself a teddy bear–because I loved him when I saw him…I’m funny like that sometimes.  I came home with it riding in the back of my PT Cruiser, about five years ago!

I still remember Valentine’s Day as a child.  I loved addressing those cards, and I loved opening the envelopes containing the funny little valentines.  Back in my day, valentines actually still came with little white envelopes!  I don’t like these new valentines that fold and have a sticker holding them closed.  Has anybody else noticed that the stickers DON”T STAY STUCK?

Ed and I were married before we ever got to spend a Valentine’s Day together.  It never worked out for him to be around on that particular day.  I don’t remember my first Valentine’s Day gift from him, but it was probably a box of candy, because that was what people gave in those days–before Valentine’s Day became so commercialized.

My daddy always gave mama a box of candy, and Ed’s daddy gave his wife the same.   I remember Ed’s mama’s was always one of the lacy, frilly boxes of candy.  Now that I’m thinking back, I think I remember Ed’s parents buying me a box of candy one Valentine’s Day while he was overseas.  They did a lot of sweet things like that.

I remember getting my first flowers from Ed, for Valentine’s Day in 1974.  Ed didn’t like to spend money on flowers, and had never bought me any before.  That year, I strongly hinted that I would love to receive a bouquet of flowers…  Ed and I were both working at the same hospital, in the radiology department, at the time, and he had the flowers delivered to the little office where I worked.  I was absolutely thrilled!

I remember Valentine’s Days with each of our three children, while they were growing up.  Sitting there at the table with them while they addressed their valentines for school…then later, sitting and watching them enjoying the valentines they’d received!  Of course,  I enjoyed giving them little Valentine’s Day surprises from Ed and me, too…(sorry no photos handy)

Flash forward many years, past the raising of our three children, and I was working at school–in the first grade.  Valentine’s Day is a BIG DEAL to first graders!  We would spend days making Valentine’s Day decorations for the classroom, then finally we decorated those little white Valentine’s Day bags to hold our (yes, I had one, too) valentines.  A day or two before Valentine’s Day, the students would bring their cards to school, then carefully drop them in to each other’s bags.  It was so much fun to watch!  On Valentine’s Day the students could hardly wait to tear into those cards, and the level of excitement equaled that of Christmas time!  As for me, I always came home with a bag full of sweet valentines, and usually a few gifts, too.

It was while I was working at school that I realized just how commercialized Valentine’s Day had become!  I can’t begin to tell you how many “gifts” are delivered to school for the students for Valentine’s Day!  It’s way past the point of ridiculous.  It’s more than enough to keep several adults rolling several carts filled with flowers and stuffed animals, and making deliveries ALL DAY LONG!

What ever happened to exchanging sweet cards and giving boxes of chocolates–and just enjoying the simple pleasures of life?  Everything has gotten way too complicated, don’t you think?  Wishing everyone an uncomplicated weekend, filled with life’s many sweet simple pleasures!

Thursday’s Thoughts…Holy Matrimony!!!

Our favorite newlyweds, Brad and Jennifer, came over to watch “Big Brother” with us last night.  As Ed and I sat  there listening to them talk–about “her hogging the bed” and “him turning the thermostat up and down“– it brought back early marriage memories of long ago, and got me to thinking about all of the adjustments of marriage!

Brad and Jennifer were discussing the problems of two people sleeping on a double bed.  I could totally relate!  It doesn’t take the “honeymoon” long to be over when it comes to sleeping arrangements.  When one person is used to having the entire bed, it’s an adjustment to learn to share–especially on a double bed!  It certainly didn’t take us long before we upgraded to a queen sized bed!

For the woman, there was the “ordeal” of giving up her maiden name, and having to get everything changed over to her new married name!  Add to that the problem of remembering the new last name!  It’s hard to break the old habit of writing that “maiden” name. (Just the other day, I wrote my daughter’s maiden name –and she’s been married for 10 years!)  Old habits die hard!

Then there’s the joy of finding your way around the kitchen!  Jennifer has been trying some new recipes, while practicing others.  Sometimes she will ask me how to cook something.  It’s hard for me to “tell” somebody how to cook something.  I cook without measuring or thinking, because over the years, it’s become an automatic function.  Of course, I still remember the days when it wasn’t–and we ate a lot of “less than perfect” meals, and Ed probably had a bottle of  Tums hidden away somewhere!

Of course, there is always the problem of figuring out how to handle the finances after marriage!  When Ed and I got married, I didn’t have a job, so there wasn’t any discussion about that–I didn’t have any money!  We opened a joint checking account, and the money that he earned was “our money”.  Ed paid the bills,  and kept the checkbook balanced. 

I couldn’t even write a check in the early years of our marriage because I didn’t have a driver’s license or any form of identification!  As time passed, I began working, got an identification badge, began writing checks, and eventually took over the duties of paying bills and balancing the checkbook.  I’m still doing it, after all these years.  It’s a job I’d happily relenquish. 

Sometimes, another marriage adjustment is   “sharing your space” with someone.  Ed and I didn’t have this particular issue, but it was an early issue with my daughter and her husband!   Our daughter owned her own place when she met her husband.  She had her home decorated in pretty “girly” things–like a canopy bed, and a pretty floral couch. 

Her husband is a “manly man”, he likes wrestling, John Deere tractors, trucks, and guns!  Brandy didn’t like “clutter”, so she didn’t have much in her house.  Clint loves “stuff” and brought a pile of it with him when he moved it!  As you can imagine,  the two of them had more than a few adjustments to make during the first year of marriage.  

Speaking of “space”, I remember one of mine and Ed’s first marital issues was about having “pets”.  I love cats!  Ed likes cats okay–as long as they are outside.  In the early days of our marriage, I was lonely, and I wanted a kitten to keep me company while Ed was at work.  We argued back and forth, and eventually I got my kitten, which turned out to be an inside/outside cat.  We’ve had many inside/outside cats over the years.  I’m happiest when they are inside, while Ed is happiest when they are outside!

Speaking of pets, I’ve had a laugh or two with Brad and Jennifer concerning their pets!  He had several cats, and she had “Nubie”, the dog, before they got married.  She likes dogs, while he prefers cats.  At first, the dog wouldn’t obey Brad, and “peed” on him every time he yelled at her.  Then, “Trouble”, the cat, actually bit Jennifer–and “pooped” on a pair of her pajama pants!  Trouble was the only female in Brad’s life for a while…perhaps she’s a bit jealous 🙂  Oh the joys of holy matrimony!

The Bunny Hop…Gooseneck Style

No words are necessary here…enjoy!

Ten Things Tuesday…

Today I’m writing “Ten Things Tuesday”.  Ten random things that I feel like writing about…and they will be random,  believe me!   After you read my ten things, if you’d like to write ten things of your own, I’ve managed to add a link at the bottom of this post…link up with me, I’d love to read your list. 

Butterflies on the side of hubby's "Man House"

1.  Thanks to me, my husband is now displaying brightly colored butterflies on the side of his “man house”.  He is also displaying two dangling dragonflies, and two dangling bumble bees that spin when the wind blows…I’ve been shopping at the dollar stores…more on this hobby later. 

2.  I have the greatest husband in the world…or he would have killed me–many times– long ago… 

3.  My hair dresser and I apparently do not comb my hair the same way…It never looks quite right after I wash out the style that she gives me at her shop.  I have to wait an entire six weeks for it look nice again– when she cuts and styles it again. 

4.  It’s Murphy’s Law that if you spend the entire day cleaning and organizing the toy box…a grandchild will come over shortly after that…then you can start all over again–after they go home. 

5.  If you spend an entire week painting your porch and it’s furniture–every bird within 10 miles of your house will come and poop on it!  I’ve never seen so much bird poop in my life! 

6.  If you plant flowers in your yard…all cats automatically think you’ve made a new “bathroom area” for them.  They just looove fresh dirt!  I suppose they call themselves fertilizing the plants… 

7.  I recently purchased my first steam mop, and I love it!  I never thought I’d care for one, but after mopping  with an old-fashioned mop and bucket for about the one millionth time…I decided it was time for a change.  I highly recommend it…it’s easier on the old back, too.  Those Korean women were on to a GOOD thing… at least, I think the  Koreans invented them… 

8.  Snacks are getting smaller…but not my appetite.  Little Debbie Cakes, Moon Pies, candy bars, and bags of potato chips are getting smaller and smaller…A double decker moon pie is now the same size the regular moon pie used to be…Have you seen a Little Debbie Cake lately?  Four bites and its history!  Those snack sized candy bars…oh please..!  The bags of chips that are now selling for a dollar…used to be what…maybe fifty cents? 

9.  Why is it…now that I am a senior citizen…it takes me twice as long, to do half as much?  Well…at least I am enjoying my senior citizen discount!  Yesterday when I told the cashier that I qualified for the senior citizen’s discount, she replied “No way!”…to which I replied “Yes way!” 

10.  I love shopping at dollar stores.  I guess I’m just a “dollar store person”.  I love all those  cheap little things…that can only be found at the dollar stores…Yep, that’s me cheap…You should see my little plastic hummingbirds with spinning wings…awesome!  Haven’t been able to attract a real hummingbird yet…Maybe this one will fool them into visiting…  I have no shame. 

My little plastic hummingbird with spinning wings...

Why don’t you join in, and list your own ten random thoughts?  There’s a link at the bottom so you can join in if you would like to…A Blog Hop!  Yay…I finally got the list to work for me!!!!

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Click here to enter your link and view the entire list of entered links…

Six Word Saturday…

It’s the weekend again…yes!  I’ve been waiting all week to tell my six words because I think they are so funny…Ready? 

Here they are:  “DO YOU HAVE ANY BLINKER FLUID?”These are the six words that my youngest son convinced his girlfriend to ask the clerk at Wal-mart! 

Yes, Brad convinced Jennifer that the reason her blinker wasn’t working correctly was because she was low on blinker fluid! 

That little smart butt…Jennifer says that she questioned Brad on this, but he thoroughly convinced her that she needed blinker fluid!

So while Brad stood in the background at Wal-mart– and smiled, Jennifer went up to the clerk and asked “Do you have any blinker fluid?”, to which the man replied “Huh?” 

She repeated herself, then the clerk caught the eyes of my Brad, and realized that a joke was being  played…

Oh “payback” is going to be hell for Brad…Go for it Jennifer, that was just so wrong!

Have a great weekend everyone…don’t forget to tell me if you would like to be entered in the cash drawing on April 30…Kathy

Jennifer and Brad... who is doing an impersonation of ????

You Might Be From Gooseneck If…

If you are here from Friday Follow, welcome to my place.  I’ll be sure to return your visit if you let me know that you were here…I am also having a  drawing for a cash give away on April 30–in celebration of my first blogiversary this month.  Just let me know if you’d like to be entered in the drawing–it’s for twenty dollars in cash…Enter as often as you like. 

Since today is Friday, I chose to do a “light-hearted” post.  I hope you enjoy it.

We live in the community of “Gooseneck”…That’s a funny name, huh?  I’ve lived here for 33 years, and I still don’t know why it’s called “Gooseneck”. 

We used to have our own country grocery store, many years ago, but it’s been closed for a long time.  The couple who built it and ran it together have both passed away.  Those were the days…he was the butcher, stock man, bagboy…while she was the cashier and bookkeeper.  In those days, people could actually  buy groceries on credit, and pay their bill when they got paid.  Imagine that!    

  We  still have our gas station– Gooseneck Gas and Tire.  We love that store!  It’s been passed down from father to son to grandson through the years.  It’s been here for as long as I can remember.  A few years ago, the station was renovated and  the owners actually began making and selling pizzas…Woah, the community was thrilled!!!   No more driving 7 miles to town to get food!  The owners even added some tables and chairs… Every day a small group of retired men from our community gathers at the station to visit and kill time..Biscuits and coffee in the morning, pizza for lunch… 

There are two other businesses in our community of Gooseneck.  One is Gooseneck Nurseries–which sells plants and flowers, the other is DC Durrence Farms.  The owner of DC Durrence Farms is our neighbor, and his land joins ours.  I’ll tell you more about him in a minute.

Now that you have a “feel” for the community that I live in…let’s take a “light-hearted” look at a few things around here…

You might be from Gooseneck if…your old hound dog sleeps upside down on the porch…and ours does.  He has a bad hip from being injured when he decided to wander up and play on the highway…a car hit him.  Most of the time, Ethan sleeps on his back–with his feet in the air.

Our old hound, Ethan...he sleeps like this a lot...

You might be from Gooseneck if….your closest neighbors are cows…Our neighbor raises Black Angus bulls and sells them.  He also raises chickens for the market, and grows produce.  At this particular time,  his strawberries are ready, yum yum!  Later he will have other kinds of berries, watermelons, corn, and tomatoes, among other things…Mooovelous!

our neighbors...the cows

You might be from Gooseneck if …you ride with your daddy– in your great-grandpa’s old 1991 pick-up truck– while your grandpa is driving down the dirt lane leading from the garden…and your grandma is following behind the truck with a digital camera…and your grandpa is watching her in the rear-view mirror…That’s just how we roll around here…

on the way home from the garden...

You might also be from Gooseneck if… you spend your weekends wading around in a nasty goldfish pond while your granddaughter looks at you like you have lost your mind…”You’re doing what, MiMi?”  Sure was glad I didn’t see a snake or a turtle in there…just a lot of nasty fish poop and algae…lots of algae.

now that's what I call fishing...

Thanks for stopping by and sharing a little “Gooseneck” humor…Laughter is good for the soul…Ya’ll come back ya’ hear?

To the hostesses of Friday Follow…One2Try, HeartsMakeFamilies, and Midday Escapades.  Thanks so much for hosting this hop, and giving us the chance to meet new bloggers.

Not Me Monday…The Day After!

Happy Monday everyone! Time to begin the week with a few “not me” moments from the weekend.  If you enjoy my post, hop on over to Mckmama’s blog hop at http://www.mycharmingkids.net and join in the fun.

We did not begin our Valentine’s Day weekend here in southeastern Georgia with snow!  On Friday evening it did not look like a blizzard outside because the snow was falling so hard.  We hadn’t seen snow in these parts in 20 years!  My grown sons and son-in-law did not play outside in the dark–in the snow–for nearly two hours!  They did not remind me of little boys.

Brandy and Brett posing with the "Southern Snowman"

On the Saturday before Valentine’s Day, I did not send my husband out into the wild frenzy of Wal-mart shoppers to do some grocery shopping for me…I would never do that, especially since he brought roses to me on Friday–to “avoid the crowd”…I would never do that!

While my husband was fighting the frenzy at  Wal-mart, I was at home baking and decorating Valentine’s Day cupcakes with my daughter, Brandy, and granddaughter, Madison.   Brandy did not volunteer her husband to go with my husband to Wal-mart…to get him out-of-the-way…

By the time my husband returned from fighting the shoppers at Wal-mart, I was tired from all the baking– since I haven’t been feeling well lately…He offered to take me out to eat, but I did not tell him that I’d rather just lay on the couch!  My sweet husband then went into the kitchen and made a supper of spaghetti and french bread for us…I am so blessed…

I volunteered to cook lunch for our entire family on Valentine’s Day, so I decided to skip church and cook. The last time I cooked, then went to church, I could barely hold my eyes open… My daughter came home from church to tell me that the entire family was on our “family pew” except for hubby and me.  Ahhh…I did not feel guilty.

the girls enjoying some humor during lunch

My youngest son, Brad, and his new girlfriend did not have the most interesting Valentine’s Day story about their gifts to each other…She gave him a box of candy–which he accidentally dropped and spilled outside in the dirt…she also gave him a Georgia Bulldog mug, which they kicked off the table and broke during some “horseplay”!  He  gave her some chocolates, which she left in the car during church–and returned to the car to find them melted…I hope this is not an omen….

After our family enjoyed a Valentine’s Day meal of baked ham with all the trimmings–including a heart-shaped ice cream cake, we retired to the living room to play the Newlywed Game.  When the game ended,  Brad and Jennifer came in only 3  points behind Ed and me…Pretty impressive!  A couple of 4 months versus a couple of nearly 38 years–either they were very good, or Ed and I are pretty bad…

grandkids opening Valentine's Day gifts...

Being the southern, a bit “red-necky” family that we are…we did not settle down to watch the Daytona 500 Nascar race for entertainment!  The race was not stopped with 78 laps still left to go…because there was a pot hole in the track!  Give me a break!!!  After only an hour and a half delay to repair the hole in the asphalt, the race resumed.  By then, everyone had lost interest, and gone home.  As for me?  I stretched out on the couch and took a nap…complete with snoring… I never snore, not me!

It was not the best Valentine’s Day weekend that I’ve ever had…one that I will never forget!  Have a great Monday everyone!  

***Now to announce the winner of the weekend giveaway….the winner is Tabitha!  Tabitha was commenter # 14–the winning number chosen.  Congratulations, Tabitha, and thanks to everyone for visiting and leaving a comment.  Your prize will be in the mail as soon as I get your address!  There will be a new giveaway on Friday…