Thursday, September 27, 2012

Prayers and peace and birthdays


Just noticed this post never was published.  I'm posting anyway even though this good man is now in the arms of the Father.  May peace and love continue to surround his family.

Praying for a sister-by-love and her family this morning as they keep vigil with their brother, father, granddad, uncle, husband, and good man. I remember when my family came together 10 years ago to sing and release my Dad into God's arms.  My Dad always did his best to make things good for my family so it was difficult to believe that goodness wasn't leaving with him.  We have found over the years how to continue that goodness--each of his kids in our own way--as we care for our families and for our Mom. 
Most days more persistence than perfection.  He and Mom taught us not to give up and that the Heavenly Father is always here.  I know my sister-in-love knows this sustaining love and I pray her family will feel surrounded by this love as they keep vigil.

Lucy is 27 and still a kid at heart.

I am observing this awesome beach as I write these words.  Time to get down there and soak it up. Fabulous day yesterday with Hedgie Girl celebrating her birthday.  She is now the age that I was when I decided to marry her Dad.  Seems weird. I am still that young woman myself some days.  Being on the beach helps stir many of those memories.  Told her yesterday that Gulf Shores was the first place her feet ever hit the sand.  She was about six months old and hated the sand, she screamed with each touch of her feet to it. Fast forward 27 years where we ran around being silly and snapping pictures with the sunset with our feet in that same soft sand.

Take time to tell those you love that you love. them. Don't wait.  Seize the day. 

Peace from the beach. 

Incredible sky last night. 
Orange Beach, AL

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Walking in the sand

Amazing day at the beach.  Perfect temperature--water still sends a slight shiver if you baby step your way in, sky blue, blue, blue and blue.  Good company. 



Great Big Ole Beach Hat is a must!

Dippin our toes in the water upon our arrival yesterday.
Peace for the journey.

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Rocky Mountain tripping

Oh what fun to travel with Hedgie Girl.  Here we are  in the "Garden of the Gods" in Colorado Springs.This is a FREE park.  It was so lovely.  The weather was just amazing.  I sported my shirt like a cape--batgirl style since it was too warm to wear it.  This picture was taken before I took out a section of loose rocks with my rear end.  No damage just a free purple and blue souvenier of the day on my rumpus. This is what happens when people in their 50s attempt to keep pace with 7 and 9 year olds.  Keep in mind I am fast approaching the LAST year of my 50s. I think we might have taken a wrong turn on the trail which led to my bruises.


Me and Hedgie Girl
Garden of the Gods
Colorado Springs, CO


Life is such a Balancing Act
Trying to hold up Balancing Rock, Colorado Springs, CO
This is how they keep the park free. Guests are expected to hold up the rock in 15 minute increments.
Glad I had a good breakfast first.


Our Host Family
The Michaels
My niece and her guys
The big guy will be soon be Major Michaels in the USAF


Another thing that happens when you hang out with 7 and 9 year olds.  Eye rolling... and she isn't even in her 50s.  Pike's Peak was just behind those rolling eyes.  "America the Beautiful" was inspired by that Peak.  I can only imagine how much in awe Katharine Bates must have been in 1893.  She had come to teach at Colorado College when she traveled to the Peak. Colorado College is anotther beautiful spot in Colorado Springs. 

Traveling from a city of 3000 to a city of over 400,000 was quite an adventure.  We had a good trip on Frontier Airlines.  The only gripe I had was having to pay $20 to check a bag. We were offered that courtesy of a free check from Atlanta which Hedgie Girl heard me decline since I missed the free part.  After we dragged our bags to row 25--the one right next to the flushing toilet in the back of the plane--I had to carry mine since it was too wide to roll the aisle.  ... we chose to check our bags on the return trip but no free check was offered.  I even did my best Southern begging ,smiling plea for free, oh well.  Since I didn't want to literally air my dirty laundry to the CS airport to dig out my 3 oz. liquids, I paid my $20.  If I'd waited and checked it at the plane it would have been free.  I would have had to do the same drag through the airport first--GRRRR. 

Thanks to the Michaels family for being great hosts. 

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Time traveling

Excited about traveling tomorrow so I've given up sleeping.  Figure I'll grab some sleep on the way to another time zone that's behind us. Hopefully, at 3AM, I packed the clothes I'll need for this short visit. I'm going to see folks who've seen me after a night of sleeping on the floor after a packed house at Grandmother's at Christmas.  This is with 16 or so folks sharing 2 bathrooms .  Perhaps they won't be surprised by my casual clothes?  

I'm really hoping I'll be able to cram my suitcase into an overhead bin.  If not, I'll pay the extra $20 to let it get it's own crammed in spot under the plane. 

Time for one more nap before work.

Peace from the river.

Monday, September 17, 2012

Peace from the garden

Time to get crackin'.  Two more days then a flight to Colorado Springs to see my niece and her family.  Traveling with Hedgie Girl.  She and I have never flown alone anywhere so a new adventure for us.
Wonderful Monday to all of you.
                                                   Peace from the neatest oak in my garden.

Friday night lights in Bama

My date for crusing

Welcome to Greece and Saudi Arab. This post is about Alabama.  Hopefully this will make you want to visit.

Friday night cruisin’
Duke Boy and I took a back roads of Alabama ride Friday night in the convertible.  Cool, breezy, convertible therapy kind of evening.  I know gas prices don’t lend themselves to much cruising but It’s been so hot we haven’t left town much lately and certainly not with the top down.  Oskar’s on Blue Creek, near Still Waters, was our destination.  We took our time getting there which was good since we didn’t want to miss any of the sights and all that breeze along the way on Highway 50.  Most of the sights were rural: green fields, farm houses, and two puppies that needed to be behind a fence.  
Oskar’s is a welcoming place with a menu to make your mouth water.  If you order the crab claws for an appetizer just go ahead and order your potato and salad because it’s plenty for a meal.  We had already ordered a steak to split so we forced ourselves to enjoy it. Our waitress was friendly and attentive without being intrusive on our date night.   We laughed when she asked about dessert but had her name them anyway.  We decided just hearing them called out was filling enough so we passed. 
Duke Boy knew the way back to Highway 50 from 49S so we proceeded down a road new to me.  We got to pass through a beautiful area which I assume is Blue Creek?  We saw Nick’s restaurant and made a mental note for another date night complete with convertible therapy.  When we got to the turn off to 50, I told Duke Boy that I was enjoying this road (49S) so we stayed on it.  We got to wave at our Lanett folks in Reeltown where Lanett lost a hard fought game by one point.  Sorry guys.  I watched them beat Lafayette the week before, on date night, and had a wonderful time.  I don’t even really care for football but the weather, the crowd, the band, and the team, all made for a fun football evening.  OK back to riding…We finally got to the intersection where you turn left to go to Notasulga—don’t know the road #??  I recognized this as our turn, and we did.  This part of the ride was very interesting and we were able to have a conversation about mules and donkeys.  If you travel that road you will discover why.   Lots of one or the other of those creatures along the way…Duke Boy says they were mules.  I asked him if he was sure or if he was just making that up.  He said he was sure.  Hmm?
Since we haven’t had much War Eagle time lately we drove through the campus on our way home.  The city was alive with fans gearing up for their tailgates.  We decided we could poke some dessert in by the time we got to Tiger Town so we stopped at Chill, the yogurt shop.  If you ask for a sample cup you can just about avoid having to pay for dessert.  We should have...the caramel and vanilla custard is pretty darn yummy.  We even ran into some Valley folks who had the same idea.
I confess that we stopped at the Cusseta exit and put the top up. I was cold. What a great feeling in mid-September.  What great therapy on date night.
Karen Erwin-Brown is the director of the Valley  office of the Pastoral Institute. She offers individual, marriage, and family therapy by appointment only.  Call 334-768-2341 for an appointment or more information. 

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

More praying

Walking with a girlfriend last night when she asked me how long I'd been walking---my reply, "since I was about one (1) , I guess?"  Of course, that wasn't her real question.  Answer: "Just a few steps, just now."
Fall makes me wanna do new stuff: walk, hang out in my garden, write. 

The coolness on my shoulder from the window open now for two days in a row with no air conditioning humming.  Well ok, the unit in the bedroom--not quite ready to give that one up yet. 

Today is the 11th anniversary of 9/11.  Pray for all of us as we remember that sad day in our history.

Hopefully, you are still praying without ceasing from yesterday so it won't be hard to continue.
Peace from the Hooch.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Help it's fall and I love to get up

Had a pretty severe blood loss yesterday about sunset. On my fabulous back patio garden trying to watch the sunset.  Damp with bug spray but the mosquitoes must have been starving or I just looked like a tasty treat. Almost gave up and came in but instead put on more repellent. Hopefully, I'm not West Nile infected now--heed the warnings.

This morning my window is open and my coffee is getting chilly quicker than usual.  I don't mind.  My birds are singing.  My neighbors cats went to live on the farm--they really did--my chipmunks are doing happy dances complete with chest bumps to celebrate.  Not sure if they, cats not chipmunks,  were the ones who kept the coyote at bay but I saw him on Thursday and we heard something eat something last night--could have been the owl but I didn't hear him giving a hoot.

Pray without ceasing.  I Thessalonians 5:17. Conversations about life count.  I think.  I hope.  I pray. That was one. I hope. Mondays are usually great days for such conversations.  as are Tuesday-Sundays. 
Praying you will have a day touched with the wonder of the coolness of fall.  The upright kind.  Not the can't get up variety.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Hummingbird reprimands

Gardening is the best way to get a knee pain.

 Yesterday was hot but not the fainting, call 911, where is the ice water kind?

 It was more : I think it's time to water the flowers for minute and get my shorts soaking wet so they can dry while I'm pulling weeds, time to sit on the stool and get up close and personal to those weeds, is it time to eat lunch yet? kind of hot.

I mainly tackled the hummingbird vine again. After I'd pulled most of it off my bushes, I had a strange visitation from a hummingbird.  My back patio is my spot to enjoy the river which it what I was doing while resting a minute from the sweaty part of weeding.  This hummer flew all around, hover over my head, and then flew away. While it was going on I figure it was because my hat--sorta orangy-pink was in my lap, but as I write I think he was ticked off about the vines. 

Also had a visit from a couple of wasps .  Luckily, I got away without any stings.  My jasmine vine is the most prolific--well maybe not more than the hummingbird vine.. It require frequent pruning.  Since I've been such an absent gardener this summer, it has overtaken it's small flower shaped trellis and the wasp found it cozy, I guess.  Needless to say it's still overtaking.  I keep wasp spray and thought I'd done the trick but later in the day saw one flying around the viney trellis.  This must be why you spray in the evening during their return to the nest for a good nights sleep. 

My front garden looks much nicer except for the wasp section.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Ramblings from the Hooch

Long day today.  I haven't posted in so long that I forgot my password.

 My booth at Bluffton Antiques is full of lots of good stuff.  Worth the drive even from Malaysia!

 My fundraiser with all the cupcakes was wonderful.  Thanks to all of you who helped. 

Who saw "Coma" last nite on A&E.  I read that book way back when and remember feeling terrified.  I felt the same way last night but couldn't turn it off.  I don't remember the last time I watched something with that sinister element. How brave I am! 

Currently reading a Jodi Piccoult book, Lone Wolf.  She is such a great writer.  My Kindle wouldn't work this morning and I was really upset because I only have a few chapters left.  Tonight it's glowing again, hurrah.  Of course, that's a good reason to stick to the book--the one made with paper.

A fun moment this week linking up with a friend I haven't seen in nearly 30 years.  Technology is so great--when it's work.  Hey Kay.  Look forward to more fun connections.