Thursday, December 6, 2012

Nothing Stays the Same

I am one of those people that love the sound of the Salvation Army Bell and the sound that change makes as it is dropped into the red pail. It means Christmas is coming. It is proof that there are good and generous people in this world.

Today you can find these volunteers in generally the same places they have always been - street corners, malls and in front of stores like KMart and Walmart. Often times, they stand outside, shivering in the cold. Kudos to all those that have volunteered their time for this great organization that offers comforts to those in need.

So much has changed about this simple yearly tradition of bell ringers. When I was a child all the Salvation Army volunteers were dressed like Santa. When I was a child the red pails were made of metal, not plastic, and did not have locked lids. When I was a child the volunteers wished you a Merry Christmas, regardless if you gave a donation or not.

Yesterday I was doing a little Christmas shopping and noticed a young man standing post by his red plastic pail. I always make a donation, and do so when I am leaving the store. I smiled and walked by. As I was coming out of the store and digging out my wallet, I saw that there were now two young people manning this post, a young girl and the same young man. May I stop right here and say how wonderful it was to see young people carrying on this tradition.

I took out the bill from my wallet and started to put it in the plastic pail with the locked lid and the young man said "Oh, wait! They told me to hold on to the bills!" Hmmmmmmmm...... He continued, "They lost the key and can't open the bucket to get the money out." Hmmmmmmmm...... As I returned the bill to my wallet, my heart still tugged at me to give, so...as we continued to converse about the locked bucket dilemma I dug in my wallet for an appropriate amount of change. Me, "Well, how do they get the coins out?" The young man replied "Well, they turn it upside down and keep shaking it until all of it comes out!" Hmmmmmmmm...... I dropped my change into the plastic pail with the locked lid that cannot be unlocked, smiled and said "Merry Christmas!"

The bell did not ring, the coins did not "clank" in the metal pail, and "Santa" did not wish me a Merry Christmas. But, I know next year I'll stop by a Salvation Army post and donate again.

Hopefully all of their plastic pails will be in good working condition!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

And all of heaven is dancing...

Today our loss is heaven's celebration as my sweet friend, Sherri, has gone home to be with Our Lord. I will miss her greatly, but I know that I will see her again some day.

I had the great privilege to have a little "one on one" time with her in May when I traveled to Minnesota to see her. I left her with this...

I believe that God sends us angels here
to help us, walk with us, protecting those dear.
These angels aren't always just those from above.
sometimes they're people we know and love.
He sends them at just the right times, you know,
It's His plan, His timing, His "one man show".
Sometimes it's too hard with our human eyes
to see that these angels are in our lives.
But sometimes He sends you a special one
to laugh with, to love with, and to learn from.
You know they're an angel, it's easy to see
Your life is so blessed in their company.
I thank God He sent me an angel named Sherri;
A good friend with faith that is extraordinary!
An example of Jesus' love day after day,
A servant's huge heart, pure in every way.
This legacy she's left me, so when we're apart
she'll always be etched so deep in my heart...
her laughter, her wisdom, her humor, her love;
most definitely an angel sent from above!

My forever friend...I give you this with much gratitude and love, Patty

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Every Little Girl Needs a Hero

I remember when my three little bird girls were really little and they had issues with sleeping at night. For some reason they thought that there were monsters in the closets. They slept on the second floor of a Cape Cod, so there were a lot of small storage areas with doors all through their room.

My honey came upstairs before bedtime and "scared" all the monsters away by stomping his feet and banging on the walls while shouting "all you monsters, get out of here!" It seemed to work, as they slept well after that night. Every little girl needs a hero, and their daddy was just that.

After the squirrel fiasco (see last blog) Cailyn has been scared that the little critters are going to return and come into her room again. She fretted about this for several days, and nothing I said seemed to reassure her. Then...I got an idea.

Cailyn came with me to ask my honey if he could go get his "magic sprayer" out of the barn and spay upstairs to keep all the squirrels and other furry creatures away. He of course knew exactly which sprayer I was referring to, and got up immediately to go to the barn and retrieve it.

After about 5 minutes he returned with the sprayer strapped to his back and took Cailyn with him upstairs to spray away the critters.



And...since that night she has not had one fretful night about those pesty creatures! I am so glad that after all these years my honey still has the "magic" touch and can make our special grandlittle bird feel safe and secure, just like he did for our little birds so long ago.

Thanks for being our hero. Love you honey!!!

Sunday, February 19, 2012

It's alive!

When my little birds were really little birds my mother-in-law...aka Namby...used to tie up a man's handkerchief into this "shape", and play a game with them. She would hold the hankie in her hand and pet it like "a little mouse" and when the little birds would come close to pet it she would make it "jump" up her arm. This, of course, has caused much laughing AND screeching over the years!! Every little bird in the family has had a visit from this mouse at one time or another.



Well, the other night grandlittle bird, Cailyn, was visiting with Namby and D'dad and was introduced to the "little mouse". She of course screeched each time the mouse would "jump" up Namby's arm. Finally, Namby untied the hankie to show her that it was not real. After that grandlittle told everyone about the "little mouse". She even talked Namby into letting her sleep with it. She snuggled with it in her arm all night!

Tonight grandlittle went upstairs to get ready for bed when she suddenly screeched to her mommy that something was running around in her bedroom...and it must be the "little mouse...it's really alive!" Our littlebird, of course, screeched for her "daddy" to come and rescue them. And so begins a very comical 15 minutes or so.

After determining that the "hankie...little mouse" was maybe a "little chipmunk", my honey came downstairs and got a broom. He wanted me upstairs...for support I guess...as Cailyn was screeching...my littlebird was screeching...and I was supposed to calm them down. Well, I climbed up on my littlebird's bed where the girls were hiding and explained to grandlittle what was running around in her bedroom. It was not the "hankie...little mouse" but a little chipmunk like the ones she sees running around outside in the flower beds. It wasn't going to hurt her, and it was just as scared of her as she was of it. GP would get it, not to worry. I turned to leave and shut the bedroom door. Uh-oh...I forgot that the door "locks" and can not open once you shut it tight.

Why this is an uh-oh is because all the rooms connect upstairs...that was the only door that provided an escape route without having to pass through where the chipmunk was "cornered". My littlebird was beginning to get a bit screechy again. So what did I do...I bailed!!!!! I went back downstairs and thought I would just leave the master chipmunk catcher to do his task. What did he need me there for???

After a few minutes I heard littlebird calling for me to bring up a bucket. Here's when it really gets funny. I am sorry now that I did not record any of this! I took the bucket upstairs and found that my honey had blocked himself and the chipmunk...which at this point has been correctly identified as a small squirrel...in one section of the bathroom. In this small section of the bathroom is a toilet and a sink, closed off with two pocket doors. There is not much room in there! All I could hear was my honey jumping around and laughing while whacking the floor with the broom!

I told him I had the bucket so he slid open one of the pocket doors to get it and...oh no!!!!...out comes "Rocky"...right towards me. So now I'm screeching and jumping on grandlittle bird's bed. "Rocky" obviously was not the brightest squirrel in town as he turned and ran right back into the section with the pocket doors. Trapped again!!

My honey in his ever-so calm manor, managed to capture "Rocky" and send him for a swim down the toilet towards the septic tank. We knew this was the right course of action because if you remember back when we first purchased the BlessInn, our realtor told us to periodically throw a groundhog into the septic to keep it working properly (see "Not This Groundhog's Day -July 2009). Although this squirrel was quite a bit smaller than a groundhog, my honey figured it could help out somewhat...given we have been having septic issues lately!

So, my honey saved the day once more! Oh, wait...littlebird and grandlittle bird are still locked in the bedroom. A hero's work is never done! It took him just a few seconds to "unlock" the door, save his princesses and save the day.

I hope grandlittle bird can fall asleep in her room tonight. Maybe she and Mommy will have to snuggle together in mommy's bed. I am sure that is where I will find them in the morning!

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Menopausal Insanity

I have heard it said many times that once you reach menopause you begin to become even more forgetful. This fact has always been a little unsettling for me because I already suffer from daily memory loss...sometimes making life a bit scary for anyone living with me. LOL!

My latest brain hiccup happened just a few days ago. It struck me as so comical, I thought it worth a blog. Here goes...

Jessie, #3 littlebird, has a computer that crashed a long time ago. I kept telling her to bring it to the house, and I would take it to my favorite computer shop in our little town, but she kept forgetting. (Maybe this thing is hereditary...yikees!) Anyway, I knew this particular shop had done a lot of work at the church, and they are dependable.

Well, one day...several weeks ago, when I was picking up #3 at her apartment she surprised me by remembering her computer. I placed it in the back of the TBird, behind the seat, knowing one day I would just drop it off when I was out and about.

About a week ago I passed the shop, but it was pouring rain and I had a miserable cold. I chose not to stop. Wouldn't you know I saw Jessie that very next day and she asked it I had dropped off her computer yet for repair. I sheepishly told her no, but that I would...I promise!

Yesterday I made an appointment at the doctor's right after work to FINALLY take care of lingering symptoms from that cold I mentioned. I had a few extra minutes and knew I would pass right by the computer shop, so I planned to stop.

All the way there I was thinking about #3's computer...how I did not have a power cord for it, and maybe I would have to buy one before they could even get started...and also how I did not know her password to sign on to the computer, and would that be needed. These thoughts consumed my mind all the way to the shop.

I soon arrived, and parked on the street outside the shop. I turned to get the computer from behind my seat. Now take a moment here and get this visual...it is so important! I just spent the last 5 minutes obsessing about the computer and the issues I may incur when I got there to drop it off. I parked the car, turned it off...and turned around in my seat to grab the computer in its place where I had tucked it away several weeks earlier. OK...stop right there.

Here's when I realized my mind was not with me that day. I was not driving the TBird. I drove my honey's car to work that day. No TBird = no computer.

And definitely NO MIND!!!