Hot, Hot, Hot and Hotter.....

Welcome to the South!!! Man - it is like breathing hot water out there. Glad I decided to stay in today. It was already hot when Fran got to my house yesterday morning. After quickly eating one of the blueberry muffins I made, we met with the group almost on time! After working in service the whole morning, we went downtown to a new Italian Sandwich Shop on Main Street called Toast. The food was delicious if a little pricey. It was so hot inside, we grabbed a table in the shade outside where at least there was a breeze. We split a great panini made with grilled chicken, fontina, arugula and tomato, a tossed salad and a delicious dessert along with some white wine. Fran wanted to check out a shop in Brightleaf Square - she was hoping they still had a store there she really liked but it was gone. We browsed through Morgan Imports and then a small antique shop where I bought a pair of embroidered pillowcases and two lime green paper fans for the two of us because it was so hot. All the small shops had their doors open and it was too miserable to shop for any length of time. I love how they have made such good use of the old tobacco factories and storage houses using as much of the original structures as they could. After climbing back into the furnace the car had become, we headed back home. While sitting at a light on Main Street, I saw Sarah and I think her Dad and brother - I called out and she ran over for a quick kiss - what a beautiful and sweet young woman. I have been wanting to try a new place - Grill 46 - down the street from my house so we stopped in and got an ice cream cone - hers strawberry and mine butter pecan (my Mom's favorite "bought" ice cream with peach being her favorite homemade). When we got to the house, BigD and Miya were waiting for us on the back porch and there were some flowers for me on the stoop. What a nice surprise from Page1 with a nice message to cheer me up from the "ruff" week I've been having. You can see them above on the left. After Miya made a big pest of herself to Fran, she had to leave to pick her dear hubby up at the QB. I really enjoyed my time with her. Yeah - Thursday night was rough - Leah called a little before my meeting to tell me she got laid off from her job. Having worked in the personnel field for almost 20 years combined, I have some first hand knowledge of lay offs - both on the giving and receiving end. No matter what you tell yourself, it is personal - or at least it is personal to the person being laid off. I think she is planning to catch a ride back home with Roseanne and her daughter Sunday to visit with us for awhile. I'm looking forward to having her and Page2. I think we will work on her resume while she is here. I honestly had to "make" myself go to the meeting because I knew that is where I needed to be and guess what? The local needs talk was about endurance - especially for the older ones. It was so encouraging but of course I happened to be sitting on the same row as a dear older friend who hasn't been doing well lately and my mind flew away with memories of the influence she and her example of faith and always commenting at the meetings has been for me these past 43 years. I had to leave the meeting a little early anyway because I had to do some things w/BigD before my friend arrived early the next morning but I also found I was getting a little emotional. Being in service and spending the day with Fran and then coming home to flowers from Page did make things feel better. I woke up again very early this morning - still having bad dreams from time to time - not sure what that is about. My sister Rose called to say they were making some calls and she wanted to stop by. Since it made me get out of my PJ's into some clothes, I guess that was a good thing. She brought a nice sister with her and we had a short visit. Her dear hubby has a talk in July and I need to look up some research material for him. Since I have to print it, I'll have to wade through all the "stuff" packed away in the office to get to it. What's new - right? So we are having a pretty lazy day today so far. I think we are going to pick up some of my favorite pasta, salad and have some wine tonight. I also have to wash and fold some more clothes and plan to study today for the WT study tomorrow. BigD is sleeping so I may call Eileen and have her study since I missed it yesterday. haven't heard from Fina about hers so may be having it tomorrow after the meeting like last week. That will work too.

Good busy for a change.......but busy just the same..

Snagged this picture from an email my Leah sent - had to share because it makes me think of Page2. Been a busy day today which isn't a bad thing in itself. Got to bed extra late but woke up extra early - why don't I do that on service days? Hmmm something to ponder later. My friend from down east had TM me earlier in the week to say she was riding up to this area with her hubby for a KH build several towns over. I TM back and asked if that meant we would be able to get together? She TM today saying she was coming in the morning to go in service with me so color me the little girl to the left! That's how it made me feel. This means two of my friends - Fran and Eileen - will be able to meet since they have heard about each other but never met. Color me happy. We finally got the mattress, box springs and foam mattress cover over to Roseanne's to be taken to Lauren when she is ready for it. Roseanne got her cast off - another little girl above moment! She has a brace now - hope it does okay since it has only been 5 weeks since the break. Is that possible - only 5 weeks? So much has happened in that 5 weeks but I'll not dwell on that right now - keep my little girl happy moment going. See what I mean about her? Doesn't she just fit every happy thought? I'm hoping Roseanne will join us tomorrow but she thinks not since she has made plans to go to VA. Since I got up early this morning I decided to be productive since I couldn't eat or drink coffee - had a 10:15am appointment to have my BP checked and guess what? I forgot to take the stupid pill last night. I know - the phone - I did it - I now have a reminder in my phone every day to take that stupid pill. Anyway - I got all my studying for tonight done before 8:30AM - WOW - have I learned a lesson here? Hope springs eternal. After the BP check I picked up groceries where I bought some beautiful tulips and sunflowers - I know they aren't going to last long (which is why I could afford so many) but they were so gorgeous I couldn't resist. The tulips smell just like honey - I kept picking them up and smelling them so much in the store people were asking to smell them. :-) On my way home from the store I called Ruth in FL to see how she was doing and she was babysitting her son's baby girl Paige! It was good to get caught up and I'm going to try to do better with that. On our way home from Roseanne's, Big D stopped by Paschall's as they were closing and picked up some chili to go with a hot dog(s) he cooked when he got home. There were two signs but the other one is so old I couldn't make out some of the words. I think it says - H & R Block, Paschall's Grill and Barber Shop. I looks like it has been burned. I just know this place has been here forever but it isn't what it used to be - except for the chili. The recipe is passed on to each new owner - I know this because my sister Ruth and her hubby bought it back in the 80's for a few years and it was the cutest little 50's still diner you have ever seen with good food. Everyone used to go there for lunch - saw the Mayor in there frequently. They had to agree to use the original chili recipe and did but Ruth added some of her own recipes including pinto beans and banana pudding. BigD picked up the mail and found a sweet card Page2 made me. Me thinks she is looking forward to coming to stay with me some this summer. I hope so because I'm looking forward to having her. Now that we have the mattress out of the back room, I can get it ready for her. I have stuff piled everywhere because YES - I am finally really doing it - de-cluttering. Doing it a little at a time so everyone will just have to put up with the piles of "stuff" I have already pulled out (as will I). I warned Fran and of course she said, "you know I won't mind" and I had to smile since she has no idea how bad it is! LOL. OK - is everyone ready for their Page2 Moment? Leah called to say Page2's class is studying family life including how families come about. Page2 asked her Mommy - what do they call the boy's part? Leah said they call it a p _ _ _ s. Page2 said, it sounds like a "sickness"! Oh yeah - is she smart or what? Yep - I do believe she is.

June and 23rd Wednesday of 2010...29 to go....

Mama definitely knew what she was talking about when she said time flew by like a bullet after you turn 60. The year is almost half way gone --- and it has been a pretty eventful year so far. I took this picture with my phone in service today - I love how the roots look against the moss. We all decided it warranted a place in my on-line journal. The only thing that would have made it better would have been nice mushrooms. I talked with my sister Ann today - she sounded hoarse but better than when she was in the hospital. I can tell she is very weak. I hated to tell her it would be at least 3 weeks before we came since my other sister Ruth is having surgery next week. She is having a cataract removed from her eye. She said okay but I think she may have been a little disappointed. When we talked about me coming earlier she had mentioned the long weekend over July 4th as being a good time. I told her it might work out that way but that means I will be gone a little longer to avoid the holiday traffic. My friend Gene is going to work out the scenic route with me. I forgot to take my camera when Mae, Judee and I visited with Cat Monday night. It was nice being able to see Cat twice - she was in town for some surgery and was able to attend Betty's memorial service last Saturday. I knew Cat was hoping to spend a little more time than that with Mae so Judee and I worked it out and were glad we did. It was nice to have Cat's son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter come home before we left. I know it seems crazy since they are only 20 plus minutes down the road but they are as busy as we are. It was nice to steal a few minutes to be together and remember good times. We took a few with my telephone but they were quite blurry as you can see. These three women have played important roles in my life for over 40 years. Cat studied with me, Mae's daughter Judee was my pioneer partner when she was still a teenager and helped me raise my children and her Mom and Dad have always been so wonderful to me and my family over the years. Sadly, we hardly get to see each other between living across town (Cat in another town) and being so busy but when we get together, the time falls away and it is like we have never been apart. I was supposed to go to my friends house for their family study but we got back late so I cancelled and we went out to dinner for good wine, good food and great conversation. I was just looking at some pictures I took of our young pioneer and her family. Her sister and her husband are going on a special assignment to Africa - the Congo. They are so excited and will be helping to build Kingdom Halls while there. I know Rie enjoyed having all of them (including her lovely Mom) spend some time with her before they left - and what better place to be together than in service! Of course I have to share a picture I snatched from FB of Kenna while she was at the beach. All the pictures her Mom took were great but this one caught my eye in a big way. I couldn't pass it up. You will have to admit it is gorgeous. She is such a combination of the people she came from in looks and personality. Thankfully, I like all of them. :-) I forgot to share a picture I took of the banana bread Roseanne had fixed for our dinner last Saturday night. One word - Yum. Her dear hubby insisted I also had to share a picture of his Sangria - he thought the color of the limes was to die for. I hate to admit it but he is right - the colors of the limes are gorgeous - even in a picture. As you all know already, I LOVE dragonflies - I had to take this picture of Roseanne's serving plate before she put the fresh asparagus in it. No matter how many times I hinted (strongly) how much I would love to have it, she pretty much said - No! What does that mean? Just kidding Roseanne. You will notice the wine bottle in the background - yep I took over a bottle of my coveted Kendall Jackson I had gotten on sale. Roseanne is the one who introduced me to this lovely chardonnay and I wanted to share it with them. You will have to admit that is a wonderful picture of a dragonfly. I have always loved these little creatures - with their delicate wings and slender bodies - especially the colors of them. I also have to share these pictures of Biscuit in her pretty little bathing suit and hat! Look at those eyes - I also have a Page2 story to share but can't remember the last two lines so will wait until I check with Leah to post it here. One of those comments you never want to forget.

End of a rough week.......

Friday was an up and down kind of day - kept feeling so sad about my friend dying but did have a nice chat with my sister Ann and she sounded so much better. We agreed that Pleurisy was a lot better than something that started with the letter C. Her surgery went well and the fluid was draining from a tube they left in. We talked about my sister Ruth and me driving up when she feels better. I moved slowly Saturday morning and had almost decided I wasn't going to my friend's memorial service. I got ready and went. Even though it was emotional, I'm glad I went. I saw a lot of old friends and re-connected with my friend's family for a bit. I had to get this picture of one of my 'guardian' children. I can't believe she is already 14. I came home just in time to receive a very distressing phone call. My sister's daughter-in-law called to let me know they had tested the fluid that was draining and there were cancer cells present. She said my sister plans to go home and heal from this surgery before she decides what she will do next. Talk about a kick in the gut! I feel so bad for Ann and her family and am getting real tired of all this bad news. After letting two of my sisters and the kids know, I was pretty much done for they day. Not much sleep last night but slept a little later this morning. We had a wonderful WT study today with lots of participation by the kids. After the meeting I had my study with Fina, ran home to change clothes and pick up a bottle of Kendall Jackson before going to Roseanne's for a nice dinner of salmon, asparagus and rice. Yum. There was a nice breeze so we decided to finish our wine on their deck. The sky was beautiful and their yard is full of trees so you feel like you are in deep woods. It was lovely until the mosquitoes started feasting on us. I grabbed two of her gardenias off the bush by her front door and headed home. BigD asked me to pick him up a fish plate on my way home and after looking at the long line outside Goodberrys I came on home. So the week has come to an end and hopefully next week will be much more positive. I hope my friend's family are getting through their grief and that soon time will take the edge off the pain they are feeling so intensely right now. I'm looking forward to visiting Cat with Mae and her daughter tomorrow after service. The beat goes on.......

Some things to remind me there are plenty of things to smile about....

I look at this picture and have to ask myself, how could anyone look at this and not smile? When I think of what these two lovely young people were going through just a short while ago, this picture brings pure joy to my heart. Look at our Pat and how handsome he looks in his "Clark Kent" glasses? And when you look at his "lovely" bride, how can you help but notice how her blue eyes match that pretty dress? LOL. It was so good to see them if only for a little while last Saturday at the wedding. I know Roseanne is smiling inside every time she thinks of how well they are doing now. Unless you notice his crutch or know details, you would be hard pressed to believe the horrifying days until we knew he would recover at all. And then of course there is Biscuit. I snatched this picture of Biscuit with two of her friends. I love the way Kenna is looking at her wondering how those little short legs and tiny feet can move her so fast. Look at little Mama Claire making sure she is okay. I love seeing the pictures of these little ones as they are growing up. Such wonderful memories they are making - their Mom's are all doing a wonderful job of making sure they have life-long friends. It was surreal to read the obituary of my friend in the paper today. There was a lovely picture of her that brought back so many memories of when I first met her and then later in life when we re-connected regarding our children. If you saw the picture it would be hard to imagine her being sick. I want to remember her exactly as she looks in the picture and take great comfort in knowing she is no longer suffering. Okay - things to make us smile - how can we not smile when we see two beautiful young people start their married lives together? This was taken as they had just been hitched and were walking back down the aisle "together forever". I'm enjoying her posts about what her days are like right now. She is definitely still in the bloom of being a newlywed - hope that bloom lasts a long, long time. So these are just a few of the things I can smile about today. That and the blue sky, white clouds and pretty flowers I bought for myself yesterday. I can also smile for BigD doing what he loves best - fishing with his friends at the coast. That he likes his new phone and sent me a picture late yesterday when he crossed the Chesapeake Bay. That Kurt, Leah and Page are happy and healthy and school will be out next week so they will all get a much deserved break. That Page2 loves her new summer outfit - especially the hat and necklace. That Page1's project is complete - done, done, done and then done! It has been unbelievably stressful to her and I smile really big when I think about it being over. Hope she has a wonderful and relaxing weekend. That Bentley can relax and enjoy the next few months and our big family vacation in August knowing his surgery will be done how, where and by whom he wants later. That Roseanne's youngest daughter not only knows how to survive huge disappointments but knows how to find things to smile about also - with a gorgeous new ring! That Kurt, Leah and Page know the same secret I know - owning and loving a cat is a wonderful thing. Holding them close, letting them sleep on your chest while you notice your breathing slows down, your pulse rate slows, your mind relaxes and you remember that LIFE is GOOD. It isn't as good as when you hold your babies like that - sometimes for the whole four hours between their feedings but it is a close second. I get so much pleasure from rubbing my cat it makes me feel sorry for those who are repulsed by it. Roseanne and I are going to the memorial for our friend together tomorrow and then on Sunday, we are going to catch a movie. I slept late today (not getting any sleep and all the stress of this week finally caught up with me) so I decided to get a few more things done in the house. Hopefully I'll get enough taken care of that BigD will notice it. Hope springs eternal.

Feeling like I've been beaten with a stick for last two days......

It got so bad I almost stopped answering my phone today. It started yesterday with my sister Ann being taken to the hospital with breathing issues. Turns out her left lung had collapsed due to the fluid built up around it - she could barely breath. Then I was told a friend (since 1967)who is my age had been taken to the hospital and was on life support. We didn't see each other as much but kept in touch from time to time. She was always so interested in my children and Page2 and was good about keeping up with people's children. She had been battling different health issues for the past few years but this was a real shock. I spoke with a dear older friend who had surgery this past Friday to let her know about my friend since she had known her even longer than I had. Got out in service today with a heavy heart. Spoke with my friend who gave me an update on the friend on life support. The family was going to decide whether to take her off life support. That hit kind of hard. I waited until a little after noon to call my sister who is in the hospital. They were going to perform some surgery on her to re-inflate her lung and put a drainage tube in her chest to get rid of the fluids. She said she was already breathing better since her breathing treatment and they had on her oxygen. Then my friend called me to say my friend had died around 1:55pm. Leah called to give me the results of some tests Page had taken and what the plan would be for next year. Then one of my studies called to tell me they were doing tests on her 7 year old daughter to determine if she had lupus or another auto-immune disease. I decided service was the best place for me and even went on a later study with Gail. I spoke with Page1 and Kurt tonight about my sister and my friend. I was doing okay until I got on the computer a little bit ago and her youngest daughter had sent me a sweet message telling me all about her death and how they were all with her, touching her and telling her how much they loved her. That was it - that was all she wrote. Since I can't stop crying, I think I need to go to bed now.....Sending love and prayers to everyone.....

New Adventures with Old Friend......

My dear friend Ruth and I started our grand adventure to Kittrell yesterday with a stop in Wake Forest where we had a nice lunch in a cool sandwich/pizza shop. I hate to see the empty shops along Main Street but I still enjoy visiting there for many reasons. First the memories I have from my childhood and the times BigD and I rode through here on our way to the Outer Banks and second from the short time I worked there for my dear friend Ann who had a delightful shop on Main Street. We don't come through here on our way to and from Outer Banks now that there is a by-pass but I miss it. Even though there are new buildings, there is still the quaint feeling of a old small town to it. Since the area is quickly becoming as Yuppie as Cary became, I dread the day all this will disappear. At least the historical homes area seems to still be intact. We enjoyed riding down the street taking pictures of homes from long ago that have been carefully preserved. We kept getting caught up on each other's lives as we drove to Kittrell where we first went to Oak Ridge to complete my mission. My sister Ann will be happy to learn that her place beside Mama is intact and will be hers. I took pictures of the site and of the memorial stones of many of my dear relatives who are now gone. It appears everyone forgot that my niece is buried on the same side as Mama but Ann's space will be between them. Whoever told Ann that Starr was buried beside Mama was accurate except she isn't "right" beside her. Both Ruth and I enjoyed looking at the older stones - many of which were quite unique. You could feel the love of the surviving family members who put messages on their stones - some were a little poetic. I especially like this one of my Great Aunt - it is not only unique but she is the Aunt my Mother was named for. I thought it was interesting how her maiden name was listed larger than her married name. Kind of makes you go hmmmm? We also saw the little stone for my Mama's brother who didn't make it after he was born. Bittersweet feeling. Then we rode down a road I used to drive Mama down whenever we went scoota-pootin - as a matter of fact, the last time we went on one of our jaunts, this is the route we drove. Brought back tons of memories. Ruth was happy to see the places Mama and Daddy lived, played, courted, married and started their lives together. Don't get me wrong - all my sisters and I were very happy Daddy decided his daughters were going to be raised somewhere else - somewhere he could give us more opportunities than he could there. I was very excited to find this house. (above) My first time visiting it was back around the time Mama had her by-pass surgery. We went for a long ride and she had been here and seen it since a woman had bought it and completely renovated it. She left much of the original house as it was - just added touches like paint, inside bathrooms, etc.. It was white and gorgeous. She let us walk all through it and around the grounds where she kept horses. Mama talked a lot about when she lived here and Granddaddy would hire a crew to help him with the harvest. She talked about when there used to be another kitchen away from the main house (to prevent the house burning down in case of fire) and the two women who helped Grandma with the cooking during the busy times. She showed me a lovely room upstairs in the front corner of the house and related how she and her sister Margie got into a fight and threw each other's clothes out the window and how mad Grandma got. I loved that story...reminded me of my sister's fighting over clothes while getting ready for school. I took some pictures that day but I think I gave most of them to Mama. I will try to find them. I also got a picture of the house (on the right above) where my Aunt and Uncle lived in Kittrell. When I was little I stayed with them for several weeks one summer. I think I also must have stayed with them a short period of time when it was cold because I remember them killing a hog and cleaning it. I finally found a picture of her - Leah took the picture of the picture that was in an album at one of our family reunions. She was Mama's oldest sister and very quiet - like me. I know - it's hard to believe what a quiet little person I was for many years - I think that is what drew her to me. She was very sweet to me and I have little snatches of memories from my time with her and her family that summer. She let me try to make butter with the churn (that was a big mistake - felt like my little arms were going to fall off) and she liked to comb my hair. I felt safe with and loved by her. I also remember how much I enjoyed watching her (and my Mama) cook - they were like artists in the kitchen. Their movements were slow, methodical and fluid - they created some wonderful art too! YUM. We also drove through another small town where another of my Mom's sisters lived. (house above on left) I was supposed to stay with her and her family for two weeks one summer but I got very home-sick. I told Ruth about how her husband would come in to tell me goodnight and ask me to please come and be his little girl because he only had two boys and my Daddy had five girls and if I would be his little girl, he would build me a room of my own and you get the picture. Oh yeah, it was time for me to come home! I thought this guy was going to keep me!!! Other than that, I had a nice time - my aunt made me a little skirt and my cousins were like big brothers. They had tons of comic books and a green apple tree in the back - I think I got sick off the green apples but the doctor they called when I got sick that night said he thought it was more like a sickness named H O M E sickness. I forgot to mention the house below(on right) - we used to visit my Grandmother here in Kittrell. When my Uncle got married he and his family lived with her and then she lived with them until she got sick. This is the house Grandmother lived in when I was born.

I know my Mom and sisters lived with her while Daddy worked in Durham and sent money. I was born and lived there as a baby for a little over a year I think before we all moved to the big house in Durham. When I was small we used to drive up beside this house and my uncle had the prettiest Collie - I thought it was Lassie! Of course, Lassie was the prettiest dog in the world - right? Those Sunday afternoons after we ate a big meal would be spent running and playing with cousins until we were forced to stop so we could go home. We would ultimately drop off to sleep in the car on the way home. It would never have occurred to us to be inside unless it was pouring rain or something and even then, there might be some outbuilding we could play in. Some of the houses sat up on rocks and we would play under them in the soft sand while it rained. After we headed back home, we drove out to visit Ann, Lee and the babies. Ruth has heard me speak of them and I was happy for her to meet them. Alas, there were no fresh eggs available - but we got a nice treat of fresh blackberry tea and a slice of chocolate pie - Yum. Lee and Ann were getting the kids set up for her parents to take care of because they were going out on a date! Whoo hoo! Upon request, Ann showed us her new ring Lee gave her for their anniversary - we both thought it was gorgeous. Both Ruth and I were delighted that Biscuit woke up from her nap in time for Ruth to meet her. She has seen pictures of her but was happy to see her in person. She enjoyed hearing the story about Ann taking Biscuit strawberry picking and how she figured out you don't have to pick them, just pull the bush toward you and gnosh the berries right off the vine. We all agreed Ann probably should have given them an extra $5 for the amount she might have eaten - just kidding. After Ruth measured the delicious antique quilt I want to try to replicate (with her help) so she can make a pattern, we headed home - tired but feeling pretty good. We dropped by for her to visit with BigD and pick up some BBQ chicken to take with her after which we had dinner at the Mexican place up the street. When I took Ruth home, her Mom gave me a peony bush she had dug up. She wrapped it up in newspaper, put it in a plastic bag and poured water over it. When I got home I was so tired but I was also keyed up from the wonderful day full of good memories of not only my past but my long term friendship with Ruth. I loved hearing about her life, house, horses and of course her wonderful family. I woke up late this morning to rain and had so much on my plate, I stayed in. I went out to get in the car this afternoon to take Ruth to the airport and realized I had forgotten to take the peony bush out of the car. When I pulled it out, quite a few bugs (not tiny ones either) scattered and ran under the back seat. Yikes! I felt like they were crawling on me! Ruth's mom gave me some bug spray but I think I just need to take everything out of that car anyway and have it cleaned thoroughly! I called Cat on my way home from the airport and she still sounds weak and is a little sore. Hopefully, I will be able to visit her this weekend. I enjoyed my adventures with an old friend......