Amazing grace on the Hooch

Amazingly calm--amazing grace--despite my FUNdraiser tomorrow. Hedgie Boy has handled all the catering and I haven't called the caterer myself at all.  Amazing...you know the rest of the song.
Have my list to work today.  Hoping and praying all will go as planned.

Did a couple of creative things this weekend.  Forgot the carpenters rule of cut one and measure twice--I always get that wrong...I can't event type it in order!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Miraculous discovery---upholstery tacks--they cover a world of sin and are far superior to staples.  Took an old ottoman of 28+ years and made it new again.  Lots of fun after the amazing discovery...before that not so much...the material was on 40% off at Hancock Fabrics.

after--miracle tacks

before***

so much for my calm spirit.  I can't make these pictures do what I want---auuugggghhhh

 

You get the idea.

Peace, love, and cash for the PI. 

Looking for the 99

Joy for the day is ...going to bed thinking you were $300 in the red in your checkbook and getting up early in the quiet to balance it and finding out it was only -$99.  Hurrah.  It will be a Bible story in reverse in a little bit while I see if I can find the $99. The online banker and I have a running disagreement about my balance but for the last six months he's said I have $300 more than I say I have--I have let him win ---up until last night when he decided to remove my cushion.  Rats.  Goes under the too good to be true section of life. 

Speaking of that.  We have 179 people signed up for my FUNdraiser on Tuesday for the Pastoral Institute.   Another too good to be true but is! People in this Valley never cease to amaze me at their support.  Pray that I will have a vision sooon about the program.  I do have an idea and it's on paper but it's not cooked yet.  Still at the stirring stage. 

My remodeling is coming along. It's a good lesson in patience.  I have some lovely workman.  Very kind and polite and proud of their work.  My front porch has a roof .  So cool.  No more fumbling for my keys in the rain while trying to balance my umbrella on my shoulder.  No more replacing a shredded door mat every 60 days. No more having the annual painting of the icky boards over the front door that get streaked from all that rain that pouring straight down while you are trying to get your key in the door.

My laundry room has shelves now and hang up bars. An old friend that came into our family the year Hedgie Girl was born is hanging on the wall.  An old glass front parsonage cabinet from East Lake. It lived in our garage when we moved in and the church gifted it to us when we left.  I'm sure it knows a lot of stories about preachers' families.  It has lived in our garage for 13 years and now has a place in the air conditioning.  Imagine--a cabinet of real wood!!

here is the weary traveler.  A place to call home on the Hooch. 

random cuteness for your day--my great nephew


My bathroom vanity is in route from Mexico, MO.  Who knew there was such a place.  Pray that it will be beautiful and in mint condition when it arrives.  Hope it will be assembled with all the screws where they are supposed to be.  Another story of an internet purchase of furniture--5000 pound computer armoire in 750,000 pieces when we lived in Talladega. A miracle that we are still married after assembling that one--stupidly in the MIDDLE of the living room floor during a hurricane.  No plugs in our floor.  It had to be on a wall.  Couldn't wait for male friends to help--oh, no...good thing I'm a strong woman married to a very strong willed man.  That cabinet never quite got over it's little bit of sway from it's move to Auburn.  Not much need for a huge piece of furniture to house a computer anymore.  Of course, now I forget which room I left mine in. 

Ok, time to quit writing about life and get up and do it.  Peace from the Hooch. 

God is good

Looking for joy this morning:  cut hydrangeas to take to my widow's group, rejoiced with the workmen in my yard about my new roof over my front porch, sunrise over the magnolia, taste of good coffee, feeling present in Greece while reading a friend's account of his experience there, BW playing chase with her toys, a good morning kiss and hug. God is good.

Our widow's group meet today and hopefully they will be able to share joys and sorrows.  My FUNdraiser is going to happen! Lots of folks have pulled together to support the Pastoral Institute in this community. Hedgie Boy has gone many miles for this event.  Joy! I actually slept to 6 AM this morning instead of 3.  Not as worried about all of it.  Joy!. Not today at least....God is good.

View from my window.  Huge oak with gorgeous green leaves leaning into the sunlight.  This tree is at least as old as me, I'm guessing?  Keep on standing baby! Joy! God is good.

Look for Joy today.
                  Offer joy to others with your calm, kind presence everywhere you go.

                                                                     God is good. 

Hedgie Boy man of the hour for getting my ox out of the ditch.
Congrats Southern Union grad 2013!!

Relaxin on the Hooch

It was great to spend a weekend at my home.  Even though it's still under construction and very chaotic.  Got to do some dreaming about what can go where in a week or so--ha-when things are settled again.  Also did some real dreaming in the form of a great Sunday afternoon nap.  This cool rainy weather makes climbing under the cover a great idea. 

Will probably be orangey tomorrow due to all the peaches I've eaten since Friday.  One day of bowl sitting made them start to ripen.  So good.  Had a peach with cheese for supper.  Had a peach with cheese for breakfast.  Had peach cobbler at lunch.  Starting to sound like Forrest Gump talkin about shrimp.  Ms. Kay at Carroll Farms says next weekend is the last one for peaches at her stand in Woodbury.  Make the trip.  The Hudmon Fruit Stand on the corner across from Ingle's has great peaches and tomatoes.  That sweet gal took every peach out of my basket and looked at them to make sure they were all ok.  Then she gave me a few more to make a" nice real full basket".  Sweet folks over there in Woodbury. 

While I'm on food we had a great lunch at Country's in Lagrange Saturday afternoon before the movie.  You can count on them giving you a plate of food big enough to share.  Duke Boy and I usually get chicken livers--I know some of you are curling up your noses at the thought--just because you don't know what good is.  Yesterday we went with chicken fingers and fried eggplant--I know-we split the plate.  No dessert and we didn't eat anything at the movie--the only time I've ever been grateful for all that preview stuff.  We left the restaurant, drove to the movie--around the block, Duke Boy bought tickets, I parked, we were in our seats before the movie started--it was a 1PM movie and we left our table at 1PM.  I was trying not to breath so hard so the people in front of us wouldn't think they were sitting near some weirdoes. When the lights came up I had done all that weirdo worrying for nothing because we knew the folks and they already know we are weirdoes. 

Put a little love in your heart

Saw "The Butler" today.  Weeping through the last part and feeling tense as I remembered the history I lived through.  Sad to think that we are so hesitant to give up our fears and prejudice against those different from us. All that energy lost on hate.  Where could we be if Kennedy and King had lived?  It's definitely worth seeing . 

Raining here all day.  Windows open feeling the fall-like coolness.

 Ed Sullivan on PBS.  He was a regular at our house.  Little did I know how versed I was on pop culture at the time.  Of course, Lulu wasn't in color then--she was in living black and white on our TV.
 Watching "Shake" by the Animals. They were so wild  then.
                                                      They are barely moving??
You could fall asleep watching them.
  Feb 9,1964--the Beatles appeared live --"She loves you".
Gotta love PBS.
 Herman's Hermits was my fav. Saw them tonight too.  Of course, I was barely out of the crib then...

Time to head for bed.  "Mrs. Brown you've got a lovely daughter.,," a prediction,...who knew?

                                                                                                    and she's a graduate....

Peace from the Hooch. 

Living in the chaos

Rain is gently falling unlike the Niagara version in the rain chains yesterday in Columbus at the Pastoral Institute.  If you don't know what I'm talking about go by there on a rainy day and ask to see the rain chains.  It's worth the trip.  On a good soaker day like yesterday.  It's pretty cool.  I'm having a back porch built so those may be added to my long wish list of accessories. 

My contractor is a calm presence in the midst of the chaos of my house.  He is expert in knowing that the woman of the house must be looked in the eye while discussing upcoming decisions about construction which make take several weeks/months to complete.  He is also grateful that I don't "nut up" like some homeowners have over things like the dryer not working after a move to a new location just because the plug was accidentally wired wrong.  My mantra in the chaos is "wait for it--this is gonna be good".  And God was right, "it was good" having your washer and dryer on the main floor of your home.  I'm sure if God had laundry that even the angels would insist the appliances not be located in the basement.    

This picture makes me smile.  Great for a chaotic day!!

Back to the Water

Double N is back and giving whole new meaning to "eye of newt".  Running toward me with one hanging from his mouth while meowing loudly.  How does that happen? Cat mamas must not teach don't meow with your mouth full of newt.  My reward for not rewarding his gift was getting to pick up Dead N (newt)from my sidewalk and give him a proper burial by the road.  Still glad he's back.  He lay on the table that held my feet while reading the paper.  The glass top gave little BW lots of jealous views while she leap around trying to get a game of chase started. Double N kept it going by giving off fake scared meows from her reclining position. Mosquitoes were the only damper on my perfect garden relaxation moments. Now there are minus two newts to dine on my mosquitoes.  Rest in peace.

Newt point for two little guys due to this furry fellow
 

Have join the ranks of teens again.  Rockin my Pandora with my new Peace sign headphones while blogging.  I may never make it out of my purple chair. 
Peace on Peace.


Made out of water by Alice Dimicele "I'm always trying to get back to the water from that first breath on my day of birth."  I made it Alice.

Resurrection day for all

 My funeral outfit went in the dirty clothes last night.  Please be careful until it's clean again.
 It wasn't my intent to be my funeral outfit when I purchased it.  It's just evolved.
 Black and white polka dot sweater, not too sad, or hot--since this summer has had some hot days.  Yesterday was no exception. 

Duke Boy and I made the trip to Bessemer, AL to help lay my Uncle Ray to rest.  Duke Boy was a pall bearer.  Hank, my brother, did the service.  Ray was the last of the brothers to leave his earthly life and join the rest in the heavenly chorus of Roll Tide.  I just assume he was a Bama fan, and if he's near my Dad he'll have to lean that way on game day.  Ray and his twin, Fay were the babies of the family.  They were new to the world when their Dad, Walter, left it.  My Dad was the oldest and became the man of the house at ten.  Howard, Alvin, Carey, and Cecil were the in-between kids.  Grandmother was a young widow in 1931 with lots of mouths to feed.  My Dad had a story about the pot on the stove with the beans that you didn't eat because they flavored the soup that was the meal.  It was a hard living, but it produced some fine men and a woman who brought other fine men and women into the world.

Funerals aren't just about the resurrection of the dead in the casket they give families an opportunity to resurrect relationships that are separated due to death--Grandmother--no more family parties or reunions --distance--Tennessee, Michigan, Georgia, Alabama, Colorado.  Thank you to Ray's family for bringing him home to rest beside Grandmother, and his sister where he had his beginning. Thanks for the opportunity to see cousins and aunts, and second cousins--so cute.  Also great to see a favorite Aunt with a new love.  This new love was in 1st grade with Uncle Ray but had never crossed paths with my aunt until they attended a grief support group after the death of their spouses.  Great love story.  Hopefully we will make good on those promises to be in touch. This is an attempt at my part.

I must tell my fun story of the day--My sweet aunt Betty Sue, who is the epitome of graciousness, came to me at the graveside and said I looked like a model.  I had on my big black sun hat to keep from perishing.  They were chairs vacant under the tent but I didn't sit down because the hat's so big that no one could have seen the casket from behind me.   She then said, "you have done modeling haven't you?" so cute and so wrong but we had a good laugh. 

 Hank and Isaac.  Hank told a great story at the funeral about Isaac and sleeping in the Father's arms.  Very sweet moment of the reminder of how we are God's hands in the world.

 my happy face last Saturday when Hedgie Girl blew her good-bye kiss to

 University of West Georgia

 

 

Saw 2 flocks of turkey yesterday on the way to Bessemer.  Peace to all.