Tin Roof! Rusted!

If you see a painted sign by the side of the road that says 15 miles to the ....

Oh wait.  Not THAT tin roof!! It's not the Love Shack, it's MY tin roof!  And it's not rusted either.  It's brand-spankin new!  Last summer during one of our stormy afternoons, many houses on my street were damaged by hail.  I didn't think that much about it, since there were no signs of leaks anywhere.  However, David convinced me that I needed to have it checked out.  Sure enough, there was some damage.  And sure enough, after an exceptionally hard rain there were a few tell-tale water spots on the ceiling in the master bedroom.  The insurance company came out a while back, assessed the damage and wrote a check on the spot.  There were all kinds of things like deductibles, depreciation, replacement value, blah blah blah... and I stuck the check in my desk drawer to worry with it another day.  Another day began bright and early Monday morning. I'm happy to report that the hammers, snips and power screwdrivers will soon be quieted, and The 409 will be covered in a beautiful, dark green, metal roof.  It's not really tin, and it won't ever rust, but I can't help but think of the B52s every time I see a "tin" roof.  My own little Love Shack.  Haha!!! 

It's great to have another project out of the way (especially one I didn't have to pay for out of my own pockets!!) 

Come by and check out my new roof.  There are quite a few "Love Shacks" on my street now, thanks to the battering of last summer's hail storm.  If it hails this summer, we'll probably need earplugs. 

The whole shack shimmies,
When everybody's movin' around, and around, and around..
Everybody's movin', everybody's groovin', baby!Funky little shack... Funk-y little shack

B52s.  What a fun song!!  Lovin' my new "tin" roof!

Today Could Be The Day!

If you watch much network tv at all, you've probably heard that little jingle far more times than you want to.  I know I certainly have.  The Georgia Lottery people would have us believe that they are hurting, and as a result, they have cut back on the amount of money available to college students.  Here's a thought... stop spending so much money on stupid television ads.  Seriously.  How many times during one prime-time show do we need to see the same commercial over and over?  Is there anyone in the state of Georgia who doesn't know about the lottery?  And do we REALLY need to see the fake chinese man who only moves his mouth talk about Keno at every commercial break?  What the heck is Keno anyway?  When I was in Vegas, scantily-clad women would walk about saying "Keno!" every few seconds, and people would watch some numbers up on a screen.  I'd say, if you gotta go to the store to play Keno, then wait and do your commercials at the store.  I am of the impression that prime-time tv ads can be quite costly.  It wouldn't be so bad for one lottery commercial per show/hour.  But to show them at every commercial break seems to me that they are being bad stewards of their money.

The state school superintendant (I believe it was, I'm too lazy to check my facts right this second) made an interesting observation.  She said something to the effect that the K-4 program and college degrees are not mandated by law.  Yes, they are a great thing, and it is great having the lottery fund them.  However, our current school system is in a financial crisis.  Wouldn't it be a more prudent investment to put the lottery money into the public school system? 

I like how she thinks!!  Look at it this way.  Taking away lottery-funded college tuition would hurt many people, and take away the opportunity for college that they normally would not have.  However... if the state of our public education continues to decline, our students #1) won't receive an education that enables them to maintain the grades in high school to qualify, and even if they do, #2) they won't have a solid enough basic education to maintain the GPA in college to earn the second go-round of lottery-funded tuition.  So they'll drop out of college after the first term, and that pile of tuition money will have been wasted anyway. 

If something isn't done about our school system K-12, we won't be needing to worry about college anyway.  Our students won't be able to make high enough on the SAT to even get in.  It is a very sad situation. 

I, for one, could do with 99% less lottery commercials.  And I don't even watch tv that much.  So, lottery officials, save some money!  Stop with the ridiculous ads! 

Edited to add:  I am the biggest fan of school teachers out there.  This post in no way is meant to diss teachers by saying education is lacking.  Education is lacking because of funding.  Teachers and public safety workers are my heroes, and should be the highest-paid workers in our work force.  Not some silly athlete.  But that's another rant all together. 

And don't even mention to me the possibility of cutting the band program.  You'd get an ear full, and it might not be pretty.   I'm just sayin....

Hill's Ace Hardware, Winder

I think I may have written about my lawn mower troubles in the past.  Last summer I went through two brand new mowers, not counting the new one I had purchased the summer before.  Finally Lowe's just gave me back the money.  We had been borrowing Randy's mower, and Dustin was happy with it.  (Well, as happy as one can be this side of a riding mower.)  Randy got his at Hill's Ace in Winder and had told me to go there and check it out.  A few weeks ago I did just that, and was helped by a nice young man named Andrew, I believe.  He was very helpful not only with the lawn mowers, but also with a  couple of other home projects I was contemplating.  I didn't purchase the mower that day, but made the decision on which one I wanted.  A couple of Fridays ago I borrowed my dad's truck and went to get it.  Andrew wasn't there (but maybe he got commission anyway, since I told the other people he was my original personal shopper).  Another equally nice gentleman assisted me with the mower, we did the paperwork I paid for it, and I went on my merry way, happy to have a new mower. (Again.)  One of the things I liked about this purchase is that if there are problems with the mower I take it to the store and it is serviced there.  None of the nonsense that I experienced with Lowe's.  Dustin has used the mower and says it works just fine.  So that makes me a happy customer. 

While going through my mail today, I found something from Hill's.  I thought it might be the warranty card or something along those lines, since they input all the information for me at the store.  To my surprise, it was a hand-written note of thanks from the store (sorry, but I can't read the signature maybe John or Jim something).  They thanked me for my patronage, acknowledged that I have many choices for my purchases, and to please not hesitate to call them if they may be of service to me again.  Wow.  It took someone probably all of three minutes to write that little note.  But it is worth thousands of dollars in advertisement money to me.  I've shopped there many times before, and I have always received excellent service from knowledgeable people.  They have plenty of sales associates on hand, who are there to serve the customer.  So today my shout-out goes to Hill's Ace Hardware in Winder.  Not only for a positive shopping experience, but for their personal touch follow up in thanking me for a purchase.  Granted, a lawn mower costs a little more than a bag of nails or a hammer, but still it was less than $400.00.  Maybe I could almost see a note if I purchased enough lumber to build a house, or something on a much larger scale.... nah... even that would have surprised me.  At any rate, that personal note has ensured that in the future, if they've got what I need, I'll be buying it from them.  After all, Ace is the place with the Helpful Hardware Man!!

LOST

According to Merriam Webster, the definitions of the word "lost" are as follows:


1 : not made use of, won, or claimed
2 a : no longer possessed b : no longer known
3 : ruined or destroyed physically or morally : desperate
4 a : taken away or beyond reach or attainment : denied b : insensible, hardened
5 a : unable to find the way b : no longer visible c : lacking assurance or self-confidence : helpless
6 : rapt, absorbed
7 : not appreciated or understood : wasted
8 : obscured or overlooked during a process or activity
9 : hopelessly unattainable : futile

According to CathyB, the definitions of the televion series LOST are as follows:

6 : rapt, absorbed
9 : hopelessly unattainable : futile
10: the most confusing, intriguing, insane, frustrating, addictive, exciting show ever to be on television.

Are you a LOST fan? Are you as lost as I am? I watched the very first episode of this show, and except for a few months when I was working nights for a hospital in LA, I haven't missed very many episodes at all. Granted... missing five minutes of the show can render you totally lost. Or should I say even more lost than normal. The first episode was one of the most intense shows I've ever seen on TV and I was hooked. That the show has gotten crazier with each subsequent episode has done nothing to deter my addiction. I'll admit it. I'm a Lostie. At least I'm not obssessed. There's a whole population of people out there who are so totally engrossed in the craze that I'm not sure they even have real lives. The message boards are full of people who spend countless hours trying to analyze every frame of the show and can relate an obscure tree in the jungle back to an episode five seasons ago and correlate it with what is happening now, and how it will affect the end of the show. Good grief. I can barely remember from week to week what happens. Which is probably one of the reasons that I am forever lost when I watch it. Whitney asked me last night, "Mom, does this show ever make sense?" "No," I told her. "Never." She thinks it is so funny that I watch something that is so bizarre, and gave up long ago asking me what is happening, should she wander into the room when I am watching. She has also learned (smart girl that she is) not to talk to me when the show is on. Most of the time I can multitask and do several things at once, but not when watching LOST. So what is the attraction to this show that leaves more questions than answers? I suppose it is the hope that in the end we'll learn the secrets of The Island. Is it hell? Are the people dead? What's up with the sideways flashes? How can people in sideways have memories of The Island if it never happened? Who is Jacob? Is Locke the Man in Black? Which one is evil and which one is good? Who are The Others? Who are the other Others? Which ones are good, which ones are bad? Or are they all good? Or are they all dead? In the sideways world, will the people find each other? How come they keep introducing new groups of people so near the end of the series? etc. etc. etc.

Those are just a few of the questions. And that's an awful lot of answers to be gleaned in just five more episodes. I love the show and I will be sad when the final episode airs. I just hope that it doesn't leave us yet again with more questions than answers. I'd hate to be forever LOST.

The Best Laid Plans...

...oft go awry.  Such was the case with our Meditech upgrade.  Oh, it finally happened, but it was on up in the day.  It was close to 9 a.m. before I started working, and it was pretty slow-go, having to work off-line.  It was sometime around noon before the All Clear sound was heard.  Then we had to process all the work we had done this morning so that it would interface into the new and improved, upgraded Meditech system.  bleh.

However, just a few feet away from my desk, the most PERFECT day was right outside my window, and I just couldn't be grumpy about an imperfect day at work.  A few days ago I was lamenting that it looked like we were jumping straight from winter into summer, and moaning about the lack of a spring season to enjoy.  Since the rains last week, the days and nights have been splendid, and I've been able to keep the windows open in my room.  I just can't tell you how much pleasure that brings.  This is the most perfect spring I can remember in a very long time.

So it was the beautiful day outside that helped chase away the grumpies of a delayed finish to the upgrade, resulting in a very unproductive day (translated = very little money).  Everything seems to be running smoothly now, so tomorrow we should be back to normal.  Looks like the weather is going to hold until at least the weekend, so that's something else to be happy about. 

Life is often tough and sometimes things don't go the way we plan. Hearts are broken, loved ones are lost, dreams are crushed.  But the good things, the blessings, are there too, if we'll just look for them, and acknowledge them.  This week I am thankful for the beautiful springtime weather.  And tonight I'm thankful for a successful (even if delayed) upgrade.

It's All About The Upgrade

In our world of technology, by the time we get something loaded, up and running, it's already outdated, and someone is frantically working on the upgrade.  The word "upgrade" often strikes fear into even the most techno-savvy people, and it is often with much dread that new programs are implemented.  Sometimes upgrading is optional, sometimes it's not.  I could upgrade my Photoshop program.  But there's no reason to do it, because I haven't even learned how to use the version I already have.  I could upgrade my computers to Windows 7.  I'll probably do that at some point because I have never been happy with the Vista version, which I was forced to accept (upgrade NOT optional) when purchasing my new desktop, and the laptop that I bought a few years ago.  Now I suppose if I went and bought a new one, Windows 7 would be my only choice.  Unless you can talk the Dell folks into installing an older OS, or go to a company who builds computers for the private sector.  Around the time XP first came out, I bought a computer from Randy Williams in Winder at the Radio Shack.  He talked me into letting him build me a computer instead of buying one off the shelf.  (I must say it was a wise choice.  That computer lasted many years, and supported the many large software programs for my line of work.  It was a good one!)  At the time, I was accustomed to using Windows Professional 2000, and the switch to XP was just more than I could take.  I took the computer back to Mr. Williams and asked him to please, please put my W2000 back on there and throw that XP stuff out the door.  Of course XP was improved upon, and I grew accustomed to using that too.  Now the horrors of Vista have been forced upon me, and about the time I got used to that, W7 is available.  I haven't heard much about it, but I reckon folks like it okay.  I'm all about free enterprise and I think Bill Gates deserves every penny he has ever made (after all he revolutionized our world!), but my opinion of him sank a little bit when he came out with a totally new OS (Vista) that wouldn't run the old programs.  I have a lot of money tied up in transcription software that is no good on Vista.  I'm not sure if it would work on W7 or not.

Well, here I go... rambling again... I'm like a little blue-haired lady puttering around in a car on a Sunday afternoon.  Must be my senility kicking in.

The hospital is undergoing a huge upgrade tonight at 11:00, and everyone is busy preparing for a rather extended down time (well, extended in terms of hospital-time).  We've been bustin our rear ends trying to get the dictation to a manageable number, and keeping it caught up, as we'll be using downtime procedures after 11:00.  The upgrade promises to be a good one, with a more user-friendly format of our main system.  We've poked around a little bit in the test mode, and it looks pretty good.

If you watch many medical shows on tv, you've probably seen the scene in the OR when they unclamp the vessel in the heart and wait for the heart to begin beating.  Nobody moves or breathes, and all eyes are on the heart monitor.  Sometimes it starts right up, sometimes it just sits there for a few seconds before the beep-beep-beep of the monitor lets you know the surgery was a success.  Granted, a human life isn't hanging in the balance, but I'll betcha there will be a lot of IS folks standing around holding their breaths when that vessel is unclamped, I mean when that button is pressed to bring our system back online.  Their hearts will be pounding, only to return to normal when one by one, each facet of the system is confirmed as working.  They will all breathe a collective sigh of relief, I'm sure, when the All Clear signal is sent and everyone can reboot and get their computers up and going again.  I'm thankful that I'll be asleep warm in my bed when all this goes down.  At least I hope that by the time my shift starts tomorrow we've got the word that All's Clear.  Technology.  It's a wonderful thing.  Even if we have to upgrade it.

The Towering Inferno

Do you remember that movie?  Scared the livin' daylights out of me.  When I was a kid, for some wierd reason, I had an unatural fear of fire.  I believe it is called pyrophobia.  Not the kind of fire in the fireplace, or in the fire pit or the campfire.  No, I liked to poke around in those kinds of fires.  What gave me nightmares and caused me to creep into the bed with my mom and dad (or my little brother) were the fires that consumed homes, buildings, forests, etc.  The uncontrolled kind that devastate lives.  When I was four years old, my grandparents' house was destroyed by fire.  Until I was grown and married, I carried with me a vision of their house burning against the night sky.  I believe that incident was probably the reason for the nightmares and the fear.  One day while talking to my other grandmother, we were discussing why it might be that I was so afraid.  I told her that I thought it was from seeing Mama Lorene and Pappy's house burning.  She looked kind of funny and told me that I wasn't even there when it happened, and I did not see it burning.  It was in the daytime, not at night.  She did say that the following day I went with my parents over to where the home had stood, and that I started screaming and crying.  I have no memory of any of this.  The only memory I have is that vision of flames in the night.  And for some reason, I always thought lightning had struck the house causing the fire. (Thus explains my fear of thunderstorms as well.)  How strange is that.  For whatever reason, I was scarred for life, and used to awaken in the night with the smell of smoke in my nostrils and the sound of crackling flames in my ears.  One night I swore to my parents that the woods across the street were burning... even though it was pouring rain, and had been raining for days.  If I watched a movie or a tv show that involved a fire, it was bound to be a long and tormented night for me, with terrible dreams.  In the event of a thunderstorm or a tv show/movie that involved fire, I'd run up the path to spend the night with Mama Nay.  She would sleep with me in Uncle Ricky's old bedroom, and I wouldn't be afraid.  Mama Nay soothed away many nightmares for me when I was young.  I'm very happy and relieved to say that, with age, I outgrew the unatural fear.  But I'm tellin' ya, that Towering Inferno movie really did scare me to death.  When I was about 20 years old, the office where I worked went to a convention in Atlanta, where we stayed at the Peachtree Plaza. (Uh oh... guess where I'm going with this...) My co-workers and I were on like the zillionth floor, and I wasn't too excited about it at all.  One night we came in from a dinner party and had just got settled in our jammies when Judy looked out the window and casually says "what are all those fire trucks doing down there?"  Oh. My. Goodness.  I flew to the window, and sure enough, there were seven or eight of them, small enough to be Matchbox cars.  Tiny little men no larger than ants were scurrying about far below.  I'm panicking, trying to find a bathrobe and slippers, then said to heck with it, and start out the door in my PJs.  I was no fool.  There's no ladder tall enough to get up to our room, so I'm gettin' outta Dodge as fast as I can.  Susan, an older and wiser co-worker, was calmly on the phone with the front desk inquiring about the activity.  A false alarm, she reported, but with a building that size, the firemen must come investigate and determine that indeed it was a false alarm.  I kept my face pressed against that window high in the Atlanta skyline, with my nose on alert for the smell of smoke, and my ears on alert for any unusual sounds like popping, cracking, screaming, smoke alarms, etc.  Eventually, the tiny little firemen drove away in their tiny little fire trucks, and I got a tiny little bit of sleep.  I was so happy to get back home to the boondocks where I knew that, even though Statham didn't have a ladder truck, somebody could get me out of my house with a stepladder if they ever needed to. 

Well, I've wandered as far away from the intent of this post as I possibly could, so now let me wrangle myself back to what I wanted to write about.  Saturday night Norma and Mike hosted a surprise birthday party for Nany.  She will turn 75 this month!! What a milestone.  Her sister-in-law made the most awesome birthday cake with 75 candles on it!!  It was beautiful.  I'm posting some pictures of the party, and I think you'll see where I got my inspiration for the title and content of today's post. 

Nany's cake with 75 candles.

Isn't it beautiful?

Side view of Nany's cake

with 75 candles

Took two people to light Nany's Cake

with 75 candles

Nany's cake with 75 candles

all lit up

Nany's cake with 75 candles -

The Towering Inferno!!

Poor Nany had to have help blowing out the candles.  I was afraid she was going to catch her blouse on fire!!  It was a beautiful cake, and we all had a big laugh.  You always hear jokes about needing a fire extinguisher for all the birthday candles.... well, it was almost no joke this time. I was so happy that Mike got these shots.  It was a real Kodak Moment, that's for sure!!  It was lots of fun, and I'm so glad I got to go and spend some time with the family.  Yep, they'll always be family to me.  Here's a few more photos taken after the danger of smoke inhalation had passed:

Surprise, Nany!!

Three brothers and their wives,

a friend since childhood

Nany & Pawpoo in the middle

Just Visiting

Little Man in a wagon with a

piece of sticky, red candy in his mouth

Leyland, Corey, & Peyton

Happy 75th Birthday, Nany!!

(April 26th, 2010)

The Great Plague

Is there anyone on the planet who hasn't seen Cecil B. DeMille's version of The Ten Commandments?  Was Charleton Heston the greatest Moses ever, or WHAT!!  (I also loved The Prince of Egypt, the cartoon version of Moses and truly had a religious experience while watching in the theatre.  I'm being serious here.  It was amazing!)  At any rate, you'll remember the scenes involving the plagues brought upon Egypt when Pharoah refused to obey God and "Let My People Go".  There were locusts, frogs, boils, lice, blood, etc. 

Here in the south, we have experienced our own version of Plague for the past week or so.  Pollen.  Of Biblical proportions.  Yesterday's pollen count for Atlanta set a record, at 5,733.

Pollen here, pollen there. 
Pollen, pollen, everywhere. 
In my hair, up my nose,
All around the pollen goes.

Well, okay, so I'm no Dr. Seuss poet, but that's about the gist of it.  Everywhere you look.  In the movie, when the plague of death comes, we see it as a green cloud descending from heaven that permeates the earth. Here in Georgia, if you look toward the horizon, you will see a yellow cloud that almost looks like smoke in the distance.  Little gusts of wind will whip up a little pollen tornado out of nowhere. 

I am one of the fortunate ones not to be bothered with respiratory problems.  I remember a dear friend Julia who suffered terribly every spring with nasty allergies.  I sure hope she is surviving the current onslaught.  Though it doesn't bother my nose, it sure does irritate my eyes.  It feels like there's a coating of sandpaper on the inside of my eyelids.  For those of us not sensitive to the stuff, I wonder what our noses and lungs look like on the inside.  At least the allergic folks sneeze and cough and get the nasty stuff out.  Blech. 

But there is rain forecast for today, and already a few drops have fallen.  I hope it will be a nice, long, adequate rain.  Enough to wash this stuff away.  Not just a small amount that will only serve to make a paste out of the powder.  If the bees are doing their part and transporting the pollen with their sticky little feet, then we should be in for some spectacular blooms, fruits and veggies a little later on.  So come on, rain... shower down on us and wash away our plague!

The Little Drummer Boy

This video brings back memories of how it was at my house when I was growing up.  My little brother loved playing the drums (and still does!).  I don't think he was quite this young when he got his first drum set, but believe me, there were many nights when we'd feel the thump-tha-thump of the bass drum pounding in our chests.  This is a great video... watch his face all the way through, especially toward the end.  Such a cute little fella, and quite talented as well!  Click here to enjoy!

A Fun Video!

Sometimes I let my inbox fill to overflowing and just have to take a few minutes here and there to either delete or open all the e-mail that has collected.  I'm off work today pulling Greemaw duty while Whitney is out of town.  The munchkins are happily engaged in some serious Super Why on PBS Kids, so I stopped for a moment to begin the task of cleaning out my inbox.  After deleting the junk, I found there were some very interesting e-mails, some thought provoking, some simply entertaining.  One of my favorites fell into the latter category, and I thought after such a long week of heavy-hearted posting that I'd lighten it up a little bit and share this video with you.  It always makes me happy to see folks caught up in moments of fun just for the sake of having fun.  No hidden agenda, just enjoying life in the moment.  In this case the "someone" happens to be two dogs.  Click here to watch and enjoy!

It Was Perfect!

Today we said our final goodbyes to Delores in a service that celebrated her life.   It was absolutely perfect!  I know she would have been so pleased.  It was the sweetest, most beautiful memorial service I have ever attended.  Marty and Joel gave eulogies that brought back so many happy memories. The slide show left us with the image of a young, happy and healthy Delores.  Micaela's poem was a heartfelt message.  The music selections were celebratory.  Bro. Gordon's personal memories of time spent and conversations with her over the past 12 years, the scripture passages, the message of hope and comfort... it was all perfect.

There are probably few things more difficult for a minister than to perform a funeral service.  Easier, no doubt, when he is assured that the departed has gone to be with the Lord, than when called upon to speak at the service of someone he doesn't know, or is unsure of their relationship (or lack thereof) with God.  Granted, the only time some folks step into a church is when a loved one passes.  Somewhere down the road, I reckon some preachers decided that once you've got them captive, it's time to bring down the hellfire and brimstone.  I try not to question the motivation of God's called, and perhaps this method has been effective in bringing some lost sheep into the fold.  If that is the case, then I am happy.  Normally, it's a turnoff to me personally.

Thankfully, today's service was so full of the life that she lived, her love for her family, her love for God, that no "sermon" was necessary.  Her life was her sermon.  Far from a perfect life, of course, but none who knew her would ever doubt her faith and her love for God.  The best "sermon" that we could have heard, was the testimony to that life, that faith, and that love.  I'm sure most people who left today can only hope that such things could be said about them when their time comes.  I know I sure did.  

The last few weeks, and especially the last few days, were so terribly difficult for her, that letting her go was a relief.  That was the easy part.  The hard part will be living without her. 

Spring! {Or Is It Summer?}

Here in the southeast, we used to enjoy four pretty well-defined seasons.  Three or four weeks of springtime, a month or so of autumn, with a nice, well-tempered transition between each season. That hasn't seemed to be the case in the past few years.  Seems like we go from running the furnace straight into cranking up the AC.  Spring and autumn are my favorite times of the year, because I truly love throwing open all the windows in the house and letting the fresh air circulate.  I like the crisp cool evenings with the windows open, snuggled under the covers and falling asleep to the sounds of the night.  A hot cup of coffee in the morning helps to chase away the chill bumps while waiting for the day to warm up.  I suppose it is reminescent of growing up back in the days when we didn't have air conditioning in our house, and we pretty much lived with the windows up from springtime till the next frost.  Or whenever mama got cold and said it was time to put them down.  I honestly don't know how we survived the hot summers without AC.  I think surely we must have higher temperatures nowadays than we did back then.  I do remember when I would visit people who did have AC, I would get cold before time to go home.  I used to stay at my cousin's house in Atlanta for a week or so in the summertime and babysit their kids.  Jim would fuss at me nearly every day because I'd turn off the AC and open up the sliding doors. It just felt like I was cooped up inside a cold cave.  (Now that I am the happy recipient of electric bills, I can understand why he got so upset!)  My mom and dad enjoyed the freshness of having the windows open as well, and I think we resisted getting AC for as long as we could stand it.  I'm not sure I remember exactly when we finally gave in, but my dad was a heating/AC man, and he got this huge unit that was capable of making it cold enough to hang meat in our house.  I do remember that we would hold off as long as possible about turning it on every year.

Old habits die hard, I suppose, because I'm still the same way.  One of my FB friends posted something to the effect that "What ever happened to having some time between the heater and the AC?".  I can say amen to that!!  For the past few days I've had my windows open (resulting in a lovely yellow coating on everything in my room) and my ceiling fans whirring.  It is fabulous!  The weather outside is ridiculously gorgeous, and if I can't be outside in it, then I'll just bring it inside with me through the windows.  Pollen and all.  Saturday was the absolute most perfect day (weather-wise) ever, and if it never got any hotter than it did then, I'd be delighted.  It was getting pretty close to the point of having to turn on the AC, because it does get warm inside, but we toughed it out.  Ditto for yesterday.  I was working at my desk, fortunately being sedentary, and there were a couple of hours that were borderline uncomfortable heat-wise.  As the afternoon began to drift away, it started cooling down and became very pleasant again.  However, it looks like we're in for warmer temps this week.  I looked at the forecast, and we're supposed to hit the mid 80s this week.  Oh dear.  I'm not so sure I'll make it through another day without the AC.  Looks like we're jumping right from winter into summer again this year, with very little open-window weather to enjoy.  This might be my last day of working beside an open window, at least until autumn, when perhaps I'll have a few days to enjoy it then.  Hello/Goodbye spring!  Looks like summer is upon us!

Go Rest High

Go rest high on that mountain
For your work on earth is done.
Go to heaven a shoutin'
Love for the Father and the Son.
(Vince Gill)

Delores, we will miss you more than you know. But what a joy this Easter morning for you to awaken in the arms of the One Whose resurrection we celebrate this day.

Saturday morning, an empty cross.

Sunday morning, an empty grave!

No Fangs At The 409

The vampire population in my neighborhood was dealt a hard blow last night.  DJ and I had dinner at Provino's.  Our homes are within hollering distance of each other.  I can see her house and she can see mine.  Believe me when I say there were no fangs on our street last night, and the coast will probably be clear throughout the day as well.  My Twighlight-fan friends might be disappointed in this fact, but having no particular fondness for vampires my ownself, I rather think it's a good thing.  My only experience with vampires was in my much younger days when Dark Shadows both thrilled me and scared me out of my britches.  I remember vividly one afternoon my mom was torturing me with those bristly-brush hair rollers.  We had just received word that my great aunt had passed away, and I was feeling a bit teary.  My little brother, who was maybe 6 or 7 at the time, was upset that I was crying.  Ever the comforter to his big sister, he came over, patted my shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Cat.  She'll come back to life, just like they do on Dark Shadows!"  Needless to say, my mom put a stop to that TV show in our house from that moment on.  (But she probably never knew that we sneaked up to Mama Nay's and watched it anyway!)  Do vampires exist?  I don't know.  It's kind of like ghosts.  I'm not going to say they do not exist.... because if they DO, well then, I don't want them showing up at my house just to prove they DO exist!  I'm not a superstitious person.  For all the mirrors I've broken and ladders I've walked under, sidewalk cracks I've stepped on... I'd be doomed for bad luck throughout eternity.  But then again, I'm not going to press my luck with Things That Go Bump In The Night.  At any rate, with all the garlic DJ and I consumed last night, I'd say we're safe from the vampire persuasion for at least another day or so.  We were more than happy to do our part to keep our neighborhood safe.